Disclaimer: The characters belong to Joss Whedon and all that lot, not me. Thanks as always to my amazing beta, SanityFair.
 
Chapter 7 - Forever Now
 
“What are ye all looking at?” Liam roared at the crowd which had gathered to watch the fracas. With an arrogant air he glared at the spectators then turned and stalked off, trailed by his comrade in ale. Spike still stood rigid, eyes narrowed. Finally he swallowed, took Buffy’s arm and steered her into a nearby alley.
 
“That… that was Angel!” Buffy gasped.
 
“Not yet,” Spike said grimly, sitting down on a barrel. He took his hat off and ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture. “Right now he’s just Liam the fucking drunken wastrel. I should have remembered.”
 
“Remembered what?”
 
Spike looked up at her, his eyes angry and sad all at once. “It’s 1753. That’s the year he was turned.”
 
Buffy shook her head over and over, trying to make sense of it all. “But what… why bring us here?” But even as she said it she knew the answer.
 
It was Spike who spoke the words aloud. “I think we’re meant to stop him from becoming a vampire. Liam dies pissing in his bed of cirrhosis or gonorrhea or fuck knows what all, and never brings about the end of the world by trying to take on the Circle of the Black Thorn.”
 
“But that would mean…” Her heart constricted in her chest and the words died in her throat.
 
“That I never become a vampire either.” The words fell like stones from his lips. With his elbows on his knees he fisted both hands in his hair. “No Angelus means no Drusilla. No Drusilla means William Pratt dies a miserable, useless sack of shite.”
 
“No. No, it can’t be. No!” Buffy turned and drove her fist into a nearby doorframe, splintering it. She whirled back to face Spike. “I won’t do it! I don’t care! Fuck the world! We’ve done enough. I’m not doing this again!” She turned and stormed out of the alley, half walking, half running down the street. She had no idea where she was going, and people on the street shied away from the obvious fury she exuded. As she stumbled blindly through the streets of Galway her brain ran in circles. What do we do? Kill Darla? What happens to us then? What happens if we don’t stop this? What about all the people Angel saved? What happens to them? Fucking Powers screwing with my life again and again and God can’t I just stop or die or something already? She wanted desperately to just run, leave all of this crap behind and let someone else avert this apocalypse. Sorry everyone. But the world’s just going to have to end because I can’t do this anymore. I can’t watch the person I love die again. I can’t.
 
She suddenly became aware of two figures looming up in front of her. They were filthy, foul looking men, and Buffy realized that the street she was in was dark, run down, and had a sinister air. “Where are ye off to, pretty thing?” one of the men asked in a raspy voice.
 
“I think she might be looking for a bit o’ sport, don’t ye think?” said the other.
 
“Right,” Buffy said, throwing off her scarf. “Bring it on.” The men looked at each other, puzzled, clearly not expecting anything remotely like this reaction. After a moment Buffy said, “Fine then, I’ll start the party.” She broke the first man’s nose before he even saw her move. Grabbing his arm, she threw him into his friend, tumbling them both to the pavement.
 
“A fair bitch ye are, aren’t ye?” said the second man as he scrambled to his feet. She sidestepped his charge and took out his knee with a side kick as he passed by. He fell screaming to the ground as his companion rushed her from behind. She flipped him and he landed square on his friend, knocking them both into a half senseless heap. Buffy became aware of another presence behind her and whirled to face the new threat.
 
“Got that out of your system then, love?” One of the men tried to rise, but a swift kick in the head from Spike and he was out cold.
 
The fight drained out of Buffy, leaving behind resignation and despair. She let Spike fold her into his arms and rested her head on his chest. “I can’t do this, Spike.”
 
Spike snagged her shawl from the ground and wrapped it around her head again. “Come on, pet. Let’s get back to the inn, yeah?” Buffy nodded forlornly and allowed herself to be led from the alley. They walked in silence back to the inn, like they were walking in a funeral procession. When she had taken off, Spike had remained stunned in the alley for long minutes before he went after her. He knew with perfect clarity what had to be done. If Liam never became Angel, a lot of bad things would fail to happen, including the end of the world. Problem was a couple of good things wouldn’t happen either. Like William being rescued from a lifetime of mediocrity to become the Slayer of Slayers. Thinking through all the potential permutations of what might not happen without Angel or himself made his brain spin. Will I just vanish from this time? What happens in the future? He had no answers.
 
When they returned to the inn the evening’s festivities were in full swing, but they made their way quietly through the throng and up to their room in the garret. Spike closed the door behind him and turned to face Buffy. They stood there, facing each other across the room, and Spike was reminded of that last night before he closed the hellmouth. She had come downstairs and they had faced each other just this way, each wondering what the other wanted, not sure how to proceed. But then as now they drifted together and their arms went around each other, fitting perfectly, neither one too tall or too short. Then as now their lips met and they kissed, softly at first but with rapidly growing intensity. They worked each other’s clothing off slowly, as if they had all the time in the world. This time there was something more, however. This time Spike had no doubts about where he stood. She loved him, wanted him and only him, and it made every touch and caress sweeter somehow.
 
When they were finally divested of their clothing Buffy took his hand and led him to the bed, pushing him down gently and climbing on top of him. She worked her way down his body, her tongue tracing every muscle as he hissed and closed his eyes. She took him in her mouth, teasing and pleasuring him until he could barely stand it before she climbed up and mounted him. Their hands met and inclined and Spike’s blue eyes smoldered as he watched her move. “I missed this,” she said, nearly moaning the words. “Missed you. Missed us. This is… oh, God this is so good, Spike.”
 
“Yeah, baby. It’s like fucking heaven. The way you move.” Buffy’s muscles squeezed him again and again until at last he rolled them over and thrust into her, making her cry out in a sudden unexpected orgasm. He kept moving, smiling as he watched her face flush with pleasure. “That’s it love. Come for me.” Her pleasure built again, and again until at last he groaned and fell over the edge with her. They lay together for a long time, gasping and clinging to each other, Buffy’s hands stroking Spike’s curls as she buried her face in his neck.
 
It was Buffy who spoke first. “Spike?”
 
“Yeah?” He pushed himself up on his elbows to look into her eyes.
 
“I want you to claim me.”
 
That was probably the last thing that Spike had expected her to say, and he looked at her, startled. “Do you have any idea what that would mean? It’s permanent.”
 
“I know. Slayer, remember? Even I do my homework sometimes. I know it forms a permanent bond, and if one of the pair dies usually the other one does too.”
 
“But you… you know that if we do what we have to do, I’m gone.” Spike choked a bit on the last words. The idea wasn’t getting more appealing with repetition.
 
“Then if you go, I want to go too.” Spike looked troubled and Buffy cupped his face and said seriously, “I can’t… end your existence and just, go on with my life. Besides, when we… when we do this, we’ll probably just get sent back to our own times. It will be like none of this happened. But until that happens, I want to be yours, totally yours. Even if… even if this is all we’ll have, and it will all be erased tomorrow, I want this. For now, if we can’t have it forever. Please.” Her green eyes were watery but determined.
 
Spike’s heart all but started beating again. Here was a woman, the strongest, most amazing woman he had ever known, and she wanted to be his, irrevocably his, regardless of the consequences. He knew she was right – they probably wouldn’t die per se, but this intense, overpowering bond they had would vanish and be lost forever. And yet, he understood her point, and the thought of joining his mind to hers was the fulfillment of years of desire. With a voice shaky with emotion he asked, “Will you be mine, Buffy Summers? My mate and my wife, for as long as the fates allow?”
 
“Yes, William. Yes.” Then they were kissing again, and Buffy felt Spike stiffening against her thigh. She opened to him and he slid inside – slid home. Ever since she had captured his heart the only place he had ever wanted to be was here, between these thighs, looking down at this tanned and golden goddess. Their eyes locked as they moved together and their bodies fused into one. Buffy watched as Spike’s demon came forth, but the ridges and fangs held no horror for her, nor ever would again. Bending down he sank his fangs as gently as he could into her vein, drinking deep before licking the wounds closed and whispering, “You’re mine, Buffy. Mine and none other’s.”
 
“Yours, oh God, I’m yours,” she whispered back. Then she tilted his head to get a better vantage point and bit hard at the place where his neck joined his shoulder, tasting his blood and feeling the power it contained coursing through her. “Mine. Please say you’re mine.”
 
“You know I’m yours. Always yours.” Then they both climaxed and it was like nothing they had ever experienced. Their minds swirled with color and emotion and a deep, indescribable connection. All of Spike’s fears and insecurities were laid bare before her but he knew it was okay, because all of her pain and loss were there as well, and neither of them cared. The love was there; it was real, almost palpable, and in that moment they felt that nothing could ever conquer it.
 
 TBC