~*~
Chapter 52
~*~

The party atmosphere hadn’t let up since the five returned to their own dimension. They all looked a bit bedraggled but were whole and alive and that was what mattered, after all.

Dawn couldn’t be pried from her sister’s side, alternating between hugs and tears followed by playfully soft swats and threats of dire retaliation should Buffy
disappear again.

There was a slightly awkward moment when Willow first caught sight of Oz, but the joy at seeing each other again finally outweighed the bittersweet memory of their
parting so long ago. Willow was relieved that she didn’t have to tell Oz about Tara’s passing. His gentle "I heard. So sorry," was followed by his pulling Willow into a tender embrace that spoke volumes.

Giles returned from his trek with Lilah and his eyes danced with joy at seeing his Slayer safe and obviously happy. There was a suspicion of tears in those eyes as he removed his glasses and struggled to find that stiff upper lip his countrymen are so
famous for. Buffy’s rush to embrace him finally ended all pretense at stoicism and the father came out full force as Giles hugged Buffy for all he was worth.

"My dear girl," he choked out, "We never stopped looking. We never would."

Buffy nodded in understanding, tears running down her face as well.

"Welcome home, Buffy. I think you’ll find we’ve all managed to grow up quite a bit while you’ve been gone." He chuckled and tried to lighten the mood. "Well, perhaps not Andrew."

Introductions were made as needed and Buffy got her first look at Angel’s new family. Connor seemed to be a truly nice boy and Nina hit it off with Oz from the start. The two part-time wolves were already talking about setting up a program to help others afflicted with their problem. The lessons Oz had learned from the monks in Tibet could be taught to others in need of taming the beast within. It looked to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship in the making.

Dilby was nervously staying close to the wall, not sure of his welcome until Spike introduced the former lawyer to Giles and explained the help the man had given in their last battle. Giles graciously offered to find a place for him with the new Council if Dilby so chose. After that, the clerk mingled quite happily, getting to know the various slayers and Buffy’s extended family of Scoobies.

Willow and Dawn wasted no time in sealing the invisible portal, closing off the access to the former home base of the late Wolf, Ram and Hart. The battle began by Angel in a dank alley in Los Angeles was finally completed.

Faith sidled up to Buffy as the welcome home party stretched into its third hour. "Yo, B," she said, "think I’m gonna hit the road with my own personal ‘Sir’ and give him some of that ‘With Love’, if you get my meaning. Let Robin get in some special tutoring on the Council’s dime. I’m thinking a nice boat, some blue Pacific and the only demons we go after having fins. Robin, me and the deep blue sea."

"Be careful of those finny demons. You’ll have to ask Spike about the real meaning of loan shark," Buffy said cryptically. She waved at a smiling Spike and blew him a kiss from across the room.

The next pair to bow out of the celebration raised more than one eyebrow. Xander looked slightly nervous as Illyria tweaked his imaginary leash. "My guide will now take me to this Las Vegas to apply the skills at this poker I have acquired. Cy has explained that amassing large amounts of meaningless paper valued by the ooze that eats its own will give similar power to that which was mine before Vahla ha’nesh was destroyed. I shall conquer that insignificant city and rebuild my kingdom upon its rubble."

Xander gave a lopsided grin and assured the group, "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s a benign ruler." It looked as though Xander’s magnetism where demons were concerned had finally attracted one with enough of Anya’s qualities to be more than a passing fancy. "Besides, who better than a demon god to rule over Vegas now that Elvis is dead?"

"You get a weird feeling of deja vu?" Dawn whispered to Buffy as they looked at the retreating pair.

"Oh, yeah! Shades of Anya with the discovery of money, for sure." Buffy replied. She grasped Spike’s hand as he joined them, twining her fingers with his openly. As Giles had promised, they faced no dirty looks from anyone, even though Buffy no longer cared.

"Blue speaks her mind too, like Anyanka always did," Spike added. "Whelp best not think of pullin’ a runner on her or she might literally eat him for breakfast."

"Wow, I feel really left out," Dawn said with a grin. "Everybody seems all partnered up but me. I mean Angel and Nina are in ‘get a room’ mode over there; Willow’s on her cell with Ceara; Robin and Faith are out of here and now Xan and Illyria. Even you came home with the sense to grab the hot vampire love." Dawn laughed at the shock on Spike’s face and deep blush of embarrassment on Buffy’s. "Hey, not a kid here."

"Well, you do have a point. Looks like only Giles and Andrew aren’t paired up with somebody," Buffy agreed as she looked around the room. The two men in question had walked up just in time to hear Buffy single them out.

The look of horror on Giles’ face as he glanced at Andrew was priceless. "Quite so, and I intend for that to remain the case for the time being." Giles shuddered at the thought of Andrew following him about with his puppy dog eagerness and hero worship. It wouldn’t do to have the lad develop other, less desirable attitudes toward him any time soon. Perhaps Andrew might enjoy a transfer to the Asian office?

The party didn’t so much end as dwindle to a few die-hards in semi-stupors trading war stories and draining the last of the Victory Vino, as Andrew had dubbed it.

Buffy and Spike slipped away to the room Mr. Rice-Stoker rented at the start of this adventure. For once, they actually made it to the bed.

~~~

Spike felt unaccustomarily shy for reasons he couldn’t pinpoint. Here was his Slayer, his Buffy willingly and openly with him and the look on her face said all
the words she rarely spoke to anyone. Life rarely handed Spike his heart’s desire and he was half expecting some cruel twist to yank it all away in a flash.

Buffy seemed to be in tune with his thoughts. For once, she was reading her vampire as accurately as he had always read her. Perhaps she was merely looking at him and really seeing him for once. Her heart broke at the insecurity she saw in the once arrogant vampire. She knew that she and she alone was the cause…and the only cure.

"Spike, I’m not going anywhere. Kinda played that game. And winning it," she shrugged, "well, let’s just say it felt more like losing. I’m the brand new, improved Buffy here. I know what I want and need and that’s you."

She moved across the room to his side as she spoke. "No more mixed signals…well, not on purpose anyway. I knew I loved you back in the Hellmouth and knew I’d waited too long to tell you so. You may not believe it, but I spent a lot of time after you dusted thinking about us, our history, choices. Not going there again. Soul/no soul, vampire/human, normal or normal for us…none of that matters. What DOES
matter is you," she ghosted her hand up Spike’s arm in a gentle caress, "and me and how right we are together."

Buffy wanted nothing more than to pull Spike to her and plunder his lips, but she wanted to let him take the lead. She had all those times in the past when she had come to him and taken what SHE wanted with no thought to his wants and needs to make up for.. There was no doubt that Spike wanted her, but Buffy wanted him to know that he had the right to be the one in charge. She wanted to wipe away any thought that
she would ever just use him and leave him in tatters again. It was time for new beginnings.

Spike wasn’t sure what Buffy was playing at. She was obviously aroused; the aroma was nearly driving him mad. She was clearly intending them to spend the night together. By now, the Buffy he remembered would be ripping his clothes off and pushing him towards the usually elusive bed.

Since he’d been turned, Spike had never run from a fight in his life; but this was different, this was a heart battle and he had a bad history of losses there. Still, he was ever a fool for love.

Spike drew Buffy tight against his lean frame and lowered his head to capture her lips in a kiss of utmost tenderness. He poured all the love and adoration he would ever feel for this girl into the kiss as he felt her melt into his arms in complete surrender.

"Oh, thank God," Buffy gasped between kisses. "I was beginning to think I was going to have to give you an engraved invitation! I thought I made it clear back in the Evil Hotel that I am yours forever if you want me. What’s with the sudden cold feet?"

"’M cold all over, pet. Vampire, remember?" Spike tried to shift the conversation away from his insecurities.

"Ha and ha, very funny. A poet AND a comedian." Buffy grinned at him.

"Wait, how’d you know about the poetry?" Spike asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Had a little talk with Xan at the party. I thought I was going to have to sell him on the idea of us in a couply way, but instead I found out there’s a new president of the Spike Fan Club." Spike snorted at that. "Whoda thought Xander’d be up for that role? So…think I could inspire you to write a poem about me?"

"How ‘bout I write it with my body," Spike gently began to trace her facial features like a blind man seeking her countenance. "Wasn’t that good with words, but I think I might do you justice with my hands." He ran those very hands down her neck to her breasts, leaving one to caress the globes she freely offered while the other moved to her back, drawing her even closer to his hardening length.

Buffy moaned as he played her body like an instrument. No one had ever made her flesh sing like Spike. Even in the annus horribilis that followed her resurrection, Spike had been able to ignite fires in her with just a touch, a kiss. Now that Buffy’s heart had joined the dance, it was just that much more intense.

Spike’s firm yet soft lips were lighting a trail of that fire down Buffy’s neck as his hand untied the halter top of her dress. The silk slid effortlessly to pool at Buffy’s feet as she stepped nimbly away from the fluid material and into the hardness of Spike.

Her hands began to raise the hem of Spike’s shirt in a feverish attempt to feel skin on skin. She was hungry for him and her appetite wasn’t going to wait for niceties, so she ripped it the rest of the way off him. Spike chuckled into her mouth, not ending the kiss. For once, Buffy ripping his clothes off signaled a desire for HIM, not just sexual release, and he was filled with joy.

They had made love since their reunion, of course, but this night was one for all the sweetness of feeling that had been denied or confused in their checkered past. Every tender touch, every whispered word poured out a wealth of emotional truth. No more denial or holding back for this couple. They were ever tied one to the other by choice and would stand together as equals against any comers.

~~~


Spike woke with a start. He could feel the tingles throughout his body. Gently, so as not to disturb the softly snoring Slayer at his side, he rolled Buffy slightly and rose from the bed. He made his way to the door, grateful for his lack of need to turn on a light.

Opening the door to peer into the hallway, Spike wasn’t really surprised to see the door to Angel’s room opening also. Both souled vampires met in the hall to talk of their shared concerns.

"Felt it too, did you?" Spike could see the answer in Angel’s eyes. "See her?"

"No, but we’d better handle this quickly," Angel whispered.

"I’ll handle it. Make sure it’s done right, yeah?" Spike glared at his grandsire in steely determination.

"Just going to walk out on Buffy now that you’ve finally got the girl?" Angel snarked.

"Not bloody likely," Spike responded. "Not one to sneak about, like some I won’t mention."

Angel gave a short bust of laughter at the familiar banter. "Okay, you see to the ladies then. I’m going back to my nice, warm, soft sweetheart and stepping out of your way."

Spike grinned at Angel and headed back to his room. "Buffy. Sweetling?" He gently shook her shoulder. "Buffy?"

"Mwaaaa," Buffy mumbled, "I don’t want to go to school today, Mom. I don’t feel good."

Spike laughed at the not-quite-awake Slayer. "Wakey, wakey, Buffy. Vampire boyfriend needs to tie up another loose end."

"Mmmm….vampire boyfriend tied up," Buffy smiled in her half awake state. "Yummy!" Buffy opened one eye and looked at Spike in amusement. "Did anyone ever tell you you’re pretty in chains?"

Spike smiled fondly. "Actually, yes, although I don’t think they said ‘pretty’ when they did."

"Something tells me I don’t want to hear that story," Buffy snapped through her jealousy. "As for anyone else in the future, that’s SO not gonna happen."

"Ooh, feisty! That’s my girl," Spike teased.

"Count on it, buster. You are definitely off the market." Buffy had finally fully wakened and was sitting up in bed, no longer shyly covering herself from Spike’s hungry gaze.

"So what’s with the early wake up call?" Buffy teased back. "I think my way of waking you up a while ago was a lot nicer than a quick shake." Buffy’s eyes widened at the thought of what could have caused Spike to awaken her, if not more lovemaking. "Is everything okay? It’s too soon for another apocalypse!"

"No, no," Spike reassured her, "Nothing like that Buffy. Just somethin’ I can’t put off. Loose end I have to tie up before we start on that happily ever after." Buffy was looking at him in confusion. "Look, precious, I’d explain it all, but it really is something I have to do. No one else can, not even the most beautiful woman alive."

Buffy smiled at the compliment. "Don’t even think about doing anything dangerous, Spike. I can’t lose you."

"Not gonna," Spike promised. "I swear I won’t be in any danger. Fact is, I should be right back here before you even order up breakies in the morning. Just didn’t want to slip away without tellin’."

"So you’re only going to be gone for a little while, you’re sure?" Buffy was already missing him. "I’ve done the whole being away from Spike bit and gotta tell ya, I don’t wanna go back to that."

Spike kissed her soundly and pulled on his jeans. "Don’t know how glad I am to hear that," he admitted. "Swear I’ll be back as soon as I can and I’ll tell you all about it then. Meanwhile, get some sleep so you’ll have lots of energy when I get back," he leered.

Buffy lay back down but was vaguely troubled when she remembered the urgency in Spike’s dressing to leave.It was going to take some getting used to, trusting Spike to always be the guy who comes back.