A/N: This is it folks. The last chapter. Makes me all kinds of emotional, and I especially want to thank you all who stuck with this story right to the end. Every single review meant the world to me, and it is thanks to your support that this story is finished.

I have started another story, but I probably start updating after my uni assessments are done, which could be in a month or so. It will be full of snark and banter. Don't we all love it? ;)

Beta'd by the amazing ladies dawnofme and Mabel Marsters. They have been a great help.




Amazing banner by xaphania

Chapter 49


Did it mean Spike agreed to the blood link? His eyes spoke volumes but maybe she read him wrong.


“Is that a yes?”


“God, yes. I want this. So much,” he said, and she swept down to kiss him.


“Scoot,” she said and watched him recline against the headboard.


She clasped his shoulders and straddled him, shifting closer before she settled over his lap. She lifted slightly, grasped his hardness in her hand and slowly sank down until she was sitting on his thighs.


“Buffy…”


“Shh…” Her lips tickled the shell of his ear as she leaned in. “Want to feel you.”


He caressed her back, tracing her spine as he nuzzled her neck. “Promise you’ll whack me on the head if I go too far.”


With a smile, Buffy nodded. “I promise.”


She swayed her hips, loving how he felt inside her. How he stretched and filled her until all she could feel was him. Spike’s eyelashes fluttered before he drew in a harsh breath. A small crease appeared between his brows and she pressed a kiss there, lingering a few moments. The love for him expanded in her chest, making it difficult to breathe. He was so beautiful. So completely taken over by the sensations. So irrevocably hers.


Buffy slowly rose then sank down, their gazes locked as they drank each other in. Hands roamed over sizzling skin, stroking and caressing. Loving each other without words. Even the slightest movement sent shots of pleasure to her nerve endings, made her almost breathless with the bottomless need for him. The man he’d become. The man he’d always been.


Spike bit his lip as he pushed her hips down to meet his upward thrust. Her skin tightened, her heart pounded in her chest as the longing for him rushed through her veins. Her movement turned more erratic as the control slipped from her grasp, her whole body screaming for release.


She cupped the back of his neck, arching her throat in blatant invitation. “Please, Spike. Do it. Now.”


With a growl, he vamped out, and she felt a shiver of anticipation crawl down her spine when the tips of his fangs prickled her flesh. He hugged her to him, her breasts pressing into his solid chest as he slowly, achingly so, penetrated the skin with his fangs.


It hurt, and she gasped when the skin gave way beneath his teeth. Then he sucked.


'Oh God…'


Painful rapture flared up inside her, melting her against him. Into him. Her heart hammered as he languidly drank, tightly gripping her hips as she moved above him. The world around dissolved, bled into sensations, and there was only the two of them. A moan slipped past her quivering lips, the sensations rushing and roaring through her, rising to a crescendo she was sure would kill her.


He grinded her against him and took another pull of her blood into his mouth. That was all it took. She shattered, crumbled into tiny particles of pure pleasure, her whole body tensing and shuddering before she collapsed against him with a gasp.


Spike slid out his fangs and immediately melted into his human face as he licked her wound. “Mine. Heart, body and soul.”


Still dazed from the climax, Buffy smiled and said in a breathy voice, “Yours. All yours.”


He was still hard inside of her and she renewed her movements while he bit into his wrist. Holding out his bloody hand to her mouth, she closed her eyes and closed her lips around the wound. It was like licking metal with a hint of sweetness, but she took it in and swallowed a few drops.


“You’re mine. Heart, body and soul.”


He strained beneath her, climax finally overwhelming him. “Yours, Buffy. Always.”


She went limp in Spike’s strong arms and felt him pull the covers over their shaking bodies as he hugged her close.


“I love you,” he said.


“I love you too.” She smiled and nuzzled his cheek. “See? I told you I trusted you.”


“I’m glad I didn’t go all bonkers on you.” He fell quiet then said, “I feel… I feel at peace. How do you feel?”


“Me too. It’s like I’ve finally found what I’ve been looking for all my life, you know. Like I’m… complete.”


“Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”


She knew exactly what he meant.


*******


It had been a couple of weeks since they exchanged blood. Two weeks without nightmares. Of feeling as though unseen shackles fell off his wrists. Spike didn’t understand it, but he wasn’t stupid enough to question a good thing when he got it. Maybe Buffy had been right after all, and giving his soul for her to keep just might have revoked Hermes’ ownership. Not like he’d find out without dusting first.


It hadn’t really changed anything between them. They couldn’t read each other’s thoughts, fortunately. He was pretty sure that if Buffy saw all the perverse images flying around his mind when she was around, he’d get kicked in the head for it. But he wouldn’t mind knowing what kinds of nasties were lurking in her br-


A blurry shape attacked him, and he tumbled to the ground with an unmanly yelp.


“Gotcha!” the attacker screamed into his ear then laughed at what was probably an incredulous expression on his face.


“Bleeding hell, luv. Give a bloke heads up, would you? I almost had a heart attack.”


Buffy just looked at him.


“Alright, maybe not heart attack, but you know what I mean.”


Only his crazy Slayer could consider playing hide and seek in a cemetery a great past time. Not that he minded much, what with her straddling him. Come to think of it, the two of them had many unusual soirees in this place.


“I totally sneaked up on you,” she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Now say ‘Buffy is the king of the world.’”


He chuckled. “Didn’t you mean the queen of the world?”


She thumped him on the shoulder. “Smartass. How about I’m the king and you’ll be the queen?”


At that she collapsed in a fit of giggles against his chest, and he couldn’t help but shake his head in wry amusement.


“You’re bonkers, luv. But I’ll bite… Metaphorically this time. Buffy is the king of the world, and she’s got the best pair of tits in the universe.”


“Hey! I so did not tell you to say that.”


“Still true though.”


“You can be such a pig.”


“Only because I know you love it.”


“Do not.”


He growled and tugged her down to kiss the pout off her lips. She tasted like the strawberry ice cream he’d bought for her before the patrol.


“Are you two smooching again?” came an annoyed voice from above them, and they looked up with guilty faces.


Faith stood there with a cocked hip, a stake in her hand. “Honestly, you two are as bad as bunnies.”


“You’re just jealous,” Spike said with a smirk.


“Oh man, am I ever.”


Buffy leapt to her feet and extended a hand to him to help him up. Dusting off his jeans, he suddenly glanced up to notice they both stared at him with strange expressions. Was it mirth? He didn’t have leaves in his hair, did he? He patted it just to be sure.


“What?” he finally asked.


Buffy shrugged and exchanged a grin with Faith. Before he knew what happened, they were circling him like two predators stalking a prey. A smile stretched his lips as he got into a fighting position.


They attacked him at once and he had to use every possible trick to fend them off. He whirled around just in to catch Buffy’s foot aiming at his head and shoved her backwards then he jumped into the air to avoid getting his legs swept out from beneath him by Faith. He traded several punches with Faith before catching her with an upper cut. Buffy had just risen to her feet and cart wheeled towards him. The two of them were evenly matched and none of the punches landed.


Spike ducked under Buffy’s arm when he felt the air behind him shift, telling him Faith had rejoined the fight. They stood opposite him side by side, their blood rushing quickly beneath their skin. He was a good fighter but he was hardly a sufficient match for the two Slayers combined.


They launched themselves at him at the same time, so he did what would every self-respecting vampire do. He roared and ran straight at them. He saw their eyes widen right before he tackled both of them to the ground.


“You bints ganging up on me? I’ll show you, you sodding cheaters.”


He tickled them until they were gasping for breath and slapping at his hands.


“Uncle! Uncle!” Buffy screamed, and he let them up with a smirk firmly planted on his lips.


“You play dirty, luv.”


“I wonder who taught me that.”


“Touché,” he said and helped them up.


“Tonight has been really slow,” Faith complained and brushed the grass off her leather pants. “Girls gotta find their fun somehow, right, B?”


“Yup. As she said.”


“I must be the only crazy vamp that spars not only with one, but two slayers… willingly.”


“You’re as crazy as they get, man,” Faith said.


“Now I’m hungry,” Buffy said and slipped her arm around his waist. “Feed me.”


“She’s really high maintenance,” Spike mock-whispered to Faith, which earned him a pinch to his ass. He jumped slightly.


“Believe me, I know,” Faith said.


“When you’re done talking about me, can we go get some Chinese food? Oh, and fortune cookies!”


“Come on, you two. I’m paying,” Spike said.


*******


Spike felt so proud of her as he watched Buffy walk up the stage and take the high school diploma from her headmaster. Faith and Giles and Joyce all surrounded her with big smiles and hugs as soon as she walked down the steps. For a moment a pang of sadness hit him as he stood at the fringe of shadows, observing her happiness from distance but unable to reach.


Then Buffy turned her head in his direction and their eyes connected through the throng of celebrating graduates. Her lips moved as she said something to the people beside her. A ray of sun battled its way through the thick clouds to illuminate her face briefly and his hands trembled as she elbowed her way towards him. She’d always seen him even when he himself felt invisible.


“Look what I’ve got,” she said and waved the diploma in the air.


“Looks like you’re all grown up now, luv.”


“Yup, one hundred percent mature Buffy.”


Chuckling, Spike drew her into his arms, inhaling the scent of her hair.


“You didn’t have to come,” she said. “It’s not safe for you even if it’s cloudy right now. Don’t want you going up in flames.”


“Wouldn’t miss this for a world, Buffy. Don’t you worry about me. I’ve got these nice sturdy trees to hide me.”


She tightened her arms around him. “Did you get me a graduation present?”


He chuckled at her hopeful tone. “Thought I was your graduation present. I could wear a bow… and nothing else. But as a matter of fact, I do have an actual present for you.”


He just hoped she still wanted a kitten.


“You naked is all the present I need. Really.” She leaned in to pepper his neck with soft kisses as her hands slipped beneath his t-shirt to stroke the bare skin. “Can we go right now?”


“Don’t think the parents would be all that happy with you pulling a Houdini on them.”


She sighed. “You’re right. Damn. Okay, we’ll go do the whole family celebration thingy and then you and me will have our own celebration. Preferably naked. With whipped cream involved.”


“Mmm, sounds bloody great. A Buffy dessert. Just what I fancy.”


She pulled away and entwined her hand with his before she called out to Giles. He and Joyce had been going steady, Giles managing to help patching things up between the mother and daughter when things got tense. Buffy had permanently moved into Spike’s—now theirs—home. He grinned at the thought of her reprimanding him on throwing his socks on the floor, or their bickering as they tried to cook and almost burned the apartment down.


Faith walked over to them with her own diploma clasped in her hand, closely followed by Giles with his arm over Joyce’s shoulders. As soon as they reached Buffy and Spike, they all made their way towards the parking lot. Spike glanced down at Buffy and she caught his eye, smiling and squeezing his hand.


He couldn’t imagine ever loving anyone the way he did her. Couldn’t quite believe the way she loved him back, helped him forgive himself. He tried to blink back the tears in his eyes, as Buffy’s brows creased in concern. He managed to smile and lightly shake his head to let her know everything was all right.


Maybe one of them would die tomorrow. Maybe they would live forever. He didn’t know. The only thing he knew was the way she made him feel ever since he first laid eyes on her when she ran into him and made him drop the books in the school hallway.


After all the things they both had been through, all the turns and twists and pain, they still managed to come together in the end. Loving, arguing, passionate, tender.


“I love you,” he said.


Buffy beamed up at him, whispering the words back as she leaned into his side.


THE END


A/N: I really hope I've managed to end this in a satisfactry way for you. Sorry if you were expecting a big show down between Hermes and Spuffy, I hope you're not too disappointed. Being a devil, I thought he'd be pretty impressed with how they managed to sneak their way out of the contract. ;)

It would made me incredibly happy to hear your thoughts. Even if you've never left a review before, please let me know whether you enjoyed the journey. :) Looking forward to replying to you guys!