Banner by the lovely Kargrif

Timeline/Spoilers: Some Season 5 Spoilers. Takes place right before “Into the Woods” – goes completely AU from there.

Summary: Cupid pays a visit to Sunnydale. Wackiness ensues. Worlds Collide…This is how it should have gone – the Spuffy way. *Kicks Joss in the shin and boots him away from the computer*

Pairings: Buffy and Spike mainly, with some minor Buffy/Riley (sorry but I had ta – it’s a plot thing), plus Xander/Anya, Willow/Tara and just a splash of Giles/Joyce (no naughty stuff, just light romance – relax.).

Rating: NC-17 This thing is rife with smut and dirty talk (yeeeehaw!) – consider yourself warned. Some angst, here and there, but look for the happy ending. (Cause I like it that way, dammit.)

Disclaimer: The entire Universe is run (and owned) by Joss Whedon – I just like to play with his things. And I, unfortunately, get no profit from this – just the extreme pleasure of my own lewd imaginings (Yum).

Feedback: C’mon – you know you wanna - you know I want you to…

Author's Notes: Character thoughts are between ** If you are a Riley fan – DO NOT read this, you won’t be happy, I promise you. This was written for my fellow Spuffy shippers, with deep affection. Thanks for sharing my obsession y’all.

 

Love Comes to Town

By Soul of the Rose



“ Baby, I was wrong to ever let you down,
But I did what I did before Love came to town…”

- U2 & B.B. King

PART ONE - Brave New World

“Reality, however utopian, is something from which people feel the need of taking pretty frequent holidays....” 
 - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Prologue ~ What the World Needs Now


“What the world needs now, is love sweet love.
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.
What the world needs now, is love sweet love.
No not just for some, but for everyone...”

~ The Pixies & Burt Bacharach


*Who is that bright spirit there?*

The god of Love gazed down from his perch above the cosmos, somewhere on the mystical plane of Mount Olympus. Through the portal he viewed the vast darkness of Earth - littered with billions of tiny dancing lights, a galaxy of campfires in the shadows.

*I haven’t seen a heart shine so brilliantly in years, perhaps even centuries.*

Eros was deeply intrigued and summoned the image closer with a wave of his hand. There, there was that heartfire, twinkling merrily in the darkness along side a million others. It stood out amongst the many because of its fiery intensity. The little light seemed to be radiating its own joy. Was it possible that Love was alive in that sorrowful place? He felt gladness fill him, it had been so long, so very long since he’d been inspired by Love. Lately he’d fallen to merely doing as instructed, shooting his arrows here or there to satisfy some god’s plan or simply doing the mindless bidding of The Powers. Time was he’d flitted among the mortals, wreaking havoc, making mischief. But just as often he would be inspired to grant a shining soul the gift of sweetest, purest Love. It had brought him such pleasure to watch those exceptional couples together. Most lasting well unto death - often finding themselves together in Heaven, then returning back jointly to play life after life.
Such was the bonds he could create.

*Once.*

He thought bitterly. It had been decades now since he last tried. The state of the world dismayed him, hurt his heart. So much bleakness and dark down there. He was more than uninspired by what he saw - he was repulsed. What are they doing with their gift of life? Throwing it away, squandering any little scrap of Love they were given. What happened to those that cherished Love, that tended their heartfires? For that matter where had all the true artists gotten to? The musicians? The dancers? They had always given Love its due.

Eros supposed the Muses were just as disgusted as he, abandoning their duties save for when specifically commanded. Truly it was a wonder there was any light down there at all. But wait – there it was again! Glittering in the darkness, beckoning him…
The miracle of a light and loving heart.

It seemed someone was alive down there after all.




Chapter One ~ Slave to Love

“ Tell her I’ll be waiting in the usual place.
For the tired and weary, there’s no escape.
To need a woman, you’ve got to know
how the strong get weak and the rich get poor.
Slave to love, slave to love.
And I can’t escape I’m a slave to love …”

~ Bryan Ferry


Spike was parked in his usual spot behind the tree in Buffy’s yard, cigarette in hand. Waiting. Waiting to see her, to catch just the slightest whiff of her scent, waiting to be noticed or simply to be needed. He loved it when she needed him, when she specifically asked for him. It filled him with manly purpose. And Lord knows she needed him now, what with Captain Cardboard ready to toddle off ‘round the bend at any moment. Couldn’t believe the sorry bugger would be so dim as to…but, wait – oh yes he could. Stupid git didn’t know what he had. So busy feeling sorry for himself he didn’t know he was about to lose the best thing he ever had. Would ever hope to have, he corrected. Spike sighed to himself.

*Wanker.*

But good riddance to bad rubbish ‘cause Finn wasn’t good enough for his Buffy anyway. Not by a long shot. Too busy playing GI Joe and standing up for truth, justice and the American way to have the slightest clue about…well, anything really. Hadn’t a bloody notion about what Buffy needed, or about what the world was really like – not everything was black and white y’ know. Life just wasn’t that easily defined – unless you were 22 years old and from Iowa that is. Still a young pup, hadn’t seen anythin’ yet. Not like Spike. A hundred and twenty odd years of unlife opened a man’s eyes – gave him some perspective. And the things he’d done in that time – the lives he’d led, the blood he’d shed - poetic really. In a twisted sorta way. He snorted to himself, smiling. Then dug in the pocket of his duster for his silver flask. Ah, yes – everything a fella needed for a proper stakeout.

*No pun intended.*

Spike snorted again. He had a million of ‘em. Where was he? Oh yeah – Finn, the wank. Didn’t have a clue, and about to lose it all. He couldn’t help but grin. He was going to relish the boy’s downfall. Plus, his loss was Spike’s gain. Maybe then Buffy would realize what she really needed. It wasn’t a nice mid-western farm boy, or the soulful poof neither - she deserved better than that. She needed more than they could ever give her. But Spike could give it to her. He could fight by her side; he could love her good an’ proper (shag her good an’ proper too, eh?). He raised an eyebrow and smirked, toasting the thought with a deep draw from the flask. He could take anything she dished out. Unlike the boy – that she had to pull her punches on (don’t think Spike didn’t notice now), and Peaches who would never accept her as anything more than the virginal girl he’d known. A pretty princess on a pretty pedestal.

*But I know you, Slayer. Know how you fight, know how you love. Know what you’re capable of.*

They could be so good together. If she’d give him half a chance. She never would with Finn in the way. But fortunately the boy was gonna fix that little problem for him. He wouldn’t even have ta lift a finger, just wait for the right moment and show her everything. He closed his eyes and imagined the scenario. There Soldier Blob would be, some vamp slag suckin’ him dry... Buffy would be angry, tell the boy to get fucked. Then she would cry, and need comfortin’ of course. And Spike would be there, all strong arms and sturdy cryin’ shoulders. And he would show her that he could be a good man. That he’d changed. She would see what they could be to each other then; she’d have to wouldn’t she? That would be the beginning, just the beginning.

Spike imagined himself courting her day by day. Doing little things to help her and Joyce and the Bit, making himself useful like. Fighting by her side every night. Taking care of her every little need. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, that he’d have to earn her. But that was only right, being that he was what he was. He didn’t mind really. Because one day she would look at him, and she would smile that Buffy smile – the one that shamed the very Sun. And he would know that she wanted him, that she loved him, and they would finally be together. Like it was meant to be. His whole body warmed at the thought, and he smiled a singularly sweet and innocent smile. It was thus that Eros found his quarry.

A starry-eyed vampire in love.