With This Ring....by Lilachigh


chapt. 3 Three Little Words


Buffy woke the next morning and refused to open her eyes. She used to play this game when she was little: if I don’t open my eyes, it won’t be time to get up, I won’t have to go to school and I can stay all warm and cozy in bed. If I don’t open my eyes, Mom won’t know I’m here at all. I’m hiding!

Yes, she was hiding! If she didn’t wake up, she would have to stay here in bed with Spike and not go back to a world where she hated him and he loathed her.

“I know you’re awake, pet. Your breathing’s changed tempo.”

“Did I ever tell you how much I detest a vampire’s weird increased hearing ability,” she grumped, still keeping her eyes clenched tightly shut. “There’s something bizarre about having ears that can hear sounds like a bat and a nose that can – ”

The said nose was pushed into the soft curls between her legs and she squealed and her eyes flashed open. “Unfair!” she said. “Cheat!”

“What can I say, Slayer,” he murmured, rolling completely on top of her, “I’ve always been bad.”

She stared up into the dancing blue eyes above her. Somehow in this world she doubted the truthfulness of that last remark. Back in the other Sunnydale, she had no problem with Spike being a long term evil being, but here it was different.

Buffy sighed and his expression changed immediately from smirk to frown. It was amazing how quickly he picked up her mood swing. “You still worried about going back today?”

She bit her lip and nodded. “I know we’ve got to go, but I’m finding it hard to leave here.”

“After last night, I must admit a future of you kicking my arse all round town and punching me on the nose whenever you see me does seem less than enjoyable.”

“Last night was - ” she stopped, colour flooding into her cheeks. Last night had been wonderful, wild, wayout and wanton. She hadn’t known she could behave like that.

At one point Spike had pulled her across his lap. He’d insisted on still wearing his jeans and T-shirt but - heaven knows why it was so sexy but it was - he’d stripped her stark naked and the rough denim had scratched at her nipples.

She’d lain there, hair swinging down to the floor, as he fondled her breasts with one hand and stroked her bottom, gently, over and over again, lulling her into relaxing, purring, until suddenly he’d spanked her, once, twice, hard enough to sting. And before she could even squeal, his fingers had been inside her and she’d come so hard she thought her head was going to explode as it thrashed from side to side.

Spike swung himself off the bed and grinned down at her. “We can play all those games again when we get home, Slayer. And more, lots more, I can teach you.”

Buffy headed for the shower. Sometimes she hated it when he called her that. It made her remember just what she had to give up in life. “Spike, you’re forgetting we hate each other back in the other Sunnydale. There won’t be any more games, any more - anything.”

If she’d looked over her shoulder at that moment she might have hesitated, might have been worried. Spike had a look on his face that she knew only too well in both worlds. It was the fatal expression that said, “I’ve had a bloody brilliant idea and I’m going to put it into practice without any thought of any problems that might arise.”

When she came out of the shower, he’d gone. She padded downstairs, rubbing her hair dry. There was a note on the work top. ‘Gone out. Back later. Don’t go without me!’

Buffy frowned. She’d wanted to spend every second of every minute with him before they stepped through the flickering purple and orange circle in the corner of the kitchen that would transport them to their original universe. She thought he’d wanted the same, but obviously not.

She poured herself some juice and stared at the upturned bucket on the kitchen floor. It looked so stupid there. A bright red bucket - but underneath she knew was the portal that led back to her other life. And whether she liked it or not, she and Spike were going to go through it later that day.

Where on earth was he? “Stupid vampire. He makes me so mad sometimes! No, rephrase that. He makes me so mad all the time!” she muttered. “If he can write a note, why not say where he was going.” It was interesting to discover that he could annoy her just as much in this reality as he did in the other.

A knock at the back door made her spin round, a smile lighting up her face, but it was XanTwo who came in. Even at this early hour she could smell he’d been drinking.

“Hey, Buff. Good to shtee you. You’re looking great.”

“Hi, Xander. Coffee?”

He half fell into a chair at the kitchen table and lay with his dark head pillowed on his arms. She stared down at him, pity, affection and irritation fighting to become uppermost in her mind. “Yup, I reckon coffee’s pretty much on your immediate menu!”

This Xander didn’t seem to have the willpower that XanOne did. He’d been unable to pull away from his dreadful parents and in this world there was no Anya to be his girlfriend and boost his self confidence.

Buffy made him an extra strong cup of coffee and watched as he drank it, the caffeine beginning to work on his system.

“Thanks, Buffy, you’re a life-saver. What would I do without you? Hey, where’s Spike? I want to know if he fancies a game of pool tonight, down at the Bronze. He beat me last time and I will have my revenge! Ha. Ha. Ha!”

Buffy turned away, muttering something about being not sure what their plans were for the evening. In this world Xander and Spike were friends. She tried to imagine XanOne asking Spike out for a beer and failed.

“Hey, I met a really nice girl last night,” XanTwo said, cheerfully buttering himself some toast. “Think I might have made the right sort of impression. She certainly knows a lot about some weird things. I don’t think the Slayer thing will worry her.”

Buffy laughed. “Anya certainly won’t find it difficult to understand.”

“Anya?” XanTwo sounded puzzled. “No, her name‘s Tara. She’s a wiccan girl. Long amber hair and beautiful skin. A creamy sort of girl. You’ll love her. I really think she could be the one, Buff.”

“I’m sure I’ll love her,” Buffy said. “If you do, then I will, too. Are you certain her name’s not Anya?”

“No, I mean yes. Tara.”

“Oh.”

“I’m going to ask Willow and Oz to come out for a pizza with us. Why don’t you and Spike make it a sixer?”

“I’ve just said, I’m not sure what our plans are for - ”

“Sorry, mate. We’re going to be busy.” It was Spike, standing in the doorway, tossing aside the blanket he’d draped over his head.

“Oh, pity, well, I’d better get going. There might be a job going on the building site for the new college. Can but try. I can carry bricks with the best of them. See you guys.”

“Take care of yourself.” Buffy reached up to give him a hug. XanTwo looked at her in surprise.

“Wow. That was very nice. What have I done to deserve that?”

Buffy laughed shakily. How could she tell this lovable idiot that in a few minutes time, she and Spike would be gone and all memories of her would cease in his mind.

When he’d left, Buffy whirled round on her lover. “Where on earth have you been? I thought we were going to spend all day together - before we have to – ”

“Don’t loose your temper, Goldilocks! I’ve got a surprise for you. One last thing to do here before we go.”

Buffy looked at him suspiciously, but although his eyes were twinkling, he seemed serious. “Go and get dressed.”

“Hey, standing right here wearing clothes!” she mocked. “Know that’s not how you usually want me, but – ”

“Put on a dress!” he said firmly, pushing her towards the stairs. “That blue effort with the little straps. I like that one.”

Buffy stared at him. “Where are we going?”

The blue eyes grew dark and for a second the tough, hard bitten man she knew back in the other Sunnydale looked out at her. “You say we might not remember all this?”

“I don’t know, Spike. You might, or I might. Or we both could. Neither Willow could tell us. Once the spell is broken, all I know is that you’ll hate me and I’ll – ” she tried to say the words, but they wouldn’t come. “I’ll hate you.” Three little words, but impossible for her to speak them. Because they were just impossible to believe.

Spike looked down at his boots, then up again, his gaze searching her face with a burning intensity. “Buffy, I’ve done a lot of dreadful things in my life, never had anything in it that was worth much. I loved Dru for years, I know that. Angel and Darla were my family. But you - me - I want....it’s so different.”

Buffy reached out her hands and placed them in his. His grasp tightened so much that she knew any other girl would have screamed as her bones broke. “What do you want, Spike?” she whispered.

“I want us to belong to each other!”

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Two hours later, Buffy stood in the kitchen again, hand in hand with Spike, staring down at the small flickering flames that surrounded the portal back to the other Sunnydale. The time had finally come. And she couldn’t bear it. She wanted to stay, stay, stay. Oh God, she would give anything, do anything, but - “Ready?” she whispered.

He pulled her tightly against his chest and ran his hand tenderly down her cheek, wiping away the tears as he went. “No crying,” he ordered. “This is the happiest day of your life, remember?”

She tilted her head back for his kiss. If he could be brave, then so could she. She would take his courage and build on it.

“Let’s give them something to worry about as we arrive, pet,’” he said.

She smiled wickedly and felt in her pocket. There was the crackle of paper. It was safe - a certificate of marriage between Elizabeth and William. Now, just as Spike had wanted, just as he had arranged so hurriedly, they belonged to each other.

“And let no man put asunder,” Spike said savagely and his tongue plundered her mouth as they jumped into the flaming portal.

to be continued