Laying Down the Law
There were noises coming from the basement that were unsettling the girls. A lot of them thought a demon was down there, and the rest assumed Spike had gone mad again and was tearing the place up. When Dawn went down to investigate, however, she found the vampire pounding her sister into the wall beside the washer/dryer. Completely mortified, the young girl climbed the stairs again, and instructed everyone to stay well clear. The couple were so caught up in the act they hadn't heard the disruption, so it wasn't until the following morning, when they surfaced for breakfast, that they were confronted with a million questions and opinions about what they'd done.
"Why are you with him?"
"So, what, you're like a couple now?"
"You're official?"
"Why?"
"How?"
"Has this been going on long?"
"You should stop."
"I can't believe you've done this again."
The voices went on and on and on until finally one in support of them broke through.
"I'm happy for you," said Dawn. "Just do it right this time, yeah?"
"Yeah," Buffy agreed, with a smile, as she clasped Spike's hand tightly and turned to address the others. "First, can I say, this is none of your business. I'm gonna tell you how it is, and you're gonna accept it, or not. Honestly? I'm beyond caring. Think what you want, just don't bother either of us with your remarks. Here it is: Spike and I are together. Fully, completely, officially, unashamedly. We've mated – claimed each other. I love him, and he loves me. We're gonna be sleeping together. Sharing a bed. Having rough, naughty, sex until the cows come home. We have each other's backs, and we're not afraid to take down anyone who so much as thinks of threatening either one of us. Spike is an equal and he gets some respect. We both get privacy. The snarky comments end here. There will be no more sideways glances, or rumors, or holding our past mistakes against us. This house is a judgment free zone, and if you don't like it you can leave. Though, I don't recommend it what with all the people trying to kill you out there…"
The ending to her little off-the-cuff speech didn't quite sound as good as Buffy would have liked but, regardless, all around her the potentials began clapping – minus one or two notable exceptions.
"If I might add something," said Spike, when the noise died down.
Buffy opened to mouth to say "Yeah?" but Spike's lips were against hers before she could get the word out. They kissed solidly for two minutes, just to drive the point home, and when that ended the clapping had become cheers and hollers.
"Ugh," Dawn joked, "Get a room!"
"Good idea," Spike agreed, winking at her before dragging Buffy up the stairs. "I hope Faith's well enough to give us our bed back."
