The gang sat around a table at the Bronze, talking, laughing and listening
to music. The Bronze was holding a Christmas bash in celebration for the
holidays.
Everyone was there, even Spike and Dawn.
"Hey you guys," spoke up Tara, who had been quiet all afternoon." I dare everyone to dance with with each other for at least one song. That means you have to dance with everyone at this table. Expect Xander and Spike and any girl that doesn't want to dance with another girl."
Dawn and Anya immediately liked the idea, Spike didn't dislike it either. Xander said it was fine. Willow decide it's been awhile since she had danced with a guy and it would be a nice change, after dancing with Tara, of course.
Buffy was the only one that didn't agree right away. Mainly, she just didn't want to dance with Spike, because she knew Dawn would never let her live it down. But she also knew that once Dawn said Buffy was going to do something, she would argue until she did it.
"All right. I'm in. Who dances with who, first?"
"Well,since there's an odd number, one person will be out every song. But, since it's my idea, I choose who goes first."
Tara looked everyone over carefully, before making a decision.
"Okay, Willow, you dance with Spike, Anya, you dance with Xander, and Dawn, you dance with me. Buffy, do you mind being the first one out?"
"No, of course not. That's just one minute longer that I still have my dignity," she said the last part under her breath so no one could hear. Everyone went off to the dance floor.
When the song was over, everyone came back to the table and sat.
"Okay," said Tara,"Now someone else is gonna sit out."
"Can I?" asked Xander. "I think I pulled a muscle dancing, just let me sit out for one song to stretch it out."
"Okay, no problem. Let me see," she said rubbing her chin," Anya, do you mid dancing with Dawn?"
She nodded her head, yes.
"Good, okay, you dance with Dawn, Willow, you dance with me, and Buffy, you dance with Spike."
Buffy groaned. Spike smirked.
"Okay, let's go." They all walked out to the dance floor.
Buffy put her hands on Spike's shoulders, making sure to keep some distance between them. Spike put his hands around her waist, but she wouldn't let him pull her any closer.
"I don't like this one bit, so don't go getting any ideas," said Buffy.
"Whatever you say, luv."
They swayed to the music in silence, Buffy looking everywhere but at Spike. He kept his eyes locked on her face, studying her features.
Gradually, Spike pulled her closer, waiting for her to pull away. When she didn't. he gently pulled her closer.
Even though her head was screaming at her to pull away, she rested her head on his chest.
He felt her head come to rest on his chest and grinned. He looked around at the others. Anya and Dawn were doing the Waltz. Tara and Willow were looking into each other's eyes, occasionally saying something.
He never wanted the moment to end, but when the song ended, she pulled away and walked back to the table. He just shook his head and followed.
Everyone took a seat back at the table.
Tara choose partners for everyone again and they danced. This lasted all night until midnight.
Dawn gave a huge yawn.
"I think somebody's tired," taunted Xander.
"I'm not tired," said Dawn under heavy eyelids.
"Well, we need to get going anyway. It's getting late," said Buffy. "Don't forget, be at my house by eleven or we open presents without you."
Everyone started to walk in opposite directions, when Dawn ran up to Spike and grabbed his arm.
"Wait. Buffy," she said turning back to her sister,"can Spike come home with us?"
"LilBit, I can't-"
"Yes you can," said Dawn stubbornly. She looked up at Buffy who hadn't answered.
"Pleas," Dawn pleaded," It's Christmas. No one should be alone on Christmas."
"But-" Buffy started.
"Please."
Buffy looked from her to Spike. He shrugged.
"Fine," she said in a huff.
"Yes!" Dawn cheered. She grabbed Buffy in one hand and Spike in the other and walked out of the Bronze.
The three walked in silence for a few minutes, Buffy and Spike stealing glances at each other every once in awhile. Dawn watched them. Then, when they weren't looking, she pulled their hands together to that they were holding hands. It was too cold to notice the difference in temperature, but after about five seconds they both noticed and quickly pulled their hands away.
"Oh well. It was worth a try," said Dawn as she stood between them once again. They both looked at her then looked at each other, not saying a word.
"Are you two just gonna stare at each other all night or are you gonna kiss?" asked Dawn suddenly.
Buffy stopped suddenly.
"What?" she said with a shocked look on her face. Spike just smirked.
"You two have been staring at each other all night and don't think I'm too young to know what you're thinking," Dawn stated matter-of-factly.
"Well whatever you think I'm thinking that's not it," said Buffy, walking off in front of them.
Dawn looked up at Spike. He looked down at her.
"She'll come around," Dawn said, leaning against him.
Buffy had heard her, but didn't say anything back.
"Maybe, pet. Maybe."
When they reached the house, Buffy ran up the steps to her room, closing the door behind her.
"I think that's a clue that your sleeping on the couch," said Dawn when she heard the door close.
"No problem. I expected it."
Dawn found some blankets and a pillow for Spike to sleep on.
"G'night, Nibblet," he said, giving her a kiss on the head.
"Night, Spike. Merry Christmas." She ran up to her room.
Spike turned to the couch and sat down, kicking off his boots and shrugging off his duster. He laid back and fell into a deep sleep.
Later on, about a few hours later, Buffy woke up from a dream. It wasn't really a dream, but it wasn' t a nightmare. She couldn't really recall what had happened, she just remembered waking up in a cold sweat.
She wrapped a sheet around her and walked downstairs. She stole a peek at Spike sleeping before she went into the kitchen to get her a glass of milk. She drank slowly, feeling her heartbeat slow down to a normal rate. She finished off the milk and put it into the sink. She was about to head upstairs when she stopped to watch Spike sleep.
He laid peacefully on the couch. She didn't want to disturb him, but he looked so alone.
She walked over to the couch, even though, once again, her mind was screaming at her to get away, and sat down next to him.
She laid out, her back to his chest, and rested her head in the nook of his neck.
"What are you doing, pet?" he mumbled.
"No one should be alone on Christmas," she said simply before falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Dawn was the first one up. She had made sure set her alarm clock so she wouldn't oversleep. She pulled on her clothes, brushed her hair, and headed downstairs. She stopped at the last step when she noticed Buffy and Spike cuddled on the couch.
She raised her eyebrows and went into the kitchen. She made herself something to eat, making sure to be as quiet as possible. When the clock read ten, she knew she had better wake them up before Xander got there, for she knew Buffy would be mad if she didn't.
She walked into the livingroom and bent down next to them.
"Buffy," she whispered hoarsely, shaking her shoulders.
Buffy rolled over and buried her head in Spike's chest.
Dawn sighed.
"Come on, Buffy," she shook her sister's shoulder more forcefully.
She didn't stir.
"Okay. Fine. Be that way."
She walked back into the kitchen, filled up a jug of cold water, and came back into the livingroom. She stood over them.
"Sorry you guys," she said, then dumped the whole jug on their heads.
They both shot up.
"Bloody hell!" cursed Spike as he sat up.
"What the...." Buffy looked up at her grinning sister,"What was that for?"
"You two wouldn't get up. I had to get you awake before Xander came here, saw you two cuddled on the couch, and fainted. It worked alot better than I thought," she finished giggling.
"Yeah, real funny, Bit," he said. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down on the soaked couch.
"Hey! New shirt! Stop!" she said laughing.
Xander and Anya choose that moment to walk through the door.
"Hi everyone. I brought presents," said Anya cheerfully, like them sitting on the soaked couch was something she saw everyday.
"Did I miss something?" asked Xander, still standing at the doorway to the livingroom.
"Yeah. Actually, you did," said Buffy, getting up. She looked down at her soaked clothing."I need to change." She went up the stairs.
Spike shook his head violently, making water spray on Dawn.
"Hey! I get it! You can stop!" she screamed laughing. Spike stopped, grinning devilishly.
"Great, now I have to change," said Dawn, trying to look mad, but failing miserably. She went up the stairs, passing Buffy as she came down.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" asked Xander.
"Here's one of your shirts," Buffy said, tossing Spike a shirt to replace his wet one.
"What's it look like, Harris? We got wet," Spike snarled at Xander. He peeled off his wet tee and put the dry one on.
Buffy came in the room with towels and put them on the wet end of the couch.
"Do I even want to know how you got wet?" asked Xander, taking a seat on the dry end of the couch.
"Probably not," said Dawn as she walked in wearing different clothes. She took a seat on floor in front of the television watching Charlie Brown's Christmas special.
"Hey Xander. Am I ever gonna get to see the all-famous Snoopy Dance that I hear Willow talk about every year around this time?" asked Dawn.
"Maybe," he said.
Just then, they heard the door open and close.
"Hey you gu-" Buffy started, thinking it was Willow and Tara, but stopped short.
"Giles!" she squealed, running into his arms. He gave her a hug, trying to set down his bag before it was crushed. Dawn picked up the bag.
"Ooh. Presents!" She set them next to the Christmas tree in the middle of the room with the other presents.
"I can't believe your here. You flew all this way just to see us?" she said more of a statement than a question as she let him out of her grasp.
"Well, I wanted to see how you were doing, and decided to come for the holidays."
"Well, your just in time. We were waiting for Tara and Willow to get here," she heard the door open," and there they are. In here guys," she called as the two walked in.
"Hey. We have presents," said Willow. Then she noticed Giles standing next to Buffy."Giles!"
She ran over to him and gave him a huge hug.
"We missed you," she said.
"I didn't," said Spike.
"I missed you all, too. Except Spike," he said, hugging her back.
"Hey, you guys. Everyone's here. Can we please open the presents now?" Dawn whined.
"Fine. Let's sort them out," said Buffy, kneeling down next to the mountain of wrapping paper and boxes and placing them in piles.
"Can I go first since I'm the youngest and have been waiting the longest?" asked Dawn.
"Sure."
Dawn tore into the first package she got her hands on. A pile of CDs fell out of the paper.
"Ooh. These are all the CDs I've been wanting. Thanks," she looked at the tag," Xander."
"No problem."
She opened the rest of the presents, squealing every time she opened one. When the mountain had disappeared, it was Anya's turn.
Everyone had the right mind to get her money, or something related to money. Xander gave her a silver chain necklace with a money sign charm.
Xander had some decent gifts. Dawn had given him a new hard hat. Anya said he would get her present later, leaving him blushing.
Willow and Tara got a kitten from Xander and Anya. It was female. They named it Tiger, because of it's tabby cat stripes. Tara gave Willow a bracelet that had a small, silver plate that hung off of it that said Wiccan.
"I know that even though you quit magic it's still a part of you that will never leave," explained Tara.
"That's sweet," said Willow, giving Tara a hug.
Next was Buffy. Anya offered her a job at the Magic Box so that she wouldn't have to work at the Doublemeat Palace. Dawn got her a leather jacket, similar to the one she had given her at her birthday.
"I bought it with my money. Promise. Believe me, it took me forever to get it," exaggerated Dawn.
Her last present was another check from Giles.
"Oh, god, Giles. That is so kind of you," Buffy gushed when she received the check for five-thousand dollars."This will help so much."
When everyone had finished opening their presents, they were all starving. Everyone walked into the kitchen to find something to eat.
Spike pulled Dawn and Buffy into the hall, away from everyone else.
"I got you two something," he said."Didn't want to give it to you in front of everyone and be embarrassed."
"What is it?" asked Dawn.
Spike pulled two little boxes out of his pocket, handing one to Buffy the other to Dawn.
Dawn opened her box first. It was a heart-shaped locket. She popped it open and let out a small gasp. It had a picture of Joyce smiling.
She gave him a fierce hug.
"Oh, Spike, thank you so much. I'll wear it everyday." She held the necklace out to him. "Will you put it on me?"
"Sure, Nibblet," he took the necklace and placed it around her neck and hooked the ends.
"There."
Dawn turned to Buffy. "What's your present?"
Buffy slowly opened the silver box.
Inside was a ring. It had a heart on it with three gems around the band.
"It's you, Bit's, and Joyce's birthstones," he whispered in her ear.
She felt tears brim her eyes as she put it on her finger.
She turned to him. "I-I don't know what to say. I-I..."
He placed a finger in her lips.
"Don't say anything."
Dawn silently slipped out of the room.
Buffy felt a tear slide down her cheek.
Spike wiped it away with his thumb.
"Don't cry," he whispered softly, his faces inched from hers.
She looked into his eyes. He looked into hers.
She leaned forward, her lips brushing briefly against his. Then she kissed him deeply, putting her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
They made out in the hall for what seemed like centuries, but was only about thirty seconds, before Buffy had to pull away to breath.
She was panting heavily, but smiling.
He grinned back at her.
"I'm glad you like it," he said.
"Hey," whispered Dawn, peeking back into the hall,"Are you guys finished making out and gonna come in here and eat."
Buffy's eyes widened, but instead of denying it, she just let out a huff.
"We'll be there in a minute."
She turned back to Spike, who had a shocked expression on his face.
"What?" she asked.
"Y-you didn't....I mean you didn't den-" he was cut off by Buffy's lips.
"Don't worry about it. No more hiding," she whispered.
"Good."
Buffy took his hand into hers.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Always have been."
They walked into the dining room, hand-in-hand.
Dawn was the first one to notice.
She just smiled. Happy that they finally having PDA.
Tara noticed next. She raised her eyebrows at Buffy, who just smiled back. Tara's frown turned into a smile, then she went back to what she was doing.
Spike went and sat down in a chair, and Buffy took a seat in his lap, leaning against his chest.
"Did I miss something, again?" asked a bewildered Xander when he noticed them sitting together.
"No. There's nothing to miss," said Dawn as she brushed by him.
"You mean there....."
"Yup," said Dawn with a smile.
"Oh....ew....." He saw the deadly looks everyone sent him on his comment. "Oh....uh...no ew....um....congrats," he tried with a hopeful look. Everyone sent him a grin.
"Thank you, Xander. That took guts," said Buffy.
"Uh...no problem. I mean... your my best friend. It's you life. Even if it has...Spike, in it."
Buffy got up off Spike's lap and gave Xander a huge hug. He hesitantly hugged her back.
"Thank you so much. That means alot coming from you."
"Uh...like I said, no problem."
"Uh, you guys," everyone looked in Dawn's direction." I'm glad we're having all these happy mushy moments, but can you lay off while I'm here."
Buffy laughed, letting go of Xander.
"Sure, Dawnie."
She walked back over and sat down with Spike.
"Okay," said Willow," who wants breakfast?"
The End
Everyone was there, even Spike and Dawn.
"Hey you guys," spoke up Tara, who had been quiet all afternoon." I dare everyone to dance with with each other for at least one song. That means you have to dance with everyone at this table. Expect Xander and Spike and any girl that doesn't want to dance with another girl."
Dawn and Anya immediately liked the idea, Spike didn't dislike it either. Xander said it was fine. Willow decide it's been awhile since she had danced with a guy and it would be a nice change, after dancing with Tara, of course.
Buffy was the only one that didn't agree right away. Mainly, she just didn't want to dance with Spike, because she knew Dawn would never let her live it down. But she also knew that once Dawn said Buffy was going to do something, she would argue until she did it.
"All right. I'm in. Who dances with who, first?"
"Well,since there's an odd number, one person will be out every song. But, since it's my idea, I choose who goes first."
Tara looked everyone over carefully, before making a decision.
"Okay, Willow, you dance with Spike, Anya, you dance with Xander, and Dawn, you dance with me. Buffy, do you mind being the first one out?"
"No, of course not. That's just one minute longer that I still have my dignity," she said the last part under her breath so no one could hear. Everyone went off to the dance floor.
When the song was over, everyone came back to the table and sat.
"Okay," said Tara,"Now someone else is gonna sit out."
"Can I?" asked Xander. "I think I pulled a muscle dancing, just let me sit out for one song to stretch it out."
"Okay, no problem. Let me see," she said rubbing her chin," Anya, do you mid dancing with Dawn?"
She nodded her head, yes.
"Good, okay, you dance with Dawn, Willow, you dance with me, and Buffy, you dance with Spike."
Buffy groaned. Spike smirked.
"Okay, let's go." They all walked out to the dance floor.
Buffy put her hands on Spike's shoulders, making sure to keep some distance between them. Spike put his hands around her waist, but she wouldn't let him pull her any closer.
"I don't like this one bit, so don't go getting any ideas," said Buffy.
"Whatever you say, luv."
They swayed to the music in silence, Buffy looking everywhere but at Spike. He kept his eyes locked on her face, studying her features.
Gradually, Spike pulled her closer, waiting for her to pull away. When she didn't. he gently pulled her closer.
Even though her head was screaming at her to pull away, she rested her head on his chest.
He felt her head come to rest on his chest and grinned. He looked around at the others. Anya and Dawn were doing the Waltz. Tara and Willow were looking into each other's eyes, occasionally saying something.
He never wanted the moment to end, but when the song ended, she pulled away and walked back to the table. He just shook his head and followed.
Everyone took a seat back at the table.
Tara choose partners for everyone again and they danced. This lasted all night until midnight.
Dawn gave a huge yawn.
"I think somebody's tired," taunted Xander.
"I'm not tired," said Dawn under heavy eyelids.
"Well, we need to get going anyway. It's getting late," said Buffy. "Don't forget, be at my house by eleven or we open presents without you."
Everyone started to walk in opposite directions, when Dawn ran up to Spike and grabbed his arm.
"Wait. Buffy," she said turning back to her sister,"can Spike come home with us?"
"LilBit, I can't-"
"Yes you can," said Dawn stubbornly. She looked up at Buffy who hadn't answered.
"Pleas," Dawn pleaded," It's Christmas. No one should be alone on Christmas."
"But-" Buffy started.
"Please."
Buffy looked from her to Spike. He shrugged.
"Fine," she said in a huff.
"Yes!" Dawn cheered. She grabbed Buffy in one hand and Spike in the other and walked out of the Bronze.
The three walked in silence for a few minutes, Buffy and Spike stealing glances at each other every once in awhile. Dawn watched them. Then, when they weren't looking, she pulled their hands together to that they were holding hands. It was too cold to notice the difference in temperature, but after about five seconds they both noticed and quickly pulled their hands away.
"Oh well. It was worth a try," said Dawn as she stood between them once again. They both looked at her then looked at each other, not saying a word.
"Are you two just gonna stare at each other all night or are you gonna kiss?" asked Dawn suddenly.
Buffy stopped suddenly.
"What?" she said with a shocked look on her face. Spike just smirked.
"You two have been staring at each other all night and don't think I'm too young to know what you're thinking," Dawn stated matter-of-factly.
"Well whatever you think I'm thinking that's not it," said Buffy, walking off in front of them.
Dawn looked up at Spike. He looked down at her.
"She'll come around," Dawn said, leaning against him.
Buffy had heard her, but didn't say anything back.
"Maybe, pet. Maybe."
When they reached the house, Buffy ran up the steps to her room, closing the door behind her.
"I think that's a clue that your sleeping on the couch," said Dawn when she heard the door close.
"No problem. I expected it."
Dawn found some blankets and a pillow for Spike to sleep on.
"G'night, Nibblet," he said, giving her a kiss on the head.
"Night, Spike. Merry Christmas." She ran up to her room.
Spike turned to the couch and sat down, kicking off his boots and shrugging off his duster. He laid back and fell into a deep sleep.
Later on, about a few hours later, Buffy woke up from a dream. It wasn't really a dream, but it wasn' t a nightmare. She couldn't really recall what had happened, she just remembered waking up in a cold sweat.
She wrapped a sheet around her and walked downstairs. She stole a peek at Spike sleeping before she went into the kitchen to get her a glass of milk. She drank slowly, feeling her heartbeat slow down to a normal rate. She finished off the milk and put it into the sink. She was about to head upstairs when she stopped to watch Spike sleep.
He laid peacefully on the couch. She didn't want to disturb him, but he looked so alone.
She walked over to the couch, even though, once again, her mind was screaming at her to get away, and sat down next to him.
She laid out, her back to his chest, and rested her head in the nook of his neck.
"What are you doing, pet?" he mumbled.
"No one should be alone on Christmas," she said simply before falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Dawn was the first one up. She had made sure set her alarm clock so she wouldn't oversleep. She pulled on her clothes, brushed her hair, and headed downstairs. She stopped at the last step when she noticed Buffy and Spike cuddled on the couch.
She raised her eyebrows and went into the kitchen. She made herself something to eat, making sure to be as quiet as possible. When the clock read ten, she knew she had better wake them up before Xander got there, for she knew Buffy would be mad if she didn't.
She walked into the livingroom and bent down next to them.
"Buffy," she whispered hoarsely, shaking her shoulders.
Buffy rolled over and buried her head in Spike's chest.
Dawn sighed.
"Come on, Buffy," she shook her sister's shoulder more forcefully.
She didn't stir.
"Okay. Fine. Be that way."
She walked back into the kitchen, filled up a jug of cold water, and came back into the livingroom. She stood over them.
"Sorry you guys," she said, then dumped the whole jug on their heads.
They both shot up.
"Bloody hell!" cursed Spike as he sat up.
"What the...." Buffy looked up at her grinning sister,"What was that for?"
"You two wouldn't get up. I had to get you awake before Xander came here, saw you two cuddled on the couch, and fainted. It worked alot better than I thought," she finished giggling.
"Yeah, real funny, Bit," he said. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down on the soaked couch.
"Hey! New shirt! Stop!" she said laughing.
Xander and Anya choose that moment to walk through the door.
"Hi everyone. I brought presents," said Anya cheerfully, like them sitting on the soaked couch was something she saw everyday.
"Did I miss something?" asked Xander, still standing at the doorway to the livingroom.
"Yeah. Actually, you did," said Buffy, getting up. She looked down at her soaked clothing."I need to change." She went up the stairs.
Spike shook his head violently, making water spray on Dawn.
"Hey! I get it! You can stop!" she screamed laughing. Spike stopped, grinning devilishly.
"Great, now I have to change," said Dawn, trying to look mad, but failing miserably. She went up the stairs, passing Buffy as she came down.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" asked Xander.
"Here's one of your shirts," Buffy said, tossing Spike a shirt to replace his wet one.
"What's it look like, Harris? We got wet," Spike snarled at Xander. He peeled off his wet tee and put the dry one on.
Buffy came in the room with towels and put them on the wet end of the couch.
"Do I even want to know how you got wet?" asked Xander, taking a seat on the dry end of the couch.
"Probably not," said Dawn as she walked in wearing different clothes. She took a seat on floor in front of the television watching Charlie Brown's Christmas special.
"Hey Xander. Am I ever gonna get to see the all-famous Snoopy Dance that I hear Willow talk about every year around this time?" asked Dawn.
"Maybe," he said.
Just then, they heard the door open and close.
"Hey you gu-" Buffy started, thinking it was Willow and Tara, but stopped short.
"Giles!" she squealed, running into his arms. He gave her a hug, trying to set down his bag before it was crushed. Dawn picked up the bag.
"Ooh. Presents!" She set them next to the Christmas tree in the middle of the room with the other presents.
"I can't believe your here. You flew all this way just to see us?" she said more of a statement than a question as she let him out of her grasp.
"Well, I wanted to see how you were doing, and decided to come for the holidays."
"Well, your just in time. We were waiting for Tara and Willow to get here," she heard the door open," and there they are. In here guys," she called as the two walked in.
"Hey. We have presents," said Willow. Then she noticed Giles standing next to Buffy."Giles!"
She ran over to him and gave him a huge hug.
"We missed you," she said.
"I didn't," said Spike.
"I missed you all, too. Except Spike," he said, hugging her back.
"Hey, you guys. Everyone's here. Can we please open the presents now?" Dawn whined.
"Fine. Let's sort them out," said Buffy, kneeling down next to the mountain of wrapping paper and boxes and placing them in piles.
"Can I go first since I'm the youngest and have been waiting the longest?" asked Dawn.
"Sure."
Dawn tore into the first package she got her hands on. A pile of CDs fell out of the paper.
"Ooh. These are all the CDs I've been wanting. Thanks," she looked at the tag," Xander."
"No problem."
She opened the rest of the presents, squealing every time she opened one. When the mountain had disappeared, it was Anya's turn.
Everyone had the right mind to get her money, or something related to money. Xander gave her a silver chain necklace with a money sign charm.
Xander had some decent gifts. Dawn had given him a new hard hat. Anya said he would get her present later, leaving him blushing.
Willow and Tara got a kitten from Xander and Anya. It was female. They named it Tiger, because of it's tabby cat stripes. Tara gave Willow a bracelet that had a small, silver plate that hung off of it that said Wiccan.
"I know that even though you quit magic it's still a part of you that will never leave," explained Tara.
"That's sweet," said Willow, giving Tara a hug.
Next was Buffy. Anya offered her a job at the Magic Box so that she wouldn't have to work at the Doublemeat Palace. Dawn got her a leather jacket, similar to the one she had given her at her birthday.
"I bought it with my money. Promise. Believe me, it took me forever to get it," exaggerated Dawn.
Her last present was another check from Giles.
"Oh, god, Giles. That is so kind of you," Buffy gushed when she received the check for five-thousand dollars."This will help so much."
When everyone had finished opening their presents, they were all starving. Everyone walked into the kitchen to find something to eat.
Spike pulled Dawn and Buffy into the hall, away from everyone else.
"I got you two something," he said."Didn't want to give it to you in front of everyone and be embarrassed."
"What is it?" asked Dawn.
Spike pulled two little boxes out of his pocket, handing one to Buffy the other to Dawn.
Dawn opened her box first. It was a heart-shaped locket. She popped it open and let out a small gasp. It had a picture of Joyce smiling.
She gave him a fierce hug.
"Oh, Spike, thank you so much. I'll wear it everyday." She held the necklace out to him. "Will you put it on me?"
"Sure, Nibblet," he took the necklace and placed it around her neck and hooked the ends.
"There."
Dawn turned to Buffy. "What's your present?"
Buffy slowly opened the silver box.
Inside was a ring. It had a heart on it with three gems around the band.
"It's you, Bit's, and Joyce's birthstones," he whispered in her ear.
She felt tears brim her eyes as she put it on her finger.
She turned to him. "I-I don't know what to say. I-I..."
He placed a finger in her lips.
"Don't say anything."
Dawn silently slipped out of the room.
Buffy felt a tear slide down her cheek.
Spike wiped it away with his thumb.
"Don't cry," he whispered softly, his faces inched from hers.
She looked into his eyes. He looked into hers.
She leaned forward, her lips brushing briefly against his. Then she kissed him deeply, putting her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
They made out in the hall for what seemed like centuries, but was only about thirty seconds, before Buffy had to pull away to breath.
She was panting heavily, but smiling.
He grinned back at her.
"I'm glad you like it," he said.
"Hey," whispered Dawn, peeking back into the hall,"Are you guys finished making out and gonna come in here and eat."
Buffy's eyes widened, but instead of denying it, she just let out a huff.
"We'll be there in a minute."
She turned back to Spike, who had a shocked expression on his face.
"What?" she asked.
"Y-you didn't....I mean you didn't den-" he was cut off by Buffy's lips.
"Don't worry about it. No more hiding," she whispered.
"Good."
Buffy took his hand into hers.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Always have been."
They walked into the dining room, hand-in-hand.
Dawn was the first one to notice.
She just smiled. Happy that they finally having PDA.
Tara noticed next. She raised her eyebrows at Buffy, who just smiled back. Tara's frown turned into a smile, then she went back to what she was doing.
Spike went and sat down in a chair, and Buffy took a seat in his lap, leaning against his chest.
"Did I miss something, again?" asked a bewildered Xander when he noticed them sitting together.
"No. There's nothing to miss," said Dawn as she brushed by him.
"You mean there....."
"Yup," said Dawn with a smile.
"Oh....ew....." He saw the deadly looks everyone sent him on his comment. "Oh....uh...no ew....um....congrats," he tried with a hopeful look. Everyone sent him a grin.
"Thank you, Xander. That took guts," said Buffy.
"Uh...no problem. I mean... your my best friend. It's you life. Even if it has...Spike, in it."
Buffy got up off Spike's lap and gave Xander a huge hug. He hesitantly hugged her back.
"Thank you so much. That means alot coming from you."
"Uh...like I said, no problem."
"Uh, you guys," everyone looked in Dawn's direction." I'm glad we're having all these happy mushy moments, but can you lay off while I'm here."
Buffy laughed, letting go of Xander.
"Sure, Dawnie."
She walked back over and sat down with Spike.
"Okay," said Willow," who wants breakfast?"
The End