Riley drove back into good ol' Sunnyhell. It had been awhile since he'd been back but he felt confident that it wouldn't be the last. He drove to the place where he had spent the most time, after the Initiative base closed, Buffy Summer's house. He drove around the block once or twice before pulling into the driveway. He got out of the car, and slowly walked up the steps. He took a deep breath and knocked twice sharply, and waited for an answer. Buffy paced in the living room, there was nothing to do, nowhere to go, and nothing to kill. She'd hoped that Spike would drop by, but some hope that was. She turned as she saw an unfamiliar black SUV pull into her driveway. She waited for a knock, and when she heard it, she slowly walked to the door and opened it. She was stunned to see none other than Mr. Initiative himself. "R-Riley.." She said, "C-come in.." He jumped a bit as she opened the door, suprised to see how much she hadn't changed. "B-Buffy.." He said, Thanks." He came in, and looked nervously around, and waited for her to ask him what he was doing back here. She closed the door, and took a deep breath. She'd dreamt of this, him coming back and saying that he was wrong about the whole thing, but that seemed like ages ago. She turned, and said, "W-what are you doing back here? I thought you left for good." She shifted her feet a bit, and sat down. He followed her example, and sat down. He took a deep breath, "Well, I've done some thinking.." He paused, looking around. "And, I've been sent back here, but I only accepted because of the thinking." She crinkled her nose. "Thinking?" She asked, "What kind of thinking?" She looked around, this was all a bit sudden, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. "Thinking about the past..mainly about us, why I left.." He said, looking at her. The truth was, he didn't know why he was really here, but it didn't matter, he was here now. "Why is that, Riley?" She asked, "I mean, why now? Why not sooner?" Her thoughts turned to Spike, she wondered what he was doing since she wasn't around. "I don't know Buffy." He said, "You remember that time we watched that martial arts movie with Anya and Xander?" He remembered that night, with the two Xanders. They had a nice talk that night. He remembered that she had asked him about normal Buffy instead of slayer Buffy. He told her that being the slayer was a part of who she was. It was true, he had wondered what it would've been like to have dated Buffy before she became the slayer, or at least found out about it. He decided when he met her, that it was fate. They were meant to be, only to have his heart broken. She happily remembered that night. They watched the movie, and then there were the two Xanders. She remembered the talk that they had in the car. She always wondered what life would be like if she wasn't the slayer, if she was just Buffy Summers..not Buffy Summers, vampire slayer. "Yeah." She smiled, "Why?" "It's just times like that." He said, "I miss that." The truth was that he had missed them since he left but he just told himself he needed some time to get over Buffy. But it was just a lie, he didn't get over her. In fact, he still loved her as much as he did they day he left, if not more. The truth was she did too. She missed having a 'normal' boyfriend, that could be around in the daytime, one with a soul, and a beating heart. "I do too." She simply said, "You're trying to tell me something, aren't you?" He smiled, she was getting it now. He hoped that she would, just maybe feel the same way. "Maybe." He said, he'd see what would happen if he got a little flirty with her. She smiled, seeing through his little charade. "Riley Finn." She said, "Are you saying that leaving was a mistake?"She thought for a second, that just maybe, her dream could come true. "Buffy, you know that I love you," He said, "You knew that when I left." He licked his lips, "The truth is, I never got over you. Not even now, a year and maybe a half later, I came back here to ask you something, but I'm not so sure." Wow, she thought, my dream is coming true. My Prince Charming is here..and he wants to ask me something. What do I say? Buffy, think, be smart..well, just think. "Wow, Riley, that's a mouthful." She said, "It took me a long time to accept that you left. A lot's happened that I don't know how to tell you. I died after you left" He stood and put his hands on her shoulders, kneeling in front of her. "That's just it, I died when I left." He said. "No, Riley, I really died. Dead and buried, I could show you my grave." She said, "It's a majorly long story. Willow and them brought me back." Died, she died? He thought, "How?" He asked, removing his hands from her shoulders. He was confused now, he thought that she didn't know what to do, but she actually died. "To save Dawn." She said, "Death's my gift. It's what I get for being slayer Buffy." She crinkled her nose again. "Oh." He said, remembering that Dawn is The Key. "I get that, but I still...I still love you. I'm just asking if you feel the same way." Oh no, how do I tell him about Spike? Maybe I should leave that part out.. She turned her head, and thought for a moment. Spike? Riley? Riley..."I do.." She said, "Feel the same way." He sighed a sigh of relief. He smiled, "Then can I ask you a question?" God, I hope she says yes...or at least at some point, she says yes. "What is it?" She asked, wondering what it could be. It has to be big, I mean he was in Belize, I think. He dug in his pocket, and pulled out a box. He opened the box, and inside was a ring. "Will you marry me?" She smiled, she always hoped that one day some amazing guy would ask her that, but not that it was here, she wasn't sure. She looked at him, "Yes." She said, Spike will understand, it wasn't real anyway. He smiled, and put the ring on her finger. He leaned up and kissed her. I'm at peace now, with her by my side. I'm not sure, but I know I love him. Buffy Buffy says yes but Slayer Buffy isn't so sure. She hated being unsure, but usually when she didn't know she'd ask Giles. Yeah, I'll ask Giles, he'll know...or maybe Willow will? He pulled her into his arms, and just beamed. He had no idea of what was going through her head, and didn't want to know, not yet anyway.