A/N: This is a sequel to my story "Alternative Intervention" and if you havent read that, you probably wont understand this one. This story picks up about three months after the end of AI, with Spike and Buffy together. It's gonna start off smutty, so if you're underage, please dont read it. i dont want to explain to your parents where you learned the stork didnt drop you off. which it so did.

As per usual, i dont own the btvs characters or story background. i just play around because i can't have Spike all to myself. Maeve is mine, technically.

I hope you like it, and if you send me lots and lots of reviews, it'll encourage me to get the rest of it up here faster! Thanks! ~Kitten

"How would you feel if I asked you to move in here?" I asked as I lay in Spike's arms after another round of cataclysmic lovemaking. We'd been together for three months now, since that night that he killed Glory, and the sex between us was still earth-shattering.

"What?" He was sleepy, blinking slowly at me.

"Do you want to move in with Dawn and me?" I asked. His eyes shot open.

"Huh?" he grunted eloquently.

"Well, I mean, you stay here every night anyway," I said. He gaped down at me, and I fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I-I mean… i-if you don't… want to , that's o-okay."

"Sweetling, in what universe would I ever say no to you?" he said, finally recovered from his shock, apparently. I furrowed my brows at him.

"I don't want you to say yes just because you don't want to say no to me."

"No, honey, that's not what I meant," he said. "C'mon, love. I haven't even been back t' m' crypt in a week."

"No, we stopped by on Tuesday," I corrected him. We'd been patrolling, and gotten in a fight with four fledges. After, we were both charged and needed each other right then. So we bolted to his crypt and made love until nearly sunup in that big, pretty bed of his. Other than the occasional quickie, we rarely even went to his crypt anymore. He spent most of his time at my house, sleeping while I went to work at the Espresso Pump during the day. When Dawn got home, he made sure she did her homework, so now she'd made up for the time she missed last year. When I got home, we'd have dinner- he was a much better cook than Dawn or I- and then we'd just hang out for the rest of the night. Sometimes we went out to the Bronze with the Scoobies, or we'd take Dawn to the movies, but most nights we just patrolled and came home to bed. The usual Hellmouth-y craziness gave us the rush we needed every once in awhile. It was normal- as normal as we got- and it was good for us.

"Okay, so it's been five days since I've been at the crypt," he said, chuckling. "Love, we've been nearly living together for weeks now. All my stuff's here, 'cept for the bed, an' I don' remember the last time I slept alone."

"So why did you look at me like I'd grown another head?" I pouted. He pulled me to him and kissed my pouty lips.

"I was just surprised you asked, pet," he said. "I din't think you'd actually make it official. Jus' figured we'd keep on with what we've been doin'."

"Well, I want to make it official," I said. "And… I've kind of been saving up for a little bit, and I thought we could redo my mom's room. If this is going to be our house, we should have the master bedroom, right?"

"If you want to, Sweets," he said. "When do you want t' make this official?"

"How about we go get what's left of your stuff tomorrow night?"

"Sounds perfect," he said, snuggling up to me. His voice dropped to its husky bedroom tone. "Now how 'bout we celebrate this new development?" I giggled and climbed on top of him, riding him slowly until we both exploded, each other's name falling off our lips like a prayer.

Spike officially moved in the next night, and our routine became blissfully domestic. We renovated my mom's old bedroom into our own, complete with Spike's gigantic four-poster bed. It felt like we were a complete family, Spike, Dawn, and I. I hadn't felt like I was part of a complete family in a long time.

One morning, Spike was sleeping while Dawn and I ate breakfast before work and school. I sifted through the mail idly while I ate my cereal. The bank statement had come, so I opened it up, just glancing through the list of transactions. When I got to the balance, I nearly choked on my corn flakes. I knew how much money I had, and I definitely did not have $250,000!

"What?" Dawn asked, mouth full of toast. I handed her the statement as I reached for the phone. This was just some kind of clerical error, and I should get it fixed. There was probably some lotto winner missing his cash right now.

"Sunnydale Banking Company," a polite female voice answered.

"Hi, my name is Buffy Summers," I said. "Um, I have an account with you, and I got my statement this morning. I think there's been some kind of mistake."

"What kind of mistake?" the woman asked. I heard the click-click-clack of a keyboard typing.

"Uh, there seems to be a lot of money in my account. A lot more than there should be."

"Oh, no, your husband made that deposit about a week ago. I took care of it myself," she said. "I must say, you're a lucky girl. That William of yours is quite a catch."

"My husband? William?" I said. Dawn laughed loudly.

"Yes, William Kingsley," the woman said, worry tingeing her voice. "He is your husband, isn't he?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, he just didn't tell me he was making the deposit," I lied quickly. "Thank you. I'm sorry I wasted your time."

"Have a nice day."

"Your husband William?" Dawn asked as I hung up the phone. On cue, Spike walked into the kitchen. Wearing only a pair of black sweatpants, he ruffled his hair sleepily.

"Morning," he rumbled.

"Good morning," I said, accepting the kiss he pressed to my lips. I picked up the phone again. There was another call I needed to make. "Mike?" I said when my boss answered. "Hey, I'm not going to be able to come into work today. Family stuff." He asked if anyone was hurt as Spike raised an eyebrow at me. "No, everyone's fine. There's just a couple things that came up that I need to take care of." Mike agreed to let me off, and I thanked him and hug up.

"What's goin' on, pet?" Spike asked.

"The bank statement came today," I said. I heard the front door open, which meant Xander was here to take Dawn to school. Spike's face remained blank. "There seems to be quite a bit of money in the account. So I called them-" I saw a flicker pass through his eyes. Xander came into the kitchen, followed by Anya.

"An' what'd they say?" he asked slowly.

"They said my husband, a Mr. William Kingsley, made the deposit last week," I said.

"It was s'posed t' be a surprise."

"Oh, it was a surprise all right," I said. "Why'd you do that, Spike?"

"I wanted t' give it t' you," he said. "It's jus' been sittin' in a bank for a hundred years. I wanted t' make sure you an' the Bit 'd be okay if-"

"How much money are we talking about, here?" Xander cut in.

"Quarter million," I said, not looking away from Spike. Xander let out a low whistle.

"Why are you complaining?" Anya asked.

"I'm not," I said. "I'd just like to be included in decisions made in this house."

"I didn't think you'd be mad, love," Spike said, frowning. "I jus'… no one was usin' it, an' I wanted t'-" He fidgeted uncomfortably. He didn't want to talk about this in front of Xander. Xander was staring at us in confusion.

"Xander, can you get Dawn off to school, please? Spike and I have some stuff to talk about," I said.

"Sure thing, Buff," Xander said, still looking at Spike like he didn't recognize him. I gave Dawn a kiss on the cheek as she left. Dawn gave Spike a quick hug.

"Don't let her bully you," she said, tossing a smirk at me. I glared at her as she skipped out the door. Once we were alone, I looked back to Spike. He looked sad.

"I'm not mad," I started. He looked doubtful. I took his hands in mine, kissing his knuckles. "Really, I'm not. You… you're amazing, you know that? But you didn't need to-"

"I did need," he interrupted me. "I live here, too, yeah? 'M a part of this family. Or I thought I was."

"Of course you are!" I interjected. "Spike, baby, why wouldn't you think you're a part of our family?"

"Well, why're you makin' such a deal 'bout this?" he asked. "'M jus' tryin' t' take care of you, take care of the Bit. 'M allowed t' do that, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are," I said softly. God, I'm such a bitch. He gives me a gift like this and I make him feel bad about it. "I'm sorry, baby," I said, wrapping my arms around his wais. "I'm stupid. A moron, really. You are so wonderful, you know that?" I looked back up at him. The sadness was mostly gone from his eyes. His arms came up around me, lifting me up. He set me on the counter, standing between my legs.

"I love you," I murmured, resting my forehead against his. He smiled, nuzzling my nose with his.

"Love you, too, pet," he said, kissing me softly. He pulled away after a long moment, resting his hands on my thighs. I ran a foot up the back of his leg, my hands on his shoulders.

"So, I was thinkin'," he said.

"Don't hurt yourself," I teased. He nipped playfully at my lips.

"if you wanted t' go back t' school now, you could," he said. "There's plenty more dosh in the bank, an' I already set up a fund for Dawn, so if you wanted-"

"C'mere, you," I said, locking my legs around his waist. I hauled him forward for a kiss. He growled into my mouth as I raked my hands down his back. I grabbed his ass, pulling him even closer. His erection ground into me as I moaned. There was no way that we could make it upstairs.

"Need you," he panted. I lifted my arms, letting him strip my shirt off and dropped my legs as his hands dropped to the drawstring on my shorts. Lifting my hips, he pulled my shorts off and let them fall to the floor. I scooted to the edge of the counter as he shoved his own pants down and off his hips. In no need of foreplay, I took him in hand and guided him to my core. He filled me in one quick push, and the feeling of it made me arch and crack my head against the cabinet.

"Sorry," he muttered, reaching up to brace one hand behind my head. My ankles crossed at the small of his back as I tried to pull him in deeper.

"More, Spike," I moaned. "Harder, oh, god, Spike, baby-"

"Love you," he panted. "Cor, pet, burn me up, you do. Your tight little cunny's so hot."

"Mm, I like it when you talk while you fuck me," I whispered in his ear, biting the lobe. He growled and slipped his hands under my thighs. Lifting me up, he backed up until his back hit the wall. Then my back pressed up against it, and I groped for something to hold on to so I could thrust down on him. Still not satisfied with the angle, Spike walked us into the dining room, never slipping from inside me. He kicked a chair over and laid me down gently on the table.

The gentleness ended there. Gripping my thighs with bruising force, he pounded into me. Grunting like animals, we thrashed and rutted primally. Spike never actually injured me during sex, but every once in awhile we fucked so hard I had trouble walking for a few hours. I had a feeling Spike was going to have to carry me up to bed when this was done.

"Spike!" I yelled when his hand came down to rub my clit in time to his furious thrusts.

"You like that, baby?" he growled. "Tell your Spike what you like."

"Oh, god, Spike, yes, I love you," I cried. "Love this."

"You need to come, baby?" he asked. His voice was such a feral growl I nearly didn't recognize it. I nodded and he reached up to pinch my nipple sharply. "You want my fangs in you, Slayer? You want me to bite you, mark up that pretty skin of yours?"

"Yes, please!" I begged. "Bite me, Spike, please." He vamped with a roar and sank his fangs into the soft flesh of my breast. My orgasm took over my body completely. I screamed his name as I fell over the edge.

I must have blacked out, because when I opened my eyes, we were curled up in our bed, still warm from sleeping there last night. My head was pillowed by Spike's bicep and his other hand stroked my hair.

"There she is," he said quietly, smiling as I opened my eyes.

"How long was I out?"

"'Bout an hour," he said. Wow, that was way more intense than I thought. "Was a bit worried, love. Thought I hurt you."

"I'm okay," I said, stretching out my arms and legs. Yep, all still working.

"I think I took a bit too much," he said, eyes dropping down to the bite mark on my breast. He usually didn't bite me, but every once in awhile I asked him to. He'd never knocked me out before, though. I was always conscious enough to pull him off if I needed. I was lucky he didn't kill me.

"Could've killed you," he said, echoing my thoughts. "I don'… I shouldn' bite you again. Not anymore."

"Hey, I'm okay," I said, cupping his cheek. "But if it'll make you feel better, I won't ask again, okay?"

"'M sorry, sweetheart," he said, crushing me to him. "I'll never hurt you. An' I'll never let the demon hurt you either."

"You're stronger than him," I assured him. "The demon would've killed me. You stopped him."

"I might not always," he said. His eyes looked haunted. "It's the only way t' keep it in check. No more biting, not ever."

"Okay," I said. "I trust you. You make the rules for your demon."

"I love you, you know that, right?"

"I know," I said. "I love you right back." We lay together quietly for hours, dozing in each other's arms. Spike was purring, like he usually did when he was happy, but I could tell it was just for my benefit. I could still smell his fear. I wanted to reassure him, but I didn't know how. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but I couldn't speak for his demon. The chip didn't fire if I offered my blood to him, and we'd never tested the boundaries. I didn't know what it would take for the chip to fire if I gave myself willingly.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked when he brought up lunch for us. Normally I didn't like being coddled, but I knew he was still worried. I smiled when he climbed back into bed, my mom's old breakfast tray in hand.

"I feel fine," I said. "I just needed some rest."

"Eat up, love," he said. "I'll run you a bath when you're done."

"Spike, you don't need-"

"Buffy, let me do this," he said. "I was s'posed t' be making love t' you an' I nearly killed you. I can't- This is the only way I know how to make it up to you. T' tell you how horrible I feel."

"Sweetheart, you didn't attack me," I said. He opened his mouth to speak, but I covered his lips with my fingertips. "I know you, so I know you're going to beat yourself up over this for awhile. I'm going to keep telling you that you did nothing wrong, but until you believe me, I'll let you do whatever you need to."

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"But when you run that bath, I want you to join me," I said. Again, he started to protest. "I've chosen you as my partner. I knew what I was getting into. So I'll let you take care of me, but only if you let me take care of you, too."

His purring stopped being just for comfort then.

I thought we were doing okay. A few weeks passed after the biting incident, and I though Spike and I were working. We were happy. I applied back to UC Sunnydale to start in the winter term. I was still working at the Espresso Pump, but only to give myself something to do. We had to deal with some new pop-ups of evil every now and again, but nothing we couldn't handle. Spike and I patrolled together and slept together every night.

You can imagine my surprise, then, when one night I woke to find Spike slipping out of the room, his duster in hand. He rarely even wore that old coat, and he never left our bed at night. My heart pounding, I pulled on some clothes and set out after him. I followed him at enough distance that he wouldn't sense me, but close enough that I could see the determined set of his jaw.

He turned down the alley next to Willie's bar. I followed, just catching him as he slipped inside a side door. I boosted myself up on a trash can to peer inside a window. I could see Spike, talking to someone covered by shadow. Then, the shadows moved, and the person he was talking to stepped forward.

She was radiant. Long, curly red hair tumbled down her back and over her shoulders. She was dressed in a flowing emerald dressed trimmed in gold. Her ivory skin was flawless, and ruby lips set off her jade-green eyes. She was gorgeous, and she was smiling at my vampire.

I inched the window open so I could hear what they said. The woman's voice was low and melodious as she talked to Spike. "What, exactly, are you asking of me, William?" He never let me call him William.

"I almost killed her," he said. "I would've, but the chip fired when her heart slowed down." He'd gotten that far?

"So you don't think being with her is a good idea." A sharp pain started in my heart at her words, more statement than question.

"I don' want t' hurt her," Spike said sadly.

"Then don't, William," she said. She was teasing him. "It's not exactly difficult."

"I'm evil," Spike said. "I'm soulless. One way or another, I'll hurt her."

"Dear, sweet William," she sighed, touching his cheek. When Spike didn't pull away, my heart broke a little more.

"So can you…"

"Come out and say it, dear. I'm not a mind reader." She stepped back and crossed her arms. I thought I saw her eyes flash towards me.

"I jus'… I want to be good for her," Spike said. "I want- She's happy right now-"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," she murmured. "She was happy before you left her bed, I promise. Now…"

"What?"

"Nothing, go on," she ordered with a dismissive wave of one long hand.

My lover sighed and ran a hand through his curly hair. "She's jus' so perfect-"

"Now there's a pedestal for ya," she drawled. Spike shot a glare at her. "Sorry. Do continue."

"I don' know how long I can keep her happy," he said. "She'll realize what I am eventually. I can't be a man for her, give her children and a life in the sun. And my demon's always calling for her blood. I don' deserve her."

"So you want to be worthy of her?" she asked, sighing. "William-"

"I want to be her partner," he said. "Right now… we're different sides o' the same bloody coin an' all that rot. But if my demon's always screamin' for her blood, how can the man love her?"

"Have you told the girl this?" Spike shook his head. "Maybe you should. Buffy, my dear, please come in." Crap. Okay, how do I work this so Spike isn't mad at me? Damn.

"What are you doing here?" Spike demanded, throwing open the door and hauling me off the trash can.

"You left in the middle of the night!" I said defensively. "What was I supposed to do when I woke up and you were gone?"

"She does have a point," the woman said.

"So you followed me?" Spike asked, ignoring her.

"I was worried," I said. "And it turns out I've got something to worry about!"

"What are you talking about, Slayer?" He didn't call me Slayer in regular conversation. Buffy, love, pet, kitten, sweetheart, sure. But not Slayer. He called me Slayer when he was angry at me, or when our lovemaking became less than gentle.

"I came after you because I was worried you were in trouble." I blinked back heartbroken tears. "And then I see that you came here to see-" I sniffled, looking down at my feet. "I trust you, you know that. And I love you more than anything. But what am I supposed to think? You leave our bed in the middle of the night to come meet another woman?"

"No, my dear, that's not what's going on," the woman said, cutting off Spike's attempt to speak. "I'm not sleeping with your vampire, nor am I even remotely interested in him." Spike hadn't moved his hurt eyes from me. I looked away from him to the redhead.

"So who are you then?" I asked, wiping at tears.

"Call me Maeve," she said. "You, Buffy, you I have been waiting to meet for years."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Had she known Spike for years?

"I've known William here since he was a human child," she said, smiling at Spike. "I lied, I can actually read minds. I just wanted you to say out loud what you wanted so she could hear how moronic you were being."

"Okay, maybe I'm just mentally challenged, but I still don't know who you are."

"I'm what your friend Willow refers to as 'Goddess'," she said. I crossed my arms.

"Prove it."

She sighed. "Would you like to know what would have happened if you had not helped Spike that day after Glorificus, my idiot cousin, tortured him?" Maeve asked. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Your friend Tara would have had her mind nearly destroyed by Glory. You had to run, taking Dawn with you. Your former Watcher was injured, and when you called the human Ben to help him, Glory took your sister. You defeated Glory, but not without loss. Dawn was injured, and her blood opened the portal. To close it, you, Buffy, jumped from a tower, killing yourself." I heard Spike's sharp intake of breath.

"Your friend Willow resurrected you," she went on. "She pulled you out of Heaven. In your severe depression, you turned to Spike to 'make you feel again.' You two started an abusive secret affair. It nearly destroyed you both. Xander and Anya were set to be married, but Xander left her at the altar." That made my frown deepen. Xander wouldn't do that to Anya. "In mutual misery, Anya and Spike slept together," Maeve said. I choked on tears at the thought of Spike with someone else, one of my friends. "Your friends found out about the affair. In a misguided attempt to get you back, Spike tried to rape you." Spike dropped to the ground crying. I wanted to go to him, but I couldn't make myself move.

"He left to challenge a demon for his soul," Maeve said. "Meanwhile, a trio of humans who had tried and failed to take over Sunnydale got desperate. One of them shot you and murdered Tara. You survived, because Willow, using dark magic, revived you. She murdered the man who killed Tara and attempted to call forth a hell goddess to end the world.

"Xander stopped her, but she was broken. Giles took her away to recover and learn to control her magic. Spike won his soul for you and returned to Sunnydale, only to become the puppet for the First Evil. The First used Spike to kill and sire dozens. The First was hell-bent, no pun intended, on destroying the Slayer line. It killed hundreds and took Xander's eye before you could stop it. Spike sacrificed himself for the world this time, and when you, Buffy, told him that you loved him, he didn't believe you. A few months later-"

"Stop!" I yelled. "Stop it! I don't want to know!" Spike looked numb. Finally, I forced myself to drop to his side, wrapping my arms around him. He was shaking. Or maybe it was me, I don't know.

"It never happened," I mumbled into his ear. "None of it happened."

"I- I could've…" he muttered. "I tried to hurt you."

"Not you," I said. I was crying, my tears falling onto his shoulder. "Never you, Spike. I don't know who that thing in that other place was, but it wasn't you."

"To be perfectly honest, you were the monster in that affair, Buffy," Maeve said. What? "You beat him to a pulp one night in an alley because he was trying to stop you from confessing to a crime you didn't commit. You beat him half to death and left him for the sunrise."

"No!" I pulled away from Spike. I couldn't do that. I wouldn't do that. Spike loved me. How could I just leave him for the sun to take? "No, no, no, no, no." I curled in on myself, sobbing. I barely felt it when Spike wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm not… I don't want to be like that, Spike," I sobbed, throwing my arms around his neck. He pulled me into his lap, cradling me to his chest. "I love you. I'm so sorry. Never. I'll never do that, baby. I'm so sorry."

"Shh, kitten," he murmured. "Never happened. An' it's never gonna."

"Don't leave me, please," I begged. I pressed kisses over his face, tasting the salt of his tears. "Please, Spike, never leave me." He didn't answer. I pulled back, my eyes instantly dry. "Spike?"

"She knows how I can be a good man for you," he said, his eyes flicking over to Maeve. I pulled free from his grasp, standing.

"You're leaving." My voice was surprisingly cold and strong.

"Jus' for a little while," he said, standing. "I'll come back."

I slapped him, hard. "Were you even going to tell me? Were you going to say goodbye, or just leave in the middle of the night?" I demanded. He looked away guiltily. I shook my head in disbelief. "How… Why, Spike?"

"I don' know who I am anymore," he said slowly. "I can't be a man, and I don't want t' be the demon, love."

"I thought we were happy."

"Sweetling, you make me the happiest bloke in the whole damn world," he insisted. "I jus'… I know you love me. An' I love you more'n anyone. But how long is that gonna be enough?"

"I have never asked you to change!" I argued. "I have never asked you to be anyone but who you are. You're enough for me. That's not going to change."

"What about when you want kids?" he asked. "Or when you start to grow older an' I don't? Are you still gonna be happy then?"

"Spike, I could die tomorrow," I said. "My body's not built for the long haul."

"If I may?" Maeve interjected. "Buffy, darling, there is quite a bit about yourself that you don't know. I created you. I created all the Slayers."

"I thought the Watchers made us," I said. That's the story Giles had told me. Something about a girl, and a bunch of men who made her into the warrior for the Powers.

"Do you really think I would have allowed that if it wasn't my will?" she asked. She had a point. For some reason, I didn't want to challenge her. I had no doubt she was who she said she was, with very little persuasion, I might add.

"I made you," she continued. "I know exactly what that body is capable of. You, my dear, are stronger than any Slayer that came before you. You could live to be an old woman, if you take care of yourself and don't take stupid risks. No other Slayer has had that opportunity."

"Why didn't you tell that to him then?" I demanded, gesturing angrily at Spike. "If we could be together for longer than-"

"I said you'll live a long time, Buffy," she said. "I didn't say you'll live forever. You will age, albeit slower than most humans. William will not. He will remain as he is until he meets his end."

"I don' want t' hold you back," Spike said quietly. "I want what's best for you." He placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Y'know, I am sick and fucking tired of other people deciding what's best for me," I snarled at him. He backed off, raising his hands in surrender. I turned my furious glare back on Maeve. "So what's your plan, then, goddess? Convince Spike to leave me?"

"I don't interfere," Maeve said regally. "I can guide Spike onto a path he would have taken regardless. Your paths changed when you went back into his crypt to help him. Because of that, you both lost your way a bit. Now it's up to me to ensure that you get back on your destined journey."

"So I'm destined to become an abusive bitch who convinces the man who loves her to sacrifice himself?" I spat. "Spike's destined to try to rape me and then kill himself?"

"Did I say that was your intended path?" Maeve asked. "No, I do believe you prevented me from finishing your story. There are many different roads you could have taken, so long as they end up in the same place. The journey has just changed for you now. I never said that the other path was the right one; it was just the one you would have taken. Frankly, I'm rather glad you didn't. It gave me so many tension headaches."

"What does this mean for us?" I asked, ignoring her attempt at levity. My eyes darted between Spike and Maeve. The question was directed towards Maeve mostly, but I wanted to know what Spike's answer was too.

"I cannot say," Maeve said. I opened my mouth to argue, but she held up a hand. "Not that I refuse to say, that I cannot, because I do not know. I know the destiny I laid out for you, but I do not know exactly what lies between then and now." I frowned in confusion. Why did gods always have to be so damn vague?

"Love," Spike said quietly. I turned to look at him. He'd never looked so sad and guilty at the same time.

"What's wrong?"

"I love you," he began. Whoa, not a good sign.

"I love you, too," I automatically replied. "Spike-"

"Jus' lemme get this out 'fore I can't," he said. "That day- when I bit you- I didn't stop."

"Yes, you di-"

"No, I mean I didn't stop," he interrupted me, pressing a finger to my lips. "I couldn't make myself stop. The chip did. You started- I nearly killed you, Buffy." He took a deep, unneeded breath. "I love you so much it burns me alive. Being with you- it's more than I ever hoped for. An' you know I love bein' a family with you and Dawn. But 'm still a demon, love. 'M still a monster. I'll never be a housecat. No amount of love is gonna tame me."

"I don't want you tamed," I protested. "I want you."

"I know," he said. "An' you don't know what it means to me t' hear you say that, pet. But you need a man, not a monster. Yeah, maybe you need your men darker than most, an' you need us strong, but you still need the human part. You need- you deserve the light. You deserve someone who can share your days and your nights, pet."

"What are you saying, Spike?" I asked, more tears threatening.

His jaw clenched and a lone tear fell. "'M sayin' that maybe we need some distance," he said. I felt my heart shatter. "I love you. I'll love you till I'm dust," he said as I dissolved into sobs. He tried to take hold of me, but I fought him off. "But I've got to figure out who I am. 'Ve got to figure out if I can be good enough for you."

"Yes! You're always good enough for me. Spike, baby, please," I begged. "Please don't leave me. Please, Spike, stay with me, please."

"I love you," he said, kissing my lips tenderly. He tasted like goodbye. "Stay safe for me, Sweetness." He pulled away from me and looked to Maeve. She nodded, and suddenly he was gone.

"No! Spike!"

He didn't come back.

~TBC

calm down! do you really think i'd let it end there? if you couldnt tell, i'm a hardcore Spuffy shipper, and i'm a big sap. so keep the flames to yourself until you read the end, please! and leave me lots and lots of love!