Buffy couldn't even respond as the tears coursed down her cheeks. "Well I'm glad you're so happy to see me." He said with as cocky a tone as he could muster, but Buffy could hear the insecurity and doubt behind his words.
"Spike, how, you died!" Buffy sputtered as her brain caught up with the situation. "I got better." He said, the cocky tone back "Buffy luv, you should know better than anyone, death isn't exactly a permanent condition." Buffy released the breath she had been holding with a shaky laugh. "Oh my god, Spike is it really you?" She asked sitting forward as if by being a few inches closer she could see the words in his brain.
"Yeah luv, it's really me." She began to scramble to get to her feet when he took a quick step back and held up his hands to ward her off. "Spike?" She asked confused as she sunk back into her seat, her heart aching at his rejection. "What's going on here?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as his eyes finally moved to Angel, who had been forgotten until now.
"What?" She asked still confused as she followed his eyes until hers also landed on Angel. "Oh," She said turning back to Spike. "Nothing, I swear, nothing is going on. We were just talking and I was thanking him …" She said until he cut her off. "By kissing him? Again? You seem to have a lot of funny excuses for kissing him." He said as his eyes narrowed on Angel.
"You said you love me Buffy, and here you are puckering up to him, again." He spat in anger. "I did believe you, ya' know. I just knew I had to get you out of there. But you don't love me. I was an idiot to believe you would ever change. To think there might actually be a choice for you to make and that I might be the one you chose. Doesn't matter anyway, I'm a ghost now." He said bitterly as he reached out and waved his hand through one of the pillars that surrounded the seating area. Buffy gasped as a hand covered her mouth.
"You take care of her." He said at Angel as he took a few steps backwards, never taking his eyes off the girl. "I love you Buffy." He said softly, before turning to leave. "Spike no!" Buffy gasped as she bolted from her seat. Within a mere moment she was reaching for his hand.
As their hands joined, they burst into flames and Spike solidified back into the corporeal world. They were both washed in feelings of despair, hollowness, loneliness, and finally acceptance, pleasure and love as realization dawned. She really did love him, he could feel it in that moment.
Buffy smiled like a giddy little girl with an ice cream cone as she laughed and jumped into his arms, wrapping herself around him as she desperately pressed her lips to his. "That was amazing, this, you are amazing. I love you Spike, I really do love you!" She told him forcefully as she kissed him over and over and held him tight.
Spike was also genuinely smiling, an expression she didn't see often. "I love you Buffy, I love you." He moaned as his lips sought hers and he squeezed her to him. "It wasn't what you think baby, really it wasn't. I swear to you, I would never do anything to hurt you again. I love you Spike. You were dead. I don't know how I could have survived without you. I missed you so much and I'm never letting you go again. I love you, I love you!" Buffy cried as she pawed at him, trying to get him as close as possible while kissing every centimeter of flesh she could reach.
After several long minutes of simply clinging to each other, Buffy finally slid down Spike's body to rest on the ground again. "Take me to bed?" She asked shyly biting her lip and looking up at him through her lashes. She knew she would never be able to get enough of the look of joy on his face as the hand on the back of her neck pulled her lips against his for a tender kiss.
"Say it again?" He asked just as shyly. She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering against his lips. "I love you William, with all my heart. Take me to bed and let me show you?" She asked kissing him back.
Suddenly he was picking Buffy up again and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved through the garden to the hotel doors that stood open and inviting, reaching out to grab the bottle of wine that stood on the table as he walked by, neither blonde even acknowledged Angel's presences as they made their way past him.
