"Well that was interesting," Joyce said. She linked her arm through Giles's as they walked back to his car from the busy theater. People swarmed around them as they walked back to their cars that lined the curb on either side of the road.

"Indeed. I particularly enjoyed the part where erm..." Giles tried to think of something about the play that had actually been good.

"You hated it didn't you?"

"Well no I-I... yes. The part where it ended was the best part really," he admitted.

Joyced laughed. Giles smiled as he opened her door for her. "Well, next time, you can decide where we go."

Giles slid into the driver's seat. "Next time?" He looked at her under the light of the nearby streetlamp.

"If you'd like."

Giles smiled. "I'd like that very much, Joyce."

"Good. I'd like that, too."

Giles had been nervous in telling her the truth about the love spell, but to his surprise, she'd laughed. She'd laughed so long and hard that she held her side in pain as tears came to her eyes. He thought perhaps she would go completely hysterical.

When finally she could breath, she looked at him and said. "Only a true Englishman could be so gentlemanly under a love spell." She said she understood, having been under a love spell herself. Though it was a different kind that sent her chasing after Xander Harris. It certainly wasn't the kind that caused a person to act on real feelings like, Giles had explained, the one that had affected him.

Buffy had given them her blessing, so they began the journey of a new relationship together.

After Angel left with Drusilla, Spike told Buffy everything. He knew anything he lied about would come back for him in the end so he'd left out not one detail. Buffy had taken a deep breath and said she needed to think, before she left in the direction of Sunnyhell University.

While, Spike was laying on his back, looking up at the ceiling of Buffy's bedroom and wondering who's face had once been taped to it, Buffy sat on the end of Willow and Tara's bed.

Tara excused herself to take a shower so Buffy and Willow could talk. Buffy fiddled with her hair, feeling conflicted. Willow watched her with concern and finally moved from the head of the bed to sit down beside her.

"What's wrong, Buff?"

"It's Spike."

"Did he do something?" She crossed her legs under her and looked curious.

"Angel's leaving."

Willow shook her head, not understanding. "Spike made Angel leave?"

"Drusilla made Angel leave."

"What happened?"

Buffy finally looked away from the floor to look at Willow. "I'm really sorry about our movie night. You guys didn't have to leave."

"Buffy, it's okay. What happened with Angel and Spike and everything?"

Buffy took a long slow breath and starting at the beginning. "Drusilla came back to town looking for Spike and Angel. She wanted to get the gang back together and they both told her no, but then... She was in the woods with Spike and I guess she was singing and then... they kissed."

"They kissed?" Willow sounded unsure.

"Spike kissed her," Buffy confirmed sadly.

"Spike kissed Drusilla," She repeated, processing. "So then what happened with Angel?"

"Something happened when Spike and Drusilla were in the woods. I guess he told her that he was different now and he couldn't be with her and she had some kind of fit."

"He did that?" Willow sounded surprised.

Buffy nodded. "He carried her back to town and brought her to my place and then Angel said he was gonna take her to this asylum-"

"There's an asylum for vampires?" Willow was excited by the strange idea. What would vampire rehabilitation even be like?

"Apparently. Angel carried Drusilla out and he just left. Without a word and I don't know what to do about Spike."

"What to do about him?"

"He kissed Drusilla. Obviously he still has feelings for her. I mean I know she's like his sire and all or however that works, but he's supposed to be different."

"Buffy-"

"He kissed her, Wil! There was singing and emotions and kissing!"

"I know what Spike did... it was bad. Really bad, but Spike loves you."

"Wil-"

"No, Buffy, just listen. Some times when you do something you think, or that other people think, is strange, you have doubts. Major doubts. When I fell in love with Tara... I thought maybe I was wrong, I thought maybe I was just lonely and I'd realize that we were just friends and that was all, but it's not true. It was just my brain trying to convince me to do the thing that was safe. The thing that people wouldn't judge me for. And I think when Spike saw Drusilla, he saw the thing that was safe. Vampires date vampires. It's normal and familiar. When you look outside you don't see a mass of vampires kissing slayers or even ordinary people for that matter, just like you don't see a mass of girl-girl romance going around. It's not the social standard and that makes it scary, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. I think this is you letting your doubts convince you that you're wrong because it's scary. Maybe not because Spike is a vampire because you've dated a vampire before, but maybe because Spike doesn't have a soul. He doesn't feel remorse for the people he killed, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't avoid hurting someone if he had the opportunity. I've seen the way he is now and he's different. Very different from the Spike we met all those years ago. It's almost like you're Spike's soul. He doesn't even need one as long as he has you."

They were quiet for a moment. So quiet they could hear someone drop something out in the hall. "Angel said I made Spike weak."

Willow smiled softly. "I think that's a part of being in love. People you love, they're your weak spot. But you don't just make Spike weak, you make him better. As close to human as he will ever be. I think you should forgive him."

"Maybe you're right."

"I am."

"How can you be so sure?" Buffy looked at her friend wanting all the answering and assurances she could ever hope to find.

Willow shrugged. "When you really love someone, you can never just stop. So if you don't forgive him, you'll be hurting the both of you. Spike chose you in the end and I think that means that he'll always choose you. So you have to choose him now."

Buffy threw her arms around her friend in a big hug. "Thanks, Wil."

There were three soft knocks at the door. As the pair separated, Willow called, "Come in."

"Evening, Red. You ought to mind who you invite in," Spike advised as he entered. He stood just inside the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt, pet, but I think we really need to talk."

Buffy nodded. She glanced back at Willow as she followed Spike out. Willow nodded at her reassuringly. Tara came back to the room as they left.

"Is something wrong?" Tara asked her girlfriend.

Willow smiled. "Everything's right for once." Tara smiled back, pulled her hair free from her towel and leaned down to kiss her.

Outside of the dorm, Buffy stood under a streetlamp with her arms folded. Spike stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets.

"I know what you probably think of me. You think I'm still in love with Drusilla, but I'll tell you that's not true. When we were in the forest, I was right there tellin' her that I couldn't be with her. I told her it was over for us, well and truly!That's what did it to her! That's why she dropped and I couldn't just leave her lying there. We've been through a lot together, me and Dru, and after everything I couldn't just leave her. But I don't want to stay with her either. We're not the same anymore. I know what I did and I understand if you don't forgive me, but please Buffy, believe that there's no one I love more than you."

Spike finished his speech and stood there watching her. He waited and waited for her to say something or to yell or hell even punch him. She just stood there looking at him.

Oddly enough, living forever doesn't come with a saint's patience. So, when he'd finally had enough of the silence he said, "Please say something, Buffy."

"You've been calling me by all those pet names for so long, I can tell you're really serious when you say my name."

"I'm very serious."

"I was in there talking to Willow just now. Do you know what she said to me? She said you don't need a soul. She said I'm your soul. I make you a better person, more human."

He wanted to tell her the witch was right. She made him better, made him want to be better. A better man for her. He wanted to give her what she needs and what she deserves. He tried to tell her those things, but he felt like he couldn't breathe. It was an odd feeling for someone that doesn't need air.

Buffy walked up to him until she could touch his face. He leaned his head into her hand. "She's right, Spike. There's something there that wasn't before. I believe you can be better. I believe you want to be and I believe in you. I don't care if you love, Drusilla. You chose to let her go and stay here with me. If this wasn't what you wanted, you could have taken your old life back and chosen Drusilla. You chose to be good."

"I chose to be with you," Spike clarified.

"Same thing."

Spike smirked. "You think you can tame me?"

"I can knock the big bad right out of you." Buffy smiled.

Spike caught the hand against his cheek and held it against his chest. His smiled disappeared. "I don't have to stop wearing the leather do I? If I'm officially one of the gang, I don't have start dressing in colors right? Or God forbid, plaid!"

Buffy laughed. "I guess a little leather never hurt."

Spike's eyes darkened. "Oh, I don't know, love. You'd be amazed what leather can do."

Buffy pulled him down with a hand on the back of his neck and kissed him under the lamp light.

Willow and Tara left soon after Buffy did. They walked to Xander's new apartment where Anya greeted them cheerfully.

"Welcome to our home! We have a home now. Isn't beautiful?" Anya said excitedly as they entered.

"It's nice," Tara said. "Cute kitchen."

"Yes, it's very cute." Anya smiled.

"Where's Xander?" Willow asked.

"He's in the bedroom. Our bedroom," she announced proudly.

Xander entered the living room not a moment later. "Hey, guys. Where's Buffy?"

"She uh-" Willow said looking at Tara for help.

"She had vampire stuff to take care of," Tara said quickly. "You know, slayer business."

Willow nodded. "Yeah, she had to run off in a hurry."

"Well I hope everything's alright. All that stuff with Drusilla... it looked messy," Xander said.

"I'm sure she's fine," Tara assured him.

"So what movie are we gonna watch?" Willow quickly changed the subject.

"Well Xander wants to watch the new Lord of the Rings movie, but I wanted to watch a comedy," Ayna said with an annoyed look toward Xander.

"Ooh, how about a Disney movie?" Willow purposed.

"Beauty and the Beast?" Tara suggested.

"Oh, I like that one," Ayna agreed.

Xander sighed and went to fetch the tape. "This never would have happened if Buffy were here."

Xander put the tape in and got it playing and they all gathered on Xander's new couch. They all sat silently (aside from Anya who wonders loudly why the girl doesn't like the large, handsome man with the nice voice) and watched the story of a monster transformed by love into a man.