Title: Buffy: The Vampire?
Part: 9/10 "promise carved in stone"
Disclaimer's, Note's, Etc. In part one.
One more to go! How exciting this has been for me. It's been much more rewarding, emotionally than stupid Rogue/Gambit fics.
Baby disclaimer: the quotes in between the ~ ~'s are from a Nine Inch Nails song called "Ring Finger". It belongs to Trent Reznor, TVT, Leaving Hope, Nothing, Interscope... not me.
A/note: Yeah... um... I gave Spike a middle and last name... it's kinda funny 'cause I went for William James Whitfield... hey... it sounded Victorian... and after I got it back from my beta I realized the James part... but... it sounds good... so... yeah... on with the fic...

"Hey guys." Buffy walked into the Magic Box with a grin on her face a little after sunset.

"Hey Buff." Xander was the only one to acknowledge her, though his face remained in the book he read. Everyone was researching the latest big bad. No one even noticed Spike behind Buffy, a hand on the small of her back.

"Uh... I have something to tell all of you." She said, sitting down at the table.

Spike leaned against a bookshelf, staring at her.

Everyone looked up at her. "Yeah?" Willow smiled, holding Tara's hand. The two witches were officially back together; Tara had even moved back in. "Sounds like good news from the look on your face."

Buffy blushed and nodded. "Uh... there's no way to put this that wont upset you guys..."

Dawn walked in from the storage room. "She's trying to tell you guys that Spike's her boyfriend now... they had sex last night, too. And, he's moving in." Buffy glared at Dawn. "What? It would of taken you, like, hours to spill it. And, maybe if you didn't want me to know... you could have been a little more discrete... maybe less 'oh, Buffy', 'oh Spike'."

"Enough, Lil' Bit." Spike growled, not really upset, but for Buffy's sake, felt the need to stop her.

Xander broke out into laughter. Tears streaking down his face. "That was funny, Dawn. Good joke." He laughter stopped at the red, stony-faced Slayer. "It was a joke, right? Right?"

"That was a little more... than I wanted to tell, but, yeah, it's true."

"That's great!" Tara exclaimed, the first to get over the initial shock.

Willow nodded emphatically. "If he's gonna make you happy..."

"So long as you guys don't rain on my being engaged, which is much more important than having just a regular old boyfriend... I'm just peachy with it... and happy for you, too." Anya cut in.

All eyes fell on Xander, whose face was a greenish color. He stiffly made his way to Spike. He held out a hand. "Congrats. You hurt her... I'll hunt you down and stake you myself." He smiled slightly.

Spike shook his hand and grinned. "It'll never happen."

~ "if I was twice the man I could be, I'd still be half of what you need, still you lead me and I follow, anything you ask, you know I'll do, this one act of consecration is what I ask of you" ~

Buffy And Spike walked silently, hand in hand, through a cemetery. They'd just had dinner and had gone to see a movie. Then, much to Spike's dismay, Buffy insisted they do a quick patrol.

He had plans, damn it, and this was ruining it. "C'mon, Pet, time to go home." He said, pulling her down to the street.

The only big bad out seemed to be Spike, and he was pretty domesticated... literally.

In the few weeks he'd been living at the Summer's home, he made most of the meals and generally did the cleaning. The latter was amusing to the five women in the house, seeing as how his crypt was almost always messy.

His crypt had brought up a slight issue between Buffy and Spike. She'd told him to keep some furniture there. That way he'd have a place to go when they, inevitably, would fight. He told her there wouldn't be any need.

Dawn sided with Spike on the issue, stating they'd be too busy for years having sex to fight. All she wanted was for them to be together forever... unlike their mom and dad.

"I don't get it." Buffy sighed, putting her stake in one of Spike's pockets. "Is it "baddies labor day", or something?"

Spike laughed. "Everyone needs a night off, even baddies, Slayer." He said. "C'mon."

"What's your big hurry?" She asked as they reached the house.

"The evenings not over yet, Luv." He grinned. He led her to the backyard instead of going inside the house. On the grass there was a blanket, surrounded by candles. "Looks like the witches came through for me."

"Willow and Tara?" She questioned as Spike sat down and pulled her down onto his lap.

"Magic free, Luv. Least I think so." He shrugged. "Asked them to set this up for me."

"This is nice." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yeah, that it is." He responded, his voice shaky.

"Something wrong?" She asked, not liking the fear that lurked in his eyes.

"No, Pet. Nothings wrong." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small back box. "Talked to your Watcher... didn't have your dads number on hand... it'll be nice to get under demon-girl's skin with this..." He realized he was rambling and stopped talking. He looked away from her. "I love you Buffy... so much. You're... my sun... my air..." He looked back up at her. If he'd been capable of doing so, he would have blushed. "Hell... see what you do to me? I haven't felt so much like who I was before I died except when I'm with you. I feel like a human when I'm with you. And I ought to hunt down those wankers that shoved this chip in my head and thank them. I'd of never realized how much I love you if I hadn't of been forced to be good... if I hadn't of had the chance to fight by your side. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?" His words somewhat echoed the words he'd spoken the firs time he'd proposed to her, thanks to Willow's "will be done" spell.

Buffy turned so she faced him and kissed him roughly. "Yes." She said, wiping at the tears on his cheek, then at the ones on hers. She hugged him fiercely.

Spike opened the box and pulled out the ring. A tiny part of her was disappointed it wasn't the god-awful skull ring that was her engagement ring back then. But, she gasped in surprise, (thinking better than to question how he'd got it,) when she looked at the thin platinum band with a large diamond centered on it.

Before he slipped in on her finger, she caught sight of the inscription. "William James Whitfield and Buffy Anne Summers Forever"

"It's... beautiful..." She said, kissing his tear stained cheeks.

"You're beautiful, Buffy." He said, his mouth on her neck.

"Spike... not... out... here..." She whimpered helplessly as he unbuttoned her shirt. "Spike... please..."

"Mine." He growled against her skin.

Buffy arched against him, forgetting where they were... and not really caring.

"You're mine." He growled again, moving back up to her lips.

"Yours." She whispered as he unzipped his jeans and hoisted up her skirt. Her nails dug into his back... anticipating the feeling of glorious fullness once he got inside of her. "I love you, Spike."

"Love you, Buffy." His voice muffled by the skin under his lips as he slid into her.

~ "a promise carved in stone, deeper than the sea" ~