One: COMFORT
When Buffy awoke, her room was aglow with the filtered rays of the morning sun streaming through the window blinds. The warmth the sun lent to the room mimicked the warmth in her heart at the memory of the previous night. Almost from the moment she'd arrived home from work until she finally fell asleep for the night, it was pure romance. She almost had to pinch herself to believe that the evening had been real. But next to her in her bed, was Spike and on the ring finger of her left hand (though a little loose) was the antique peridot ring that he'd given her.
Engaged! squealed the voice inside her head. Buffy rolled over to meet Spike's peaceful sleeping face and smiled at his mussed hair. Looks like somebody's overdue for some chemical treatment, she thought light-heartedly as she noticed his nut-brown roots beneath their platinum tips. Then suddenly, Note to self: make colour appointment with hairdresser, realizing it had been a while since she'd had the tint of her own locks "enhanced".
Spike stirred. "Mornin' Luv," he muttered clearly not yet awake. "Sleep well?" After spending more a century as a "night owl", he was still not what one could call a "morning person".
"Spike," Buffy whispered as she brushed his cheek tenderly with the back of her hand. "You go ahead and sleep. I've got to make a call before it gets too late. Long distance charges and all..." She kissed him sweetly before adding, "I'll check on you before I leave for work." Then slipping carefully from the bed, she put on her robe. Rapturous, Buffy beamed as she glanced back to her bed.
From there a weary pair of sky-blue eyes hazily met her bright olive greens.
Contented, Spike drifted back to sleep as Buffy closed the door behind her.
------- o -------
In the kitchen, Buffy poured herself some juice and popped a couple of slices of bread in the toaster.
"Morning Buffy," Dawn chirped as she entered the kitchen. "Pretty great night, huh? If I didn't tell you enough times last night, I'm really happy for you... and Spike. I've always thought he was great and I'm glad you finally realized it too. You're going to make a great couple."
Buffy couldn't help but notice the number of times her sister had just used the word "great" and thought that it was lucky that she herself was in such a "great" mood or she might have had to smack a little enthusiasm out of the teen's system. "Yeah," she said simply, smiling from ear-to-ear and with a bit of a dazed expression in her eyes.
As the toast popped up, Dawn grabbed both slices and slapped some peanut-butter between them before gulping down Buffy's juice and heading for the door. "Going to school. Have a great day."
When the door clicked shut, Buffy came out of her dreamlike state to discover her glass empty, toast gone and a crumb-covered knife sticking out of the jar of peanut-butter. "Teenagers..."
------- o -------
After re-fixing her breakfast and doing a little mental calculation, Buffy figured it might be a good time to call Giles in England. It would be late afternoon and he'd likely be pouring himself a cup of tea. OK, I know. It really doesn't matter what time I call, Giles will be pouring himself a cup of tea. But still, he's probably ready for a break from being British and could use an update on good old Sunnydale. She dialled the number and waited.
"Allo?" came his familiar voice over the line.
"Giles, I'm so glad I caught you. It's Buffy." She was relieved he was home. This wasn't the sort of thing she wanted leave on his machine but if she'd left any sort of cryptic could-you-give-me-a-call-type message, he'd have been worried.
"Oh Buffy. How lovely to hear from you," he said warmly. "How are things? Dawn?"
"Good Giles. Dawn's doing well at school, though she seems to have forgotten how to make her own breakfast..." she grumbled. "Everything else is really good." Hey, don't get too excited here. Take it easy, she ordered herself not wanting Giles to get suspicious about her overly good mood. I mean, gee, get too enthusiastic and he'll be convinced it's some kind of demon happy spell you're under.
"Wonderful."
Following a few more minutes of pleasantries (How's the weather? Your new job? And such), Buffy decided she had to get to the real reasons she called. She wanted to check on Willow, see if she'd be up to a call from her Sunnydale friends and she wanted to share her news about Spike. Hmm... Which part will be easier for me to deal? "Have you seen Willow? It's just we haven't heard from her in a while."
There was a pause. Pouring tea or cleaning his glasses? Buffy wasn't sure which.
"Actually Buffy, I've just come from seeing her," replied Giles solemnly. "While she is doing much better, I'm afraid she may still have a long road ahead."
"Oh." Disappointed and not really sure what else to say on the subject, Buffy took a chance and change it. "Yeah... ah... Giles?" her words came out weakly.
"Yes Buffy, what is it?" her dear friend asked with a distinct note of concern that carried halfway round the globe.
"Spike's back," she said bluntly. Buffy couldn't be sure how this would go; Giles had never been what one would call "thrilled" with Spike's presence, but when he was back for the spring apocalypse and Buffy told him she'd been sleeping with the vampire (along with all the other messes the Scoobies had made of their lives), Giles laughed --- rather hysterically, for Giles at least, if she recalled correctly. She never did really get a straight impression from him on the subject because they'd been interrupted.
"Oh I see," he acknowledged.
Now he's taking off his glasses. "Have you ever thought of contact lenses?" mumbled Buffy.
"I'm sorry, Buffy. What was that?" Giles queried.
"Nothing. About Spike..." she continued, "he's... ah... changed."
"And?"
"Well, you know we were... ah... seeing each other for a while." No, really Giles. Contacts. Look into them.
"Yes dear. You'd-" He cleared his throat. "-mentioned that when I was over last spring."
"Yeah and... we had a fight and he left."
"And now he's come back, and he's different," Giles replied, giving Buffy the impression he wanted her to get to the point. "Are you saying he doesn't care for you anymore?"
"Oh no. He still loves me." She paused briefly to admire her ring and reflect on the previous evening. "But Giles, the most amazing thing has happened. Well... things actually." With that, Buffy proceeded to Giles about Spike's journey to Africa and his recent return as a soul-full human being. "And the thing is... he really doesn't seem all that different. I mean, sure, he's not threatening to eat anyone and that a good. And he's got more colour in his cheeks and that's a really good," Buffy exclaimed enthusiastically. "And he's all warm and-"
"Buffy..."
Oh, right. Giles really doesn't want to hear how hot I think Spike is. "I mean, his personality hasn't changed much. Somehow he's managed to keep his sense of humour and that," she remarked. "It's just so different from with Angel. I mean, there was such an extreme difference between Angel and Angelus. It was downright scary. But Spike seems pretty much like... Spike."
"Well, Buffy. Perhaps it's because of his years with the chip in his head; kept the demon in check," Giles suggested. "Or p'rhaps it was you, Buffy."
Her heart jumped. How strange it seemed to her to have Giles say such a thing.
"You're a very special young woman, and Spike," the former Watcher paused searching for the right words, "has never been like any other vampire of which I've heard. He's always been fiercely loyal to those he loved. He certainly proved that to me during the crisis with Glory, and after." His voice trailed off, leaving hanging the thought of having lost Buffy to the dimensional gateway.
"Oh, and Giles? That's not all." Buffy decided to take another chance; Giles was sounding about as pro-Spike as anyone besides Dawn ever had so, Here goes. "Last night... Well, last night he... he asked me to marry him."
"Oh Buffy. I take it you've accept his proposal, then?" Giles asked inquisitively.
"Well, yeah. I did. I love him, Giles. I do." The words came out as if she were asking his permission to love this vampire-come-human; needing his approval of her choice.
"That's splendid news," he said wholeheartedly.
"Giles?" Beat. "Rupert Giles?" Another beat. "Tea; tweed; used to be librarian at Sunnydale High School?"
He chuckled a little. "Yes, Buffy. What of it? Are you surprised that I'm happy for you?"
"Well, I -" she hesitated then reconsidered what he'd just said. "You're happy for me?"
"Of course, Buffy. If you could hear the joy in your own voice at telling me your news, you'd know why I'm happy. You've carried the burden of your Calling for so many years now. I know, p'rhaps better than anyone else how it's interfered with your life. But now you've been given a chance, a chance for some kind of normalcy... happiness," he explained. "Spike knows what you are, accepts you for it completely. He loves you. I'm happy for you because you deserve some happiness in your life. If Spike can give that to you, I'll be more than pleased for you both."
Buffy was starting to cry. She was so relieved that possibly her dearest-friend-in-the-world --- the man who for years had been more of a father to her than her own had ever been --- sounded genuinely pleased that she'd found love with the former vampire. "Thanks for listening Giles. It's been great talking to you. And Giles?"
"Yes dear?"
"I know it's probably a bit early for this, but..." Nervous, she paused. ".would you give me away at the wedding? I know my father's still alive, but it would mean so much more to have you there by my side." There, for the second time in their lives, Buffy had asked Giles to walk her down the aisle at her wedding to Spike. This time, however was not the result of a magic spell gone wrong; this was the real thing.
"I'd be honoured." And this time Giles didn't have to hesitate, didn't feel the need to drink himself silly to blot out the image of Buffy in Spike's arms. He knew Spike loved his Slayer, and was confident that he'd do everything he could to ensure her happiness.
"Thanks Giles. That means so much to me."
"Do take care of yourself, Buffy."
"I will, Giles. You too. Bye."