Epilogue: UNTIL DEATH.
Buffy sat alone in the quiet darkness of their bedroom: staring at the floor, fighting back her tears.
------- o -------
The end was ironic: a man who had been immortal --- who, for more than few lifetimes, had looked the picture of youth and physical health, though admittedly a bit pale --- would meet a very ordinary, human death. A being that had "lived" so long without a heartbeat would suddenly die the same way. Drusilla's vision of years ago had come to fruition: God, or fate, the Great Spirit, the Powers-that-Be, whomever, had indeed reclaimed his heart.
He paid little attention when the Dark Princess called after him that night in the cemetery, the first time he'd seen her since regaining his human life. She'd been mocking him for loving the Slayer, for giving her his heart. As he turned to leave, she'd cried out, "They want it back!" And now, "they" had it.
William Edward Summers: "Wills" to his mates at the Pub; "Dad" to his precious Jack Giles and Tricia Joyce; "Mr. Summers" to countless store clerks, hotel concierges and restaurant maitre d's across the country; the renowned T.B. Williams to horror story enthusiasts around the world; and to the one person closest to him in all that world, in all his long life, "Spike" to his cherished "Buffy-luv". Died peacefully in his sleep. Heart-attack. At the age of 184 (officially 67 to the various US and British Government agencies which had him on record).
"Peaceful" was how his sleep had been since the day he and Buffy were married. She'd given him a ring: custom-made, it was a larger more masculine version of the one he'd given her, his mother's peridot ring. Apparently it was true what Willow had told Buffy years ago: the stone had protected the wearer from evil and the night terrors that had plagued him before that spring afternoon... or it was perhaps the enduring bond created that day, entwining, like the twisted gold bands of that ring, his life with the woman he loved.
He had traded eternal life for the chance of love, and regretted not one single day after he'd reunited with her. Oh, there were arguments, struggles, fights... She was after all, still Buffy Anne Summers and he was still "Spike". Even the most perfect love isn't without its difficulties, but through their darkest moments, they loved each other and knew there was always light to come.
They left the Sunnydale City Limits --- the limits previously imposed on her by her duties as the Slayer --- to make a new life for themselves. The Hellmouth was never the safest place to live or raise a family, but for a former-Slayer and a demon-killing-vampire-turned-human, the move was... something of a necessity.
As a family, he'd introduced her to "footie" and eventually she was a regular "soccer mom" --- though they both refused to become "mini-van people". And she had actually managed to get him on ice skates on more than one occasion. (Of course, in both cases they only did it "for the children" --- but secretly they loved it.) There were birthday parties and picnics; summer vacations and holiday meals with their extended family; school plays and dances; barbecues on Father's Day, and Mother's Day breakfast in bed. And together, they'd snuck out of PTA meetings, charity dinners and book signings to snog like teenagers. Simple pleasures.
Together they'd travelled the world. They marvelled at the enormity of the Pyramids at Giza, the vastness of the Great Wall, the spectacle of Venezuela's Angel Falls, even the simple beauty of the rocky British coastline. With relish, they read poetry surrounded by great works of art at the Louvres and the Guggenhiem. They'd sampled food and drink from all regions of the globe and though he could never convince her of the inferiority of American beer, she happily conceded that Dutch "french fries" and dark Belgian chocolate were the best in the world, and that North American "Chinese food" and "pizza" couldn't be compared with the real thing. Everywhere they went, viewing the world through her eyes was like seeing it all for the first time. He was in awe of her... always.
Spike's loving Buffy had saved her life and others several times over and made his own more full than he dreamed possible. Her loving him had given her a new purpose, a second Calling, a truly normal life --- in the best sense of the word. For that, she loved him all the more.
Now, she would have to carry on in that life without his sense of humour to "annoy" her and his strong warm embrace to comfort her...
------- o -------
A soft rapping on the door startled Buffy.
"Mum?" inquired a deep gentle voice. "Are you alright?"
As the door opened and she saw the two figures in the entrance, Buffy realized that a part of her treasured Spike would live on... in the bright azure eyes and fair skin of his daughter and the lean sculptured frame and defined angular face of his son. In that, she would find solace.
~* Their love, complete with the trust of "old marrieds", was passionate to the end. *~