A/N: This is Part Twenty-two of the CLOSURE series. This is a sequel of the ENOUGH series, so please read that one first or this won't make any sense.

OK.

This is it.

This is the final part of the series. I have so much to write so it will be done in two parts.

Disclaimer: You should know that this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting the show on the air.

Feedback: As you wish.

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Peace

Part 1

He decided he loved her.

He really loved her, with all his heart and all his conscious thought.

He didn't have a soul, but if he did, he would have loved her with all his soul.

Now that he had made that point clear, there was another thing that he had to think about.

How to win her love?

How could he become the man, or vampire, she needed?

'Bloody hell, mate, get over yourself. It's only a girl!' He thought.

But he knew that she wasn't only a girl. She was the chosen one, a warrior born and bred to kill his kind. She was also a woman by that time.

Buffy Anne Summers.

He would do anything to win her over.

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Routine.

She hated routine.

Even more when that word meant for her that a new foe was in town and that she had to fight him, her or it, because the fate of the world depended on it.

Well, now her life was free of all the baggage that it had before. She had learnt to let go of all the troubles that burdened her.

She let go Angel after having really thought about the things Giles told her.

She managed to make a decent living with the income she received from the Council.

She had her father figure six months of the year, and Giles' wife was so nice to all of them.

Dawn was once again her sister, having managed to fix all the things they had been dragging for the past two years.

But her love life?

That was a mess.

One thing she didn't want to think about.

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His goal was now a few hours away. He was flying over Mexican airspace on his way up north. He had heard about the wonderful beaches in there and he allowed himself to dream about one day flying there and spending some time with his beloved slayer.

He shook his head. He didn't want to jinx the whole thing, knowing that things were so screwed up that maybe the slayer wouldn't even want to talk to him.

Spike sighed and noticed for the first time that he had been traveling so much for the past three years. He wondered as well that maybe the slayer wouldn't have the time to visit and see all the places he had seen in his whole life.

He wanted so many things for her, and now he could give them all to her.

He could stand in the sunlight with her.

He was a millionaire by his own making. He had earned all his money with hard work and in the process he had rid the world from some nasty demons.

Spike smiled and once again hoped she'd give him a chance.

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Some days had gone by since the last time she had thought about him. Other things occupied her mind at the time, since she was to graduate from college in a few days. Her mind was focused solely on that task and she tried to balance her schoolwork from her slayer duties.

'Look at the bright side, Buff. You have all your life ahead of you.' She thought.

Little did she know that a big part of her past was coming her way.

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He never considered himself to be a nervous man.

Clear that.

He was not a nervous vampire.

So why was he shaking?

He knew why.

Spike cleared his throat. He was about to see the love of his life and this time he was determined to win her love.

Not by being an insensitive prick, or being a sensitive ponce. He would be himself. Simple as that.

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

He rented a car as soon as he arrived on Sunnydale, and he drove to the house where he had been miserable in so many different ways.

As soon as he arrived, he noticed that quite possible there would be nobody home. Night had fallen and he guessed that the resident slayers would be patrolling, and the younger element of the household would probably be out with one of her friends.

He parked the car and he stepped off of it. He ran over and over again all the things he wanted to say. He'd have to come up with an impressive speech if he wanted her to forgive him.

And hope, again, that her idiotic friends would not convince her otherwise.

Was it fair to think of them as idiots?

Willow was the one he always liked. Same with Tara. Anya was a gray area and Giles had won his respect long ago. The new slayer was like a blank page for him. He had never seen her before and he guessed she couldn't be older than Dawn.

But there was Harris.

The thorn on his side.

He'd stand the boy a thousand times if it meant he'd be forever with Buffy.

Buffy.

He smiled when he thought of her as Buffy and not the slayer.

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She was tired.

School had been a bitch and Dawn had dragged Jean to the Bronze, meaning that there was no one to help her to do laundry or do the dishes.

She sighed and looked at the mess that was her house.

Who could have thought that three girls could make so much of a mess?

Well, having two slayers in one house meant that at least twice a week there'd be demon guts all over their clothes, dust of the vampire kind and footprints that were pretty much made of blood instead of mud.

'Ah, the glamorous life of a slayer.' Buffy thought.

She began gathering all the misplaced items on the coffee table and cleaning a bit. Most of the visitors were family, but that didn't mean that her friends had to see her house made a complete chaos.

Buffy heard a car park outside and thought that maybe Dawn and Jean had come home early. She looked at her watch and dismissed the idea. It was very early for the two girls to return, and she suspected that Dawn's sudden interest in whiskey had its rather dark origins.

But she would not think about that then. The only vampires she cared about were the ones she'd kill later on that night.

Or so she thought, when her instincts picked up and felt a vampire approaching.

Scratch that.

Not any ordinary vampire could make her twitch like that.

She got excited for a split second before remembering the way he had treated last time. Her instincts guided her into making a phone call.

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The moment Spike took the first step of the front porch he felt her.

Not any regular slayer, but his slayer.

He had not felt that the last time he saw her, maybe because of his altered state or perhaps magic had something to do with it.

Spike welcomed the feeling. It was like remembering an old song simply by listening to the first chords played, or like coming home.

He wanted to be polite this time, like a true gentleman should be.

He knocked on the door and waited for the lady to open.

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Buffy threw the phone as she heard the knock on the door.

She frowned but remembered that he no longer could come in through the door. His invitation had been revoked and he was stuck outside.

'Or are you trapped inside?' She thought.

Buffy gripped the stake that she always carried with her, and prepared to open the door.

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Both of them froze at the sight of one another.

Buffy couldn't think straight, a mixture of relief, contempt, and rage whirled inside of her.

Spike then remembered all the good things he felt whenever he saw her.

And, as many years before, the two had some moments that seemed similar to those when a couple met after a long time apart.

Both of them stared deeply into each other's eyes, feeling slightly warm all over their bodies.

Those were the moments that Spike treasured, when her eyes fixed on him and looked at him as a man, not as a monster or a piece of crap.

Unfortunately, those moments never lasted.

Buffy's eyes immediately flickered with resentment and anger, and when she spoke, her voice was raspy and cold.

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She wanted to tell him so many things, but old habits die hard. She expected him to scream and threaten her, not to only stand in her doorstep, staring at her the same way he had three years ago.

She was still mad at him for all the things he had done to her friends, but she wanted explanations, not a fight.

She focused more on those explanations than on the display of emotion the vampire showed her.

"What do you want, Spike?" She asked finally, allowing 'slayer mode' to take control, her voice sounding raspy and colder than she had expected. Spike's eyes changed immediately, hardening his gaze as well.

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He should have expected that, but he wouldn't yield. He had to be strong and try to patch things up.

"Actually, you may not believe it, but I'm 'ere to talk." Spike said.

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Those words broke the wall that had been built with tension, which prompted Buffy to ease a bit. She lowered her stake and nodded.

"Talk?" She asked, "What made you change your mind?"

"Uhm, some psychological help." Spike answered.

"You're willing to answer whatever I ask you?"

"You might say that."

"Just say yes or no, Spike. Please."

"Will it change somethin'?" Spike asked. He placed so much importance on the answer Buffy gave him, for it meant whether they still could have something.

"Of course." Buffy answered, "It holds your fate."

Clearly missing the point of the question, Buffy had thought that Spike was still on the same mindset of those many nights ago, threatening him unwillingly.

Spike's posture changed and he took in a defensive stand.

"Listen, slayer, I came her to talk. Not to threaten you and initiate a fight." He said.

She rose to the bait.

"Funny way of showing up, in the middle of the night and with half truths and cryptic answers."

"What half truths?" Spike shouted, "I've yet to tell you somethin' without you flippin' all over!"

"Oh, so you think that you can come here whenever you want and try to patch things up? It doesn't work that way!"

"Tell me then how it works, because God knows I've tried to make it work for years!"

"That's why you ran away to England?"

"I didn't run away, you stupid bint! You practically pushed me away!"

"You left because you wanted to! Because you expected so many things from me!"

"Only what a man expects from the woman he loves!"

"You're not even a man! What did you expect?"

The words hit harder than before. She still thought of him as a nothing. She would never see him as a man.

Spike's mind reeled from the sudden shock and his mind began replaying all the hurtful words that Buffy told him.

He laughed. The desperate laughter that erupts when a man has lost everything and everyone, which meant acceptance for the situations life dealt him.

How could he believe her words?

Why did he allow himself to think that she could ever love him?

Not even when she had admitted it before.

Buffy was also shocked by the laughter that assaulted Spike. She also noticed the hurtful look he had on his eyes when she uttered the words that meant that he was nothing to her.

"Spike, I…"

"No." Spike interrupted her, "No more words. Not anymore. You wanted to talk before but look how it turned out."

"I'm sorry! I know I overreacted, but I really want to patch things up!"

"Funny way of showing it."

"It's just that, you have been so weird lately, and I…"

"So this is my fault, huh? As usual." He said, shaking his head slowly.

She always managed to turn it back on him.

"No, wait! That's not…"

"Save it, Buffy, just… shut up."

"Spike…"

"Look. I came here expecting to talk to you, to tell you that I still love you. That I will always love you. But the minute you see me you don't see me as a man. You see me as a monster that doesn't deserve you. I've tried so hard to be what you need. I even walked away and left you alone, like you asked me so many times before. Yet you can't seem to get tired of hurting me. Is it a sick game to you? Do you like to see me down?"

Buffy felt like crying when Spike revealed all those things to her. And yet, she couldn't deny most of his thoughts, because they were true.

"I don't like to see you down, Spike. Please try to understand my point of view." She said, her voice shaking with emotion.

"Your point of view? Ok, I'll try. Tell me your point of view." Spike said, crossing his arms.

"Look. You tried to hurt my friends and me so many times before. You then got chipped and betrayed us once again. You left three years ago and then I hear from you only because you've hurt people that are important to me…"

Spike's eyes immediately met her own, which prompted her to shut up.

"Oh, so this is all because of what I did to Cap Whitebread and Angelus?" He said, barely controlling his rage.

"Being honest, yes. You can't expect me to be calm about it. You hurt them both." She said, keeping her stance.

"Why in the hell do you care about what happens to those two? If I recall correctly, both of them hurt you."

"But I never wanted anything bad to happen to any of them!"

"They're not dead."

"That's not the point, Spike, please!"

"Then what is it? Tell me please, because I don't understand!"

"It's hard…"

"It is not hard for me, Buffy. Did you even ask why I hurt them?"

"I…"

"Of course you didn't. You just heard the words 'Spike' and 'attacked' on the same sentence and you jumped to conclusions."

"That's not…" But what could she say? It was the truth, actually.

"You know what was happening when I 'attacked' Soldier Boy? Do you even care?"

She lowered her head and stared at the ground.

"He attacked me, Buffy. I was on my way out of the city and he attacked me. I had just saved his infant daughter and he tried to kill me. Do you have anything to say about it?"

"You're stronger than he is, Spike."

Spike rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Why are you so dense? Why do you keep justifying your motifs? Just admit it. You got mad because it was me. If Angel had done that to Soldier Boy you would have found a way to excuse him."

"You're twisting things!"

"Am I? Look at it this way, slayer. Angelus killed people you knew. He almost ended the world, and you still look up to him. This isn't because I hurt someone you knew. This is only because it's me."

"No, Spike, I don't look up to Angel. Not anymore."

"Huh?"

"I know I did. I know I always managed to forgive him because of his soul. That is no longer an issue. Giles made me see it."

"Really? How come?"

"Actually? Because of you."

Spike couldn't resist, and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Because of me?" He asked, almost whispering.

"Yes." Buffy whispered as well, "He compared both of you. And you won."

"Didn't think that ol' Rupe thought that way of me."

"Yes. You won his respect with the contract." She smiled some more and walked out of the safety that the house provided. She felt at ease and was beginning to think about how to get Spike back.

"Oh." They both walked down the front steps and stopped just in front of the house. The moon shone through the trees, and a soft wind blew all around them.

"Can we talk, then? In a civilized way?" Buffy asked.

Spike smiled, and placed his hand on her shoulder. Buffy allowed the gesture and smiled at him.

"Sure, pet. Let's try to stay calm, ok?"

Buffy was about to nod when a baseball bat suddenly smashed itself on Spike's head. The sudden impact surprised the vampire and threw him aside. By instinct, his eyes morphed into their yellow color and he turned around to see the whole Scooby gang ready to fight him.

"Get your filthy hands off her, you monster." Xander exclaimed. All of Buffy's friends were standing in front of him, staring down at him with hatred on their eyes.

Even Dawn seemed angry with him.

"We came as soon as you called, Buffy. It seems we arrived just on time." Giles said.

Those words surprised Spike and Buffy. She had forgotten all about the phone call she had made before opening the door to see the vampire in her doorstep.

Both of them had been so immersed on their conversation that none of them felt her friends approaching.

"Guys! I…"

"You called them?" Spike interrupted Buffy, "You did this?"

He was panting, not because of the hit but because of the rage he was feeling inside.

"You bet she called, vampire!" Xander said, "You didn't think we'd let her fight alone."

Spike growled and Buffy tried to say something. However, as soon as his rage erupted, it died inside of him. He wasn't angry anymore. He felt sad again and betrayed. He felt stupid for believing in her words. He felt alone and empty.

But most of all, he felt tired.

Very tired.

"Everybody, wait!" Buffy said, "We were just talking!"

All of her friends looked around and were about to say something when Spike slowly stood up.

"You'll tell us later, Buffy." Jean said, "Right now we have a vampire to defeat."

"Wait!" Buffy tried to stop them, but Jean jumped at Spike. He merely swatted her aside, as one would swat a fly, and stared at Buffy.

"All right, slayer." He sighed, no force in his words, "You won. I can't do this anymore. I'm very tired."

Everybody looked at him strangely. He was no longer the cocky vampire of before, or the savage beast that had assaulted them some nights before. He only looked very tired.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"You won, slayer."

Spike then reached for his left hand, and removed the ring of Amarra from his fingers. He threw it at Buffy's feet.

"Can't take this shit anymore. So let's do it, slayer. This is the last one. It's kill or be killed."

He slowly lifted his fists, and sighed again.

"Let's dance."

End of Part 1