A/N : Thanx for the reviews guys - the positive comments mean a lot to me. Here's another chapter for you - lots of Spuffy! Oh, and for those that are interested, the next chapter of 'The Guy Next Door' is on it's way soon.

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 17 - Love and Other Feelings

"Buffy?" Angel called as he came back downstairs.

"In the kitchen" she called back and he went to her. As he entered she looked up from the dishes she was washing "is Spike okay?" she checked.

"He's fine" Angel nodded, taking a seat by the counter once again.

"What did you guys talk about?" Buffy asked next, not really sure whether she wanted to know or not.

"Oh, not much..." the vampire shrugged, as she turned back to her task "Buffy, before when I asked you if you loved him, you never answered me"

Immediately the girl put down the dishes, dried her hands and came to sit by him.

"Angel..." she started, looking and sounding just as uncomfortable as she felt.

"I know you're probably not comfortable talking to me about this" he interrupted "and believe me I'm not all that happy about asking..."

"Then why are you?" she snapped "Asking, I mean"

"Because it's important" he answered simply and quietly.

There was a moments silence before Buffy found her voice again.

"Angel, I'll always love you, y'know that right?"

"Of course" he nodded "I'll always love you too" he said, practically in a whisper "You're very special to me"

She smiled at that.

"You too" she told him "but somewhere along the line" she continued, looking away from him "I don't know when or how it happened but..."

"We stopped being *in* love with each other?" he guessed what she wanted to say and he knew it was probably true. He loved her still but whatever had made them be in love just wasn't there anymore.

Buffy nodded that he was right, afraid of making a verbal answer, in case she'd upset him. He seemed okay though.

"And you fell in love with Spike" Angel more stated than asked.

"Yeah" Buffy nodded and smiled as she thought of the man upstairs "Yeah, I did"

"Tell him, Buffy" Angel said simply, looking her straight in the eye.

"I have told him" she said, unsure why the vampire was being so serious and authoritative all of a sudden.

"Tell him again" he insisted "Tell him all of what you just told me"

What he said and the way he said it made Buffy suspiscious.

"What did he say to you?" she frowned.

"It's nothing" Angel waved away her look with his hand "it's just..." he tried to find the word "insecurity, I guess" he shrugged.

Buffy couldn't process this. Her vampiric ex-boyfriend was more or less ordering her to tell her current former-vampire boyfriend that she loved him because he was insecure. She looked confused and uncomfortable, again, and Angel realised he may have crossed a line somewhere or at least said something he shouldn't have.

"I shouldn't be talking to you about this it's none of my business" he said quickly getting off of the stool "in fact now I've said what I came to say about the prophecy I should probably just leave the scroll and go" he decided, taking the paper from inside his jacket, placing it on the counter and heading for the door all in one swift movement.

"You can't" Buffy told him, grabbing his arm. He was about to protest when she continued "there's only a couple of hours til sunrise you'll have to wait til tonight"

'No way out of that one' Angel conceded in his mind

"Besides" Buffy continued "I could use some help explaining to Dawn and the others what's happening"

Angel sighed.

"Well, I can't stay here" he said, turning back.

"Sure you can" Buffy told him "the couch is all yours, well, it is once I've closed the curtains and warned the others not to open them til sundown" she added.

"Okay" he agreed after a moments consideration, then he asked "does Dawn know about what's happening to her?"

"Yes" Buffy answered immediately "well, kind of, no" she babbled "I was telling her about it when Spike woke up and he became centre of attention again" she smiled.

"It's his favourite place to be" Angel agreed "...what about the others?"

"Will and Tara, they figured it out" Buffy explained "and I said something vague to Giles and Xander, I was still a little shocked when I talked to them, I don't know if the others would have filled them in..."

"We'll have a meeting in the morning" the vampire decided "start from the beginning"

"Yeah, I guess we should do that" Buffy agreed "but it'll have to be here at the house" she realised "since you can't go out and I'm not leaving Spike"

Angel only smiled as she finished off the dishes.

"What?" she asked, spotting the grin on his face.

"You got it" he told her, still smiling

"Got what?" she asked, dubiously, finally having finished washing and drying the dishes, she dried her hands and leant on the counter beside him.

"What I wished for you" he said, softly "a normal life, well close anyway. You're not the Slayer, Spike's not a vampire, you can be happy now..." he trailed off.

"Yeah" she agreed, "I guess I can" but her heart really wasn't in what she said and Angel wasn't sure why. He had no chance to say anything as Buffy quickly changed the subject "Well, I'm going to close those curtains so you can get a few hours sleep before I call the gang back for the meeting" she said, heading for the living room.

"You should get some sleep too" he called after her.

"Can't right now" she yelled over her shoulder "I have stuff to talk to Spike about"

"Yeah, I think you do" the vampire said to himself.

"Hey" Buffy smiled as she came into the bedroom.

"Hey yourself" said the bleach blond stretched out on the bed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" the girl apologised as she sat on the bed beside him.

"Not sleeping luv, just thinking" he assured her as he picked up her hand and held it in his, marvelling yet again at the wondrous turn of events in his life, recently.

"About what?" Buffy asked, tilting her head.

"You and me, mostly" Spike told her "and my life, and my unlife, all of it"

He gazed off into space and Buffy knew Angel was right. She had to make sure Spike understood how she felt, he deserved the whole truth about her feelings.

"Spike" she got his attention again "you do know that I love you, right? I mean, really"

"I know, pet" he smiled, squeezing her hand.

"See I don't think you do" she protested, shaking her head. She took a deep breath "You see, when I met Angel..."

"Buffy, do we have to talk about this right now?" Spike complained.

"Yes, we do" she told him, firmly "because we both know you can't walk away right now, you have to listen, if I wait to say this it'll never get said"

Spike knew she was right, and he also knew that she felt what she had to say was important so he conceded and listened.

"Now" she began again "when I met Angel, I was just a child, fifteen years old and confused about my life, being the Slayer and all, he looked after me, protected me, made me feel safe. He was what I needed, what I wanted and yes, I was in love with him, but it would never have worked out"

"Because he was a vampire" Spike threw in.

"Well, that wouldn't have helped but, it wasn't just that" Buffy admitted "It was so many things. We could have got passed the sun allergy and found a spell to keep the curse from lifting if it had been worth it..."

"Are you telling me it wasn't?" Spike interrupted, a frown on his face. He was sure Buffy and the Poofter imagined themselves great soulmates and the idea that she believed their relationship just wasn't worth the hassle - well, that was a revelation of universe-altering proportions!

"Can't have been, can it?" she smiled, crookedly "Because he's not the one here now... you are" she ended in a whisper.

"You don't love him anymore?" Spike asked, dubiously.

"No, I do" Buffy insisted and in all honesty, the ex-vamp had expected that "just like I love all my friends" she said, emphasising the word friends "He's special to me Spike, I won't deny it. He was my first ...in many ways...but you'll be my last and that matters more" she told him, looking into his eyes "I'm in love with you, Spike...only you"

"If you hadn't noticed" he whispered, a smile on his face "I'm in love with you too"

They leaned in closer until their lips met, but the kiss didn't last anywhere near long enough as Spike started to cough up a lung.

"Well that's a mood killer" Buffy made a face and tried not to laugh as her love continued to choke.

"Bloody buggering human diseases!" he complained as the fit subsided "Easier when I was a vampire, a lot less phlegm"

"Eeeww, Spike!" Buffy hit him lightly on the arm for the use of such a word.

"Well, the mood was already dead, right?" he smirked.

"True" Buffy conceded with a smile as Spike laid back down and closed his eyes "You need some rest" she realised, standing up, but Spike still had hold of her hand.

"You look like you do too" he said, opening an eye.

She smiled and moved around the bed to lay beside him.

"Maybe I'll close my eyes just for a little while" she whispered, snuggling close to him. He wrapped an arm around her and held her tight.

"I love you, Buffy" he said softly, dropping a kiss on the top of her head "always will"

"I love you too" she replied, just as quietly "William"

To Be Continued...