Disclaimer: Joss says everything in the Buffyverse is his, I told him it's mine, and then he kicked my puny little ass. Guess that's what I get for trying to be anything but a lowly minion.

A/N: Ok I know I've been horrible with updating lately so feel free to throw your tomatoes at me now. Thanks to Meg and you others for kicking my ass into gear and getting to finish this chapter.  Keep the reviews coming. Lastly, sorry if anyone thinks that the plot is moving too slow at this point but I really wanna get a few more things established before all the spuffy goodness. Enjoy kids!!

Better Man

Chapter 12

As the Pendulum Swings

 He said life's so hard to move in sometimes

When it feels like I'm towin' the line

 And no one even cares to ask me why I feel this way

 I know you feel helpless now and

I know you feel alone

That's the same road, the same road I am on

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Buffy watched in trance as the clock swayed back and forth in a graceful cadence

And then suddenly, everything was bright all at once, like looking into the flash of a camera, and  being unable to make out any clear objects. The room Buffy found herself in, if you could call it that, had no doors, no windows, or walls. It simply floated within itself, an otherworldly cloud that moved with the rhythm of the ocean.

Buffy rubbed her eyes with the balls of her hands, feeling a cool breeze of air swoosh over her body.

"Hello, is anyone there.........hello, HELLO," she turned around and searched the unfamiliar area around her, vaguely aware that someone was near her.

When she turned back around she saw Spike standing in front of, adorned head to toe in a white suit. Startled by his immediate presence she pulled back from him. He gave her a reassuring smile, while she stood gawking at him.

"I waited for you," he almost whispered," I wasn't sure you'd come."

"Why," she asked.

He looked over her head and around the space they were in, "The Angels said you would come. I didn't believe 'em, but they were right of course, their always right."

Buffy searched his face, feeling confused, "I don't understand."

"Destiny," he smiled.

"What...............what do you mean?"

"You and him luv....meant to be, they told me so.........just look," he gestured above him, towards the sky.

Dozens of winged beauties floated over the couples' head's, light shades of blues, greens, and purples, mixed with the Angel's golden and raven colored head's, as the wind sailed over and through their bodies.

Buffy stood in awe, her mouth which was wide open, slowly formed into a smile, fresh tears glistening in her eyes.

"This is what heaven was like, " she breathed, " How-how did you kn--"

"It's all them," he signaled to the flying serphines, "It's true you know.......you and him.......destiny."

Again confused, Buffy looked into his eyes, "Who are you ta–," she tried to finish but he cut her off pointing behind her.

She followed his hand, turning around. What she saw, caught her breath. There about 20 feet from her was Spike and her, walking through the graveyard together in live action.  She was telling him to leave her alone, and he was acting nonchalant as usual, attempting to keep her attention at the same time.. The scene seemed so familiar to Buffy until she realized, it was, because she had lived it before.

A second later another scene flashed before her, it was of her and Spike sitting on her backyard porch, his arm around her as she cried for her mother, knowing the cancer would destroy her, destroy them all. And as she watched this a tear spilled down her face at the memory.

Slowly Buffy walked forward, until she could almost reach out and touch the figures in front of her.. And then another scene flashed. This time it was of her and Spike, behind the Bronze. They were pressed against each other, kissing passionately, violently. It was the night everything changed. The night she realized she needed him to feel. And he obligingly agreed.

The memory seemed more fond to her now than it would have before, and she caught her self smiling at it. Again she moved closer. This last imaged flashed with the brightest light, revealing something very intimate. There in Buffy's basement lay her and Spike, in his cot, coiled around each other asleep. The light of the moon shown through, showering their naked bodies with a light blue sheen.

Buffy moved back, unable to take seeing this memory so vividly, it felt so painful. She moved to walk away, when she saw Spike in the image open his eyes.

He stared down at the sleeping Buffy and brushed a piece of hair from her face. He kissed the top of her head lightly, all the while never taking his eyes off her sleeping form.

Just then Spike glanced over her, a flicker of light catching his eye. It was the amulet, the one she gave to him, the one that was meant for Angel. He sucked in an unneeded breath of air, and slowly exhaled, attempting to clam his nerves. Whenever he thought of Angel and her, it turned his stomach into knots, making him feel physically ill.  So when he calmed himself a few minutes later, he gazed back down at the sleeping beauty before him, and felt his body begin to relax.

Spike then brushed his hand over the smooth skin of her cheek, a warm shiver running up and down his body. He caught a glimpse of the moon and turned his attention to the magnificent light.

"Thank you," he said, as if preaching to some God. "Thank you for tonight, and whatever time I have left on this bloody planet. I probably won't make it tomorrow...that's alright. Being with her, tonight, is more than I could have ever dreamed for."

He paused looking down at her still form and continued, "I know you'll never think of me as your soul-mate, never love me like a soul-mate, but that's ok, because this is enough. You are my soul, and that will always be enough."

As the image slowly faded away Buffy turned around to the man standing before her, her face smeared with tears.

"Do you love him," Spike asked her.

"Very much," she answered wiping the tears from her face.

He smiled at her softly, almost contemplating what to tell her next, as if it was the answer to life itself.

"What's meant to be will always find a way. Always......" he finished, cryptically, turning away from her then.

Buffy tried to go after him, still uncertain about what she was supposed to do with all of this new information that was given to her. "Wait come back, COME BACK. What am I supposed to do, I don't know what to do, help me....please?"

"Always," he repeated, opening a door that hadn't been there a moment before. Buffy ran after him, determined to get an answer, any answer.

When she stepped through the door, she found herself back in the hallway. The same hallway she'd dreamt about a few weeks before.

She saw the single forbidden door at the end of the hallway, calling out to her. In a desperate attempt to unmask the man behind the desk, and finally unsurface some real answers, Buffy bolted forward. When she came to the door, she ripped it open with one fowl swoop.

She again saw the single chair faced against the wall, saw how it ever so slowly began to turn around until..............................she felt some shaking her?

Buffy blinked her eyes open a few times, becoming aware that her sister was standing above her, one arm pushing down on her shoulder in an annoying repetition.

"STOP pushing on me," Buffy whined to her sister, batting her hands away, and turning over in her bed.

"We need to talk oh sister of mine, and we need to talk now."

"Couldn't this wait until you know, maybe I wasn't sleeping," she argued.

"It could, but it's not gonna, so get up, get dressed, and we'll see you down stairs in 10 minutes," Dawn snapped, exiting the room before Buffy could get another word in edgewise.

The blonde sat up dazed and confused, thinking over all of the reasons why her sister would wake her up, to talk to her at this time of night, or would it be morning?

When the thought crossed her mind that no one had told her what happened with Spike, she mentally slapped herself in the head, knowing this conversation wasn't going to be good.

A/N: Sorry this chappy is short, but I wanted to give you at least something for now. Good news, after this weekend I will have tons more time to make updates so whoohoo for that!! Also I have just a couple questions that I'd really appreciate if anyone could answer for me.

I don't know a whole lot about Angel, the show, I've only just recently started watching it, and we all know why that is! So I have a few questions about the show I need to know for later on in the story.

1) How did Wolfram and Hart become apart of the show, and what's so important about it?

2) What happened to Cordelia at the end of the last season? Was she really a demon, or what was going on with that?

3) What happened to Connor at the end of the last season?

4) How did Fred become apart of the show?

That's all I can think of now, so if anyone could answer one or all of my questions it would be greatly appreciated. And hey I've still got those cookies if anyone wants one! P.S. the poem from the last chapter was by J. Lattyak, and the quote from this chapter was by Three Doors Down.