Eternity… His mind wandered over the word, enjoying how each consonant and vowel wafted over his not-so-blackened heart with charismatic elegance. Although Buffy's very situation seemed to completely contradict the simple word, Spike was captivated by the frame and its encased photo. A slightly calloused finger was raised to the picture, tracing over a few of his lover's photographically youthful features.

God, Buffy… Spike thought to himself, wondering if the slumbering Slayer could hear his unspoken words. I love you so much… he finished, pushing at tears that instantly threatened to overflow his unprepared eyelids. Focusing on Buffy's gift for another fleeting moment, the vampire came to a conclusion that its most impressive characteristic was his love's peacefully delighted smile, lips curved in a love-struck manner while her cheek rested upon his iron-clad shoulder. What more could a soulless vampire ask for in his lifelong lover?

Returning the object of his attention to its home, Spike fell into a nearby chair, sinking into its welcoming cushion. He'd needed that. He'd needed to walk into the room while Buffy was sleeping, to notice the picture frame nestled harmlessly at her bedside. He'd needed the courage that could be gained from gazing into such an entrancing photo.

Hours seemed to wash away as Spike watched his lover sleep, azure orbs constantly flickering from one aged feature to another. Even now, with creased skin and a golden head of hair turned soft grey, Buffy was his picture of perfection. In his opinion, she was as beautiful as she'd been six decades ago, internal and external beauty heightened only heightened by their years spent together.

So lost in his frequently-visited world, Spike almost didn't notice the movements created as Buffy's lips slowly pulled themselves into a smiling position, eyes fluttering open briefly. "Hey…" she said softly, hand moving to land gracefully upon the top of his.

"Evening, sleeping beauty" the bloodsucker responded, lips curled slightly as he spoke. "I was beginning to think you'd sleep the night away," Spike added, his currently free left palm hovering upward to encase hers. Taking a gentle hold on her appendage, the vampire lowered his lips to Buffy's skin, unfolding a kiss on the first region of contact.

"What, and miss the nightly visit from my knight in shining armour?" the senior citizen replied with a bit of a grin, eyes flickering with youthful exuberance. "Never" her smile didn't falter, emerald eyes locked with the vampire's.

Spike simply chuckled, ocean blue eyes a dazzling spectacle for anyone lucky enough to witness such a sight. Clearing his throat, the vampire's demeanour changed with his vocal sound, face becoming slightly sombre, spectacular eyes evolving into a more serious tone. Although trace hints of a smile still lingered at the edges of his lips, it was obvious that something was weighing down his point of focus, the switch in mood instantly catching Buffy's attention.

"Spike?" she inquired softly, giving his hand a light shake. "Are… you alright?" forehead slightly creased, the Slayer was already becoming somewhat worried. Only a handful of times had she seen his mood transform so quickly, and a fraction of such instances had been good in nature.

"You know…" he responded with random words, eyes glued to an apparently fascinating portion of Buffy's bed. "I could never have imagined that things'd turn out like this…" interest in the Slayer's bed faded instantly, and Spike's eyesight was returned to its connection with hers. "I never imaged that things would last this long between us, especially considering the demon-human factor" he paused, lips curling into a slight grin. "Didn't think you could stand to spend sixty-some-odd years with a man who… Well, with me" he finished with a slight chuckle, attempting to choose the best of many words currently dangling at the edge of his tongue.

"God, who am I kidding?" Spike's head lolled back, touching his spine before sliding forward again. "We both know that I could sit here all night and it still wouldn't be long enough for me to completely define the words 'I love you'. In all honesty, I think that picture frame pretty much sums things up in a neat little package… Must've been Bit's idea" the vampire allowed thoughts to spill from his lips as they surfaced, figuring that Buffy would decipher them on her own.

The Slayer took on her 'I want to say something' appearance, but Spike ruled over her, hand sliding into his duster pocket as he spoke. "But the point, Buffy… Is that I have just one question for you" halting at the single syllable with a drawn-out sigh, Spike's hand was removed from his jacket's leather compartment, creamy hand clasping something of a dark-coloured hue. Opening his palm as it came to rest before a somewhat confused and anxious senior citizen, Spike exposed the image of a small, velvet-covered box. "Will you marry me?" the words were spoken almost nervously as the parcel was opened, exposing the image of a diamond ring.

Lungs were caught in mid-motion, hazel-tinted orbs of emerald frozen upon the midnight blue case as Buffy realised her lover's implication, mind reeling in an attempt to properly discharge her response. "Spike… I… How can I…? Yes… God, of course the answer is yes!" she replied, choosing to whisper out of fear that she might disturb the entire hospital with her exclamations of joy.

Absolute thrill erupted over Spike's features, a slight hint of relief coating the short, ecstatic laugh he tossed out. The ring he bore was simple in design, yet incredibly meaningful to any knowledgeable onlooker. Two diamonds encased an emerald and a sapphire, each colour representing the hue of Buffy and Spike's eyes, all four jewels nestled with each other as if they'd been born that way.

With every ounce of care his powerful hands could muster, the vampire removed his prize from its casing, movements having been practised countless times in his dreams. Seconds passed, and following their execution a petite ring of gold found itself lovingly encasing the aged digit of a retired Slayer. Both Spike and Buffy took a moment to simply admire the ring, their awe directed more toward the promise it symbolized rather than their materialistic proof of devotion to one another.

"Spike… it's…" Buffy's voice came in the form of a whisper again, further comments becoming drowned in her trachea. Her eyelids had been attempting to dehydrate aggressive tears, but in that moment, every dam and barricade broke. Crystal saltine droplets began flowing down the Slayer's cheeks, an entire network of emotions being flooded by things both understood, and alien to her. "I love you" she quaked, chest rising and falling with a quick breath.

"Buffy," the single, prized word was all the bleached vampire could manage to say, positive that his words would become muddled should he attempt anything more. Replacing speech with actions, Spike took Buffy's face in his pair of trembling hands, crimson lips instantly searching for the tender embrace of hers. Eyes were closed, tears continued to fall, velvet touched satin, and the world fell away.

Buffy could sense only her vampire lover, one of his eternally muscled arms wrapped with possessive care around her waist, the other appendage unable to decide whether to cement itself upon her cheek, to take up residence on her neck, or become buried in her silver mane of hair. His lips were as confident as they'd ever been though, consuming her with cautious urgency as his tongue and teeth tenderly cared for her mouth's most sensitive regions. Every fraction of her body had been recorded and mapped out by the vampire decades ago, yet every time he touched her it was as if Spike was exploring uncharted territory, his hands and eyes desperate to savour every sensation.

Spike's heart ached, a thousand emotions saturating his skin as he devoured the single human that was able to give his unlife any sort of meaning. Without Buffy, the vampire had wondered long ago, who was he? Who would he have been if she'd never swept his feet from beneath him? Without the love and affection that he both gave and received in the name of this woman, he was hardly more than a neutered vampire, a warrior lost to the sands of time and Initiative technology.

In his eyes, Buffy was virtually the only thing that existed to Spike. She was the sunshine he would forever be denied, she encouraged the love he was not technically supposed to be capable of, she was his life, his death, the single religion that an unholy creature such as himself would ever be allowed to follow. She was everything to him.

And I'm going to marry her… although the thought was simple in its creation, some unknown magnitude forced Spike to abruptly end the passionate lock of his lips with Buffy's. Hands cupping either of her cheeks, the vampire pulled back far enough to gaze into her still moist eyes, a dazed expression attempting to hide her soul from him. I'm going to marry this woman… She is going to be my wife… the incredibly sentimental thought drifted through his mind, and Spike managed a slight smile despite his still gaping jaw. "Buffy, I…" the vampire choked on his words, the curve in his lips becoming marred by the fact that tears were beginning to form at his eyes as well. "I…" he quaked again, attempting but unable to force the words past his swelling heart.

"I know…" Buffy's hand was already stroking the back of Spike's head, the other closed delicately around his prominent cheek. "I know you do," she smiled, also pushing the expression through falling tears. "Come on," the Slayer whispered, shifting herself against the edge of her bed in a manner that welcomed Spike to join her.

Straightening, hands reluctantly losing their hold on his beloved, the vampire tore his duster off, boots falling from his feet during the same moment. Black leather fluttered through air that reeked of medicine, the jacket's manmade descent meeting a conclusion once Buffy's entire form lay beneath the ebon depths. Spike was crawling into bed seconds later, attempting to give his aged lover the most room on such a petite piece of furniture.

"Mm, Cologne du Spike," the Slayer whispered with a soft smile, adjusting her position as Spike electronically lowered the upper half of her bed.

"Always a favourite with the ladies," he smirked, though his eyes stated the undying fact that Buffy was the only lady that mattered to him.

"Hm, well, they can have all they want. I get the real thing," Buffy grinned, cuddling closer to her vampire companion as his arm closed protectively around her waist.

Spike was laying on his right side, left arm encircling the frail body of his fiancée as its counterpart acted as a makeshift pillow. "Never wanted it any other way, pet," he murmured against her left arm, his forehead resting peacefully against the pillar of tissue.

"Love you so much," Spike found himself whispering after what seemed a few moments of silence. Finally the words had surfaced, stopped before by his unresponsive vocal chords.

Buffy had been on the verge of unconsciousness, but she smiled when Spike's voice crawled into her ears. Eyes closed, she gave a simple nod, the hand that was resting against his possessive arm squeezing the deltoid muscle briefly. "I know," she answered, falling into a world of equally blissful dreams only seconds later.