title: Marriage, Sunnydale-Style
author: Heather (heather@hella-good.org)
rating: R
spoilers: none...completely an au/fantasy fic except for things borrowed from the Buffyverse (season 1-7) that are twisted to fit in this universe.
disclaimer: If I actually owned anything, I probably wouldn't be doing this :)
summary: After almost 10 years of dating, Buffy and Spike finally find themselves in the midst of planning a wedding and remembering the long journey that got them there.

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Chapter 18

Buffy arrived home to find the apartment empty which didn't make her all that happy. It had been too long of a day with Spike, Willow and her favorite part, dealing with Snyder. Her mother had called to invite her and Spike for dinner but Buffy couldn't get a hold of him. That only annoyed her more, causing her to be quite bitchy the entire evening. Her attitude led to a long discussion with her mother about the events of the last couple of days. It was nice to spend some alone time with her mom, though. Without Dawn around, they could have a conversation without the constant interruptions. But now it was 10:30 and she had no Spike to come home to. She was still angry at him for going to Willow about Warren but she had hoped she could finagle herself a back massage out of the guilt she had planned on laying down.

She hung her coat up and toed her shoes off, flinging them into the corner. She simply didn't care tonight. The thought of walking all the way down the hall to the bedroom to put the shoes in their proper place made her tired. She walked to the fridge, deciding that a long bath and a glass of wine might do the trick. Buffy saw the note taped to the refrigerator door and took a deep breath before tearing it off.

"Had to go to L.A. for Angel. Well isn't that convenient," Buffy muttered. Her eyes kept drifting back to the I love you written at the end of the note. It amazed her still that those three little words whether spoken or written from him sent her into a state of euphoria. After nine years, she still got the tingles in her stomach, still received that light-headed feeling. She didn't understand why she wasn't tired of it. She knew she was the kind of person that grew restless after a while, that although she wanted to be loved just like anyone else, actually having it happen to her filled her with a kind of dread she couldn't quite put her finger on.

She had been scared with Angel. As much as she did love him and knew that he loved her, she was afraid of it. Theirs was not an easy road and it did cause a lot of doubt in herself. She knew that it stemmed from Hank. That fear of being left by any man she let in all started with him. It just worked out that every guy she got involved with had left. Except Spike. He never would leave even when she told him to go. Even after their first kiss and she dodged him for two months, he never left. Buffy could tell everyone in the world that it had annoyed her but the truth was it just solidified everything that she had loved about him. And it petrified her.

It scared her so much that she met Parker. Buffy had been well aware of his motives but she chose to ignore them. Maybe it was a bit of self-punishment for the way she had been treating Spike that summer, maybe it had been one last effort to get Angel fully out of her mind. She still didn't know. She could psychoanalyze herself until the cows came home about her time spent with Parker and why she spent eight months of her life with Riley but it all came down to one thing. Being afraid to be with Spike. That was it. Bottom line. The buck stopped there.

Her friendship with him didn't really get back on track until she started dating Riley in the fall of her freshman year at college. Buffy felt that she could start again with him now that she had Riley. She knew she used Riley as a defense mechanism in that regard but she had cared for him. Spike had always been around, regardless. He had gone to everyone's graduation parties, to the beach with them and whatever else they did over the summer. He had been smart enough to keep his distance from her. They made idle chit-chat but nothing like it had been. No soul-searching talks, no little innuendoes slipped from his mouth and he never dared to touch her. He heard about Parker second-hand from Xander and Oz but he never said a word about it to Buffy. She wasn't aware that he knew until after they had gotten together.

When she had told him that she had a new boyfriend, the look on his face nearly killed her. He hadn't said anything, only nodded his head and turned away from her. The next thing she knew he was with Harmony which sent her into a downward spiral. Whenever the four of them had been in the same room, it was a snarkfest. Spike mercilessly ridiculed Riley every chance he got and Buffy did the same to Harmony. They pretended like it wasn't jealousy that fueled those moments but it didn't fool Riley. He could see it on Buffy's face each time she fought with Spike. There was something there that he would never have from her but he tried his hardest to make her happy. Buffy had tried to reassure him that she did need him, that she wanted him in her life but eventually he just stopped believing her. That part of him that wanted to believe died and he knew he couldn't hold on and he couldn't hold her back. When the opportunity arose for him to go on a mission, he left. Just like Hank. Just like Angel. And Buffy broke down.

The phone rang breaking her harshly from her memories. She groaned and picked up the phone. "Yeah?"

"Bad mood, pet?"

"I'm not talking to you," Buffy told him quickly, but the tone in her voice had a little laughter in it and he didn't take her seriously.

"Why's that?"

"I'm serious, Spike. I'm really mad." This time the laughter was gone.

"At me?"

"Well, duh. Who else?"

"Well, as I don't recall doing anything other than screwing you into your desk, I don't know what you could be..." Spike trailed off as he remembered he had forgotten to tell her about Willow. "So did Willow talk to you, then?"

"Yup."

"Luv, I meant to talk to you this morning about it when I came to your office. If you hadn't looked so good-"

"Save it. You're not getting away with this by giving me some half-assed compliment. Don't try to placate me. You'll only make me angrier," Buffy interrupted. She heard him sigh heavily into the phone. "Okay, I don't want to get into this over the phone. When will you be back?"

"Probably not until after two. Angel stupidly knocks Darla up and suddenly I'm having to go into bars and spy on some chit who's cheating on her husband."

"A cheating case? You guys don't usually do those."

"Talk to the boss. I think the wanker is paying him a lot of money, which in the long run means a big cut for us."

She smiled when he said us. She couldn't help it. "Wake me when you get home."

"Buffy, I don't think you're going to want to-"

"Spike, wake me when you get home," she said slowly, keeping her calm. "It works out for you in the long run. I'll be half asleep. Won't be so mean, right?"

"Good point."

"I only want to say one thing and you can think about it while you're out detecting."

"Go ahead," Spike said, apprehension in his voice.

"You shouldn't have done that." She paused, giving the sentence enough time to process. "I love you. Be careful, okay?"

"Always."

She hung up the phone and walked over to the counter, picking up her wine glass. The phone rang again and she smiled. Picking it up, she said, "Spike, I told you when you get home-"

"Buffy?" Dawn asked, frantically.

"Dawn? Sorry about that. I had been talking to-"

"I don't have time for that. I need you to come pick me up."

"Sure, where are you?"

"Sunnydale Police Station."

"What?" Buffy screamed.

"C'mon, Buffy, I don't have much time. I only get the one call, you know."

-----------------------------

Buffy walked to the front desk at the police station. "Hi, I'm here to pick up my sister. Dawn Summers?"

"Right...Summers..." The officer gave Buffy the once over before turning to a sheet of paper, skimming over it to find Dawn's name. "Here we go. Summers, Dawn. She's a hellion, huh?"

"Excuse me?" Buffy asked bewildered.

"I just mean...never mind. Look, no charges are being filed against her. She was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So I don't have to pay any bail or anything?"

The officer shook his head. "Not her, no. Her boyfriend on the other hand-"

"Her what?" Buffy asked.

"Connor, uh, Ryan. He and the other man have been formerly charged."

"What other man? I don't have any idea what you're talking about!" Buffy yelled, getting flustered by the entire situation.

"Ma'am, I have to ask you to remain calm."

"Ma'am? Do I look like a ma'am to you?" The officer once again looked her over and Buffy felt her skin crawl. "Look, where is my sister?"

"In the back. She wanted to stay with her...friend."

"Well, can you bring me to her?" Buffy asked the man slowly. He nodded and motioned for her to follow him. They went through a set of double doors and walked to the back to one of the two cells. She glanced over at the other occupied cell and saw a man who looked familiar but she couldn't quite place him. He was holding a cloth to his bleeding lip.

"Summers, your sister is here."

"Buffy! Thank god!" Dawn cried as she came running to the bars. The officer opened the door and let her out. "I need to ask you a huge favor."

"No, Dawnie. He can call Angel."

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask!" Dawn whined.

"I'm sure I do. Barney Phife here tells me Connor is being charged with something." Turning to look at the man in the other cell, Buffy jerked her thumb in his direction and said, "I'm thinking assault and battery..."

"No, Buffy, it wasn't like that." Buffy gave her a disbelieving look. "Why would I lie to you? Where would that get me?"

"It would get your boyfriend out of jail."

"Oh, c'mon! Won't you even listen to what happened?" Dawn pleaded.

Buffy walked over to the cell that Connor was in. "Hey, Connor." He looked up and she saw the nasty black eye that looked like it would only get worse. "Do you want me to call Angel?"

"No!" he answered immediately.

Buffy was taken aback by how nervous he sounded. "He won't get angry. He may be able to work something out-"

"That asshole attacked me! There's nothing to work out because I'm pressing charges," the other man screamed.

Buffy turned to glare at him. "In case you haven't noticed, you're in the slammer, too. It seems you're both being charged but with what, I don't know." Turning back to Connor she said, "Let me call Angel."

"Thanks, but no thanks. Why don't you just take Dawn and get out of here," Connor told her.

"You keep that up and I will," Buffy threatened lightly. "Look, I just want some answers-"

"That dick punched me in the mouth-"

"And I wasn't talking to you!" Buffy yelled at the other man. "So shut up, okay? The two of you better start talking or I'm leaving, taking you straight back to Mom's and telling her what I know."

"You can't tell Mom, Buffy! She'll have a coronary."

"I'm having a coronary! You don't seem too concerned about that," Buffy said, putting her hand over her heart. "Jesus, Dawnie, what the hell were you doing?"

"Nothing, honestly! That guy was all grabby with me and Connor was merely defending me."

"Knight in shining armor," Buffy muttered. "Where were you?"

"The Green Room..."

"Are you kidding me? You got in a bar fight?" Buffy asked, not holding her anger back any longer.

"Well, yes and no. The guy was grabbing me and-"

"You were grabbing my sister?" Buffy asked the other man. He gave her the finger and turned away. "Can't say I blame Connor at this point."

"So you'll help us?" Dawn asked, using her little girl voice in an attempt to make Buffy feel guilty.

Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes. "How much is the bail?"

--------------------------------------

"I can not believe the utter stupidity that is you right now, Dawn," Buffy said as she drove away from the police station.

"It wasn't Dawn's fault," Connor intervened.

"Never said that it was. I'm well aware that it's yours. You do know that Cordy and Lorne are going to kill you both, right?"

"I'm hoping that I can talk to Cordy-"

"Dawn, you were in a fight at her business. She will not be pleased. And a not pleased Cordy is not good for the two of you."

"Maybe Lorne will-"

"Wishful thinking, Dawnie. Lorne is more like a silent partner because he's a smart guy. Besides, I don't think he's ever stepped foot in the place. He was only helping Cordy out after she wanted to leave L.A. and the agency."

"It's not like we closed the place down, Buffy. She's not going to freak out...that much," Dawn tried to argue.

"You just keep on believing that, hon," Buffy said, smirking. Her cell phone rang and she glanced quickly at the screen to see who it was. "Uh, it's Cordelia."

"Oh, shit," Dawn and Connor mumbled at the same time.

"Hey Cordy," Buffy said when she answered it.

"Is Dawnie with you?" Cordy asked, the concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah, I had to pick her and Connor up...at the police station."

"But they're okay, right?"

"Yes, they're fine. I can't believe how well you're-"

"I'm going to fucking kill them! What were they thinking? I try to run a more upscale place for people to gather and they get into a bar brawl? That's what Willy's is for! This is totally unacceptable-"

Buffy took the phone from her ear and glanced over at Dawn who was beyond pale. Buffy stifled the laughter she could feel burning in her chest. She could still hear Cordelia ranting and she sighed.

"Thanks a lot, Dawn," Buffy said, sarcastically before bringing the phone back to her ear.

"-and I can't believe Dawn would do that to me. After all I've done for her? That little brat. And Connor? I was like a mother to that punk. This is totally-"

"Cordy! Take a breath, hon, you're going to faint." She heard Cordelia take a few deep breaths and let them out. "Was anything ruined?"

"As I wasn't there, I've been told that a chair and one of the overhead lamps. Those lamps cost a lot of money, Buffy. Money doesn't grow on trees...at least not anymore. Everything I have is in that place..."

"They will work to pay off any damages," Buffy told her, looking pointedly over at Dawn who nodded her head quickly. "It's going to be okay. Maybe it will turn out for the best, you know? Attract more people because of all the excitement..."

"Yeah, great. The wrong kind of people. Why didn't they go to the Bronze? Who cares if that place gets ruined?"

"Hey, why didn't you guys go to the Bronze?" Buffy asked the two silent passengers."

"We were trying something different," Dawn answered.

"We were hoping for free drinks," Connor said at the same time.

"Um, they wanted to do something more mature, Cordy."

"Well, that worked out really well," Cordelia said. "Okay, we're not pressing any charges, obviously. Like you said, they can work it off. Now I don't know about this other guy...I mean, I don't know anything, really."

"From what I can pry from them, the guy was hitting on Dawn in a none too pleasant manner and Connor rushed in being all valiant."

"I'll have to get his information from the police. There's no way this guy is going to get away with anything."

"I hear Queen C coming out to play..."

"You better believe it," Cordy agreed, laughing. "I have to go now. I just wanted to make sure they were okay before I rang their necks. I have company..."

"And who, pray tell, is your company?" Buffy asked, giggling. Cordelia didn't answer her, only laughed in response and hung up.

"So, is she really mad?" Dawn asked, tears in her eyes.

"Not really. Just annoyed, I think. That place was a huge step for her and I wouldn't be surprised if she felt you two disrespected her by your actions tonight."

"It wasn't us!" Connor yelled.

Buffy pulled the truck over and put it in park. Taking off her seat belt, she turned in her seat so she could see both Dawn and Connor, who sat in the back.

"First of all, I just bailed you out of jail and you will not speak to me like that. Secondly, I don't care whose fault it was at this point. My sister was in jail, Connor. This might be nothing new to you, but it is to her and that alone is unacceptable to me. Thirdly, you two will do whatever Cordy wants you to do. If you have to clean toilets, you do it. If you have wait tables or wash dishes, you do it. Understood?" She looked back and forth between the two who nodded their heads, both shocked by Buffy's change in demeanor. "I'm not telling Mom, Dawnie. I don't want her to get all worked up over something that happened once. And it will be only once, right?"

"Yes! It never should have happened in the first place. It was a big mistake," Dawn said quickly.

"Now, if you two are going to continue to see each other, I think the laying down of some ground rules are in order. Obviously."

"You're not the boss of me or Dawn for that matter," Connor told her.

"Wow, you truly are a dumbass, aren't you?" Dawn said, shaking her head.

"What?" Connor asked, confused.

"Buffy just bailed you out, Connor! Would it kill you to not act like you are a five year old?"

"The two of you shut up! I'm not done. I rarely get to lecture people so this is kind of fun for me," Buffy said, smiling a little in an effort to reassure them both. "Connor, my sister means the world to me. I want her to be happy. If being with you is what does it, well, I'm not going to stop her. I can't stop her. She's an adult...for the most part. Now this is important. Are you listening?" Connor nodded. "If you ever put my sister in the position she found herself in tonight, I will personally break every important bone in your body. And then I'll let Spike have at you. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Connor said, shakily. Buffy wasn't sure if it was her or the prospect of Spike that scared him more.

"Dawn's a beautiful girl. She's going to be approached by men. Get. Over. It."

"Aw, thanks, Buff," Dawn said with a smile.

"And you, missy, are not off the hook. If you ever do find yourself in jail, think long and hard before you give me a call. Next time, I'll send Spike. He's a whole lot worse than Mom or I would be."

"Are you going to tell him?" Dawn asked, her eyes wide in fright.

"If I do, your friend here will have another black eye...or worse. I don't know what to do. Cordy's involved and she can never keep her mouth shut. It's not in her nature."

Everyone sat and thought, not saying anything for a couple of minutes. Each one of them kept waiting for the other to break the silence that was slowly becoming deafening. They all shifted in their seats, sighed, cleared their throats, hoping that someone would take the hint and say something.

"I'm sorry, Buffy. I'll pay you back as soon as I can," Connor finally said.

"Sure, Connor, whenever you can," Buffy said with a smile, turning back in her seat and driving off.

---------------------------

Spike was bored out of his mind. He spun the glass of whiskey that was in front of him while poking at the ice with stirrer. The endless singing wasn't helping the headache he had, either. He turned to look at the stage, instantly wishing he hadn't. Singing "War" was bad enough, but pair that with a man whose pants were practically around his upper torso and high-waters to boot, Spike couldn't help but groan. He felt a hand slap him on the back and he turned back around to see Lorne.

"Well, aren't we looking like a lost little puppy tonight," Lorne commented.

Spike held up his drink. "Cheers, mate."

"What brings a handsome devil like you up to L.A. without that beauty of yours?"

"Assignment for Angel. Your average spy on the cheating spouse deal," Spike said, sighing as he looked around, not seeing the woman anywhere. "She supposedly comes in here. Then again, she also has been seen around ten different bars...I'm starting to feel annoyed."

"Can't say that I blame you, muffin. Feel like singing out your sorrows?"

"No."

"Aw, c'mon, Spike," Lorne pleaded. "I can't take anymore of these people. I need someone who can actually sing up there. Just one."

"No. Get the hell away from me," Spike said with a smile. "And don't call me muffin. Ever again."

"How is the wedding coming along? I will be singing," Lorne told him.

"Fine and no, you won't."

"Jesus, are we in a bad mood or what! I hope the two love kittens aren't fighting..." Lorne said, fishing for details.

"Quit your snooping. We had a bit of a misunderstanding which I will rectify as soon as I can get the hell out of here..."

"Cupcake, I know you see Dawn as a little sister, but she'll be fine. Knowing you, you did your best Jack Nicholson in The Shining when Buffy told you."

"Add cupcake to the list of things never to call me again. And what in the hell are you talking about?" Spike asked, worry lines popping up on his brow.

"The fight at The Green Room. That Cordy sure can lay it down when you mess with what's hers, huh? I miss that girl. She was always such a kick to have around here-"

"What bloody fight?" Spike asked, now growing angry.

"You don't know?" Lorne saw Spike slowly shake his head. "Uh, no fight! Everything's great. How about a little "Teenage Wasteland" while you wait for that spouse? I'll go get that queued up for you..." Lorne started to walk away and Spike grabbed his arm.

"You tell me right now or you'll be having a fight in this bar."

"Caritas is a happy establishment. We frown on the usage of excessive-Ow! Loosen the grip, tiger." Spike let go of his arm and motioned for Lorne to sit at the stool next to him. "Louis, a Sea Breeze, please."

"Lorne..." Spike warned.

"I need a drink. Now don't kill the messenger because I figured Buffy would have called by now...I don't know all the details. Cordy phoned me about an hour ago and said that there had been an altercation involving Dawn and Connor."

"What kind of altercation?" Spike asked slowly, trying desperately to reign in his temper.

Lorne wiggled his index finger at Spike. "You have those veins in your jaw flipping about. That's never a good sign." He saw the look in Spike's eyes and felt his stomach grow tight in nervousness. "As far as I know, no one was hurt or anything. Everyone's fine and probably at home sleeping right now."

Spike threw a ten on the counter and Lorne pushed it back to him. "On the house. Least I could do, right?"

"Actually, yeah," Spike said, smirking and quickly walked up the stairs and to his car.

---------------------------

Spike walked into the bedroom and saw Buffy's sleeping form in the bed. He had checked the spare room on his way down the hall and saw Dawn had stayed over. He took off his clothes and slid into bed, wrapping his arm around Buffy's waist and pulled her closer. She made a sleepy moaning noise that Spike loved to hear and he smiled.

"Buffy? Buffy, wake up," he whispered, trailing light kisses down her neck as he spoke. He moved his hand down to her stomach and began to rub it in a circular motion, causing her to make more noise.

Buffy slowly began to come to her senses as she felt the kisses and the rubbing. She smiled softly and sighed. She stretched her body out a bit so she fit better against him. He moaned quietly and nipped at her neck. "What time is it?"

"A little after 1:30," he murmured into her neck. He decided the best course of action was to feign ignorance about The Green Room incident. He was practically holding his breath, hoping that she would talk to him about at least this. "I see the Bit's here...anything wrong? Or just a sister's night in?"

She turned slightly so she could see his face. She gave him a small smile and said, "Now don't go crazy-"

"You know when people say that to other people, it automatically makes that person want to go crazy."

She laughed and continued, "Dawn and Connor went out tonight. Apparently there was a scuffle. No one was hurt...well, Connor has a nice shiner but Dawn's fine, which is what is the most important thing, right?"

"Absolutely."

"So you're not going to lecture her or slap Connor silly?"

"Can't even give the idiot a verbal slapping?" Spike asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well, I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself but I'm not going to object to you really getting the point across." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "So how'd it go tonight?"

"She was nowhere to be found. I'm starting to think the husband is imagining it."

"Well, men can get like that," Buffy joked.

"Right and you women are so secure about your relationships."

"Hey, I'm secure." Buffy turned her body all the way around so she was facing him. She lifted her leg and laid it on his. "You're naked."

"Indeed, I am."

"You're evil."

"Indeed, I am."

"So should we ruin the nice moment and talk about what happened today or should we be as quiet as possible and have ourselves some lovin'."

"I know I'm supposed to go with the first thing but I'm leaning more towards the second. Much nicer option in my opinion."

"How's this?" Buffy began, moving her body closer to his.

"Very good," he moaned.

"I'm not finished," she said, laughing. "We talk a little and then do something about all this unresolved sexual tension."

"Doesn't everything we do lead to unresolved sexual tension?" Spike asked.

"That's what makes it so good, right?" Spike nodded in agreement and Buffy removed her leg from his body and began to move away. He quickly grabbed her waist, trying to keep her with him. "Uh-uh, we're talking first. And in order to do that properly, we can't be doing this touching thing...because you're evil."

Spike sighed and rolled his eyes in a mocking gesture. "Fine, talk away."

"I think the most obvious question is why did you do that after you told me you would give me the time I needed?"

"And I meant it. I was only seeing if Red had any insight is all. It wasn't meant to be a big conspiracy. I had meant to tell you, I even promised Willow that I would," Spike explained.

"So you were trying to find out if I had talked to Will about it or why I haven't talked to you about it?"

"Buffy, it was an impulse thing. I don't know exactly what kind of answers I was looking for...or if I was looking for any. Maybe I had some things that I needed to get out. Didn't Willow tell you what happened?"

"No, just that you talked. Why? What happened?" Buffy asked, timidly.

"I bit into her a little for Sean-"

"Spike..."

"Look, I've been worried, okay? I mean...well, yeah, I mean just that. I've been worried. I know it's been a long time and if you're fine with it, I should be, too. But I wasn't there that day. I don't know what happened besides just the basics of what people told me. Willow reminded me that you weren't the only one hurt and it hit me. The reality of that statement. Maybe that's why I came into your office for a quick shag. Just to make sure-"

"Spike, listen to me," Buffy interrupted. "I can't tell you everything, not right now. But I can say that I've never been so afraid in my life. And not just for me or everyone else that was there. That, of course, went through my mind. I could hear Willow screaming for Tara, I could hear my mom yelling for Dawn to get down, I could feel Xander next to me, putting pressure on my shoulder. But it was all outside of me. All I could think of was you. Of leaving you, leaving everything and that thought of loss stays with me. The idea of you without me and vice versa, it scares the hell out me. All I wanted was for you to be there but at the same time, I remember thinking how grateful I was that you weren't."

"Why's that?" Spike whispered.

"Because you would have done something stupid." They both laughed despite the gravity of the topic. "You wouldn't have stayed with me, you would have run after him. I know you would have so don't start with the protesting noises because you know it, too. After the ambulances came, I don't remember much. I actually don't remember much from before the shots were fired. It all happened so fast...and it hurts to try and remember. Do you get that? It's like I feel that pain all over again. And it's too much for me to deal with. That's why I don't want to talk about it. Even telling you that, I feel like I'm about to panic. My heart is beating a mile a minute-"

"Your breathing is not normal-"

"And I'm feeling kind of dizzy. My mom says they could be panic attacks or something. Sounds good to me. It certainly would describe the feeling of that day...it's like reliving it each time I even think about it. So I try my best to block it out. It was nothing personal against you, honey. If there is one person I feel I can tell anything to, it's you. You know that right?"

"Yes," Spike breathed out.

"I didn't realize how much it bothered you. You could have said something other than talk to me, tell me what happened. You could have said that you needed to know, that it was eating you up."

"I didn't want to push."

"And yet...here we are. If you had told me how badly it hurt you that I didn't tell you about it, I would have. If I was even the tiniest bit aware of that, I would have told you. I just thought...I thought that you were being nosey."

"Yeah, I was," Spike agreed sheepishly. "But I was worried as hell. I only wanted to understand why you didn't talk about it...then to find out Willow and Tara do...I felt like there was something wrong there. That you should be talking about it by now."

"I've often thought the same thing. But there's lots of stuff I don't like to talk about. Like Hank or Angel, Mom being sick-"

"But you do talk about them. Every once in a while you get in this state where you do talk about those things. That never happened with Warren."

"I'm sorry, Spike." He looked at her in surprise. "I should have talked to you. I actually feel better that I have. Yet another point for my theory that Tara knows everything." He smiled and she returned it. "Let's never do this again, okay?"

"Sounds good to me, pet."

"Look at the time. I'm going to be a walking zombie tomorrow," Buffy groaned in dismay. "Snyder will have my ass."

"I have your ass," he said, grabbing her and bringing her over to him.

"That you do, both figuratively and literally."

"Call in sick tomorrow," Spike told her, a little bit of pleading slipping into his voice.

"And what will happen if I do?" Buffy asked, a twinkle in her.

"Anything you want, luv."

"Anything?"

Spike rolled his eyes upwards and sighed. "Yes, I'll make you sodding breakfast in bed, complete with omelet and juice."

"How about some French toast?"

"Bleeding hell, woman. Anything else?"

"You. Naked. Bed. All day long," she said as she leaned in kissing his neck at each word.

"The things I do for you..."

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to be continued