A/N : First of all, thanks for all the reviews - buffspike, spuffysis, Spuffy101, SweetBitter, spikezbaybee, SpIkEs AnGeL, Veggie-Babu-Chan, SouthernRain, Courtney37, william, brenda. Second of all, I would have posted this chapter before but I was kind of waiting for ff.net to iron out it's problems. Due to their mail backlog I didn't get any Review or Author Alerts in days and now I'm getting hundreds, mostly duplicates! Anyway, I know some people read this chapter on my own site Sparkling Eternity but here it is for those who missed it. (Just a couple more chapters to go after this one!)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 18 - Anything For Love

As soon as Angel had gone back to the party, Xander knew what was going to happen. There was going to be yelling and cursing, talks of scandals and improper behaviour, and the person who would receive the most punishment would be Buffy. There was no way he was going to let it happen.

Xander followed the angry Spike through the house and out of the side door, where he found him sitting on a bench in the summerhouse, looking out across the gardens. He looked a little calmer, Xander was glad to see that, but he clearly wasn't happy at all.

"Hey" the brunette said carefully as he walked in, Spike's head immediately swivelled to look up at him from his seat.

"What do you want?!" he snapped at the stranger, and usually the brunette would have been annoyed at such a question from a guest at his home, but he cut the guy some slack because of who he was and what had happened tonight.

"I'm Xander" he introduced, holding out a hand "Buffy's brother" he added, to make things clearer.

Spike looked at him, then slowly nodded as he took the offered hand and shook it.

"I remember" he said, as thoughts of the night Buffy had said goodbye to him came flooding back.

There was a brief silence as both mens minds were elsewhere and Xander sat down next to Spike on the bench.

"I saw what you did to Angel" he said eventually.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Spike immediately snapped, thinking he could easily knock this poof down if he had to, though he probably shouldn't given he was Buffy's brother...

"Nothing" Xander said simply "except maybe say thank you" Spike looked surprised at that, so he explained, "I heard what he said. If you hadn't have hit him I would've" Xander said seriously, before adding "though I doubt I'd have done it as well as you did"

Both young men smiled at that. If there was one thing Spike had learnt to do it was to defend himself and those around him. He doubted that fist-fighting was something Xander had ever learnt to do. The young Summers had been brought up to be a gentleman, Spike's father had made his fortune later in life, meaning they were more average people, just with the added bonus of cash.

Silence reigned once again as the sky grew darker and Xander realised he was running out of time to do what he'd planned.

"Do you love my sister?" he suddenly blurted out, shocking the bleach blond beside him to a certain degree.

"Look, I don't know what Buffy told you or..." he began to ramble uncharacteristically, but this love thing was new to him. He'd never felt anything like this for anyone before. It had taken a lot for him to admit his feelings to himself and Buffy, but now her brother was basically asking him what his intentions were and it panicked him a little.
"I don't think you heard my question" Xander dared to interrupt, knowing there wasn't time for big speeches, just answers "This is kind of a yes or no deal" he clarified, looking Spike in the eye "Do you love my sister?"

With total sincerity, and more certain in that moment of his feelings than at any other time in his life, Spike gave his answer.

"Yes, more than I've ever loved anyone in my life"

Xander smiled, thankful that he'd received the response he wanted. Buffy clearly loved this man more than anything, and he knew her heart would surely break completely if it turned out he didn't really feel the same. But he'd just admitted it and with such honesty that Xander did not doubt him for a second.

"That's all I needed to know" he told Spike, as he stood up and hurried back the way they had come. Spike frowned and called behind him;

"What are you going to do?"

"What I have to" Xander told him simply, turning back just briefly "don't go anywhere" he added, before he disappeared. He only hoped that Spike would trust him and stay where he was.

* * * * *

Next job on the agenda was to find Buffy, and that might prove difficult. Xander made it back to the party just in time to catch half the guests leaving, muttering things about Angel and Buffy and some 'violent delinquent'. He knew amongst all of this, his sister would have slipped away and hidden somewhere. He only hoped she'd run where he expected her to.

Down the back corridor, he found her on the basement stairs, crying on Willow.

"Buffy" her brother got her attention, and the red-head's too by default "Spike is in the summerhouse, go to him and then get out of here" he instructed simply, pulling her to her feet.

"What's going on?" Willow asked, bemused by it all. She'd got little explanation out of her sobbing friend, too much emotion had taken her voice away.

"Short version -" Xander sighed, knowing there was no time for anything else as he hurried the girls down the corridor "Angel said some stuff, Spike hit him for it and it's caused a riot... but the guy loves you Buff" Xander smiled in spite of himself as he looked down at his sisters tear-stained face.

"But I can't be with him" she began to cry again "Mom'll go crazy if..."

"Let me worry about her" her brother said, taking charge for once "Just go" he insisted as Willow watched him, proud to know he was her man, even if it was only in secret right now.

* * * * *

Buffy managed to sneak past the leaving guests and ran to the summerhouse to find Spike. He was no longer sitting on the bench where Xander had left him but was pacing up and down the small space, clearly agitated and hating not knowing what was going on.

"Hey" Buffy managed a smile as she ran to him and hugged him close.

"Hey sweetheart" he greeted her with a kiss, also smiling as it ended, still holding her in his arms.

"Your face" she frowned, bringing a hand up to the bloody area near his nose.

"Don't worry about it" Spike shook his head "I'm fine" he assured her, really not feeling the pain whilst she was there with him "I think your brother has a plan" he told her and Buffy nodded.

"Looks like" she agreed "He said we should get out of here"

"You sure you want to" Spike checked, looking her right in the eye "I mean, I doubt there'll be a whole lot of choice about coming back?" he was panicking the whole time that she'd realise she didn't love him that much. She surprised him when she laughed out loud.

"This is probably the craziest thing I've ever done" she giggled from excitement and nerves "but, Spike, I love you" she told him sincerely "and that's all I need to be sure about"

That was all he needed to hear, he was sure he loved her and she'd assured him of her own feelings. Grabbing her hand, he smiled and said;

"Let's go"

* * * * *

Thankfully no-one noticed as the man in the charcoal grey suit and the girl in the royal blue dress ran down the side of the house and dodged in another side entrance, stepping out into the hallway and grabbing Sir Giles as he came past. The shocked man looked strangely at his son as he was yanked to one side by him.

"Dad, we need to leave" Spike said hurriedly, his eyes constantly searching the area, making sure Angel and Lady Joyce weren't around, or anyone else who might try to stop Buffy leaving with him.

"Yes, I know that" Giles nodded, believing his son meant that everyone had to leave, as he'd been told, because the party had come to an abrupt end. It was then he noticed Spike's injury "Whatever has happened, William?" he frowned.

"Long story" Spike said simply, the hand that wasn't gripping Buffy's absently touching the side of his face that was rapidly bruising "This is Buffy" he said next, pulling on her hand to bring her from behind him to his side "and I love her and I need to get her out of here" he explained as simply as he could.

Giles' brow creased further as he looked at the blonde beside his son.

"Miss Summers?" he realised "But I..."

"Please Dad" Spike interrupted, knowing how his father was prone to ramble, especially when something baffled him, and they really didn't have time right now "I know this needs a huge amount of explaining" he said quickly "and I'll tell you everything, I swear, just please, I can't leave her here"

"Is she in danger?" Sir Giles whispered worriedly "Are you?"

"Well, no" Spike conceded "not the way you think but..."

"Sir Giles" Buffy interrupted, just wanting to take this one opportunity and get away as soon as possible "I don't know how to begin to explain how all this happened" she told him "but I'm in love with your son, and I'd really appreciate it, for reasons I promise to explain very soon, if you could give me a ride to your house and spare me a room for tonight" she said desperately.

The pleading looks on both this girl's and his son's faces made Sir Giles cave immediately. How could he say no to them?

"Well, what can I say except, let's go?" he shrugged, hurrying them out of the door.

"Thanks Dad" Spike smiled genuinely, momentarily not worrying about the explanations that would be required and the problems that might arise later. The only thing that mattered right now was that he'd got Buffy, and in a more solid way than he ever had before. She was all he wanted, of that he was certain.

* * * * *

Back in the house, Lady Joyce was glad as she watched Lord and Lady O'Connor finally leave her home. Almost all the guests were out or on their way out, and she had managed to convince the O'Conners to find their son, take him home, and worry about everything else tomorrow. Fortunately for Joyce, Lady Darla's concern for her son's welfare far out-weighed her loathing of Elizabeth and she immediately went to locate her 'darling boy' and vacate the house.

Lady Joyce fixed herself a stiff drink and collapsed into the nearest chair. Elizabeth needed a serious talk about her future, but right now her mother just wanted to relax and drink herself to oblivion - well, why break the habit of a lifetime?

Her quiet reverie was broken as the double doors burst open, making her physically jump in her seat. She turned to see her son framed in the doorway, arms firmly folded over his chest.

"Mom" he said sternly "we need to talk..."

To Be Continued...

A/N2 - All my fic can now also be found at my new archive 'Sparkling Eternity' [see my profile page for the URL]
and for anyone who is reading Oh Brother!, the next chapter will be posted both here and there later today or tomorrow!