A/N : Well, here it is. The end of another fic, and now I have just one left to finish before that awkward time comes and I have to decide which of the many Spuffy ideas in my head deserves to be written! Oh well, let's worry about finishing 'Oh Brother!' first, and before that I think I should talk about the story that this note is actually on! lol. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this fic, not just on the previous chapter but all the way through on any or all of the nineteen chapters before this one - you guys have been great with all your kind words and often amusing reactions! lol. Well, here's the final chapter and the epilogue - hope you all like it. Final reviews will be very much appreciated! :-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 20 - Mothers Ruin

Lady Joyce Summers was not often sober, in fact if you asked any of the people who worked for her they would probably say they had scarce seen her without a glass in her hand since the old Lord passed away, but this particular morning, she was not even slightly tipsy and there was a very good reason why.

Last night should have been her daughters engagement party, a wonderful event telling everyone that mattered about the union between Elizabeth and her young man, Liam O'Connor. What had actually occurred had been a scandalous affair, the result of which was the O'Connor's taking home a bloody-nosed son, Lady Summers daughter fleeing into the night with Liam's attacker, and Lady Joyce's own son, Alexander, telling his mother a few home truths.

All that the boy had said, as drunk as she'd already been by the time the confrontation began, she would never forget as long a she lived. Her children had felt abandoned by her, at a time when they truly needed her the most, following the death of their father. Her son and daughter, whom she didn't even know the preferred names of, and who both fell in love right under nose, and she didn't even notice. What kind of mother was she?

'A good one' she reminded herself as the vodka bottle calling to her from the table finally got the better of her good intentions and she poured herself a glass. She'd only tried to get them well set up in life, married to respectable people with enough money to live on and everything they needed. Perhaps she didn't know everything about them like they seemed to think she should, but Xander and Buffy were ridiculous names, and how dare he want to marry a servant and her marry a delinquent!

Lady Summers' thoughts got more scrambled and irrational as more alcohol entered her system. She had drunk before because she'd lost her husband, now she was just trying to lose herself, because deep inside she knew she had done wrong. A part of her knew that before the day was out, she would call Elizabeth.

* * * * *

Alexander Summers was not usually found in the staff quarters of his family's residence but today he had someone to see about a very important matter.

"Mrs Rosenburg?" he said as he tapped on the door to the room he was told she would be in.

"Master Alexander" she greeted him with a frown, wondering why he was there "Is there anything wrong?" she asked, standing up from her seat as he came into the room.

"No, complete opposite actually" the young man assured her, gesturing that she should sit down again as he took a seat opposite her "I kind of needed to talk to you about Willow"

"Oh goddess, what has the girl done?" Sheila gasped, obviously terrified that she was about to be fired because of something Willow may have done to cause offence.

"Nothing bad, I promise" Xander smiled, usually he hated striking fear into the hearts of staff, today it was just amusing that this woman really hadn't noticed the attraction between her daughter and himself "Mrs Rosenburg, I came to ask your consent" he told her "I know this might come as a shock but I'd like to marry your daughter"

There was silence for a moment and Xander wondered if he'd shocked her into a coma or something.

"There must be some mistake, sir" she said finally, looking totally confused.

"Well, I'm not talking like tomorrow or anything" the brunette assured her "but the only mistake here was my not noticing how perfect we were for each other sooner" Sheila still looked uncertain, and so Xander continued "I love her and she loves me and if you'll let me I'd like to marry her one day"

"If you both wish it I could hardly prevent it" the woman shrugged, "but I am a little surprised" she admitted. Xander was expecting that.

"I understand it seems sudden" he nodded "I guess it is a little, but I promise to look after Willow, I really do love her" he stressed yet again, making sure she really understood. He was technically her boss and had a much higher social standing than her, but he still would like to know she approved of his relationship with her daughter.

"I never thought I'd see the day" Sheila smiled "my daughter will be a Lady"

"She's already a lady Mrs Rosenburg" Xander assured her as he stood to leave "she just doesn't have the title yet"

* * * * *

It had been a very strange last twenty four hours, Buffy thought to herself. She had started out engaged to Angel, wearing an evening gown and drinking punch at her own party. Now less than a day later, she was sitting on a window sill in the Giles' house, wearing one of Spike's T-shirts and a pair of jeans she'd borrowed from one of the young maids, looking out across the town of Sunnydale, so glad about the way things had turned out. The only worry in her mind was her mother and what might happen if she decided to confront her daughter about her behaviour.

As if the fates knew she wanted to get that particular meeting over with as soon as possible there was a tap on the door and a servant came in.

"Excuse me, Miss" she smiled "Lady Summers is here to see you"

"Oh" was Buffy's only reaction, really wishing that Spike and Giles hadn't had to go to that meeting this morning. They'd be back any moment but she knew she had to face her mother now, and alone it seemed.

"I've shown her to the first sitting room" the maid prompted as Buffy followed her out into the corridor, only to look completely bemused by the huge amount of doors she found "Third door on the right" the maid whispered, gesturing in the right direction and Buffy smiled politely.

"Thankyou" she said as the maid disappeared.

With a deep breath and her head held high, Buffy put her hand on the knob and pushed open the door. Her mothers eyes were immediately on her, scrutinising her, disapproving of her clothes, her behaviour yesterday, her every trait...

"Elizabeth..." the Lady began, trying to be pleasant but not quite managing it.

"That's not my name anymore" Buffy snapped, determined to be strong against her mother whom she had been treated too badly by in the past. If Xander could do it, so could she, and being in this house made it easier. It was more neutral ground, but where she was safe and wanted, she had nothing to fear.

"Buffy" Lady Joyce tried using the nickname her son had told her was more acceptable "Please, listen to me..."

"Why?" her daughter interrupted somewhat loudly "You never listened to me...I wanted to tell you a million times that I was unhappy but I was never sure how you'd react, especially when you'd been drinking" she raved.

"But I..." the Lady tried to explain, but Buffy did not want to hear it as she continued saying all the things she'd always wanted to, with her mother trying to get a word in sideways by also shouting.

* * * * *

Spike had gone looking for Buffy almost as soon as he and his father had returned from their meeting, stopping just vreifly at his own room to change out of the suit hr so despised having to wear on occasion. He asked one of the maids if she knew where Buffy was, and luckily chose the same girl that had received Lady Joyce into the house. She directed him straight to the room where he could find both her and Buffy. He was several feet from the door but he could already hear the yelling. Out of politeness he knocked lightly before entering and found the two women standing a few feet apart, both red faced from shouting, with Buffy close to tears.

"Buffy, you okay, luv?" Spike asked with a frown, coming into the room and going over to her.

"I'm fine, honestly" she promised him, managing a half-smile as he hugged her briefly.

"Lady Summers" he said turning to her as he pulled away from Buffy "I don't believe we've been formerly introduced, my name is William Giles" he told her, holding out a hand.

The Lady nodded, taking the offered hand and looking the bleach blond up and down, trying to hide her distaste at his appearance. He was wearing his black jeans, T-shirt and boots, just as when Buffy first met him

"I'll leave you two ladies alone again, shall I?" he said pleasantly, ignoring the fact that he could tell Lady Joyce did not approve of him. So long as Buffy loved him, he didn't care what her mother or anyone else thought.

"I won't be long" Buffy whispered as he passed her and he smiled from the doorway, right before he left.

It wasn't that he wanted to eaves-drop on their conversation, but it was all for a good cause really, he told himself as he stood by the door, one ear pressed to the wood. He wanted to be there in case Buffy's mother got nasty with her.

"He seems pleasant" he heard her the Lady say, knowing full well she was lying.

"He's wonderful" Buffy replied "and I love him"

"And he loves you" her mother conceded "or so it would seem...you've made a good match even without my help"

"I hope you're not talking about money again?!" Buffy exploded angrily "Yes, as it turns out, Spike will inherit a fortune too, but the beauty of it is that we fell in love not knowing that about each other" she explained, wishing her mother would understand at least a little "We learnt to love each other as people before money ever came into the equation, but you, you only ever let me talk to rich guys or ones that you knew would inherit a huge fortune one day" she ended sadly, more upset by how her mother had treated her than angry about it.

"I wasn't referring to money Eliz...Buffy" Lady Joyce corrected herself "but as you have brought it up... are you seriously telling me you would have stayed with this boy if he'd have lived in some cheap little apartment on the other side of town, if he'd have been a nobody?"

Spike had almost come bursting in before when Buffy had started getting upset and yelling, but he'd let her go it alone, believing she could handle it. Now was a different matter. The so-called 'Lady' was talking about him and at the same time accusing Buffy of being as shallow as she herself obviously was.

"I would never be nobody" he announced, his sudden appearance in the doorway making both Lady Joyce and Buffy physically jump and turn toward him "because Buffy loves me, and that makes me a somebody if nothing else does" he said as he walked over and put an arm around the blonde's shoulders. She turned to him with a questioning look and he smirked as he whispered in her ear "Eavesdropping is one of my worst habits"

She smiled a little as he squeezed her shoulders and she turned to face her mother.

"And I would love him no matter what" she told her "If we were both to lose every cent we had tomorrow it wouldn't matter"

Lady Joyce's eyes narrowed as she looked at the pair of lovebirds in front of her. To be wrong and to be beaten, two things she hated, but she had been wrong about Buffy and Angel and she'd been beaten in her attempts to make that relationship last.

"You can say that, safe in the knowledge that it will never occur" she sneered.

"We can say that because we both know it's true" Spike snapped "You want proof?" he smiled dangerously, knowing exactly how much he was driving her crazy "Cut off her money" he tilted his head toward Buffy "convince my father to cut off mine. You'll lose a daughter and the possible chance of a son-in-law and maybe grandchildren, but we'll still be happy as we are now...possibly happier, without certain people's interference"

"Buffy?" Lady Joyce looked to her daughter, still hanging onto the final hope that the girl might see sense and choose her family over this boy.

"I don't think we have anything left to say Mother" the girl said sadly, leaning more on Spike and feeling reassured by his arm around her.

As Lady Summers swept out of the room, and the house, and her daughters life, Buffy sighed. It was over now, and she was free.

~The End???~

Not quite...Epilogue is this way ---