Chapter 3
After hearing Willow's explanation of the error and the miscast spell's ramifications, Buffy spent much of the day in thought. If Spike really did love her, then he might not mind being married to her. She thought of Willow's last spell and almost laughed out loud, remembering the argument she and Spike had had about where their wedding was to be. If this spell really did constitute a sort of vampire marriage, it was a far cry from the church wedding he'd envisioned with dread. She wondered if it were still valid, since it had taken place in a college dorm room with neither the bride nor the groom present!
Her thoughts bounced all over, from being glad about its being Spike, to being horrified at the thought of marrying a vampire. She decided that, yes, she did have to talk to Spike about it, and as soon as dusk fell she headed for the cemetery.
Two new vampires had risen there, and she quickly dispatched them both... and then heard the familiar sound of Spike's teasing applause. "Nice work, luv," he said, echoing his own words from years ago -- the first time they had met.
She turned towards him and gasped. In the light of the streetlamp she could see the bruises on his face and the blood on his mouth. "Spike?" She went and touched his face gently, questioningly.
"Oh, I know what you're thinking, pet," he said. "But don't worry. It's all mine," he gestured to the blood.
She glared at him. "That wasn't what I was thinking, you twit. I was actually wondering who did this to you so I could beat them up."
"Ah, it's nothing really. I'll be right as rain by tomorrow." He gazed at Buffy in the moonlight and his face softened. He reached out to gently stroke her hair. "Cor, I'm glad to see you. I didn't know if you'd want anything to do with me after you found out about the spell."
"I almost didn't, after you left the way you did," Buffy told him honestly. She began to clean him up a little. "So what happened to you today, anyway?"
"Nothing much. Made a little trip to LA to visit relatives."
Buffy said nothing, wondering who his relatives were. Then it hit her. "You went to see Angel? Did he do this to you?"
He nodded, then looked affronted. "For some strange reason, he didn't think we should be together. Can you imagine?"
Buffy's thoughts crystalized. She hadn't been able to make up her mind all day long, with her mind pinballing all over the place, but now, hearing about Angel's reaction, everything fell into place. "What, he wants to play dog-in-the-manger now? He doesn't want me, but he doesn't want me with anyone else either," she fumed. "Well, he's the one who left me, and he said he did it so I could move on! I finally do, and he beats the guy up! Ohhhh!" She gave a passable rendition of a growl.
Spike gave her a predatory smile, thinking of the damage she might do to his sire next time they met. "I love you, Slayer," he said happily. He took two steps forward, closing the distance between them and took her in his arms. "So, wanna marry me?" he teased.
She started to calm down. "I think it's a done deal, mister," she said. "Not that I'm that upset about it."
They kissed fervently there in the cemetery, the caresses gradually becoming more heated. They melted to the ground and as their bodies merged and moved together, Spike looked into her eyes. "The spell makes me yours, Slayer, but whose are you?"
And again, "Whose are you, Slayer?"
And as her body's reactions sped up and took her by storm, Buffy gasped out, "Yours!"
Spike morphed into his vampiric visage and triumphantly claimed her with his fangs. To his surprise, she bit him back, drawing a little blood and marking him as hers. "Mine," she purred, smiling a very feminine smile.
He changed back into his human face and shook his head, collapsing beside her. "Yours," he agreed. He was content.
The dark-haired vampire who had created Spike decided he had seen enough to know that they really were bonded, in both the human and the vampire cultures. He now had proof that Spike really did love Buffy and would never hurt her. In fact, he would be able to love Buffy in ways that he himself would never be able to. Angel just wondered how long it would last. He quietly left the cemetery so he wouldn't disturb them and headed back to L.A.
Epilogue One year later
"Dave, there are some things you need to know about me," Liz Corey told her boyfriend. "I think we're getting serious and it's important to me that you know the truth."
"I'm listening," Dave said.
"No, you're playing with my hair, but maybe you can multi-task," Liz teased before getting into the heavy stuff. "First of all, my legal name isn't Elizabeth Corey. It's Faith. And I'm a renegade Vampire Slayer who is wanted for murder in California."
Dave blinked. "Did you actually commit the murder?" he asked.
"Yeah, but it was an accident," she admitted. "I thought he was a vampire."
Dave had had a lot to learn about the darker aspects of life, but Liz had tutored him gently. He now knew that vampires and other demons existed, and he knew of the theoretical existence of the Slayer -- but he'd never dreamed that his girlfriend was one. He shook his head. Liz was the best thing that ever happened to him, or to his gym, and he wasn't going to lose her.
"So... do we run and hide, or do you turn yourself in?" he asked.
Liz sighed. She had gone through some big changes since she'd been in Reno, and she knew already what her answer would be. "I'm going back to Sunnydale," she said.
"I'm going with you," Dave promised. "We'll hire the best lawyer I know, which should be easy since June's married to him. We'll get you in and out of there in no time... and then maybe you and I can work out something more permanant?" He asked hopefully.
"What, you want to get married or something?" Liz was incredulous. She was stunned when he nodded. "Really? Well... I guess we can talk about it. After we find out how long I'll be in pokey," she said. She sighed again.
"We'll head out tomorrow," Dave said. "And Liz? Don't worry. I'll be with you."
"Ya know, Boss, that does make me feel better!"
"Angel, what brings you to town?" Spike greeted his sire with a sarcastic tone. He purposely didn't invite the vampire in, and he chuckled when Angel tried to come in and was stopped by the invisible barrier. He watched realization dawn in the vampire's eyes that Spike lived in this apartment with a human, and that it had to be Buffy.
"I was just in town and thought I'd see how things are going," Angel said lamely. He had in fact found out everything he needed to know already, due to the fact that he couldn't get in.
"Spike? Who's there?" Buffy asked, coming up to the door. "Oh, hi, Angel. What are you doing here?"
"Just stopping by to say hi," he said. "I was, uh, in the neighborhood."
"What, you're not going to beat up Spike just for old time's sake?" Buffy asked snidely.
Spike smiled. "You know, I never properly thanked you for doing that before," he said to his sire. He turned and kissed his wife deeply for a long moment. When Buffy paused to take a breath, he shot Angel a quick glance and said, "Thanks!"
Buffy kissed her husband again, hungrily. "Yeah, thanks, Angel." Angel just barely caught her last words as she slowly closed the door behind them with her foot.
"Anytime," he said quietly to the closed door. He heaved a big, unnecessary sigh and headed over to Giles'.
"Angel! Did you see Buffy?" Giles asked the morose vampire at his door.
"Briefly. Before she was swallowed by Spike," he sighed again.
"Yes, I must admit that their... partnership took some getting used to," Giles allowed. "But it does seem to be a good one in many ways." He motioned the vampire in and showed him to a chair.
"What... ways?" Angel asked in a strained voice after he had been sitting in silence for a moment.
"Well, he's a good sparring partner for her. He helps with the slaying, much the way you used to. Only he tends to be more involved with everything. And I never thought I'd say this, but he makes Buffy happy. They're a good match."
"I'm glad," Angel forced himself to say. "I only made her miserable."
Giles couldn't argue, and an uncomfortable silence fell on the room. Finally, he spoke. "Did you bring the information I needed?"
"Oh, yeah." Angel dug in his coat pocket and handed Giles a computer disk and a sheaf of papers. "Hope it helps."
"I - I'm sure it will," Giles said. "Thank you, Angel."
Angel returned to LA that night, and was surprised to find he had a client. "Hello, Faith." "Hi, Angel. This is Dave. We need your help. Do you happen to know any decent cops?" Angel could have smiled, if his had been a smiling nature. Buffies might come and go, but he had a job to do.
END
After hearing Willow's explanation of the error and the miscast spell's ramifications, Buffy spent much of the day in thought. If Spike really did love her, then he might not mind being married to her. She thought of Willow's last spell and almost laughed out loud, remembering the argument she and Spike had had about where their wedding was to be. If this spell really did constitute a sort of vampire marriage, it was a far cry from the church wedding he'd envisioned with dread. She wondered if it were still valid, since it had taken place in a college dorm room with neither the bride nor the groom present!
Her thoughts bounced all over, from being glad about its being Spike, to being horrified at the thought of marrying a vampire. She decided that, yes, she did have to talk to Spike about it, and as soon as dusk fell she headed for the cemetery.
Two new vampires had risen there, and she quickly dispatched them both... and then heard the familiar sound of Spike's teasing applause. "Nice work, luv," he said, echoing his own words from years ago -- the first time they had met.
She turned towards him and gasped. In the light of the streetlamp she could see the bruises on his face and the blood on his mouth. "Spike?" She went and touched his face gently, questioningly.
"Oh, I know what you're thinking, pet," he said. "But don't worry. It's all mine," he gestured to the blood.
She glared at him. "That wasn't what I was thinking, you twit. I was actually wondering who did this to you so I could beat them up."
"Ah, it's nothing really. I'll be right as rain by tomorrow." He gazed at Buffy in the moonlight and his face softened. He reached out to gently stroke her hair. "Cor, I'm glad to see you. I didn't know if you'd want anything to do with me after you found out about the spell."
"I almost didn't, after you left the way you did," Buffy told him honestly. She began to clean him up a little. "So what happened to you today, anyway?"
"Nothing much. Made a little trip to LA to visit relatives."
Buffy said nothing, wondering who his relatives were. Then it hit her. "You went to see Angel? Did he do this to you?"
He nodded, then looked affronted. "For some strange reason, he didn't think we should be together. Can you imagine?"
Buffy's thoughts crystalized. She hadn't been able to make up her mind all day long, with her mind pinballing all over the place, but now, hearing about Angel's reaction, everything fell into place. "What, he wants to play dog-in-the-manger now? He doesn't want me, but he doesn't want me with anyone else either," she fumed. "Well, he's the one who left me, and he said he did it so I could move on! I finally do, and he beats the guy up! Ohhhh!" She gave a passable rendition of a growl.
Spike gave her a predatory smile, thinking of the damage she might do to his sire next time they met. "I love you, Slayer," he said happily. He took two steps forward, closing the distance between them and took her in his arms. "So, wanna marry me?" he teased.
She started to calm down. "I think it's a done deal, mister," she said. "Not that I'm that upset about it."
They kissed fervently there in the cemetery, the caresses gradually becoming more heated. They melted to the ground and as their bodies merged and moved together, Spike looked into her eyes. "The spell makes me yours, Slayer, but whose are you?"
And again, "Whose are you, Slayer?"
And as her body's reactions sped up and took her by storm, Buffy gasped out, "Yours!"
Spike morphed into his vampiric visage and triumphantly claimed her with his fangs. To his surprise, she bit him back, drawing a little blood and marking him as hers. "Mine," she purred, smiling a very feminine smile.
He changed back into his human face and shook his head, collapsing beside her. "Yours," he agreed. He was content.
The dark-haired vampire who had created Spike decided he had seen enough to know that they really were bonded, in both the human and the vampire cultures. He now had proof that Spike really did love Buffy and would never hurt her. In fact, he would be able to love Buffy in ways that he himself would never be able to. Angel just wondered how long it would last. He quietly left the cemetery so he wouldn't disturb them and headed back to L.A.
Epilogue One year later
"Dave, there are some things you need to know about me," Liz Corey told her boyfriend. "I think we're getting serious and it's important to me that you know the truth."
"I'm listening," Dave said.
"No, you're playing with my hair, but maybe you can multi-task," Liz teased before getting into the heavy stuff. "First of all, my legal name isn't Elizabeth Corey. It's Faith. And I'm a renegade Vampire Slayer who is wanted for murder in California."
Dave blinked. "Did you actually commit the murder?" he asked.
"Yeah, but it was an accident," she admitted. "I thought he was a vampire."
Dave had had a lot to learn about the darker aspects of life, but Liz had tutored him gently. He now knew that vampires and other demons existed, and he knew of the theoretical existence of the Slayer -- but he'd never dreamed that his girlfriend was one. He shook his head. Liz was the best thing that ever happened to him, or to his gym, and he wasn't going to lose her.
"So... do we run and hide, or do you turn yourself in?" he asked.
Liz sighed. She had gone through some big changes since she'd been in Reno, and she knew already what her answer would be. "I'm going back to Sunnydale," she said.
"I'm going with you," Dave promised. "We'll hire the best lawyer I know, which should be easy since June's married to him. We'll get you in and out of there in no time... and then maybe you and I can work out something more permanant?" He asked hopefully.
"What, you want to get married or something?" Liz was incredulous. She was stunned when he nodded. "Really? Well... I guess we can talk about it. After we find out how long I'll be in pokey," she said. She sighed again.
"We'll head out tomorrow," Dave said. "And Liz? Don't worry. I'll be with you."
"Ya know, Boss, that does make me feel better!"
"Angel, what brings you to town?" Spike greeted his sire with a sarcastic tone. He purposely didn't invite the vampire in, and he chuckled when Angel tried to come in and was stopped by the invisible barrier. He watched realization dawn in the vampire's eyes that Spike lived in this apartment with a human, and that it had to be Buffy.
"I was just in town and thought I'd see how things are going," Angel said lamely. He had in fact found out everything he needed to know already, due to the fact that he couldn't get in.
"Spike? Who's there?" Buffy asked, coming up to the door. "Oh, hi, Angel. What are you doing here?"
"Just stopping by to say hi," he said. "I was, uh, in the neighborhood."
"What, you're not going to beat up Spike just for old time's sake?" Buffy asked snidely.
Spike smiled. "You know, I never properly thanked you for doing that before," he said to his sire. He turned and kissed his wife deeply for a long moment. When Buffy paused to take a breath, he shot Angel a quick glance and said, "Thanks!"
Buffy kissed her husband again, hungrily. "Yeah, thanks, Angel." Angel just barely caught her last words as she slowly closed the door behind them with her foot.
"Anytime," he said quietly to the closed door. He heaved a big, unnecessary sigh and headed over to Giles'.
"Angel! Did you see Buffy?" Giles asked the morose vampire at his door.
"Briefly. Before she was swallowed by Spike," he sighed again.
"Yes, I must admit that their... partnership took some getting used to," Giles allowed. "But it does seem to be a good one in many ways." He motioned the vampire in and showed him to a chair.
"What... ways?" Angel asked in a strained voice after he had been sitting in silence for a moment.
"Well, he's a good sparring partner for her. He helps with the slaying, much the way you used to. Only he tends to be more involved with everything. And I never thought I'd say this, but he makes Buffy happy. They're a good match."
"I'm glad," Angel forced himself to say. "I only made her miserable."
Giles couldn't argue, and an uncomfortable silence fell on the room. Finally, he spoke. "Did you bring the information I needed?"
"Oh, yeah." Angel dug in his coat pocket and handed Giles a computer disk and a sheaf of papers. "Hope it helps."
"I - I'm sure it will," Giles said. "Thank you, Angel."
Angel returned to LA that night, and was surprised to find he had a client. "Hello, Faith." "Hi, Angel. This is Dave. We need your help. Do you happen to know any decent cops?" Angel could have smiled, if his had been a smiling nature. Buffies might come and go, but he had a job to do.
END