A/N : So, we finally got to the Spuffy love and it seems everyone is pleased about that. Thanx to; velja, B/S Rox, Spuffyluvr, toya96, SweetBitter, wolf116, Malfeus, rubi-elektra, SlayGal, Spuffyfan4eva. It means so much to me to read all the nice comments you leave about my story. You make me wanna write more, which is pretty amazing since I like to write a whole lot anyway! Here's the next chapter, hope you like :-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 13

Buffy woke up in a strange bed and for a moment she couldn't remember what had happened, then the memories came flooding back. She'd finally told Spike she was in love with him and he'd felt the same. After all this time they'd finally found a way to love each other the way they should and it had been glorious to be with him and fall asleep in his arms afterwards. That was when Buffy realised there were no arms around her now, only the bed clothes - had it all been a dream?

Tentatively she opened an eye and looked across the pillows. Spike was there, so maybe it had been real after all. He was gazing at her, with a look that proved just how much he loved her. For some unknown reason she felt quite shy.

"Hey" she said softly, shattering the silence of the bedroom.

"Hello, pet" he answered her and she frowned as she realised the problem with their situation, what was different from when she went to sleep.

"Why are you all the way over there?" she asked, noticing he was so close to the other edge of the bed he was almost falling out "We went to sleep closer than this, I remember"

"No reason" he shrugged, turning to stare up at the ceiling, and a pain shot through the Slayer's heart.

"Spike, I know you too well" she began, she could always tell when he was lying "do you regret it?" she asked with a crack in her voice "did you change your mind about us?" she hated to think it but he was acting so strangely and she had to know, had she left it too long for him to really care anymore?

"No, baby" he assured her, "don't ever think that" he told her, reaching a hand across to wipe away the lone tear that spilt down her cheek "I just, I don't..." Spike sighed as he pulled away from her again "what we did, it was different, for me"

"I don't understand" Buffy shook her head, momentarily catching sight of the clock on the table. It was just four hours since they'd been as close as they could be and now he barely wanted to touch her "I mean, it's not like we never did it before. Lots of different times, and lots of different ways..." she reminded him, sounding scarily like the Buffy-bot, but he didn't seem to notice as he interrupted her.

"No, before it was sex" he said sharply as if it were obvious what he meant, but Buffy couldn't for the life of her work it out.

"I'm sorry" she said, sitting up and pulling the covers around her naked body "but unless they changed it since the last time, I'm pretty sure there was sex have-age just now" she told him, getting a little aggravated about it now. It had meant so much to her and now he was acting like this...

"No-one ever..." Spike began, still not looking at her. He just couldn't verbalise what he was feeling, it was beyond him "When you kissed me, after you said you loved me" he started over, glancing over at her but not really looking "it was different, it felt different...no-one ever touched me that way before, not even you, and I never felt..." he looked over at her then and saw her bite her lip, convinced she was trying not to laugh he lost his temper.

"Oh, this is soddin' ridiculous" he yelled, throwing the covers aside and turning to sit on the edge of the bed. It didn't matter to him that he wasn't wearing anything, he just couldn't face looking at her if she was going to make fun of how he felt.

Finally Buffy had realised what this was all about, and she thought she would cry at how sweet it was, hence the lip bite-age. She scrambled across the bed until she was half sitting, half lying by his back.

"It's not ridiculous" she told him, putting a hand on his shoulder "and I think I know what you're trying to say now" she said as she pulled on his arm and made him turn to look at her "This might not have been the first time we did 'it'" she would've laughed at herself for being such a child if the moment weren't so serious "but...it was the first time we really made love. Is that it?" she asked him, relieved when he nodded in reply.

"Yeah, that's exactly it" he agreed, running a hand through the strands of hair that fell over her shoulder "You think I'm some lame joke of a poofter now, right?" he winced at the very idea his status as 'a real man' had been dented.

"How could I?" Buffy smiled slightly, as she pulled herself up beside him "You mean so much to me" she told him as she kissed his face "and y'know, I felt it too"

As soon as she'd said it, his lips were on hers, a kiss full of passion and love. She understood him like no-one else could, but she'd never understood his love for her. Now she loved him, truly and completely, and it was all he'd ever wanted.

"I've never loved anyone the way I love you" he told her as the kiss finally ended and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her body tight to his "and nobody ever loved me the way you do, and...it terrifies me"

"It doesn't have to be terrifying" she told him, pulling back until she could see his face again "You weren't terrified before, were you?"

"No" he admitted "but I can't be scared when we're..." he trailed off.

"Making love?" Buffy supplied, knowing the term seemed foreign to him, loving the fact she could make him go all embarrassed that way. The Big Bad reduced to a bashful young man at her words and her touch - that was some power to have.

"Yeah, when we're making love" he agreed with a slight smile, knowing he'd be blushing bright red if he were able. She smiled too, but just for a moment before she kissed him and they were serious again.

"So stop being scared" she said softly, pulling him closer and leaning back until they were lying together again, their bodies entwined. Their hands began to roam once more, the sensation of his cool skin against hers was exhilarating and she knew he felt something similar as they kissed, caressed, and loved each other.

"Make love to me again, William" she whispered in his ear, unable to stop herself from gasping as he began to do just that.

This is how it was supposed to be, they both felt it, they both knew. This was love - true, real, beautiful. Nothing had ever felt this wonderful, and nothing ever could.

- - - - - - - - - -

As the next morning dawned, Spike realised he had hardly slept at all, and yet he wasn't in the least bit tired. Last night, for the first time in his existence he had made love with a woman he adored. Where they went from here, it didn't really matter, all there was in his world right now was his love for Buffy and hers for him.

He looked down at her lying beside him and revelled at the feel of her in his arms. She'd been there before, willingly on no less than three occasions, and they'd been intimate more times than he could count, but there'd never been a night when they'd truly made love, and definitely not a time when they'd held each other like this afterwards, not until now.

"Hey, you" she smiled as she opened her eyes at last, so pleased he was still holding her this time, so elated after the nights events.

"Mornin' pet" he smiled back, kissing her briefly, "You sleep okay?" he asked, knowing she must've since he'd been watching her for hours.

"Better than I have in a long time" she told him solemnly, "but I was afraid to wake up" she admitted, "in case I'd dreamt it all"

He kissed her again with some passion.

"That felt real to me" he grinned and she did the same.

"To me too" she agreed, "but maybe we should just check" she added, leaning in again. As their tongues did battle, his hand slid from her shoulder right down the length of her body making her shiver in a delightful way. She pulled away a little, still smiling.

"If we carry on this way, we're never going to get up" she pointed out, holding him as arms length and giggling as he tried to kiss her again.

"I can assure you pet, I'm already 'up" he smirked and she gave him a look that said that wasn't what she meant.

"Does it matter if we don't get out of bed right now?" he asked as her resistance crumbled and his lips found hers again, making her go weak against him.

"I guess not" she agreed between kisses as she reciprocated, ironically making him feel more alive than he ever had before.

- - - - - - - - - -

It was several hours later when the Slayer and the vampire finally emerged from her room, holding hands and smiling widely. Fred was a little surprised to see them as she rounded the corner and literally walked straight into Spike.

"Oh hey Spike..and Buffy, how come you're still here?" she asked.

"Well, it all started with Connor..." the Slayer began and Fred frowned as she asked who he was. Spike rolled his eyes at Buffy, reminding he that no-one else's memories had returned so talking about Angel's son was pointless.

"That doesn't matter right now, pet" he told his Texan friend, "the fact is, Buffy didn't leave last night and...I didn't exactly use my own bed" he smirked as he raised the hand that held Buffy's so Fred could see.

"Oh my God" Fred was so thrilled for her friends but also a little embarrassed that she'd just been told they slept together. Her hands went to her face as she gasped from the surprise, but as soon as the shock passed she launched herself at Spike and hugged him tight. He was a little surprised but pleasantly so.

"Congratulations" Fred bounced on her toes as she squeezed him, "I'm so happy for you"

"Thanks, luv" the vampire laughed as Fred moved on to hugging Buffy.

The commotion alerted Gunn and Wesley who were in the latters office just a few feet away. They emerged and asked what was going on, but didn't require an answer as Gunn figured it out for himself.

"Given the fact we still have a Slayer in the building, and she and the vamp here both look like they slept with hangers in their mouths, I'm guessing love is in the air after all?" he grinned.

"Too bloody right" Spike agreed, causing everyone to smile.

These two deserved some happiness after all they'd been through, and if they could find that happiness together then so much the better.

"So does this mean you're staying here Buffy?" Fred piped up after a while. Buffy shared a look with Spike and frowned momentarily.

"I don't know whats gonna happen next" she shrugged, "I just know that I'm in love"

Spike moved to kiss her then but didn't quite make contact with her lips when she gasped.

"Oh my God! The gang are expecting me back in England!" she said worriedly, "Giles is probably at the airport right now going crazy cos I'm not there!"

Wesley checked his watch.

"No, not yet" he assured her, "With the length of the flight and the time difference, they wouldn't be expecting you for a couple more hours. If you were to go and telephone them now I'm sure they'd still be at the Centre"

"Then we should go call them" Buffy said urgently, grabbing hold of Spike's hand and darting towards he elevator.

"I'll see you guys later" Spike called over his shoulder as he was happily dragged back to the Slayers room. He loved that she loved him, and if she wanted to drag him around all day then so be it, he'd follow her anywhere.

They had the elevator to themselves and took full advantage of the fact they had to go up more than twenty floors, by the time they got to the top they barely noticed the doors had opened.

"There's time for that later" Buffy giggled as she pulled herself away and they went into the apartment. They sat down on the sofa together and Buffy pulled the phone on the table over towards herself, punching in the number for the Slayer Training Centre in London. Spike clicked the button for speaker phone and began to attack his girlfriend with kisses to her neck until someone picked up the line.

"Slayer Training Centre, this is Andrew speaking, how may I help you?"

Spike looked at the phone in horror as the geeks voice penetrated the room. Buffy laughed at his expression.

"Andrew, it's Buffy" she said, seriously as she could, "Is Giles around?"

"Oh sure, just a sec" he told her, before yelling 'Mr Giles!' at the top of his voice. Both Buffy and Spike heard the Englishman complain at having his name screamed across the building before he finally took hold of the phone and said hello.

"Hey Giles, it's Buffy" she told him, "I'm still in LA, I kinda missed my plane"

"Oh Buffy, I'm so sorry about Angel" he said, making her stop giggling immediately. She'd been having such a wonderful loved-filled time with Spike these passed few hours, now she felt horribly guilty for not spending enough time grieving, "As you know there was no love lost between him and myself" Giles continued, "but I know how much you cared for him"

"I did" she agreed, a crack in her voice, "very much"

"And I hear that another vampire is not as dead as we assumed" the ex-Watcher commented, waiting for Buffy's reaction. Instead he heard Spike's voice.

"You heard right, Rupes" he smirked, "How are you, you old git?"

Buffy laughed as she playfully hit him across the chest.

"I'm sorry Giles I should have warned you, you were on speaker phone" she said, "and also that Spike is sitting right next to me"

"Indeed" came his answer and Buffy took a deep breath, gripping Spike's hand before she spoke again.

"Giles, I know you have a lot of questions, I'm sure everybody does, but right now I don't even think I know the answers, all I do know is that I'm so glad Spike is back. I've realised I'm in love with him Giles and we are going to be together"

There was silence on the other end of the line and Spike felt bad. Giles had never approved of his love for Buffy and now she'd told him they were going to be together no matter what, he worried what the Slayer's father figure would say.

"Giles?" Buffy prompted, looking afraid, but she needn't have done.

"I'm very happy for you Buffy" he said eventually and she sighed with pure relief.

"You're happy that me and the Slayer are loved up and shagging again?" Spike gasped in disbelief. Obviously he was very pleased that Buffy wasn't going to lose her 'family' over this but it surprised him greatly.

"Perhaps that was slightly more information than I required" Giles admitted, uncomfortably, "but I know Buffy was never the same after you...left. She sounds so happy now, how can I not be equally so on her behalf"

"Thankyou, Giles" the Slayer grinned, tears of joy and relief falling from her eyes as Spike hugged her close, "That means so much to me"

"Hey Watcher" the vampire called, "could you stick the Bit on the line, I need a word with her, but don't tell her who it is"

"Oh, yes indeed" Rupert stammered as he translated the sentence into plain English and realised Spike wanted to speak to Dawn. A few moments later she took the phone from him and cautiously asked who was there.

"Hello, Little Bit" Spike said with a smile, so pleased to hear her voice again.

"Spike!" she screeched, "Oh my God! It's so great to hear you!" she enthused, "When Buffy said you weren't really gone, I could hardly believe it but...I missed you so much" she sounded and felt like the kid she'd been five years ago when she'd lost him. Despite all that had occurred between him and Buffy, Dawn couldn't help but feel affection for the vampire.

"Missed you too pet" Spike assured her, feeling stupid that he had to blink hard in order to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. Dawn was somewhere between a sister and a daughter to him and he loved her as much as he loved Buffy, though obviously not in the same way.

They chatted a while longer, and then Willow and Xander got their turn on the phone. When Buffy suddenly realised the size of the phone bill she must be causing she hung up, promising to call again soon and let them know as soon as she knew when she'd be coming home.

The whole thing had got Buffy thinking about the future and where they would go from here. She couldn't just assume that Spike would want to come back to England with her, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to stay in LA.

"Spike?" she tried to get his attention off her body for five seconds and onto her words, "Spike will you stop and listen to me" she laughed as he finally stopped kissing her and moved so they were both sitting upright on the sofa, still she remained in his arms.

"What happens next?" she asked him seriously.

"Well" he began "we kiss some more, I find the zip on this bloody dress of yours and we head for the bedroom, then..."

"Spike!" she snapped as his hand wandered across her body, "I didn't mean that! I think we proved last night that we know how that works!" she laughed lightly, "I mean, what happens next with us?" she wanted to know, "Do I stay here? Do you want to come back to England?"

"I don't care Slayer" he told her, "So long as I'm with you, I just don't care"

"You'd give up your life here in LA, move all the way to London and work at the Centre, you'd do all that for me?" she asked, a little surprised.

Spike ran his fingers down her cheek and smiled.

"Buffy, I've fought for you, taken torture for you, I've even died for you. Moving half way across the world is the least of my worries"

She smiled too then, knowing it was true and wishing she'd realised her feelings for him sooner, maybe then neither of them would have had to suffer so much.

"I love you" she said with certainty, "You do know that, don't you?"

"I know it" he assured her, "And I love you too, okay?"

"Okay" she nodded, kissing him once again. It seemed that was going to be one of the main activities of the day, but no-one was complaining about that!

To Be Continued...

A/N2 : Lots more Spuffyness! Now I've started I just can't stop! lol. This fic is headed towards an end now, if all goes according to plan there'll be three or four more chapters, I think. Let me know if you still like it by reviewing please! Oh, and for those who are interested, I'm currently working on the next chapter of 'Our Little Secret' :-)