Chapter Twenty-Four

Spike entered his room and looked in the back of his closet. Shoved in the back corner was a pair of blue plaid pajama pants. He didn't like wearing these, they looked stupid, but Buffy said they dress in pajamas and he didn't want to break tradition just because he didn't feel like it. It's only one embarrassin' night. He replaced his black pants with the pajamas. "Oh bloody hell," he said, looking down at his jester trousers. "I look like a bloody poof." He shook his head and left the room. He went to Buffy's room and knocked on the door. "Ready luv?"

"Just a sec." Buffy grabbed a hair tie and put her hair in a bun. She grabbed her thin black pullover and opened her door. The second she opened it she exhaled a quick laugh and covered her mouth.

"What?"

Buffy held back a smile and said, "Nothing. You just look… different."

"That's not what you wanted to say."

"No it's not, but let's pretend it is." Her eyes wandered down to the pants and she broke in a laugh. "Are you serious about this?" she asked through gasps.

"You said you wear pajamas so-"

"So you called up your circus buddies and had you send them some clown pants."

"They're not clown pants. They're basic plaid pants."

"But on you they might as well be clown pants." Buffy took a deep breath to compose herself. "Look-" she started laughing when she saw the pants. Buffy closed her eyes and said, "I'd rather you go naked than in those. So please go back in your room and wear some clothes that didn't belong to Bozo."

"Thank you." He bolted into his room and tossed the clothes away with disgust. He grabbed his black pants and put them back on. "Much better." He left his room, this time with a smile and met Buffy in the hall.

"Much better," Buffy said with a smile before moving in for a kiss.

Spike gladly obliged. "I thought so too. Oh, before we head to Willow's we gotta drop Xander off."

When they got outside, Buffy noticed Xander having a conversation with himself. His hands were moving like he was trying to convince someone of something. "What is he doing?"

"Hell if I know." Once they opened the doors to Spike's blazer he stopped.

"Buffy, can I ask you a question? Man to woman?"

"I'm the woman right?"

"Yeah," Xander replied, not giving it a sarcastic thought.

"Then yes."

"What would you have to hear from someone you hated, but slept with, in order to have you sleep with them again?"

"What would I need to hear or what would Cordelia Queen of All need to hear?"

"Cordelia would be more helpful."

"Honestly Xander, I have no clue. She is either too complex or too simple for me to understand," Buffy stated.

"But you're a woman. You're suppose to get each other because God knows no one else does."

"Well we don't."

Xander put his head in his hands. "You see how unknowing you women are? Men get each other no matter what."

"That's because there's not much to you."

"Which I gotta is a relief."

From then on, they all supported the silence that hung in the air until Xander was dropped off. "Good luck."

"Thanks man. You too." They did their little handshake and he got out. Buffy moved up to the front seat and buckled in.

"Sorry ma'am but you have to pay a toll." Buffy pulled him in for a quick, deep kiss. "Whoah."

"I don't want to be late. We're cuttin' it close."

"How do I get there?"

"Turn around and go straight." Spike gave the road a quick look and performed a u-turn. "So, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Would ya stop? If I didn't, I wouldn't be here. Is this really that dull?"

"No, it's a lot of fun. I was just checking."

"For the fiftieth time."

"Don't be so dramatic… forty-seventh." They both smiled.

"What do you do?"

"Sit, eat popcorn-left- and play a couple games in between." She was glad to see he was actually listening to her because he performed the correct turn.

"Sounds like a blast."

"It is. Another left."

Finally they made it to Oz's house. Oz and Willow were already laying in the bed of pillows, a movie inserted in the VCR. They watched a couple movies, played Scrabble and Guesstures and told stories of memories passed and the clumsier moments of their lives.

When the school started there was a rumor going around that Buffy and Spike tied the knot over break because of the sudden wanting-to-be-togetherness. They held hands between classes, gave each other quick smooches before departing into their appropriate classrooms and they were laughing and smiling a lot. No one has ever seen either of them so happy.

At the end of the day they made an appearance in the library. "Dad?" Spike asked. Buffy kept hold of Spike's hand as she walked forward to check the backroom.

"How is your married life?" Giles asked, his sight kept on a book.

"Married life?" they said in unison.

"The students are not the only ones who hear the rumors." Giles placed the book back on the shelf and walked down to them.

"Oh right the rumor. That was the only thing bussing through the school today. Mindy Carriman came up to me in gym and asked, extremely happy that there's no more talk of her little event before break."

"What event before break?"

"You know, the one where people said she was selling cocaine within the school to pay for her illegitimate child?"

"Oh yeah," Spike said with a smile when it came to him.

"Do you kids honestly have nothing better to do?" Giles asked.

"Yes, actually I came to talk to you for a second." Spike walked over to his Dad and into his office. Giles followed and Spike shut the door so no one could hear.

Buffy bit her bottom lip. What could they have to talk about that I can't hear? Is he gonna tell him about how close we've been? Or that we- oh no, is he gonna tell his Dad we slept together? Why would he do that? Is he a complete idiot! He may have engaged us but he is in no way prepared to hear anything like that. She saw their silhouettes hugging. What? He's actually okay with this? My mother would flip out if she- oh no! Now Giles is gonna tell my mom! Damn it Spike why did you do that! You stupid little- The doors opened, Spike stepping out first. "You two all squared away?"

"Yup." Spike walked up to her and kissed her. "See you at home Dad."

"Bye Spike. Bye Buffy."

"Bye Giles. See you at the homestead."

Back at the house Joyce was sitting at the dining room table, twiddling her thumbs. She was waiting for her daughter and Spike to get home. Giles just called to tell her Spike had some news. Finally she heard the car pull up. She leapt from her seat and to the door. "Hi you two. How was your day?"

"Fine. We're the talk of the school." Buffy kissed her mom's cheek.

"That's good?"

"Well it's not bad talk. They're just saying Spike and I got married."

"Oh." Joyce looked at Spike and he was trying to talk to her with subtle face gestures. "Buffy, Willow called and she said she needed you to call her once you got home."

"Oh all right." Buffy left Spike's side after a quick kiss and ran into the kitchen. She picked up the phone and dialed Willow's number. "Hey Will. What's up?… Oh. Well what was the problem?… All right…. No biggy…. Okay, bye." Buffy hung up the phone about a minute after her mom and Spike came inside. Her mom's eyes were a little red like she was crying. "You all right mom?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Joyce said, a little uneasy. "I just… I'll be…" Joyce left, not finishing her sentence.

"What in the world is going on?" Buffy asked, curious as to what news Spike held.

"I don't know. Hey so I have an idea. Let's hang out tonight."

"Not exactly different."

"Well, not hang out in your room. We'll actually hang out. As in outside of the confines of this house."

"Okay."

"We can go for a nice walk around town."

"Sounds great." Buffy pulled Spike in for a kiss.

Author's Note: All right, this story is gonna wrap up soon whether in the next chapter or the one after that. I have like three stories going on at once and this has a whole lotta chapters all ready. I say it's time to move on. But please keep up the reviews and find out what's gonna happen.