Twenty-Five

"Cordelia," Xander stated, walking up to her locker. She was standing with a couple of her friends in the empty hallways.

"Harris," she said with disgust. "I don't remember ordering a clown." She turned to her friends and they started laughing.

Xander sarcastically joined and cut to, "I see someone had a healthy bowl of Bitch Flakes today."

"What do you want scum?" Harmony asked.

"I was actually planing on walking by your vapid gathering of fake breasts and hairspray, but I remembered I had an assignment to discuss with Cordelia." He looked at her and she just sneered at him. "Or we could talk about it here," Xander said with a smile.

Cordelia caught on and said, "I'd rather not be seen talking to you. Why don't you go to the nurse's office for your brain transplant now." Cordelia walked away, her posse following.

Xander took her hidden meaning and went to the nurses office. He sat outside for about ten minutes. "Maybe I was looking for hidden meaning where there was just sarcasm and hatred."

Just then Cordelia rounded the corner. Her short plaid skirt swishing from side to side with each step. "Don't you EVER talk to me in front of my friends EVER again!"

"I'm sorry honey, but you didn't call. I was getting worried."

"You actually thought I was going to call you? That thing that we didn't do was just a one time thing."

"That's reassuring." Xander pushed himself off the floor to be eye level.

"Reassuring? You were waiting by your phone for a booty call," Cordelia bickered.

"Okay, one, you don't know that. And two, you could've at least done a call and hang up!"

"Why should I? I hate you and your little band of flunkies!"

"And I hate you and your horde of demonic bimbos."

"I hated you first!"

"Well I hate you more!"

"Burn in Hell!"

"I'll save you a seat!" Cordelia and Xander exchanged aggravated glances before clinging to each other like magnets. They started crazily kissing each other and fiddling with the door to get inside.

Buffy and Spike were holding hands and talking about general stuff. They exchanged a couple kisses here and there but they mostly just held hands. They felt more comfortable with each other than either of them ever had.

"Is there any specific destination set in this trip?" Buffy asked, kicking at a small rock.

"Does there have to be?"

"No. I was just curious. Unless of coarse you're planning on pulling me into a dark alley where you can corner me and stab me to death."

"You saw the blue print then huh? I thought I hid that pretty well."

Buffy punched his arm. "Kidder."

"I know." Spike pulled Buffy into the park.

"Look, a playground." Buffy pointed to the two swings and slide. "Let's go play," she seductively suggested. She waited for spike to sit down first. "Do you mind?" she asked, gesturing to Spike.

"By all means." Buffy sat on his lap, facing him and stuck her legs out the other side. "This is fun."

"Yea, it is." Buffy leaned in and kissed him, placing both her soft hands on his face. Her tongue tickled his mouth before withdrawing. Suddenly, raindrops started falling sparingly. "Rain?"

"Looks like it."

"I wonder if-" the rain started coming down like a waterfall. "Wow, it really does happen like in the movies."

"What movies?"

"Ya know, the movies where the people are in a really bad situation and they say 'it can't get worse than this' then in two seconds the rain starts falling like crazy."

"Oh, those movies."

"I like the rain though." Buffy closed her eyes and turned her head up. The raindrops grazed down her neck and under her shirt.

She looks so happy. And incredibly hot. "I think I can honestly say this is as close to a perfect moment as I can get." Buffy ran her hands through her soaked hair. "Buffy?"

"Yea?" she jerked her head forward so she was looking into his beautiful, blur eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"No, I mean, I really do love you," Spike said seriously. "I've never felt like this before and that makes me feel good. You make me feel good. All I want is to be with you for the rest of my life because then I'll know I'll never be unhappy. You're all I want in this world." Buffy's eyes started tearing. Spike took his hands off the chain that held the swing to the pole and wrapped them around her hands. "I know we started out less than happy with our situation, but now all I can think about is how life can possibly get better, and somehow, everyday, you make it better. I don't how you do it, but you make me feel like more than a man. You make me feel special."

Buffy leaned down and kissed him deeply. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. "You make me feel special too. I feel like I'm the only person inn the world when I'm with you."

"Buffy?" Spike reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a dark red chest. He pulled up the little golden latch and revealed a silver ring with a square diamond in the center. "Will you marry me?"

Buffy's hands swiftly covered her mouth, in shock.

Xander slipped on his t-shirt while Cordelia buttoned her white blouse. "Well, that was… good. Kinda great actually. Maybe even fantastic." Xander looked over as Cordelia fastened the last button. "You could jump in with new adjective at any time now."

"Not bad."

"Not bad? That," Xander pointed to the tacky dark green bed, "was not bad?"

"Do you want me to say it sucked?" Cordelia picked up her little black purse and headed to the door.

Xander intervened, standing in front of the door. "Wait. You seriously thought it was just 'not that bad?'"

"You're not very good with criticism are you Harris?"

"When it's not deserved, yes. Don't' get me wrong. When Mr. Gregory told me I was bad as a lion I should play the rock, I was a little hurt. But then I practice in front of the mirror and learned I sucked as a lion."

"Harris, what are you talking about?" Cordelia asked, very confused. Then again, it wasn't often she understood him.

"And what's with the Harris thing? Do you not remember my name after we have sex? You seem to know, and scream it, while we're fornicating."

"I don't want to make this personable. If I use your first name you'll think I actually care about you, when really all I care about is great sex."

"Aha!" Xander pointed to her with triumph. "You said great sex."

"Whatever, look, I gotta go."

"Where?" Xander asked, covering the doorknob with his hand.

"If you must know, I have a date."

"A date?" Xander asked, crushed.

"Yes. He's a freshman in college and he's majoring for history or something. Now, get out of my way before I have to result to the chick fight thing?"

"What's the chick fight thing?" Cordelia dug her nails into his hand, making Xander scream in pain. She opened the door, hitting him in the back of the head, and left.

"Buffy? Do you not have an answer or are you pausing for dramatic effect?"

"Sorry, I'm still basking…. Okay, I'm basked. And my answer is yes, Spike. I will marry you." Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy and stood up from the swing. He tried walking with her clinging to his body but her feet got caught on the swing and they fell and started to laugh. Buffy rolled on top of him, holding her torso up with her hands next to his head, and leaned in for a kiss. Spike placed his hands on her face and wouldn't let her go.

"I love you Buffy."

"I love you Spike."

Author's Note: One more chapter.