A/N : Thanx to; SlaYeRGirRLkaL, msberry, Demonica Mills, bella-lover, Amandamanda3, Spikelvr, Moonjava, RoleModelGirlie, Brunettepet, BuffyandDracoLover, soccergirl2002uk, gypsy-jin, for the latest reviews. Yeah so, Spike said a stupid thing and ruined it all, but things can only get better, right? Read on to find out...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 14

Buffy spent most of Monday afternoon in tears, or close to it. She drank a couple of glasses of vodka down, hoping to dull the pain in her heart and her head. It did very little good, only causing her to feel nauseous and worse than she had before.

She checked the clock around six and realised Riley would be home in a couple of hours. The idea of facing him was too much to deal with so after tidying up the living room and kitchen, throwing out the empty bottles of alcohol and putting the others away, she took a long hot bath and put herself to bed.

"All the work we put in and now the boss wants over-time" Xander complained as he left the site with Riley, "I did enough of that last year and almost lost Willow 'cause of the extra hours I put in"

"I considered it" his friend told him, "I mean, weddings aren't exactly cheap but I don't like being away from Buffy all those extra hours either"

"Just five more days til you're married" Xander realised, "God, that sounds so weird"

"I can't wait" Riley grinned, "I'll be the happiest man in the world when I can call Buffy my wife, and I plan on making her the happiest woman in the world too"

The two men said goodnight to each other as they walked in opposite directions to go home.

"Stupid git" a voice said in the dark, making Xander physically jump and yell ridiculously high.

"Spike" he said with realisation as the Englishman appeared out of the darkness.

"Who'd you think it was, you big girl?" he smirked annoyingly as Xander tried to breathe correctly.

"Lurk, much?" he complained and Spike rolled his eyes, flicking away the cigarette he'd been smoking.

"Wasn't lurking" he defended himself, "Just, hanging about. It's a whole different vibe"

Xander didn't look particularly convinced as the pair began walking down the street together.

"'Sides I figured it'd be best if that ponce Finn didn't see me" the bleached blond went on to say, "Especially considering what I was doing with his fiancée not five hours ago" he smirked, making Xander's mouth drop open like his jaw had become detached.

"You and the Buffster?" he checked, "You and her did the...thing" he said making a vague gesture with his hand.

"There was no shagging if that's what you mean" Spike rolled his eyes again as he took out another cigarette and lit it, "Could've been though, if I hadn't put my foot in it...metaphorically" he added when the look on Xander's face said he'd taken that sentence far too literally!

"Buffy cheated on Riley, kinda anyway" the brunette said thoughtfully, "That's so...non-Buffy"

"Wasn't really cheatin'" Spike defended her, kicking a can across the street "She was mine first"

"Kid in the sandbox, much?" his old friend shot back with a smile, causing Spike to grin too.

"Yeah, well, it's bloody true" he insisted. Xander nodded his agreement as they continued to walk together. When the silence grew strangely long, Spike got to the point of why he'd jumped out of the dark in the first place.

"Er, Xand, didn't you say somethin' to me about being away one night this week?" he checked.

"Thursday, yeah" the brunette nodded, "I don't like going away nights and Will's not a fan but someone has to make the pick-up"

"And if you said no?" Spike asked curiously, throwing away his second spent cigarette as they came to a halt outside the apartment block.

Xander wondered why he wanted to know all this but first asked if William was going to come inside. Spike declined, knowing Willow wouldn't approve of his plans to get Buffy back. She'd already been a part of one them, he didn't fancy bringing her in on another, slightly dodgier scheme.

"So, this overnight job" he brought attention back to that, "If you didn't go, couldn't someone else?"

"Sure" Xander shrugged, "I guess someone else in my team, Ben or Graham or Riley..." he stopped short when Spike grinned too widely, "Oh no, no way!" he backed up a step shaking his head, "I am not fixing it that Riley'll go away so you can seduce the Buffster!" he said firmly.

"It's not about seducing her, you pillock" Spike told him, but off Xander's look he sighed, "Okay, so part of it is about that" he admitted, "but you know what Buffy means to me, man. I did a stupid thing leaving like I did, I get that now, but you know we can't let her marry that git!" he complained.

Xander exhaled, knowing he would probably live to regret what he said next, but saying it anyway.

"Okay" he gave in, "I'll see what I can do"

"Thanks, mate" Spike grinned, slapping him on the back, "I owe you one"

"You owe me several" Xander pointed out with a smile, "but you're my friend, so I'm not counting"

Despite the alcohol and the relaxing bath, Buffy could not get to sleep and she listened as Riley came in through the front door at past eight o'clock. She closed her eyes tight and lie very still hoping he'd leave her alone - she was out of luck on that score.

She heard him moving around in the living room and then the bathroom. He came in through the bedroom door and she feigned sleep as he got undressed, and still when she felt the bed shift as he climbed in.

He pressed his body up against her back and began to kiss her shoulder and neck. Buffy was hoping that if she didn't react at all he'd give up, but those hopes were dashed when she felt his hand creep up inside her night-dress. Her eyes snapped open and she turned over so fast, her elbow almost smacked him in the nose.

"Hey" he smiled in the dark, "You weren't supposed to wake up yet" he told her, moving to kiss her lips, "I had a plan"

"I was trying to sleep" she said, shifting away, "I had a headache" she half-lied, "I still have it"

Though her head was not feeling so good, Buffy's real reason for being in bed so early was to avoid all this. Clearly that plan had back-fired.

Riley had assumed she was in bed early for his benefit. It had been a while since they last did anything but sleep in there and it was starting to frustrate him. Still, he realised, Buffy couldn't help it if she had a head-ache, and again he put it all down to the stress of planning a wedding, although with the mood swings and the feeling ill and stuff, he was starting to wonder if there might be another reason, but he didn't want to be the first to mention it...

"You rest up, baby" he told her, kissing her forehead, "I'll go watch TV for a while, okay?"

"Thankyou" she smiled gratefully before turning over to go to sleep. She felt Riley get out of bed and heard him put his pants back on before heading out to the living room again. She sighed with relief but the pain and guilt stayed with her, one more single tear escaping down her cheek.

Buffy did an Oscar-worthy performance of 'sleeping woman' until Riley had left for work next morning. She felt bad for effectively deceiving him, but she couldn't face him right now. He'd want to touch her and she couldn't bear it, especially not after yesterday. She barely had to try in order to feel Spike's lips on her own, his fingers against her skin. She screwed her eyes up tight and willed it all away, despite the fact it had all been so pleasant at the time.

With Riley gone from the apartment and no work to go to, she was free to get up at her own speed and do exactly what she wanted, at least til lunch-time. Then she had to go meet Willow from work and head over to the dress shop for the final fitting of her own wedding dress, and her friends bridesmaid's dress.

Buffy sighed and stretched as she got out of bed. She knocked a piece of paper from the nightstand and bent to pick it up, finding a note from Riley. It said he hoped she felt better and that he'd see her tonight, also he hoped she had fun with Willow at lunch. Buffy smiled at his thoughtfulness, wondering absently if Spike would be so good to her if she gave him the chance. She scolded herself for making comparisons again as she dressed herself and got some breakfast. She'd was terribly unfair to Riley lately and all he wanted to do was love her and be loved back as he deserved. They were getting married in four days, she really did need to make an effort, or she may just find herself arriving at a groom-less church all over again.

No, she told herself firmly, Riley would never do that to her. He couldn't hurt her that way, he wouldn't know how, though it seemed she was not as good a person as she used to think. She had kissed Spike, twice now, and almost a whole lot more, all behind her fiancé's back, and yesterday in their very own apartment.

Shaking her head she tried to clear out all the confusing, negative, and otherwise bad thoughts. She took out her list of things to do for the wedding and made her way down it, completing and crossing off as much as she could. It was almost lunch time when she next checked the clock and she hurriedly grabbed her jacket and purse before heading down to Hyperion International to meet Willow.

The red-head smiled as she exited the building and found Buffy waiting for her. Knowing the other girls would soon follow, the pair greeted each other with a hug and then hurried around the corner towards the dress shop. Neither wanted to be held up by Cordy or Harmony asking awkward questions about Spike or anything else. Willow had managed to get away with saying very little so far and wished for it to stay that way.

"So, how are you enjoying your time off?" she asked as they walked together.

"It's okay, I guess" Buffy shrugged, "I'm getting a lot of wedding stuff done but..."

"But?" Willow prompted when her friend turned quiet and the blonde sighed.

"Things have been kinda weird and confused since William came back" she admitted, "I just sort of wish he'd go away again"

Willow looked at the ground as they paused outside the dress shop, before glancing back up at Buffy.

"I kind of have a confession" she said, sounding apologetic already, "Buffy I convinced Lorne to let you take the week off because Will asked me to"

There she'd said it, but she wasn't sure that she felt any better. Now she was waiting for Buffy to explode with anger or cry like she'd never stop. She was grateful when neither of these events occurred.

"It's okay" the blonde nodded, "I kinda thought maybe that was how it happened, and I totally understand why you'd help him" she assure her worried friend, "He can be pretty persuasive these days" she added, almost dreamily, making Willow wonder if something had happened that she'd missed, but she didn't ask.

The two girls went into the dress shop and the elderly owner, Miss French, sent her assistant, Tara, to fetch their dresses. Minutes later they were stood before the bank of mirrors on one wall, admiring themselves in their special outfits.

Buffy had said she'd feel a fraud in white and so she wore pale cream. The top of her dress was a fitted bodice, and the skirt flowed down from her waist like a water fall, shimmering in the light, right down to where it skimmed the floor. Willow's dress was a similar style but a little less extravagant and with three quarter sleeves where Buffy's had none. It was in a deep burgundy, the same colour as the bride's flowers would be.

"You look just beautiful" Miss French smiled, "Don't they Tara?" she asked her assistant who heartily agreed.

"It seems we're not the only ones who think so either" the old lady smiled, gesturing towards the window at the front of the shop. Buffy was smiling when she turned but the joy disappeared from her face when piercing blue eyes met hers through the glass pane.

"William" she whispered to herself as she watched him watching her.

Spike smiled approvingly of her outfit and then at Willow before turning his back on them and walking away.

"He could've come in and said hi" the red-head complained, as Buffy also turned away and tried to work the fastenings on the back of her dress. She didn't want to think about Spike right now, she just couldn't.

"That's weird" she heard Willow say behind her, "He has a a big bag on his shoulder...it almost looks as if he's leaving again" she frowned.

"That's a good thing" Buffy nodded, swallowing hard.

In her heart she knew she was lying.

To Be Continued...

A/N2 : Reviews make me happy. Being happy makes me want to write more of my fic. There's a hint in there somewhere...