Spike woke up several hours later, finding the Slayer in his arms. He smiled, So it wasn't a dream then.

They had shagged for hours; personally, he could have gone longer, but the Slayer eventually fell asleep peacefully in his embrace. That had been good, too. He was amazed at how quickly she'd come to trust him; or maybe she had all along and just wouldn't let herself. A tiny part of him was worried that she was merely overcome by grief and the second she came to her senses, she would stake him faster than he could say 'bloody hell', but that was just a chance he would have to take. He loved her and would do anything for her.

As he stared down at her, he could hear her murmuring, "Willow...no, no!"

He didn't really care that Red was gone; on one hand, it had brought him Buffy...if she hadn't been hurting, she would never have let herself get so close to him. On the other, he couldn't stand to see Buffy in pain. Normally, he wouldn't care...just a year ago, he'd tried to kill Red himself...but Buffy was important to him. Plus, the witch had always been a nice bird, he had to admit. He had a feeling that the demon who'd done this was the same one he had seen the night before.

Just then, he noticed the Slayer stirring. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Spike? What am I- "

As the memories of what they had done came back, she sat up, suddenly frantic. "Ohmigod! How long have I been here? I have to go...the-the thing that got Willow! I have no idea where it is or- "

Just as she'd been about to jump up from the bed, Spike pulled her back down and silenced her with a kiss. "Mmm," she breathed unwittingly, suddenly calm. Strange, how every time he did that, it seemed better than the time before. "Spike..." she protested, pulling back. "We have to do something!"

"I think we are doing something, luv," he replied, pulling her close again.

"No! I mean..."

"Listen, pet. I saw the thing that got Red. Or at least I think I did. We'll find it. 's what we do isn't it? It's big. Dangerous. We can't just rush into this… We'll get the rest of the Scoobies to do some book work, we'll do the grunt work... We'll get it. I promise."

Listening to the soft rumble of his voice, she felt the panic ebb away and leaned back into his arms. "I just miss her so much...but it's still like she's not really gone...I-I just don't believe it. Shouldn't I tell Giles or…I shouldn't have left Tara all alone. And Dawn shouldn't find out without me there…" She sat up once more, until Spike pulled her back down.

"Buffy, you're always doing everything for everyone else. They're big kids, can take care of 'emselves. What about you, luv? I know how much you cared for her. You need to make time for yourself, too. Can't be a hero all the time."

She sighed, still in a numb state of misery as he held her in silence for several minutes. After he could tell that her panic had subsided, he slowly pushed her hair aside and began to place soft kissed up and down her neck. She closed her eyes, smiled softly, and said teasingly, "You really have a one track mind, huh?"

"Got that right, pet," he breathed hotly into her skin. He rolled her over, and lay on top of her, pressing his himself against her so that she could feel his erection. "So...I'll wager this is the end of Captain Cardboard then? I know that nancy boy was never this good..." he said, grinding against her once more, eliciting a soft moan that, if possible, made him even harder.

She smiled up at him, her eyes still filled with pain, and answered, "That's for sure."

Suddenly Spike stopped smirking and asked, "Do you love him?"

"Riley?"

"No," he said sarcastically, smiling down at her, "the other poofter. Who'd you think?"

"Oh," she teased quietly, "so now we're bringing Angel into this? Do I sense insecurities?"

"Insecurities, my ass," he retorted, still atop her. "I know I'm the best you've ever had, no question. But, did you love them?" He knew the answer, at least, about his grandsire, but he had to hear it from her lips.

"Angel? Yeah, I did. A lot, but then he broke my heart. He just left me. Trust is part of love, and he broke our trust...and Riley, well, he was nice. I liked him. He was nice. But, I don't know, something was missing."

He gave her another fierce kiss. "Fire, pet. If the fire isn't there, then it's just dead, meaningless. But if it is there, well, then, y' can't put it out."

"Do we have fire, Spike?" she asked, a slow smile appearing on her face.

"Oh, yeah, luv," he said, his voice gruff. "Lots and lots of it." With that, he entered her again and whispered, "Let me show you..."

She looked up at him, his face in shadows, and said softly, "Yes," welcoming him, and welcoming the cold.

THE END

Hey! I know a lot of you were expecting more, but I hope you like the ending. My next fic will probably be up soon. So please read and review that. Thanks!