Spike looked around the alley nervously before turning to Angel, trying to remain calm in the face of thousands of rapidly approaching, clearly blood-thirsty demons of all sorts. "In terms of a plan?" he inquired rapidly.
"We fight," Angel said with his typical stoic calm and for the first time Spike fully realized that the man did have a death wish tonight for some reason he himself could not fully understand-
"Be more specific," he requested sharply,
"Well, personally," Angel quipped, as the demons continued to approach, "I kind of want to slay the dragon."
"Well, DAMN!" they heard an almost callous voice behind them and both men whirled, astonished to seen Buffy surrounded by thousands of other slayers. "Leave it to you to steal my one remaining dream."
"Buffy?" Angel gasped in disbelief and she smiled slightly bitterly, spitting the words
"Hello, lover," more viciously than he would have dreamed possible with a toss of her head before she quipped dryly. "All that time spent stalking me through Italy and you couldn't even bother to let me know the apocalypse was coming? I can't TELL you how flattered I am."
"Heard you were retired," Angel muttered and she rolled her eyes.
"You heard right. Unfortunately, that plan didn't account for the fact that, as usual, I need to save your unworthy ass.
"Now, pet," Spike tried, almost too stunned to speak, shocked when she shot him an equally withering glance.
"Why yes, Buffy, I am alive," she shot out sarcastically, doing an extremely mediocre job of imitating a British accent as her eyes flashed, "how nice of you to notice." She sighed before continuing in a high pitched, breathy whisper, "Why Spike! How long have you been back?" She frowned, switching back into the British accent. "Don't rightly know, pet. Almost a year, I reckon-" She dropped the act, hefting a broadsword dangerously close to his head, as she muttered, "I sure can pick 'em," and Faith let out a slightly alarmed,
"Uh- B? I think we have bigger fish to fry," from somewhere in the throng, relieved when Buffy retorted,
"My thoughts exactly," and leapt forward, cleanly slicing off the dragon's head.
--
Buffy relished the fight in a way she hadn't in years- the way it forced her not to think about her mental pain as she sought to avoid physical harm, the simple pleasure of being able to do one thing right even if her personal life would always be falling to pieces. She had finally been forced to admit to herself, halfway through the plane ride from Italy, sometime after she stopped crying and before she found the self-righteous anger that would carry her through, no matter how manufactured and fake it might be, that she had to have the worst choice in romantic partners of anyone ever in the history of the world.
When Wesley had called her she had been wary, then disbelieving, before realizing that everything he was saying was too insane to possibly be a lie. Even knowing she had ultimately been the one to distance herself from Angel, she had been stunned and hurt by the magnitude of all she did not know- and her pride had barely survived the blow that he was dating an art student even younger than she was- news of which was immediately followed by a casual mention of Spike. She hadn't believed he was alive until Andrew had confirmed a visit that occurred 'a few weeks ago', which he happened to have 'forgotten', and Buffy had decided the only possible explanation was that her ex-lovers had paid him for his silence. She had only narrowly resisted an impulse to give him a concussion before she had stormed from her apartment, not even remembering to leave a note for Dawn.
She viciously slammed her fist into a demons face before being knocked to the ground, and she wheeled around to attack whoever had done it before realizing that it was Angel on top of her. "What do you think-" she snapped before noticing a knife embedded in the alley wall at approximately the level her head had been at previously. She shoved him off her with a reluctant but sincere, "Thank you," and yanked the knife out of the wall, using it to smoothly stab the nearest demon in the heart with a look resembling disgust on her face.
"Least I could do, considering that you're 'saving my unworthy ass'," he grunted, holding a demon immobilized so that she could get a clear shot at it, and despite herself she shot him a smile as she rendered the demon unconscious.
"How've you been?" she questioned, anger lessening as she turned from him to take on another demon, and he shrugged as he punched one himself.
"Can't complain." He paused to contemplate. "Well, actually-"
"Well, look on the bright side," she chirped, ducking to avoid a particularly vicious punch, "After this we never need to worry about evil again."
"Is it wrong if that sounds too good to be true?" he questioned as he snapped a demon's neck, and she let out a small giggle, suddenly sounding a lot more like the girl he had known so long ago.
"No worries. I'm sure you'll find some juvenile delinquent punks whose souls need saving. After all," she continued, shooting him her trademark grin before doing a pretty dead on impersonation of his tone, "souls are important no matter who they may belong to-"
"You think my work is a joke?" he questioned in disbelief, trying to feel anger to disguise his hurt and her face sobered even as she engaged another demon.
"No. I never did. You know better than that," she replied coldly, diving to avoid a machete before adding softly, "Anyway, I hope you do." She leapt to her feet before amending, "Now, if you were asking me if I think you take yourself a little too seriously, that'd be a different question."
"What do you know about me?" he demanded angrily, surprised as her face grew cold and she said with finality,
"Nothing. You made sure of that," before shoving him out of the way of a demon who had been aiming a makeshift stake at his heart. "But behold the irony," she quipped before grabbing a sword off the ground and shoving it through the demon's heart, "I still care if you die."
"Guess that's mutual," he near growled, slipping into his game face as one of the demons slashed his arm with its claws and she kicked it away from him before jumping over a dumpster to consult with Faith, looking slightly nervous and putting Angel on edge as he warily turned to face another opponent.
--
It was hours later before the battle finally started to show signs of nearing its conclusion, and Spike grimaced as he looked around him at the people still fighting the handful of demons who remained. His gaze locked on Buffy before he could stop himself, as she threw herself fearlessly into what remained of the throng and attacked what could only be described as a human snake, barely flinching as it wrapped around her leg before she split it cleanly in two. Her eyes met his for half a second and he puzzled over the look that he saw there for longer than he should have as he felt himself being knocked off his feet by a particularly vicious chaos demon. He struggled to throw it off himself, stunned when it collapsed as dead weight on top of him and he saw that Angel was responsible for its demise.
"Thanks for the save," he said, rolling out from under it, surprised as his grandsire offered him a hand up.
"Much as it scares me to say this," Angel said slowly, "I think it's over."
"Don't say that, you bloody git!" Spike snapped, diving as another demon came toward him and, missing its target, butted its head into the alley wall so hard it split its skull. "That's always what someone says right before something- ahhhhhh!" he suddenly screamed in pain to everyone's amazement as Faith made the final kill of the night, thrusting a steel sword through a zombie's heart. As they looked on in amazement he was lifted into the sky, yellow light emanating all around him. Angel felt rather than heard Buffy come up beside him as she began to question slowly,
"Angel?" for the second time that night sounding all of sixteen years old to him, "What's going on?"
"I-don't know," he replied thickly, even as the word Shanshu beat against his chest, threatening to choke him.
"Oh God," she whispered and he caught her as her knees buckled, wondering how she had realized what was going on before she whispered, "He's dying and it's my fault."
"Um, B," Faith offered tentatively, taking a small step toward her, "I think all of us would need to say that the only reason anyone standing here is still alive is because Wesley called you-"
"Oh God," she whispered again, looking like she was going to throw up, and Angel wondered for the millionth time in the eight years he had known her how she could manage to be so fearless at one moment and intensely fragile at the next. "I DIDN'T MEAN IT!" she screamed in vain at Spike's immobilized body as it elevated higher. "I FORGIVE YOU FOR EVERYTHING!" before a few silent tears made their way down her cheek. Within seconds, though, she had pulled herself together enough to turn on Angel, enquiring snappily, "Well, aren't you going to die too? Clearly he's going to burst into flames at any second- what makes you so special?" She looked suddenly fearful at what she had just said, blurting, "Oh God. If you do, I didn't mean anything I said to you either," before adding with a defiant lift of her chin, "But if you survive, I did."
Under different circumstances he would have smiled at her indulgently, trying not to laugh at how young she still was, possibly would always be, but that was a whole other world and-
Suddenly Spike's eyes flashed open and he crashed brutally down to the ground, gasping for breath, and to Angel's shock Buffy burst forward toward him, sliding down to her knees before punching him hard across the face.
"How DARE you?" she ranted. "I thought you were dying and instead it was just some-" she seemed to search for a word before sputtering, "Some… cheap magic trick? DAMN it Spike, I can't DO this anymore-"
"Pet," he croaked weakly, "We need to talk, but first- could you please promise not to hit me again?"
"Why? she asked suspiciously and he met her eyes slowly.
"Because I'm human and it kind of hurt," he replied simply.
Angel watched at least twenty five different, individual emotions flash across Buffy's face almost simultaneously, and he felt as though his own heart was breaking as she whispered,
"What- how- Spike-" on what could only be described as a throaty sob, reaching out a shaking hand and pressing it against where Angel knew a heart must now be beating. The fact was driven home as Buffy's eyes fluttered backward and then shut, and Spike reached out a hand to steady her, evidently fearful that she might faint, a fear a few of her fellow slayers evidently shared as they took steps toward her, looking ready to catch her if she fell.
"Oh my god," she whispered slowly, then again, louder, as she opened her eyes once more, "Oh my god."
And then she was sobbing, large, silent sobs, hitting Spike's chest weakly as she ranted, "You could have called me, why didn't you call me? It hurt so bad when you died, and I wondered so much what I could have done better so you wouldn't have to- why didn't you call me?"
With sincere affection Angel wouldn't have thought he possessed, Spike gently reached out a hand, whispering hoarsely, "I was ashamed. I know I'm not worthy of you-"
And in that moment, as Buffy collapsed forward into Spike's waiting arms, weeping something that sounded like "I hate you," even as she clung to him, Angel really believed for the first time what she had said to him when he had come to Sunnydale and smelt his childe on her- Spike was in her heart. He had been then and he still was now- and much as it might kill him he needed to let go. He took one last look at Buffy, who was still crying, at Spike who was speaking earnestly, too softly for even his supernatural hearing to pick up the words, and allowed himself for one brief second to wonder how the scene might have played if he had been the one granted the gift of Shanshu. The pain was almost enough to kill him, though, and he walked off into the early morning darkness, oblivious to Faith's concerned cry of,
"Angel!" as it echoed behind him.
--
As Spike continued to talk softly, using words she was sure she wasn't hearing correctly… something about Shangshu and humanity, prophesies and apocalypse- Buffy felt something shift inside herself, feeling somehow correct for the first time in years. Suddenly there was no fear, only hope, and a sense that this must be her cosmic destiny, that she would be a fool not to embrace what was so clearly a gift- assuming the man in question wanted to share it-
Thoughts of the Immortal flashed briefly through her mind, but he had been forgotten the second Wesley had called her earlier and she knew she would be a fool to deny that to herself-
And then, more sharply, thoughts of another vampire with a soul, one who had evidently not earned his humanity I really will need to ask Giles how the hell they figure these things sometime cruelly intruded and were harder to push away, and she looked behind her to see how he had fared, surprised to find her gaze met only by Faith, who seemed to understand the unspoken question in her eyes, shrugging and making a motion with her hands that could only indicate that she had no idea where Angel had gone-
"Buffy?" Spike asked uncertainly and she whipped back around to face him, offering him a gentle smile.
"Sorry," she said softly and his gaze softened as he looked at her with unspeakable tenderness before beginning softly,
"I know I could never deserve you, and I know that I'm only a man but- I was a good man once and I think I could be again-" he sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair before taking her hand and amending, "I think I WILL be again- and I was hoping that- if you wanted to-"
Buffy nodded slowly, meeting his eyes. "I want to," she whispered, awed by the look of joy that overtook his face as he crushed her to him.
"Pet, you've made me the happiest-" he began, then let out an incredulous laugh, "man alive," he finished joyfully, standing up and spinning her around, and she spared one last thought for Angel before the sun began to come up and she saw Spike's face bathed in sunlight, effectively eliminating anything but wonder.
--
5 Years Later
"Summers and Spike Law Firm. We help the-" Harmony began before being shot a warning look by her boss. "How can I help you," she amended heavily and he shot her his trademark smirk as she pressed a button, connecting the caller to the appropriate party.
"Remind me why we keep her around?" Buffy questioned, coming up and gently kissing her husband on the lips as Harmony nervously babbled-
"Um- Mrs. Spike, I really do appreciate-"
"Harmony," William began slowly, "We've been over this. Buffy didn't actually take my name when we got married. We had a conversation and decided that if it sounded ridiculous that I was going by the name 'William Spike' imagine how 'Buffy Spike' would sound, and so she decided to keep with 'Summers'. Do you remember this at all, or were you too busy painting your nails?"
"I'm sorry. I remember. I mean, I forgot, but now I remember," she blurted. "Sorry. Bosses. It won't happen again."
"And I'm still not remembering why we keep her around," Buffy contemplated with a teasing gleam in her eye even as William put an arm around her waist, squeezing gently as he whispered,
"Wear your skirt any shorter and you're going to need to give me a public demonstration of why I keep you around," causing her to flush as she whispered,
"I though I presented some pretty convincing evidence this morning," under her breath as they walked toward the back of the office together, and he gave her waist another squeeze as they were about to diverge, smiling,
"I take it we're still on for tonight then?" pleased when she got redder.
"Do I really need-" she began before he cut her off, saying sharply,
"Dinner? Then the Opera?" fighting the urge to smirk at her abashed look.
"Oh. That," she said sheepishly before smiling. "That would also be a yes. Wouldn't miss it."
He leaned forward to kiss her just as they heard the sound of glass shattering toward the front of the office, followed by Harmony's screams and she jerked backward, looking confused.
"What the hell-" he began even as she dropped the files she had been holding and rushed back toward the front of the office.
Buffy surveyed the situation in one all-encompassing glance, flinching at the damage that had been inflicted on the glass doors leading to the office.
"Ohmigod!" Harmony continued to scream. "Please, Mrs. Sp-ummers! Don't invite him in! He wants to kill me! Any second now he'll start telling you lies about how I betrayed him-"
"Invite me in," came a slightly desperate voice over Harmony's vehement protests, and for the first time in five years Buffy had no idea what to do as she weakly questioned,
"Angel?"
--
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