DISCLAIMER: Whedon's characters, any recognizable dialogue, and the canon events of their storyline are not mine.
A/N:
Thanks for the new fav/follows. Special thanks to those who took the time to review. I can't tell you how happy it makes me that anyone wants to read the crazy things that pop into my imagination.
November was a busy month. Any other NaNoWriMo participants out there? There's nothing like setting (and reaching) a goal to write 50K in a month!
Now it's time to get back to my WIP here: this fic and a Veronica Mars multi-fic series I started last year (WeeVer, with apologies to LoVe shippers). My intent is to update both of these approximately once a month.
Chapter 22 occurs between Thanksgiving and mid-December 2001 in the Season 6 timeline.
CHAPTER 22
We Gather Together
The original plan had been for Willow to make the flight to England alone, but after some thought, she asked if Giles could spare a few days to make the trip with her. She wasn't concerned that she would back out, but she was nervous about going somewhere new by herself and meeting people for the first time. After everything that had happened recently, Giles could not say no to her request.
That left the rest of the Scoobies to deal with things on their own – The Magic Box, Dawn's recovery, wedding plans, holiday festivities, and normal everyday activity on a Hellmouth.
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The first couple nights after Giles and Willow left, Xander and Anya hung out at the house with Dawn while Buffy and Spike patrolled. The two of them were quite efficient as they did sweeps of cemeteries and other hot spots in town. There was a purpose to their focused effort: the time they saved gave them the opportunity to be alone without raising suspicion.
With that extra time, they were able to make a quick stop at Spike's crypt. It would certainly have been more comfortable making out on her couch than his upholstered chair. They could have gone to his bed, but they both knew if they went down that ladder, they would lose track of time. And Buffy wanted to get home to check on her sister.
Two nights of this and they were both frustrated.
The next day while talking to Tara about plans for Thanksgiving Day, Buffy had a scathingly brilliant idea. She asked Tara if she could come over to the house for a couple of hours so she could "run errands."
It was around noon when Buffy stepped through the door of the crypt. Spike stood shirtless, finishing a glass of blood. He set down the glass and studied her face, trying to figure out what had brought her there in the middle of the day. He had planned to go over to the house in a little while. He tilted his head, a silent question almost on his tongue. However, before he could ask why she was there, she ran across the room into his arms.
Over the next couple hours, the upper level of his crypt was thoroughly christened – their desire finding satisfaction against the wall, on the floor, in the chair, over the back of the chair. They continued their pursuit of pleasure until Buffy could barely feel her legs.
"Gonna need a couple minutes to recover before I can walk home."
Without a word, Spike began to massage her feet and then made his way up each leg, restoring circulation and sensation as he went.
"Thank you," she said quietly as he gathered her clothes and brought them to her.
"Least I can do. Just being a good host … you being so kind as to visit me today." He paused, watching her dress. "I didn't expect you to leave Dawn alone so soon."
"I didn't. I asked Tara to come over," she blushed as she repeated the excuse she had given to Tara, "so I could run some errands."
"Errands? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"
She smacked him and laughed. "After the past couple nights … I missed … this."
"Me too, luv." He traced his lip with his tongue before saying suggestively, "Please feel free to drop by again … anytime you want … to come."
He grabbed her and kissed her one last time before she headed for the door.
"See you later to patrol," she said with her hand on the doorknob.
Nodding, he replied, "I'll be over after dark."
And then, she was gone. Only then did he realize he was standing there stark naked.
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Giles was in the U.K. for a few days – just long enough to get Willow settled, have dinner with his brother Murray, drinks with a few old friends ... followed by a good shag. Although he had not settled down in the traditional sense, he maintained relationships with a few women who might have been potential life partners – well, if his life had gone in a different direction. Thankfully for his libido, those women seemed happy to hear from him every so often. And seemed even happier after spending a night with him.
During the flight home, running through his head were delicious thoughts of being wrapped in the passionate embrace of a woman who was as enticing as she was intellectually stimulating. The time they had spent together was perfect, but not nearly enough. He found himself planning when he might see her again. Much as he knew that he still had something to contribute in the fight against evil in Sunnydale, at times like this, he wished he could just walk away and live his own life.
Giles had called Buffy to tell her that he would be getting home early on Thanksgiving Day, but his flight was actually the day before. He had decided that there was something he should do before seeing Buffy or having another dinner with the others.
He had had some time to think while he was gone. Although from Spike's actions over the past year, it seemed that he could be trusted and it was clear from his interaction with Buffy that they genuinely cared for one another. However, Giles felt compelled to have his say as an authority figure in Buffy's life. As such, Giles would be making a visit to Spike's crypt to make sure that they understood each other – or rather that Spike understood precisely how protective Giles was of Buffy.
When he stepped through the door of Spike's crypt, he had a stake in his hand. Spike was on the far side of the room pouring himself a drink.
"I wasn't sure if you'd be home," Giles commented matter-of-factly.
"Something happen?"
"No. Nothing. No emergency." Taking a few steps forward, Giles explained, "Just got back. Doing a short patrol. Thought I'd drop by … to chat."
"Ah," Spike said as he realized that he should have expected this conversation. "Whiskey?"
"Very hospitable of you."
Spike handed him a glass and gestured toward the upholstered chair as he leaned against the wall. "You wanted to talk?"
"I guess you could say this is the speech where the father figure threatens the new boyfriend with bodily harm."
"That why you came into my home brandishing a weapon?"
Giles acknowledged the comment with a nod and put the stake in his jacket pocket before sitting down. "I suppose we've had this conversation in stages over the past year. The fact that I trust you enough to fight alongside you, I trust you with Dawn, I trust that Buffy is safe with you despite the chip issue …"
"But …?"
"But I want to make it clear … I have never been a fan of Buffy – as a human or as the Slayer – having a relationship with a vampire, be that you, Angel, or anyone else."
Giles stopped talking, which Spike took to mean that Giles was about to tell him to stay away from Buffy. But his train of thought took a different turn.
Continuing, Giles said, "However, Buffy seems to be … more content, more at peace … than I have seen her in a while. You have been a great help and comfort to her since ... she's been back. Particularly since Dawn's accident. It's quite clear when I watch the two of you together. So, despite my misgivings about the situation in general, I have no plans to interfere with whatever is happening between the two of you. But—"
Cutting him off, Spike said, "But if I do anything to make you question the trust you've placed in me, you'll stake me good and proper?"
"I will not hesitate to do precisely that. We have an understanding, then?"
"Yes. I should tell you though, Dawn already beat you to the threat. And she said it in front of Buffy."
"Good." The smile on Giles' face indicated his pride in the younger Summers girl.
"Was that everything?"
"Yes." Giles finished off his drink. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow for part two of our Thanksgiving holiday."
"Yes. Apparently this one is going to be a bit more elaborate. All I know for sure is that I'm supposed to show up in the morning to help."
Giles pushed himself up from the chair, handed the now empty glass to Spike, and said, "Well, I'm glad we had an opportunity to talk. Thanks for the drink."
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Earlier in the day, Tara and Spike had come over to help get ready for Thanksgiving Day. After several busy hours – cleaning, grocery shopping, and prep for the next day – they had stayed to eat dinner with Dawn and Buffy. Spike had gone back to his crypt for the night, which he planned to do at least every few nights just to make the place look lived in. Didn't want anyone thinking they could move on in. Tara was planning to spend the night at the house to be there in the morning to get started on the meal. So, she was there with Dawn when Buffy went out on patrol.
It was a fairly quiet night, not much action even in the usual hot spots. Even though she had just seen Spike, she decided to stop by.
When she was close enough to see the door of his crypt, Buffy saw Giles leaving with a stake in his hand. She waited until he had gone before she continued walking toward Spike's door.
Entering, she found the upper level empty. That concerned her, but she was not yet panicked. She immediately went over to the ladder and began to climb down. Before her feet touched the floor, there were hands on her hips.
"Miss me already, pet?"
Spinning around in his arms, she said, "You're here." Her relief was evident in her voice.
"Yeah. Where else would I be?"
"I just saw Giles coming out your door. He had a stake in his hand. I didn't expect him to be back until tomorrow. When you weren't upstairs …"
"You were worried. But you needn't be. He just dropped by for a drink. And to add another threat to the one Dawn made."
"Do I need to talk to him? Get him to back off?"
"No. Basically, he said that by all appearances things seem to be going well between us, but if I give him reason to doubt it—"
"He'll dust you." Buffy paused as she looked into his stunning blue eyes. "So, I shouldn't expect any tension tomorrow during dinner?"
"No. We're good. He's just acting like a big brother or dad. Doing his job as Watcher … trying to keep you away from big bad vampires." Leaning her back against the ladder, they kissed for a few minutes. As he nibbled on her ear, he asked, "How soon do you need to be home?"
"Well, Tara's there with Dawn. So …"
That was all Spike needed to hear. He picked her up, saying, "Let's try the bed this time."
The sex was more tender and less hurried than the last time she was there. However, it was no less exhausting. They curled up together and he watched her sleep for about half an hour before waking her so she could get home before it got too late. After all, tomorrow would be a long day.
When Buffy finally left, Spike had intended to sleep. Instead, he pulled out his handwritten timeline of upcoming events. The longer this went on – the more time he spent with her, the closer they got – he couldn't help but think that it was wrong to keep this information from her. More and more, he felt that he should tell her what he knew about the future – sooner rather than later.
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They had decided to make a 24-pound turkey so there would be leftovers. That meant an early start for Tara and Buffy. Around 8:30 a.m., Buffy went upstairs to wake up Dawn.
"Come on, sleepyhead. You know you want to watch the parade. Breakfast is waiting. Tara even made you pancakes … so you wouldn't complain as much about helping today."
Dawn made her way down the hall to the bathroom. She did an abbreviated version of her morning routine. She wouldn't bother showering and dressing until later, but she did wash her face, brush her teeth, and put her hair up in a ponytail. Bounding down the stairs, she could smell the pancakes. She sat at the counter to eat while she watched Tara and her sister cleaning up the mess they had already made, giving them a clean work space for the next phase of meal prep. After she finished eating, she thanked Tara for filling her belly with yummy goodness.
Buffy handed Dawn a loaf of bread and a bowl. "While you're watching the Macy's Parade, rip this apart for the stuffing."
"Just like we used to do with Mom?"
"Yep."
"Crouton size." Dawn nodded as she remembered the instructions her mom had given.
"Now, go. It's about to start." Buffy shooed her younger sister out of the kitchen.
She and Tara began to look over their list. "Okay … Dawn is starting on the stuffing … the pies were made yesterday … so was the cranberry relish ... turkey's thawed and we can get that in the oven in a little while. Giles is bringing some hors d'oeuvres. Xander is bringing snacks when he gets here to watch football. We'll put the rolls in the oven right before we eat. We'll start on the side dishes after the turkey goes in. How about we set the table? I had Spike bring up the company plates from the basement last night. It's been a while since we've had those out. I need to check if we'll need any of our regular serving dishes and utensils."
Buffy dug through the linens to find the tablecloth she wanted. Then, they unpacked the china.
Tara watched as Buffy counted out eight of each place setting and asked, "Aren't there only seven of us? You and Dawn, me, Spike, Giles, Xander and Anya?"
"Spike asked if he could invite Clem."
"I haven't seen him since the costume night. It'll be nice to see him again."
As they were putting the finishing touches on the table – candles and mini pumpkins – Buffy realized something. "You've been here the past two days and it feels right to have you here again. I know why you moved out, but now that Willow's gone, would you consider moving back in?"
"But she'll be back."
"Yes, she will, but there are other people she can stay with. You don't have family here in Sunnydale and I hate that you've had to move back into the dorm. Besides, I could use the help with Dawn and she'd love to have you here. She's missed you a lot."
"I've missed her too." Tara looking down as she straightened a tapered candle for the sixth time. "I'll think about it."
"Thinking is good." Buffy nodded a few times as her mind continued to plan. "You could wait 'til after finals. Move back in here before the holidays. You'd be all settled before next semester starts."
"If I … if I move back in, that sounds like a good time to do it." Turning to leave the dining room, Tara changed topics, "Let's get that turkey started."
Just as they walked into the kitchen, Spike came in the back door. After wrestling his way out from under the blanket, he apologized. "Sorry. Meant to get here earlier. Overslept."
"No problem." Buffy started to walk over to kiss Spike hello, but hesitated because they weren't alone.
Tara noticed and said, "I'm gonna go check on Dawn's progress with the stuffing."
After Tara left the room, Spike moved toward Buffy. Pressing her up against the counter, he was about to kiss her when he saw something in her eyes. "You did tell her yesterday, right? About us? Then, why are you uncomfortable?"
Buffy dropped her head. "I'd rather not get into it now … here."
Taking her hand, he led her down to the basement, closing the door behind them. "What is it, pet?"
"I asked Tara to move back in. Partly to help with Dawn, but partly because she doesn't need to live on campus when there's an extra bedroom here. Even if Dawn moves down to my old room, Tara could have Dawn's."
"I sense a 'but' coming."
"I don't regret asking her ... not really, but it was kinda spontaneous. Didn't really think it through. Only thought of it in terms of Dawn and I ... and Tara … until you walked in."
"Ah," he nodded. "Another person in the house means less privacy for us."
"Exactly."
"As lovey-dovey and touchy-feely as she and Willow were, I doubt she's going to object to anything between us. Not like I plan to shag you on the dining room table while everyone watches."
"Good to know." Buffy laughed at him and cringed at the visual in her head.
While they were alone, he took the opportunity to kiss her until her knees became weak. They both wanted more, but they heard movement on the floor above them. Reluctantly, they walked upstairs.
The parade was over and Dawn had returned to the kitchen with a bowl filled with pieces of bread. "Spike, you're here! Why were you down in the basement?"
Tara tapped Dawn's arm as she said, "I think they wanted a little privacy." She smiled at Spike and nodded at Buffy. "How about we let them have that?"
"You say that now, but you haven't been around … you haven't seen them. Ew! They're like teenagers."
Buffy decided it was time to change the subject. "Since I was in here most of the time and didn't see the parade, how about you tell me your favorite parts."
Dawn proceeded to tell her what she considered to be the highlights of this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. One of Ronald McDonald's arms was torn by what she described as "mean trees." Jimmy Neutron, Pikachu, and Curious George made appearances. Dawn spent quite a bit of time talking about the 9/11 tribute: policemen carrying two long flags, when seen from above looked like the World Trade Center.
"I'm glad they didn't cancel the parade," Dawn said, picking up and peeling a banana. After taking a bite, she added, excitedly, "And of course, there were a few musical numbers from Broadway shows. I liked Mama Mia the best. You know, musicals are wonderful – in their proper place."
Everyone nodded or verbalized their agreement with her last comment.
While Dawn had been babbling, Buffy and Tara were working on the turkey. Spike was putting the clean dishes away. They were all moving in and out of each other's way in the kitchen when Xander and Anya arrived. Dawn went back in the living room to watch some of the National Dog Show.
Not long after, Giles arrived. They set up a table in the living room for snack and hors d'oeuvres. Buffy told Tara that she could handle things in the kitchen for a while. That gave Tara a chance to catch up with the others since they hadn't seen each other much lately.
That also gave Spike and Buffy some time alone in the kitchen. As they washed and peeled potatoes, Spike reminded her to be careful to not cut herself again. Although she managed to get through the process without bleeding this time, she wasn't sure she would have minded having him suck on her finger again. She also wasn't sure what it meant that she'd even thought about it.
The last to arrive was Clem at about 2 p.m. He brought with him bags of Bugles and Doritos, plus some turkey shaped cookies from a local bakery. His cheerful attitude and thoughtfulness was a nice addition to the group.
They had planned to eat dinner a little after 3 o'clock, but since none of them were used to coordinating a meal of this size, there were inevitable delays. But by 3:45 p.m., all the food was on the table and they were seated.
They went around the table and said what they were thankful for this year. In between some truly terrible events, there had been some happy moments. Collectively, they were agreed that having Buffy back definitely fell into the thankful category. Her death – which preceded her return – would fall into the terrible category.
Buffy got a bit tearful as she tried to explain how thankful she was to be surrounded by a group of people who had helped and supported her through the past couple years. Even when they couldn't possibly understand what she was going through, she knew they would have her back. While she spoke, her hands fidgeted in her lap. As she finished, she reached under the table to take Spike's hand. He turned to her and smiled, giving her hand a light squeeze.
Before dessert, everyone was in the kitchen talking as they put away leftovers and did the dishes. At some point, the conversation rolled around to the mystery van that they still had not been able to figure out. Buffy mentioned again that Spike thought there had been a human behind the wheel. Anya commented that several of the things that had happened recently seemed decidedly non-supernatural.
After many hours of listening to the cassette tape of Buffy and staring at the timeline, Spike strongly suspected that the van and surrounding events were linked to Warren and the other two future-Buffy had said he teamed up with. Other than mentioning a shooting, she hadn't given him much to go on. As the current conversation went round and round, Spike silently considered how he could tell them about Warren and his sidekicks. He should probably do some recon and see what they were up to. He knew he needed to think it through some more before doing anything.
He needed a plan. He thought to himself: Yeah, a good plan. Smart. Carefully laid out.
While eating dessert, everyone talked about their upcoming holiday plans. This included a reminder from Xander and Anya about the Christmas party they would be hosting at their apartment. After finishing dessert, everyone took their tea and coffee into the living room.
As the evening wore on, the large group became a smaller group. Dawn excused herself to go upstairs and rest. Clem gleefully waved goodbye as he left for home. Giles happily took some leftovers back to his apartment. Tara went back to the dorm to finish a paper. Anya pulled Xander out the door, saying that it had been hours since they had had sex.
That left Spike and Buffy alone. They weren't unhappy about this development, but it was not as if they had planned to get rid of everyone. Spike suggested going outside to look at the stars.
"Let me go check on Dawn," Buffy said with a smile. "I'll be right out."
A few minutes later, when Buffy walked out into the backyard, she saw that Spike had spread out a blanket and was lying on his back, one arm under his head. She joined him, resting her head on his bent elbow.
They spent a wordless hour staring at the stars. On some level, it still amazed her that she felt this comfortable around him. And despite the fact that they'd had some seriously hot sex recently, he seemed perfectly content being next to her while they were both fully clothed.
He turned toward her, placing a kiss on the side of her head. This caused her to release a happy sigh.
She marveled at the fact that she could feel such joy after all the pain and loss she had experienced. Gratefulness felt foreign, but she chose to embrace it. Thanksgiving, indeed!
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The following day, Buffy intentionally avoided Black Friday shopping, choosing instead to stay at home. After spending the night on the couch, Spike was there to help bring the Christmas decorations up from the basement. Before they began to deck the halls, Buffy called Tara to see if she wanted to join them. By lunchtime, Tara had finished her paper and made her way across town. The four of them spent a lovely afternoon and evening together trimming the tree, singing carols, drinking hot cocoa, and comparing Christmas wish lists.
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The following week, life went on.
Wedding plans continued. Anya promoted the holiday sale at The Magic Box. Buffy's first check arrived from the Watcher's Council. Now that they knew how much she would be paid, Giles helped Buffy finalize a budget and a plan to pay off existing debt.
Buffy received her first visit from social services – a slightly judgmental woman with as many questions as disapproving looks, whose name was Doris Kroeger. Thankfully, Buffy and Giles had come up with an explanation for her income from the Council – she was a "research assistant" for Giles. She also explained to the woman that she would be returning to college part-time next semester and that she had a solid support system of friends. In her nervousness, Buffy even showed the woman pictures of their Thanksgiving gatherings and the day they decorated the house for Christmas.
"Do any of these people live with you?" Mrs. Kroeger asked.
"Right now, it's just me and Dawn. Tara … that's her right there," Buffy said pointing at one of the photos. "She did live here for a while and will be moving back in before spring semester starts. She's really helpful ... keeping up with things around the house."
"Is she your girlfriend?"
"No. She's obviously a girl and we are good friends, but no."
"How much time do these other people spend here?"
"Just your typical visiting, I guess."
Dawn chimed in, "Except Spike. He's here all the time."
Buffy glared at Dawn as subtly as she could.
"Who is Spike?"
Again, Buffy pointed at a photo.
"Is he your boyfriend?"
Unsure how to explain to this woman the very complicated nature of her relationship with Spike, Buffy began tentatively and picked up steam as she went. "We only started dating recently … after being … friends for a while. He was … quite thoughtful … and helpful after our mom died … and the car accident Dawn was in. It's hard to explain." Buffy looked at the woman who stared at her as if daring her to blow this part of the interview. "He's like a big brother to her. Sometimes, he plays cards with her or helps her with homework. She's too big for a babysitter, but if I have to be somewhere, she doesn't seem to mind if Spike comes over to keep an eye on her."
Turning to Dawn, Mrs. Kroeger asked her if this was true.
"Yes, ma'am. Spending time with Spike makes me wish I had a real big brother. I know he looks dangerous, but the way he talks and thinks … it's really old-fashioned. He was always polite and respectful to my mom. And she liked him … made him hot cocoa with marshmallows. And they would talk about art. Sorry, I'm babbling. What I mean is … he's like part of the family."
"Does he spend the night here?" She directed the question at Dawn, not Buffy.
"He has … a couple times. But he always sleeps on the couch."
Mrs. Kroeger seemed surprised by this, but she did not comment. She had a few more questions as she walked through the house. Although the woman took copious notes and never once smiled while she was there, she seemed to indicate that her report would reflect that Dawn's living environment was acceptable, if a bit unconventional. She left her card and said she would see them again at follow-up visits.
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Tara's finals were the first week in December. As soon as she finished her last one, she packed up her things and moved back into Buffy's house. Dawn had moved down to Buffy's old room, so Tara was now next door to the room she and Willow had shared.
The first night Tara was back, Spike had dinner with them. After they ate, Buffy had gone upstairs with Dawn to gather some laundry.
Tara and Spike were in the kitchen cleaning up. She could tell that he was being ultra-cautious around her. Not wanting him to be uncomfortable, she decided to deal with the elephant in the room.
She placed a hand tenderly on his arm. "I remember your face … the night Buffy died. I saw you … when you realized she was gone. I can't imagine how difficult it was to carry her back here. The months she was gone … fighting alongside a couple people who didn't want you around. I remember how concerned you were about her reaction to your chip not working. And I've seen how you've been since the car accident." She looked into his eyes and smiled. "I've seen your character and I've seen your heart. You don't need to be guarded around me. You don't need to worry about being affectionate when I'm around. The others, maybe. But not me."
That was a lot to take in. All Spike could manage to say was, "Thanks for that."
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About a week later, everyone gathered at Xander's apartment for a holiday bash. There were several people who were not part their usual social circle. Anya had extended an invite to some acquaintances in the demon community. Xander had included some friends from work. In fact, there was one guy who he had invited for a particular purpose – to meet Buffy.
Although he had invited Richard before Buffy announced that she was seeing Spike, Xander figured it couldn't hurt to introduce them. Honestly, he was still kind of hoping that this thing with Spike would be short-lived. It wouldn't be his fault if a casual introduction at a party caused a breakup – right?
Spike was one of the last to arrive at the party. By then, Richard had started trying to get to know Buffy and she was polite enough to talk to him. Spike took one look at the situation and Xander's intent was clear to him. Even though the guy posed no real threat, Spike was jealous. And more than a little miffed that one of Buffy's friends would be so obvious in an attempt to split them up.
As Spike approached Buffy, he realized that although they had kissed in front of Dawn and Tara, they had not really resolved the issue of what she was comfortable with in public. He opted to put his arm around her and let her react to it as either a friendly gesture or the possessive move that it was.
After introducing Richard to Spike, she excused herself to use the restroom. When she returned to the living room, she was greeted by Spike who pointed up. Buffy looked above their heads to see that they were standing under the mistletoe. He gazed at her, waiting for her to respond. She gave a tiny shrug and smiled as she leaned ever so slightly toward him.
With one hand on her jaw and the other on her lower back, he drew her closer. He paused for just a second, giving her time to back away if she changed her mind. When she didn't, his lips came crashing down on hers. His hand moved from her jaw into her hair, firmly holding the back of her head. His other arm pulled her torso flush against him.
They both got lost in the kiss, forgetting where they were and who might be watching. Anyone who knew them well had noticed what was happening. It was their first real kiss in public – of course, everyone noticed.
Nobody really said anything to them about it, but when they spoke to Buffy, their expressions gave them away. It was now clear to everyone that Buffy and Spike were not merely "dating." There was much more going on.
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Spike escorted Tara, Dawn, and Buffy back to the house. He and Buffy lingered on the front porch to have a moment to say goodnight. While they were alone Spike told her that he had been planning a Christmas surprise for her. He would be taking her somewhere the following weekend and had already talked to Tara about staying with Dawn. Buffy was excited and curious. He didn't give her much information, just said he'd give her more details in a few days.
"If you made any other plans, cancel them now, luv."
"Are you saying that I don't have a choice in this?"
"Well, I suppose you could refuse to go. But I don't see why you would want to do that. Ask Tara for her opinion – she said my idea was brilliant."
"You told her all about it, but not me?"
"All in good time." With his hands in his pockets, he leaned in to give her a brief kiss. "Goodnight." Then, he turned to walk down the front steps and disappeared into the night.
As Buffy walked through the door, she wondered what exactly he had planned.
A/N:
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Thanks for reading. Until next time …
~Jen
5 December 2017