A/N Sorry for "review or cliffhanger" as chemicalgirl31 put it. But I was so overwhelmed by the response to last chapter! 17 reviews and counting - wow! Please keep reading and reviewing, it means so much. This chapter is for you Spuffy shippers. Enjoy.
SUMMARY: After two failed relationships, Tara and Willow sign a relunctant Buffy up to an online dating service. But what Buffy refuses to accept as a perfect match, may turn out to prove that this Slayer will never be able to escape a certain blonde vampire...
Once Spike had finished his tale, Buffy was suddenly glad of the armchair beneath her. She felt sure that if it hadn't have been there, she would have definitely collapsed onto the cold, stone floor.
"Buffy, love?" asked Spike, waving a hand in front of her face, and raising his voice. "Buff? Anyone home?"
Buffy frowned, and shook herself back to consciousness. "Yeah, I'm here," she said. "Its just... its so strange to think of you as William, you know?"
Spike's expression fell. "Yeah, I know its no secret that you wanted Angel to be him, after all."
Buffy scowled. "Oh please," she replied. "I was disappointed when I thought it was Angel. The jerk had broken my heart so many times - it was because of him and Riley that Willow and Tara signed me up. So I could meet somebody new."
"Guess that went out the window," said Spike, good-naturedly. "I mean, you already knew me."
Buffy didn't reply. Instead, she sat in the armchair, deep in thought. Spike thought it better to leave her there to ponder. The silence was a relief. At least she wasn't pounding him. Yet.
Eventually, though, Spike spoke up. "So, how did you find out?"
"Anya," Buffy replied, simply. "Though she found out from Coquetta, apparently. It took ages to get the whole story from her, she kept wandering off-topic..."
"How did Coquetta find out?" asked Spike, angrily. "I made sure she wasn't about when I opened that email!"
"Apparently, she went a'rummaging," she said, eyes still fixed on the same spot of stone flooring she had been staring at since Spike had finished talking. "Found your account details. Emails, IM history."
Buffy could see out of the corner of her eye that Spike was becoming more and more embarrassed. She knew it was impossible for a vampire to blush - but if Spike could have, he would be definitely be crimson by now.
"Listen, Buff," he replied, kneeling beside her. Buffy finally made eye contact with him, though her hard glare was making him uncomfortable. "I didn't mean for it to end up this way. I didn't even want this stupid email account. I didn't want to confuse you. I love you."
Those last three words hit Buffy like a brick. She had known it, and heard it before, yet this time, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. This time, her pulse began to hasten. This time... this time it was different.
She raised an arm to punch Spike to the floor. He fell, without protest, though he cupped both hands around his nose and groaned.
"I guess I deserve that," he said, not sitting up, and instead lying flat on his back. "Though, next time, can you go for someplace else? My nose is starting to hurt now even when you're not punching it."
Buffy stood up, and aimed a kick at his groin, which resulted in Spike yelping out in pain, and rolling over onto his front. "Not quite what I had in mind," he murmured, his forehead resting against the cool stone. Buffy dropped to a crouch next to him.
"Do you have any idea what my love life has been like, since I was sixteen?" she asked, softly, and each gentle word sliced through Spike like a knife. He lay silent. "No? I'll tell you. When I was sixteen, I was dragged from my social activities to be told that I was the Slayer, and my job was to kill the fanged, bitey vamps. As in, bye-bye social life. If that wasn't bad enough, I then met Angel, here in Sunnydale - who, somewhere along the line forgot to mention to me that he was vampire, who had a little problem of reverting back to his former, evil "I want to take over the world" self."
"Wanker," said Spike, triumphantly.
The corners of Buffy's mouth twitched.
Spike made a motion to sit up, but Buffy threw him down again with one, strong hand, and he hit the floor with a thump. "I'm not finished," retorted Buffy, sharply. Spike made a noise somewhere between a groan and a sound of agreement, which Buffy ignored, and instead continued with her narrative.
"O.K, so by some miracle, we put evil boyfriend right. Unfortunately, relationship is now in tatters, so formerly-evil vampire boyfriend leaves town. I go to college, where I am seduced by a-"
"Wanker?" Spike offered. Buffy ignored him.
"And then there was Riley," she sighed.
"Oh yes, darling Riley," muttered Spike, though incoherently, so Buffy could not hear.
"Riley, the government's secret weapon and psychology genius. Boyfriend for a year, before he then leaves me - on a helicopter, might I add - to go back to his beloved goverment, who, if I'm not mistaken, secretly fed him drugs for a year." Buffy finished, finally satisfied. "Are you getting the picture?"
Spike sat up, this time without Buffy's protests. "Yes," he said, softly. "I get it, you've been hurt. And I know, I'm not exactly the stereotypical Mr Darcy or whatnot. But I love you, and I care for you." Buffy softened. "You're all I can bloody see - I can't get through a night without dreaming of you. You're never, ever going to go away, Buff."
"What about Drusilla?" Buffy asked. "You felt the same about her, once. And then what - are you going to stake me to prove your love for your next infatuation?"
Spike frowned. "No!" he cried. "I never felt this way about Drusilla. It was too bloody confusing with her about. She's off her bloody rocker." Buffy laughed. "But you. You're sane - you know what you want. You slay, every night. You're dedicated, and you're passionate." Spike looked into Buffy's hazel eyes. "And you're beautiful."
"How long has it been?" Dawn asked Willow, scrambling for her watch.
"An hour and four minutes," replied Willow, and Anya bit her lip.
"That long?" she said, and Willow nodded. "I wonder what's going on."
"They're probably arguing," said Dawn, sadly. "That's all they ever do."
"Either arguing, or Buffy's kicking the crap out of him," retorted Willow. "She was pretty upset."
"Don't you think they'd make a great couple, though?" implored Anya. "Both so feisty, and good-looking. Buffy-and-Spike. Spike-and-Buffy. Bike. Spuffy!"
Dawn giggled, but caught Willow's eye and stopped, still attempting to stifle the hisses. Willow spoke up, concernedly. "Buffy's been with a vamp before," she said. "And she got really badly hurt. I don't think she's over it, even now. Not even ice-cream fixed it."
"But Spike hasn't got a soul to suddenly vanish everytime he does the dirty," pointed out Anya, and both her and Willow suddenly looked at Dawn. Dawn sighed.
"Puh-lease!" she cried, with her hands on her hips. "I'm fourteen, not four. I think I can handle the concept of my older sister having sex. Even if it creeps me out just a little."
"O.K." Willow and Anya looked bored, suddenly. "I wish she'd come home soon, though," added Willow, worriedly. "I mean, anything could happen to her with Spike."
"You mean there's a possibility they could fall madly and passionately in love?" asked Anya, hopefully. Dawn laughed again, and Willow glared. Anya frowned. "Oh please!" she cried. "Let me dream! Xander's not around to have sex with, and I'm totally bored!"
"Anya!" yelled Willow, with a jerk of the head towards Dawn, which Dawn spotted immediately.
"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed. "I'm fourteen!"
"Wow," replied Buffy, softly. "That's so... nice."
"Well that reply was so... lame," teased Spike, and he got to his feet. "But its true."
He pulled Buffy up too, so they were standing toe-to-toe. "Well," whispered Buffy. "I'm no longer mad at you."
"Good," answered Spike, just as gently. "So what happens now?"
"I think it's time to add a new chapter to my love life," said Buffy, and she grinned. Spike, however, looked taken aback.
"W-what?" he asked. "W-with who?"
Buffy laughed. "With you, stupid!" she cried, and she leaned in for a kiss. Spike pulled away, to Buffy's surprise, and looked confused.
"But Buff," he said, carefully. "I'm a vampire. You do remember what vamps do, yeah? They get with the biting and the drinking blood and the 'Rawwh!'." He raised both arms and growled to demonstrate. Buffy pulled his arm down and put her arm around his neck.
"Yes, I remember," she replied. "But I think I can live with that."
Spike was so utterly surprised that he didn't even realise that Buffy's lips were on his until the kiss had lasted a couple of seconds. But by that time, he had come back down to earth, and was happily and enthusiastically reciprocating.