Buffy looked at him with such sadness in her eyes that it would have taken his breath away, if he'd had any to take. He tried soothing her hair back and tracing tiny circles on her temple, "Hey, none of that now. The light was there a moment ago. I saw it," he kissed her temple, " Where did it go so quickly?" he smiled, "You haven't come to your senses yet have you? Because I was hoping to bask in your glow just a touch longer."
"No. Spike I..."
His brows knitted with worry, "Then it must be something else. What is it?"
"Spike, Drusilla she..."
The mention of her name caused a cloud to pass over the little ray of sunshine he had been bathing in, and he felt the cold, "No talk of her now. There's nothing to be done for it. You're all that matters."
"I'm sorry. I know you loved her," tears were coming, even though her body was too far beyond them they still came. Not for Drusilla, but for him. She felt the swell of grief in him. That grief was eclipsed by his concern for her. She didn't know how she knew, but she did, "and, I'm sorry."
"Did Dawn tell you what happened?" Spike asked.
"No. I just know."
"Then you know that I would give up everything I had," Spike's voice was strained with worry and grief, " I did give up what I had, for you." He shook his head as he watched tears coming down Buffy's face, "And, I don't regret it. I'd do it all again, if I had to, for you. Drusilla doesn't even matter one jot. All that matters," he wiped away the tears as they were falling, "is you. Nothing else. You're all I know about. And, you're all that I care about. Just you. Understand?"
She nodded.
"Good. We understand each other, then," he slowly rose to his feet, "You just do your job and get well again," he turned back to look at her before he left the room, "I'll take care of everything else. I love you."
Dawn was waiting outside her sister's room for Spike to come out. She couldn't wait to tell him what Willow had told her. She was sure it would make him happy.
When she saw him come out of the room, he looked anything but happy. He looked like he'd just been handed the news that another apocalypse was headed to town, "Oh God," a look like that on Spike's face did not mean anything good. She started to panic, " Spike, did something happen to Buffy?"
"No Bit," he whispered, "Nothing like that."
"Then what? You look even pastier than when you went in there. And, believe me, that's pretty pasty."
"I believe I just asked for your sister's hand."
Dawn was confused, "You don't already have two?"
Spike was giddy and frightened all at once. He felt like the bottom had just dropped out of his world and at the same instant that that happened, he felt that his world would stop if he didn't indeed wed her, and do it soon, "No, Dawn, I just asked your sister to be my wife."
Dawn grinned, "You did?" she bounced on her toes, ready to grab him in the biggest hug he'd ever had, "What did she say?"
"She didn't turn me down."
Dawn encased him in a bear hug, "Oh Spike, that's such good news! I can't wait to plan the wedding! Oh, and the reception! We should have a big band, with lots of trumpets. Buffy likes trumpets. You do like trumpets, don't you? Oh this is going to be so much fun! I love you, Spike!"
Spike was bemused watching that wonderful, whirligig of a girl, as she raced off down the hall to spread the news, "I love you, too."
*******************
Angel was smarting. Spike had beaten him before, many times. At least one of those times had been in recent memory. But, he'd never looked murderous before. Yet with all that rage flowing through him, he'd managed to stop, not at the point of a stake or a blade but at the behest of a little girl.
Angel wondered if maybe Holland had a point. If given the same circumstances, would he be able to control his demon? Could he pull himself away from the abyss? Was the key to gaining the humanity he'd lost, not in how many people you helped, but in something else, something that was more of an idea than an action? Something Spike seemed to have an intuitive grasp on, while he'd been flailing around for almost a decade trying to find the meaning and reason for his existence, had Spike found it, without even looking?
Could Spike really be the one? In the end, would it be him?
As Angel exited the hospital, the last vestiges of night were burning away. He had much to think about. And, it seemed, an eternity in which to do so.
*******************
SIX MONTHS LATER
It was raining again, but she didn't mind. She knew what she was doing, where she was going. This was the last thing to do before she walked down the aisle, or to be more precise, the park, tomorrow night.
As she closed her umbrella, she was happy to see him waiting for her. She walked up to the pew he was sitting in, and sat down next to him, "You sure you want to do this? You can still back out you know."
He looked at her with a cautious eye, "Not getting cold feet, are you?"
"No."
"No? Let's do this then. It seems right."
"Okay," she said as she and Spike prepared to light the candles.
"Ladies first."
Buffy was suddenly overcome with emotion. So overcome that she nearly couldn't light the small wick. Her voice seemed to fail her, "For William. May he rest in peace."
Spike gave her a little nod of encouragement, and William a moment of silence, before he set the flame to glowing on his own candle. In a voice hushed by a century of history, he said, "For Edith. May she find peace and forgiveness with the angels."
They both watched as the two flames seemed to melt into one.
***********************
THE NEXT NIGHT
This was supposed to be easy. People had been doing this for centuries. So why was she so nervous?
"Willow, please tell me he didn't pull a Xander and disappear? Please tell me he's going to be there when I need him. I couldn't take it if he wasn't."
Buffy must have asked her the same question a thousand times in the past thirty minutes, "George, you tell her. My legs are still sore from running out to the gazebo the last time she asked."
"Buffy," George said, patiently, "Spike is down there, giving Xander fits, asking about you every five seconds. He's there," she smiled, "Trust me. There's nowhere he'd rather be right now. Besides, if he tried to skip out, Dawn would just drag him back here, by his ear."
"Do you think he'll like the dress? I went to five different vintage clothing shops before I found one in authentic Victorian lace. I really hope he likes it."
"Buffy, he loves you. Your dress is absolute perfection," George said, "and you're beautiful. But he would love you even if you were dressed in a burlap sack!"
"Really? You think so?"
George nodded.
"Okay, let's do this."
*************
Buffy couldn't think. The minister was talking, she knew that. He was saying something important. But she couldn't take her eyes off of him. His eyes were so blue. Even in this dim candlelight, they were such a bright blue. So bright she was almost blinded by it.
She looked down at where their hands met. At the small rings they were wearing. His hands were so small. Almost too small to be as strong as they were. But, they were the perfect size for her. They would hold and caress her, and love her until she couldn't take the bliss she knew he could give her. They would protect her. They would catch her when she fell, and hold her when she couldn't stand.
A wife. She was going to be a wife to him. Something she never thought she'd get to have, she was going to have. In about five minutes she was going to be a wife to Mister William Alistair Dustin.
She almost laughed. Who knew he had a name like Alistair? No wonder he'd preferred "Spike."
The next thing she knew, he was kissing her. And it was the best kiss she had ever had, or ever would have for as long as she lived.
********************
Later, at the reception, as they were dancing their first dance, Spike smiled and whispered in her ear, "See all those trombone players, Love? Count them. There are exactly seventy-six of them. Just like I promised."
"I love you," she whispered, as she kissed his lips.
"I love you too, Buffy. So much," he answered as he swept her away, dancing on a cloud of air.
THE END
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. I hope you'll look out for the sequel to this one, "Vanishing Point." The first chapter should be up some time next week. Tell me what you think! :-)