A week later, Buffy sat on Spike’s lap in the middle of her living room, listening to Anya and Xander tell them about their honeymoon.
Anne smiled at them from across the room, seeing Buffy playing with the hairs on the back of Spike’s neck and the tender way she kissed his temple. She sighed, happy that she had accomplished something as long as she was stuck in this dimension.
The initial shock had passed, once Buffy made sure that everyone knew Spike would be a part of her life, no matter what her friends said. After the stunned silence had passed - and to the surprise of Anne, Buffy, and Spike – everyone readily accepted Spike into Buffy’s love-life, already having grown accustomed to seeing him with Anne.
“Why are you still here?” Anya asked after a moment, looking over at Anne.
“Forgive her. That’s Anya-Speak for- have you found out what caused you to switch dimensions?” Xander said, pinching his wife lightly on the leg, earning a sharp glare from her that was easily forgotten when he kissed her.
“No,” Anne said, shaking her head. “Willow and Tara are doing everything, but there’s no luck.”
“What were you doing when you changed planes?” Anya asked.
“She didn’t fly here, Ahn, honey,” Xander said in a patronizing voice.
“Planes of existence,” she clarified in an annoyed voice.
“Oh.”
“I wasn’t doing anything,” she said with a shrug. “I was getting Spike… my Spike a drink and then - voila. Here I am.”
“Strange,” Anya murmured, looking at the happy couple on the couch. “What were you doing?”
“Me?” Spike asked, gesturing to himself. Seeing her nod, he slowly cleared his throat, not eager to point out that he had been crying in a cemetery. “I was, uh… making some foolish wishes. Or what I thought were foolish, at the time,” he said, glancing at Buffy, feeling her hand trail along his shoulders in silent understanding.
“Wishes?” Anya asked.
Everyone seemed to flash back to a few weeks earlier, remembering the night of Buffy’s birthday party.
“Bloody hell,” Spike muttered, letting his head fall back against the couch.
“Any ideas who could have heard?” Buffy asked, glancing over and seeing Anne’s hopeful expression as she leaned forward in the chair.
“I can find out,” Anya said, giving the group déjà vu as she looked up at the ceiling. “Halfrek! Hallie, get your ass down here!”
Everyone turned toward the puff of smoke as the vengeance demon appeared. “Anyanka, back from your honeymoon so soon?” she asked, walking over and kissing her friend once on each cheek. “Did you have a good time?”
“Yes, but that’s not why I called you here. Do you know who could have granted a wish for Spike over a week ago?” she asked, gesturing toward the couch.
“Well, of course I know,” she said with a smile. “It was me.”
“What?”
Every voice in the living room could be heard at the admission.
“Why?” Spike asked, tempted to stand up, only to stop when Buffy cuddled closer to him.
“Do you not remember what you were saying that night?” she asked.
Spike nervously glanced around the room with wide eyes. “I remember.”
“What was it?” Anne asked, looking at her friend as he glanced down in embarrassment.
“Why couldn’t it be different?” he repeated what he remembered saying that night.
“Why couldn’t she just see how good it could have been between us?” Halfrek supplied. “Why couldn’t she love me?”
Tensing in his lap, Buffy turned her sad gaze to his, seeing him smile and gently tap her nose. “All fixed now, Goldilocks.”
Relaxing slightly, Buffy nodded, turning back to the demon.
“But why would you cast a spell on Spike if he didn’t ask you directly?” Anya asked, still confused.
“Well, I felt a little guilty for what I told you all those years ago,” she said with a slight shrug. “I wasn’t the nicest person back then, and I’m afraid poor William got on the bad end of one of my snippety moments. He died later that night, and I’ve always wanted to apologize. This was my way of apologizing,” she finished, gesturing toward Anne.
“By taking me away from the man I love?” she asked, standing up to face the demon.
“I haven’t taken you away,” Halfrek replied. “If everything is fixed the way it should be, you can leave now.”
Relaxing at the admission, Anne looked around the room, smiling in acceptance. Nodding slightly, she said her goodbyes, stopping in front of Spike and Buffy as they stood up.
Buffy was the first to move, hugging the other woman with tears in her eyes, clinging to the other Slayer. “Thank you,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “Thank you, so much… for everything.”
“You just needed a little push in the right direction,” Anne said, pulling back to smile at Buffy. “Or a big push,” she added with a shrug. “Either way, it worked.”
Turning toward Spike, she gave him a friendly hug, briefly tightening her hold on him before letting go.
“I don’t know what to say,” Spike said with a slight smile.
“Nothing to say,” Anne replied, looking back and forth between the couple. “You’re a perfect match.”
Turning toward Halfrek, Anne took a deep breath, steeling herself before walking forward.
“I’m ready.”
“Have a safe trip!” Anya called cheerily.
Looking back at the room, Anne smiled seconds before she was enveloped in a cloud of smoke.
Waiting for the smoke to clear, the seven people remaining each looked at each other, feeling closer than they’d been in years.
“Everything okay now, love?” he asked, nuzzling the fresh mark on her neck.
“Yeah,” she said, looking up at him. “Everything is the way it should be.”
* * * * *
Opening her eyes, Buffy coughed as she gasped for breath.
“Buffy? Buffy, are you okay?”
Turning toward the sound of the voice, she relaxed, seeing Spike staring down at her, his eyes filled with concern.
“Spike,” she breathed, reaching up to touch his face, needing to feel the connection. “My Spike.”
“Are you alright?”
“Never been better,” she said, sighing as she moved closer to him, feeling his arms tighten around her before noticing that she was in the kitchen.
“How long was I out?” she asked, looking up at the man she loved.
“A little over a minute. Longest of my life,” he said, exhaling softly, realizing that she really was okay.
“About a minute?” she murmured.
“What happened?” Spike asked, gently kissing her forehead.
“Nothing for you to worry about,” Buffy said, shaking her head with a slight smile. “Just something that needed fixing.”
Spike pulled back to look at her in amusement. “Did you fix it?”
“Yeah,” Buffy said, smiling as she thought of what she’d accomplished. “I did.”
Thanks so much to: Vicki, Bridget, Spikes Sweety, NEO, Franchesca, txjmfan, jennybean, Caitie, carri, MidnightGirl, BuffyandSpikeForever, Shady, Cordykitten, SinisterChic & Sevvy_O for reviewing!