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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you for all of the excellent reviews- I thrive off of them and am pleased that people seem to be enjoying the story so much! I hope this update eases some worries for people:)
“Hello, Spike,” Buffy replied, standing up.

“You’re late,” Andrew said, tapping the face of his watch.

“Sorry,” Spike apologized quietly, still staring at the woman he had grown to love, even despite all of the upsets and setbacks in their relationship. “What’re you doing here?”

“I wanted to thank your boss,” Buffy answered, smiling at Andrew. “Along with seeing the ad you had made for the gallery.” She picked up a magazine from the top of Andrew’s desk and paged through it. “I must say, it’s quite a nice publication.”

“Thank you,” Andrew replied, beaming. “You’re a peach.”

“And the ad is perfect,” she added. “I owe you both a debt of gratitude.”

“I’m happy it worked out,” Andrew said. “I’m sure Spike considers it a worthwhile investment.”

“Of course,” he murmured, the shock still evident in his tone. “You flew all the way to London to thank Andrew?”

“What’s so wrong with that?” Andrew asked, crossing his arms and frowning.

“Could’ve called him instead,” Spike said. “Would’ve saved you a bushel of cash.”

“He’s not the only reason I came here,” Buffy replied, hesitantly taking a few steps towards Spike. “I wanted to see you, too.”

“I’ll let you two catch up,” Andrew said, moving out from behind his desk and grabbing a stack of comic books that were resting atop a file cabinet. “I’ll be at your desk, Spike.” He walked to the door and paused as he opened it. “And no funny business- this office better be in tip-top shape when I return.”

“Thanks, Andrew,” Buffy said, smiling as he exited his office and shut the door behind him. She took a deep breath before focusing on Spike. “So, not happy to see me?”

“What gave you that idea?” he asked, tilting his head.

“The barrage of questions,” she answered, moving back a couple of feet and sitting on the edge of Andrew’s desk. “I can fly home now, if you want.”

“You really think I want you to?” he asked, taking a few steps towards her. “Not bloody likely.”

“So you’re happy I’m here?” she asked, smirking.

“You have no idea, pet,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head. “Quite an expensive way to say thank you, though. Flying halfway across the globe isn’t a cheap adventure.”

“I think it’s worth the money, don’t you?” she asked, looking up at him. “It’s the least I can do to pay you back. I figured a surprise visit might brighten up your day.”

“You were right,” he said, running his hand over her hair. “How long are you here?”

“Couple of days,” she answered, shrugging. “Enough time to get over jet-lag before flying home and dealing with it again.”

“Is it really a good time for you to be away from the gallery, now that business is booming?”

“Anya can handle herself,” Buffy said, shrugging. “And Mom is there, too, to help with orders and packing things up to send out.”

“Did you bring anything to deliver while you’re here?” he asked curiously.

“Would’ve been a smart idea, but no, this trip is all about pleasure, not business,” she answered, grinning.

“Is that right?” he asked, not bothering to hide the intrigue in his voice.

“So to speak, at least,” she replied warningly, gently poking his chest. “I’m not jumping you in your boss’ office. Sounds good in theory, but that wasn’t the point of me coming here today.” She paused and looked down for a moment. “I have some things I want to say to you.”

“I’m all ears,” he said, becoming nervous as he thought about all of the possible topics she could bring up.

“I’m not good when it comes to romance,” she began, keeping her eyes averted from his. “My past relationships haven’t been stellar- you know most of the details already. I’ve never been lucky when it comes to finding a good man who’s worthy of entering into a relationship with.” She exhaled the breath she didn’t realize she was holding as she raised her eyes to his. “Not until I met you.”

Spike’s eyes widened at her words, slightly caught off-guard by the emotions in her voice. Before he could say anything, she continued speaking.

“I know I messed up things for us before, and that is definitely something I’m going to regret for the rest of my life,” she said, cautiously choosing her words as she tried to express how she felt. “But the things I’d regret the most are not trying to fix things between us even more… and not giving you and I another shot.”

“Buffy-”

“Let me finish,” she cut in, taking one of his hands in hers. “I don’t know if I’m ready to be in a serious relationship yet. For that matter, I don’t know when I will be. I’m scared of getting my heart ripped in two down the road again- I think once is more than enough for one lifetime.”

“I wouldn’t ever hurt you like that,” Spike said, squeezing her hand. “You should know that by now, luv.”

“I do know that,” she replied. “That’s kind of the driving force behind me flying here.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, his anxiety increasing as he began to figure out what she was talking about.

“There are plenty of men out there who I could date,” she said, hearing a quiet, possessive growl coming from him, which caused her to smile. “Plenty of men who I could potentially have feelings for and convince myself that they’re worthy of being with. I could tell myself repeatedly that they’re right for me, that they’ll help me deal with my issues and-”

“What’re you trying to get at, Buffy?” he asked, interrupting her before she could continue to babble.

“My point is that I don’t want any other men,” she said. “I want you.”

Spike stared at her in stunned silence, not being able to tell if she had really said the words or if he had simply imagined them.

“Can you say that again?” he whispered, feeling his heartbeat quicken as she got off of the desk and rested her hands on his chest.

“I want you, Spike,” she said. “I want you to be the one who helps me figure out leftover issues from my past, who teaches me how to trust men again and how to love someone so much that they’re the only thing you ever think about, dream about.”

For the first time since he had known her, he was rendered speechless. She nudged him after a moment, trying to keep a smile on her face even as worry began to course through her.

“Spike?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” he managed to get out, nodding slowly. “I don’t know what to say, pet.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” she said, feeling her happy expression fade into one of concern.

“Why would it be bad?” he asked after a moment, a grin forming on his lips before he pulled her flush up against his body and hugged her to him, crushing his lips to hers and delighting in the gasp he heard from her. “Did you really think I’d turn you down, luv? That speech of yours could make a grown man cry.”

“I don’t see any tears in your eyes, mister,” she said jokingly, cupping his cheeks in her hands.

“Then you’re not looking hard enough,” he replied. “Or I’m doing a fine job of keeping myself together.”

“Can’t look like a pansy, eh?” she asked. “Even in front of the woman who just proclaimed her feelings for you.”

“You do realize what you’re asking of me, right?” he asked, his tone becoming serious. “If we start a relationship, you can’t just walk away again when you get scared. You can’t push me away when things get rough or too hard to handle.”

“I know that,” she replied. “Besides, you’d just get on a plane and track me down.”

“Damn right, I would,” he said, smiling.

“So, do you accept my proposition?” she asked. “Of playing teacher and being the only man in my life?”

“We have a lot of things to talk about still,” he said. “Like the location differences, how we’re going to conduct a relationship…” She nodded, nuzzling her face into his chest and familiarizing herself with his scent after being apart for over a month. “But yes, Buffy- I’m in this one hundred percent… as long as you are.”

“One hundred percent,” she agreed before wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his.




A/N Things are finally well and fine for Buffy and Spike. The question is, what will become of them? Will they stay together or go separate ways once and for all? What will happen with the gallery? All will be answered in due time;)





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