A month later…
“Buffy? I’m home, pet! Are you…?”
“Spike?! Oh God, don’t come in here! Really, I mean it!”
Spike frowned, but stepped into the kitchen anyway, despite Buffy’s warning. Then he froze in his tracks, staring at the mess she’d created in his… no, it was their kitchen now. It was less than a week since he had asked her to move in with him for real, and she had happily accepted his offer. After Buffy had been released from the hospital, about four weeks ago, the two of them had been pretty much inseparable, spending every night either at his place or hers, and since his apartment was the largest, her moving in with him would be more logical than the other way around.
Even though they had been together for more than a month now, Spike still sometimes half expected to wake up one morning, only to find out that it had all just been a sweet dream. That he was still alone, miserable and unloved, but so far it hadn’t happened. A part of him knew, of course, that it was in fact real. That Buffy wasn’t going anywhere; that she was there to stay.
It was almost like she – after the first time she’d told him that she loved him – couldn’t get enough of saying it. And since he couldn’t get enough of hearing it, that worked out just fine. But still, sometimes, he doubted. Not that he didn’t think she was being sincere with him; he knew she meant every word she said. But what if she some day would change her mind, realizing that he wasn’t The One for her after all?
Of course, deep down Spike knew that he couldn’t keep going through life always expecting the worst to happen, but that didn’t mean it was easy. He’d been burned so many times in the past, that when everything finally seemed to be just perfect, he was almost too afraid to accept it. But thankfully, every time he showed even the slightest sign of doubting, either himself or their relationship, Buffy was there to prove him wrong. And every time, she got one step closer of tearing down the protective walls he’d built around himself. He realized that Buffy had to be one of the most patient women in the world, and for that, he would be forever grateful.
Now, Spike looked around the room in bewilderment before turning to his girlfriend, who had a miserable look on her face. “Buffy, what the bloody hell are you doing?!”
Buffy scowled at him. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m making dinner!”
“You’re…?” Spike hesitated, looking around the kitchen again. There were pans and bowls all over the place, and the floor was covered with some white powder that looked suspiciously like flour. And was that smoke, coming from the oven?
“Oh my God!” Spike barely managed to jump out of the way when Buffy grabbed a pot-holder and rushed over to open the oven. Black smoke welled out and she coughed, waving her hand in front of her face. Then she took something out and put it on the kitchen sink with a grimace. Spike took a step closer to have a look, but whatever it was supposed to have been, it was now impossible to identify.
”Um...” Spike couldn’t stop himself from letting out a snort of amusement. “Looking good, pet.”
“Shut up!” Buffy glared at him, then a single tear rolled down her cheek. “I just wanted to…” Her bottom lip started to tremble. “…to… to have dinner ready for you, when you…” More tears fell and she started sobbing. “…when you got home from work!” She stubbornly took a step back when Spike stepped closer, intending to comfort her. “Don’t touch me!”
Biting his tongue to keep from smiling – she was absolutely adorable – Spike reached for her again, and this time she let him pull her into his arms. “I’m sorry, sweet love, but you have to admit, it was kinda funny.” Feeling how Buffy immediately tensed up in his arms, he tightened his grip around her to keep her from pulling away from him. “Right. Not that funny. Sorry.”
Buffy sighed and pulled back a little, pouting. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I just wanted to do something nice for you; I can’t believe what a screw-up I am!”
Spike placed a soft kiss on her lips, then gently wiped away her tears. “Don’t say that, luv. What you did was amazing; no one has ever done something like that for me before.”
Snorting, Buffy stared at him in disbelief. “Ruined your kitchen?”
Spike chuckled. “No, making me dinner.”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “And look how nice that turned out. Let’s just face it; ‘cooking’ and ‘Buffy’? Not very mixy.”
“I hate to agree, but…” Spike raised his eyebrows and looked around the room again. Buffy let out a small laugh, much to his relief. “Tell you what, how ‘bout we just go out and eat? I know this place where they have spicy buffalo wings and this fried onion-thing, they make it look like a flower, bloody brilliant!”
Smiling, Buffy wrapped her arms around him. “Or, we could just stay here, in the bedroom. I mean, who needs to eat, anyway? I’m sure we can think of something much more interesting to do...” She wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, and brought her hand down to place it over his hardening erection, causing him to gasp.
“You little minx! Keep doing that, and we won’t make it to the bedroom. I might just take you right here.” Spike gave her a sexy smile and curled his tongue behind his teeth, making her knees go weak.
“Is that a promise, or…?” Buffy let out an ‘eeep’ as Spike scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. When he gently put her down on the bed, their bed now, she whispered a soft ‘I love you’, and he felt like the weight he’d been carrying on his shoulders for as long as he could remember had finally lifted. For so long, he’d been wondering if anyone could ever love him, and now he knew. She could. Buffy loved him.
The End