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Author's Chapter Notes:
The final-final chapter :D lol


Yummy banners by xoChantelly and Edgehead
The first hour went by relatively smoothly. Everyone was able to relax and just enjoy the food, beer, and the wonderfully terrible movie.

Sunshine spent some time going from guest to guest, getting kisses, petted, and fed bits of Chinese food. Eventually, she got tuckered out and went back to her bed for one of her many daily naps.

Xander was sitting on the recliner with Anya on his lap; Willow and Tara preferred sitting cross-legged on cushions on the floor in front of the couch; and Buffy and Spike sat together on the couch. They sat so that their knees touched, and they would touch each other's hand every once in a while. They both couldn't wait until they didn't have to hide how they felt about each other -- the movie was almost over, so that time was rapidly approaching.

Xander looked at Spike out of the corner of his eye, wondering if either Buffy or Spike were going to come clean at some point in the evening. He caught one of the cutesy looks the blonds gave each other.

Spike noticed the way Xander was looking at him. "What?" Spike asked self-consciously.

Xander jumped slightly when he realized Spike had caught him staring. "Huh?"

"Why were you lookin' at me funny?" Spike cocked an eyebrow.

"I was looking at you funny?" Xander gulped.

"Yeah, you were. And now you're actin' funny, too..."

"Well, um, Xander's a funny guy!" Willow jumped in, hoping Xander didn't just give away that they knew there was more going on than met the eye.

Xander laughed nervously. "Funny how? Funny like a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm --"

Spike held up a hand. "Let me stop you 'fore you go any deeper into your Joe Pesci from 'Goodfellas' impression. I'm just sayin' that you were lookin' at me in a strange way, like there was something on your mind."

"Well... sorry, Spike. I didn't realize I was doing that. You know me -- nothing's ever on my mind!" Xander laughed again.

"Xander, be quiet," Anya chastised him, and gave one of his nipples a twist.

"Oww! Don't do that, Anya! You know how I hate that!" Xander cried, frowning and massaging his sore nipple.

"Okay, what's goin' on?" Spike asked, pausing the movie with the remote control. He noticed the peculiar looks on all their faces -- like there was some secret they didn't want coming out. Did their friends have a secret too?

"N-Nothing's going on," Tara said anxiously.

Spike knew for sure something was up now: Tara only seemed to stutter when she was nervous or upset, and she wouldn't look him in the eye. "Is someone going to tell me what's goin' on or what? Let's not play games."

"Games?" Willow tried acting innocent, but she couldn't quite keep the annoyance out of her tone. "Why would we play games with you?"

"Okay, now everybody is acting very weird," Buffy commented, sitting up straighter and eyeing them warily. "It's starting to freak me out."

No one said a word for several moments. Their eyes darted from one person to the next.

"Can we just tell them?!" Tara blurted out. When she saw that the others weren't going to, or couldn't, say it, she forced herself to do it. She took a breath and looked at Spike and Buffy. "We kn-know about the two of you. We know you've been... together." Tara looked down, blushing.

Spike and Buffy's eyes rounded in surprise.

"You... know?" Buffy asked. They all nodded solemnly. She and Spike looked at each other, both wondering when and how their friends had cracked the secret relationship code. Then she asked, "Why didn't any of you say anything before now?"

"Funny, we wondered why you didn't say anything," Willow said, obviously peeved. "We wanted to see how much time it would take for you to tell us the truth. We're supposed to be best friends, and you keep something like that from us? You had so many opportunities to tell us... How could you lie to us like that?"

Buffy looked down, feeling too ashamed to answer, so Spike asked them, "How long have you known?"

"Since the Bronze last week," Anya replied. "If you didn't want anyone finding out, you were really tempting fate by having sex on the balcony."

Buffy's head jerked up; she was surprised and then incredibly embarrassed. She blushed dark-red and put her hands over her flaming face. 'That's what I get for being impulsive! Oh my God, I'm such an idiot!' her mind screamed.

Buffy's voice was muffled by her hands, "Oh my God... all of you saw...?!"

"I'm the one who actually... saw it," Willow said. "I was beyond shocked to see you two together and doing... that. They," she swept a hand toward her other friends, "didn't even believe me at first."

Spike cleared his throat and sat up straighter. He was a bit embarrassed too, but mostly for Buffy; he didn't embarrass as easily as her. They hadn't thought of consequences when they'd shagged at the Bronze, and that lack of consideration was coming back to bite them on the ass. "Willow, couldn't you have approached one of us -- later -- to ask what was goin' on, instead of blabbin' about it to everyone else?"

"Oh!" Willow huffed defensively. "So this is all my fault? I'm the bad guy?"

"There is no bad guy," Spike responded, his forehead creasing. "I'm just sayin' --"

"I was stunned," Willow explained. "I didn't take the time to think about whether I should say anything or not. I could hardly believe what I'd seen with my own eyes. Sure, I could've pretended I didn't see anything, but unlike some people, I don't like lying to my friends."

"We were going to tell you about us after the movie was over," Buffy swore.

"Sure you were," Anya said, clearly doubting it. The rest of them looked just as doubtful.

"We were! Spike and I talked about how we were going to come clean tonight," Buffy maintained, getting more upset that they didn't believe her. "You think I'm lying?"

Anya shrugged. "Well, you lied to us before, repeatedly, and very smoothly, too. So, how are we supposed to know when you're telling the truth? You'd make an excellent used car salesperson if you ever decide to change your line of work."

Buffy pouted and frowned, torn between being pissed off and hurt. There was some guilt thrown into the mix, too, that Anya wasn't completely out of line for saying it; Spike and Buffy did lie to all of them.

"Were all of you mad at us for not telling you?" Buffy asked. They all either nodded or looked down. Buffy's chin quivered; she hadn't meant to hurt their feelings. She stood up abruptly. "If you're all so pissed and upset with us, then why are you even here tonight? Why don't all of you get the hell out! I don't need this shit!"

Buffy stormed off toward the bedroom.

Spike closed his eyes and sighed. "Buffy, don't go, pet. Let's --"

"No, I'm not gonna sit here and let them treat us like crap. They won't even listen to our side of the story! I'll come back out after they're gone," Buffy said with a shaky voice as she opened the bedroom door.

Xander and Tara also made halfhearted attempts at convincing Buffy to stay in the living room, but it was too late, she was too upset.

Sunshine didn't like that they were raising their voices in a not-good way that reminded her of Drusilla, and decided to join Buffy. She got up and ran over to Buffy as Buffy was stepping into the bedroom. Luckily, Buffy saw the dog following her and didn't slam the door.

"You guys upset Sunshine too -- are you happy now?!" Buffy waited for Sunshine to enter the bedroom, and then closed the door.

Unfortunately for Buffy and Spike, things were going much worse tonight than they'd hoped. They hadn't even gotten the chance to tell their friends the truth before they were 'outed'. They were both regretting not having been honest with everyone from the beginning. Yeah, there would've been lots of questions and awkwardness, but they should have just gotten it over with so it wouldn't blow up in their faces -- like it was now. And, of course, they regretted that Willow had seen them going at it on the balcony...

"Well... this is turning out to be the bestest movie night ever!" Xander said with his trademark off-kilter sense of humor.

"And whose fault is that?" Spike asked tersely as he stood up and started pacing back and forth. He was upset about the whole thing, but them hurting Buffy's feelings and upsetting her was making his blood boil. Spike had to remind himself that he liked these people... normally; he even considered them his American family. It wasn't easy to keep from blowing up and telling them to sod off right now. He clenched his jaw and stopped his pacing. "I'd say the 'fun' portion of the evening is over. I think it'd be best if you went home."

The others reluctantly stood and prepared to go get their jackets.

Tara stopped and held up her hands. "N-no, we can't leave it like this," she insisted, shaking her head. "Spike, you and Buffy shouldn't have lied to us, and we sh-should have told you a week ago that we knew about the two of you -- we all messed up. But you guys are the best friends I've ever had and I'm not going to let this ruin our friendships. I know we can t-talk it out."

Spike ran a hand back through his hair again. He loved Tara, and she was so sweet that it was hard to be gruff with her. "What do you suggest we do, Tara? Buffy's locked herself away in the bedroom, and I can't say I'm too keen on sittin' here and having all of you telling me what a rotten person I am, either."

"We care about you and Buffy, we don't think you or Buffy are bad people," Tara said.

"Yeah? Coulda fooled me. You think we got off on keeping the truth from all of you?" Spike asked them. The looks on their faces told him they did think he and Buffy got off on the lying. He was getting exasperated. "It wasn't any one else's business -- it was a private matter between me and Buffy."

Anya crossed her arms. "And anyone else who happened to be on that balcony."

Spike pursed his lips and lowered his head, rubbing at the back of his neck. He thought, 'Well, that shut me up...' He took a deep breath and looked back up at her. "Can you stop bringing the balcony up, please? We didn't think it was mandatory for us to tell you about us right away."

"No, it wasn't mandatory," Anya said. "But you should've wanted to tell us because we're friends. And if you were going through something, we might have been able to help in some way."

"Well, pardon us! We didn't realize we had to share everything with the bloody group."

"You're supposed to want to tell people you care about what's going on in your lives. We tell you guys stuff we're going through. But you obviously don't care about us the way we care about you," Willow harrumphed. It was evident that she wasn't just mad, she really thought Spike and Buffy didn't love their friends.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on," he groaned, throwing his hands out to the side in frustration. "Stop bein' so bloody melodramatic! So we wanted to wait before we told all of you -- it's not the end of the bloody world! And it doesn't mean that we don't care about you."

"Uh-huh, and monkeys might fly out of my butt," Anya said. She'd learned that from watching the 'Wayne's World' sketches on reruns of 'Saturday Night Live' and was happy to finally have an opportunity to use it.

"You're completely overreacting. And, despite what you think, we were going to tell you after the movie -- we talked about it, we planned it ahead of time." Spike chuckled humorlessly. "It's funny: Buffy was worried you'd overreact and be angry -- and I was actually daft enough to give all of you the benefit of the doubt. How does me and Buffy being together affect your lives? Why was it so bloody urgent that we tell you?"

"It'll affect us when you're done messing around and you don't want to be in the same room each other again. Then all of us won't be able to get together and we'll have to pick which person we want to stay friends with. And that's not fair!" Willow frowned and pouted even harder than before.

Spike shook his head firmly. "That's not going to happen."

"Have you had any casual flings with friends that allowed you to remain friends afterwards?" Anya wondered. "It's best to look outside your group of close friends for sexual partners."

"You're heading for disaster!" Willow declared dramatically. "You'll be done consoling each other and that will be it -- no more friendship."

Spike growled. "It's not just messing around or consoling each other! I'm in love with Buffy," he said seriously.

They looked at him with wide eyes.

"You're... in love?" Willow asked.

"Yes. Deeply, helplessly, hopelessly in love. I love her more than life itself." Spike frowned when he saw their surprised faces become distinctly sad. Of all the scenarios he'd played out in his head, he hadn't expected the news to make them depressed.

Willow's voice was shaky with emotion, "Oh, Spike... you poor thing." She rushed to him and pulled him into a tight hug.

Spike let her hug him, he was too confused to react.

"Oh," Tara said sadly, hanging her head, "I was afraid something like this was going to happen..."

"You should've let me fix you up with one of the hose-beasts I know," Anya lamented. "Being orgasm friends with an actual friend is too dangerous."

Willow rubbed Spike's back soothingly as she held him in the hug. "That's why doing stuff like that is a terrible idea, Spike. Loving feelings can develop even though we just want to keep things light and casual. Love and sex go hand-in-hand for people like us... Why would you take that risk, Spike?"

"What the bloody hell are you on about?" Spike pulled away, his forehead crinkled in confusion. "Since when is it a tragedy when people fall in love?"

"It becomes a tragedy when one person is only experimenting, seeking solace, or is in it for the cheap thrills, and the other person -- in this case, you -- falls in love," Anya explained. "I can still set you up with lots of eager, straight women if you want. Just say the word and your dance card will be filled for the next several months."

Spike opened his mouth to say something to Willow, but then turned back to Anya. "How do you know all these available women?" he asked; he'd been puzzled as to how she knew all those women she talked about. "Do you run an escort service in your spare time?"

"No... but that's not a bad idea." Anya nearly had dollar signs appear in her eyes. "I'd be rich! I can call a bunch of the --"

"Anya," Willow reprimanded her with a frown, "can you focus on helping Spike through this rough time, please? Planning to start your own illegal flesh-trade business can wait."

Spike groaned and shook his head. "I'm not goin' through a rough time -- you have no idea what you're talkin' about. It's not one-sided, Buffy loves me too."

They all just kept on looking sad, giving him sympathetic looks. They clearly thought he was being delusional. Obviously, Dru leaving him had done more damage than any of them had imagined.

"What, you think just 'cos we get it on in public sometimes means we can't be in love?" Spike asked.

"No, we think the fact Buffy's a lesbian means both of you can't be in love," Anya answered.

"She's not gay," Spike said confidently. Then he sighed. "Yeah, alright... she thought she was gay for a few years, but... things can change." Spike groaned again in frustration. He knew he must sound like a pathetic, lovesick git. It would be best if Buffy were out there to tell them herself. He wanted to ask her to come back out, but he didn't want to bother her while she was upset.

Spike didn't have to call for Buffy though, she'd been listening at the door and made the decision to re-emerge herself. "I'm in love with Spike, too," Buffy said from the doorway.

They turned their attention to Buffy, surprised yet again this evening.

Spike smiled at her and held out his hand, silently asking her to come to him. Buffy smiled, walked to Spike and put her arms around his neck. Spike's arms wound around her waist, holding her lightly against him.

"I'm sorry I left you out here to defend 'us'," Buffy said, pouting in the way she knew Spike couldn't resist.

Spike smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "No worries, kitten. I'm glad you decided to come back, though."

She looked at the others. "And I'm sorry I had a temper tantrum like a child and blew up at all of you. I was just feeling really emotional, but I should've stayed."

When Buffy had first gone in the bedroom, she'd flopped down onto the bed on her stomach, sniffling and feeling sorry for herself. She was so embarrassed that Willow had seen them on the balcony, and she was hurt at how their friends were treating her and Spike. But after a minute, Buffy gave herself a mental slap for leaving Spike out there to face them and their questions and accusations alone. Then she'd listened at the door for a moment when she heard Spike declare his love for her, and that was her cue to go back out to face the music with her man.

Buffy cupped Spike's face in her hands, looking lovingly into his azure blue eyes. "I love you so much, Spike."

"I love you too, Buffy." And then they couldn't resist giving each other a soft kiss.

The others were just staring with raised brows and open mouths. They had never even considered that Buffy and Spike might fall in love with each other; that didn't seem possible.

Xander blinked. "Wow... seriously? You two are in love? Both of you?!"

They broke the kiss, turned their heads and nodded.

"We thought you were just doin' it." Xander, along with the rest of them, was blown away by the revelation. "We didn't know it was a love-type situation..."

"Buffy and I never meant to hurt any of you," Spike tried to explain, "or make you think we didn't care enough about you to fill you in. We were selfish, I s'pose... We were so wrapped up in each other, our own feelings and worries about where we were heading, that we didn't consider that you all might feel hurt by being left out of the loop."

"We hope you guys can try to understand," Buffy continued. "We didn't keep it hush-hush to hurt any of you. It doesn't mean we don't love you guys, 'cause we really do love all of you. What Spike and I have... it's intense, confusing, and at the beginning, it was kinda scary," she said looking up at him with a little smile and giving his hand a squeeze. "I suddenly had all these squishy, loving thoughts and feelings for one of my best friends -- a male best friend -- and... I don't know, I was afraid to tell you guys for lots of reasons."

"You're really in love?" Willow asked, looking confused. "It's really not just... a fling?"

Spike and Buffy sighed; they'd known it would be difficult for their friends to process.

"Didn't it ever occur to any of you that the worst might not happen?" Buffy asked them. "You never thought that maybe the best thing might happen -- that Spike and I might fall in love and be happy?"

They looked at each other awkwardly and mumbled, "Um... no..."

"But in our defense," Willow pointed out, "how often do these kinds of things turn out well? If there's a chance of things ending up happy or crappy, it's usually crappy."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Geez, I didn't know you were so pessimistic, Will."

"I'm not pessimistic... I just didn't see how there could be a happy ending." Willow had had a disastrous possible outcome for Buffy and Spike's relationship in her mind for a week, and it was hard to adjust to the truth -- though she was going to be much happier once she was able to make the adjustment.

"Well, we didn't have all the facts," Anya said to Buffy. "We didn't think that you would take a sudden liking to penis. We thought it might just be trying something different for you," she defended.

"I didn't think I'd take a sudden liking to penis either, but..." Buffy shrugged. "And it's not just any ol' penis -- it's Spike's penis." She winked at Spike, who rolled his eyes up to the ceiling.

"Okay, the word 'penis' has been used far too much in the last twenty seconds," Xander said, making the classic, T-shaped timeout gesture with his hands.

Anya clapped her hands and rubbed them together. "Us girls need to talk. Why don't you boys go out in the backyard for a while?"

Spike's brows knit. "No, I'm not gonna go outside -- it's my bloody house."

"Fine, you big baby..." Anya sighed wearily. "Then we'll go outside."

"Why do you have to go anywhere?" Spike asked. "Why can't we all stay in the same room and talk together, non-segregated?"

"Just because," Anya said with another roll of her eyes. "Unless you don't mind us talking about penises excessively?"

Xander waved goodbye to the girls. "Hurry back, now!"

"Some serious girl-talk is long overdue." Anya took Buffy's hand and led her to the kitchen.

Buffy looked back at Spike, looking harried, but smiling to let him know she was okay. She wasn't afraid to face their questions now, she just felt immense relief that the truth was finally out.

Willow and Tara hurried behind them. Even Sunshine trotted after the ladies, leaving Spike and Xander alone in the living room.

The two men sighed and plopped down heavily on the couch.

Spike hoped the girls weren't going to be talking excessively about his penis, in particular. Not that he had anything to be ashamed about, but it just made him uncomfortable to imagine all the girls gossiping about his bits 'n pieces. Then he recalled Buffy referring to it as his 'mystical cock', and he snickered.

Xander looked at him. "What's funny?"

"Huh? Oh, nothin'... Just thinkin' of something cute Buffy said once. She's got a great sense of humor, that girl; one of her many attractive qualities."

"So... you and Buffy are in love, huh?"

"Yeah." Spike nodded, a little smile tugging at his lips.

"You and Buffy are in love?" Xander repeated.

"Didn't you just ask that a second ago, or are we in a bloody time warp?"

"I'm just trying to wrap my mind around it. I think it's great and everything, it's just surprising, y'know?"

"It surprised the hell outta me, too. I s'pose I can understand why you're having trouble with it. But she's the most incredible woman I've ever met. It's hard to explain, but we just... connect on a deep level."

Xander looked at him sideways, raising his brows slightly.

"Get your bloody mind outta the gutter, wanker. I meant, connecting on more than just a physical level."

Xander joked, "My mind is in the gutter? I'm not the one dirty dancin' with my lady on the balcony at the Bronze, pal."

They both laughed.

Then Spike sighed, smiling a little and thinking of Buffy and how she made him feel inside. It was almost impossible to put into words without sounding crazy (or crazier). "I know she's the one; I love her madly. And what makes it more amazing is, she's sure that I'm the one for her, too."

After a few moments, Xander said, "At the Bronze? What the frilly heck possessed you to do it there? Anya and I have done some wild shit, but we were never bold enough to... well, to do what you did. You've got brass ones, my friend." Xander held up his fist for a manly, 'atta boy' fist bump.

Spike smirked and bumped fists with Xander. Then he shrugged. "We just..." He didn't want to say it was Buffy's idea to shag on the balcony, she was embarrassed enough about everyone knowing (and Willow having witnessed it). "The mood just struck us, is all. I'd advise you and Anya not to try something like that. We thought we'd gotten away with it, but... obviously we weren't alone the whole time..." Spike hung his head back on the couch and chuckled. "Bloody hell, poor Willow..."

Xander chuckled too, recalling Willow's stunned, deer in the headlights expression. "I think you guys traumatized poor, innocent Willow for life. You're lucky it was only her that saw you -- what if a bouncer saw you and Buffy?"

"Yeah, we considered what could've gone wrong... but not until it was over. We decided to try living a tad less dangerously for a while since then." Spike laughed again, then looked at Xander with regret. "We really are sorry 'bout lying to all of you. We felt like we had to keep it a secret until we were sure how we really felt about each other. We had to sort out our own feelings before announcing it to everyone."

Xander took a breath, and then half-shrugged. "It's okay... I mean we weren't happy about the lying, but now I think I get why you felt like you had to."

Spike leaned back against the couch cushion, slumping down and trying to relax. "I hope they're not givin' Buffy a hard time." He looked apprehensively toward the kitchen.

"They know Buffy's upset already. They're probably hugging and sniffling and saying they're sorry."

Spike sighed. "I hope so."

"You're really totally over Drusilla?" Xander asked. It was hard to imagine Spike being in love someone other than Dru; Spike and Dru had been so into each other at one time.

"I'm completely over her," Spike said confidently, waving his hand dismissively. "I told you how she called last month and wanted me back, and I said no. I had a little bit of self-respect left, but mostly I said no because of Buffy. The way I feel about Buffy is... Let's just say, Dru can't compete with her in any way. Buffy helped me to see that I deserve better, and she loves me more than Dru was even capable of."

"Okay, good." Xander nodded, accepting the answer. "How long you think the girls are gonna be talking out there?"

"Who knows? We should be prepared for a long wait, though... you know how they can get when they're chatting about emotional things."

"I guess they'd be mad if we watched the rest of the movie without them..." Xander looked longingly at the television.

"I reckon they would," Spike said with a nod.

"Anything good on TV?" That was enough talking about their feelings for one evening, in Xander's opinion.

Spike picked up the remote and tossed it to Xander.

Xander flipped through channels until he came across the Mel Brooks movie, 'To Be Or Not To Be'. "This is a great flick," he said, setting the remote down beside him. "Seems somehow wrong to watch a good movie on movie night, doesn't it?"

"Turn on anything -- just not that bloody 'Top Model' show," Spike grumbled. "Buffy loves watching that shit."

"Anya loves that show too. Oh God, how I despise that show." Xander shuddered. "You'd think a show packed with models would be a delight -- but it ain't. Buffy makes you watch with her?"

"She don't 'make me'," Spike said defensively. Then he sighed and amended, "But I do watch it with her... 'cos it makes her happy, and it makes me happy to see her smile."

"Yep, that proves it right there: you're definitely a couple. Want another beer?"





The women were sitting on the steps in the backyard, having their own little chat.

Buffy was giving them her reasons again for keeping her relationship with Spike a secret. "I was nervous and afraid about a lot of things. Spike and I had to figure out some things for ourselves... and it would've been harder to do that with you guys knowing we were together. I loved him so suddenly and so completely, I didn't know if it was really possible or if I was just crazy."

"Still..." Anya said with a sly smile, "it must've made it extra exciting to be all secretive."

Buffy smiled and shrugged. "Maybe a little... But that wasn't the main attraction to being with him. I wanted to tell you all so bad last week, but it just didn't seem like the right time." She sniffled, getting misty-eyed. "I'm sorry you thought we didn't care about you. We love you guys."

They got in a group hug, all saying, "Oh, we love you too, Buffy." Willow humbly apologized for being so paranoid and grouchy; people do and say some stupid things when their feelings are bruised.

They sat back and smiled at each other.

Buffy directed her next question to Tara and Willow. "You aren't... disappointed in me for wanting to be with a man, are you?"

Tara shook her head and grasped Buffy's hand. "Of course not, Buffy. All we want is for you to be happy. Right, Willow?"

Willow nodded and took hold of Buffy's other hand. "If Spike makes you happy, then it's okay with us. We don't care which team you're playing for."

Buffy smiled wider. "Good, I'm glad. I mean, I thought you'd be okay with it because you're both so cool and open-minded, but... there was that little nagging voice at the back of my mind. I was driving myself crazy worrying about everything that could possibly go wrong."

"How did... um," Willow bit her lip, trying to think how to phrase her question. "How did it happen the first time you were with Spike? Were you just really drunk?"

Buffy blushed, thinking back on that marvelous, magical night. "We were drinking beer, but we weren't drunk."

"Did he start hitting on you and you just... decided to go for it?" Tara asked.

"Nope, it wasn't like that at all..." Buffy giggled and covered her face with her hands for a moment. "I'm the one who made the first move -- poor Spike was trying to be a good boy and hesitated, but I made him an offer he couldn't refuse, if you get my meaning. And there were nude sketches involved. I was a giant, shameless slut. It was the craziest -- but as it turns out, it was also the smartest -- thing I've ever done."

The other women giggled along with her.

Willow poked Buffy in the side with a finger. "You bad girl! What made you want to do it? 'Cause last time I checked, you liked people with lady-parts."

"Well... I was curious because I'd never been with a man before. I was lonely -- and horny. And Spike knew exactly what I was going through, he'd had his heart broken not long ago too. And... I don't know what it was, but from the moment Spike opened the front door, I just thought he looked amazingly hot. I'd always thought he was good-looking, but his hotness was just off the charts for me starting on that night. I just wanted him real bad."

"He was so good in bed that he convinced you to bat for the other team permanently," Anya said appreciatively. "Now that must've been some damn fine sex."

"It wasn't just that the sex was good -- though it was spectacular," Buffy added with a giggle. "It was how he was with me. Gentle, caring, and so sweet."

"Oh, no rough stuff, huh?" Anya asked, seeming disappointed.

"Well... I didn't say that." The girls giggled again. "Spike can rattle a headboard real good when he gets goin', let me tell ya. But we talked about stuff during and after, too. He made me smile and laugh, and he made me feel so... special and desirable. Cordy never made me feel like that. I realized that night that Spike was the person I'd been dreaming of finding my whole life; it didn't matter if he was a man or a woman -- he just happened to have a penis."

Willow and Tara nodded, understanding about falling in love with someone you never would have expected to fall for, based on how they make you feel when you're with them.

"I love the sex, but more than that, I love Spike's heart and his soul. He understands and loves me like nobody else ever has." Buffy sighed with a dreamy smile on her face. "The way he touches my body drives me wild, but the way he touches my heart is what made me fall in love."

Tara and Willow smiled, tilted their heads, and said, "Awww."

"That's very sweet," Anya agreed. "His ten-inch penis must've helped to convince you, too. That's all it would've taken to convince me to convert. But then, I'm a size queen."

Buffy laughed at first, then sobered and stared at Anya. She frowned and pressed her lips together. "Excuse me? How the hell do you know how big he is?" Had Spike and Anya fooled around in the past? Buffy didn't like that one bit, and she doubted Xander would like it either.

"Drusilla told me. She told me lots of things." Anya waggled her eyebrows.

"Ten inches?" Tara blinked. "Damn..."

Buffy shook off the jealousy she'd been feeling a moment ago and managed a saucy smile. “Mmhmm, he’s truly been blessed by the Lord. And I guess since I get to play with it when I want, I've been blessed too.”

"That's not... too big?" Tara asked, wincing slightly and pressing her thighs together.

"Not for me. We just... fit together like puzzle pieces. Perfectly."

Anya wanted to hear more details about the sex. She never thought she'd get to dish with Buffy about hetero sex. "I heard Spike really knows his way around a vagina. Is he really that good?"

"Anya! Stop it!" Buffy blushed again.

"Yeah, stop it," Willow said, putting an arm protectively around Buffy. "Buffy doesn't want to answer questions like that." She looked at her. "...Do you?"

"No, I don't," Buffy said, then couldn't help laughing. "You guys are terrible!"

"Come on, Buffy," Anya pled, "give us a juicy detail -- just one!"

"Okay... I'll just say that Spike is the best lover I've ever had -- he's possibly the best lover in the world. He knows exactly how I want and need to be touched and... It's just like we're completely in-tune with each other. I used to think stuff about fireworks going off and the earth moving were just movie clichés before. He actually made me... you know... so hard that I passed out."

"Wow..." the others droned, trying to imagine cumming that intensely.

“That happened several times, and I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it felt. Like a regular orgasm on steroids. Spike was so scared when I first 'checked out', poor baby. He thought he broke me," she giggled. "I made him sorta pass out once too, yay me!”

“No wonder you decided to keep him,” Anya said. “Did it last long enough? Some men are great at the beginning but run out of steam fast.”

Buffy looked back at the house to make sure Spike and Xander weren't spying, then turned back to her girlfriends and lowered her voice conspiratorially. "The first night we were together, we did it six times," Buffy told them, holding up six fingers for emphasis. "He told me his previous best was five, so I wanted to top it."

She knew she should shut up and not share any more intimate details... but she couldn’t help herself. Buffy had been holding in all the enthusiasm and gushing for a month -- once she’d started, it was hard to stop. And it felt so good to be talking honestly with her friends again.

"And that was after he'd been drinking, so he gets extra points," Buffy added.

"Very impressive," Anya said with brows raised and a glazed look in her eye.

"Everything about Spike is impressive." Buffy raised and lowered her brows. “He’s taught me a lot of things; I swear, he could teach a class on how to please a woman.”

“Maybe I could ask Spike to talk to Xander?” Anya said. “Not that Xander isn’t great, but --”

Buffy’s eyes widened. “No, Anya! Please promise me you won’t say anything to Xander or Spike!” She didn’t think Spike would appreciate how much she’d divulged about their sex life.

“But...” Anya whined.

Willow thought she’d help Buffy out. “If you even suggest anything to Xander about asking Spike for ‘pointers’, you’ll make him feel inadequate, and then he won’t be able to give you any happys.”

Anya considered that, then sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Yeah... I guess you’re right. I wouldn’t want Xander to feel bad. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a wonderful lover... but he’s never made me pass out.”

Tara nudged Buffy with an elbow, and teased, "You're going to drive us crazy from now on, telling us how wonderful and perfect Spike is, aren't you?"

"Yep, that's the plan." Buffy grinned. "But he's not totally perfect -- he leaves wet towels on the floor. And some of his alleged 'jokes' piss me off." She looked up in thought. "Hmm, well I do get to punish him for the jokes, so I guess I can live with that one little flaw."

Anya leaned forward, looking very interested. "Ooh, discipline? Do tell."

Buffy smiled and shook her head no. "Uh-uh, I'm not revealing any more juicy stuff. I've already said too much."

"Says you," Anya disagreed, leaning back with a disappointed frown.

"I'm so relieved that we got all that messiness sorted out and we're all friends again." Tara smiled, and then looked back at the sliding glass door. "I wonder how Spike and Xander's talk is going?"

Buffy felt suddenly antsy after what she and her girlfriends had just been discussing. Was Spike telling Xander lots of juicy details too? "They'd better not be talking about me..."

"What else would they be talking about?" Anya asked. "Football? Of course they're talking about you."

"Well... I hope Spike's not telling him sex stuff about me." Buffy worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"You mean like we've been talking about him?" Tara asked with a teasing smile, and raising her eyebrows.

"Um... it's not my fault." Buffy fidgeted. "You guys are... conversational geniuses, and you tricked me into spilling intimate details. Well, that's my story if Spike asks, anyway."

"The Bronze, huh?" Willow asked, arching a red eyebrow.

Buffy looked up at the sky trying to fight the urge to hide her face with her hands again. "I was feelin' extra freaky and I made Spike do it. My theory is that I was possessed by a really slutty demon."

"It didn't look like you were making Spike do anything," Willow said with a naughty smile. "Would've been kinda hard for you to hold a gun to his head in that position. I could tell he was really hating it too, the poor guy was being tortured..."

The girls giggled, and Buffy playfully smacked Willow's knee. "Stop it! No, Spike didn't need much -- or any -- arm-twisting, but it was my idea." Even though it was embarrassing for Buffy to admit it had been her idea, she didn't want their friends to think that Spike was some kind of sexual puppet master and made her do kinky things against her better judgment.

"Unless you're going to spill more fun sex details, I think we should go back inside now," Anya said, starting to rise from her seat on the step. "I don't trust Xander alone in there with the movie on Pause. He's going to want to watch the rest of it whether we're there or not."





The ladies came back into the living room to find that Xander and Spike were done talking too. The boys were kicked back on the couch, drinking beer and watching TV.

Spike set his beer down and stood up when he heard them come back in. He looked at Buffy expectantly, looking for signs of distress. She had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling, so he assumed it had gone well. "Everything alright?"

Buffy nodded and walked up to him, putting her arms around him and hugging him in front of their friends like she'd wanted to for what seemed like an eternity. "Mmmhmm. Everything's fine. We all said we were sorry and forgave each other. Now we're the bestest of friends again. Did you and Xander have a good talk?"

Spike hugged her back, relieved that everything was out in the open and that their friends weren't being jerks anymore. "Yeah, it was alright. Though, I reckon there weren't as many sniffles or hugs as your talk had."

"I'd like to state for the record that were zero sniffles and hugs involved in our talk," Xander told them, raising his hand.

Spike smiled warmly at Buffy, his eyes and smile radiating happiness. "Well, Summers, we're finally official."

"Yes, we are." Buffy gave him a peck on the lips. "No more hiding or keeping secrets. It feels great!" She grinned and squeezed him tighter.

Spike held her and pressed his lips against hers, giving her a proper kiss. Buffy put her hands on the sides of his face, enthusiastically returning his kiss.

The others looked at each other, all thinking that Buffy and Spike being a loving couple was going to take some getting used to. But it wasn't a bad thing to have to adjust to. Now that the whole truth was out, they felt happy and relieved that their friends' hearts had mended after being broken so badly. They still worried that the relationship might not work out, but at least for now, Buffy and Spike seemed happier than they'd ever seen them.

Spike and Buffy separated, not wanting to test their friends' patience by making out in front of them too much.

"So, all of you can accept and are okay with Buffy and me bein' together?" Spike asked, wanting to make sure there were no more bruised feelings to contend with. "And no more of this 'we don't care about you' bollocks?"

They all nodded.

Buffy smiled and looked sideways at Spike. "And we don't want any guff from you guys when we move in together."

They others were surprised -- again.

"Whoa, you're moving in together?" Willow asked, taken aback.

Spike nodded and clasped Buffy's hand affectionately. "We do plan on it, but not 'til the time's right."

Buffy turned to face him. "Spike, I'm saying I want to move in with you. The time is right, now."

His face lit up with an amazed smile. "You do? Buffy, that's..." He took a breath, trying to rein in his joy a bit. "But... I thought you needed more time, pet? You don't want to slow things down?"

"We can slow down after I move in. I need to stop doubting myself. I know you and I are right for each other, nothing else in my life has ever felt so right -- so why wait? I want to fall asleep next to you at night, and wake up in the morning to have coffee and bunny pancakes with you every day. I want to live with you. If your offer to move in with you and Sunshine still stands, of course." Buffy smiled teasingly. If she weren't so sure that he wanted it, too, she'd be a nervous wreck awaiting his answer.

Spike grinned. "I said the offer would stand 'til the end of the world, and..." He made a show of looking out the front window. "I don't see any fire and brimstone falling from the sky. So yes, the offer still stands." He pulled her into a hug and lifted her up off the ground.

Buffy giggled and hugged him back, kicking her legs up behind her.

"Don't you think you should give a big step like that more time?" Willow asked, then added, "This isn't me giving you guff or being judge-y, it's just... friendly concern."

Spike set Buffy back down on the ground and they shared a passionate kiss. Buffy's fingers brushed through his hair, she had to stop to resist the temptation to twist his hair into points again.

"Hello?" Anya said, waving at Spike and Buffy. She was still shaking off the heebie-jeebies from the mention of 'bunny pancakes', whatever those were; were they pancakes made of bunnies, or shaped like bunnies? Neither of those sounded good to Anya. "Willow asked you if you didn't think it was a little soon to live together -- in a non-judge-y way. Xander and I were going out for an entire year before he asked me." Anya glanced at Xander with narrowed eyes.

Xander jumped slightly when he saw the way Anya was looking at him. "Hey, one year is a perfectly reasonable amount of time to wait for the moving in talk!" he defended himself. "Just because these two," he pointed to Spike and Buffy, "are on an express train to Relationshipville, doesn't mean I dragged my feet."

Spike and Buffy broke the kiss, then snuck one more quick, hard kiss before turning to their friends again. They loved their friends and everything, but they also wished they were alone right now...

"I appreciate that you guys are concerned," Buffy said, holding Spike's hand. "But I did give the decision more time. Spike asked me last week and I said no. I was nervous about what other people would say, and thought we might be moving too fast. But after I thought it over, I decided to be brave and do what I really want to do. I need to do what will make me happy."

Spike just had to have his arms around her again. "I just want you to be certain, luv. There's no rush if you'd really rather wait..." He hoped she was positive and wouldn't change her mind.

Buffy touched his face lovingly and gazed into his eyes. "If I've learned anything over the past month, it's that I have to start trusting my instincts. And my instincts are telling me to move in with the man I love. From that first night we became more than friends, I knew I belonged with you, Spike."

The girls said, "Awww." Xander shifted uncomfortably on his feet; he'd hoped the emotional part of the evening was over and they could get back to the movie.

Spike blinked back happy tears. "God, you make me so happy, Buffy. This past month with you... It's been the best month of my life. And I promise I'll do anything it takes to make you happy, too. I love you more every day."

"Oh Spike, I love you, too." Buffy moaned and kissed him.

After twenty seconds or so, the others were all feeling a little awkward.

"Would you rather be alone?" Tara asked kindly. "It's okay if you do; we understand."

Xander jerked his head to look at Tara, his eyes wide with panic. He kept his mouth shut, but he wanted to say, 'But we didn't finish the movie!'

Spike and Buffy came up for air and smiled at each other. Part of each of them wanted to say goodnight to their friends so that they could celebrate in private. But they didn't want to be one of those nauseatingly perfect and in love couples that made their friends sick.

"Nah, we've got all the time in the world," Spike said, tearing his gaze from Buffy's sparkling green eyes with some difficulty. "We'd like to spend a pleasant evening with our best friends."

Buffy nodded and smiled.

"Whaddya say?" Spike asked the others. "Is everyone up for continuing? I've got a few more movies we can watch, and there's still plenty of beer."

They all smiled and answered in the affirmative.

Xander pumped his fist in the air and exclaimed, "Yes! Can we watch the thrilling conclusion of 'Death Bed' now? The suspense is killing me!"

The others laughed and went back to their seats, also eager to watch the rest of the movie. And it would be nice to go back to normal after the tension from earlier in the evening. Spike tossed the remote to Xander, since Xander was so keen on starting up the movie again.

Spike and Buffy sat next to each other on the couch again, not having to worry about sitting 'too close'. Spike kissed her cheek softly, then nuzzled her ear. "I adore you. And as soon as they leave, I'll show you just how much."

Buffy smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips and hot breath on her ear. "Mmmm, I can't wait," she purred, running her hand over his chest.

Then they sat up straight, settling for letting their legs touch and holding hands.

Xander was about to un-pause the movie, but stopped and stood back up. "Hold on. Before we get back into the swing of things, there's something I need to do. Let me shake your hand." He walked over to Spike, took Spike's left hand in both of his and shook it firmly.

Spike's eyebrows lifted, he smiled slightly. "Okay... what for?"

"You converted Buffy -- not just for one day or a week, but permanently! Therefore, you sir, are a god among men," Xander said, only half-joking. It was a feat not easily accomplished by mere mortal men, and Xander was mightily impressed.

Buffy, Willow, and Tara rolled their eyes in unison.

Spike smirked, tilted his head and looked at Buffy as Xander continued to pump his hand. "Told ya."


THE END!

(For real this time lol)


Chapter End Notes:
I hope y'all liked the extra chapters! Thanks to all you wonderful folks who reviewed! *smoochies to all*



Big sloppy kisses to Passion4Spike for all of her help and suggestions! =D



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