Chapter 1- Thank You

Buffy sat on a tombstone and looked up at the night sky, noticing all of the silvery orbs above her. She smiled softly as she focused on one.

“Hi, Mom,” she said quietly, her eyes watering a little. “I miss you.” She wiped a tear away as it rolled down her cheek. “Dawn misses you, too. She’s still taking it hard, but we’re okay. And we’ll continue to be- I promise. I’m going to take care of her until the end of the world. Glory won’t ever lay a finger on Dawn.” She paused. “But if for some reason she gets a hold of Dawn, will you watch out for her? Make sure Glory doesn’t do anything?” She looked down as more tears began to fall. “I know you’re watching over us right now- I’m just so worried. I can’t lose Dawn, not now. We’ve all worked so hard, and defeat isn’t something I could handle. Losing you was hard enough. Please don’t add Dawn to the list of people I lose. I’ll do anything, Mom, I swear. Just tell me how to protect her.” When a breeze passed by her, Buffy managed a weak smile. “I’ll take that as a sign. I don’t know of what, but it’ll do.” She sighed. “Do you know about anything behind the phrase ‘Death is your gift’? The First Slayer said it to me, and I didn’t understand what she meant. I still don’t.”

“Killing Glory would be a gift to the world,” a familiar voice said behind her. She quickly wiped off her cheeks again as she realized who it was. Spike appeared beside her and watched as she tried to hide the fact she was crying. “Everything okay, luv?” She nodded, looking down. “If you want to talk, I’ve been told I’m an excellent listener.”

“Who told you that? Your robot?” she asked, looking at him. He frowned and looked away. “I’m sorry. You’re being nice, and I’m being horrible.”

“I suppose I deserve it, don’t I?” he asked, looking at her.

“I think the beating Glory gave you was enough,” she said. “You’re healing up pretty well.”

“Yeah,” he replied, nodding. “I should be as good as new by tomorrow probably.” She nodded and looked down again. “So, felt like taking a short reprieve from slaying?”

“Just felt like sitting down and thinking,” she said before looking at the name on the tombstone. “I’m sure Mr. Thomas Grant doesn’t mind the company.” He smiled a little. “What brings you out here?”

“Was going to go get some more blood but saw you and thought I’d check in,” he said, studying her as he tilted his head. “Sure you don’t want to talk, Slayer? I know I’m not a Scooby and therefore shouldn’t be let in on whatever thoughts are running through your head, but-”

“You may not think you’re a Scooby, Spike, but I think you’ve earned a shot at membership,” she said. “I really can’t thank you enough for protecting Dawn and I. You could’ve saved your ass, but you helped us instead, and that means a lot.”

“Hence the kiss,” he said, and she looked away quickly. “I know it didn’t mean anything, just a thank you.” She nodded and sighed. “But if that’s my reward for being good, I’ll give up the evil side of me in a heartbeat.” She giggled quietly, and he smirked. “Okay, maybe not a heartbeat because I lack one, but you know what I mean.”

“I know,” she said, looking at him. They shared a smile for a moment before she looked up at the sky. “Do you know anything about astrology?”

“I think you mean astronomy, pet,” he said, and she frowned. “Astrology involves people’s signs, their horoscopes, and all that other rot. Astronomy is the study of stars, constellations, and planets.”

“Spike has an intelligent side- I’m impressed,” she replied jokingly, and he glared at her. “Sorry.” He shrugged and looked up. “I’ve always loved looking at stars- I just don’t know anything about them.”

“Me either,” he said, frowning. “You think over a century I would’ve picked up on something, but I guess I was too busy at night to really stop and look at the sky.”

“Mom used to sit outside with me before I’d go to sleep and point out things like the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper,” she said, tilting her head. “That’s the extent of my knowledge on the subject.” He chuckled and looked at her. “What? Who needs fancy names for stars and constellations? I’d rather just make something up.”

“Yeah, it’s probably more fun that way,” he said. “A lot easier than memorizing such trivial stuff.” She sighed and looked down. “What’s wrong?”

“You know the fight with Glory could be the end,” she said, not willing to look at him. “She could get Dawn and we could all die.”

“But we won’t,” he replied sternly. “No one is going to let that happen.”

“I know that,” she said. “But what if she takes us all down? What if I can’t protect Dawn? We’re all going to die, Spike. Even Dawn.”

“I won’t let anything happen to either of you,” he said sincerely, and she looked at him. “Even if I die, nothing is going to happen to you. I promise you, luv.”

“Why do you love me?” she asked quietly, and he smiled.

“Because you’re unattainable,” he said, and she frowned. “I like a challenge, and even though I’ll never have you, it’s still nice to think I have a shot.”

“What makes me different, though?” she asked curiously. “What about the two Slayers you killed? They were both ‘unattainable’, too, weren’t they?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t feel a certain spark with them,” he said before looking down. “I think I’ve loved you ever since I first saw you. Over three bloody years, I’ve loved you.” She put her hand on his arm, and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. He saw a soft expression on her face.

“Thank you,” she said before standing up and leaning over to kiss his cheek. She began to walk away, and he watched her, confused.

“For what?” he asked, loud enough for her to hear him. She smiled and turned back to look at him.

“For loving me when no one else did,” she said. “You’ve been the one guy who’s stayed around for me.”

“I’ve left you before, pet,” he said, still confused.

“Not after you told me you loved me,” she said. “Riley and Angel both did, but you haven’t. Thank you.” She continued to walk, and Spike watched her until she was no longer visible, a brilliant smile on his face.

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A/N Ashlee, PJ, and I have started our own awards site, titled the Fool For Love Awards. It's set up on LiveJournal, and the site is: http://www.livejournal.com/community/_fool_for_love_/
Please take a look at it if you're interested and nominate your favorite fics in one of 51 categories:)

The next night, Spike walked out of his crypt and noticed Buffy sitting there, looking up at the sky.

“Well, pet, can’t say I expected to see you here,” he said, tilting his head. “Didn’t feel like spending some time with Tommy Grant again?”

“I don’t think he liked me too much,” she replied, smiling softly. “I felt like looking at the stars again and figured here was as good a place as any.” He sat beside her and sighed.

“Something on your mind again?” he asked. “Hopefully not of the hell-god variety? Or death, for that matter?”

“No, unfortunately I’m thinking about normal human issues at the moment,” she said. “I dropped out of school for the semester.” He raised an eyebrow. “Between having to take care of things at home, Dawn, and the upcoming apocalypse, I just couldn’t handle the workload. And Dawn’s been the biggest pain lately. She’s been getting in trouble at school and being disrespectful to everyone, and I’ve had just about enough. And want to hear something horrible? I almost told her today that I wish Glory would just take her off my hands for good.” Spike frowned. “What’s wrong with me?”

“You’re under a lot of stress, luv,” he replied, putting his hand on her back. She looked down, biting back tears. “Everyone knows you’d give your life for Dawn, and I know you love her, Slayer. You just got pushed to a limit for a moment- there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“And Willow and Tara had a fight, and now things are all messed up with them,” Buffy said. “I guess Tara made a remark about Willow and magic, which of course got Willow upset, and-”

“Couples get in fights and have disagreements, Buffy,” he said. “The world doesn’t stop because of it.” She nodded and took a deep breath. “Anything else to get off your chest?”

“I accidentally shrank one of Dawn’s shirts,” she said, and Spike smirked. “I didn’t like it in the first place, but I shrank it and threw it away before telling Dawn that I hadn’t seen it and that maybe she lost it.”

“A little white lie like that is nothing,” he replied, and she looked at him. “Are you okay now?”

“Yep,” she answered before looking up at the sky. “You know what would be pretty to see? The Aurora Borealis.”

“I don’t think they have the whole ‘northern lights’ show here,” he said. “I think places like Alaska and Canada might, but not Sunnydale.”

“There’s Cassiopeia,” she said, pointing to a set of stars. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her, surprised. “I looked online at constellations and stars. Google is a great learning tool, isn’t it?”

“Whatever you say,” he replied. “What else do you see up there?”

“I think that’s called the Hyades,” she said, tilting her head as she looked at a grouping of stars. “It forms the head of Taurus, the bull.” She pointed to another grouping of stars. “And I believe that’s the Praesepe, otherwise known as the ‘Beehive Cluster’.”

“You’ve been doing your homework, Miss Summers,” Spike replied, smiling. “I’m impressed.”

“I figure I might as well learn this stuff just in case I die,” she said, shrugging, and his expression darkened immediately.

“You’re not going to die, Buffy,” he said in a stern tone. “Don’t ever say that again.”

“I’m going to die someday, Spike- I’m over it,” she replied. “Not everyone on this earth is undead and immortal.” She paused and looked away. “Thank god.”

“Hey, play nice,” he said. “Being a vampire has its perks.”

“So I’m told,” she said, looking at him. “About what I said last night-”

“If you’re going to take it back, I’d rather not hear it,” he said, looking down.

“I wasn’t going to,” she said, and he raised an eyebrow. “I just figured you might want to talk about it.”

“And I figured that you didn’t,” he said. She smiled softly and shrugged.

“Not really, but you tend to bring up things that I don’t want to talk about, so why would tonight be any different?” she asked. He looked away.

“Because things have changed a bit,” he replied. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, not when you’re willingly sitting here and acting like we’re talking-buddies. I know I stick my foot in my mouth sometimes, but I’m not willing to jeopardize this particular moment by acting like an ass.” She smiled softly and nodded. “Okay?”

“Sounds like a deal,” she said before putting her hand on his knee and pushing herself up to stand.

“Where are you going?” he asked, looking up at her sadly.

“I should probably head home,” she replied. “There hasn’t been any demonic activity the last couple of days, so it’s kind of pointless for me to stay out until sunrise patrolling. Besides, I feel better being at home, making sure Dawn is safe.”

“Want me to walk you home?” he offered, and she shrugged. “Is that a no?”

“I’ll be fine,” she said, looking at her watch. “Besides, the sun will be up pretty soon. Can’t have a pile of dust fight against Glory, now can we?” He smirked and stood up. “Thanks for tonight.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied, and she nodded. “And not just for tonight. For everything you said last night, too.” She smiled and walked closer to him, gently kissing him like she did a couple of days before when they were inside his crypt. “I love you.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “Good night, Spike.” He watched as she turned on her heel and walked away. “Again, thank you.” It was said quietly, but his enhanced senses picked up on it.

“No, pet, thank you,” he said, turning around and going inside his crypt. As she heard his door close, she smiled to herself.

“You’re welcome.”

One Year Later

Spike watched Buffy as she slept, studying her facial features and the way she would flinch occasionally in her sleep.

‘I wonder what she’s dreaming about,’ he thought. ‘Flinching usually isn’t a good sign.’ She shifted slightly and frowned
before jolting. ‘She must be having a nightmare.’ He ran his hand down her back in a soothing gesture, at the same time hoping she’d continue to sleep. ‘It’s been a long day for all of us- she needs sleep more than I do.’

Buffy turned over and felt Spike’s cool body beside her, his arm instinctively wrapping around her waist and pulling her close to him. She smiled softly and opened her eyes, noticing that he was watching her with a dreamy expression.

“Hi,” she said quietly. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Why aren’t you?” he asked, grazing her cheek. “You looked so peaceful.”

“I had a dream,” she replied, curling up against his side and resting her hand on his abs.

“What was it about?” he asked curiously, and she sighed.

“The fight against Glory,” she answered. “I pretty much just relived everything that happened. From her taking Dawn, to you getting stabbed by Doc, to Willow destroying Glory through a spell and managing to somehow close the portal. It was all so vivid.”

“But it’s over now, luv,” he replied, kissing the top of her head. “That was a long time ago, and Glory can’t come back. We’re all safe and sound.”

“Until the next apocalypse comes around,” she said, and he nodded. “I still can’t believe Anya and Xander got married today. It just seems so crazy that we’re adults, let alone that we’re at the age where getting married begins to be common.”

“The wedding actually went well,” he said, running his hand down her arm. “Your dress was hideous, but you looked gorgeous nonetheless.”

“And Anya was positively stunning,” she added. “She made a beautiful bride. I think I even saw tears in Xander’s eyes when she walked down the aisle to him.”

“And despite the chaos of having demons and ignorant humans shoved in a room together, I think it worked out nicely,” Spike replied, and she nodded before sighing.

“Think we’ll ever have that?” she asked, and he looked at her. “I mean, I know we can’t do the whole church-wedding thing or what-not, and I doubt we can even get married as it is considering you’re a vampire, but I like the idea of spending the rest of my life with you.”

“Knew you’d fall in love with me someday,” he grinned, leaning down to kiss her. “I’m just happy my patience is finally being rewarded.”

“I owe you for putting up with all of my crap for the last few years,” she replied. “And if that means loving you, then I’m going to keep going until you ask me to stop.”

“Won’t ever happen,” he said, smiling. “I’m going to love you forever. I promise you that, Buffy.”

“I know,” she said. “I love you, too.” He smiled proudly.

“I love when you say that,” he said. “Makes me feel all warm and special inside.” She giggled and kissed his neck. “Want to have another go? It’s been a few hours, and I’m sure the Nibblet is fast asleep by now.”

“It won’t matter- the primal growl you make whenever you come inside of me will wake her up,” she said in a low tone, and he groaned as he felt her hand run down to his thigh. “Or come anywhere else, for that matter.”

“You’re walking a very dangerous line, princess,” he said, looking at her intensely. “If you keep this up, I might not be so gentle on you.”

“Why not?” she pouted. “It was a sweet and romantic day- can’t you just make love to me again?” He leaned over and kissed her.

“Is that really what you want?” he asked, and she nodded, grazing his cheek. “And if I don’t?”

“You’re going to forego orgasms for a week, buster,” she replied, poking his shoulder. He chuckled and got on top of her, looking down into her eyes.

“You wouldn’t last a week without sex, luv,” he said. “I give you tops a day before you’re begging me for it.” She raised an eyebrow and gave him a challenging look.

“Want to make a bet on that?” she asked, and he quickly shook his head.

“I’d rather just be inside of you,” he whispered in her ear as he thrust inside of her welcoming body, eliciting a gasp to pass through her lips. “Yep, much better.” She smiled before moaning as he moved deep inside of her.

“You’re right- I couldn’t live a week without this,” she said quietly, arching her hips up to meet his. “I love you too much to keep this from happening.” He leaned down and bit the crook of her neck with blunt teeth, causing her to moan again.

“I love you, too, Buffy,” he said, gently rocking his hips against hers. “I’ll always love you.”

“You promise?” she asked, tilting her head back as warmth spread through her body, despite the feeling of the cold body on top of her.

“I promise,” he said sincerely before looking into her eyes. “Is that okay with you?”

“It’s perfect,” she answered before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his face down to hers so she could kiss him. “Forever is absolutely perfect.”


THE END

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A/N I’m fairly certain this is the end of this fic. This story was created with the mindset that it would be short and fairly fluffy, but I felt like doing something a little different than my usual AU’s. I hope you liked the ending and thanks for reading/reviewing!:)