All the Fun (of the Fair) by Suzee
Summary: Set early Season Six and goes AU from there. Spike's getting tired of no one taking care of Buffy or thinking of what she needs, after she comes back. So, he comes up with a plan--one that, for once, might just actually work. Fun and fluffy. Nominated at Spark and Burn Awards Round 4 for Best Comedy/Fluff and Best Buffy Characterisation
Categories: General Fics Characters: None
Genres: Romance, None
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 6 Completed: Yes Word count: 8310 Read: 13561 Published: 01/25/2006 Updated: 03/03/2006

1. Part I by Suzee

2. Part II by Suzee

3. Part III by Suzee

4. Part IV by Suzee

5. Part V by Suzee

6. Part VI by Suzee

Part I by Suzee
Author's Notes:
This story is six parts; so, not a long one but still pretty good length wise. And I'm sorry for taking so, so long to post--the last few weeks have just been absolutely insane. I was going to post on Friday, but I'll be out of town again on Firday. But I wanted this to have a different posting day than LC so don't be surprised if next week's update still is on Friday.

This was already posted, friends locked, on my fic Livejournal so if you think you've read it already, you might have.
All the Fun (of the Fair)



Part I


“Come on, Slayer.”

“No, Spike! What are you doing? Let go of me,” Buffy tried to sound like she was completely against the idea of going where ever it was he wanted to take her; she really was.

She managed to break free of his grasp, but in an instant he was in front of her again, blocking her path. “Trust me,” he told her.

“Are you insane?” She huffed, “You’re an evil vampire what reason do I have to trust you? Please, Spike, just let me go home.”

“Alright, don’t trust me; just come on,” Not waiting for an answer and knowing her, Spike started off in the opposite direction.

He wasn’t twenty feet down the road before she caught up to him, matching her stride to his, “Wait! Where are you going?”

“You’ll see,” was all he said, trying to hold back a smirk.

“How do I know you’re not doing something….something evil?” She seemed pleased with herself for coming up with that.

“Can’t forget about those slayerly duties now can you? Guess you’ll just have to come with me to know for sure.”

“But Dawn—“

“Will be just fine with Glinda and Red, now are you coming or not? I’d like to get going.”

“I’m just going to make sure you don’t do anything evil,” She felt the need to point out.

“’Course, love. Now let’s get going; it’s late.”




“The fair?” Buffy asked incredulously as the lights came into view. “Please tell me you’re not going to the fair.”

“Not evil enough for you?”

“What….but you’re….and…,” She sputtered out before finally getting one word out, “Huh?”

“You need to have some fun,” Spike explained, looking sheepish. “Been working too hard since…just been working too hard,” He still had a hard time mentioning the time when she was dead. “Thought you needed to take a break.”

“So you brought me to the fair?”

“Well…yeah.”

He almost didn’t catch the hint of a smile she let out before she caught herself. “Spike, this is crazy. I have to get Dawn up for school in the morning and it’s already late and—“

“Told you, Niblet’ll be fine with Red and Glinda.”

“But you brought me to the fair!” Buffy couldn’t seem to get over that fact.

“Think we’ve covered that fact, kitten. Now, let’s go have some fun, yeah?”

“It’s the fair,” She muttered.

“That it is. Got lots of sugary goodies, plenty of things to rot those pearly whites of yours right out.”

“Well when you put it like that,” Buffy joked, finally giving in. But then a thought struck her, “Fair’s are kind of expensive Spike, I don’t really have the money to spare.”

“Good thing I’m paying then.”

“It’s not a date,” She added even as she walked with him towards the entrance gate.

“Just you having some fun and letting me tag along.”

”Exactly.” Except that it was like a date. And that didn’t seem to bother her near as much as it should have.




“Cotton candy: check; caramel apple: check; funnel cake: check; taffy: check….can I have some popcorn now?” Buffy was bouncing on the balls of her feet—both from the sugar high and from just being happy for the first time in longer than she cared to remember.

“Regular or caramel?” Was his only answer.

“Kind of like my teeth, so how about regular?”

It wasn’t as if he were going to deny her anything at the moment, not with the mood she was in. Even as he made his way to the concession stand Spike couldn’t believe how well the night was going. He hadn’t expected this at all.

Nor had he expected Buffy to lead them to one of the picnic tables once she had her popcorn, sitting next to him on the bench, both of them looking out into the crowd.

“You know I’m probably going to be sick tomorrow,” she pointed out as he stole a few pieces of her popcorn.

“All part of the plan, luv,” he ate the popcorn and stole some more, “You get sick—or pretend to—and those slayer powers heal you up right and proper while the Scoobies think you need some good old fashioned rest to get better. Gives you a break.”

“You really have thought this out haven’t you?” No way was she going to admit that she was impressed.

“No one’s been thinking of you pet; of what you need,” He wouldn’t meet her eye, his words getting quieter as he went along. “They’ve all been so focused on you being back and trying make themselves feel all proud. And you’ve been working on keeping them all happy and in the dark. You need some time.”

When she didn’t say anything for what had to be at least three full minutes he decided to change the topic before she could get angry with him; before she could reject him.

“Come on, luv.”

“What? Where are we going now?” Though her tone would have implied otherwise, Buffy didn’t try to stop him as he took her hand and started to pull her out of the food section of the fair. “I don’t really feel up to any rides,” she muttered holding a hand to her stomach as the bright lights and loud noises of the attractions assaulted her senses.

“Good thing we’re not going on any then.”

“Then what are we--?” She stopped her question when she saw what she expected might be his intended destination. “You know I can’t use my slayer skills for anything like that. It’s like Willow’s magic, can’t use it for plain personal gain. And I’m pretty sure that winning a carnival game would fall under that category.”

“And again I say, it’s good we’re not doing that then.”

“Then what are we going to do?” She was starting to sound like a little kid, a sure sign that she was relaxing.

“We,” he told her, “Are finally going to prove that that,” he pointed over to a man, “Over there really doesn’t know what he’s going on about.”

“Spike,” Buffy argued, “No one thinks he does anyway. It’s not like we have to—how exactly were you planning on ‘proving’ it anyway?” She couldn’t help but be curious.

“Simple. Bloke thinks he can tell you how old anyone is, he’s usually got a safe bet—people always look around their age and if he’s off by a year or two, no one much minds. But if he guesses my age, we know he’s going to be off by at least a hundred years, ergo proving him wrong.”

“And this matters to you why?”

“Those guys are bloody obnoxious; don’t like their know-it-all attitude.”

He wasn’t so sure he liked her laughing at him, but then again it was more than nice to see her laughing, “You mean to tell me that some carnie got under the Big Bad’s skin?”

“He’s got no right acting like he’s some bloody psychic or something!” Spike protested.

“Come on then, let’s go prove him wrong,” Buffy acquiesced, a plan already forming in her head.

Now Spike was the hyper one, seemingly unable to contain his excitement as he bounced on the balls of his feet while waiting for the man to finish guessing a woman’s age. He of course, guessed an age three years under her actual age, resulting in her winning a small prize and her ego boosted just that little bit.

“Your turn, sweetheart,” the carnie told Buffy, smiling—Spike thought—fairly suggestively at her.

“No, no,” she protested, “I’m not going; he’s the one you get to guess for,” She pushed Spike onto the gaudily lit platform.

Spike had no reservations about it, he stepped onto the platform a knowing smirk on his face. “Yeah, let’s have it, mate; how old am I?”

While his attention was solely focused on the man studying him intently Buffy quietly stepped up as close behind her as she could and still not set off her Slayer—and his Vampire—senses. Pointing at Spike, Buffy made sure she had his attention before holding up one finger, then four.

“I’d have to say about twe—“ But Buffy quickly shook her head to stop him, It was clear she’d misunderstood her signs and thought she was saying twenty four—as Spike obviously wasn’t fourteen.

Before he could question her more, she tried again. First one finger, then four, followed by eight. The man looked extremely perplexed, but Buffy tried to give him her best reassuring look and nodded her head before stepping back to where she’d been when she pushed Spike forward.

“Strangely, I think I’ll have to go with something a little higher. I think a one and maybe an eight--“ When he paused Spike looked pleased (and slightly disappointed). “No wait, add a four in the middle of that,” He didn’t’ look so pleased now. “I’m going to say you’re about one hundred and forty eight.”

“One hundred…!” He sputtered out and Buffy could tell that the man was about to change his answer to something more sensible. “This is…this is bollocks is what this is. Let’s go Buffy,”

Completely pleased with herself Buffy gave the man a grateful smile before skipping after Spike, not catching up with him for a full five minutes. “Hey, slow down buddy. You don’t have to get all huffy…or, or…all ‘shirty’,” She giggled.

Still attempting to storm angrily out of the fair, Spike stopped at the entrance to the food area, “Do you even know that word?”

“What? ‘Shirty’? Uh huh, Giles said it before. Now don’t be mad,” she pouted tugging on his arm.

”Sorry, luv. Just don’t like that ponce—“

“Getting one up on you?” She offered.

“He did not ‘get one up on me’. It was just a luck guess is all.”

“Yeah sure; come on, let’s get some more sugary goodness and then we can go home. I won’t even point out how wrong you were,” Buffy laughed and pulled Spike along with her as she want to get more food.

Spike was trying to act manly and affronted at being proved so wrong, but secretly he was just happy to see Buffy happy; she’d been too down since….since she came back.




“If you eat one more little granule of sugar I think you’re going to turn into a sugar cane, luv.” She noticed he hadn’t called her ‘Slayer’ once that night, it was nice—like she was just Buffy, not the Slayer; if only for this night. “Not that I would mind getting a lick or two—“

“You know, that actually took longer than I expected,” Buffy remarked, eating the rest of her cotton candy, heedless to what he’d said.

“What did, pet?”

“You saying something sexual.”

“Did my best but it’s bloody hard around you,” the look in his eyes let her know that statement had more than one meaning.


TBC....


Please Review...and Learning Curve's update will be up around 1pm Eastern time.
Part II by Suzee
Author's Notes:
I have a really bad migraine today so if I make any mistakes in posting this, please..well one, forgive me and two, let me know.

Thanks for all of the reviews ont he first chapter..hope you like this one even more ;-)
Part II



“Spike?” Buffy asked as, on their walk home, they reached his cemetery.

“Luv?”

“Could you, uh, maybe,” Buffy looked scared. “You know what, never mind. Goodnight Spike.”


“No,” he stopped her with a light hand on the bend of her arm, “What was it you were going to say?”

She looked at him, really looked him in the eye, for longer than she ever had before, possibly combined.

“Would you walk me home?” She finally asked, never breaking eye contact.

“Need someone to help you carry all that tooth rottin’ junk?” He was trying to lighten the situation some, make her more comfortable.

“Actually, uh, well you know I’m sure Dawn misses you being around and I have been having a nice time. And,” she was talking slowly, but really giving him the opportunity to question any of her reasons, “I don’t really think I have any business eating all this ‘tooth rotting junk’ by myself.”

“Buffy?” He’d stopped nearly a yard behind her, stunned into near silence.

”Spike?” She mimicked, smiling at the entire situation.

“You, luv, you do realize that those things require me….they require me coming into your house for at least a minute or so, right?”

“Actually the one about Dawn sort of requires a little longer than a minute, few hours longer actually,” She told him, scrunching up her nose, trying to keep the mood light.

They were at her house now, since Buffy had started walking again as she answered his question, leaving Spike no choice but to follow.

“I was actually kind of thinking….Well, I thought that maybe you could be there when Dawn’s getting ready for school---you know, since she’d like to see you and all.” Then when she saw his look she rushed to add, “I don’t mean that…oh God, I made myself sound skanky with that, didn’t I? What I was thinking was that maybe you could come in so we could spend more time with…then you could maybe…” She trailed off, not able to finish her proposal.

“Slept on the couch plenty over the summer; it’s fine, luv,” And just like that Buffy knew she was making the right choice. No matter what the situation, Spike somehow knew what she needed—even when she wasn’t quite ready to admit to it just yet.

Quietly the two of them made their way into her house, Spike locking the door and turning off the living room lights—just like someone who lived there might—before following her to the kitchen.




“Gonna have to get you up to bed soon if you want the Scoobies thinking you’re sick for the day,” It was now past five thirty in the morning. After they’d gotten to the Summers home around one o’clock, Buffy and Spike sat in the kitchen and talked about stupid things. “Need to give you time to get up there and into bed.”

“Trying to get rid of me?”

“’Course not, pet. Just want you to have that day off.”

Buffy didn’t say anything, honestly not sure what it was she needed—or wanted—to say. Carefully she closed up the bag of popcorn they’d been picking at over the hours and put it in the china cabinet, along with the rest of her treats. “Don’t want everyone eating them all,” She had explained earlier.

After Buffy had put the popcorn away, ensuring that no one could see any of it, she headed out of the kitchen, just leaving Spike there. She knew it wasn’t the best idea, but she really wasn’t sure what she needed to do.

Spike followed her, stopping near the living room sofa, nodding towards it a little and not sitting down to take off his boots and get some sleep until Buffy gave him enough of a smile to indicate she still wanted him to stay.

Buffy was half way up the stairs, much as she’d been that night before—before they fought Glory when she stopped and turned to look at his recumbent form.

“Spike, I uh…”

”Don’t worry about it, pet. I’ll say a hello to the bit then get going through the sewers, none of your other pals have to know.”

“I was actually…I really,” Over the course of the night she’d realized just how harshly she’d been treating Spike if every time she was unsure he assumed she was trying to reject him somehow. “Since uh, since mom died, actually since she got sick there really hasn’t been anyone that I knew would just listen to me, you know?

I mean, well, everyone else wants me to be the strong Slayer, even if they don’t realize it…but they all count on me to be ‘Strong Buffy’ who knows what to do…and sometimes…thanks for not wanting me to always have it all together.

Thanks for making me go to the fair, I don’t know if it was the sugar or just…the entire situation, but I finally had some fun. And I didn’t even worry about vampires or demons once. That hasn’t happened in the last six years, Spike,” She said in near awe.

“Thanks for letting me be Buffy.”

When he didn’t say anything, didn’t even indicate in any way that he’d heard her, Buffy got scared. She should have known something bad would happen, things like this weren’t allowed to go well for her. “So, what? All those professions of undying whatever were just to annoy me and now that they’re maybe not so annoying you’re taking it back? Well, fine. I’m going to bed. You say whatever you want to Dawn and go home; I don’t care.”

“Buffy,” He said when she was merely two steps from the top, his tone halting immediately.

She didn’t come back down the stairs though.

“Just don’t want to be pushing you, luv. Doesn’t mean I still don’t love you with all I can. I do.”

Now she had to try to hide her embarrassment, “How’d this become such a serious night?”

“Reckon it was some stuff we had to have out…but it’s late, yeah? Best get you off to bed.”

“You’ll stay?”

“Yeah, I’ll stay.”

“Goodnight Spike.”

“’Night, luv.”


TBC


and if anyone read LC when the formatting was all funny, I've fixed it. I don't know why it did that, sorry.
Part III by Suzee
Author's Notes:
I just found out that (yes I'm slow) VK Awards have their last nominations round up...everyone should go nominate their favorite fics. (This really isn't a 'go nominate me A/N. I just want all those great authors to get nominated now as it's the last chance for that site---I've nomainted a bunch of people and know from experience how much fun it is...and notice how I'm completely making this sound like 'nominate me'? It's really not supposed to...anyway, here's the link: http://www.vampires-kiss.net/vkawards/ )

Hope you enjoy this chapter...and remember that LC was posted Wednesday :)
Part III


“Spike! Spike, what are you doing? Buffy’s going to kill you!”

He was awoken, rather rudely too, just a few short hours later by the young teenager shaking him and yelling practically into his ear.

“Shh, bit. I can hear you just fine…no need to blast out my ears--vampires have extra good hearing remember?”


“Huh? Oh, yeah…sorry!” She looked truly apologetic for a second before looking anxious again. “But your stupid vampire senses aren’t going to matter when Buffy dusts you! You have to get out of here…I don’t know why you’re here, but it’s….it’s stupid Spike!”

“Big Sis knows I’m here…now let me sleep, Was up late.”

“What?” Dawn sat, very ungracefully, back onto the table next to the couch, completely confused. “Buffy knows you’re here?”

”What I said isn’t it?”

“But Buffy….you….huh?” She asked sounding remarkably like Buffy had just the night before.

“No doubt you’re Buffy’s lil’ sis,” Spike mumbled. “Buffy knows I’m here. She’s okay with it,” He told her, enunciating every phrase. “Now, let me get some sleep.”

Just as he’d rolled over into the back of the sofa, burying his face as far as he could into the cushions, the front door nearly banged open.

“So, Dawnster you ready for sc—Whoa, whoa, whoa!” His expression would have been comical to Spike if her were more rested, “What’s Willie-wanna-bite doing here? Buffy!” He hollered up the stairs, “Deadboy junior’s down here! Can I stake him?” He asked hopefully.

Now Spike gave up all pretense of getting back to sleep, “Can’t you ever keep it down Harris? Slayer’s sick….needs her sleep she does, now just let her be.” Spike sat down again, hoping the crisis had been averted.

“You killed her didn’t you?” Xander nearly shrieked before charging up the stairs hollering Buffy’s name.

“Niblet, would you go get the boy to leave your sister alone? Don’t fancy going up there myself as he’d probably try to try something.”

“Sure,” Dawn said, not sure she had any idea what was going on but knowing that she definitely wanted to help out her sister—and apparently, Spike.

“Thanks sweets,” Spike laid his head in his hand and sighed heavily, just waiting for the inevitable.

“Xander!” Dawn yelled before running towards the stairs, stopping with a guilty expression when she heard Spike growl at her. “Point’s to not wake Buffy up. Got it. Sorry,” She added sheepishly.

Spike couldn’t help rolling his eyes as he laid his head along the back of the sofa marveling at how hard it was just to get Buffy a damn day off.



“What did you do?” Xander accused angrily as he came downstairs less than two minutes later. “You poisoned her or…or something! Didn’t you?”

Spike was all ready to defend himself when Dawn jumped in for him. “God, Xander are you just stupid?”

“What?” He sputtered, obviously not expecting to face opposition from Dawn as well.

“Seriously? Are you just stupid,” Spike was trying fairly unsuccessfully to hide his smirk, but it didn’t much matter given that Xander’s attention was wholly focused on the girl talking to him. “Spike stays here all summer to take care of me because Buffy asked him to; which unless you’re a totally mo proves that he loves her—Angel didn’t even ask if we needed his help…and Riley’s just gone….don’t you get it Xander? Spike loves Buffy. And now you’re trying to say he’s poisoned her or had killed her?”

She gave him one of her patented, ‘are you the dumbest person on earth’ teenage looks and just waited for him to say something.

“He’s evil….” Xander gave his token protest, but looked to be at least thinking about what Dawn had said.

”Yeah,” Dawn rolled her eyes, “So evil that he’s telling you to let Buffy sleep because she’s sick; so evil that he protected me—no, he protected all of us all summer; so evil that he’s doing whatever he can to protect Buffy? He’s the only one of all of you that gives a damn—Sorry Spike,” She knew instinctively that he didn’t like her language—something that Xander couldn’t help, try as he might, but notice. “He’s the only one…Ever since she’s been back he’s been worried about Buffy and what’s right for Buffy…you’ve all been worried about making yourselves feel better, convincing yourselves that you’d done the right thing…that you had your friend back….Can’t you ever just let Buffy be a girl that needs help? You all want her to bounce back to being the Slayer, who she was before…Spike’s helping her so just shut up and get over it,” She finished, her tone turning cold.

Xander—for once—didn’t seem to be able to come up with anything to say. He wanted to deny that they’d been trying to make everything how it was before, wanted to say that they were being considerate of Buffy but he knew, deep down….had known as a matter of fact since he’d confronted Spike that first time after Buffy’d been back…that the only one truly, unselfishly—selflessly concerned for Buffy’s welfare was Spike.

Loathe as he was to admit it Xander knew that Spike would do anything, no matter how detrimental it might be to himself, to give Buffy what she needed.

Something none of the rest of them was willing to do.

“Need to get you to school, Dawn,” Spike guessed that was as much of a concession as the boy was going to make—at least right now.

“See you later Spike,” Dawn said, though it was more of a question than a statement.

“Some time,” He said by way of an answer, albeit a vague one.

‘Come on Xander, I’m going to be late if you don’t quit all your Angel-like brooding and come on.”

Xander finally ended his staring contest with Spike when Dawn’s words penetrated his brain. “I am not brooding. I’m nothing like Angel,” Quickly he made his way out to his car, still muttering about being not at all like Angel.

“Bye Spike,” Dawn gave him a conspiratorial wink that left him with no question as to what is was she was doing. She was trying to get Xander to acknowledge the differences between himself and his grandsire. ‘Good luck with that,’ he thought.

“She’s good,” Buffy’s voice broke the silence several moments later, startling him more than he’d ever admit.

“Not nice to spy, kitten.”

“Hey, it’s my house, doesn’t count as spying that way. At least that’s my logic.” She came down to sit on the sofa with him. “Sorry Xander was here,” She seemed truly apologetic, which really did stun him.

“Luv? You do realize you’re apologizing to me…a vampire…for something the whelp did, right?”

“Well, he uh…he was kind of being an ass,” She finally admitted. “I mean everything Dawn said was true and,” But he didn’t hear anything she said after that.

After all the times of hearing her tell him that he didn’t love her, couldn’t love her…she’d all but admitted it just now. He wasn’t sure she realized it though.

“Buffy,” he interrupted the end of whatever it was she was saying. “Did you hear everything Dawn said?”

“Pretty sure I did…did she say anything before Xander said you poisoned me?” Spike nodded his head in the negative, “Then yeah, I heard it all.”

“Even, ah, even the part about me being here proving how I loved you and how, uh, how Angel didn’t do the same?”

“Spike, I didn’t need to hear Dawn say that to agree with it. I’ve known it all along.” She had to laugh at the expression on his face. “I know I’ve been a real…well I’ve been a bit of a bitch about it all, but Spike…after last night, at the fair and thinking about things after going to bed, and hearing what Dawn said….well, pretending to be oblivious to it all, to not see what you’ve been….it’d just be stupid.

And I uh…” She wasn’t quite ready to admit to everything yet.

“Buffy,” he saved her from there being an awkward moment, “I love you. You just knowing that is enough so don’t worry about saying anything else, yeah? You’ve said more than enough.”

“Could you maybe say that first part again?” She couldn’t help but admit that now that she was being a little more…open to things that it felt could. She didn’t feel like she was constantly holding a part of herself back.

“I love you,” He said with absolute conviction, his gaze never faltering.

“I know,” She answered simply, knowing that even just that little statement would convey the major change their ‘relationship’ had undertaken.


TBC....please review.

And I'm trying, trying, trying to get a little Valentine's Day ficlet done in time to post on Tuesday :-) So be on the look out for that if you want....
Part IV by Suzee
Author's Notes:
Hope you like this :) Just two more parts after this before the end :) And the epilogue of Learning Curve will be posted Wednesday for whoever is interested...and for those not, too I guess ;)
A/N: Panta_rei made me a great banner for this story...now everyone go leave her lovely reviews as a thanks ;)




Part IV

“You’re still here?” Dawn asked in amazement when she came home from school, Xander coming in behind her, obviously intent on seeing if Spike were still there or not.

“Yeah, bleach boy’s still here?” He was decidedly less happy than Dawn.

“Yes,” Buffy stated as she came out of the kitchen, looking non too happy with Xander, “He’s still here. And I’ve decided you might as well chill out about it.”

“Why’s that, Buff?” Xander didn’t like being angry with Buffy, but when it came to Spike, he had trouble seeing reason.

“Because I think he just might be around a bit more.”

“Buffy, he’s evil. You know he’s just trying to work his way in…get you to trust him so that he can kill us all!”

Dawn burst out laughing, not even stopping at all when Buffy glared at her.

“Xander,” Buffy answered sweetly, “I want you to go home, get a piece of paper and write out every argument you have for why we shouldn’t trust Spike, for why he’s some evil creature intent on taking over the world. Then, I want you to pretend that you’re Dawn,” She ignored the odd look he gave her, “And write out—objectively—everything Spike has done to help us over the last few years…not why you think he did it, just what he did.”

He started to question her, but she quieted him with an upheld hand, “Just do it, okay?”

“Yeah sure. I’ll go do that now. But really, Buff, don’t trust him,” He couldn’t help but throw that in before he left.

“What?” Buffy asked several second after the door had closed when the other two occupants of the room just stared at her. “It’s not a totally insane idea,” She defended herself.

Dawn sensed their need to have this out in private. “I’m just going to go…do my homework,” She said before quickly scampering out of the room.

“Wasn’t thinking it was insane at all actually. Just wondering how…and why you came up with it.”

“Oh,” She said, “Well, actually I kind of did the same thing last night so I thought that maybe…”

“What do you mean you did the same thing?” Maybe he was pushing too much but there wasn’t any other way to find out.

“I mean, well, I had a good time last night and then when I finally went to bed…well I went into normal Denial Buffy mode and tried to convince myself I was crazy and that I needed to send you home as soon as possible…But then I started to think about things and well….I remembered that when I was little and I had to decide between things, I’d make a pro and con list, you know? So that I’d have to look at just the facts and not what I wanted to do…”

“Buffy, I don’t want you being nice to me based on some list’s facts, not if you don’t want it.”

“No! But that’s the thing, see, I think I knew all along what I wanted; I was just letting everyone else convince me that it was the wrong thing to want. But now, now it’s like I have proof….like I have something behind me saying ‘No, Buffy, you’re not insane; you’re doing the right thing’.”

“And what is it you’re right about, luv?”

“Trusting you,” She said simply.

“That all?” God, why was he pushing this?

“Well, trusting you and….just kinda liking you,” She whispered.

“Just kinda?” He joked.

Buffy pushed past him to sit on the sofa, trying her best to glare at him. “What happened to your little, ‘a crumb, Buffy, just a crumb’ thing? I’m all with the ‘I trust you Spike,’ ‘I like you Spike’ and all you have to say is ‘how much?’? That’s not very nice.”

“Sorry, luv,” he said from his same spot, not moving any closer to her, “Was being a greedy bastard. Won’t ask any more questions.”

“Not even if I wanted you to?” She asked hopefully.

“Buffy!” He said, rolling his eyes.

“Fine, don’t ask then.”

“How am I supposed to know what you want me to ask, kitten?”

“You could just ask that, ah, that last one,” She said quietly, more serious now.

“Only kinda like me?” Spike asked, moving languidly closer to her, his voice no longer unsure or teasing having taken on a more, dare she admit it, sensual edge.

“Little more than kinda,” she said seriously.

“How much more?” He pressed, hoping it was what she wanted him to do.

“Quite a bit more actually.”

“Yeah?” He asked stopping in front of her, his legs touching hers.

“Yeah.”

Buffy stood up, only mildly surprised when Spike didn’t back up at all, leaving their bodies flush against each other.

“Is this a ‘like’ that would—“ Spike started to ask, but she interrupted him.

“Uh huh,” Buffy said, hoping beyond hope that he’d been about to ask what she thought he was about to ask.

“This isn’t something you can just take back Buffy,” he warned her wanting her to see that this wasn’t something to joke around about—at least not with him.

“Not planning on it,” She informed him.

“And Harris and Red and Glinda…and Rupes?” He didn’t want to start something only to have it end, if it were going to end, he wanted it to happen now. Before he got his hopes up.

“What about them?”

“They’re not going to like this, luv. You okay with your friends not being happy with you?”

“Well, still just the tiniest bit mad at Willow—though I’m trying not to be, so she’s not a problem. And I thought you’d know by now that I don’t care what Xander thinks about it…and well I’m sure Tara will actually be fine with it. She likes you, you know? Anya too.”

“Demon girl’ll probably just ask something ‘bout orgasms.”

“Probably.”

“And what about Watcher boy? What about what he thinks?”

“Don’t care,” she said simply.

“Yeah,” he said, “You do.”

“Okay, fine,” She admitted begrudgingly, “So I do care, but…Giles is like my dad,” She attempted to explain, “And like any dad he’s not going to think anyone’s good enough for me…but I think that, especially after this past summer and everything with Glory, he knows that you really are a good man.”

“You mean that?” He was obviously dreaming because there was no way all of this would happen so quickly. Sure they’d been doing better recently, ever since Glory’d beat him up that one time, but this….God, this was more than he’d hoped for…well, almost. He always had set his hopes too high.

“Spike, you’re a good man,” She repeated.

“So,” He said, trying to downplay how much that statement had affected him, “We going to uh,” He realized he didn’t actually know what it was he was asking her, “What exactly is it we’re doing here?”

“Well, at the very least we’re trying to be friends.”

“And at most?”

“We’ll just have to see.”

TBC....Please review
Part V by Suzee
Author's Notes:
Just one more part after this til it's over...so review and I'll get my new story beta'd up faster---really I will...the bad review LC got slowed me down but good ones will speed me right back up again :-)
A/N: Panta_rei made me a great banner for this story


Part V


One entire year later


“Think we should move out, luv.”

“Spike, we can’t move out. You know we need to be here to protect the girls, besides where exactly were you thinking we could go? Your crypt’s not exactly hospitable or safe for that matter,” Buffy argued as they sat on the back steps attempting to find some peace and quiet.

“Yeah,” He objected petulantly, “But I want to!”

Buffy leaned over to hug her sulking vampire.

“They’ll be gone soon,” She assured him before realizing how it sounded. “I mean, they’ll be home soon’ all this will be done and it’ll just be us and Dawn.”

“What about Red and her bird?”

“There is no way, Buffy muttered, “That Kennedy is living here. Don’t tell Willow I said this, really don’t,” She whispered, leaning as close to his ear as she could, “But Kennedy’s kind of a bitch.”

Spike couldn’t hold in his laugh at that, “Not much of a secret there, kitten.”

“Still can’t tell.”

“Yeah? And what are you going to do to keep me quiet?”

“I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Oh gross!” Dawn exclaimed, coming out the back door, “Can’t you two ever behave?”

“Oh, hush Niblet,” Spike said, not moving away from Buffy but turning to look at Dawn. “We’ve been cooped up in that house with all the Slayerettes, I’ve been behaving all day!”

“Ooh, I whole day,” the young girl mocked.

“Dawn,” Buffy started, “Spike and I are allowed to have time to ourselves. Time where we can do whatever we want,” She said pointedly.

“Well not ‘whatever’…’cause, ewww!”

“Come out here for a reason, bit or just trying your best to be the nosey lil sis?”

“I so have a point,” She said, teenage rebellion in full force.

“And?” He prompted.

“Giles wants to talk to you now,” She answered sullenly.

“Knew Rupes would want to know at some point. Even if it is none of his business.”



“So, what is it you want to know?” Spike asked as soon as he sat down across from Giles. The potentials had all been sent off patrolling with Faith, Willow, and Xander leaving just Dawn, Buffy, Spike, and Giles in the house.

“I want,” Giles said, acting very much like the father cum watcher that he was, “To know how it is you came to claim my Slayer.”

“Didn’t claim ‘your Slayer’,” he said, sounding annoyed.

“I know full well you did,” Giles was beginning to sound angry.

“No,” Spike clarified, “I didn’t claim your Slayer, Rupes. Buffy,” He emphasized her name, “And I are mates.”

“I don’t much see the difference,” Giles protested.

“The difference is, instead of Rupert Giles’ little Slayer belonging to me, Buffy and I belong to each other. There’s a difference.”

“Regardless,” Giles started, but this time Buffy interrupted him.

“Why won’t you accept that there’s a difference Giles?”

‘All I need to know is that my Slayer has been claimed by a vampire,” Giles insisted.

Spike got up and left the room, refusing to have anything more to do with the conversation if Giles was going to keep that up.

“God Giles,” Buffy muttered, getting up to follow Spike, “Just accept it already. If you want to know something so badly, then you need to acknowledge what exactly it is you’re trying to find out about.”

Dawn, who was the only one left in the room with the watcher got up and left as well, “Gee, Giles, you’re as bad as Xander used to be.” The younger man had, actually, made great strides in the last year towards accepting the couple’s relationship. He still wouldn’t admit to liking the vampire, but no longer was the open animosity there.

That left Giles with some things to think about—he was so ready for Spike to be like Angel; to be taking advantage of Buffy somehow, to be the wrong one for her, that he hadn’t really taken time to consider other possibilities. Maybe it was time to do so.



Buffy found Spike, just as she’d thought, in the basement attacking the punching bad that had been hung there.

“You’re going to have to stop letting him get to you like that,” Buffy said neutrally as she sat on the third stair from the bottom, just watching him.

“And I will,” He said, still hitting the bag, making each word accented by a punch, “As soon as he gets off his high horse and admits what we have.”

“He’s just gone into Super Watcher Mode lately with all these potential slayers around, he’s probably more okay with it than he realizes.”

“Not so sure about that. I don’t have a soul, pet. I’m a soulless vampire. Not much there for him to like.”

“Yes there is, William,” She insisted.

“You’ve gotta stop letting him make you think that about yourself. Doesn’t the fact that I’m never, never leaving you mean anything? Doesn’t it show you anything?” He didn’t answer her, but he did stop his assault on the punching bag. “Doesn’t me loving you matter?”

Spike snapped out of his …whatever it was, then and walked over to Buffy, crouching in front of her.

“You know it does, sweets. I just…We’re mated now,” He attempted to explain where he was coming from, “That’s something that’s for ever. And well, I just hate the idea that something that’s forever with us is going to…I just hate the idea that something I’ve done is going to cause you pain.”

“Something you’ve done?” She asked quietly.

“Loving you. Us mating.”

“Spike,” Buffy insisted, “You’re mine. That’s all I need right now. You…and Dawn. She’s good with this and…I can wait on the others and if Giles…if he never comes around, then that’s just something I’ll have to deal with. But it’s not going to make me regret this—us—one bit.”

“I love you, kitten,” Spike told her, more than reassured.

“Love you too, Spike. Now,” she smiled, “Want to go kill some things?”

“Actually,” Spike smirked, “I wan thinking we could put the near empty house to better use.”

“Dawn’s right,” She muttered even as she led him up the stairs, “You really can’t behave.”

“Yeah, but you like me bad,” She didn’t know how he managed to get so close to whisper that right into her ear.

“I do,” She admitted, laughing when he gave in to his impatience and hauled her over his shoulder.

“Don’t have all night, pet,” He said by way of an explanation.

TBC....



I posted the ending to Learning Curve the day before yesterday, please do read it :-) clicky

Also posted the first chapter of my new story, My Boyfriend's Back: clicky again Please read that one too ;-)
Part VI by Suzee
Author's Notes:
I hope that I'm not losing everyone...MBB seems to not be going over that well and I hope that even if you're not a huge fan of that story (which does kind of make me sad) that you'll read my new full length, long fic that is coming very, very soon....right now it's titled 'Silently Broken' but that might very well change :-) (I'm picky about titles and never seem to like them)


Sorry this is so late today, hope you like the ending lots, and please read the fics I post in the future. Thank you and thanks for all the reviews :-)
Part VI


“Spike, might I have a word with you?” Giles knocked on the bedroom door early the next morning, after a night full of thinking.

“Yeah, yeah,” Spike shouted sleepily through the door, “Be out in a minute, Rupes.”

“I’m sure you will,” Giles muttered before going downstairs to make some tea, hopefully he would manage to get his talk with Spike in before all of the girl awoke.



“When did this all start?” Giles asked twenty five minutes later after he and Spike had been speaking for several minutes. “We all know when it started for you, but what did you do to Buffy?”

“Didn’t ‘do’ anything to her. Just gave her what she needed.”

“There’s no need to be crude, Spike,” Giles replied, having misinterpreted Spike’s statement.

“And I wasn’t being,” Spike said, getting angry all over again, despite Buffy’s words to him the night before. “Want to know what changed it all? You want to know what I ‘did’?”

“Yes, I do believe I’ve made that clear.”

“I took her to the fair,” Spike said simply.

“You took her to the fair?” Giles nearly echoed.

“Yeah, Rupes, took her to the fair. Gave her some fun, let her be Buffy while all you were making her be the Slayer. Let her have a break.”

“You’re implying that we were putting some sort of pressure on her?”

“Not implying, saying. You lot were making her be what you wanted her to be. Weren’t looking after what she needed. “

“And you were?”

“Yeah, he was,” Buffy said, coming down the stairs into the kitchen.

“Always going to interrupt my conversations, pet?”

“When it’s helpful,” She answered, knowing he wasn’t angry with her.

“Giles, I know you all had…you all thought you were doing what was right for me, getting things back to normal. Making things how they were before. But you didn’t get it, things weren’t the same.

Mom died and I didn’t even have time to come to terms with that before Glory came, so when I was back I was trying to get through that, too. And I was trying to get used to being alive again…it’s not something that just happens.

Things were hard and hurt and…I had to try so hard,” She said, her voice breaking, “To make you all happy, to be who you wanted me to be. To be the Slayer. To save everybody again.

But Spike, he saved me. He knew the truth the entire time, knew where I’d been, how it felt, what I was going through, he knew it all because he was the only one I felt I could tell.

And yeah, it was that night we went to the fair that changed things. I was so close to giving in, to breaking really…and he took me…okay,” she admitted with a shrug, “He made me go to the fair. Made me do something for me. Made me forget about all the responsibilities that all of you—and life in general—had put on me.

Made me have fun…well that I guess he didn’t make me do because you can’t really make someone have fun and if you do make them, then well, it’s not really having fun is it? Because really—“

“Luv? You’re rambling again,” Spike let her know.

“Yeah, sorry. Anyway, he took me to the fair and I had fun and I had sugar and…God Giles, it was the first time since I’d been back that I had an honestly good time.

And it was like, once I realized what all it was, once I knew that if I just accepted it…Giles, really, once I just let him, Spike really does take care of me.

I love him Giles,” She said, her voice, though strong, full of emotion, “I love him and he loves me. That’s really all there is too it. We’re going to be together forever and honestly, there’s nothing you can do about it—so I really do love him Giles.”

“I’m beginning that,” The older man had to admit.

“Think I can talk to him alone for a minute, luv?”
“I don’t think that will be necessary, Spike,” Giles said.

“Might not be, but still’d like it.”

“Fine then.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll just be out back.”

“Thanks, pet,” Spike kissed her quickly before she went outside.

Once the door had shut firmly, Spike immediately turned his attention to his mate’s surrogate father. “I know that she won’t ever admit it, but Buffy’s never going to be happy with you looking down on this…on us…’cause she sees it as you disapproving of her.”

“That’s not it at all,” Giles objected.

“Know it’s not, but she doesn’t…not really. I love her and this thing we have is permanent so you’d do best to get over yourself and see this for what it is.”

“And what’s that?”

“Love,” He answered concisely.

“Simple as that?” Giles asked.

“Yeah, mate, simple as that.”


“You didn’t kill him did you?” Buffy asked after Spike came outside.

“No, kitten, Watcher boy’s just fine. Wants to talk to you actually.”


Spike tried to hide his knowing smile as a beaming Buffy came outside moments later.

“You didn’t threaten him did you?” Buffy asked skeptically.

“Think I’d be sitting here if I did?”

“Good point.”

“So, you feeling better now?”

“Why do you know me so well?”

“It’s a gift,” He smirked, he moved over indicating for her to sit next to him.

“Spike? Once this is all over with…can we maybe go see Tara?”

“That would be good, pet. Miss having Glinda round actually. Be nice to see her and Dorothy.”

“Spike! Do you have to call her Dorothy?” Buffy asked, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah…she’s with Glinda and she’s from Kansas, she’s just asking for it, pet.”

“Do you think maybe there’s a way she could have stayed?” Buffy asked after a minute.

“Not likely, Red was getting too far into the mojo…wasn’t what Glinda was.”

“Guess not. So, we can go out and see her soon?”

“Once this is all over and done with and the bit-bit’s born. Will just be a few more months…then our baby’ll be here and we can go wherever you want, for however long you want.”

Content with his answer Buffy was happy to just sit on the back steps with him as the house came to life.



THE END
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