He stood in the shadow of the bleacher like seats in the arena staring out onto the ice at the figure skaters whirling around. The hooded sweatshirt was hiding his features from any random passerby that might happen upon the early morning practice. To them he would simply look like a hockey player waiting for his own practice time, taking a few minutes to check out the girls out on the ice. But there was really only one girl that he was that interested in. He would show interest to them all to keep up appearances, but it was her that captivated his attention. This was her morning practice, the one where it was all about her skating, not about the students she taught, or the other skaters around her, this one was all about her. He loved it when he could see her skate then. Not that he got to very often. He had to be careful when he was there, but it was worth the risk. The strength and passion she exhibited when she skated fascinated him. It always had. When he had first seen her he knew there was something special about her, something that made her stand out from those around her. She was a mixture of passion and innocence and he loved it. He loved her. He silently applauded her in his mind when he saw her land a difficult combination. She was practicing her newest program. The one he was sure would have her back on top this fall. Nothing kept his girl down.

He tore his eyes away from her for a moment to look down at the rose he held carefully in his hand. The crimson red of the petals blended perfectly with the dark green of the leaves. It was open just perfectly, not still a bud and not so open that the petals would fall off. Perfect, just like her. His fingers softly caressed the velvet petals, thoughts traveling to whether or not her skin would feel just as soft and velvety. He could imagine taking the petals from the rose and teasing them against her skin, while she lay on his bed next to him. The red would look rich against her tan skin; she would be a sight to behold. Perhaps, he should file that idea away for another day. Once she was his he could shower her in rose petals; make love to her on a bed of roses. For now, this one rose would have to do.

Carefully he looked around, making sure that no one would see him. He didn't often come to the rink like this, not because he didn't belong there. He was often there, and people knew who he was. But he was afraid someone would see him at the wrong time. See him when he was watching her.

He wasn't ready for that yet.

She wasn't ready for that yet.

He walked down the hallway that led to the locker room she used, keeping a careful eye out for other skaters, not wanting to be caught. They may not question him at the rink, but they would probably question him sneaking into the employee locker room. He slipped into the room quietly, grateful to see that no other skater was there, and headed for her locker. He knew it was hers by the contents and the fun way her name had been painted on the door. He lifted the rose to his nose and inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet scent of the flower. Hopefully she loved his gift. A rose for his beloved; that is what she was.

"For you, my love," he whispered as he carefully slid the stem into the slats of the locker, making sure the note he had attached was still secure.

With one last look at the flower he slipped out of the room and back out to arena making sure to avoid the places he knew people would be at this time of the morning. He took another glimpse at her out on the ice, noticing she was talking to her friend, and apparently about done with her practice session. It wouldn't do for them to see him there, so with one last glance he carefully made his way out of the building.

It was only a matter of time until she was his. He just needed to be patient, and let her come to him. The rose was just the beginning.

Soon…

Soon, Buffy Summers would belong to him.

“The stars are constantly shining, but often we do not see them until the darkest hours.” ~ Unknown

It was a hot day in July in the small town of Sunnydale, California and Buffy Summers had just finished a grueling hour long skating practice. At 22 she was the reigning Olympic figure skating champion; one of the oldest in recent Olympics. The first year after her win she had been busy with endorsements, competitions, and publicity tours. But after the end of this past year’s season she had decided to take some time to devote to coaching. To the outsider looking in, her life was perfect, but on the inside she was in agony. The past couple of months the decision on whether or not to compete in the coming season had plagued Buffy’s mind. She had decided it was time to decide whether or not she should continue on competitively, or turn pro and move on with her life. It was a decision she was unprepared to make. What did she have if she didn’t have skating? All these thoughts ran through Buffy’s brain as she skated over to the rinks sound booth. Looking out at the other skaters on the ice she noticed how so many were quite a bit younger than she. They’re getting younger each year, she thought ruefully as a skater, who couldn’t have more than 7 or 8 whizzed by her. She was an Olympic champion, what each of the other girls probably dreamed about nightly, yet they didn’t seem to understand how that dream could take its toll. She was 22, an Olympic champion, surrounded daily by so many, yet so very alone. With a sigh she stepped into the sound booth to find her music.
“Buffy, that last program you did was amazing!” a voice behind her said. Buffy turned to see her best friend Willow skating towards her. Willow was competitive in skating but not at the same level as Buffy. They had met when Buffy first moved to Sunnydale 5 years prior. It was because of Buffy that Willow had taken up skating. The normally bookish young woman had decided it looked like a lot of fun and thought it would be a great way for the two friends to be able to spend time together.
“Thanks, Wills.” Buffy said pulling a sweatshirt over her head.
“Are you quitting already?” There was still 20 minutes left in in the freestyle and it wasn’t like Buffy to quit early. She was usually the last one off the ice. No one could say that she didn’t work hard to achieve her success.
“I know, but I have to coach at freestyle tonight so I don’t want to overdo it this morning.” Buffy spoke as she pulled her curly long blonde hair back up into the ponytail she had messed up by putting on her sweatshirt.
“That sounds smart,” Willow watched as Buffy gathered up her things in the sound booth. “You have seemed a little tired lately.”
“It’s just…I’m just worked up over deciding whether to compete or not this fall. Season starts in a couple of months and I have no clue what I want to do. There’s a lot at stake.” Buffy admitted, glancing at her friend. There was a lot at stake. Another winning season could clinch her status as a successful skater, but a bad season could really hurt her reputation. She wanted to go out on a good note, and besides when she won the gold at the Olympics, this past year was one of her best.
“Don’t sweat it, Buffy; you’ve got plenty of time. I know when you do make a decision, whatever it is; it will be the right one.” Willow got a wicked gleam in her eye that Buffy didn’t notice. “Hey! I’ve got a great idea of what you could do to get your mind off things.”
“What?” Buffy doubted that anything Willow suggested would help, but she was willing to listen; even if it was a suggestion to enroll in fall classes at the local college.
Buffy stepped back out onto the ice and looked expectantly at Willow.
“You could get off the ice, and head down the hall…”
“Oh no! No!” Buffy protested skating away from Willow. Willow had been making that suggestion for months. She knew exactly where she was going with her idea, and it was not one that Buffy was inclined to follow.
“You could go down the hall and ask Spike to have lunch or even dinner with you,” Willow finished in one quick breath following Buffy quickly across the ice, dodging younger skaters as they went. Spike, aka William Pratt, was the rink’s Director of Hockey and a favorite of the ladies. It definitely didn’t hurt that he was as handsome as any guy Buffy had ever known. He wasn’t too tall and muscular in all the right areas. He had cheekbones to die for, and the most gorgeous blue eyes that Buffy was sure a person could drown in. And to top it all off, he was British, with a killer accent. Buffy had had a crush on him since they had first met when he first came to town. It had been just shy of 4 years ago that he had come to Sunnydale. Buffy had been getting ready to start her senior year of High School and her second season at the senior skating level. He had come to help teach at a skating camp run by the then Director of Hockey Angel O’Connor. Buffy had instantly fallen for him. After she had graduated they had started to become more than just friends, but that had ended when he suddenly left almost two years ago for some unknown reason. He had only come back to Sunnydale a few months prior and she could probably count the words they had spoken to each other on her hands. No one really knew how close they had gotten before; hence Willow’s continued insistence that Buffy should pursue him. If only Willow knew, she thought, then maybe she would leave it be. Buffy contemplated for a moment, but didn’t say anything.
Buffy rolled her eyes and continued skating to the edge of the ice and the door to the lobby. Willow followed quickly behind her.
“How many times do I have to tell you and everyone else that I will not do that, Wills?” Buffy said looking at her friend over her shoulder.
“Oh, come on, Buffy!” Willow stepped off the ice behind her and quickly put on her skate guards. “Everyone here knows that you have had a serious crush on him for forever. He obviously has some feelings for you. I mean ever since he has come back the two of you have skirted around each other like lightning will strike if you so much as look at one another.”
“We do not!” Buffy replied vehemently, although deep down she knew that Willow spoke the truth. Ever since he had returned they had hardly spoken. But she had caught him watching her skate a time or two. Buffy just didn’t know what to say, and she just assumed he didn’t want to discuss or pursue it. He could have any girl at the rink he wanted. Why would he want her again?
“Come on, Buffy.” Willow exclaimed rushing to follow her friend. “Do you honestly think that people don’t see how the two of you look at each other when you think no one is watching?”
Buffy paused in the middle of the narrow hallway that led to the employee locker room where the two girls stored their stuff. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. Besides, if the guy had any feelings for me I’m sure it isn’t anything romantic. I am definitely not his type and you know it!” She turned quickly and continued down the hallway her heart beating fast at the thoughts that Willow’s comments had created.
“And what exactly is his type?” Willow asked, trying to keep up with Buffy. Buffy tried her best to think of something quick and witty, desperately wanting to end the conversation with her best friend. She didn’t like dwelling on Spike Pratt for so long.
“Let’s try tall, dark hair, funny, gorgeous and of course- the clincher these days- uninterested in anything longer than a couple of weeks, if that.” Buffy pushed open the doors to the locker room. “And that’s just for starters.”
“Well, you’re gorgeous and funny. You don’t really have the tall or dark hair thing going for you, but I seriously doubt he’s that picky.” Willow wasn’t about to give up on this. She was determined that it was about time that Buffy had some fun. “And I’m sure he has been with a woman for longer than a month; granted it’s probably been awhile…but I’m sure he has!” Willow didn’t sound quite as convincing as she wanted to with her last statement.
“Sure,” Buffy said, sitting down on a bench to unlace her skates. Willow sat down on the other side of the drab little room. Bright red lockers lined one wall of the tiny grey room, while benches were pressed up against the other two. Skating equipment, both figure and hockey, was strewn across the floor, evidence of the other skaters that worked there. “Besides, Wills, it isn’t as if he’s the greatest catch. We’ve discussed this before. He was always a notorious flirt and womanizer when he was here before. Why would he have changed? I would just be another one of his conquests and I don’t want that.” Buffy felt bad for speaking about Spike that way. She had to admit that when they had been ‘together’ before she had never once seen him flirt with other women. He hadn’t really been that bad. He hadn’t appeared to date anyone since he had been back either. Perhaps things had changed. But she didn’t want to think about that. She just wanted Willow to back off the idea.
“It could be a lot of fun, Buff. Just think about it. It’s not like I’m telling you to go out and marry the guy. Just have dinner with him. Go see a movie or something, just anything to get your mind off skating for a night. You haven’t been out on a date in ages! Not since….well to be honest I can’t remember the last time you talked about a date.”
“I don’t need to get my mind off skating, Wills. I have a big decision to make and a lot going on right now. ” Buffy replied with a heavy sigh. “And I have been on dates! Remember that guy, Riley? We went out a couple times.”
Willow grinned at her defensiveness. “Buffy, that was like 3 months ago. And you went to a movie…twice. Have you even spoken to him since the last time?”
Buffy ignored her and continued unlacing her skates. She couldn’t deny it; she hadn’t spoken to Riley for months. She didn’t really want to either. Willow sighed and gave up. She knew her friend needed to get out and have a little fun, but she also knew Buffy, and there was no way she could make her do anything she didn’t want to. So she decided a change in topic was in order. “So who’s the rose from then?”
Buffy’s head snapped up? “What rose?” she hadn’t recalled seeing any rose when she walked into the room. And it wasn’t like there was anyone that should be leaving her roses.
Willow pointed to Buffy’s locker. A single red rose was tucked into one of the slits. “I noticed it earlier when I came in. they must have put it there after you had already gone out to practice. I was going to ask you about it out on the ice, but I forgot.” It had really intrigued her since she knew that Buffy didn’t have a boyfriend and no fan had ever done something like that before. Sure she had gotten flowers, but usually sent to the rink, not stuck in her locker. No typical fan should have had access to the locker room, or known for sure which locker was Buffy’s.
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Buffy said, getting up to retrieve it. She stalked over to her locker in exasperation. Pulling the rose out of the slit she noticed it had a small note attached to the stem.
“I’m betting it’s a love note,” Willow cooed teasingly. “Maybe it’s from Spike.” She knew that probably wasn’t true but she couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease her friend some more. Buffy rolled her eyes at that and plopped back down on the bench. She set the rose aside carefully, not wanting to break off any of the petals and opened the note. She gasped after reading the first sentence, and her complexion paled as she finished reading. Her hands were shaking by the time she finished and looked over at Willow.
“I…I wouldn’t exactly call it a love note.” Buffy’s voice was shaky and her hands trembled slightly as she passed the note to Willow. Willow opened up the note and began to read.
‘My dearest Buffy,
My beloved. How beautiful you looked this morning as I gazed upon your sleeping form.’
“That…That’s just wrong!” Willow exclaimed after reading the first sentence. She finished reading and had to admit that it was a love note, per se, but in a creepy way. It was also unsigned. The biggest worry that Willow had was how possessive the note sounded, not to mention the idea that the person had seen Buffy sleeping. That implied that he had possibly been in her apartment, or at least outside her window looking in. The writer made it obvious that he felt that Buffy was his and that no matter what he was going to have her. “Buffy, you have to show this to Giles. This guy is obviously stalking you!”
Rupert Giles, or Giles as they all called him, was the rinks Assistant Manager. Looking at him you would never expect him to be the manager of an ice rink. One might easily mistake him for a librarian. He was tall, with dark hair just starting to grey. The girls often teased him for his seemingly endless supply of tweed jackets. Despite their teasing the girls had always liked Giles. He was especially close to Buffy. Her parents had divorced when she was younger. Her father disappeared shortly after the divorce never to be heard from again, not even when her mother, Joyce, passed away suddenly the year before. It had been a rough time, having happened just at the start of the season. But, Buffy had prevailed, pushing on knowing it was what her mother would have wanted. It was Giles who had helped her and her younger sister Dawn through the rough times. Only 16, Dawn was going to be put into foster care after her mother’s death, but Giles had worked things out so that he could be her official guardian. He had become like a second father to the girls, and had always been there for them.
“Uh yeah, but how? I think I would have noticed if anyone was following me?” Buffy tried to think back over the past week and where she had been. She didn’t remember seeing anything out of the ordinary. Of course she didn’t know everyone in town, and there was still the occasional photographer or reporter around, residual from her Olympic win, but the past month had been relatively quiet for her. And there was no way the guy had been in her apartment. That she was sure of. Wasn’t she?
“Stalkers are pretty smart, Buffy. You live a pretty crazy life; you can’t notice every person around you,” Willow said, breaking into her thoughts.
“I just can’t believe this; it has to be a joke of some sort.” Buffy told her friend taking the note back. She just couldn’t believe that it was real. Who would do this to her? It just had to be one of the other skaters playing a practical joke; a horrible one, but still a joke.
“Buffy, no one here would be that cruel. C’mon, let’s go show this to Giles.” Willow stood and waited expectantly for Buffy. Hopefully, she thought, if I push hard enough Buffy will go. “He needs to know about this.”
“No, Wills, you go ahead and go back out to skate. I’ll go see Giles in a bit. I need a minute or two to think about this.” Buffy knew she was going to need a moment to prepare for what she knew would come when Giles found out. He was very protective of her and Dawn. She just knew something like this would get him worked up, joke or not.
“You have to tell him, Buffy,” Willow insisted, unsure of whether or not her friend really intended to tell Giles. “This is weird. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, Wills, I’m just a little freaked out,” Buffy admitted. “But I’m sure it’s just someone’s idea of a practical joke. You know, mess with Buffy time again.” The more she said it the more she knew deep down that it wasn’t a joke. She couldn’t think of anyone who would do something so cruel. Not even Harmony or Cordelia would think up something like this, she acknowledged thinking of two of the other female skaters at the rink who had always been very competitive with her.
“Whether or not it is you still should show it to Giles,” Willow pushed. “And for the record, if it is a joke, it’s a horrible one.”
“I promise, Wills. I will just finish putting my stuff way and I’ll go see him. I’m sure this isn’t a big deal though.” Buffy took in a deep breath trying to slow down her racing heart. Tell yourself that a few more times and you might make it believable, she thought sarcastically. Yet she knew that she could say it a thousand times and it wouldn’t change the fact that deep down she knew it wasn’t a joke.
“Promise?” Willow asked. “Don’t make me pull out my resolve face!” Buffy smiled at the teasing note in her best friend’s voice when she threated the resolve face. Willow was famous for it, and it often worked.
“I promise, Will. I will go see him. I just need a few minutes.”
“Okay, I will see you back at the apartments this afternoon?” Willow asked moving towards the locker room door. The girls had moved into apartments across the hall from each other shortly after high school. “Stop by when you get back. I swear if you don’t I will break your door down.”
“I will be there later. I have some shopping I want to do before I head home, and I have to be back here at 4 to coach.” Buffy grinned. “And you have a key. There is no need for any door breakage!”
“Just be careful, Buffy.” Willow said as she left the room.
Once she was gone Buffy looked back at the note she held in her hands. She had to admit it was both weird and creepy, and thought she didn’t like to admit it, it did scare her. But who would do something like that? She couldn’t imagine anyone at the rink would be stalking her, and who outside the rink would? She would admit she had some crazy fans, but no one like this. Still, she knew she should show the note to Giles. He would know what to do about it. She quickly finished drying off her skates and putting them away. After changing out of her practice dress and into a more comfortable pair of loose pants and t-shirt she sat down to read the note again. It only made her more nervous. Jumping up from the bench quickly she grabbed the note and rose. Giles ought to get the full picture, she thought as she grasped the rose in her hand. Rushing out the door she ran straight into a solid form. She felt strong arms wrap around her and pull her towards a muscular chest. Not even thinking to look up at the person who held her, fear began to bubble up as she thought about the note she clutched in her hand.

Spike had been poised ready to open the locker room door when Buffy came rushing out and straight into his arms. Stumbling back a step he swiftly wrapped his arms tightly around her. It wasn’t until he felt her tense in his arms that he looked down and realized who he held in his arms. Buffy looked up at him and he thought he saw a bit of fear in her eyes that swiftly turned to relief as she realized it was him.
“Spike!” she exclaimed, relieved that she knew the person who was holding on to her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…”
“It’s okay, pet.” He said quietly still holding on to her. He didn’t really want to let her go, but he knew he should, so he gently set her away from him. Buffy blushed as she realized how uncommonly good it felt to have his arms around her, and how much she missed them when they were no longer there. Her breath caught in her throat as she took a moment to take him in. He looked as handsome as usual in is typical black jeans and tight black t-shirt that accented his well sculpted chest. His bright blonde hair was slicked back as usual, but a few strands had come loose and curled into tight curls, that to Buffy only made him look cuter. It was quite obvious why he had always been a favorite of the ladies at the rink.
“So where are you off to in such a hurry?” he asked, pulling her from her thoughts. Buffy frowned.
“To see Giles,” she answered evasively. She never quite knew what to say anymore when he was around. It was almost as if she lost her voice when he was near. Which would surprise almost anyone who really knew her. She also didn’t know how much she wanted to confide in him about her note yet, if at all.
“Well, isn’t that interestin’” Spike said carefully watching her. He could tell that she was in a hurry and he was curious as to why she was in a hurry to see Giles.
“Why?” Buffy asked momentarily forgetting the note she carried. She couldn’t fathom why it would be interesting to him. It wasn’t like she rarely saw Giles, they spoke every day.
“Giles just asked me to come find you. He said he wanted to talk to you about something”
“About what?” Buffy asked, absentmindedly running a hand through her now loose hair. Spike suppressed a groan, as he watched her. He had always loved her hair. He could already feel the tightness in his jeans getting worse, and he had only been around her for a moment.
“I can’t say exactly.” He couldn’t look her in the eye, worried that she could tell that he was lying. He knew exactly what Giles wanted to talk to her about and he didn’t want to be the one to tell her. Considering their past, he didn’t really envy Giles the job of convincing her to go along with their plan.
“Oh,” Buffy said, still a little flushed at being so close to Spike. She couldn’t help but admit that no matter what she told Willow, she was still very attracted to him. She had never gotten over him leaving. With him standing so close in front of her, there was no denying it. She was still 100% in love with Spike Pratt.
“So who’s the rose from, luv?” he asked quickly changing the subject. He had noticed in the locker room earlier, but had suppressed the desire to take a peek at who had put it there. Buffy looked surprised at what she thought was a hint of jealousy in his tone.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, looking down at the rose and note in her hand. “I don’t know. I found it stuck in my locker along with this note.”
Spike said nothing but reached out and quickly snatched the note from her. Buffy cried out in protest, but Spike shushed her with a wave of her hand. She pouted for a moment thinking that even though it wasn’t an actual love not, it wasn’t any of his business to be reading it! He seemed to have other ideas.
“Fuck,” he said when he finished reading the note a minute later. Buffy looked up at him, shock illuminating her already bright green eyes. “You’re taking this to Giles, right?”
“Of course, you dimwit. I said that’s where I was headed when I ran into you, remember?” It wasn’t like she was overwhelmingly baffled by his response, but she had to admit it did surprise her a little.
“C’mon, I’ll walk back to his office with you.” Spike stepped aside so she could move and started to walk down the hallway towards the administrative offices.
“I’m sure it’s no big deal, Spike. I bet it’s just one of the other skaters playing a practical joke oh me.” She told him as they walked along the hall. “You know how some of the guys get a kick out of playing jokes on me and Willow.”
Spike grunted, but didn’t make any other comment. That bothered Buffy. Spike couldn’t believe that a note had actually gotten to Buffy. His mind was racing as they walked down the hallway. After all the precautions he and Giles had taken to make sure that nothing got to her, the bastard still seemed to get through. Though maybe this was what Buffy needed to motivate her to go along with their plan.
The finished the walk to Giles’ office in silence, Buffy occasionally stealing a glimpse at Spike, wondering what he was thinking. Then again, she thought, it might be better if I don’t know. At the door to Giles’ office Spike whirled her around to face him before she could knock.
“It’s not a bloody joke, Buffy.” He said thrusting the note back into her hand. Buffy was shocked at the forceful tone of his voice. “Things are gonna change for you, and there’s no stopping it. You need to be careful. You make sure you tell Giles everything, and don’t you dare blow it off!” With that he turned and briskly walked down the hall and past the few doors that separated his office from Giles’. Completely shocked and confused by his sudden outburst, Buffy watched as he disappeared from view.
“That was weird,” she muttered to no one but herself as she turned back to Giles’ door. With a sigh she reached up and knocked softly.
“Come in,” she smiled slightly when she heard his voice. Even though both he and Spike were from England there was such a difference in their accents at times. Giles was always so formal, surprising considering his line of work. Spike’s accent fit him, rough around the edges, yet refined when it needed to be. Taking a deep breath Buffy pushed open the door and entered the office. One would never guess Giles to be the assistant manager of an ice rink. But he was very good at his job, and apparently enjoyed it. His office was a definite show of his personality. The walls were lined with bookcases, filled to nearly overflowing. Buffy never understood his need for so many books. The area in front of his big mahogany desk was almost like a small living area. Two comfortable chairs sat directly in front of his desk, and a small table sat between them. Giles always said this was like his home away from home so he wanted it to be as comfortable as possible. Once inside Buffy carefully shut the door and made her way towards her favorite of the two chairs. She took a moment to just look at the man who had almost become a father to her. In the past few years his hair had started to grey, and lines of worry creased his eyes. Closing the file he had been looking at Giles glanced up at Buffy and smiled slightly. The smile helped Buffy relax a bit.
“How are you doing, Buffy?”
“Not so good right now, Giles. I have something to show you.” She told him. “I thought it was just a joke, but after seeing Spike I really don’t know what to think. Speaking of Spike, why did you send him to get me?”
“He offered,” Giles said hesitantly, reaching up to swipe his glasses off his face. “What was it you wanted to show me?” Perhaps if he let her speak first, his news wouldn’t be so troubling. He hoped.
Buffy watched in amusement as he pulled out a handkerchief and began to absentmindedly clean his glasses. He always seemed to do that when he was nervous about something. It made her curious as to what he wanted. Brushing off the feeling of curiosity she placed the rose on his desk and handed him the note. Giles eyed her questioningly, but said nothing as he replaced his glasses and took the note from her to read.
“Damn it!” he said loudly as he angrily tossed the note on the desk in front of him. Buffy grimaced. So much for the joke theory, she thought.
“So I’m guessing you don’t think it’s a joke?” It didn’t hurt to ask, did it?
“Buffy, I sent Spike to find you because I have something important I need to discuss with you. This note is related to that.” Giles watched her carefully to gauge her reaction to his news.
“Giles, how did you know about it? I just got it?” There was no way Willow could have gotten to Giles before her. She had only been in the locker room for a few minutes after Willow had left. And she knew that Willow would never go behind her back like that. Giles couldn’t have known about the note.
“I did not know about this particular note, Buffy, but this does not happen to be the first that you have received.”
“What?!” Buffy exclaimed, once she got over her moment of shock. “I never saw any other notes, Giles! I think I would have known if there had been more.”
Giles grimaced as he prepared for what he knew was to come. If there was anyone he knew well it was Buffy, and he had a feeling she wasn’t going to like where this conversation led.
“I know you haven’t seen any other notes, Buffy. You were never supposed to. They have been arriving in the mail here at the rink and we have been intercepting them before they actually reached you.” He ignored her look of betrayal and continued on. “We were hoping to figure out who was sending them before we told you anything. They really had been quite harmless until recently.”
“Until recently? How long have they been coming? What’s have they said?” Buffy’s heart was pounding. This was far worse than she had expected. Deep down she had hoped that Giles would just brush it off and tell her it was a joke. Seeing how serious he was in talking to her, she knew it wasn’t anything good. “And who’s we?” she added as an afterthought.
“Recently they have started to become far more detailed to your personal life. This person knows where you live, when you practice, even your car. I am quite surprised, but relieved, that you have not received anything at home yet.” Giles purposefully didn’t answer her last question. He wanted to hold that one off until the last minute possible.
“You have got to be kidding me, Giles? Who would do something like this?”
“We don’t know, Buffy. “We do know that whoever this is, he fancies himself in love with you. It seems to have become a rather sick obsession. This latest letter only proves that even more. I don’t believe I can tell you any more than that. There is little that we have been able to ascertain about him. Whoever he is, he is deeply troubled.” Giles spoke so softly that Buffy struggled to hear him at times. He was genuinely concerned and it showed in the way he spoke. Looking back Buffy would probably remember that, but right at this moment she was both scared and angry.
“And you didn’t tell me about, why? Giles I’m 22 years old, I think I should have been told about this. I am not a child!” Her worry had suddenly turned to a mix of frustration and anger. She knew that they all cared about her at the rink, but sometimes she felt that they treated her like she was still that little 9 year old who came in early every morning for practice.
“Buffy, I understand how you feel, but we didn’t want to worry you. I had hoped that we could figure out who was sending them before you ever learned of the notes. I didn’t want to add to all the stress you have had lately.” Giles said anxiously, knowing that she was getting upset fast and an angry Buffy was not a fun Buffy. “I would never keep something from you, Buffy, unless it was imperative that I do so. I only wanted to protect you.”
Buffy slumped back into her chair with a huff. “So what’s the plan now that I do know? Do I just go on and pretend I never got this one? I can’t do that, Giles.”
“No, that’s why I wanted to talk to you today. I’m truly sorry that you received this note before I spoke to you. I am sure you were quite worried about it.”
“That’s an understatement,” she mumbled under her breath. “ So what are we going to do? Is Dawnie safe? This guy is only after me right?”
“Your sister is perfectly safe, I assure you.” He said warmly, before moving into his explanation. “After the first few notes arrived here at the rink, along with some rather detestable mementos, we approached the authorities, and brought in a private security team to consult with us on the situation. As things have progressed we have started to come up with a plan that will hopefully continue to keep you safe. There have been a lot of people working on this, Buffy.” He hoped acknowledging that would help curb her anger towards him slightly when she found out the rest. “With the continued escalation of the notes it has become apparent that we need to act. We can’t just wait for guy to show himself. I’m afraid of what could happen if we do that. So, together the security team, the local authorities and myself have come up with a plan that we all hope will keep you safe. It is our hope that it could possibly also bring this guy out into the open, or at perhaps even deter him from his fascination.”
“How?” Her voice wasn’t much louder than a whisper, her anger quickly fading back into concern. She had been overwhelmingly relieved when Giles had assured her that there was no danger to her sister. Yet she was becoming more and more concerned as she realized how many outside people Giles had been consulting with.
“You have to understand that we have records of a number of pieces of correspondence to you from this man. They are getting closer and closer to you and each discuss more intimate details about you. It was first suggested that we send you away somewhere for a short period of time, but knowing you I believed that you wouldn’t go. Of course we could assign you a bodyguard, but that could cause a number of problems, especially here at the rink, and they could not be with you at all times, thereby defeating the purpose.” Giles paused for a moment to catch his breath. He had been speaking unusually fast trying to get through everything before Buffy would interrupt him. Much to his surprise she had yet to do so. “The local police had already assigned someone to keep an eye on you when you weren’t here at the rink and that hasn’t proved fruitful. They have yet to get even a glimpse of someone who they believe could possibly be your stalker. So we have come up with something that we feel could either deter this madman enough that he moves on, or even get him caught in the act.”
Giles eyed Buffy carefully gauging Buffy’s reaction to what he had to say. The plan relied on her cooperation and he knew it might take some convincing to get her to do. It therefore seemed important for her to understand that they didn’t come up with this plan on a whim. They had looked at several options and this one seemed to be the best. Buffy was used to the careful, long explanations that Giles usually gave. This one was no exception.
“Out with it, Giles, just tell me the plan.” She said with a roll of her eyes. He needed to get to the point before she really wigged out. The more he put off telling her the plan, the more concerned she was that she wasn’t going to like it. She watched as Giles took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye. Uh oh, Buffy thought, this can’t be good. Knowing full well the reaction he was about to get, Giles finally spoke.
“We want you to get married.”

“Marriage means commitment. Of course, so does insanity.” ~ unknown


“We want you to get married.”
“You want me to what!?” Buffy squealed in response. Her eyes nearly doubled in size as she stared at Giles. He winced at the shrillness of her voice. Fortunately it was not often a tone that he heard. “Have you completely lost your mind? What could that possibly solve?”
“It would mean that you are living with someone who could hopefully protect you should anything happen. It would also make you unavailable romantically. This would hopefully either deter him, or draw him out of the woodwork so to speak.” Giles kept his voice as calm as possible. He had expected this sort of reaction, he only hoped that she didn’t storm out of his office when she heard the rest of it.
“Couldn’t someone just move in with me?” she asked, trying her best not to comprehend why marriage seemed like the best option to Giles. “I don’t see why they have to marry me. That just seems so….permanent.”
Giles sighed. Of course she would see it that way. “This isn’t a permanent arrangement, Buffy. Once this man is caught the charade will be over. An annulment is, or at least should be, easily achieved due to the nature of the situation.”
“I still don’t see why it has to be marriage, Giles.”
“Buffy, how many of your friends would believe that you suddenly decided to move in with someone?” Giles asked eyeing her. He saw her shoulders slump in defeat when she realized he had made a valid point. “This is something that we have considered from several different angles. This seems to be best possible solution. As I already mentioned we are hoping that this will either cause him to make a mistake so we can catch him, or perhaps even deter him.”
Buffy scrunched up her nose in annoyance and thought about what Giles had had said. “I still don’t see how getting married will stop this guy from writing crappy love notes to me and following me around.”
Giles again removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be more difficult than he had thought. “Since this person has a fascination with you we feel that it will either cause him to lose interest in you, or perhaps it will make him angry. If he’s angry he may slip up somehow and the authorities will be able to apprehend him.”
“So I can’t just be dating someone? Or living with them?” The idea of getting married did not appeal to Buffy. She hadn’t had a boyfriend in ages. Who was she supposed to marry?
Giles shook his head. “I don’t believe that would be enough.”
“Why?” Buffy was starting to get over her shock and was now prepared to argue her point to Giles. She was not going to just give in without proof that there was no other option.
“Getting married will ruin his fun. Right now he believes that he has a chance with you. If you were to get married you would be unavailable. You are not the type of person to have an affair, and he must know that. I assure you that this man is not going to be happy with the idea that he has lost you. He will make a mistake and he will be caught.” Giles sounded far more confident than he felt, but he knew it would do no good to let Buffy see that.
“I guess that’s logical.” Buffy reluctantly conceded. It was true that given her history it would be farfetched for those who knew her to believe that she suddenly had moved in with someone that she had just met. Then again it would be just as illogical for them to believe that she suddenly got married as well. Deep in thought she reached out to take the rose from Giles’ desk. She absentmindedly began picking at the leaves while she thought.
“It’s very logical,” he agreed.
“Okay, but how will he be caught if this plan deters him?” Buffy needed to find flaw in this plan, and fast before Giles had her married off and having kids. It would no longer surprise her if he tried.
Giles regarded her thoughtfully for a moment before he spoke knowing that he would need a convincing argument. “To be honest, Buffy, it will not in all likelihood deter him. Right now, doing nothing, he has all the power. We need to take that away from him. He needs something to cause him to slip up and this seems to be a good option. If it were to stop it, I can’t exactly say that it wouldn’t have been worth it.”
“Worth it?!” Buffy screeched and Giles winced again. Perhaps he should have invested in some earplugs for this conversation. “Giles you’re asking me to get married! I don’t want to get married! Hell, I don’t know who I would marry. It’s not like I have candidates lining up around the block just waiting to marry me. Tell me how can this be worth it?” Buffy couldn’t believe that Giles, of all people, had come up with a plan like this. It didn’t sound like him. In fact, Buffy had always thought that he would be happy if she never married. He had always told her that no one was good enough for her. That was one reason she had stopped telling him about anyone she had even considered dating…he would never approve. And it wasn’t as if she had had the time for a relationship anyway.
“Buffy, your safety is our first priority. I’m not asking you to marry a man off the streets, and you’re not being asked to stay married. This is only a temporary arrangement.”
“This just seems like an awful big deal over a few lousy love notes.” Buffy countered, a pout starting to form on her face.
Giles let out a sigh. “A few?! Buffy, there have been more than a few. And your safety is extremely important to me. There is nothing that would be as you say a ‘big deal’ if it means keeping you safe.” Buffy looked up shocked at the outburst from her pseudo-father. “This man is obsessed with you, Buffy. He fancies himself in love with you, and he firmly believes that you belong to him. I know that perhaps getting married is a little extreme, but I have to agree with those whom we have consulted. It just might work.”
“Fine.” Buffy said sharply. “But honestly, how am I supposed to get married when I don’t even have a boyfriend?” She was not about to get married to a total stranger, no matter how convincing Giles was in his argument. She smirked as she sat back in her chair thinking she just might have outwitted him. There was no way he would make her marry a man she didn’t know. Of that she was absolutely sure. Her smirk faded quickly when he quickly cleared his throat and looked away from her. That was not a good sign.
“Oh, no! Giles you so did not….” Buffy was suddenly sitting up straighter in her chair as she started at Giles. She didn’t like it when he wouldn’t look her in the eye. It meant he already had a plan, and that it was going to go the way he wanted it to. It was impossible to argue with him when he did this. Suddenly it became clear to her that he had already chosen someone for her to marry and she wasn’t going to have much choice in the matter. Damn him!
“I did,” Giles confirmed, returning his gaze to her. He noticed how her eyes had dulled in defeat and he sighed. He hadn’t wanted it to go this way.
Buffy slumped back in the chair in defeat and groaned. It couldn’t get much worse. There was no way it could get worse…but then again stranger things had happened. She tossed the rose back on Giles’ desk, completely devoid of leaves, having nervously picked them off while listening to him.
“What’s the damage?” her voice had turned meek as she had lost the energy and will to protest further. She knew it would be futile. Perhaps if she went along with it, it would be over soon.
Giles didn’t respond immediately, which worried her. She had been sure that he already had chosen someone, but he seemed reluctant to tell her.
Leaning back in his chair, Giles contemplated the best way to present this to her. Perhaps if she felt that she had choices, this would go over better. Not that she really had a choice in the matter, but he knew that she would immediately shoot down the first two options he had very briefly considered. That he was absolutely sure of.
“I had several options in mind,” he said slowly. “Should we go over them?”
Shocked Buffy just nodded her head. Relaxing slightly, Giles leaned back in his chair. “The first option that I considered was Riley,” He knew it would come as a surprise to her that he knew about her brief relationship with him, but word often got back to him. It would probably shock her to know how much he really knew. He wasn’t quite as out of date or oblivious as they all thought.
“Absolutely not, Giles. I barely know the man. We went out on like two dates.” She tilted her head thoughtfully and belatedly asked, “How did you know about him?”
“Buffy, the things that get back to me would astound you.” Giles told her. He gave her a smirk of his own at her annoyed look. “Well if he is off the table I suggest we move on to the next option.”
“Bring it on,” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, which did not amuse Giles in the slightest.
“Xander.” Giles said the name and waited for the outburst he knew would come.
“Ewwww!” she said with a disgusted snort. “There is no way! Xander is like my brother.”
Giles smirked inwardly having known that would be her response. He hadn’t honestly considered Xander, knowing that it would never be convincing to the people closest to her. Xander and Willow had grown up together and were the best of friends. When Buffy and her mother had moved to Sunnydale when she was just barely a teen she had instantly bonded with the two. People around the three of them often commented on the close sibling like relationship that they had. But he had offered to give her options so he was.
“Well then, I guess you will just have to settle for our final option, if you find the first two so unfavorable.”
“It can’t get much worse than what you already suggested, so I guess I don’t have much choice.” Buffy said mentally preparing herself for his response. Oh how she suddenly wished she could take that back. What had possessed her to say that? It could get worse, much worse, and she was only beginning to realize it.
“So it’s settled, you will marry Spike.”

If Buffy could have taken back her statement about it getting worse she would. It had definitely gotten worse. Giles actually wanted her to marry Spike. The man she had secretly crushed on for years. The man she had to admit deep down that she knew she loved. It should be like a dream come true, but instead it was like her worst nightmare. She would never be able to get out of it with her heart intact.
“Nope, no way!” she cried out. “I’ll marry Xander.”
“Buffy, it doesn’t have to be a marriage in every sense of the word, you know that. It just needs to be convincing. I know you two can pull this off.” What he didn’t want to admit to her was that Spike actually played an integral role in her security. Perhaps it would have gone better had he presented it to her that way, but he had felt that keeping her in the dark about the specifics behind Spikes sudden return would work out to their advantage for the time being. He also knew that she had fancied Spike for quite some time. He had been privy to the knowledge that they had started forging a relationship 3 years ago. That was, in part, why he was certain that this would work. They had chemistry, he couldn’t deny it.
“Giles, you know our history. This can’t end well for me.” Giles steeled himself against the pleading sound in Buffy’s voice. It wasn’t often that he could deny her when she pleaded with him like that, but today was not a good day to give in.
“Buffy, I offered you three options. Trust me when I say that, while at times it may pain me to admit it, Spike is a good man and the best option. He can blend in. Most of your friends already know him. They know how you have felt about him.” He ignored Buffy’s gasp of surprise. How could she not have known that nearly everyone at the rink knew about her crush on Spike? “If you truly believe that you cannot make this work we can try to figure out another plan, but believe me when I say that I honestly feel that this is our best chance to catch this man.”
Buffy stayed silent, her eyes not meeting Giles’. Her mind was going a mile a minute as she contemplated her options. A part of her inside was excited at the opportunity to possibly get close to Spike again, but another part of her was petrified of what it could mean. It had broken her heart when he left 2 years ago, and when it was all said and done she was sure he would leave again. She wasn’t sure if she could handle that.
“Buffy,” Giles said quietly tearing her from her thoughts. She looked up and saw the concern in his eyes. He was only trying to do what was best for her. She realized that. “I know this is a lot to take in. If it weren’t for the fact that this stalker is getting closer and closer to you, I would try to postpone this. The fact remains that he is getting more and more fixated on you. I’m afraid of what may happen if we don’t act now. If you agree, you and Spike will go to Las Vegas this weekend. That seems to be the best option in order to expedite things.”
“Giles….please.” Buffy pleaded one last time. “There has to be another way.” She wasn’t sure she could survive being married to Spike. It was like dangling a plate of food in front of a starving man. She was being given the chance to marry the man of her dreams, and yet she just knew it was only going to be snatched way at the last minute, leaving her brokenhearted.
“I gave you options, Buffy. However, I guarantee that Spike is the best choice. I know the two of you aren’t exactly close anymore. I don’t pretend to understand what happened when he left two years ago. But whatever happened, the fact remains that he is back, and he is the best choice. He’s the perfect match.”
“And how exactly are we to going to explain this to everyone? It’s not as if we have an existing relationship. Do you honestly think that people are going to believe that Spike and I just suddenly decided to take off and get married? Hell, just believing that Spike got married is going to be a hard sell! It’s so not his style.”
“In a word…yes.” Buffy’s jaw dropped, she had been sure that at the very least he would admit that it would be difficult to convince people that Spike had chosen to get married. Giles grinned at her surprise. “Buffy, what you don’t know about Spike would surprise you. As to what we will tell people, we will simply say that you two decided to elope. The public will be none the wiser about the situation and those that are close to you will understand. Everyone has always seen the obvious attraction between the two of you. It seems to be a rather reasonable situation.”
“I’m sure that if there is any attraction it is completely one sided. I don’t see why he would have feelings for me…anymore.” Buffy said the last word so softly that Giles almost missed it. Not looking at Giles, Buffy completely missed the soft smile that he gave her. Instead she seemed to be intently interested in something in the far corner of his office.
“I do believe the attraction is still mutual,” he said softly watching Buffy’s head snap up, her eyes wide in surprise. That had come out in the many conversations he had had with Spike as they were consulting with others about their various options. Spike worked hard to hide his attraction, something that Giles never quite understood. He had also adamantly stated that he would continue to do so even through this charade. Giles had actually laughed at him when he said it. That had earned him a glare from the young man.
“I can’t believe that, Giles, but I guess it doesn’t really matter right now. So tell me how this is going to work? When does this all take place?”
Giles felt as if a weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. He had prevailed; Buffy was going to go through with the plan. “The plan is for you to leave the day after tomorrow, Thursday. The two of you will fly to Las Vegas, get married and then return here. Spike has moved into Angel’s old place. I believe it should work for the two of you. If you feel that strongly about it you can maintain your apartment. You will of course have to move a number of items to the house. Once we catch this guy you will be able to file for an annulment.”
“Do we have to get married for real? Couldn’t we just fake something?” Buffy asked in a halfhearted attempt to protest one final time. She could probably handle a fake marriage, and what the crazy guy stalking her didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. I take that back, Buffy thought; I probably wouldn’t handle any type of marriage to Spike very well right now.
Giles had been prepared for that question. It actually surprised him that she hadn’t brought it up sooner. “This needs to be as believable as possible, Buffy. Since we don’t know much about this man, we don’t know how close he may be to you already. It isn’t worth the risk of him finding out that it is a charade. If you are legally married, he shouldn’t have any doubts. And I assure you, when it is all over we will work to make the dissolution as painless as possible.”
Buffy snorted. Painless, yeah right! But she had to admit, it was a pretty convincing plan. And while she had only known about her stalker less than an hour the idea of how close he seemed to have already gotten scared her. And she trusted Giles. She knew that he wouldn’t push her to do something that he didn’t firmly believe was absolutely necessary.
“Okay,” she sighed. “I really don’t see that I have any other choice.”
Giles smiled warmly at her. “This will keep you safe, Buffy.” He got a sly look on his face. “Perhaps it will also give you and Spike the opportunity to explore some possibilities.”
“Giles!” Buffy exclaimed nearly shooting out of her chair. “What is it with you people? Why does everyone think that Spike and I should get together?”
“It is just a suggestion. I know that I normally don’t get involved in your personal affairs, but I have to admit that I think given half a chance you might be surprised at what you and Spike could achieve together. Now why don’t you go speak to your future husband? I do believe there are a few details that he felt you should have the opportunity to give an opinion on.”
“He already knows?!” Of course he already knows, Buffy thought almost immediately. How could Giles have arranged everything if Spike hadn’t been in on the plan before? Gee, I wonder who else knows about this. It truly pissed her off to think that everyone knew what was going on but her. Hmm, I wonder if Willow knows. Then again how could she? She seemed just as surprised as me when she read the note.
“As I said, Buffy, most of this has already been planned. Arrangements had to be made with the authorities and the security firm that we consulted with had to work out a number of details. All I needed was to get your approval. Spike has also insisted that you get to plan a few things concerning your wedding.”
“Great, thanks Giles.” Standing, Buffy moved towards the door, knowing that their meeting was over. She might as well go and see Spike. Her day was just getting more and more interesting. And she had thought she had problems deciding what to do about the upcoming season.
“Buffy,” he called before she could disappear out of the office. Buffy turned, her hand poised on the door knob. “Please don’t discuss this with anyone, not even Willow. It is imperative that everyone believe this. The only people here at the rink that know about this besides myself, is your coach Lorne, Tara and of course Spike. The fewer people who know the better, they need to believe that you and Spike are truly married and that you did it of your own accord. I don’t even want to tell Dawn unless it becomes absolutely necessary.”
“I don’t want to lie to my sister, Giles.” Buffy said softly.
“It’s important, Buffy. The fewer people know the better it is. If it becomes a problem we can discuss it with her together.”
Buffy nodded and twisted the handle. “And Buffy,” the tone of voice he used made her pause and look back. She had never seen Giles look so worn out. It made her wonder exactly how worried he truly was. “Thank you for agreeing to this. I know it is a large inconvenience, but hopefully it will all be over soon.”
“I’m only doing this because I trust you, Giles. I know you have my best interests in mind. If this will work and help catch this creep, I guess it will all be worth it.” She admitted quietly.
“It will be okay, Buffy. I promise.”
Buffy nodded and slipped out of Giles’ office quietly closing the door behind her. Taking a deep breath she walked down the hallway past the two doors that separated Giles’ office from Spike’s. Thankfully the door was closed when she got there. She paused wondering if she should knock or just walk in. Taking a deep, calming breath she opted to knock.

“ ‘s open,” Spike’s familiar voice came through the door. Buffy took a deep breath and pushed it open. She smiled when she saw Spike studying his computer screen intently. Taking advantage of the fact that his attention wasn’t on her, she scanned his office. She hadn’t set foot in it since his return although she had been there quite frequently before. She had often wondered if he had set it up the same. But instead of seeing the expected display of his conquests and hockey achievements lining the shelves of books and walls, she saw nothing. The two bookcases on the far wall were still filled to near overflowing with books, but gone were the trophies, banners and pinups that had often graced his walls and shelves. His desk was unusually clean, a small stack of file folders in the corner, and a lone picture sat near his computer monitor. She couldn’t see who was in the picture and it intrigued her. Who would he have a picture of? She shrugged and moved further into the room.
Spike looked up in surprise and quickly stood when he saw her. “Buffy.” He mentally slapped himself for how his voice caught when he said her name. “Uh--hi.” He said his voice going back to its usual gruffness.
“Hey,” Buffy replied softly, her heart pounding. She was alone, in his office, with him…again. And she was going to be marrying him in a matter of days. No matter that they hadn’t had a single real conversation with each other in nearly two years. Her eyes swept up to his and she stifled a gasp at the stark intensity of his gaze.
She was a sight to see, Spike thought as his gaze perused her body trailing from her head all the way down to her feet. This was going to be hell, marrying her, yet not really having her. But it was going to keep her safe and that was why he had come back. Gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his desk he spoke. “Have a seat.”
Buffy let herself flop down into the chair her gaze traveling everywhere around the office but at him. Why did he have to look so darn good! It just wasn’t fair, she thought.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from you, love?” he asked amused at how she avoided his gaze. Of course he knew why she was there; he had spoken with Giles earlier and had been expecting her. He had, however, been expecting an angry skater, not the subdued one who sat across from him. It made him more than a little worried. There were a lot of unresolved issues between them, and they had hardly spoken since his return. Maybe the wasn’t going to be quite as easy as he had envisioned.
Buffy’s gaze quickly went to his. “I…I just finished talking to Giles.”
“And he explained everything, did he?” Spike clasped his hands together nervously on his desk. What he wouldn’t give for a smoke right about now. He had been trying quit, though lately he had been very unsuccessful.
“I guess so. He told me that there have been other notes, a—and about the plan for you and me.” She finished the last part so quickly that the words jumbled together, but Spike understood her. He ran a hand through his hair and studied the woman in front of him. She didn’t appear to be angry, or even upset, just…quiet. Which for her was slightly unusual, she was usually pretty vibrant. He wondered if perhaps she had exhausted all her energy arguing with Giles. That certainly didn’t give him much confidence.
“So what’s your reaction then?”
“I think it’s completely insane, but if that’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes. It’s just a little wiggsome, you know?”
Spike smiled at her choice of word. And she used to give him a hard time for the words he used, he thought with a slight hint of sarcasm.
“ ‘s a good plan, Buffy, and I promise it will all be over before you know it. You won’t have to put up with my sorry arse any longer than necessary.” His tone was teasing and he hoped that it would get a grin out of her. He wasn’t disappointed.
“You’re not that bad to put up with,” she said shyly, daring to look up from the spot she had been staring at on his desk. She was rewarded with a genuine smile. She felt a blush tint her cheeks, under the scrutiny of his gaze.
“Not so bad, am I? That’s good to know, pet. Haven’t had many people tell me that.”
“Spike,” Buffy rolled her eyes. “You know, I take that pack. You are a pain in the ass!”
Spike pretended to look hurt for a moment, but then turned serious again. “Seriously, pet, I know this can’t be easy for you.”
“I just,” Buffy said and then paused for a moment, reaching out to snag a pencil off of his desk to play with. She twirled it in her fingers as she contemplated her next statement. “I just wish I had known about this all along, you know? The note I got today wouldn’t have been such a surprise if I had known there had been others. I honestly thought for a while that it was a joke, Will.” Spikes head jerked up at her use of his given name. She had often called him that before, when they were alone. But since his return he had always been Spike in the few brief encounters they had had at the rink. “When Giles said it wasn’t it really wigged me out.”
Spike sighed. He desperately wanted to go around his desk and pull her into his arms and tell her it would all be okay. He just wasn’t all that certain that his affection would be welcome. She had seemed to do her best to avoid him as much as possible since his return. He couldn’t exactly blame her.
“I’m sure it did. But Giles and them did it for a good reason. No one wanted you to worry.”
“I get that, Spike, I really do, but I’m tired of being treated like a little girl around here. I’m not a child! I should have been told long before it came to a point where I need to get married in order to trip this guy up.” Buffy was getting riled up again; her frustration over the fact that she had been deliberately left out of the loop evident in her tone of voice.
“I know, love” Spike replied a rueful look on his face. He had told Giles that it wasn’t a good idea to keep things from Buffy, but the old man hadn’t wanted to listen. His fatherly affection driving him to feel the need to keep the worst from her in hopes that it could just be fixed without her ever knowing. “But it’s done, and now ‘s time to move on.”
Buffy nodded knowing he was right. “So do you have a plan for all of this? Giles didn’t really tell me much.” The sooner they did this the sooner she could go home to her nice little apartment and pretend like this day had never happened.
Spike drew in a deep breath and silently prayed that he didn’t fuck this up. He knew they had some issues to work through if they were going to be convincing enough to pull this off, but he wanted to get through this first meeting without pushing her for too much too soon.
“I figured we could fly out to Vegas for the weekend. We’re s’pposed to be eloping, so the way I figure it Vegas is the best. I picked up two tickets for a flight late Thursday morning. Giles agreed to let us both have the weekend off and all of next week. Gives us a chance for a short honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon?” Buffy squeaked out. That brought several images to mind that she wasn’t quite prepared for. Yes, she hadn’t had many relationships, and none of them physical relationships. Yep, total virgin here. Hey, who could really blame her? She had made a commitment to skating and guys just hadn’t ever fit in the picture before. That did not mean that she didn’t have a very good imagination, or never watched one of those premium movie channels that had shows that she called ‘porn with plot’. The thought of a honeymoon brought forth thoughts of her and Spike entangled in the sheets of a king size bed. She could feel her face starting to heat up. Okay, Buffy, enough with the naughty thoughts, she scolded herself. Now is not the time for this.
“People are gonna expect it, pet. If we’re gonna pull this off, we got to do this right.”
Buffy pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear, and thought for a moment. “Do we have to go to Vegas? Couldn’t we just do it here?” The thought of going away with Spike both scared and excited her. It was bad enough that she was going to have to share a house with him, but a honeymoon? He would probably expect them to share a hotel room. How would she survive being that close to him and not making a total fool of herself? If the stalker didn’t kill her, this just might.
“Spontaneity, pet.” Spike with a smirk. “After all ‘s me you’re getting hitched to. ‘Sides it’ll hopefully be easier to get it undone when it’s all over.” He didn’t really want to think about that. Right now he just wanted to appreciate the time he had with her and make the most of it. After all when it was over, he would probably be leaving again.
Buffy smirked. He had that right. It might surprise people that she had run off to Vegas to get married, but Spike? Nah, that wouldn’t even faze them. He really seemed to have put some thought into this…or at least someone had. “Good point.”
“It’ll be fun, Buffy, a nice little vacation for you; which, by the way, I think you need. I know this past year has been rough on you, yeah?”
“Yeah, I guess…I just…” Buffy struggled with what to say.
“Look, how ‘bout we go out tonight? Someplace quiet like…maybe the Espresso Pump?” Spike said suggesting the popular all night coffee house. He knew they were going to have to talk about the past in order to move forward. And the task ahead of him, keeping her safe, depended on their ability to make people believe they were together.
“The Espresso Pump?” The look on Buffy’s face almost made Spike laugh. Buffy, had been expecting him to suggest the Bronze, or maybe even that bar- Willy’s, she thought it was called. That seemed more like his style. Or at least that’s what he led everyone to believe. He had always been there with his friends before.
“Bloody hell, pet. I’m not the kind of man to take my lady to a bar for a serious conversation.” He said practically reading her mind.
Buffy felt a shiver run down her spine when he called her ‘his lady’. If only that were true, she thought. Spike knew what she expected of him. What he knew she didn’t know was that when he wasn’t with his friends he would often stop in at the Espresso Pump for some quiet time. He enjoyed the atmosphere. “ ‘Sides, I happen to like it. They usually have a pretty good cuppa.”
“Sorry, it’s just that…never mind.” Buffy said with a sigh. “That sounds like a good idea.” Oh dear heaven, she had just agreed to a date with the guy. It was a date, wasn’t it? She was getting married to him, so it had to be a date? God, she was never going to survive this.
“Alright then. The team has a game tonight? Do you have to work? I was thinking I could wait around til you were done and then we could go out.” He offered. He had taken over Angel’s position as the coach for the Jr. A hockey team at the rink. Normally they wouldn’t be playing in the middle of summer, but Spike had decided to have those who were still in town, which happened to be most of them, play in the rinks summer league for more practice.
“I just have a few lessons in the early evening. Giles hasn’t needed my help much this summer, other than the marketing work I’ve been doing.” Buffy had often filled in at the rink in a variety of positions when Giles needed the help. Lately she had been working on some special events and marketing campaigns. She enjoyed planning things, and it gave her something to do when she wasn’t practicing. She had been fortunate that her mother’s gallery had been successful enough to support her skating, then when she won at the Olympics the money from endorsements and other things kept her from having to find work full time. For the time being she only had to concentrate on skating.
“So, you think you might want to stay for the game?” Spike asked, almost shyly. She had used to come to every game when he was there before, but he hadn’t seen her at one in the past few months. He wondered if perhaps she avoided them because of him. “Or I could stop by your place when it’s over.” He said when she didn’t respond immediately.
“I’ll stay for the game. It’ll be a nice distraction. I haven’t had a chance to get to one yet this year.” What she didn’t say was that she hadn’t been to one since he had left, and since he had been back she hadn’ t had the time or the courage. Given everything, she hadn’t thought she was ready for that. It was often hard enough just seeing him in the hallways.
“All set then.” Spike reached into a drawer and pulled out a small box & then stood. Buffy watched as he walked around the desk and knelt in front of her. Oh God, she thought. She wasn’t prepared for this. She had dreamed of a moment like this, a moment when the man of her dreams knelt before her and asked her to marry him. But this wasn’t that dream. This wasn’t real. Why couldn’t it be real? Spike himself was rather nervous. He had wanted to do right by Buffy, giving her every experience she should have with a wedding. Well, almost every experience. He wanted to make it memorable, and take away the nightmare of the reality of her stalker. Buffy could sense is nervousness as he tightly gripped the box he held. His head was down, staring at the box that was in the hand he rested on his bent knee. It took all she had not to reach out and run her fingers through his hair. She wanted to touch him, almost believing that perhaps this all really was a dream.
“Buffy, I know this isn’t real. I know that there’s a lot we need to talk about and suss out between us. You deserve better than this, and a lot better than me, but I’m who you’re stuck with right now. I just want you to know that I plan to do right by you, and do everything in my power to make sure that this is a decent experience and that you stay safe.” Spike finally looked up at her, carefully holding out the box for her to take.
Buffy was valiantly fighting back tears as she reached out and tentatively took the small velvet box from him. She knew what was inside. The scene that was unfolding before her was a dream she had had over and over again, and always in her dreams she had said yes. Yet this time she didn’t know what to say or do. This wasn’t real, it couldn’t be real, and yet, in a way, it was.
“Open it, love.” He said softly, placing a hand on her knee and waiting for her to lift the lid. Slowly Buffy snapped the lid open and gasped. Nestled inside, sparkling up at her was an engagement ring. The center stone was a brilliant diamond that sparkled in the light, surround on either side by a bright green emerald. The green matched the color of her eyes, and Buffy couldn’t prevent the escape of a single tear. It shocked her that he had a ring for her. Why would he go to all the trouble of getting a ring, knowing that it was just for show? It wasn’t like they couldn’t just tell people that they had opted not to have rings. Then again, he knew her, and he knew her friends. He knew they would expect it.
“You deserve a real proposal. After all, it’s not every day you get proposed to. So….Buffy Anne Summers, will you marry me?”
Buffy looked down at Spike, desperately trying to prevent more tears from falling. Spike reached up and carefully brushed away the single tear that had already fallen. His touch was gentle and Buffy briefly closed her eyes, loving the tender feel of the caress of his fingers on her cheek.
“Do I have a really choice?” She asked softly, reopening her eyes and looking into his. Spike blinked, and pulled back his hand. He wasn’t prepared for how hurt he felt that she didn’t immediately agree.
“You always have a choice, Buffy, but please don’t say no. I can protect you and I will do everything in my power to be a good husband til this is over.” He said, his voice pleading with her to accept. He desperately wanted her to trust him. Damn, where did that come from?
“How can I say no to that,” Buffy said with a slight smile. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Spike.”
Spike carefully took the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. Much to her surprise he then lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on her hand just above the ring. He knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but he wanted to make this a good experience for them. He had told Giles that he wasn’t going to give in to his feelings for Buffy this time, he would protect her, but not love her, but he had lied. He had always loved her; perhaps this was his chance to repair some of the damage he had done by leaving her two years ago. If nothing else, maybe they could at the very least walk away friends.
Buffy cleared her thoat, trying desperately to ignore the tingling she felt in her hand where he had kissed it. “What should I say if people ask about the ring?”
“We’re leaving day after tomorrow, I can’t imaging many people noticing before then. If they do, tell them whatever you want. ‘s up to you.” Spike said standing up.” They’ll know soon enough.”
Buffy stood too, and wrapped her arms protectively around her midsection. She was sure Willow would notice. Nothing got by her. She wasn’t worried about Xander. He had been busy lately with his new girlfriend Anya, so she probably wouldn’t even see him until she and Spike had returned from Vegas.
“We’ll talk more tonight, but I suggest you start packing some stuff. We can get you moved into the house when we get back.”
“Okay,” she said quietly.
“Buffy,” she didn’t look up at him when he spoke, so he reached out and hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her head up until she looked him in the eye. “This will all work out, love. We’ll get this guy. I promise.”
Without a word, Buffy nodded and slipped out of his office. Spike returned to his chair and flopped down into it. Resting his head in his hands, he weaved his fingers through his hair messing up the carefully slicked back curls. He couldn’t screw this up. He hadn’t wanted to admit that he had been hoping for a second chance with her. He had regretted leaving, but he just didn’t know how to come back. When Giles had called and asked for his help he jumped on it. He told himself it was just because he cared about her safety. She was a friend, someone he cared about. But the fact of the matter was, he had wanted to come back. If they could make it through this, maybe, just maybe he could stay.
Buffy had quickly retrieved her bag from the locker room, noticing that it was well after 1 o’clock and head up to the main lobby so she could leave. She had to be back at the rink at 5 for lessons with a couple of her students, and she wanted some time away from the rink to consider everything that had just happened.
“Buffy!” she heard Giles call when she walked past the front desk. With a sigh she walked over to the desk area and dropped her bag. Giles came over to stand just opposite her at the counter.
“What’s up, Giles?” she said trying to be perky. She hoped he didn’t ask about her conversation with Spike.
“I just have one more thing I want to say to you.”
“Okay, shoot.” She was curious what else he felt he needed to say.
“I know I alluded to this earlier, but take advantage of this opportunity. I know things were hard for you when Spike left, but he’s back. And no matter what you think, I know the boy still has feelings for you.”
“Giles!” Buffy exclaimed, a realization dawning on her. “Are you using this to set us up?”
“Shh…” he said quickly, his gaze darting around to see if there was anyone within earshot. Thankfully there wasn’t. “Just take my advice and don’t push him away. I know you think you know, Spike, but you don’t. I don’t believe anyone here really knows the real Spike. You only know what you have heard, and what happened two years ago, was two years ago. It isn’t now. I know I probably should not be saying this, but he does care about you, even if you don’t think so. Please, trust me on this.”
Buffy thought hard for a moment. It almost sounded as if Giles was giving his approval to Spike. Then again, he hadn’t exactly disapproved two years ago. It occurred to her that surprisingly, Spike was the only guy that he had shown any support for. It intrigued her. Did he know something she didn’t?
“Okay. I will keep an open mind.” She said diplomatically. That should satisfy him, she thought. Apparently it did as he gave her a quick nod of his head.
“Thank you. I shall see you later this evening.” With that he walked away and back towards his office.
Buffy sighed and went out to her car to head home.

Buffy spent the entire drive home watching through her rearview mirror. She was constantly watching for signs of anyone following her. The note she had found in her locker had finally spooked her, and everything else just made it worse. She had thought that things were finally starting to look up after dealing with her mother’s death the previous fall. She couldn’t have been more wrong apparently.

Back at her apartment Buffy threw her bag down just inside the door and headed down the short hallway into her bedroom. She pulled out a medium sized suitcase and tossed it onto the bed that dominated the center of the far wall. At her closet she threw open the door and stared at her clothes.

“Now what am I supposed to pack?” she mumbled out loud flipping through hangers. What did you pack for a trip to Vegas, where you’re getting married to the man of your dreams, yet it’s all a scam? She pulled out a few articles of clothing and carefully placed them in her suitcase. After pulling a few more things out of drawers she snapped the suitcase shut and placed it near her bedroom door. That would have to do. She’d go shopping tomorrow for some last minute items. Looking around her room she glanced over to the large window that overlooked the back yard area of the apartment complex. She gasped when she realized for the first time that a large oak tree stood just outside her window. She thought back to the part of the note that had spoken about watching her sleep. He must have been in the tree outside her room! Sufficiently creeped out she hurriedly crossed the room and closed the curtains tightly. Feeling unusually tired she grabbed a blanket and headed back into her living room. After making sure that the door was securely locked she stretched out on the couch and closed her eyes. Hopefully when I wake up all this will have just been a dream, she thought as she slipped into slumber. She immediately fell into a dream about Spike and everything that had happened between them before.

It had been a crazy night at the rink. Buffy had spent the day practicing with her coach Lorne. He was pushing her to complete her newest program. She had one month until she would be competing again at the National Championships. He wanted her to debut her new, more difficult, long program. She had done well the previous year and hoped that perhaps this year she had a good chance at medaling.
She spent that evening working at the rink. She had offered to cover a shift for one of the staff, and Giles had taken her up on the offer. The rink was like a second home to her and that night was no exception. Her mother often complained about how much time she spent there. Lucky for Buffy, her mom was often away on buying trips. She tried to spend more time with her when her mom was home, but when she was gone, the rink was always the place to find her.

At around 9 Giles practically pushed her out of the back office and ordered her to go watch the end of the Jr. Razorbacks hockey game. Buffy had always enjoyed watching the games. She knew quite a few of the players, and just this year Spike had become their coach. She had always had a crush on him, regardless of his reputation with the ladies. Staff at the rink often teased Spike about the increase in the female population at the games. After being ordered out by Giles Buffy went in search of Willow, knowing she was at the game, her current boyfriend Oz was on the team. She finally found her best friend leaning up against the rail at the top of the stands.

“How’s it going, Willow?” she asked leaning against the rail next to her.

“Good, Razors are winning. Oz has scored 2 goals!” Willow gushed with a grin. “What are you doing here?”

“Giles practically pushed me out the door.” Buffy ran her fingers through her hair and stared out onto the ice trying to find Willow’s boyfriend. “He knows I like the games.”

“He knows you like the coach,” Willow teased, following Buffy’s gaze out onto the ice.

“Wills!” she squealed. “Must you say that out loud? I’m sure the people in the first row didn’t hear you.”

“Aww, c’mon, Buffy, everybody knows. How could they not, it’s like the most typical love story at a rink. Good girl figure skater falls for bad boy hockey player…well in this case coach.”

“So not the way it is, Willow. A love story requires some sort of love and interaction between the lovers. That’s not happening.”

“Maybe someday,” Willow chirped.

Buffy’s cheeks flushed red as she stared down at the man in the player’s box. He was dressed up, as all the coaches were, which Buffy loved. Tonight he was in a black suit; the only other color she could see was a red tie. He always wore dark colors, which was quite the opposite of his shockingly peroxide blonde hair. Buffy just thought the dark colors accented his often mysterious personality. Oz scored a goal which jolted her from her thoughts, as Willow cheered beside her. Buffy clapped and cheered along with her as the final buzzer sounded and the game ended. As usual the Jr. Razorbacks had won.

“Buffy, come out with us to the Bronze tonight.” Willow encouraged turning towards her friend.

“What?” Buffy couldn’t hear her over the cheers and shouts from the crowd as the teams skated single file to congratulate each other.

“Come out with us.”

Buffy shook her head. “I can’t”

“Yes, you can! You know Spike will be there. I also know that you don’t have practice tomorrow until the afternoon. So you can’t use the ‘I have to get up early’ excuse.” Willow said immediately blocking what she knew would be her best friend’s first excuse.

“I shouldn’t,” was her next excuse.

“You should. C’mon, Buffy. I’m not going to give up on this. You are constantly turning us down, for once in your life will you just let go and have some fun.” Not sensing that she was getting a positive reaction, Willow decided Buffy needed more persuasion. “Buffy, don’t make me give you my resolve face.” She said sternly.

Buffy looked back down at the ice and the team gathering around Spike. She was sure that she shouldn’t go out with Willow; it would be a big party at the Bronze since the team had won. But she also knew that she couldn’t keep turning her down.

“I’ll meet you there,” she said, finally giving in.

“The Bronze—we should be there in no more than an hour. If you aren’t there I promise you I will come looking for you.” Willow warned, giving her friend a pointed look for good measure. “Tonight you are going to get Nationals off your mind and enjoy the moment.”

Buffy rolled her eyes and hooked her arm through Willow’s. Together the two friends headed to the front of the building where they met up with a few more girls from the rink.

“Buffy, are you coming out with us tonight?” Cordelia asked, surprised.

“For a bit,” Buffy answered. “I’ll meet you guys at the Bronze in a few. I need to see Giles about a few things.”
Buffy quickly slipped away from the others and headed back towards the rinks offices. She didn’t actually go speak with Giles; she had simply used him as an excuse not to carpool with the others. She wanted the freedom to leave when she wanted, not when everyone else decided to. Finally, when she knew she couldn’t put it off any further, she headed to the Bronze.

The smell of smoke and alcohol hit her as soon as she walked in the door of the popular club. Music was blasting from speakers and the dance floor was full of people. Looking around she spotted Willow, Oz and another rink employee Tara at the bar getting drinks. Carefully she made her way through the crowd to join them.

“You made it,” Willow squealed in delight at seeing her friend. “You must have a drink---Dan, we need another diet Coke, please!”

The bartender near Willow nodded and reached for another glass. Buffy laughed at Willow’s enthusiasm. She appreciated the bubbliness of her red headed best friend. She was bouncing in time with the music and grinning like the Cheshire cat. Taking their drinks from the bartender the small group headed over to an empty table and sat down. Once settled Buffy surveyed the dance floor to see who else was there. She spotted Spike off in a dark corner with a leggy brunette. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her friends. It was typical for him to be with a girl like that; tall, leggy, brunette…beautiful, all things completely opposite her. How could she ever compete? Finally, Oz and Willow disappeared out onto the dance floor, dragging Tara with them. Buffy thought about leaving, but suddenly decided against it, realizing that she was at least enjoying watching the crowd. It was then that she felt a presence behind her.

“Come dance with me, Buffy.” A husky, and very British, voice said softly in her ear. She shivered as she felt his breath on the side of her neck, then suddenly it was gone. Buffy whirled around on her stool and came face to face with Spike. His leggy brunette friend was nowhere to be seen.

“Me?” Buffy asked, her jaw dropping in surprise.

“Your name is Buffy, right?” he said giving her a teasing grin. Buffy felt her cheeks flame with heat. Apparently Spike didn’t notice, or care, as he took the glass from her hand and carefully placed it on the table behind her. Grasping her hand in his, he pulled her off her stool and led her out to the dance floor as a slower, love song started to play. Spike pulled her into his arms and lightly wrapped them around her waist. Buffy, not sure what else to do, reached up and placed her hands on his shoulders. Unable to look Spike in the eye, she rested her forehead on his shoulder. Spike bent his head so that his lips were right next to her ear. Buffy could feel his breath tickling her earlobe, and she bit back a groan.

“ ‘m glad you decided to join us tonight, love.”
Buffy leaned closer into his embrace and sighed when Spikes arms tightened around her waist pulling her more firmly against his body. She was going to pay dearly for this dance. Buffy was sure of it. It felt so right to be in his arms, but she knew better. He was trouble with a capital T.

Buffy’s dream then drifted off to another memory a few weeks later.

“Have lunch with me, love.” Buffy looked up from the desk in her new office at the rink and saw Spike standing in the doorway. He was still dressed in hockey gear, having just come off the ice after working with a group of kids from the local high school.

“Right now?” she said looking at the clock on her computer.

“Give me 30 minutes to shower and change.”

Buffy pondered the offer for a minute. The past few weeks had been pretty ideal. Spike had begun to pay a lot of attention to her. He was constantly reaching out to her. Buffy was so pleasantly shocked by it all that she rarely said no when Spike requested to spend time with her.

“I have to be back by two for practice,” she reminded him.

“Not a problem,” he said with a grin. He disappeared from her doorway without another word. He was back in no time at all and they left the rink. After a quick lunch at Buffy’s favorite restaurant, Johnnie’s they returned just in time for Buffy to slip off to the employee locker room to get ready for her practice session. Spike returned to his own office and was surprised when a few minutes later he heard a knock on his door.

“Enter!”

“Hey,” Buffy said softly as she entered his office. She took a look around and surveyed the small room. It was full of trophies, posters and random articles of hockey gear. What surprised her was the two large bookshelves stuffed full of books that filled the far wall. Spike moved quickly and was in front of her before she registered that he had moved. Before she knew it he had the door closed and her pressed back against it. Resting his hands on her waist he bent down to softly brush his lips against hers. Reaching up and winding her arms around his neck Buffy pulled him closer, winding her fingers into his hair, ruffling up the curls he normally so carefully slicked back. Moaning at the feel of her pressed against him, Spike tightened his hold on her waist, bringing her lower body into contact with his. Buffy felt her cheeks flame as she felt his evident arousal, but it only caused her to tighten her own hold on him. Spike let go of her waist and slid a hand up to cup her breast, gently giving it a slight squeeze. The shrill ringing of the phone on Spikes desk made Buffy remember where they were. Spike ignored it and started pressing a trail of kisses from her jaw, down her throat to her neckline, ending with a kiss on her collarbone.

“Guess you need to get on the ice,” he said, his voice low and gravelly.

“You need to answer your phone.” Buffy gasped, as he gave her another swift kiss. When he pulled away again she realized that the phone had stopped ringing. Spike pulled back, but didn’t let her go, giving her a sheepish grin.

“Guess we got a little carried away there.”
He was rewarded with a slight blush and smile from Buffy. She took in a few deep breaths trying to calm herself, knowing she needed to get out to practice, but that if she went out now, everyone would know she had been up to something.

“Buffy, love, before you go, I want to ask you something.” Buffy froze when Spike spoke. Her thoughts went in a million different directions thinking about what he could want to talk about.

“What?” she asked cautiously. Spike felt her tense in his arms, so he slowly slipped a hand to the small of her back and began rubbing in slight circles, hoping she would relax.

“I know you’re leaving for Nationals in a couple days, and I was kinda wonderin’ if you…” Spike ran his free hand through his hair in frustration. “I was wonderin’ if you would mind if I came along.”

Buffy looked up and saw the uncertainty shining in his eyes and she was touched. Touched by the fact that he wanted to come see her skate, and also that he felt the need to ask if she would mind.

“I would love it if you came,” she said softly, giving him a shy smile.

Spike let out a sigh of relief. “I guess that might mean that people might get an idea ‘bout us.”

Buffy shrugged. “They might, they might not. It doesn’t really matter to me. It’s not like we’ll make a big deal of it. We’re friends, Spike. Friends go support other friends at big events.”

“Course,” he hastily agreed.

“Were you thinking of coming up with us on Thursday, or wait until Friday when the competition starts?”

“I…well…I was kinda thinkin’ of headin’ on up Thursday with you and Lorne.” Spike said nervously. “But if you don’t want me there for practice I can wait ‘til Saturday.” He finished quickly.

“No, it’d be nice to have you there during practice.” Buffy didn’t want him to thinks he didn’t want him around, yet she knew that he understood she didn’t often like an audience during practice. The thought of having him come with her made her nervous. It would mean that people might get an idea about them being together. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that. She still wasn’t sure that they were going to last. Ever since Spike had arrived in Sunnydale he had been notorious for short term relationships & they had already been together for nearly three weeks. She didn’t want to get excited and then have him break her heart. She slipped carefully from his arms and Spike took a step back to let her open the door.

She paused for a moment in the doorway and looked back. “I’ll talk to you about it later, after practice.”

Spike nodded, and she disappeared from the doorway closing the door behind her.


A few weeks later…

Buffy had won the National Championships a few weeks prior and now was in the midst of performing her long program at the World Championships. When she had finished and her scores were up she realized that with only one skater to go, the favorite to win, she was currently leading. She was guaranteed at least the silver medal! Ecstatic she rushed backstage to the warm up area searching for Spike. World’s had been in Chicago this year and he had come along to watch her skate. She saw him across the room, scrunched into a tiny chair in front of a small television set. His eyes lit up when he saw her approach.

“You were amazin’, love” he said, standing up and lifting her up into his arms. Buffy squealed as he twirled her around once before placing her back down.

“Thanks,” she said still a little breathless from her skate, and her cheeks were flushed with excitement. Winning the gold at Nationals had been a wonderful experience, but the fact that she more than likely would medal at Worlds was exhilarating. She stayed in the warm up area with Lorne and Spike and watched the final skater finish her performance. As expected she did very well, and bumped Buffy down to the second position. But that didn’t matter, silver was still exciting for her first trip to Worlds. Spike wouldn’t let her not go out and celebrate that night after the medal ceremony, declaring that it would be a shame not to take Chicago up on its superb nightlife, and they had a good reason to celebrate too. They had had a wonderful time that night enjoying the Chicago nightlife. So much so, that it was nearly 3 am before they were in a cab on their way back to the hotel.

“You were great tonight,” Spike murmured as she rested her head on his shoulder. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close. She was nearly asleep the moment they were safely in the cab.

“Thanks,” she mumbled back as she made herself more comfortable against his body, settling in for the ride to
their hotel. Spike chuckled and held her tighter.

“You are one amazing woman, Buffy Summers.” He whispered softly into her hair.

“Hmmm.” She mumbled back snuggling even closer. “I think I love you.”

She felt his body slightly tense against hers, but he said nothing, just rested his chin on the top her head as she fell asleep thinking about how perfect things seemed to be.

Back at the rink Spike couldn't concentrate on his own work, so he made his way to Giles' office. He was unable to get Buffy out of his head and he kept wondering if he was doing the right thing. He hadn't told Buffy why he had left two years ago, and for the time being he didn't plan to. He also hadn't told her what he had been doing during those two years. Two years ago when he rushed out of Sunnydale he headed to Colorado wanting to get a good distance from things and feelings that he hadn't wanted to be feeling. He had gone straight to his stepfather Jackson, whom he called Jack, who ran one of the top security firms in the country. During the past two years he had worked hard with Jack to gain experience with the firm. He had missed his work with hockey full time, but he had kept in touch with Angel and occasionally did a few camps with him—not in Sunnydale of course. Angel had apparently told Giles what Spike had been up to, and when he had called asking Spike for advice, he knew he couldn't turn him down. No matter how hard he tried, he still loved Buffy too much to let her get hurt. He had acted on instinct and immediately put in motion a plan to return to Sunnydale. That's how he had ended up back at the rink. He had done it without much thought as to how she would react, or how things would work out. He just acted instinctively to protect her. Now that he was back though, he couldn't stop thinking about all the different ways this could go. He was a man of action, someone who liked to act on instinct. It was the way he had always worked before. But now, with Buffy's well-being on the line, he had to think about all the options. That included how this current plan could work out.

Giles had told Buffy the truth, a number of different people where consulted about the situation, and when the idea of having her marry someone in order draw the guy out surfaced, there had been a lot of talk amongst the different agencies. The FBI thought it was too risky and probably would not do any good. The local police thought it could possibly work, but didn't like the idea of a 'civilian' playing the role of her husband. That was one of the things that Spike had been adamant about, and Giles had backed him up. If anyone was going to do this, it was him. His security team had been okay with the idea, granted they were the ones who had come up with it. But it was something that they had seen done in the past successfully. Granted it hadn't always required an actual marriage, but each situation was different. Spike understood that well. Now that the plan was in motion though, he wondered if it had been a good idea. Buffy seemed so unsure of him, unsure of what was going on around her. That wasn't like the Buffy he remembered. Perhaps they had been wrong in keeping the notes from her. Perhaps this charade wasn't the best idea. One of them was going to end up hurt, he just knew it. He couldn't keep his feelings hidden forever, truth was, he probably wouldn't even try very hard, and he was sure that when all was said and done, she was going to break his heart.

Spike looked up and realized that he was standing outside of Giles' office, and he wasn't quite sure how long he had been standing there thinking. With a sigh he gave the door a slight knock and pushed it open slightly.

"Oh, Spike, come in." Giles said when he recognized the man in his doorway. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you," he replied quiet. Giles gave him a worried look but motioned for him to take a seat. After closing the door Spike settled himself into the seat that Buffy had vacated just a short time before.

"Did Buffy speak with you?" Giles asked once Spike was seated.

"Yeah, left just a bit ago."

"How was she?" Spike looked up and saw the concern in Giles' eyes. It didn't help him feel any better. He clasped his hands together in an effort not to fidget around and leaned forward to rest his forearms on his thighs. He thought for a few minutes before he responded.

"I have no bloody clue." He said finally, frustration getting the better of him. "I think she's got it in her head that she doesn't have any other option. I feel like we're bullying her into this, and 'm sure she does too." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Fuck!"

"Spike!" Giles said, reprimanding him for his use of foul language at the rink. Spike didn't seem to care. Giles sighed, knowing that it was a hopeless battle. "She wasn't given much choice, Spike. That, however, is no fault of our own. The man who is sending her these threats is the bad guy, and we cannot forget that." Giles understood Spike's reluctance to some extent. While he didn't know many of the details about their previous relationship, he understood that both of them had been hurt in some way.

"It's just…" Spikes voice trailed off as he grabbed a pencil off of the desk to play with.

"Spike, Buffy has a very strong personality. You, as well as I, know that she would make this very difficult if she was not okay with this plan. And at the risk of sounding very repetitive, it is not our fault that she has been put into this situation."

Spike thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I know, 'bout her at least. It is bloody well my fault. Was my idea wasn't it? Bloody stupid one if you ask me."

Giles tossed his glass down on his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. Retirement seemed to be looking rather good right then. "Spike, it is a brilliant plan."

"On paper, yes. But when have any of my plans really worked out? Ask my team, things always come up to muck it up." Spike told him, snapping the pencil in his hand in half due to frustration. "I can't marry her, Giles. I swore I never would, even if it's Buffy, and even if it's only for convenience. I don't think I'll survive living with her and keep my heart intact. I just spent minutes with her and it nearly broke me. 'Sides she deserves a lot better than this, better than me!"

Giles looked at Spike with sympathy. He could hear the desperation in the man's voice, and he understood. Something must have happened to make Spike so adamant about marriage, but for the life of him he didn't know what. Perhaps some research was in order. He wondered if a phone call to Jackson would shed some light on the situation.

"Spike, I know you care a great deal for Buffy. You would not have dropped everything to come back here if you didn't. You can try to fool yourself all you want, try to say you only did it because it coincided with Angel needing to take some time away, but you know better. I know better! You could have given me a bit of advice, been done with it and stayed in Colorado. Instead you showed up here and have been working tirelessly not only at Angel's job, but also at protecting Buffy. I know this is hard, but what is stopping you from just letting go of the past and moving on? If you would just let things happen naturally between the two of you I'm sure things will be fine. Don't push her for more than she is willing to give, and don't give more than you are ready to."

"Easy for you to say," Spike grumbled slouching down in his chair. "', beginnin' to think I would have been better off if I hadn't come back. Worse now that it was when I left."

Giles rolled his eyes. These two were real pieces of work. "Spike, whether you want to admit it or not Buffy does care for you. This plan of yours will not only allow us to capture this horrific man who is stalking her, but will let the two of you get to know each other again. Perhaps this time around you can do what you should have done 2 years ago. For pity's sake this is not a death sentence." Giles told him. "And for the record things seem to be looking up since you've returned. We have a plan to catch this man, and you are going to do everything in your power to keep Buffy safe."

Spike gave the older man a rueful grin. He knew Giles was right, he just hated to admit it. "'ll do my best to see it your way, Rupes, but I can't see how Buffy could care for me. She barely knows me anymore. Yeah, at one time she liked be, but I'm the one that did the leaving, or did you forget?"

Giles looked at Spike, a quizzical expression on his face. He wasn't quite sure why Spike was trying to talk his way out of this charade with Buffy. It had been a fairly solid plan to begin with, and their previous, albeit short and abruptly ended, relationship did make things easier to pull off. He wondered if perhaps something else had happened between the two of them.

"Spike, is there something I should know? Some reason why this absolutely could not work?" he asked, leaning forward on his desk, his eyes intently staring at Spike.

Spike shifted uncomfortably in his seat. There wasn't much reason that he could give to Giles. Not that they hadn't already discussed. But for good measure, he thought he would feel Giles out as to what he knew about their previous relationship. Most people had figured they had been just friends. Then again Giles had sounded as if he had known something. After all the man was like a father to her. Perhaps she had confided in him. Hell, if she had then why was Giles letting him do this? He shouldn't have wanted him to get within 10 miles of her.

"Before I left, Buffy and I sorta had a…well we were more than friends," Spike told him, his voiced guarded. Giles sighed in relief, and Spike looked up at him shocked to see the small smile on Giles' face.

"I am well aware of that, Spike." Giles informed him. "I don't know the extent of what your relationship was; I don't know what went wrong, and to be honest I don't need or want to know. You and Buffy are both adults and can make your own decisions. I just need to know if you can and will make this work."

"Wouldn't be here if I thought I couldn't do it, Giles. 's what I do. Much I might go on about it, but when it comes down to it I'll do it." Truth was the idea of them finding another man to play the role of husband cut him deep, which in turn just worried him more. "I just can't speak for Buffy. I was the one who left, I don' know if she's forgiven me for that, or if she ever will."

"Spike, you came back, that has to count for something. Perhaps you didn't come back to fix your relationship, but now you have the opportunity. It is up to you to decide what to do. Have you spoken with her about your part in this investigation?

Spike got a weird look on his face and turned away. Giles realized that he had finally touched on a big part of Spikes problem. He was concerned over how Buffy would react if she knew how involved he was.

"Uh, no," Spike said keeping his gaze averted. "I sorta figured she might not be ready for that yet. I know 'm not ready to tell her. Maybe once we talk things over. See, the way I figure it, if she thinks that I'm not just some willing sucker who got pulled into this, she won't be so willing to go 'long with it." Spike felt a bit sheepish at being nervous over telling something so simple to Buffy. Why should it matter how he was involved in the situation?

"Why wouldn't she?" The logic Spike presented completely baffled Giles. "You're only trying to help."

"'s obvious we got some issues to work out. She has barely spoken to me since I got back. Right now I got a bit of her gratitude 'cause she thinks I'm just another player in this charade. I figure if we can work through the past, maybe I'll tell her what's been going on the past two years."

"She will find out soon enough, Spike. It would be far better if she heard if from you and not by accident from someone else." Giles warned in a serious tone. "Why do you have to make it so complicated?"

"Giles, think 'bout who you're talking to. When it comes to women, I have to make it complicated." He gave Giles a wry smile. The older man had to admit he was right. Spike often did make things far more complicated than they needed to be.

"You're not living up to your reputation. Most women would probably be blown away to see this side of you."

"My reputation is the bloody problem. Nice thing 'bout bein' away from her. Didn't have to worry about people caring how long or short my relationships were, or what girls I dated."

"It's just a bump in the road. Now, could we please move past this? I should think we have other things to discuss. Has your security team found anything new?"

"No," Spike said, relaxing as the conversation turned to something more familiar and comfortable. "Been working hard on things, but just not finding anything that will help us figure out who this wanker is. He's got to slip up somehow. If he doesn't, I don't know how we'll catch him."

And just like that the two men moved to talk about the investigation into Buffy's stalker. A half an hour later as Spike returned to his own office, he felt a great deal better about his impending 'marriage' deciding to take advantage of the opportunity.

Meanwhile, back at her apartment, Buffy's dreams continued.

It had been two months since Buffy and Spike had started quietly seeing each other when Buffy walked into Spike's office to find it completely empty. She looked around in awe, unsure of what she really saw. The walls were bare, the shelves empty of all the books, his desk bare except for the computer. Her life had become quite a bit more hectic since the World Championships, but she had thought things were going well. He hadn't said anything to her about moving offices. She tried to think back to the last conversation they had had the day before. She couldn't recall that he said anything out of the ordinary. He had seemed a little quiet, but that wasn't all that unusual. It was then that she saw the plain white envelope sitting on the desk. When she moved closer she recognized Spike's dark scrawl on the envelope. Her breath caught when she realized it was her name written across it. Tentatively she reached out to take the letter from the desk. With shaking hands she pulled out a single sheet of white paper. Unfolding it she saw just two words before she burst into tears….

'I'm sorry…'

Buffy awoke with a start, her eyes wet with unshed tears and she could hardly catch her breath. It had been so long since she had thought about that year. It had been both the best and worst year of her life up until that point. This past year was definitely giving it a run for its money. Most people hadn't realized how far their relationship had gone; therefore many hadn't understood the sadness she had displayed after he had left. Not even Willow had known the full extent of things. It had made it that much harder for her to get over him leaving. She knew that Giles was right. No matter what had happened she and Spike could pull it off. She also knew that it would come at a great price. Pulling the blanket up closer around her she buried her face into her pillow to try to go back to sleep; praying that she wouldn't continue her dream.

"Buffy! Buffy, wake up! You're going to be late."

Buffy sat up quickly on the couch looking around wildly, startled at the fact that there was another voice in her apartment. It didn't register with her that it was Willow until she noticed her best friend staring at her with a concerned look on her face. The redhead had her nose scrunched up and she was eyeing Buffy carefully. She had been standing right next to her; having tapped her lightly on the shoulder in an effort to wake her up, but had backed up when Buffy jerked awake.

"You must have been really tired," Willow commented, as Buffy felt her heart rate start to slow down. "I knocked quite a few times, but you didn't answer. I'm glad I came in. It's nearly four; you probably would have slept straight through your lessons."

"Yeah, thanks Willow," Buffy said half-heartedly attempting to straighten her clothes and hair. She wondered if her eyes were red from crying earlier. Hopefully Willow didn't notice and ask." Hey, how did you get in?"

"Buffy, I have a key, remember?" Willow eyed her suspiciously. It wasn't quite like Buffy to forget that her best friend had a key to her apartment.

"Oh, right." Buffy headed into the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face, as Willow went towards the kitchen, intent on finding them both a drink. She was genuinely beginning to worry about her friend. She hoped that Buffy had had good news from Giles about the note she had received.

"Hey, what did you find out from Giles about that note?" she called.

"Not much," came Buffy's reply as she breezed into the kitchen, intent on grabbing an apple and heading out. "He took the note and said he'd look into it. I'm sure it will come to nothing." Buffy hoped that Willow wouldn't question her further. It was hard lying to her best friend. She knew it was probably for the best, considering the situation, but it was still hard. She wondered if Willow would even believe her, after all she hardly believed it herself. After taking that nap it almost felt like it had been a dream, but yet…it wasn't. Then again, Willow would probably find it exciting. Wasn't she always the one pushing Buffy towards Spike? She would probably find it terribly romantic.

"I guess so, but I doubt it." Willow replied doubtfully. "That was a freaky note. If someone sent it as a joke they need help."

"You work tonight?" Buffy asked, quickly changing the subject. The less said about it right now, the better. Shit was going to hit the fan in a few days when she came back married to Spike so she might as well try to enjoy a bit of calm before the storm.

"Nope," Willow responded with a big grin, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I have a date with Darrell tonight." Darrell was Willow's new boyfriend. Oz had left earlier that year to train in Canada much to Willow's dismay. It had taken her quite a while to move on, she had only met Darrell a month or two prior, but things seemed to be going quite well between them. Buffy had only met him once, and he seemed like an okay guy. He was, well, different-and in Buffy's opinion that was putting it nicely. Willow, however, seemed to like him, so Buffy went along with it.

"Have a good time," she told her friend, happy at least to see her excited about dating again. At least one of them would have fun tonight, she thought. Stop that, her inner voice shouted at her. You are going to have a good time tonight. Even if it's not a real date, she reminded herself.

"I'm sure I will," Willow replied still carefully eyeing her friend. She couldn't put a finger on what it was, but something seemed off with Buffy. She was acting awful distant, which wasn't like her. Normally the two girls would be talking excitedly about something at the rink, or an upcoming date. Maybe she had really been spooked by the note.

"Guess I should head to the rink," Buffy said eyeing the clock and noticing it was going on 4:30. She needed to get there soon. Her first lesson was at 5:15. "Thanks for waking me up. I doubt I'll see you later. I'm going to stay for the Jr. guys' game."

Willow just gaped at her best friend. Who was this chick and where was her best friend? Buffy had been avoiding those games like the plague since Spike had returned. Then she grinned, maybe I finally did get through to her.

"Going out afterwards?" she asked heading towards the door.

"Maybe for a little while," Buffy told her non- committedly absentmindedly playing with the engagement ring on her finger. It wasn't really a lie; she couldn't imagine that she and Spike would be out very long. She quickly stopped playing with her ring, when she noticed Willow watching her.

"Well, enjoy, and I had best hear all about it later, missy!" Willow told her with a mock stern look, apparently not noticing Buffy's fidgeting. With that she slipped out the door and headed towards her own apartment across the hall.

"I'm sure you will," Buffy muttered. Deciding she had a few minutes she ran back to her room to change.

She arrived at the rink just a few minutes before five. She had just enough time to get her skates on and meet her students out on the ice. After two lessons with two of her more favorite students she headed towards the back of the arena where the hockey rink was. She found a seat near the top railing of the bleacher like seats. She had a good view of the game and could see where the team entered and exited the ice. The game started promptly at seven. Watching the game Buffy realized how much she had missed attending them. She enjoyed watching how animated Spike got with the players and refs. He threw his whole self into the game. Buffy was delighted when the team won 5-1. She noticed, however, that as the game drew to a close she got more and more nervous about their 'date' afterwards. What would they talk about? What was it that Spike felt she needed to plan for their 'wedding'? Would he tell her why he left? All those questions and more swirled through her mind as she sat in the bleachers watching the parents and other fans leave. Once she saw the team members trickling out of the locker room below she realized it was time to find Spike. Taking a deep breath she left the bleachers and headed down towards his office. On the way she resolved to enjoy the opportunity and do her best not to make a fool of herself. Spike's office door was open when she arrived.

"Hey," she said softly walking on in. Spike was at his desk shuffling through some papers. He quickly put the papers away and looked up.

"Ready to go, pet?" he asked with a smile.

Buffy nodded, not quite trusting her voice at the moment. Spike took a moment to ensure that his computer was turned off and then joined her at the door. He grabbed his black leather duster off the hook on the door and easily slipped it on.

"Shall we?" he asked, flipping off the light at the door and placing a hand at the small of her back. Buffy nodded and let him direct her out of his office. In the parking lot Buffy looked around for his old DeSoto, but she didn't see it. In fact, now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember ever seeing it since he'd returned. She wondered if perhaps he sold it, or if had just finally given up. As if sensing her curiosity, Spike directed her towards a dark colored Jeep near the back of the lot.

"Put the DeSoto in storage when I came back here. Didn't really want to put the miles on it by driving it back."

Buffy just nodded, and allowed him to open her door for her. They rode in silence the few minutes it took to get to The Espresso Pump. Once inside, Spike directed her to find them a seat while he picked up their drinks. She made her way over to a semi-private table near the back of the coffee house where it seemed to be pretty quiet.

"Here ya go, love." Spike said a few minutes later setting a diet Coke in front of her. He took the seat opposite her and put down his own cup of tea. Both seemed a little nervous to start the conversation so Buffy decided to take the bull by the horns and jump right in. She didn't like the silence.

"So…Giles mentioned that there were a few things that you 'demanded' that I get to make the decisions about." That had been one thing she had been intrigued by, curious about what Spike thought she needed to decide.

"O' course. It's not every day you have a weddin'. I didn't want them plannin' everything for you." Spike said. Buffy thought he almost seemed shy about it, not at all like the Spike she had been expecting. "'Sides, I figured it might be a little bit better experience for you if you got to plan a bit of it yourself. Know 's not real and all between us, but…." Spike hated the fact that this was bringing out his softer side. It was something he had buried long ago, and he hated feeling this way. But he wanted to make the best of this for Buffy's sake, and that meant making it as memorable or unmemorable as she wanted. It might not be real in every sense of the word, but he figured knowing the Buffy he remembered, she would appreciate getting the chance to make it what she wanted.

Buffy, in turn, was surprised by Spike's response. She had expected that they would just go to Vegas, find a cheesy little chapel and be done with it. What was there to plan about that? Granted it wasn't exactly the way she had pictured her wedding, but then again, this wasn't real, so she guessed it didn't matter. Did it? She frowned slightly, thinking about it. The truth was, it was a wedding, and they were really getting married, even if it wasn't for forever. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to make it a little more personal. After all their friends would expect it wouldn't they? Spike noticed her frown and was worried, but before he could say anything she spoke.

"We're eloping, what exactly is there to plan?" she asked, echoing aloud her initial question. The whole point of eloping was to not have to plan anything, right?

"Well, there's the chapel, hotel, things to do while we're there." Buffy watched as Spike reached into the inner pocket of his duster and pulled out a small manila envelope. "Way I figure it; you won't want to be cooped up in a room the entire time we're there. Not that I planned for us to stay long," he said quickly. "I just figured this guy shouldn't know where we're headed, so we should get out and see some sights while we're there."

"Oh." Buffy hadn't thought of that. She had imagined it would just be a quick trip to and from Vegas and back to her normal life again. Well except it was never going to really be normal again. When they returned from Vegas they would be married. She would be moving into his house. That was very far from normal.

"Look, I printed off a few pamphlet thingy's from a few chapels, guessed you might want to take a look at 'em. I tried to stay away from anything related to Elvis." Spiked gave her a mischievous look. "That is unless you would prefer that."

Buffy's jaw nearly dropped. Was he teasing her? She shook her head and gave him a grateful smile. "I appreciate that. That just doesn't sound that appealing to me."

Spike laughed, inwardly happy that she hadn't voiced an interest in it. For the most part he hadn't believed she would be interested in that, he always had thought her fairly traditional, but a lot of things could have changed over the past two years.

"Also have a few things on some hotels and stuff we can do while we're there. You could probably take a look at the sightseein' stuff tomorrow, but I had wanted to get a hotel and chapel picked out tonight. I can call and make arrangements tomorrow." Spike slid a few more papers across the table to her.

"Okay," Buffy said slowly, slightly overwhelmed by the amount of information in front of her. Spike had apparently done a lot of research. He had information on over a half a dozen hotels and chapels. She looked intently over everything for a few minutes, and then looked up at Spike. He had been attentively watching her and he held her gaze for a few minutes before dropping his eyes to the table.

"What do you think?" she asked, curious about his wants and wishes.

"Whatever you want, pet", was his reply. Spike wanted her to be comfortable with the plan. He wanted it to be all about her, and letting her make the plans seemed to be the best way. He didn't care much for the details anyway. He just wanted to keep his girl safe. His girl, there was that phrase again. Did he really think of her as his girl? When it really came down to it, he supposed he did. He snapped back to attention when he realized that Buffy was speaking.

"Seriously, Spike, this is your wedding too. If we're going to go all out on making this look as real as possible, I think you should have some say in this too." Buffy told him. "You know, I can't believe you're really willing to do this, especially given…" her voice trailed off as she felt a sudden wave of insecurity hit her.

"Let's get this straight right now," Spike said reaching across the table to grasp one of her hands. "I am very happy doing this. I…I wanted this opportunity with you…to protect you."

Buffy felt her cheeks burn and she ducked her head to avoid the intensity of Spikes gaze. "I…thank you."

"For what?" she looked up to see a puzzled look on his face. His head tilted to the side as he watched her.

"For making me feel better about this." she squeezed his hand. Just the simple thought that he wanted to do this, that he cared about her safety made her feel better. The tiny spark of hope that perhaps they would get a second chance burned just a little brighter.

"You're welcome," he said gruffly, unsure of how to react to her gratitude, knowing that he wasn't being as honest with his role as he could be. "Now choose a chapel."

Buffy pulled her hand from his and quickly scanned through the pamphlets that he had given her. Finally she separated one from the rest and slid it across the table at him.

"What do you think of this one?"

"Tuscany Chapel," Spike mused, looking quickly over the pictures in the brochure. "Looks like a nice enough place. Simple, yet elegant."

"Did you just say elegant?" Buffy asked in surprise.

"Yeah, don't sound so surprised, Summers." Spike responded defensively. What was wrong with the fact that he thought it was elegant? It was! What had she expected him to say? "Fact is I think I remember looking at this one…yeah, I did."

Spike riffled through some of the papers in front of her and finally pulled one out and handed it to her. "'s part of a hotel. Would make it mighty convenient for us."

"It looks nice." Buffy said glancing briefly at the pamphlet. A thought suddenly crossed her mind. "Won't this be pretty expensive? I mean it's not like I can't afford it, but it just seems like it will be an awful lot of money for something that isn't real."

For some reason that comment struck Spike the wrong way. "Money isn't a problem, pet. It's already taken care of."

"I can't imagine that whoever came up with this plan is paying for all of this, Spike."

"They're not. I am. I want to do this, Buffy, so don't argue with me about it. You won't win." He said firmly ending the discussion.

"Fine," she said realizing that she might as well admit defeat and not ruin the evening by forcing an argument. They could do that another time. She looked down again at the paper in front of her. She loved the simplicity of the chapel, with its cream colors, tall columns and blue ceiling painted to look like the sky. It wasn't what she had imagined a chapel in Las Vegas would look like. It was almost as if they had transplanted some peaceful little village into the middle of the busy city. The hotel didn't look too bad either. It had a number of amenities, including a spa and restaurant. They wouldn't have to leave the hotel if they didn't want to.

"Great, I'll call tomorrow and see about availability. Now we just have one more small detail to suss out…well, actually two." Spike said gathering up the pamphlets and putting them back in the envelope. He stuck it back into his duster pocket reminding himself to give it to Buffy later on so she could look over the other pamphlets later.

"What?" Buffy asked. "We have a chapel, and a hotel. What more do we need?"

"For starters we need a wedding date." Spike informed her. "We can either get it over with right away, or wait 'til right before we come home. Granted a lot depends on what they have available, but still, figure I'd give you the option. Not like anybody will care if we do it at the beginnin' or end. Guess it really isn't a big deal, could just play it by ear." Spike moved around uncomfortably in his seat. Perhaps they should have just done things spur of the moment. Thinking about and planning a wedding with Buffy brought back a lot of memories that he had hoped to keep buried.

"Let's just get it over with. That way we don't have to worry about it. Putting it off won't change things. Maybe then we can enjoy the rest of our time there. Could we do it Friday? Or even Thursday night?" Buffy suggested.

"I'll see what I can schedule," Spike said relieved. "Last itty bitty detail- what kind of wedding would you like? They offer a number of options. Can have just about anyone marry you probably. I'm sure if you asked they could conjure up Elvis for you even."

Buffy laughed. "I thought we were staying away from Elvis?"

Spike ducked his head, blushing slightly. "Always an option."

"Would you want that?" she asked incredulously. Of all people, she would never have picked Spike to even consider it.

"If it would make you happy," all of a sudden her laughter died away as she realized that Spike was serious. If she wanted it, he would allow it, even if it wasn't what he wanted.

"Spike, what kind of wedding do you want? You are a part of this too." Buffy said softly watching as his eyes sparkled at the thought that she cared about what he wanted.

"I know there's nothin' traditional about this situation, but I thought a traditional ceremony seemed right somehow." He told her shyly. "Just doesn't seem right to wear jeans and a t-shirt to your wedding. I was kinda thinkin' me in a suit and you in some fancy dress of some sort. I know it isn't all supposed to real, but it should still be special."

"That sounds just about perfect," Buffy said agreeing with him. In fact it scared her how perfect it sounded. She wouldn't admit it right then, to him, but she had always dreamed of a small, simple wedding. She had never wanted something outlandish or large. "I guess I just need to pick out a dress."

"I'm sure you could find something there," Spike told her, thinking back to some of the brochures and sites he had visited when doing research for this plan. Vegas didn't seem like a bad place to get married. It had hotels, chapels, entertainment, shopping, gambling; what more could you need. "Then again you probably want to find something here."

"Of course." Buffy said distractedly, thinking about where she could go to find a dress. She was positive she had nothing in her own wardrobe currently that would be appropriate. "Tomorrows only Wednesday so I can do a little bit of shopping." She knew exactly what she wanted, now she only hoped she could find it. While this wasn't a traditional wedding, or a traditional marriage, she might as well enjoy the fantasy of it all for a little while. It couldn't hurt. Could it?

"Guess that just about takes care of things then," Spike told her.

"Just about? I thought we covered it all?" Buffy realized that there were probably a few things they hadn't covered. Like if they would be sharing a room. Which if she had to guess she would say they probably would need to. Or how they were going to handle her moving in with him. That was going to be an interesting conversation. One she was only too happy to put off for a while.

"Well, yeah. I was kinda hoping we could talk about other things. You know…just chat. 's something we haven't done in a long time."

"No," Buffy agreed, her voice soft. "We haven't."

"You want a refill?" he asked motioning to her now empty glass.

"Sure," Buffy was relieved to hand him the glass and watch as he walked towards the counter to refill their drinks. It gave her a chance to collect her thoughts. She thought about the many things she wanted to ask him as she watched him at the counter. She also pondered what she had just gotten herself into, or rather, what her crazy psychopath stalker had gotten her into. After all it was because of him they were running off to Vegas to get married.

"So, what can we talk about?" Spike asked sliding easily back down onto his chair while placing their drinks on the table.

"Whatever you want," Buffy replied, and instantly regretted it. There were some things she wasn't sure she was ready to discuss with him yet. Sure, they needed to get things out in the open between them, and talk about the past, but did it have to be tonight?

"Okay," Spike said slowly. "Then I have a question."

"Shoot." Buffy replied playing with her straw.

"Why don't you date?"

She was glad she hadn't taken a drink yet, because she was sure if she had it would have ended up all over the table, she was so surprised by his question. Of all the questions she could have thought up that he could ask that hadn't been one of them. Why would he care?

Spike, on the other hand, was completely calm. He had been curious about the fact for some time. Not that he minded that she didn't have a boyfriend, but he had imagined that since she had rocketed to skating stardom after her first win at Worlds and then the Olympics she would have had a whole slew of men lined up to date her. She deserved a good man. Someone who would care for her, support her, and help her. Life hadn't been easy the past few months, he knew that.

"I…I date," Buffy sputtered. "I guess I just haven't lately. Haven't really had the time. In fact I was out with someone just a couple months ago. Really nice guy…just not the right guy." She admitted, though her tone was slightly defensive. She didn't tell him that no guy had ever compared to him.

"Might be a little backwards, but once we get married I'll just have to make sure we go out on 'dates' often." Spike told her, he could see the surprise in her eyes. "So how are things with skating? Still busy with all the Olympic hype?"

"Nah, it's died down quite a bit. Kind of had to so I can get ready for the season this fall."

"You're gonna keep competing." He asked, genuinely surprised. He had heard rumors that she was considering quitting, and just move into coaching.

She swirled the straw around in her drink thoughtfully. "I haven't really decided yet. I've taken on a couple new students, and I really love coaching. I just don't know if I can quit competing. I'm not quite sure what I'd do. It's all I've known for so long. It's had me pretty worked up the past month or so." She admitted. It felt nice to be able to admit that to someone other than Willow. No one else knew how torn she was over her decision. Worked up wasn't quite the right way to put it. Driving herself crazy was probably closer to the truth. Time was running out for her to decide, and she wasn't anywhere near confident in what she wanted to do.

"You're great at coaching. Bet you could find a rink and run their skating programs even, if you wanted. You'd be good at it."

"Really?" Buffy asked, perking up at his obvious confidence in her abilities.

"Course I do." Spike knew that she could do whatever she set her mind to; she just needed to have a little more confidence in herself. She was confident when it came to competing, that was for sure. She had a passion for it. She just hadn't figured out yet how to move that passion into other things. Although her work for Giles at the rink was a good start, he had to admit.

"Thank you," she was truly grateful for the vote of confidence. Buffy suddenly had a burst of confidence and decided to tackle what she knew was going to be a difficult conversation. "Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly, sweetheart." She blushed a bit at the term of endearment.

To hell with waiting, she thought. Taking a deep breath she asked the question that had been burning in her mind for so long. "Why did you leave? And then why did you come back?"

Spike had been expecting that question. So why hadn't he thought of an answer? Well, he thought, the easy answer would be to tell her truth. But it wasn't quite that simple, he realized. How did you explain to the woman you love that you left because you loved her? That you left because you knew she deserved a better man. That you were afraid to put your heart on the line again after having it ripped out twice before. How did one explain all that? And explaining why he came back required an admission of his deeper involvement with this charade. He would tell her, just not tonight. Tonight he wanted to begin to repair the damage he knew he had caused.

He had been so quiet for so long that Buffy thought perhaps he was going to ignore her question, when all of a sudden she found both of her hands being held tightly by his.

"It's a long story, Buffy, and 'm just not ready to share right now." He said softly, imploring her with his eyes to understand.

"Oh," you could hear the disappointment in her voice, and he could see the hurt in her eyes.

"'m sorry, love." He knew she deserved to know, but he wasn't prepared for what it would mean for both of them.

"It's just," Buffy started then stopped speaking. She twisted her hands out of Spikes hold and put them safely in her life.

"It's just what, love?" he asked, instantly missing the feel of her hands in his.

"It's just, it hurt so much when you left, Spike. What did I do wrong?"

Spike closed his eyes, he wanted to smack himself in the head, of course she would think she did something wrong. She would carry the blame, not give it to him. Without really thinking he scooted his chair around the table and closer to hers. He reached into her lap and gasped her hands again.

"Buffy, you did nothing wrong" he told her. "I'm the one who was wrong. I shouldn't have left that way…I just…I just needed to go. You…you were bloody perfection, sweetheart. I promise soon we will sit down and I will answer any question you have and tell you everything that you want to know. But tonight…tonight I just want to forget about the past and…" Buffy silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"I understand," she said when he was quiet. "But I do want to know someday. I need to understand why."

Spike nodded and she put her hand back in her lap. He had released her other hand, but he didn't move his chair back around the table, instead he stayed close to her. They moved on to safer topics like hockey and her skating. Much to Buffy's surprise they talked for nearly two more hours. She hadn't expected to feel so at ease with him when she still hurt over his leaving. She hadn't really expected to feel so comfortable with him period. She had always been intimidated by her attraction to him in their previous relationship, never knowing exactly what to say. Sure they had talked…a lot… but never so comfortably. When he had returned a few months ago she hadn't known what to say, and he had rarely said a word to her. As time moved on she had figured silence was perhaps best. Now, she felt relieved to know that perhaps he hadn't left solely because of her. Judging by the way he was acting now, and talking to her, he wanted to be there with her. He wanted to talk to her. Perhaps the past few months instead of ignoring her because he didn't want her, he, like her, just hadn't known what to say.

"We should get you home," Spike said as Buffy stifled a yawn. She nodded, hating to admit that she was tired. She wanted to keep talking, but she was getting quite sleepy. She snuck a look at her watch and realized it was nearly 3 AM! Spike had already stood, put on his duster and was holding out his hand to her. Grabbing her purse Buffy stood, took his offered hand and together they walked hand in hand out to his Jeep. They were both quiet as Spike drove back to the rink. He pulled his car up right next to her own Jeep and she quickly jumped out fishing for her keys in her purse. Spike climbed out of his car as well and met her at her door.

"Thank you for all of this," Buffy said turning to face him and leaning back against her car.

"'s my pleasure, love," he replied stepping closer to her. Buffy looked up at him nervously as he stepped close enough to touch her. "Why don't you stop by around lunch tomorrow? We can grab a bite and then I can show you the house."

Buffy nodded nervously, not trusting her voice. The idea of living with him still filled her with a mix of excitement and fear.

"I had a good time tonight, pet." Spike told her, his voice husky, as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. How he had missed the feel of her hair in his hands, so soft and silky.

"So did I," Buffy barely had time to get her response out before Spike swooped down and captured her lips with his own. The kiss was gentle at first, his lips pressed softly against her own. Buffy responded timidly, surprised by his kiss. She whimpered slightly when his tongue flicked out and teased her lips, begging for entry to her mouth, which she gladly gave. Spikes hands suddenly gripped her hips tighter and pulled her closer, pressing his now obvious erection against her. Buffy could feel his hardness against her, the light fabric of his slacks not hiding much. Unable to stop herself she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and pulled him in closer, as their tongues dueled. Finally needing to breath Spike pulled away slightly and began placing soft kisses down her jaw, while Buffy drew in a much needed breath.

"I've missed doing that," Spike admitted softly, pressing a final kiss just below her ear before pulling back to look at her. Buffy's face was flushed with excitement and desire. She hadn't forgotten what it felt like to be kissed by Spike, but for some reason this was different…more intense.

"Really," she breathed then ducked her head in embarrassment. The moment Spike had taken her into his arms the past two years seemed to just fade away, until now, when the doubt and insecurities suddenly overwhelmed her again. Spike hooked a finger under her chin and brought her head up so she would look him in the eye.

"Really, pet. I've missed you. I know there's so much we need to talk about," he sighed heavily. "Now's just not the time. We both need to get some rest. No need for you to be nodding off at the wheel on your way home, and Giles would have my hide if I nod off at work tomorrow."

Buffy stifled another yawn and realized he was right. His kiss had made a shot of adrenaline rush through her body, but that wouldn't last long. "True. I guess with all that's going one we will have plenty of time to talk." She admitted knowing that once they were married they would probably be spending a lot of time together.

"We will, I promise."

"See you at lunch tomorrow, then?" she said looking up at him, smiling when she saw his eyes were dark and dusky.

"Count on it," he said reluctantly releasing her with a quick kiss to her forehead. He stepped back so she could get in her car. With a quick wave she started her car up and headed home. Spike got back into his own car and threw his head back against the headrest taking in a deep breath. He couldn't believe how well things had gone. They had talked like old friends, and when he had kissed her she kissed him back. Closing his eyes he conjured up a picture of the way she looked all flushed from his kiss. God, he had missed her. She was going to be the death of him. He was sure of it.

Back at her apartment Buffy went directly to her room, changed and crawled into bed. Her heart was still beating fast as she thought about the way she had felt when Spike kissed her. The feeling of security and comfort that she felt in his arms overwhelmed her. It was almost as if suddenly the past two years had never happened, like he had never left. As tired as she was, she had difficulty getting to sleep. The events of the last few hours playing over and over in her mind, running nonstop, and making sleep near impossible. She finally drifted off into slumber, dreaming of her Spike. He was back, and she was going to have a second chance. Of that she was absolutely certain.

Buffy woke up late the next morning and had to rush to get to the rink in time for her 8:30 practice.

“You’re late,” Willow commented as Buffy walked into the employee locker room at 8:25. She herself was just finishing up tying her laces. She sounded pretty chipper given that it was still early. Buffy was often amazed at how perky Willow could be in the mornings. She herself was a night owl and sincerely disliked her morning practices.

“I know,” she replied tossing her bag down on the floor and trudging over to her locker. Much to her relief there didn’t appear to be any notes waiting for her. “I had a horrible time getting out of bed this morning. My alarm clock was not my friend.”

“What time did you get home?”

“Somewhere around 3,” Buffy admitted reluctantly.

“Whoa! You must have been having some major fun.” Willow was surprised. Buffy might be a night owl, but to go out on her own and stay out that late? So not like her.

“I was,” Buffy said with a smile, realizing that she really did mean it. She had had a good time with Spike. She pulled her skates out of her locker and after slamming the door shut went and sat next to Willow on the bench.

“Do tell,” Willow said looking at her expectantly. Her green eyes were shining with excitement at the thought of hearing about her friends late night.

“Later, Wills.” There was no way Buffy was going to have that conversation right then. Even if she had wanted to talk to her friend about it, she wasn’t quite sure what she would say.

“C’mon, Buffy! You never go out like that. Not without me or Xander. You have to tell me something! At least tell me who you went out with.” Buffy looked at her friend and noticed that she had a slight pout on her face.

Leaning back against the wall she closed her eyes, hoping that Willow would understand. Playing with the engagement ring on her finger she thought about what, if anything, she should tell Willow. She hated keeping secretes from her best friend. She wasn’t sure she could keep from spilling everything to her if she started talking. She also didn’t want Willow to go all wiggy on her when told her she had been out with Spike. It would be bad enough when she found out they had eloped.

“How was your date with Darrell last night?” she asked instead, hoping to distract Willow.

“It was good; we just went to Flannigan’s.” Flannigan’s was a local bowling alley and bar. Buffy had never been there but she had heard it was normally a pretty fun place; if you liked bowling. “He’s pretty super.”

Buffy smiled at the happiness in her friend’s voice. She was glad Willow had found someone. Losing Oz had hurt her pretty bad. Willow finally left the locker room rushing out to the ice hoping that her coach wouldn’t be upset that she was running late because of her talk with Buffy.
For the first time in nearly a month Buffy had a really good practice. She almost felt like her old self….almost. Even though she was still shaken by the fact that she had just learned that she apparently had a stalker, she felt good knowing that people were working to keep her safe. Feeling great after practice and with a sudden burst of confidence she headed for a nearby bridal shop.

Inside the store Buffy was instantly greeted by an older woman. “Good morning! Is there anything I can help you with today?”

Buffy regarded the woman for a moment. She reminded her a lot of her grandmother; tall and slender, with dark hair that was peppered with grey. She was dressed a lot like her grandmother had dressed too; in a long dark flowing skirt and cream colored blouse. Buffy instantly felt at ease.

“Good morning,” she replied. “I’m- uh- looking for a dress.” She looked around the shop at the various dresses on display. So far nothing was catching her eye. She didn’t want a traditional dress or anything too fancy. It wouldn’t be easy to travel on a plane with and it really wasn’t her style either.

“Ah, it’s not time for homecoming or prom, so you must be a bride to be. You have definately come to the right place. We will do all we can to help you find the dress of your dreams.”

Buffy barely refrained from laughing at the thought. Dress of her dreams? Yeah, right. She didn’t need a dream dress for this wedding, just something pretty that would look…well, bridal. She could save the dream dress for the real thing.

“Thanks…um,” she looked around uncomfortably. “Do you have many dresses in stock? Or do you have to special order them?”

Buffy wasn’t quite sure how the whole buying a wedding dress thing worked. Obviously she had never done it before. She didn’t have time for them to have to order something, or even do alterations. In fact, she really just wanted to find a dress and get out as quickly as possible.

“We do have a number of dresses in stock, and we do special orders. It all depends on the dress you are looking for.” The saleswoman answered. “By the way, my name is Margaret.”

“Buffy,” Buffy replied with a tentative smile. “Buffy Summers.”

“Oh!” Margaret exclaimed apparently recognizing her name. “You are the figure skater that won the Olympics last year.”

Buffy nodded. This was going to be interesting. She wondered how quickly after she left the store word would get out that she had been there. Then again, Margaret didn’t seem like the type to rush out to the first reporter. Guess only time would tell on that. No need to panic, she thought.

“Well, congratulations. Have you and your fiancé set a date yet?”

Buffy inwardly grimaced thinking of the reaction she may get. She wondered how often Margaret dealt with couples who were eloping. “Thursday.”

She didn’t get the reaction she was expecting.

“How romantic, you’re eloping!” Margaret said a soft, knowing smile on her face.

“Uh, yeah, which means I really need to get a dress today.”

“Why of course, you’re getting married tomorrow! Did you have anything special in mind?”

Buffy froze, unable to fully comprehend Margaret’s question. Tomorrow was Thursday! Obviously she had to have known that. It just hadn’t hit her yet. She was getting married tomorrow. To Spike! Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she looked up to see Margaret looking at her expectantly.

“I’m sorry,” Buffy said frowning. “What did you ask?”

“I was wondering if you had anything special in mind. Any particular style you prefer?” Margaret asked again, her voice soft and calm which oddly had a relaxing effect on Buffy.

“I just want something simple…elegant. I don’t really want a lot of frills. That is sooo not me.” Buffy told her. Margaret nodded knowingly.

“That can be done. Let’s go have a look at what we have on hand.”

Buffy followed her deeper into the store, praying that it wouldn’t take long to find a good enough dress. She only had an hour or so before she had to be back to rink to meet Spike for lunch.

An hour, and a half a dozen dresses later Buffy was getting frustrated. Margaret had paraded dress after dress in front of her, but only a few even came close to what she really wanted. The first one that Margaret had insisted she try on was a firm no. It had way too many little beads and sequins on it, making it to flashy for Buffy’s taste. The next couple had been marked improvements but still she found that she didn’t particularly care for them. Coming out of the dressing room in the most recent dress, Buffy saw Margaret’s head tilt in thought as she watched the young woman move to stand on the small podium in front of the mirrors.

“What do you think?” Margaret asked, knowing just by the look on Buffy’s face that she didn’t care for the dress.

“It’s…pretty.” Buffy replied looking at herself in the mirror. “It’s just not me. It’s too frilly at the bottom and I feel like a mermaid.” The dress was a mermaid style dress puffing out just below her knees with tufts of tulle. It made her uncomfortable to walk in and she didn’t like the puffiness.

“I see what you mean,” Margaret suddenly snapped her fingers. “I know just the dress for you. I’m sure it’s exactly what you need.” She moved towards the back of the store leaving Buffy behind at the dressing rooms. “We just got it in today and I think it will be perfect on you.”

Buffy waited patiently for Margaret to return, silently hoping that this last dress would be ‘the one’. She didn’t quite understand why she was being so picky. Margaret returned a few moments later dress in hand.

“It’s beautiful,” Buffy said softly the moment she saw it.

It was pure white, made of satin with a chiffon lining around the bust. The straps were thin, almost nonexistent, and she found, when Margaret turned it around for her to see, that the back dipped down open to the waist with a wisp of chiffon lining. The bottom of the dress went straight down, just barely billowing out.

“And very elegant, why not try it on?” Margaret told her walking into the small changing room to hang it up. “It’s just your size, too.”

Buffy quickly hurried out of the dress she was currently in and put the other on. It fit her like a glove, sliding down over her hips, the satin billowing out just enough to allow her ample room to move, while the top clung tightly to her. Unable to completely get the dress zipped at the waist she carefully held it together and slid out to the outer room of the dressing room area.

Margaret gasped when she entered the room. “It’s just perfect!”

Buffy carefully made her way to the podium and stepped up to take a look at herself in the mirrors. Margaret hurriedly came up behind her to finish zipping up the dress, then carefully straightened the bottom of the skirt.

“Wow,” Buffy whispered looking at her reflection. The dress looked like it had been designed just for her. Sitting tight on her upper body, giving her small bust just enough accent, then opening up to a skirt with just a bit of flow, Buffy was amazed at how beautiful it looked. She twirled carefully around eyeing the dress from every angle. She blinked back a few tears as she thought about the fact that her mother wasn’t there, and would never get the chance to see her in this dress, or any wedding dress in the future.

“It fits you perfectly, dear, and it looks absolutely beautiful.” Margaret said with a knowing smile. “You’re fiancé will love it.”

“I hope so,” Buffy replied quickly locking the thoughts of her mother away. “I’ll take this one. I don’t think I could find anything closer to what I want if I tried.” It was hard for her to take her eyes off her reflection in the mirror. Looking at herself right then should could almost imagine she was a real bride.

“Wonderful! Surprisingly, and wonderfully enough, we don’t apparently need to do any alterations. I assume you would like to take it with you now?”

“Yeah,” Buffy replied still distracted by the dress, and secretly wondering how Spike would react when he saw it.
Margaret grinned. She always loved it when a young bride found just the perfect dress. They just seemed to glow when they had it on.

“Go change,” she said pulling Buffy from her thoughts. “I will have one of the girls get it all bundled up for you.”
Buffy quickly returned to the dressing room that held her clothes and changed out of the dress. Taking the dress with her she headed out towards the entry in search of Margaret. She was waiting there with another sales associate who quickly took the dress off to package up in a garment bag for her.

“Now, do you need anything else? Veil? Shoes? Jewelry?” Margaret asked leading her back out to the main area of the store.

“I could look at some shoes.” Buffy replied perkily. No girl could have too many shoes right? After just a few minutes of trying on shoes she found the perfect pair of white sandals. She opted to forgo the idea of a veil, and she didn’t feel the need for any special jewelry. She followed Margaret to the register and quickly paid for her purchases, not realizing that she was going to have to hurry if she was going to make it back to the rink by noon.

“Congratulations,” Margaret told her. “And best of luck to you and your fiancé.”

“Thank you,” Buffy said holding her packages tightly and rushing out the door. She and Spike were going to need all the luck they could get. And they were going to need more than luck to come out of the whole thing unhurt, for that they just might need a miracle. She hung the dress in the back of her Jeep, put the bag with the shoes on the flow and climbed in herself to head to the rink. When she arrived she retrieved the dress and shoes and headed inside. The parking lot was fairly empty which was a good sign. No one would be around to get curious about her bags.

“Oh! Buffy, is that your dress?” Tara asked with a smile as Buffy walked in the door and towards the front counter. Buffy’s jaw dropped in shock staring at the young blonde at the register.

“You know!?” she exclaimed, then realized that Giles had mentioned that Tara and Lorne knew about the plan.

“Yes. I helped a bit with some of the details yesterday. Spike and I talked about some of the options you could have in Vegas.” She said with a wave of her hand. “Don’t worry; I’m the only other one who knows besides Lorne.”

Buffy felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought of the blonde in front of her discussing wedding options with Spike; even if it was her own wedding they were discussing. She suddenly groaned when she realized that soon people were going to be finding out. It wouldn’t just be Tara and Giles and Lorne who knew about her and Spike. Or even Willow, Xander and Dawn. The whole rink would know soon enough.

“May I see it?” Tara asked, thinking that perhaps that would be a good distraction for Buffy who seemed to be getting quite anxious.

“Sure,” Buffy said with a shrug. “Should we go in the back? I don’t want anyone to see it who shouldn’t.” She looked around nervously, even though she knew that Willow at least should be at class, and the rink usually didn’t have anyone around over the lunch hour besides staff.
Tara nodded and Buffy followed her into the back office, hanging the garment bag on the door once it was closed.

“Oh my! It’s beautiful, Buffy.” Tara exclaimed once she had the garment bag unzipped.

“Thank you,” Buffy responded, staring at the dress herself. “I just wanted something traditional. I mean, I know this is so not a traditional wedding, or marriage, or anything… but I wanted something to be.” She wondered a bit as to why she cared so much, and why she was explaining herself to Tara. Perhaps it was because Tara knew the circumstances surrounding the wedding. She was also a friend whom she could talk to about the whole situation, and would understand. Buffy suddenly realized that Giles had done her a favor by letting at least one of her close friends in on the charade.

“Of course you should,” Tara said easily. She understood how Buffy felt, and she figured Spike felt pretty much the same way. Or at least she thought he did given the conversation they had had about it the day before. “It’s just wonderful and I’m sure you look beautiful in it. Spike will just love it.”

“I hope so, not that it really matters.” Buffy said wistfully. “Well, I had better go find him. Is he in his office?”

“He was a few minutes ago.” Tara said with a smile. “Have a good time this weekend. I know you don’t need another lecture, but give Spike a chance to explain himself. I know he hurt you when he left, but…” Tara paused for a moment, wondering if it really was her place to say anything. She and Spike had spoken a lot over the past couple months, nearly every conversation about Buffy. She had learned quite a bit that she was sure that Buffy didn’t know about. Taking a deep breath she forged on. “He hurt too, Buffy. I know that this whole situation doesn’t help matters, but try to relax and enjoy your time away. Get to know each other again. Everything will work out okay.”

“Thanks, Tara,” Buffy said giving the other woman a hug. She was beginning to think there was a conspiracy going on between Tar and Giles in trying to get her to work things out with Spike. Not that she was going to do any complaining about it at the moment. She quickly grabbed her dress and bags and headed back towards Spikes office. She knocked lightly, but went right in. Last night had given her just a spark of confidence when it came to him.

“Hello, love.” He said looking away from his computer.

“Good morning,” Buffy replied closing his door so she could hang her dress on the back of it. “Or is it afternoon yet?”

Spike smiled at the perkiness of her voice. “I see you’ve been dress shopping.” A sudden, overwhelming feeling of wistfulness overtook him. He wished he could have gone with her. It would have been fun to have her modeling the dresses for him, asking for his opinion, getting to see her smile light up the room when she found one she liked.

“Yep,” she replied popping the ‘p’ as she dropped down into the chair in front of his desk. “It was a very successful experience.”

“Do I get to have a peek, or are you gonna make me wait?” Spike asked with a grin.

Buffy shrugged. “Up to you; I’m not superstitious or anything. Besides it’s not like any of this is really normal.”

Spike flinched at her statement, but kept a smile on his face. “I think I’ll wait. It will give me something to look forward too.”

Buffy looked up surprised, although she shouldn’t have been. He had said he wanted to be a little traditional, no matter how crazy the situation was.

“Can I go ahead and put it in your car? I really don’t want to have to explain it to Willow if she sees me with it later this afternoon, or at home.” She was still blissfully ignoring the idea of discussing it with her best friend.

“Sure thing,” Spike readily agreed. “Are you ready for lunch?”

“Yeah,” she replied with a shrug.

“What are you hungry for?” Spike asked taking the garment bag off the door and waiting for Buffy. Once she had grabbed her other bags they headed up towards the front of the rink.

“Chinese sound good?” Spike nodded, following her down the hall.

“Be back in a bit, Tara.” He called as they went out the door, both of them waving to the blonde at the counter.
Lunch was enjoyable for them both. They talked about a variety of things, carefully avoiding the subject of the upcoming trip to Vegas. Enough had been said about that already. Buffy was learning that she enjoyed talking to Spike. He was full of interesting information, and he was often animated when he talked. This was a different side that she hadn’t always seen before. Sure they had talked and joked with each other, but this was just…well, different. And while they didn’t speak of the past, they did occasionally mention some event or other thing that had had happened. The hardest part for Buffy was when Spike brought up her mom.

“I’m sorry ‘bout your mum, love.” He said quietly. He felt bad that he hadn’t come back for the funeral, but he had been both unsure of his welcome and out of the country. Not that he wouldn’t have moved heaven and earth to get back to her had he thought she would have welcomed his presence.

“Thanks, Spike.” Buffy answered her voice equally soft. “I really miss her some days.”

“Bet you do. I know I miss my own mum something fierce sometimes. But she’ll always be with you in some ways.”

“I know. It was just really hard since it was so unexpected.” Buffy’s mother Joyce had died suddenly from a brain aneurism as a result of complications from surgery. Things seemed to have been going really well when it had happened. Buffy had been the one to find her, having gone over to the house to visit since her mother had taken the day off of work. It still haunted her sometimes. She often wondered if she could have saved her had she arrived any sooner.

“’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.” Spike told her, and surprisingly Buffy believed him.

“It was okay. Giles, Willow and Xander really helped out a lot. I don’t know what I would do if it wasn’t for Giles. He took Dawnie in. I’m sure she would have ended up in foster care if he hadn’t. I wouldn’t have gotten custody of her because of my crazy schedule with skating. Not that I wouldn’t have given it up in a heartbeat for her if it had come to that.” Tears were starting to fill Buffy’s eyes as she thought back to that time. She had been so lost, so alone, even with all her friends around her. Spike reached across the table and took her hand in his. Buffy took a deep breath and continued. “Skating really helped. I know a lot of people expected me to take the season off, but I just couldn’t. I knew mom wouldn’t have wanted that, and skating gave me something to do besides think about her not being here. It probably wasn’t my best season and definitely not as good as the year before.”

“You can’t will Olympic gold every year,” Spike teased lightly. Buffy smiled. He was right. And she had still won Worlds. She was sure he mom would have been proud had she been there.

Desperately wanting to change the subject though, Buffy glanced down at her watch and noticed that it was after 1 o’clock. “Don’t you need to be getting back to the rink?”
Spike looked down at his own watch and frowned. “Yeah, I have practice in about an hour.”

They quickly left the restaurant after Spike paid the bill and headed back to the rink. Spike parked next to her car since she wasn’t planning on going inside again.

“Damn!” he exclaimed as he got out of his SUV. “I didn’t take you over to the house. I was gonna show you around a bit, knowin’ you hadn’t been there before.”

“No biggie.” Buffy replied with a shrug. “How about I come over tonight and you can show me then. I’ll even cook us dinner?”

“You wanna cook?” Spike asked raising an eyebrow. Buffy had been notorious back in the day for her lack of cooking skills. He had often heard a horror story or two from Dawn or Willow about her attempts at cooking.

“I will have you know, I can cook.” She replied defensively, poking a finger into his chest. “I may not be a world class chef, but I have learned a few things over the years.”

Spike raised his hands in surrender. “I believe you, love. ‘m sorry for doubtin’ you.”

Buffy calmed down. “Seriously, I will fix something. Just make sure you bring your hearty appetite.”

“’m always hungry, pet.” He said with a leer, eyeing her from head to toe. Buffy felt her cheeks burn when she realized the double meaning of his words. Spike was absolutely thrilled at the idea that Buffy would suggest spending time with him.

“What time are you done tonight?”

“I’d say around five or so. Practice starts about two thirty. When it’s done, I’m done, but how long it goes really depends on the guys. They do what they’re told it’ll go fast.” He rolled his eyes as he spoke thinking of the kids on his team. It wasn’t going to be a short practice.

“That gives me plenty of time. Anything you would prefer on the menu?”

Spike shook his head no, biting his tongue to keep from making some innuendo. It just wouldn’t do to go overboard and make her even more nervous around him. “Whatever you want is fine with me, pet.”

“Mmm….I think I could have some fun with that?” Buffy said teasingly. She grinned when Spike’s eyes widened.
“Oh no you don’t, Buffy!” he said quickly, but with a laugh. He knew she could get creative if she really tried, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to experience it. He had had a few of Dawns creations before and he knew they were highly experimental. “You want me to pick you up when I’m done?”

“Nah,” Buffy replied with a shake of her head. “I’ll just drive over to your place.”

Spike still wasn’t too happy with the idea of her going around town by herself, but he knew she would argue with him if he said anything. The stalker hadn’t given them any reason to believe that he would harm Buffy, at least not yet. Rather he seemed to be trying to win her over. Not that he was being very smart about it. Spike couldn’t imagine any girl enjoying the thought of a strange person following them or watching them in their sleep. He would give her the freedom now, but once they were married and under the same roof he was going to insist on being with her more.

“Why don’t you bring your bag along with you and we can store it in my car tonight. Give you a chance to get it out of the house and make the trip to the airport in the morning a bit easier, yeah?”

Buffy loved the idea. If only she would be able to get the suitcase out of the house without Willow seeing. But she had a plan for that. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Sure,” Spike agreed as he bent down to plant a chaste kiss on her lips. He then gave her a quick wink and headed into the rink. Buffy just stood for a moment and stared after him. The kiss had been so casual, as if it was something they did on a regular basis. What was up with that? She figured it would be hard for them for a while to get back into the groove of being near each other, but they had just fallen naturally together. Shaking her head at the craziness of the situation she got in her Jeep and headed for the store.

After a quick trip to the store to pick up supplies for dinner she headed back to her apartment to finish packing. She thought she should probably call Dawn, but she wasn’t quite sure what to tell her little sister. Dawn had always adored Spike. She’d had the biggest crush on him when he first arrived in Sunnydale. Eventually she had gotten over it and moved on to a new boy in her class. Buffy wondered if Giles was going to tell Dawn about her and Spike getting married. She would be so excited. She had been one of Willows biggest ‘let’s get Buffy with Spike’ supporters since he had returned. Then she wondered if he would be honest with her and tell her it was just a plan to catch her stalker. He probably wouldn’t tell her, Buffy concluded, knowing that her sister was liable to let it slip. And she doubted her sister had any idea about the stalker.

Buffy had made a quick call to Willow on her way home from the store asking her friend if she would mind picking up her mail from the rink. She honestly had forgotten to check when she had been there earlier, and she figured it would keep the chance that Willow would see her with her suitcase to a minimum. Taking it to her car was the first thing she did when she got home. She then set to preparing dinner. At the store she had decided to fix a traditional picnic feast. The weather had been so nice lately, and she hoped that the yard at Spikes would be nice for one. It had been a long time since she’d been on a picnic. Once everything was prepared she headed into her living room and picked up a book, flopping down into one of the overstuffed chairs.
Twenty minutes, and two pages later she tossed the book on the floor in frustration.

“This is ridiculous!” she muttered, frustrated by her inability to concentrate. She had read the same page four times and she still wasn’t sure what the main characters name was. Her mind was going a mile a minute with thoughts about her impending marriage. She wondered what Spike’s expectations were going to be of everything. They had discussed getting married, and the ceremony, and her moving into his house, but what about afterwards? Since they were married would he expect her to share a room with him? Sleep with him? No, she doubted that he would. They were getting married to stop a stalker, there was no reason he should expect that. They weren’t marrying for any reason other than to catch the guy, so why should she be worried about their wedding night? Then again, when she really thought about it, she probably wouldn’t mind a wedding night with Spike. All those thoughts and more kept running through her mind and the more they went on the more X-rated they got.

Needing a chance to clear her head before she headed to Spikes, she changed and went for a quick run. It worked to calm her down. Returning to her apartment with just enough time for a quick shower and change of clothes, Buffy quickly gathered up all she needed for their picnic and headed out the door.

Spike hurried home from the rink about 4:45, silently cursing his team. They had been difficult during practice and he had them running drills for 45 minutes longer than usual. He had hoped to get home a little earlier so he could straighten up the house a bit for Buffy. Not that it was that messy. He hadn’t brought much with him when he returned, just a couple bags and boxes of books. Everything else he had was either leftover from Angel, or recent acquisitions. Much of the house was still furnished with Angels furniture. He would be coming back eventually and it hadn’t made sense for him to move it. As soon as he got home he took a quick shower and set about straightening up the few things he found strewn about the house. The sound of the doorbell had his heart racing and him rushing down the stairs. He paused for a moment posed to open the door in order to catch his breath. Opening the door he was hit with a view of Buffy, her golden hair glowing in the sun, her tanned skin contrasted against the white sleeveless shirt and shorts she was wearing. In her hands she held an old fashioned looking picnic basket which he promptly took from her.

“Buffy,” he said when he found his voice. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked in the sun. It stole his breath, and it took him a moment to realize he had yet to invite her in. Stepping aside and opening the door wider he gestured for her to enter.

“Thanks,” she said stepping into the foyer of the house. Looking around she noticed the simple furniture and decorations. A small end table by the window that would be an easy catchall for keys and mail, in fact Spikes keys were already tossed on it. There was a large painting on the far wall, an artist she was unfamiliar with, but it was still an interesting abstract piece.

“So, did you really pack us a picnic, or just using the basket to carry things?” Spike asked pulling her from her observations.

“It’s really a picnic,” Buffy said giving him a nervous smile. She hoped he wouldn’t mind. Maybe he wasn’t a picnic kind of guy. “I thought it would be something different.”

“It’s a great idea, pet.” Spike replied, glad she had decided on something less formal. “Guess we should head on back then.”

Spike led her through the living room and then kitchen to the sliding doors that led to the back yard. Buffy paused at the doorway entranced by the scene before her. The yard was large and immaculately kept. Two large oak trees provided ample shade, and a privacy fence kept people from looking in. There were colorful flowers along the edges of the back a porch and in pots on the stairs.

“Spike, it’s beautiful!” Buffy gasped in surprise. “It’s hard to believe you’re in town.”

“Thanks,” he said shyly ducking his head, and extremely pleased that she liked it. He had always enjoyed working outside, but didn’t often get the chance. “Beneath the tree alright with you?” he asked pointing towards one of the oaks.

Buffy nodded her agreement and followed him over to the old oak. Though still entranced by the yard, Buffy snapped into motion once Spike had set the basket down. Pulling out a red and white checkered cloth she quickly spread it out over the grass. The two sat down on the blanket and Buffy began emptying the basket of its contents. Spike raised an eyebrow at the sandwiches, chips and veggies that she pulled out, but refrained from commenting on the lack of cooking necessary for the meal. He didn’t want to upset her, and she seemed to have put a lot of thought into it. He appreciated that more than if she had cooked a gourmet meal.

“Think you’ve got all the makings of a perfect picnic, pet.” He told her with a smile.

Buffy grinned. “And I even brought desert.”

Spike groaned when she pulled out a plate of brownies. “A woman after my own heart.” He reached into the basket to help unpack the rest and came across a pair of wine glasses. “Wine glasses?”

“A must if we are to have wine,” Buffy replied pulling out a bottle and corkscrew. “I know it doesn’t really go with the food, but I couldn’t resist.”

“I thought alcohol and Buffy were unmixy things.” He said recalling a conversation they had had quite some time ago about her lack of alcohol consumption.

Buffy shrugged. “Little bit won’t bother me.”

“It’s a nice touch, pet.” Spike said taking the bottle and opening it with ease. He poured a little into each glass and passed one to her. They chatted about the day while they ate, and Spike talked about the teams practice. Once they were finished he offered to give Buffy a tour of the house, to which she readily agreed eager to see the rest of the place. Wine glasses in hand they headed inside.

“Obviously the kitchen,” Spike said with a grin leading her through the kitchen and towards the living room.

“Do you even use it?” Buffy asked teasingly, noticing how immaculately clean it looked.

“Oi! I resent that, Summers. I happen to be a mighty fine cook when I need to be.”

Buffy giggled and ignored his affronted look, passing him by as they entered another room just off of the living area. It was a fairly large room, a large screen tv dominating one wall with a couch and two chairs surrounding it. The side of the room was dominated by a pool table.

“Compliments of Angel,” Spike said motioning towards the pool table. Buffy knew that Spike and Angel were good friends. They had been for years. It made sense to her that Angel would let Spike move into his place when he unexpectedly left right before Spike had come back. But what didn’t make sense was why he had left his stuff behind. He had left unexpectedly right before Spike had come back.

“Really?” she asked. Spike nodded. “Why didn’t he take it with him when he left?”

“Has plans to be back someday.” Spike offered in response but said nothing more. “Just babysitting it for awhile.”

“Oh,” she said softly. “Spike…”

“Hmm?” he asked leading her up the stairs.

“Where is Angel?” She had always wondered where he had gone. They had been somewhat friends before he had left. He had been a good person to talk to, and some days she missed that. It had been odd how quickly he had left, and he hadn’t really said why.

Spike cleared his throat nervously. “Right now he’s in Colorado helping to jump start a hockey program at a new rink.”

“Interesting,” Buffy mused. “When is he coming back then? Is he coming back?”

“Don’t know. Depends on a lot of things. He’s also working on making some contacts for the hockey school that we have. Been talking about taking it national lately. Thought it might be a good idea.”

“That would be awesome!” she said following him into the first room. Back when they both had been at the rink they had co-founded an elite hockey school that did summer camps all over the state of California, and sometimes neighboring states.

“This is the guest bedroom,” he told her successfully ending the conversation about Angel. Buffy followed him around in silence as he gave her a tour of the rest of the house, clearly avoiding the master bedroom. When they finished they returned to the kitchen.

“So let’s talk about this trip of ours.” She suggested placing her now empty wine glass on the counter.

Spike nodded. “Let’s go out on the swing.”

Once they were both seated on the swing that Buffy had failed to notice the first time around, Spike gave it a gentle push.

Buffy sat and played with her hands nervously for a few minutes, while Spike looked around the yard. He wondered what else she wanted to talk about. They pretty much had everything planned as far as he could figure.

“I never thought to ask, but what time is our flight?” Buffy said finally breaking the silence.

“One; but we should probably be there by eleven just in case. Sunnydale Airport may not be that busy but it is summer.” He explained. Buffy had to agree. As much as she hated sitting and waiting in airports, she hated rushing through them even more.

“Should I meet you at the rink in the morning then?”

Spike shook his head no. “Come here. You can leave your car in the garage and we can leave mine at the airport.”
Buffy was silent for a few more minutes. Spike watched her, thinking to himself how adorable she looked chewing on her bottom lip as she thought.

“I don’t know what to tell Willow,” she finally admitted.

“’bout what?” he asked. “Don’t really have to tell her anything ‘til we get back.”

“I can’t just go off and not leave a note, Spike. She’d get worried. And I don’t want Giles to have to deal with a worried Willow. I also can’t leave her a note that says ‘Hey Wills, I left to spend a few days in Vegas with Spike so we can get married’. That might give her a heart attack.”

Spike grinned. He very much doubted that Willow would have a heart attack over that. The way he figured it, she would probably start planning a reception for the two of them.

“Just tell her we went away for the weekend. You don’t have to tell her why.” He suggested, understanding that by her talking about it, Buffy was hoping he would offer an idea.

“That would be good. That way I hopefully won’t have my cell phone exploding all weekend.” Not that it wouldn’t be exploding the minute Willow knew she was back in town. It was going to be interesting when Willow found out about her and Spike. The note would make it obvious that something was going on. She knew that Willow would be excited and happy for her. She would also probably freak when she found out they had gotten married. Dating was one thing; marriage was a completely different ballgame. And Xander…well, Buffy didn’t want to think about telling Xander.

Spike smiled and put a hand on her knee, giving it a quick squeeze. “I made reservations for the hotel and chapel today.”

“You did?” Buffy said her voice higher pitched than normal. She blushed a bit and looked away from him.
“Yeah. We should be able to check in as soon as we get there. We’re due at the chapel at six.”

“Oh, wow. That just makes it so real now…to have an actual time. I…”Buffy couldn’t bring herself to continue the impact of what he had just said hitting her hard. They were getting married. They were really going to go through with it. Everything was scheduled and she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it.

“Look, pet, I know things have moved really fast the last couple days.” Spike said, pausing momentarily as Buffy snorted at the idea of fast. Fast didn’t even begin to cover it. “I know things are happening between us for all of the wrong reasons, but…” he paused for a moment wondering if he should continue. “I’m glad we’re doing this. Last night…being able to talk like we did…It meant somethin’ to me.”

“That’s nice to know,” Buffy said, unable to fully take in what he was saying. Then again, what was he saying exactly? “I’d hate to think how this would be if you didn’t want to do this.”

“Love, you know if we could do this any other way, we would, don’t you?” Spike asked. “This truly is the best plan.”

Buffy sighed. “I know.” And to her amazement, she really did. For some reason Spike had her best interests in mind. She was sure that he really would do anything to keep her safe from her stalker.

“Spike?” she asked softly. “Can we talk about this guy for a minute?

“Sure,” he replied placing an arm on the swing behind her and letting his fingers weave through her hair. He knew she would be curious. He just hoped he could give her the answers she needed.

“What is being done to find him? I mean, all Giles told me was that there were a bunch of people working to keep me safe, but I’d really like to know more. I don’t even know who these people are.”

Spike’s hand stilled against her head for a moment then quickly resumed playing with her hair, as he thought about his answer.

“There is a security team looking into the notes that have been coming to the rink.” He said slowly, still planning out how much to tell her. “They haven’t found much. Hope is that what we’re doing will cause him to slip up somehow.”

“So they don’t have any idea who he is?”

“No, there’s nothin’ in his notes that give any bloody clue to that.” He let a bit of his frustration out in his tone of voice. He had been very frustrated at the lack of evidence in the notes.

Buffy thought for a moment. “How did you get involved in all of this?”

Fuck! How could he get out of that without lying to her? Spike thought. He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to tell the full truth either.

“Can’t rightly say right now.” He admitted, hoping she wouldn’t read too much into that. “Let’s just say that I wanted to be the one. Didn’t want you to have to marry some bloke off the street.”

“Thank you,” Buffy told him softly. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she found it odd that he wouldn’t tell her more, but right then it didn’t seem to matter.

“Come ‘ere” he said motioning for her to move closer. Buffy did and rested her head on his shoulder. Spike protectively wrapped an arm around her and held her tightly to his side. His voice was soft and low as he spoke. “I know things are happenin’ awful fast between us right now. And I know there’s a lot we need talk about but…” he paused for a moment. “I think we have a chance, Buffy. I don’t want to lose it.”

“Me neither,” Buffy admitted softly, looking up into his shining blue eyes. She reached up and trailed a finger down one of his cheeks. Spike closed his eyes at her touch. Buffy was scared. Looking at Spike she realized how much she really had loved him, probably still loved him. Yet she knew that no matter what he said when it was all said and done he would probably walk away again. Yet, she couldn’t help but wish that for just a little while she could bask in the joy of knowing he wanted her. That he cared enough to go through this crazy plan with her.
Spike was surprised when he felt the soft pressure of Buffy’s lips against his. Her kiss was soft, exploratory and he let her lead for the moment. It was when her tongue slipped out and gently teased his lips that he took control, wrapping his arms tightly around her and pulling her onto his lap. Buffy let her arms slide down his sides and then back up under his shirt as they continued to kiss. She loved the feel of his rock hard abs beneath her fingers as she caressed his chest. Not letting her be the only one to have a little fun, Spike slipped a hand beneath her own shirt and slid it up to cup her lace covered breast. Buffy gasped at his touch, pulling her lips from his, her shocked eyes meeting his darkened and lust filled ones. Ignoring the voice in the back of her head that was telling her they were moving way to fast, she leaned forward and kissed him again.

“Guess we won’t have much of a problem convincin’ people we’re happily married.” Spike said a few minutes later when they pulled apart, heads resting together, both breathing heavily.

“Hopefully.” Buffy blushed and slipped off of Spikes lap. “Should we get the picnic stuff out of the yard?”

She was suddenly shy again, and unsure. She needed to get away for a minute and clear her head. It was all muddled from the feel of Spikes hands and lips.

Spike was intrigued by her sudden change, but said nothing only followed her to where the stuff lay and helped her pick up the supplies and take them inside. Once inside there was an awkward silence as neither knew exactly what to say to the other. Finally Spike couldn’t take it anymore.

“Buffy…”

“I should go,” Buffy said quickly before he could finish, frantically looking around for her purse. She needed to get away and think. So many things were happening. Her life had suddenly been turned topsy-turvy and she was losing control of it fast. Finding her purse she turned back to face Spike. “I have to get up early for one last practice before we leave. Lorne insisted on it this morning, since I’m taking time off the next few days.”
“Okay, I’ll walk you out and get your bag.” Spike knew it was futile to argue with her. She was running from him. He hadn’t wanted to push her, but then she had kissed him he just couldn’t help but respond.

Buffy nodded and quickly went through the house and out to her car. She pulled out the small suitcase and gave it to Spike. He sat it down on the ground next to him and she gasped as he pulled her swiftly into his arms.

“Don’t run from me, Buffy.” He said, hating the pleading tone that he could hear in his voice. “I know things are moving fast, but I think it’s worth it. We could be so good together sweetheart.” The last was spoken low and gruffly, his mouth right next to her ear.

“I’m not running,” Buffy protested weakly. She really wanted to believe that Spike had changed. That he wouldn’t run away from her again, or break her heart. She didn’t want to just be another conquest, and notch in his belt. She wanted him to love her, as much as she loved him.

“Yes, you are.” He responded, pulling back so he could look her in the eye. “I know this is crazy, pet, but can you really tell me you don’t want this? That you don’t want us to give it a real shot?”

“Can you promise that no one will get hurt?” She asked her voice hard. “Can you promise that when all this is over with you won’t walk away again?”

Spike sighed and closed his eyes. He expected Buffy to pull out of his arms, but she didn’t. She just let him hold her as she waited for his answer, watching his face for some sort of reaction. When he opened his eyes again he saw the hurt in hers. Hurt because she knew he couldn’t make that promise.

“I want to, Buffy. I really want to, but I can’t make a promise like that. Sometimes love hurts, pet.” She started to pull away, but he held on tighter pulling her closer so their bodies were touching in nearly every place possible. “But I can promise to try to be the best man for you. I can promise that I won’t walk away unless I have no other choice, or you tell me to.”

Buffy nodded her acceptance, knowing that those were promises he would keep. She took a deep breath and tilted her head back up so she could look at him. “I can’t promise that I won’t pull away at times. You hurt me, Spike.” Spike nodded slowly and let her go, but Buffy didn’t move away. Instead she slipped a hand up to cup his cheek and whispered, “But I promise I’ll try not to.”

“That’s all I can ask, love.” Spike said pressing his lips to her forehead, a spark of hope fluttering through his chest. “Be here by 10:30 tomorrow. I don’t plan on being at the rink in the morning.” he told her as she walked towards her car.

“I’ll be here.”

“Be safe, pet. I don’t like you out alone like this. We’ll have to have a little chat ‘bout that later, yeah?”
Buffy looked back at him ready to argue, but quickly changed her mind when she saw his look of honest concern. She gave him a grim smile and nodded. Before she could get her door open he leaned in and gave her one last quick kiss.

“Text me when you get home, please. Just so I know you’re safe.” He whispered. Buffy nodded and got into her car. Spike stood there and watched as she backed out of his driveway and left. With a sigh he grabbed her bag and headed into the house to do his own packing for their trip.

Buffy had been home mere seconds before Willow was knocking on her door and walking in.

“Where have you been?” she demanded, tossing Buffy’s mail on the table near the door. “You weren’t here when I got back, and you haven’t answered your phone.”

Buffy pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and sure enough, there were a half a dozen missed calls and voice mails from Willow. She grinned at the thought of her friend worrying about her. It was typical Willow behavior.

“Sorry, Wills. I had the ringer turned off so I wouldn’t be bothered.” She said ignoring the affronted look on her best friends face and heading into the kitchen with the picnic basket.

“But…But…” Willow sputtered following her. “Buffy!”

Buffy hid a grin at the tone of voice Willow was using. She knew that Willow suspected something. What was the harm in having a little bit of fun with it? Whoa, she thought. Where is this coming from? All of a sudden I’m okay joking around about this? And not worried about telling Willow? What did that kiss do to me?

“Buffy, really!” Willow exclaimed once she caught her friend in the kitchen. She watched for a moment as Buffy put away items from the picnic basket. Picnic basket? Buffy had gone on a picnic? “Uh, Buffy. What are you doing with a picnic basket?”

“What do you think, silly? I had a picnic.” Buffy rolled her eyes, and continued what she was doing.

“By yourself?” Willow was puzzled. Buffy sure had been acting a little odd ever since she had gotten that note. Now she was going out for picnics and turning off her phone.

“No,” Buffy replied slowly, turning around to face her friend. Now was the moment of truth. Did she admit to Willow that she had been with Spike, or fabricate some other story? The truth would be good, she decided, thinking that there was going to be enough story fabrication later on. Perhaps letting Willow know something would ease the shock of their elopement. Not likely, but maybe…one could hope. “I had dinner with Spike.”

Willow let out a loud squeal. “Really? Honest? You wouldn’t joke with me about this would you, Buffy? That is just so awesome! I told you he was into you, didn’t I? What was it like? Did he kiss you?” Willow continued to ramble off questions as she perched on a stool at the counter, anxiously looking at Buffy for answers.

“Calm down, Wills” Buffy said holding up a hand so she would stop talking. “I’m not joking.”

“Oh my gosh! But yesterday you said that you wouldn’t ask him out. You did ask him didn’t you? Oh gosh, he asked you didn’t he? That is so cool!”

Buffy couldn’t help but grin at her friend’s enthusiasm. Just wait until they got back from Vegas. Willow was going to pass out when they told her that they were married. Buffy frowned, if only Xander would react the same way. Somehow she sincerely doubted it. Xander had never really liked Spike. Shaking her head and deciding not to dwell on that at the moment she turned her attention back to Willow.

“Look Wills, I know what I said yesterday, but…that was yesterday. And it was just dinner. Not really a big deal.”
“Not a big deal! Buffy, this is huge! How long have I been trying to get the two of you together?”

Buffy decided not to answer that question. “Look we just decided it was time to finally talk. A picnic seemed like a good way to get to do that.”

“And romantic,” Willow said getting a dreamy look in her eyes. “You must tell me everything!”

“Not tonight, Wills. I’m beat and I just want to crawl into bed. I’ll tell you everything later.” She wasn’t ready to do the girl talk that she knew Willow was expecting. She knew it wasn’t that late, but the last two days had taken their toll on her.

“Fine,” Willow said getting up and heading towards the door; Buffy followed. “But don’t think for one second that I will forget about this missy. I want all the juicy details.”

“Later,” Buffy said somewhat reluctantly.

“Don’t forget your mail. There was a little package for you too. Did you order something?”

“Nah, probably some sample or something.” Buffy said with a wave of her hand looking over at the small stack of mail on the table.

“Well, g’night, Buffy. See ya tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” she replied absentmindedly as she picked up the package that Willow had been referring to. Funny, it didn’t have a return address on it. She didn’t notice as Willow slipped out of the apartment, instead she was focused on opening the small box. The instant she opened it she gasped, and dropped it as if it had bitten her. Her heart was racing and she was breathing erratically as she bent down to pick it up. The contents were harmless enough. Just a note and simple blue and white satin garter belt; she had seen similar ones at the bridal shop earlier in the day. In fact, she had been talked into purchasing one by Margaret, although she had little intention of actually wearing it. She took out the folded note and wondered if it could have been from Spike. But why wouldn’t he have just given it to her himself? Why leave it with her mail? The note made her sick to her stomach. For our wedding night, my blushing sweet maiden. Someday soon, you will be mine. Definitely was not from Spike. Clutching the box tightly to her chest, she quickly made sure her door was locked and went in search of her phone.

She dialed Giles’ number and waited, impatiently tapping her foot as she waited for him to pick up. She grimaced when it was her sister’s voice instead.

“Hello!” her sister’s perky voice came over the line.

“Hi, Dawnie.” She said with a sigh, realizing that she wasn’t going to be able to get away with just asking for Giles. She hadn’t talked to Dawn yesterday and she was sure her sister was going to be a little upset with her.

“Buffy!” Dawn squealed. “I’m mad at you! You didn’t call last night and I had major news!”

“Sorry, Dawn. I was out late and I figured Giles would not appreciate me calling in the middle of the night.”

Dawn laughed. “I doubt it. He probably would have just grumbled a lot and swore in that weird way of his.”

Buffy grinned as she settled down onto her couch. Realizing she was still clutching the offending package in her hand she gently put it down next to her and tried to focus for a few minutes on her sister.

“So tell me your big news, Dawnie.” She said. It turned out that the guy that Dawn had been crushing on for the past few months had finally asked her out. They had run into each other at the mall when she had been shopping and he had asked her go to a beach party with him. The party was set for the weekend and Dawn was extremely excited. Buffy sat and listened as she gushed about the guy, and babbled on about a few other things before finally asking to speak to Giles.

“Love you, Buffy!” Dawn said before handing over the phone to her guardian.

“Love you too, Dawnie.”

“Buffy?” Giles asked once given the phone.

“Hey, Giles.”

“You sound worried, dear. Has something happened?”

Buffy sighed and looked back down at the box with the garter.

“I got a really weird package today, Giles.” She told him.

“At your apartment?” the concern was evident in his voice. While they had figured, based on the previous notes, that the stalker knew where Buffy lived, they hadn’t known of anything to be sent to her there. Buffy, at least, had never said anything to them about anything out of the ordinary. Given her reaction to the note in her locker, Giles assumed she would have immediately called him had she received anything at home.

“No. It was with the mail that Willow brought me from the rink.”

“Damn it.” Giles swore, much to Buffy’s surprise. “I’m sorry, dear. I thought I had gone through the mail today, but I must have missed it.”

“You can’t keep these things from me forever, Giles.” Buffy told him, suddenly cross at the idea that they wanted to hide this from her. Wasn’t she better off knowing so she could be careful?

“I know, Buffy. I just don’t want you to have to worry needlessly right now. You have a lot on your plate at the moment.”

“You can say that again,” she said so quietly that Giles didn’t catch it over the phone.

“What was in the package, Buffy?” he asked. “You didn’t throw it away did you?”

“No, I didn’t throw it away, Giles. I’m not that stupid.” She said irritated that he would think she would be irresponsible enough to throw it away without letting him see it. Did they think she was a little kid? Sometimes she seriously wondered about that.

Giles sighed when he heard the irritation in her voice. He knew she was smarter than that, but he also understood the knee jerk reaction of throwing something offensive away in the heat of the moment. “What was it, Buffy?”

“It was a note and a garter belt. You know, like one of those that you get at the bridal store.”

Buffy didn’t miss Giles’ sharp intake of breath. Clenching his jaw in an attempt to reign in his anger, and keep his voice steady Giles gripped his phone tightly. He wasn’t angry at Buffy, or even her stalker, he was angry at himself. Upset that he had let something get past him and to her. Receiving that had to have upset her, especially given the plan for her and Spike to marry. “What did the note say, Buffy?”

“‘For our wedding night, my blushing sweet maiden. Someday soon, you will be mine.’” Buffy quoted, her voice trembling as she spoke the words out loud.

“Bloody hell,” Giles said.

“Giles, do you think he knows about me and Spike?” her voice was small and meek, and it surprised Giles for a moment.

“No,” he assured her. “I can’t imagine that he would know. We have done everything we can to have as few of people as possible know about the situation.”

“But what if he found out somehow? Do you think he will follow me and Spike to Vegas?”

“No!” Giles said sharply. “There is no worry about that. You will be completely safe traveling to Vegas with Spike. I seriously doubt that this man has any idea of your upcoming marriage. Of course he will when you get back and an announcement is made. I am sure this is just another way for him to get your attention.”

Buffy was silent, not responding to Giles’ assurances.

“Buffy, will you be coming into the rink tomorrow?” he finally asked.

“Yeah, I have practice in the morning before I meet Spike at his place.”

“You’re meeting at his place, not the rink?” Giles asked, surprised. He had realized that Spike had mentioned not being in the next morning, but it didn’t occur to him that it meant that they would not still meet at the rink.

“Yeah, he said that way I can leave my car in his garage.”

“Right, I have to admit that it a good idea. Don’t know why I didn’t think of it.” he admitted. “Bring it with you. If I don’t see you at the rink, give it to Spike and I’ll get it when you get back. Whatever you do, don’t throw it away.”

“I won’t, Giles. I’ll bring it with me in the morning.”
“Alright, dear. Now you get some rest. I promise things will start to get better soon.”

“I hope so, Giles. I really hope so.” She said hanging up the phone. She placed the small box next to her purse so she wouldn’t forget it in the morning, and headed down the hall to take a shower. A bit later, as she was laying her in bed, her mind racing as she thought about the reality of her stalker, she realized she hadn’t texted Spike. She rolled over and reached out to where her phone lay on the nightstand. She quickly typed out a short message making sure to leave out the news of her newest ‘gift’, knowing that he would probably be over in a matter of minutes if she told him. His reply was near instant and Buffy smiled as she placed the phone back on the table. She snuggled back down under the covers and willed her mind to stop racing with thoughts of her stalker. Everything is going to be okay, Spike will keep me safe. She repeated the thought over and over until she drifted off to sleep.

* * * * * * *

Giles hung up the phone and slumped back down on the couch. He sat there pondering the situation with Buffy until he heard a voice in front of him.

“Earth to Giles!” Dawn said waving her hand in front of the older man’s face. “What planet are you on?”

“Hmm? Oh, Dawn, I’m sorry. I must not have heard you.” He said quickly sitting up straighter and looking up at the young woman standing in front of him. He tilted his head and considered her for a moment. Should he be honest and tell her what was going on with her sister? She had grown up quite a bit since the death of her mother. Then again if she were told, there was a higher risk of it getting out that Buffy and Spike were just putting on a show. No, it’s best she truly believe that Buffy and Spike are together. “Was there something you needed my dear?”

“No, I’m headed off to bed.” Giles raised an eyebrow at that. It wasn’t quite 9pm, early for Dawn to be heading off to bed even considering it was a school night.

“What?” she said indignantly. “I happen to be in the middle of a very good book! Spike gave it to me the other day when I was at the rink and I’m just at a really good part.”

The eyebrow rose even further. “And just when did you see Spike at the rink?”

Dawn looked down and shuffled her feet. She knew that Giles didn’t really care how much time she spent at the rink, or that she spent time with Spike, but sometimes he didn’t know quite how much time she did. Neither did Buffy.

“I was there on Monday. I stopped by after school cuz I had an English essay that I wanted to ask Spike about. I know he’s really good with that kind of stuff and I like having him help me sometimes.” Dawn looked up at Giles her eyes pleading with him. “But please don’t tell Buffy. I know she’s still upset with him and doesn’t really like him anymore, so she’d probably just wig out if she knew.”

Giles softened at the pleading tone of her voice. Who was he to tell her she couldn’t spend time with Spike. Especially if he got her interested in reading and doing her homework. The girl was stuck in summer school because of how bad her grades had fallen during the past year when her mother died. If she didn’t get through this, she was going to have to repeat a year and he didn’t want her to have to go through that. Standing her wrapped an arm around the young woman and guided her toward the stairway the led to the upstairs of the house.

“I don’t have a problem with you spending time with Spike, Dawn. I am sure that soon your sister may not have much of a problem with it either.”

Dawn looked up at him suspiciously. “Why? Are they talking again? Why didn’t she say anything on the phone earlier? Is it serious? I can’t believe it! That would be so cool!”

Giles laughed at the speed at which she spoke and the little squeal she let out at the end of her slew of questions. “You can talk to your sister about it later. Right now I believe you have a book to finish.”

Dawn grinned and pushed up on her toes so she could give Giles a quick kiss on the cheek. “I do. Thanks, Giles! G’night.” With that she disappeared into her room, closing the door quickly behind her, but not before Giles caught another squeal of delight.

Buffy was going to win the big sister of the year award when she came back married to Spike. Giles only hoped that when it all came to an end, Dawn would understand. Recalling that he had wanted to make a phone call to see if he could get a few more answers about Spikes behavior earlier in his office he went back downstairs and headed for his small study. Settling into the chair behind his desk he reached for the phone and dialed Jackson Bennett.

* * * * *

Outside of Buffy’s apartment he stood at the base of the oak tree. He had watched and waited for her to go to bed, hoping to see her just before she went to bed. Her curtains had been closed this morning so he hadn’t been able to catch another glimpse of her in the early morning sunlight; although he had seen her at the rink. She was a beauty to watch on the ice. The power and grace she portrayed when she skated was intoxicating. A slow smile crossed his lips as he thought about the gift he had sent. He had been hard just at the thought of seeing her in nothing but the garter. The stark whiteness of it making it stand out on her beautiful tan skin. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to think about his vision, his hand slipping down his chest to cup himself. He wished it was her hands on him, instead of his own. She would be a vision on her knees before him. He took in a deep breath and looked back up at the dark window. He was going to have to do something soon. Send her something better, something to make her take notice. Why hadn’t she seemed to notice yet? He had driven by the rink over his lunch hour and saw her leaving with that stupid Spike Pratt. What could she see in a man like him? Spike wasn’t worthy of a girl like Buffy. Yeah, soon; he’d have to do something soon. He wasn’t about to lose her to the bleached hockey director.

“Soon, my love, soon.” He whispered, and then with one last look at the window above him, disappeared inside the complex.

Buffy was up early the next morning. She wasn’t in the best mood, partly because she was up early for practice and in part because she hadn’t slept well. Her dreams had been occupied with visions of her stalker and his latest ‘gift’. It rattled her more than she really wanted to admit. Thankfully Willow wasn’t at the rink for practice that early, and she knew that the other girl had classes until noon. That gave her the opportunity to return to her apartment one last time before heading to Spike’s. She struggled with what to write her best friend, yet she knew she needed to leave her a note. She had to at least tell her something or she would likely panic. She sighed when she looked down and saw the floor around her covered in crumpled papers. Glancing at her watch she saw she had just a few minutes before she needed to leave. She pulled out one last sheet of paper and began to write. Finally satisfied with her note, she folded it in half and collected the rest of her things that she needed. She slipped the paper under Willow’s door as she passed it on her way out of the apartment building.

Spike was waiting on the porch for her when she arrived at his place. His car was parked in front of one of the garage doors, while the other was open and waiting for her. She drove in and parked, gathered up her purse and laptop and joined Spike where he now stood next to his own SUV.

“Morning,” he said wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in for a quick kiss on the forehead.

“Good morning,” she replied leaning into his embrace, grateful for the feeling of security that she felt with him.

Spike looked down at her and smiled. “Ready for your big day?” He was still a little unsure about Buffy. After the previous night and their picnic, he was torn between confidence in their re-blossoming relationship, and fear of her rejection.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.” Buffy said, trying to bury the nervousness that she felt. For her part, she was both nervous and excited about the coming weekend. “How about you? After all it’s your big day too.”

“It’ll be okay, pet. I promise.” Spike said, his free hand coming up to push a strand of hair behind her ear. Buffy nodded, and then looked to the street when she heard another car approaching. The little red convertible pulled into the driveway directly behind Spike’s SUV.

“Good morning you two.” Giles said getting out and quickly approaching them.

“Hey, Giles,” Buffy said, attempting to pull away from Spike. He loosened his hold, but still kept an arm around her waist. Giles said nothing, but was inwardly happy to see the two of them so close to one another. He had been sure that if they could put aside whatever differences they had they would be able to pull this plan off.

“I’m sorry I missed you at the rink this morning, Buffy. I was busy in a meeting and apparently you left before I was finished. I had a few minutes so I thought I would stop over and get that package from you.”

Buffy nodded and bent down to get into her laptop bag to retrieve the small box.

“What package?” Spike asked a confused look on his face as he glanced back and forth between Giles and Buffy.

“Apparently I missed going through yesterday’s mail at the rink and Buffy received a package from her stalker last night.”

Spike shot Giles at lethal glare and snatched the package from Buffy before she could hand it to the other man.

“Hey!” she said more surprised than upset that he took it from her. She watched as his face filled with rage when he saw what it contained.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed when he saw the garter. He snatched out the note. “Bloody hell, love! Why didn’t you call me?”

Buffy looked up at him, eyes wide in shock. She had expected him to be upset by the note, but his question surprised her. “I…I called and talked to Giles when I got it. I figured it wouldn’t matter and I’d tell you today.”

“I would have come over, Buffy.” Spike told her. “You shouldn’t have been alone, pet.”

“And that’s part of why I didn’t call you.” Buffy snapped, trying, and not succeeding, to not feel bad by the hurt look that crossed his face. Her voice softened as she continued. “I’m 22 years old Spike. I don’t need someone to babysit me every time I get a scary note. I was locked up safe in my apartment.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said sulkily. “Still would have liked to have known.” He looked at Giles and glared at the older man, upset that even he hadn’t called to let him know.

“I spoke with Jackson last night, Spike.” Giles offered in explanation. “He said to let the local authorities take a look at it and see what they might be able to garner from it. If need be I can send it to him for review.”

Buffy watched the interaction between the two men carefully. She hadn’t missed the angry look that Spike had shot towards Giles, though Spike seemed to relax considerably at the mention of Jackson, but the name was unfamiliar to her. Curiosity finally got the better of her. “Who’s Jackson?”

Spike froze. He had forgotten that even with all the talking they had done, and their previous relationship, he had never talked about his stepfather. What did he tell her? Did he admit that who Jackson was and have her question how close he really was to the investigation into her stalker? Much to his relief Giles answered before he could come up with an answer.

“Jackson is old friend who happens to be a part of the security firm that has been helping us look further into your stalker, Buffy.” True he and Jackson had known each other for a few years, though they were probably more acquaintances than ‘old friends’. However, it wasn’t his place to tell Buffy that Jackson and Spike were related, and judging by Spikes reaction, he wasn’t ready to tell her either. Giles had never understood the relationship between the two men. He knew that Jackson and Spikes mother had married when Spike was older, but he had raised him as if he were his own son. After his mother, Anne, had died Spike had stayed with Jackson until he had decided to go to Sunnydale, and it was to Jackson that Spike went when he left. Yet there was a distance in their relationship that Giles didn’t quite understand.
“Oh,” she said, not seeming to notice Spike’s reaction and subsequent sigh of relief at his reprieve.

Giles looked pointedly down at his watch and back up at the couple in front of him. “Don’t you two have a plane to catch?”

“Right!” Spike said jumping into gear. He thrust the package at Giles, and then bent down to pick up Buffy’s remaining things. “Thanks, Giles.”

Spike went to put Buffy’s laptop and purse in the SUV while she said goodbye to her father figure.

“Thank you, Giles,” she said giving him a quick hug.
“When you get back I have you scheduled for some private ice time for practice and your students. If possible I’d prefer it if you didn’t spend quite as much time on the early morning sessions when fewer staff are around at the rink.”

The thought of changing her routine annoyed Buffy, but she understood Giles’ reasoning so she simply nodded her acceptance. She knew she was going to have to pick her battles for the next few weeks at the very least and arguing over private ice didn’t seem to be that important at the moment.

“Good, now go; try to enjoy yourself a little this weekend.” He told her giving her a slight push towards the car. She met Spike at her door as he had been waiting for her. He reached out and gave her hand a quick squeeze as she reached him.

“Hop on in love, I’ll be right there,” he told her his eyes trained on Giles. She nodded and climbed into the car, closing the door tightly behind her.

“It would be to your advantage to be straightforward with her, William.” Giles said pointedly as Spike approached him, purposefully using Spike’s given name. He had never really understood why he insisted on going by Spike. It was horribly unprofessional, but then again, Spike always had been unconventional. He also had to admit the name suited him.

“I will, Giles,” Spike told him. “It just hasn’t been the right time.”

“And it may never be. I will repeat what I said earlier and advise you that it would be better for her to learn it from you than from someone else.”

Spike nodded his head, knowing that the older man was right. “I’ll try to talk to her this weekend. But if I can’t, you have to promise me not to do it, Giles. Give me a chance to do it in my own time.”

Giles nodded his acquiescence to Spike’s request before speaking softly. “Take care of her this weekend.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her Giles. Not now, not ever.” Spike said firmly with a shake of his head. In that he was absolutely determined. No one was going to hurt his girl.

“I know you won’t.” Giles patted the younger man on the back as they walked around the end of the car splitting up so they could each go to their own vehicle. Spike gave Giles a quick nod as the older man climbed into his convertible and backed out of the driveway. Taking a deep breath he opened the driver side door to his vehicle and climbed in.

The ride to the airport was spent in silence. Spike quickly checked what little luggage they had and, after securing the promise of the check in attendant that every care would be given to the wedding gown in the garment bag, they headed off in search of their gate. The flight was spent amicably discussing what they could do in Vegas over the weekend and what shows, if any, they wanted to see.

Arriving in Vegas Spike immediately rented a car and headed for the hotel. After checking in they went directly up to one of the many suites the hotel offered. It was on one of the hotels upper floors and Buffy waited nervously as the elevator took them up. Once inside she looked around taking in her surroundings, while Spike stood off to the side quietly conversing with the concierge who had brought up their luggage. The suite was beautiful. It only took one look for Buffy to realize that it was perfectly set for romance. It was also larger than she had expected. Off to the immediate right of the entry was a small kitchenette and dining area. To her left was a spacious living area with a large stone fireplace, a large plush throw rug adorned the floor in front of it. The couch and two overstuffed chairs were soft brown leather and looked so comfortable that Buffy wished she could just curl up in one of the chairs and take a nap. On the far wall of the living area she noticed glass doors that led out onto a balcony. They would have a great view of the city lights at night, she thought. Finally the door on the far wall caught her eye. It was propped open and inside she could see the large, king sized bed; obviously the only bed in the suite. Shaking her head, not ready to contemplate that thought yet, she turned to see Spike watching her with a guarded look on his face.

“Is this okay, pet?” he asked softly. “Figured since it’s s’posed to be our honeymoon a suite seemed appropriate.”
“It’s fine,” she assured him with a bit of a smile. “The room is beautiful.”

“Good,” his sigh of relief was so obvious that Buffy couldn’t help but giggle. He gave her a mock glare, that quickly changed to a shy smile. “You can have the bedroom and I’ll just kip out here on the couch.” Spike grabbed her suitcase and dress and headed towards the bedroom with them.

“Why don’t we cross that bridge when we come to it?” she suggested watching him walk across the room. She enjoyed seeing the look of surprise on his face when he snapped head around to look at her, but he said nothing, just turned back around and continued towards the bedroom.

“What time did you say we’re supposed to be at the chapel?”

“Six. What time is it now, pet?”

“Nearly 4.” Buffy said looking at her watch. “I guess we should start getting ready.”

“How long will it take you?” Spike asked as he reemerged from the bedroom.

“Maybe 45 minutes, at the most; guess that leaves me plenty of time.” Buffy told him, watching as he slowly approached her. As usual he was in black jeans, but instead of his trademark black t-shirt, he had opted for a dark blue button down. It made his blue eyes stand out even more, and Buffy again wondered why he rarely wore blue, but often favored red or black. Spike stopped just in front of her and smiled. Tentatively he placed both hands on her waist and drew her closer into his embrace. With a small sigh Buffy let her hands drift up and settle on his upper arms.

“Nervous?” he whispered leaning his head down so that their foreheads were touching.

Buffy shook her head no.

“Liar,” he admonished teasingly giving her a slight squeeze. “’s okay to be nervous, love.”

“I just don’t know how to react to everything,” she admitted softly closing her eyes, not wanting to see his reaction to her. “It’s almost as if this is all just a really weird, horrible, yet slightly wonderful dream.”

Not knowing how to reassure her Spike did what he knew best. He kissed her. Buffy was surprised only momentarily at the feel of Spikes lips on hers then she gave herself completely to the kiss. Her arms wound up and around his neck, fingers diving into his hair as her mouth opened beneath his, allowing his tongue entrance to tangle with hers. Spikes arms tightened almost painfully around her waist as he tried to pull her even closer. They broke apart moments later, both breathing heavily and flushed.

“Right,” Spike said setting Buffy away from him, afraid of where things could go if he didn’t put some distance between himself and Buffy. They hadn’t come to Vegas for that. He wasn’t going through all of this just to get her into bed. And he sure as hell didn’t want to pressure her into something she didn’t want. Sure, it was going to be hell sharing the suite with her, living with her, even touching her and yet not fully having her, but he was willing to live through it if it meant she would be safe. Maybe someday, in the distant future they could travel down that road. For now, he only hoped he could maintain some semblance of control around her.

Buffy watched as Spike backed away from her and she felt a pang of hurt and fear as he withdrew from her embrace.
“You go ahead and get ready, pet. I’ll be back in just a bit.” He told her backing towards the door, his need to escape rising quickly.

“Where are you going?” Buffy cringed at how high pitched her voice sounded, but she couldn’t help it. He was leaving her. Why did he seem so nervous all of a sudden? He wouldn’t just leave her there would he?

“Just need to run quick errand, love. Get ready and I’ll be right back. Won’t take me long to get into my monkey suit.”

“Hurry back,” she said meekly but to an empty room as Spike had already disappeared out the door.

* * * * *

A loud squeal filled the apartment and the dark haired man stood and watched as his red headed best friend danced around happily waving a piece of paper in the air like a flag. He couldn’t help but smile at her obvious excitement, although he had no idea what had her in such a good mood. They had ran into each other in the parking lot and he had headed up to her place to catch up for a bit before they all headed to the Bronze for the evening.

“Xander, you’re not going to believe this!” Willow squealed smiling at her best friend. “This is the most exciting thing…..ever! Well, except maybe for graduation, or perhaps meeting Darrell, or maybe going with Buffy to the Olympics…yeah that was pretty exciting too.”

“Babbling, Willow!” Xander said with a grin, his brown eyes sparkling at his best friends antics. She had a horrible tendency to babble on when she got excited, and would often forget to share what she was so excited about. It was one of things he liked about her so much.

“Sorry,” she replied taking in a much needed deep breath. “It’s just so exciting!”

“Well, are you going to share or just keep me in the dark.” The dark haired carpenter flopped down on her couch and looked at her expectantly. Suddenly a look of panic came over his face. “Wait! If it’s a love note from Darrell, I do not need to hear it. You can keep that to yourself thank you very much.”

Willow rolled her eyes and joined him on the couch.

“No, doofus, it isn’t from Darrell. Although that would have been cool too…”She thought for a moment, “Well, I guess if you take it in context not really. I wouldn’t want it to be him in the note. Then again, I wouldn’t object to a love note from him.”

“Willow!” Xander exclaimed again. He rubbed his hands over his face in frustration, wishing she would just get on with telling him what was in the note.

“Oh! Sorry. The note’s from Buffy.” Willow grinned again.

“And how is the Buffster? She’s coming with us tonight right?” He felt bad he hadn’t been around as much the past couple of weeks, but his new girlfriend Anya had been keeping him busy. She was a pretty fun girl. They had met in high school but it was only recently that they had started dating. She was overwhelmingly blunt, but he was working on that. He hoped she wouldn’t talk about their sex life when they were at the Bronze that evening. She had a knack for bringing it up in the oddest ways. He was pretty sure Willow and Buffy did not want to hear about it. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Willow talking again.

“She was supposed to, but her plans have apparently changed.” Willow had a coy look on her face and Xander suddenly was intrigued. Willow knew something, and she wasn’t sharing.

“Okay, Will, out with it. What’s the note about?”
“Buffy went away for the weekend.”

Xander frowned as he thought about it. “That’s not entirely unusual, Willow. There some competition or show I didn’t know about?”

“Xander! It’s the middle of summer. No competitions, no shows!” Willow reached out and playfully smacked him on the bicep giving him a stern look.

“Ow!” he cried out, though teasingly, not because her slap had really hurt. “So where did our favorite little blonde skater go? And why?”

“She went to Vegas.” Willow went back to grinning, though she didn’t elaborate.

“And again I ask why? That does not sound like our Buffy.” His frown deepened and he tried to think about the last time Buffy had just taken off for a weekend. He couldn’t remember any. And Vegas? What was up with that?

“Don’t know really, the note just says that she went away for the weekend to Vegas to get away and have a little fun.”

“And she didn’t invite us along? How much fun can Sin City be without your friends to bail you out of trouble?”
“She didn’t go alone.” Xander looked pointedly at Willow and she decided it was probably best not to drag it out anymore. “She went with Spike!”

Xander groaned and let his head drop back on the couch, running his fingers through his hair. “What the hell!”
Willow frowned at the tone of her friend’s voice. Shouldn’t he be happy for Buffy? Granted, she knew Spike wasn’t his most favorite person in the world, but that wasn’t the point. Buffy liked Spike, and that’s all that really mattered, right?

“This is awesome, Xan.” Willow said, deciding that she wasn’t going to let him bring down her excitement. “Maybe they finally got it together.”

“And that’s good, why?” Xander asked. Willow frowned further.

“Buffy likes Spike, we’ve known that forever. They were starting to be really good friends before. Maybe they can go that one step further this time. It would make Buffy happy, I’m sure.”

“The bleached wonder doesn’t deserve her, Will. He’s just a punk hockey coach, who wasn’t good enough to go pro. She deserves somebody better than that.”

Willow looked at her friend in surprise. His contempt for Spike was obvious both by what he said and the look on his face. She hadn’t known that he felt so strongly about Spike.

“But doesn’t Buffy deserve to be happy?”

“Sure she does,” Xander said his voice softening a little. “I just don’t see how Spike can make her happy. He left once before, I’m sure he will again.”

“People change, Xander. Besides, they just went away for a weekend. It doesn’t mean anything. I mean, I’m sure given the chance you and Anya would go away for a few days just to relax and have fun. Buffy’s been having a rough time lately; maybe this is what she needs to get out of her funk.”

“I don’t know, Wills. It just seems wrong somehow. I mean they barely know each other anymore and they run off for the weekend. Doesn’t that sound just like a guy who’s just looking to add another notch to the bedpost?”

“Xander Harris, stop that! Buffy is our friend, and we are going to be supportive of her and Spike if they do end up together.”

“Will—“ Xander stopped speaking when he saw Willow purse her lips and give him ‘the look’.

“Fine!” he snapped jumping up off the couch. “But don’t come complaining to me when Buffy comes back all unhappy because he used her and then dropped her the second they get back.”

He ignored Willows affronted gasp and stalked towards the door. “I’ll see you at the Bronze later. I’ve got to go pick up Anya.”

Willow looked back down at the note she held in her hand once Xander had left. Buffy sounded so happy in it; so excited to be getting away for a weekend. How could being with Spike be as bad as Xander seemed to think? He wouldn’t hurt her like Xander had suggested would he?
With a shrug she got up from the couch and headed into her room to change. Darrel would be by shortly and she needed to be ready. Maybe he would agree with her that Buffy and Spike going away together was a good thing. After all, he couldn’t have anything against Spike. He didn’t really know him. With that thought in mind Willow started flipping through her closet looking for something to wear to the Bronze.

“Okay…fine.” Buffy mumbled to herself as she walked towards the bedroom. Spike’s abrupt departure and behavior left her feeling slightly uneasy. One minute it felt as if the past two years apart had never happened, and the next it was back to being awkward and unsure. She was getting tired of the awkward and unsure bit, she realized as she unzipped the garment bag her dress was in. They were getting married in a matter of hours. It might not be conventional, it sure as hell wasn’t ideal, but she was certain that if Spike walked back through those doors, they were getting married. Over the past day she had come to terms with the situation and the reason behind it. What she still struggled with was Spike. She struggled with her desire to take things slow and see how things worked out between them, and the part of her that just wished they could skip the awkward stage and go back to where they had been before he left. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to come to a compromise between the two right then, she decided resolutely to at least leave the past in the past and take advantage of the current situation. She knew what she truly wanted, and she was going to do her best to get it. She just had to figure out how. She grabbed some necessities from her suitcase and headed to the bathroom for a shower. Perhaps a hot shower would melt away the sudden case of butterflies she seemed to have.

The bathroom was huge, much to Buffy’s delight. Not only did it have a fairly large shower, but a large vanity, and in one corner a hot tub just the right size for two people. Ignoring the spark of desire that coursed through her when she thought of her and Spike in the hot tub she headed for the shower. Nearly an hour later she was in the bathroom putting the finishing touches on her hair when she heard the door to the suite open and close. Panic filled her for a moment until she heard Spike call out a greeting to her. Relief coursed through her. She knew that it was highly unlikely that her stalker would have followed them to Vegas, but it still made her nervous. With the final touches on her hair and makeup done, she slipped into her dress. Holding it together at the back she went out to the main area of the suite in search of Spike. She found him out on the balcony looking out at the city below still dressed in his button down and jeans. He turned around when he heard the door slide further open.

“You look beautiful, love.” He told her, eyeing her from head to toe.

“Thank you,” Buffy replied shyly. She turned so her back was to him and looked over her shoulder. “Would you mind zipping this up the rest of the way for me?”

It only took him two steps to reach her and he carefully zipped up the final few inches she had been unable to reach. Before she could move away he grasped her shoulders and pulled her back so that her body was pressed against his. He let his hands glide down her bare arms and wrap around her middle effectively trapping her against him. Buffy took her own hands and covered his.

We fit perfectly together like this, Spike thought. Almost as if their bodies were made to mold together. He bent his head slightly and pressed a light kiss to her bare shoulder.

“You deserve better than this,” he whispered softly against her skin. It was his biggest regret. Of all the plans and situations they had considered this had been the best one. But it came at a price. He knew she deserved better for a husband, even if it was only temporary. She deserved a big wedding with all her friends and family in attendance; not some quick trip to Vegas. Yet here she was.

Buffy turned in his arms, but didn’t pull away. “But I’m choosing this.” she replied looking him in the eye.
“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am.” She said emphatically. “Maybe not at first, maybe not completely, but I am choosing this now, Spike. I could have told you and Giles to figure something else out. I could have made him choose someone else, but I didn’t. I’m here now because I want to be. I trust you.”
Spike closed his eyes and leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. She trusted him. But could he keep that trust?

“I hope so, Buffy. God, I really hope so.” He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips and pulled away. “I had better go change. We should be downstairs in a half an hour.”

Buffy nodded and followed him back into the suite. She looked around for something to distract her while he changed when she heard him speaking.

“Buffy, there’s a surprise for you in the fridge,” he said then disappeared into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Curious, Buffy went into the small kitchenette and opened the small refrigerator. Her breath caught when she saw the bouquet of pale pink hyacinths, pink roses and daisies sitting on the shelf. He remembered, she thought in awe. Pulling out the bouquet she put it up to her nose and drew in a deep breath. She loved the sweet smell of roses and hyacinths. He had even remembered her favorite color. Spike just continued to surprise her. She could only guess where he had to go to get a bouquet at the last minute. That he even thought of one surprised her. It hadn’t even crossed her mind once. She smiled as she walked out into the living room to wait for Spike. He didn’t keep her waiting long.

Buffy stood when she heard the bedroom door open and sucked in a breath when Spike walked out. He was gorgeous. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he walked towards her. He had changed into a black suit, with a white button down. She wasn’t sure why she reacted the way she did. She had seen him in suits a hundred times before at games, but for some reason today was different.

“You look amazing,” she told him once he was standing directly in front of her.

“Thanks, pet, but I’m sure I don’t look near as amazing as you.”

Buffy blushed and ducked her head.

“You know what would do the trick?” she said looking back up and catching his eye. His eyebrow raised in response to her query. Tentatively she reached her free hand up and ruffled his hair so that instead of being slicked back it was a mess of curls. “That.”

“Probably, look like some nancy boy.” Spike grumbled but didn’t do anything to change it back.

“No, you look very handsome. I like your curls.” She admitted with a smile.

“C’mon,” Spike said grabbing her free hand and leading her towards the door. They quickly exited the suite and got into the elevator.

“Thank you for the bouquet,” Buffy said turning to face Spike in the elevator. “They’re beautiful.”

“Only the best for my girl.” He said with a wolfish grin and shrug of his shoulders. “’sides, every bride needs a bouquet.”

“Where did you find someplace that had something like this ready to go?”

“Didn’t.” Spike told her holding onto her hand a little more tightly. “Flower shop here in the hotel has just about everything. I told the lady what I was looking for and she conjured that up pretty quick. You really like it?”

Buffy looked up and was surprised to see the almost shy look on his face. “I love it.” She gave his hand a squeeze. The elevator dinged and the doors swooshed open just as she leaned up to give him a quick kiss. She quickly pulled away and moved to get off, but Spike held her back as a woman and her young daughter walked into the elevator. It was then that Buffy realized that they weren’t yet to the lobby. She gave Spike a quick smile then looked up to see how many floors they still had to go down. She didn’t notice the little girl staring at her with wide eyes. A few moments later she looked down when she felt a small tug on her dress. The little brunette was staring up at Buffy, her brown eyes twinkling.

“Are you a princess?” she asked whispering to Buffy.

Buffy grinned. The little girl couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 and she was adorable. She sort of reminded her of Dawn when she had been that age.

“No, I’m not a princess.” Buffy replied crouching down so she was eye level with the little girl. “I’m getting married.”

“Oh,” the little girl eyed Spike and then looked back at Buffy. “Is he a prince?” she asked hopefully.

Buffy giggled and the child’s mother looked down. “Katie, don’t bother the lady.” She said quietly then looked at Buffy. “I’m sorry. She’s always full of questions.”

“It’s not a problem,” Buffy assured her then turned her attention back to Katie. “No, he’s not a prince, Katie.”

“You look like a prince and princess,” Katie insisted.

“They’re getting married, Katie.” Her mother explained. “You remember the pictures I showed you of me and daddy getting married?”

The little girl nodded and looked back to Buffy. “You have pretty flowers.”

“Thank you, Sp—Will got them for me.” Buffy said, deciding she didn’t want to have to explain Spike’s nickname to the little girl.

Katie looked back up at Spike. Spike had been watching the interaction between the Buffy and the little girl carefully. His thoughts traveling down a path he was unprepared to go- wistfully thinking about someday in Buffy’s future when she would have a child of her own like Katie. A part of him wished that it would be his, but he was pretty sure that was just wishful thinking.

“He must love you lots and lots.” Katie told Buffy.

“Really?” Buffy said raising an eyebrow and looking up at Spike. He held her gaze until she looked away to face Katie again. Buffy wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn that there was some strong emotion showing in Spike’s eyes. He was looking at her so intently. She wondered what he thought of the conversation that was playing out between her and Katie.

“Yeah, my daddy loves my mommy lots and he brings her pretty flowers all the time.”

Katie’s mother and Buffy both grinned at the little girl’s logic. Spike was frozen; charmed by the simple insight that the young child displayed. He wondered what Buffy was thinking about what was being said. Did she believe it?

“And you’re getting married. Mommy said that’s what mommies and daddies do before they have babies. They get married cause they love each other. Then will you and Will have babies?”

Buffy’s face flushed pink at the thought of having a baby with Spike. Would their child have his blue eyes? Would it be blonde, or perhaps have honey brown hair like Spike would have if he didn’t bleach it?

“Katie!” her mother admonished.

“It’s okay.” Buffy assured her, pulled from her thoughts of what it would be like to have Spike’s child. “I don’t really know, Katie. I guess Will and I will just have to wait and see.”

Katie nodded as if that was just the perfect answer.

Buffy was completely enchanted by the little girl.
“You will.” She said astutely, and Buffy laughed. Katie seemed extremely smart for her age. “He loves you, so you will.”

“Can’t argue with that, pet.” Spike said speaking for the first time, and giving the little girl a wink. Buffy looked up at him in surprise. Could he mean that? Thankfully, the elevator dinged again and the doors opened revealing the noisy lobby.

“I still think you look like a princess!” Katie whispered loudly taking ahold of her mother’s hand as the older woman started out of the elevator car. Buffy looked down and pulled one of the daisies out of her bouquet.

“Here, Katie,” she said handing the little girl the flower. “You’re very own princess flower.”

“Thank you!” the little girl squealed in delight. Her mother gave Buffy a grateful smile and ushered her off of the elevator.

Spike placed a hand at the small of Buffy’s back and guided her out of the elevator and into the lobby. He led her down a hallway, past the entrance of the casino and a few small specialty stores to the entrance of the hotels chapel. There was a man standing at the doorway and he held it open for them as they approached.

“Ah! Another happy couple. You two look ready to tie the knot.” He was tall and thin, balding just a little and had flecks of grey in his dark hair. He sort of reminded Buffy of Giles’ father, whom she had met once a few years ago.

“We are,” Spike said reaching out to shake the man’s hand. “Names Spike Pratt. I called the other day about reserving a time for me and my girl here.”

“Yes, Mr. Pratt. You are right on time! I am Ryan Landview and I will be performing your ceremony.”

“Wonderful. This is my fiancée Buffy Summers.” Spike said introducing Buffy.

“Congratulations, Ms. Summers.” Ryan said taking her hand placing a kiss a light kiss on the back of her hand. “Are you two ready to begin?”

“Yes, please.” Spike said, and Buffy nodded in agreement. They followed Ryan into the chapel. Buffy noticed three people standing near the front speaking, two women and one man who was holding a camera.

“I’d like to introduce you to our temporary photographer, John, our accompanist, Sara and my wife Mary who does a little bit of everything.” Ryan gave the older of the two women an affectionate smile. Each of them gave Buffy and Spike a smile as they were introduced. “They will also serve as your witnesses since I believe I recall that you said it was going to be just the two of you.”

Spike nodded in response and glanced over at the photographer.

“You mentioned you wanted a traditional ceremony which won’t be a problem. Spike, why don’t you take a few moments to speak with John about photographs, while Buffy here goes with Mary.”

“Come with me, dear,” Mary said gently pulling Buffy away from Spike. With one last quick glance at Spike Buffy followed the older woman to the back of the chapel. They stepped out into the small foyer and Mary started fussing over a few errant strands of Buffy’s hair.

“How are you holding up?” Mary asked watching Buffy carefully. She had seen a lot of brides in her time, some nervous, some extremely calm. Buffy seemed to be right in the middle.

“I’m fine,” Buffy replied, and she realized with a start that she really was. For all the worrying that she had been doing, now that the moment was almost there she found herself to be completely at ease with the idea of marrying Spike. It was as if she had suddenly been hit by a moment of clarity. This was where she had wanted to end up with him two years ago. She had dreamed of marrying him, although she had never voiced that dream out loud. Now she was, and she was suddenly determined that nothing, absolutely nothing was going to stop her from taking this opportunity and making the best of it. It might not work out. He might leave again and completely break her heart. But no matter what she would at least have these memories. As much as she hated the idea of having a stalker, she was almost grateful for the opportunity she was getting because of it.

“Wonderful!” Mary said practically beaming at her. “Now, I’m sure you’ve seen wedding ceremonies before. When the music starts you will walk down the aisle. Ryan will go through a short little speech, and then you will say your vows. After that you will exchange rings…”

“Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary, we didn’t…” Buffy said, mentally slapping herself over the thought of rings. Spike had gotten her an engagement ring, but she was pretty sure he hadn’t thought of wedding rings. She couldn’t imagine that Spike would want to wear one anyway. This might be a dream come true for her, but for him…probably not so much.

“Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure your fiancée will have thought about that. Now after all that the ceremony will be done. It will take a matter of minutes really. Never really understood myself why young people insist on fancy weddings. Takes longer to plan and prepare than it does to get married.”

Buffy stared at the other woman surprised. She had to admit she had a point. A large wedding though would have meant friends and family. While Buffy didn’t wish for a big ceremony, she did kind of wish that she could have had at least Dawn and Willow there with her. Buffy shook her head when she realized that Mary was still talking.
“Before you know it everything will be done and you and that hunky new husband of yours will be able to go on back to your suite.”

Buffy blushed at the implication in Mary’s statement and she quickly looked away. Her gaze went to the open door where she could see Spike standing at the front of the chapel deep in conversation with the photographer.

“How’s she holding up?” John asked quietly, looking around to make sure that Ryan and Sara were out of hearing range. They were both over at the small piano quietly discussing something which gave the two men a few minutes to talk.

“Exceptionally well, she’s been amazing about this whole thing.” Spike told him, proud of how Buffy had been handling things so far. “How’d you manage to get on to do this?”

“Phone call to the photographer. I explained the situation to him, assured him that I was quite capable of taking professional quality photographs, and he called Ryan to let him know I would be covering for him today and tomorrow.” John was an agent with Jackson’s security agency and had worked with Spike on a number of cases. They had become pretty close friends over the two years that they had worked together and shared a mutual respect for the others capabilities.

“Tomorrow too?” Spike asked intrigued as to why the other man felt the need to stay on for another day at the chapel.

John smirked at Spike, “Well, I know you said you planned on doing it this evening, but I figured I ought to be safe and make sure I was here tomorrow in case you and your girl decided not to leave the suite for the evening.”

Spike glared at him. “Have you got any new leads at all? Jackson say anything about that garter yet?”

John quickly went back to being serious. “No. Joe thinks he may have a few possible ideas but nothing concrete. I haven’t heard anything from Jackson or Giles about the garter. Doubt the labs have had a chance to go over anything yet. We’ll keep at it though. We will get this guy, Spike.”

Spike nodded. The team he had working on it was some of the best at Jackson’s agency. He knew that they would stop at nothing short of success. “I know. It’s just hard to put her through this.”

“So what kind of photographs would you like, Mr. Pratt?” John asked quickly changing the subject and raising his voice slightly when he saw Ryan approaching them.

“My girl is pretty traditional so let’s just keep it simple. Use your best judgment.” Spike replied slightly confused until he noticed Ryan.

“Are we ready gentlemen?” Ryan asked. “I do believe the ladies are.”

“Let’s get this show on the road.” Spike said clapping his hands together.

They took their places, the music started and Buffy started down the aisle towards Spike. Mary had been right, Buffy decided. The ceremony did go quickly. She shouldn’t have been so surprised to find that Spike had indeed thought of wedding bands; and he even had one for himself. Buffy fought back tears when she felt the slight tremble in Spikes hand as he slipped her ring on her finger. Her own hands trembled too when it was her turn to slide Spike’s ring into place.

“You can stop down and view proofs of the photographs tomorrow morning, or we can send them up to your room.” Ryan told them as they were signing the marriage license.
“We can come down to take a look at them,” Spike said as he moved over to allow Buffy room to sign her name to the certificate.

“Wonderful. I will have a copy of your certificate ready for you as well. I’m sure you don’t want to wait around for it now.” Ryan said with a knowing smile.

“Thank you,” Buffy said, genuinely grateful for how friendly he and Mary had been.

“You’re very welcome, my dear. I wish you both the best of luck and happiness.”

“Thanks,” Spike took a hold of Buffy’s hand and led her out of the chapel. Buffy gave Mary a slight wave on her way out then turned her attention back to her husband. Husband! Spike was officially her husband! If not for the rings on her finger she almost wouldn’t believe it. For a brief moment both Spike and Buffy, although unknown to the other, allowed themselves to truly believe that everything was real.

“We have reservations in about 10 minutes at the restaurant, love.” Spike told her leading her in that direction.

“You’ve thought of everything, Spike.” Buffy acknowledged. “Thank you for making this such a wonderful experience. I don’t think I could have asked for anything better.”

“You deserve the best, Buffy.” Spike said his voice gruff. He was rewarded with a smile and he squeezed her hand tightly. Things were turning out so much better than he had hoped.

Dinner turned out to be quite pleasant. They talked like they were old friends, and teased each other like newlyweds, much to each other’s delight. Buffy was surprised at how long they spent talking in the restaurant, noticing when they left that it was almost 9 o’clock. They returned to the suite, exhausted from the long, eventful day.

Buffy stopped just inside the door when she spotted an elegantly wrapped present on the coffee table. Her heart pounding; fear that perhaps her stalker had found them and left yet another ‘gift’ filled her. Spike sensed the change in her and looked at her questioningly, having not noticed the package.

“What’s wrong, pet?” he asked, his eyes filled with concern.

“What’s that?” she asked quietly, pointing to the package. Spike frowned when he noticed it. Keeping her hand in his he led her over to the table. It only took a moment for him to find the note attached to the cream colored ribbon.

“It’s just a gift from the hotel, pet.” He said handing her the gift. “Nothing to worry about; go ahead and open it.”

Spike gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and released her as she took the package from him. She sat down on the couch and carefully began to tear away the beautiful paper. Opening the box she pushed aside the flimsy tissue paper and gasped when she saw the white satin nightgown nestled in the box.

“Oh,” her voice was barely above a whisper. She carefully lifted it out of the box to get a better look. It wasn’t the most revealing piece of lingerie she had seen, but it wasn’t modest either. On her it would probably come to mid-thigh. She wondered how the hotel would have known the right size, and then decided it didn’t really matter. She blushed as her thoughts suddenly went in a different direction and wandered to wondering what Spike’s reaction would be to her wearing it.

“Want some champagne or something, pet?” Spike asked, quickly looking away as Buffy pulled the nightgown from the box. Images of Buffy in the gown assaulted his mind and he tried to ignore them, praying that she wouldn’t notice the sudden bulge in his pants. Damn this suit, he thought. Bet she’ll go lock herself in the bedroom if she notices. It wasn’t exactly how he had hoped the evening would end.

“Sure,” Buffy replied carefully placing the nightgown back in the box, but keeping her gaze averted from him. Spike returned a few moments later and handed her a flute of champagne. He said nothing, but turned almost immediately and headed out onto the balcony. Suddenly unsure, Buffy thought back over the last few minutes, wondering what could make Spike suddenly be so quiet. He had been open and talkative during dinner and now he seemed to be closing himself off again. With a shrug she took a sip of champagne and went into the bedroom. Slipping off her shoes she walked into the bathroom to let her hair down completely. She had pulled a part of it up to keep it out of her face for the wedding. Walking back out into the living room she noticed that Spike was still out on the balcony. She decided that the best option was to join him and see if he would tell her what seemed to be bugging him. And they still had sleeping arrangements to work out.

“It’s getting late.” She said softly closing the door behind her. Spike stood with his back to her, looking out at the city lights. She saw him stand taller when he heard her voice. After a few moments he finally turned around to face her.

“It is. You must be tired.” Spike said looking at her carefully. Her face and body language seemed to confirm his statement; however, her eyes were still sparkling. It was one of the many things he loved about her. Her eyes seemed to always sparkle, so much so that at times it didn’t seem natural.

“A little,” she replied with a shrug, moving closer to him. “Thank you for the wedding band, Spike. I wasn’t expecting you to think of it. It probably wasn’t really necessary, but…”her voice trailed off.

“Only the best for you, pet.”

Buffy ducked her head shyly, after a few moments she looked back up at him. “Truth is I didn’t really expect all of this. It seems so real, so perfect. Thank you for doing that for me.”

Spike moved so that he was standing directly in front of her. Reaching out he grasped her left hand and traced the rings with his thumb. He brought their hands to his lips and placed a quick kiss to the rings on her finger before letting them fall back down between them still joined. “You’re welcome. I wanted to make this as perfect as possible for you. I thought the wedding bands….” He paused for a moment, looking away from Buffy. “I wanted us to have them.”

“Thank you,” she repeated.

“I’ll go change and get out of your hair so you can go to bed.” Spike said quickly letting go of her hand and moving to go back inside.

“Spike, wait.” Buffy quickly reached out and grabbed his arm, desperately not wanting the evening to end just yet.
“Yeah, pet?” Spiked looked down at Buffy, and she quickly let go of his arm.

“We’re both adults, and it is a big bed. There’s no reason we couldn’t share. ” She suggested. Her cheeks immediately turned a bright shade of pink. She peeked up at Spike and found that his eyes were squeezed shut, his jaw appeared clenched, and she wasn’t sure if the look on his face was good or bad.

“Buffy.” Spike groaned as the thought of sharing a bed with Buffy branched out into other things. “I’m not a saint, Buffy. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” In fact Spike was pretty damn sure it wasn’t a good idea. Her suggestion was tempting, but given his feelings for her, sharing a bed with her and not acting on his desire for her was simply not in the cards.

“What if…”Buffy started to speak but quickly stopped. She knew what she wanted to say, but she wasn’t sure of his reaction. What if he felt differently? What if she was wrong about where they seemed to be heading? She tried to focus her gaze on something other than him, finally settling on a spot on one of the balcony tiles.

“What if what, Buffy?” Spike said his voice a low growl as he took a step closer to her. Hope flared in him that perhaps he knew where this conversation could lead. A part of him didn’t want to hear her say it. He wanted to stay in the comfort of the safe boundaries they currently had. But a bigger part of him wanted, no, needed her, and wanted to hear her say that she needed him too. He needed to hear her say it. He had loved her for so long, if this was going to be his only chance... He stood staring at her, his blue eyes shining with a mixture of desire and hope.

Buffy took a deep breath and looked up from where she had been staring at the floor. Green eyes met sparkling blue and her breath caught when she saw the desire and hope shining back at her. Closing her eyes for a moment she decided to take that leap and see where she might land.

“What if I want a wedding night?” she asked, opening her eyes and staring back up at him, her voice barely above a whisper.

Spike froze. He had hoped, even dreamed of what she seemed to be suggesting, but he had never believed that she ever would. Suddenly he was torn between wanting her completely and not wanting to take advantage of the situation. He held her gaze for a few minutes trying to read the emotions playing in her eyes.

Buffy tore her eyes away from Spike's, embarrassed by her question and his current lack of response. She took his silence to be her answer. Tears were welling up in her eyes and she desperately tried not to let them fall. She started to move, eager to get into the safety of the room and away from his scrutinous gaze when she felt him reach out and grab her wrist. Keeping a firm hold of her wrist he pulled her to him, wrapping his other arm around her waist, holding her so that her body was flush with his.

"I'm not sure you really know what you're asking," Spike growled, his mouth right next to Buffy's ear, so she felt the heat of his breath which made her shiver. He threaded a hand through her hair and tipped her head back so she was looking up at him. He looked down, but her eyes were closed, as Buffy was trying desperately to keep the tears from falling.

Finally she took a deep breath and opened her eyes. They were sparkling with tears and it tore at Spikes heart. "I think I do. I know things aren't really normal between us yet, but…."

Buffy wasn't able to finish her sentence as Spike's head came down and he captured her lips in a fierce kiss. Buffy took her free hand and wound it around his neck, her other hand, still held captive at the wrist, flattened over his heart.

"Buffy," Spike gasped as he pulled away his voice low. "I won't deny it- I want you. God, how I want you. But I don't want to do anything you'll regret. I wanna do the right thing…"

Buffy placed a finger over his lips and his voice faded. He stared down at her waiting for her to speak. "I know what I'm saying, Spike. I know this is crazy, and it's happening way fast, but for once in my life I don't want to have to think or analyze, or wonder what everyone else will think. I want to do what I want, and right now I want this. I want you."

"And tomorrow?" Spike asked, praying that she wasn't just asking for this one night. If that was all she wanted, he would probably give it to her, but it would break his heart all over again.

Buffy cocked her head and regarded the man holding her. She realized that over the past two days she had seen a side of him that no one else had; at least no one in Sunnydale. She didn't know what had happened, or how much he really had changed, but she knew he was different; different in all the right ways.

"Tomorrow we get up and do the things we planned to do, and tomorrow night we come back and do this all over again."

"Only if you're sure, pet." Spike said, holding his breath waiting for an answer.

"I'm sure," came her quick reply and she pulled his head back down to hers. Spike finally let go of her wrist and let that arm wrap around her as well, pulling her tightly against him. With her hand finally free, Buffy was able to slide it up to mingle with her other hand which was already tangled in his hair. The kiss seemed to last for ages, finally ending with both of them parting gasping for breath. Their foreheads touched, but they both kept their eyes closed as they took a moment to catch their breath. Spike let his fingers run over the bare skin revealed by the backless dress that Buffy wore, tracing along the outline of the dress.

"I have wanted this for so long, Buffy." He said finally opening his eyes to look down at her. "I've always wanted this with you."

"Me too," she admitted softly, her hands coming around to cup his cheeks. "I only ever wanted it to be you."

"Love?" he said, unsure of whether or not there was some deeper meaning to what she was saying.

"Let's go inside." She knew he would soon find out that this was a first for her. She hoped that she wouldn't be a disappointment to him; she knew he surely wouldn't disappoint her.

Reluctantly Spike pulled away and took her hand leading her into the suite and carefully shutting and locking the balcony door behind him. They walked together, hand in hand, in silence to the bedroom. As soon as they were standing at the foot of the bed Spike pulled Buffy back into his arms.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured before catching her lips with his own in a sweet kiss. His hands slid down her arms and wrapped around her waist to pull her close. Giving in to the kiss and feel of being in Spikes arms, Buffy wrapped her own arms around his waist underneath his suit jacket.

Spike murmured Buffy's name as he moved to kiss along her jaw line and down her throat. Buffy responded by sliding her hands up to push his jacket off his shoulders. Spike helped her get the jacket off and tossed it haphazardly towards the chair in the corner. Buffy then attacked the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel his bare skin beneath her hands. Spike claimed her lips again in an almost bruising kiss, hands sliding freely over the bare skin of her back.

Succeeding at her goal of removing Spike's shirt Buffy let her hands run freely over his sculpted chest, reveling in the feel of warm skin. She wasn't quite sure she wasn't dreaming. There had been so many times she dreamed of doing just this with him. His muscles felt so solid beneath her hands, yet his skin was soft and warm. Wanting desperately to be closer to him she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck pulling herself closer, crushing her chest to his.

"Spike," she whispered tearing her lips from his and lowering her head so she could place kisses along his neck and collarbone.

"Oh, Buffy," he sighed when he felt her hot lips on his skin. His hands dug into her waist, holding her tighter against him. The husky passion in his voice made Buffy smile against his skin.

"Please tell me you really want this," he pleaded softly. Inwardly berating himself for being such a ponce. He wasn't insecure damn it! Only with her was his cocky outward attitude at risk. She probably didn't know it, but she held the power to bring him to his knees.

Buffy pulled back and looked up so they were eye to eye. She nearly gasped at how dark with passion his eyes were. There was no mistaking he wanted her. Had she not seen it in his eyes, she would have been known it by the telltale bulge pressing against her stomach. Yet, there was a touch of something she was surprised to see. Insecurity. Spike was never insecure. How could he not know how much she would want him?

"Always," she whispered fervently, pressing more firmly against him. The word was barely out of her mouth when Spike swooped down to continue kissing her, letting his hands slide down to her waist where the zipper of her dress started. Slowly he lowered the zip as far as he could, then ran his hands back up her arms to rest on her shoulders at the straps of her dress. Buffy shivered at his touch. Slowly, painfully slowly in Buffy's opinion, Spike slipped the straps of the dress down her arms, pushing the bodice to her waist and quickly returning to cup a breast in each hand. The fit perfectly in his hands, Spike knew they would. Buffy let her head fall back and moaned when Spike lowered his head to take a nipple in his mouth suckling lightly. Instinctively she reached a hand up to grasp the back of his head holding him to her, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"So beautiful, Buffy." He whispered letting go of her nipple with a wet plop and immediately moving to her other breast. Spike kneaded the breast he just abandoned, teasing the nipple with his thumb as he suckled at the other.

"Spike," Buffy said her voice husky with passion. There was something she needed to tell him, and if she didn't soon, she would be too distracted to remember.

"Hmmm" he murmured releasing her nipple and pressing a trail of kisses up the valley between her breasts and finally resting against her neck.

"I have a small confession to make." Her heart was pounding. Would he stop once he knew she was a virgin? Would he look down on her? Would she be any good? Butterflies where taking up residence in her stomach, and her fingers were slightly trembling as she lightly grasped his hair and drew his head up so he was looking at her.

"Tell me, pet." The serious tone of her voice made him nervous. Did she want to stop? It would probably kill him, but if she wanted to he would.

Suddenly Buffy couldn't look at him, nerves overwhelming her. She buried her face in his neck and wrapped her arms tightly around him. Spike wrapped his arms just as tightly around her, gently massaging the muscles at the small of her back, hoping to get her to relax. Her sudden change in attitude worried him.

"You know you can tell me anything, love. We can stop if you want to." He offered quietly.

"No!" she said quickly holding on to him tighter. "I just…"

Spike sighed when her voice caught. Loosening his grip he maneuvered them so that he was able to sit on the edge of the bed and pulled her to stand between his legs. Buffy self-consciously moved to cover her bare breasts, but Spike caught her hands.

"Don't cover yourself up, Buffy, love. You're beautiful." He whispered quietly. Buffy flushed, but scooted closer so she could loosely wrap her arms around his neck. Bending down she pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes.

"I've never done this before, Spike." She whispered quietly, hoping that that was enough for him to understand. Spike was almost unsure that he heard her, her voice was so small, but there was no mistaking it. Buffy was a virgin. Spike felt a feeling of awe wash over him as he looked up at her flushed face. He didn't know why it surprised it, he had guessed as much two years ago. A sudden rush of pride and love filled him as he thought about what Buffy was offering.

"Look at me, love." He pleaded, his hands sliding up her waist, brushing past her breasts, and moving on up to cup her face.

Buffy slowly opened her eyes, and gasped when she saw the awe and desire in Spike's eyes shining back at her.

"We don't have to do this, if you aren't ready, Buffy. You're first time is special. Are you sure you want it to be with me?" Spike surprised himself with his own words though he meant them with every fiber of his being. He didn't want her doing anything because she felt caught up in the magic of the wedding they had just gone through. He wanted her to want him, to really be with him. Not the man who was her pretend husband, or the man who was protecting her from a stalker, but him- Spike.

Tears welled in Buffy's eyes and she squeezed them shut in an effort to keep the tears from falling. His kindness and tenderness made her feel loved. She knew he wanted her, and perhaps he didn't love her but he cared. Of that she was absolutely certain. And at that moment she knew that no matter what happened when the stalker was caught, no matter if he left again, her heart was his. This wedding, this marriage, was her chance to have everything she had ever wanted, and it started tonight. "There is no one else I would rather have this with, Spike. It's always been you I've wanted." Her voice was soft and trembling.

There were no words. Spike couldn't remember a time when he was so completely lost for words. His heart soared; her words filling him with hope. Swiftly he pulled her closer and pulled her into a searing kiss. Slowly he lowered his hands to push her dress down over her hips, letting it pool softly on the floor at her feet. Buffy was left standing before him in nothing but a pair of lace panties, leaving her feeling exposed. But not for long, as she suddenly found herself on her back on the bed, Spike looming above her.

"Perfect," Spike was pressing kisses all along her chest, fingers grazing down her stomach resting just above. "Fuck, Buffy, you are so beautiful. "

Buffy didn't think she could get any redder, but she did, her eyes widening as he continued to trail in a path down her stomach. Looking up at her Spike, watched her reaction as he hooked his fingers under the edges of her panties and slowly drew them down her legs. Spike sat back and took in the site of her nude before him. She was a goddess, and at least for now, she was all his.

"Spike," she moaned reaching out, desperate to touch him. "Please!"

"Please what?" her murmured crawling back up so he was face to face with her, pressing his hips into her, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist.

"I need…."she couldn't find the words to express her need, her mind soaring in so many directions at the feelings that Spike's touch was stirring.

"I know what you need sweetheart, just trust me." He whispered, bending down to kiss her thrusting one hand into her hair, the other trailing down her body, desperate to memorize every curve. Buffy was moaned as he broke the kiss. Looking down at her flushed face, Spike smiled.

"Do you trust me?" he asked softly, holding his body completely still.

Buffy looked at him in surprise, not quite understanding why the question seemed so important now. Cocking her head to the side she answered the only way she knew how. "Of course I trust you, Spike."

Spike sighed. "Let me love you, pet. Let me love you the way I've always wanted to."

Buffy smiled, "I thought you already were." Her voice was teasing and she was rewarded with a grin.

"Just wanted to make sure," Spike said. "I'll make this good for you Buffy, I promise."

"I know," she whispered in reply tightening her legs around his waist, wanting him closer, hating that there was still the barrier of his slacks between him, yet knowing that he would soon remedy that.

"Patience, pet, patience." He whispered thrusting up against her. "We've only just begun."

Buffy wasn't sure if it felt as if it was hours or days later when they finally collapsed on the bed exhausted, limbs entwined. She rested her head on Spikes chest listening to his slowing heartbeat. Spike had one arm wrapped tightly around her, holding her close, the other holding fast to her hand on his chest. Sometime during the evening the comforter had been thrown from the bed, leaving them just the sheet to drape over their entwined bodies.

"Sleep now, my love." Spike whispered pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Spike," Buffy murmured. He hummed in response. "Thank you."

Spike looked down at her in surprise. "For what, sweetheart?"

"For loving me." She responded sleepily.

His grip on her tightened at her words; wondering if she truly understood what she had said. How could she know? He watched as her eyes drifted closed and her breathing slowed. "Always will, sweetheart, always will." He whispered as he closed his own eyes praying that when he woke up it wouldn't turn out to have all been a dream.

Spike woke the next morning with Buffy snuggled closely to him, her head resting on his shoulder, her hand just over his heart. Carefully, so as to not wake her, Spike lifted his hand to sift his fingers through her hair. Tilting his head to the side he glanced at the clock to see that it was nearly eleven. It had been late when they had drifted off to sleep for the final time. Spike grinned as he recalled the night before. Buffy had been perfect. Everything about yesterday had been perfect; his only wish was that it would have been real. Yes, they were really married, but it was just a piece of paper gotten to protect her. However, not matter how it had all started out he was determined to take advantage of this chance with her. She had let him into her bed; perhaps she would let him into her heart. He loosened his grip when he felt her begin to move against him. Looking down he watched as she blinked her eyes open.

Buffy didn't want to wake up. She had had the most pleasant dream. In it Spike had made love to her all night long. But as she drifted out of sleep, she felt the strong arm around her, and the warm body she was snuggled up against. Oh god, it hadn't been a dream. She and Spike had had sex. She was naked and he was still holding her tightly against him. For a moment she wished she could go back to sleep, just to avoid what she was sure as going to be an awkward conversation. Instead, she rubbed her cheek lightly against his chest and blinked open her eyes.

"Morning, love." He whispered softly, nuzzling the top of her head.

"Morning," was her shy reply as she tried to snuggle closer, the hand on his chest lightly tracing random patterns as it drifted down to his stomach.

"Last night turned out a little differently than planned," Spike said carefully, wondering what her thoughts were. He was grateful that she hadn't immediately pulled away from him. He felt her nod against his chest and tensed for a moment when she said nothing. He waited a few minutes then carefully grasped at her head to tilt it back so she was looking up at him. Holding his breath he asked the all-important question. "Regrets?"

"No," Buffy replied quickly. She had no regrets. At least not yet. "You?"

Buffy suddenly became nervous when he didn't respond right away. She started to slip away, but Spike felt her move and quickly tightened his grip on her waist. "I don't regret making love to you, Buffy. I just wish it hadn't happened under these circumstances. Wish this wasn't happening to you."

Buffy sighed in relief, and smiled. "Thank you. But in a way I'm glad that it is."

Spike looked down at her strangely and Buffy hurried to explain.

"It's just, if it hadn't we wouldn't be here. I'm glad that you came back. I wouldn't want to be in this situation with anyone else. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here."

Spike stiffened at the mention of his return, but then quickly relaxed, not wanting that discussion to take place yet. Instead of thinking of that, he rolled them so that Buffy was on her back beneath, settling over her he nestled his hips between her thighs and bent to kiss her. Buffy opened her mouth to let his tongue in to tease hers, wrapping her arms around his neck to hold him close. She could feel his cock hardening against her, and she wrapped her legs lightly around him in an attempt to bring him closer.

"What should we do today, pet?" Spike asked a few minutes later breathing heavily and nuzzling at her neck. He was desperately trying to maintain control of his desire for her. "We could see some sites, or spend some quiet time here."

"I would prefer some quiet time here," Buffy replied softly. She wanted to spend as much time with him like this, knowing that when they got back to Sunnydale everything could change. They probably didn't have forever, so she wanted to make the most of their time now.

"Really?" Spike asked pulling back to look at her, his blue eyes sparkling. Buffy nodded, letting her hands rub slightly up and down his sides. Spike groaned and thrust his erection against her, desperately wanting her again. Knowing that last night had been her first, he was sure she was probably a little sore, and not quite ready for the encore that he desired. No doubt they would get to it later, but now he needed to pamper his girl. He pressed a final quick kiss against her lips and pulled away to climb out of bed. "Stay here for a minute, pet. Be right back."

Buffy watched in surprise as he got out of bed, not bothering to put on any clothes. She watched him walk into the bathroom, and then blushed as she thought about how comfortable he seemed to be with his nudity. Sitting up in bed, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about the fact that she was naked, she wrapped the sheet tightly around her. Moments later she heard water begin to run and then Spike reappeared. Buffy squealed as Spike swiftly tore away the sheet and lifted her up into his arms.

"Spike! What are you doing?" she buried her head in the crook of his neck, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment. Spike chuckled. He found it amusing that she was shy about by being nude in front of him especially after all they had done the night before.

"We are trying out the hot tub, love." He informed her as he sat her down carefully by the edge of the tub. He kept one arm around her waist as he leaned down to test the water temperature. Satisfied with the heat Spike lifted her up once again and carefully placed her in the tub, quickly climbing in behind her. Once he sat he pulled Buffy down in front of him, settling her between his legs and pulling her back so she would lean against him.

"Mmm…This is wonderful," Buffy said grasping Spikes arms and wrapping them around her midsection as she relaxed back against him.

"Perfect," he murmured in response, pressing kiss into the hollow of her shoulder.

They sat in companionably silence for quite a time, Spike resting his head on the back of the tub, just enjoying holding Buffy in his arms.

"Spike?" Buffy asked suddenly.

"Mmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, pet."

"I know I asked this before, but I'm wondering if now you'll tell me why you left?"

Spike sighed and leaned forward to rest his head on her shoulder. He knew he was going to have to explain it all eventually, but he still wasn't ready. Things were going so well at the moment, he was sure it would mess everything up. He wanted to build up her trust in him. Hoped that maybe she could learn to love him. Then, perhaps, he could bare his soul. It wasn't just a story of what he had been doing or where he had been working. His reasons went farther back than that. Back to a time when Spike was William, and his heart had been ripped out, trampled on and left for garbage. His biggest worry was that somehow, Buffy had gained the power to do that very thing.

"It's a long story, love, and…"Spike let out a quick breath. "I just don't think I'm ready to tell it right now."

"Okay," Buffy replied quietly, wondering what had happened that made him so reluctant to talk to her about his time away and why he left. Surely it didn't have anything to do with her. If it had he wouldn't be there with her now, would he?

"I promise you that someday soon we will sit down and I will tell you everything. You deserve to know. I…I just can't talk about it right now. I want to enjoy this time with you." Spike moved his head so he could look her in the eye. "This, right here, with you, this means so much to me, love. It's more than I ever expected to have with you. It's more than I deserve. You don't know how much it means to me to have you here, in my arms, trusting me."

Buffy blinked back tears at his words, touched by the passion and sincerity in his voice. "Okay." But she wasn't ready to give up just yet. She was willing to wait on learning why he left, but she wanted to know more about her stalker. Now that they had gone through with the plan and hopefully things were set to hopefully catch him, she wanted to know more. "I…I don't want to spoil the mood and I'm willing to wait for you to be ready to talk about that, but…can we talk a little about my stalker for a minute?"

Spike sighed and leaned his head back against the edge of the hot tub. "What else do you want to know, pet?"

"Exactly how long have they been coming?"

"There's been letters coming for nearly a year," Spike admitted, head back and eyes still closed. He really didn't want to see her reaction. He knew she would be upset. A part of him wanted to lie to her and tell her that it had only been a few weeks, but he knew if he did that when she found out later on it would ruin any chance he had with her.

"A year!" she squealed sitting up and twisting around so she was kneeling in front of him. Instantly aware that her breasts were now above the water line and in plain sight Buffy blushed and quickly crossed her arms in front of her.

"Yeah, they started out pretty harmless I guess, more what you would expect from a secret admirer. But the last couple months they've been getting out of hand." Spike reached out to grab her and pull her back into his arms.

"This has been going on for nearly a year and no one thought to say anything to me until now?!" Buffy said pushing his hands away. She scooted back away from him out of reach, not quite sure she liked what she was hearing from him. "Do you think I'm a child or something?"

"No!" Spike said quickly, realizing that this was quickly getting out of hand. "No one wanted to worry you, love. 'Sides, they didn't seem to be a problem until a couple months ago. At first it didn't seem like there was anything to worry about. Giles called me right after they started, but we decided not to say anything to you until they got worse."

"Called?" Buffy said a confused look on her face. She looked at Spike curiously. "You mean he talked to you. Why would Giles call you when he could talk to you face to face? Your office is just down the hall from his." None of this was making any sense to her. Was Spike involved more in this than just being the guy they picked for her to marry?

"When he called, love, I wasn't just down the hall, Angel was." Spike said carefully, knowing full well the conversation was close to taking a turn into dangerous territory and the very conversation he had just told her he wasn't ready to have.

Buffy looked at him in surprise, her mind not quite putting together the timeframe.

"What do you mean? Where were you?"

"Somewhere else, think about it, Buffy. I've only been back in Sunnydale a couple of months now. Angel decided to go off and do some stuff for the camp and I decided to come back and help out."

"And you came here just to help out, purely out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Yeah, why?" Was it so hard for her to believe that of him? Granted he had come back for more reasons, but his motivation was truly because of his love for her.

"I don't believe this! I have had a stalker for nearly a year and I'm just now learning about it! I mean, I knew there had been other notes, but not for an entire year!" Suddenly to Buffy the problem wasn't where Spike had been, or why he suddenly had come back, but rather how long it had been kept from her. A whole year! How could they have kept it from her for so long? Why would they have kept it a secret? So many things could have gone wrong.

"Buffy, love, please don't be mad." Spike pleaded, hating himself for sounding so desperate, but she seemed to suddenly be very upset. He should have known things were going too well between them. He tried to reach out to her, but she evaded his grasp standing up quickly. Spike hung his head in defeat. Perhaps they should have had this talk before last night.

Needing to get away she stepped out of the tub and quickly wrapped a towel around her body. She needed a few minutes to really think. "Mad? I'm beyond mad, Spike, I'm pissed. I realize that you all care about me, but I'm 22 years old, Spike. I'm not a little girl."

"I'm well aware you're not a little girl, Buffy. Maybe you should have been told, but we can't change that now." Spike responded, getting angry himself. Why couldn't she accept that they kept it from her because they cared about her? They had wanted her to just have to worry about her skating; not some lovesick boy who didn't have the guts to talk to her face to face.

"Damn right you should have told me. What if something had happened to me the past few months? I could have been attacked and had no clue why. If I would have known I could have been more careful about stuff. I could have been able to protect myself!"

Spike clenched his jaw and got out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his own waist. He had seen Buffy like this before. She was going to be mad, and there was nothing he could say or do that would change her mind. Why fight about it?

"You're right. I'm sorry." He said and walked angrily out of the bathroom. Perhaps last night had been a mistake after all. What if he was wrong? What if the plan didn't work? A part of him wondered if he hadn't come up with the idea out of the desperate desire he had for her to be his. But the truth was she deserved better.

Buffy was shocked, her own anger suddenly gone as she watched him walk out, roughly pushing through the bathroom door. She had never seen Spike quite like this. She was the one who was supposed to be angry, yet he seemed angry too. She didn't understand why, but she knew she needed to. She hadn't wanted their morning to be ruined by an argument.

"Spike!" she exclaimed quickly following him into the bedroom determined to figure out what had just transpired between them. She found him rifling through his suitcase. "Spike…"

"Look, I'm sorry, Buffy. I don't know how to fix this for you." Spike slammed down the top of his suitcase and turned to face her. He knew she had a point in her rant. Looking back, he knew he should have known it would have ended up like this. Buffy was independent, and capable of taking care of herself. She should have at least been told something; maybe not the whole story, but something. He was angry with himself for fucking it all up. Things had been so good last night or so he thought; now they were arguing about her stalker. He hadn't wanted that.

"I don't want you to fix it, Spike." She said slowly approaching him. "I'm not mad at you."

"Yeah? Then who are you mad at, Buffy? I don't see anyone else in this room but you and me." His voice was hard and cold. Buffy could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Why did she have to mess things up by talking about her stalker?

"I don't know. I'm just mad. Wouldn't you be? I mean all of a sudden I find out in the last two days that my life could very well be in danger, I'm suddenly married to a man that I barely know anymore and I have no clue what is going on. My whole life has suddenly been turned upside down. How do you expect me to react?"

Suddenly Spike understood. This wasn't just about how long they had kept things from her. This was her finally reacting to the situation.

"Buffy…sweetheart, look this is all my fault. I should have told you, and we never should have married. Maybe if we woulda just told you none of this would have been necessary. You have every right to be angry with me. I fucked things up and now I don't know how to fix it."

"Spike, you're not responsible…" Buffy said bewildered by his reaction. She was surprised at how hurt she felt at his suggestion that they shouldn't have married. While she hadn't been a huge fan of the idea, she had warmed up to the opportunity to be close to him. Would that mean that he regretted what they did last night too? She took a deep breath, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill.

"Bloody hell, Buffy, yes I am. You may not realize it, but I AM!" Spike said forcefully, not looking at her, unwilling to see the anger and disappointment in her eyes.

"Fine, but I refuse to be angry with you about this. I'm sorry I lost it, okay? I just… I just don't know what to do or how to react." Buffy said, the tears finally spilling down her cheeks. "I feel so lost right now."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked suddenly looking up when he hear her voice catch. His heart broke when he saw the tears. He took a tentative step towards her wondering if she would accept comfort from him after he had yelled at her.

"I just feel so helpless."

"You're not helpless, love."

"But that's how I feel. My life has been completely turned upside down. I have a major decision to make about skating in the next couple of months, and to top it all off what happened last night…What we did…what we do in the future…"

"Last night was a mistake, Buffy, and something I don't think I can forgive myself for." He said forcefully, not realizing how much his words would hurt her. He didn't regret it, but he realized that maybe that had jumped the gun a bit. There was still so much between them that needed to get out in the open, adding sex into the mix just made things more unstable between them.

Buffy took in a sharp breath, suddenly feeling like he had just stabbed her in the gut with a knife. "Why?" she asked, her lip quivering, and her arms wrapping protectively around her waist. All of a sudden she felt very cold and exposed with just a towel around her.

"I took advantage of you. This marriage isn't real. What's worse is I didn't even care that you were a virgin. I just knew that I wanted you, and that my dream of having you was finally coming true. But that's not how it should have been for you, you deserved more for your first time."

"What on earth are you talking about? How should it have been?" Buffy was a little surprised that he seemed to care about something like that.

"Your first time should have been with someone you loved, and who…loves you." Spike looked away, unable to meet her gaze. Damn but he was making a mess of this. He loved her, but she didn't love him. How could she? He had never done anything to deserve it.

"Don't I get a say in any of this?" Buffy asked, deciding that she needed to take action, or things would only get worse. She definitely did not want him regretting the night before, and she didn't want for this weekend to turn into an uncomfortable few days of them avoiding each other.

"Of course you do, why?"

"Because I have a few things to say to you, after all it's my virginity…or rather now lack thereof… that we're talking about." She brushed the tears from her eyes, and took a step towards Spike, hoping he wouldn't push her away. "I don't regret last night, Spike, and I never will. What we did was right. It was the right time, the right place and the right people. This madness may be what brought us together, but it isn't what caused what happened between us."

"How can you not be angry with me? After everything? Knowing that there is still more that you don't know?" Spike watched her carefully as she took the final few steps to him. Tentatively she reached out to trail her fingers down his bare chest, elated when she felt him shiver beneath her touch.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted. I just wish I would have known this all along. I think it would have made this a lot easier to deal with. I may not like the secrets, and I'll admit I may have overreacted a bit just now, but I do appreciate the thoughtfulness. But like you said, we can't change the past, we can just move on from here. This guy is still out there and tension between us won't convince him that we're happily married."

"And sex will?" Spike asked, his voice harsher than he intended. Buffy flinched at his tone, but pressed on.

"I didn't say that, but last night was more than just sex, Spike. Even I know that." At least she hoped that it had been. She knew it had been far more for her, but his feelings were still a mystery to her. Last night he had cherished her, shown her so much, but that didn't equal love.

"What do you want from me, Buffy?" Spike asked, reaching up to grasp her upper arms and pull her flush against him.

Buffy took in a deep breath and looked up at him. "I want a real chance with you. I want a real honeymoon, and I want the truth from now on. I'm willing to wait until you're ready to tell me about the past two years, but I need to know that you will tell me someday."

"We can have that chance if that's what you want, and I can give you a real honeymoon. Fuck, but I do want that." He said fervently. "I promise that someday I will tell you, and probably sooner than you think, but right now…I'm just not ready to share."

Buffy smiled tremulously up at him, immensely relieved. "I'll take what I can get for the moment. I don't want to lose this chance."

"This wasn't supposed to happen, you know." Spike said bending to kiss her. His lips were soft on hers, teasing her as the hands gripping her arms loosened their hold and started to slide down her arms softly caressing her skin.

"But it is," she managed to get out between kisses, happy that their argument was apparently over and she was back where she truly wanted to be…in his arms.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted this…wanted you," Spike said, quickly unknotting the towel around her, letting it drop to the floor. His hands trailed up her sides to gently cup her breasts, as his lips teased her neck.

"I never expected this." She replied. "Never really thought you would want me like this?"

"Yeah?" he asked sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her over to the bed.

Buffy nodded as he sat her down on the bed and stepped back to remove his own towel. She scooted back where she could be in the middle of the bed with the best view of Spike disrobing before her. Her eyes shone brightly as he kneeled on the edge of the bed, and then prowled up the bed to hover over her.

"Always want you, Buffy. Always have; always will." He whispered before lowering his lips to hers.

Later in the day Spike and Buffy dressed and left the suite, their earlier argument forgotten amidst the passion of their lovemaking. Buffy was still upset over how long things had been kept from her, but she wasn't willing to let it ruin the opportunity it seemed she was being given with Spike.

"Let's stop at the chapel and pick up our wedding photos." Spike suggested as they stepped off the elevator in the lobby, Buffy's hand firmly encased in his.

Buffy gave him a brilliant smile and allowed him to lead her towards the wedding chapel. They were led into a small office and their pictures were laid out before them. They were looking them over when the photographer, John, walked into the room shutting the door firmly behind him and proceeded to toss a manila envelope on the table in front of Spike. Buffy jumped at the sudden action and looked up startled.

"Enclosed are the results from the psych and lab analysis of the note Buffy received a few days ago. It makes for interesting reading, but it's just that. There's nada beyond what we had already figured out." John told Spike as he sat down opposite them. Spike picked up the envelope and handed it to Buffy without even looking inside. "There's also a report on a few of the previous notes. Pretty much says the same.

"John works for an agency that has been working with the rink and local authorities to learn more about the guy that has been stalking you." Spike told Buffy, wanting to be as honest as possible with her without giving away his position with the agency. John looked like he started to say something but with a quick look from Spike he closed his mouth and said nothing.

"So nothing was found?" Buffy asked holding the envelope carefully in her hands.

"Nothing important. Read them if you like. It's interesting stuff they can pull out of notes like that. It's almost hard to believe." John told her.

"I think I will, later." Buffy said placing the envelope carefully on her lap.

"Same here", Spike said going back to looking at the photographs. He had to admit John was a damn good photographer. He had shot a number of great photographs. They had been looking at the photographs for nearly 10 minutes before John had walked in. He had yet to decide which his favorite was, they were all great photos. He had been particularly riveted by the photograph of him placing Buffy's wedding ring on her finger. The emotional look on her face of both surprise and awe amazed him. He had been so focused on placing the ring on her finger he had not looked up to see the look on her face.

"Take what you like of the photos." John said sensing that Spike didn't want to talk further about the notes. "I also have a CD for you in case you ever want to print more off later."

Buffy gave the other man a shy smile. "Thank you." She was going to enjoy having the photographs as a reminder of her time with Spike.

"We'll take all of them, John." Spike said causally leaning back in his chair, no longer concerned about the photographs. "Is the area secure?"

"Everything should be secure. There's been no suspicious activity suggesting that anyone followed you here. However, Jake will be here should you want to go out anywhere."

"Thanks," Spike said. "We will only be here a couple more days at the most. There are things waiting for us back in Sunnydale."

"Totally up to you, man. Like I said before the area should be secure so do what you want. You don't have to hole up in your room; although I'd understand if you want to." John gave Buffy a wink and she blushed at the implications of his statement.

Spike ignored his comment. "You will stay here with Jake until we leave?"

John nodded as he started placing the photographs into another manila envelope. He handed the full envelope to Spike. "I will…enjoy the photographs. You were a beautiful bride, Buffy."

"Thank you," she replied softly.

"Thanks, John." Spike stood and held out his hand to Buffy. "I'll talk to you later. Let me know if anything changes."

"Will do." John replied following the two of them towards the door. "Enjoy your honeymoon Mr. & Mrs. Pratt."

John was rewarded with a smile from Buffy and a nod from Spike as they walked out of the office, Buffy clutching the two manila envelopes close to her chest.

"So what would you like to do this afternoon, pet? Go out or stay in? There's a small theatre in the back, we could catch a movie and then have dinner, do some shopping, or whatever your little heart desires." Spike asked looping an arm around her waist and holding her close.

"While shopping does sound tempting," Buffy said with a grin, I believe I think I'd prefer a movie and dinner."

"Your wish is my command, love. I checked the listings while you were getting dressed and it looks like that new flick with Johnny Depp should be starting in about 10 minutes."

"Sounds good; then perhaps we could go check out the casino before dinner. I'm sure you would enjoy that." Buffy was sure that Spike would enjoy the casino. She recalled from before that he had always enjoyed playing poker with his friends.

"It's a date." Spike replied pressing a quick kiss to the side of her head as he led her in the direction of the theatre. Buffy grinned at his choice of words. Before she had a chance to make a teasing remark they had arrived at the theatre entrance. After purchasing their tickets they found two seats in a quiet corner and settled in to enjoy the film. They enjoyed the film, although by the end Buffy was sure she wouldn't have been able to answer a single question about the plot. Spikes hand on her leg easily distracted her as he absentmindedly stroked her bare inner thigh. His eyes never left the screen but he knew the effect he was having on her.

After the movie they spent some time in the casino, Spike finally convincing Buffy to play a few rounds of roulette. Buffy was bouncing and grinning when they left the casino and headed for the restaurant. Spike couldn't help but smile at how happy and carefree she seemed to be. He hadn't seen her so animated since he had returned to Sunnydale.

"So…I guess we are finally on a date." He commented lightly, watching for her reaction. Buffy looked up at him in surprise.

"I think it's a little late for dating," she replied. "I think we were supposed to do that before we got married."

If it hadn't been for the grin on her face showing that she was teasing, the tone of voice she used would have had Spike worried that she was upset. Instead, he just grinned back and reached across the table to take her hand in his.

With a suddenly serious face he replied, "It's never too late, Buffy. Take it from someone who knows."

Buffy squeezed his hand in response then turned her attention to the waiter. Once they had placed their orders she turned back to Spike.

"So where do we go from here?" she asked knowing that it was a pretty loaded question.

Spike considered it for a moment then decided to play it safe. "We have dinner, do a little window shopping, then slip back on up to our room."

Buffy nodded in agreement, content with his plan.

"However," Spike said clearing his throat and shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "I do need to make a quick trip to the store to pick up some …ah…somethin' we sorta forgot about last night."

Buffy looked at him quizzically, not knowing what they could have forgotten. Spike sighed and leaned forward so he could speak soft enough to make sure no one around them could hear.

"Last night…we didn't use any protection, love. I never even thought of it, not really expecting to do what we did."

Buffy blushed and ducked her head when she realized what Spike was referring to. How could she have not thought of that?

"Spike…I…"

"Shh… don't say anything, love. It's my fault and I'll take care of it. I mean I know I don't have any problems, and I know you don't, but there's always the risk of you gettin'…"

"Spike, shut it!" Buffy said cutting him off wanting to end the conversation quickly. Her face was bright red and hot with embarrassment. Spike looked at her in surprise, his blue eyes wide and showing his worry over whether or not she would be upset with him.

"I don't… I've been on birth control for a while now to help…well… you know." She said, not really wanting to have to spell it out for him, knowing that he should know what she was hinting at.

"Oh," he replied.

"Besides, even if I wasn't…" Buffy let her voice trail off as she was suddenly hit with the image of a little blonde, blue eyed boy the spitting image of Spike. Perhaps I shouldn't have said that… Buffy thought to herself when she looked up to see the expression of surprise on Spike's face. In truth she was a little surprised herself. She hadn't meant for it to sound like it did. She was very grateful that she was on birth control. She also couldn't deny that at one point in time she had thought about having children with Spike. Back when they were together before, and even when he was gone there were times when she would dream about his return and their happily ever after.

Spike couldn't believe what he was hearing. If she had finished her sentence would she have said she wouldn't have wanted them to use protection? He allowed himself for a moment to imagine what their child would look like. Probably a little girl with long blonde hair, bright green eyes and a smile that could light up any room, just like her mother. Yes, he was sure if they were to have a child it would be a mini Buffy, and would have him wrapped around her pinky from day one. But that wasn't meant to be. Spike shook his head in an effort to shake away the image, knowing that it was just a fantasy, not anything that would ever play out.

The arrival of the waiter with their food interrupted their thoughts and serious conversation ceased as they chatted and bantered back and forth as they ate. After dinner they wandered around the hotel, exploring the few shops that were still open before finally heading back to their suite.

"Why did you tell John that we'd only be here a couple more days? I thought we were supposed to be off all of next week?" Buffy asked as they walked from the elevator to their door.

Spike looked back at her in surprise as he slid the keycard into the slot on the door. "Sorry, love, guess I didn't explain that very well. We have all next week off from the rink, but we're only here for the weekend. Figured we could use the time next week to move some of your stuff into my place and have some time to get to know each other again and all that."

"Oh," Buffy said breezing past him into the suite as soon as he got the door open. Spike flinched at the non-committal sound of her voice. He wasn't sure if she was upset or not, but knowing her…she was probably upset that again she hadn't been told something. Then again, perhaps she would be glad to not have to spend a week with him in a hotel room. At least back in Sunnydale she would be able to get away from him. Or perhaps she was hoping to have the week in Vegas. That thought brightened his mood a little. With a sigh he turned and shut the door, making sure it was carefully locked.

"Course we could always stay here longer if that's what you want, love." He said testing out the waters to see what she was thinking.

Buffy whirled around in surprise and took in the concerned look on Spike's face. Wanting to reassure him that she wasn't upset, as he so obviously thought she was, she rushed to speak. "No! I mean, it would be fun, but I like your plan. It really is a good idea and it will be nice to have time to get some things packed up and moved while I don't have to worry about practice or work." She gave him a genuine smile and relaxed as he strode towards her. Pulling her into his arms he bent his head to nuzzle her neck and press a kiss to her pulse point. Buffy let her head fall to the side to allow him better access, while wrapping her arms around his waist to hold him to her.

"'m sorry I forgot to mention it. I thought we had talked about it already."

"It's really okay, kind of a nice surprise. Although I have to admit so far I am enjoying having you all to myself. Things are gonna be different when we get back."

"We don't have to worry 'bout that right now though." Spike pulled back and looked Buffy in the eye.

"No we don't," she agreed pulling his head down to hers for a brief kiss.

"How 'bout you go change into somethin' more comfortable. I'll get a fire goin' in the fireplace and we can get all cozy for a bit. Know it's the middle of the summer, but it's pretty cool in here…" Spike let his voice drift off when Buffy got a dreamy look in her eye.

"I'll be right back," Buffy said pulling away from him and heading towards the bedroom. Spike watched her go, only turning to figure out the gas fireplace once the bedroom door was firmly shut. It was as easy as a flick of switch which left Spike wondering if he should go change himself, or just get comfortable waiting for Buffy. Deciding it was probably best to give her a bit of privacy after they had been together all day, he toed off his boots, untucked his shirt and flopped down on the couch.

Buffy soon emerged from the bedroom, dressed in a pair of sleep shorts and one of Spikes T-shirts. She had shirts of her own to wear of course, but on a whim she had raided his suitcase for one of his. Standing at the doorway for a moment she observed him on the couch. His hair was rumpled, and curly, not slicked back like usual, his feet bare and shirt untucked. He looked comfortable and relaxed the exact opposite of her. As if he had sensed her presence Spike looked away from the TV he had been watching and directly at her. Fingering the hem of the t-shirt she wore she slowly made her way over to the couch, aware of Spike's intense gaze the entire way. He reached out a hand which she grasped firmly and allowed him to pull her down onto his lap.

"This is nice," Buffy said after a few minutes. Her head was resting on Spike's shoulder, one of his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, the other resting lightly on her legs. His response was a murmured 'hmm' as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Spike," Buffy said lifting her head to look him in the eye. Spike looked away from the TV show they had been watching and down at her.

"Yeah, pet."

Buffy looked down at her hands, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for getting so upset this morning." After a moment of silence she looked up at him and saw the surprise in his eyes.

Spike hadn't been expecting her apology. It was the last thing he figured she would say. He certainly didn't deserve it. In his mind she had every right to get upset and stay upset. "You had every right to be upset, sweetheart, so don' apologize. If anyone should be apologizin' it should be me. I should've told you everything from the beginning."

"No," Buffy insisted this time not taking her gaze away from his. "It was stupid. I should have just been grateful that everyone cares about me so much. I guess there are just some things I'm better off not knowing about."

"It's okay, pet, we came out of it good."

"Mmhmm…" Buffy murmured again placing her head on his shoulder, no longer paying attention to the TV. "Thank you for this afternoon. I had a good time."

"I'm glad. I had a good time to. I like spending time with you." Spike let one of his hands slip under her t-shirt to caress her side. "Good to know you had fun."

"How could I not?" she asked with a smile, turning her head enough so she could press a light kiss to his neck.

"Think I could come up with a couple of reasons, but none that matter now." Spike said before lowering his lips to hers.

The weekend passed too quickly for Buffy. Though she would not have complained had Spike suggested that they spend the weekend in the suite making love, she was pleasantly surprised at how adamant he was that they go out each day for a few hours and do something fun and touristy. Sunday night came too quickly and found them packing for their Monday morning flight back to Sunnydale. They had both become quiet and withdrawn during the afternoon as they packed, both knowing that when they returned things were going to change yet again. It would be different with so many people around them watching every move they made.

After a quick dinner in the hotel restaurant they returned to their suite. Spike headed towards the fireplace and Buffy settled onto the couch.

"So what time is our flight in the morning?" she asked watching him walk towards the couch after he had flipped on the fireplace and turned the lights down.

"Nine," was the only response she got as Spike sat down on the couch near her.

"That's kind of early isn't it?" The past two mornings they had stayed in bed late, enjoying the fact that they didn't have work to get to or a practice to attend.

"Means we get home early. Figure it will give us a chance to pack and move some of your stuff to my place and then you and Willow can catch up, do some of that girl talk that you chits seem so good at."

Buffy grinned at the thought of girl talk with Willow. Her best friend was never going to believe her. She sobered though at the thought of moving out of her apartment. She had enjoyed living across the hall from Willow, and hated that it seemed like she would have to give up her apartment. It seemed logical to think that they would be able to re-rent it out quickly, so there was no way she would be able to get it back.

"Guess I hadn't really thought much about moving." She said with a frown. "Suppose I will have to give notice on my apartment. This guy might notice if I keep it."

"There's no rush, love. Don't you have a lease?"

"Yeah, but it's up in a couple months."

"Wait on giving notice til your lease is up. We might have this guy by then and it'd be a shame for you lose the place if you don't need to."

Buffy nodded. She couldn't help but wonder what Spike thought about what they would do when this was all over. Once they caught her stalker would he want to stay together? Of course he had said that he wanted to give things a shot, but things had changed so quickly over the weekend. They had pretty much skipped over the getting to know each other plan.

"I'm going to go change. I'll be back out in a minute." Buffy said standing, still contemplating their relationship. Spike just nodded and watched her go into the bedroom. Knowing that this was going to be their last night away from the chaos that was her friends and the problem with her stalker Buffy wanted to make the night memorable- as if the whole weekend wasn't already memorable enough. Quickly slipping out of her clothes she walked over to where her suitcase sat open on the low dresser. Without a second thought she pulled out the box that held the satin nightgown that had been a gift from the hotel. Slipping it over her head she remembered the look she saw on Spikes face when she first opened it and she was sure she would see it again when he saw her in it. She ran her fingers through her hair and took a look in the mirror. The cream color of the nightie set off her tan skin. The bottom hem was barely touching mid-thigh, making her legs look long and slender. Satisfied with how she looked she headed back out to the main living area of the suite. In her absence Spike had stretched out on the couch and as Buffy approached she realized he had fallen asleep. With a soft smile she quietly walked around the coach and knelt down near his head. She sat for a moment just staring at him, taking in everything she could. He looked so young and innocent in sleep she realized. Unable to keep her hands to herself she reached out and lightly traced the scar on his eyebrow, wondering how he had gotten it. Knowing Spike it was probably from some fight during a game. When he didn't stir she let her hand slide down his chest and slip under his t-shirt to caress the taut skin of his stomach as she bent to press a kiss to the scar. Spike's eyes flew open as she pulled away, his hand automatically coming up to pull her back towards him for a kiss. The minute their lips met Buffy surrendered to the kiss, letting Spike take the lead. Buffy wasn't sure when or how they ended up side by side on the rug on the floor but they did.

"Buffy," Spike moaned she slid a leg over his hips to pull them closer together. Buffy simply murmured in response and continued pressing light kisses along his jaw and neck. Spike let the hand not tightly wrapped in her hair drift down to the hemline of her nightie toying with it teasingly as he thrust his hips up into hers.

"'m gonna have to send the hotel a thank you note for this little piece of temptation." He murmured against her throat. "You look absolutely beautiful in it."

Buffy blushed and looked up at him. The look he gave her was a mix of adoration and pure lust and it made her feel overwhelmingly powerful. "Thank you."

"Welcome, but I gotta admit right now all I can think about is getting you out of it." He told her, his voice thick and gravelly. Buffy giggled at his attempts to push the hem up over her hips, it not wanting to comply because of her position on the floor. "Not funny, pet. If you've taken a fancy to the bloody thing you better help me get it off before I rip it off you."

Buffy grinned and gave him a slight shove to push him off of her so she could get up. Sitting up she deftly pulled the nightie over her head, tossing it off to the side without even glancing to see where it would end up.

"Fuck, love, but you're beautiful," Spike said cupping a breast in one hand as he lowered his head to take a nipple into his mouth. Buffy let out a moan as she clasped a hand at the back of his head to hold him to her.

"Spike?" she murmured threading her fingers through his hair. He hummed his response against her breast. "You're wearing too many clothes."

Spike let her nipple go with a wet plop and looked up at her with a grin. "'m sure you can fix that, love."

Without a word Buffy reached down and grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head.

"Getting better," she said pushing him down onto his back on the rug, straddling his hips. "Still have a little work to do though."

Spike looked up from where he was on the floor and groaned at the sight of Buffy, completely naked straddling his hips. Looking down at Spike beneath her, her hands resting on his chest, his eyes drifting closed as she pressed her hips down to grind against his denim clad erection, Buffy felt empowered.

"Fuck, Buffy," Spike moaned as she leaned down to swirl her tongue around one of his nipples, wondering if it was as much of a turn on for him as it was for her. Apparently it was. Smiling at his reaction she turned her attention to his other nipple, giving it the same treatment. She felt his hands come up and grasp her arms tightly. Empowered by the way he was reacting to her, she scooted her hips down his legs so she could press a line of kisses along his chest, down his stomach and to the waistband of his jeans. Spike grabbed at her hand as she went to unfasten the snap of his jeans, quickly pulling her back up over his body.

"Spike!" she cried out, upset that she hadn't accomplished her goal of getting him out of his jeans.

"Hold up a bit, sweetheart." He told her, carefully rolling them so that he was now on top and his hips rested in the cradle of her thighs. "Let's slow down and savor this moment a bit, yeah? Can't even begin to tell you how bloody long I've dreamt of a moment like this with you." He pressed a kiss into the hollow of her shoulder then looked back up into her eyes. "You are so beautiful. The fire makes your skin glow. I've never…"

Buffy reached up and let her hand cup his cheek, her legs wrapping around his waist. "I hope it's everything you dreamed of." She whispered pulling him down to kiss her.

Quite a bit later Spike extinguished the fire and carried Buffy to their bed. Once under the covers Buffy eagerly snuggled up against Spike, already half asleep and completely sated. Spike held her tightly wishing that every night could be like this. He had never experienced such passion and trust from a woman. Buffy unmade him, and that scared him more than he wanted to admit. But she had done something for him tonight that he would never forget. She had made a fantasy come to life, and he would never, ever forget how it felt to make love to her with the firelight dancing on her skin. When he thought she was sound asleep he bent to press a kiss to her forehead.

"You're all I've ever dreamed of and more, love." He whispered and closed his eyes.

Buffy smiled softly and tightened her grip around his waist as she drifted off to sleep.

The next day Buffy and Spike flew back to Sunnydale. They rode in silence from the airport directly to Buffy's apartment. They had talked on the plane and decided that it would be best for Buffy to pack up a few things that she would need immediately and then take time throughout the week to pack and move the rest.

Spike was now standing in the middle of Buffy's living room and he had no idea what to do. He had never been in Buffy's apartment before. She had lived with her mom before he left. Now here he was and he was her husband. It was a strange experience and he wondered if Buffy felt the same way. Buffy stood next to him looking around the room, mentally taking inventory of what she needed to pack. A part of her was nervous, being in her apartment with Spike. Though if she were to admit it, she was more nervous about going to his house. Being together in Vegas had been good and surprisingly easy. It had also been a little bit unreal. Being back in her apartment, knowing she was moving, though only temporarily, to Spike's, made it far more real.

"It's about time!" a voice exclaimed from the doorway. Buffy whirled around and came face to face with her best friend.

"Willow!" she squealed moving quickly towards the door to give her friend a hug.

"I do not believe you! Running off like that, what got into you?" Willow asked hugging her tightly. She hadn't really been worried. Surprised, yes, worried- not so much…well, maybe just a little. After all it was Spike.

"I left a note," Buffy said pulling away. She looked back and saw that Spike had turned around and was warily watching the two women.

"Shyeah- and I quote "Don't worry, I'm just going away for a few days with Spike. We'll catch up when we get back."

Buffy blushed, and was grateful that her friend didn't quote more of her note. "I…"

"You left with a guy you hardly know- no insult intended, Spike- you don't say where you are going or what you're doing. I was worried about you. Especially after that freaky note you just got."

Spike shrugged, not really caring if she had meant it as an insult. It was true. Buffy didn't really know him anymore. He appreciated the fact that her friend cared so much. " 's not a problem, Red. But I think Buffy here knows a little more about me than you think."

"I'm soooo sorry, Wills." Buffy assured her friend, trying to ignore the flush of her cheeks at the implication in Spike's voice. Willow just stood there staring at them expectantly her toe tapping at the floor; eyes traveling back and forth between Buffy and Spike.

"You wanna tell her or should I, love?" Spike asked giving Buffy a small smile. "I think Red here is just about to burst with curiosity."

"Tell me what?" Willow asked, looking first at Buffy then to Spike. Her eyes widened as Spike came up behind her best friend and placed his hands on her hips.

Buffy took a deep breath, sent up a quick prayer that Willow would be supportive and spoke. "Spike and I got married over the weekend.

"You did what?!" Willow squealed, her eyes going wide.

"That's why we went away," Buffy explained. "We took the weekend off, flew to Vegas and….and got married."

"Oh my, oh…I've got to sit down. I think I'm in shock." Willow moved quickly to sit in one of the chairs in the living room. Buffy followed her and took a seat on the couch. Spike settled on the couch near her, placing a hand on her thigh in support. They sat in silence waiting for Willow to speak. Willows eyes darted back and forth between the couple for a few minutes before she finally spoke.

"I..this is just…I want to know everything!"

"And I'll tell you everything…well, almost everything a little later." Buffy assured her, blushing again. "Right now I really need to get to packing. I wanted to get a few things moved to Spike's this afternoon."

"No problemo, but I'm holding you to that. I want details." Willow told her giving Buffy her best resolve face. Buffy sighed in relief, sure that her friend was going to be okay with her sudden new relationship. "Do you want some help packing? It would give us a chance to chat."

"Help would be much appreciated," Buffy replied with a grin.

"Speaking of help; Red did Giles bring by any boxes?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, I put them in Buffy's kitchen like he said." Willow got a thoughtful look on her face. "You know, I kinda wondered about that."

"I'll go get them put together. What do you want to pack up today, kitten?"

Buffy thought for a moment. "I think I just want some of my clothes, books and personal things. I don't need everything today. We have all week and it's not like…" her voice trailed off before she commented on the temporary status of their relationship and living together.

"Whatever you want, love." Spike said heading off into the kitchen determined to give the two women a few minutes to catch up.

They packed for nearly three hours. Buffy and Willow packed up her clothes and personal items from her bedroom, while Spike worked on her bookcases. He wasn't sure exactly what books she would want, so he just packed them all. She didn't really have a lot. For the most part Buffy and Willow just talked about Vegas, though they avoided any conversation about the wedding. That was a conversation for when Spike was not within hearing distance.

"I'll just take this load of boxes home then come back for you and the rest, Buffy. That'll give you birds some time to catch up." Spike said lifting up a small box of books. They had already packed his SUV up with a number of boxes of clothes.

"Thank you," Buffy said standing up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. It amazed Buffy at how natural it felt to do something as simple as kiss each other goodbye. Spike nodded at Willow and then disappeared out the door.

"Okay, spill, missy!" Willow said the moment the door closed. Buffy turned to face her best friend who was now sitting on the couch. "What is going on?"

"It's just what I said earlier, Wills. Spike and I got married over the weekend." Buffy grabbed the envelope of wedding pictures and settled onto the couch next to Willow.

"I caught that, but why?"

Buffy sighed and took a moment to decide how to approach the conversation. "Why do most people get married, Wills?"

"Yeah, but just the other day you said you weren't really his type. Now here you are…married! That's not normal. Dating is normal….you weren't even dating!"

"I was wrong," Buffy replied softly. "I know it's probably the most irrational thing I've ever done, but Wills, you know how I feel about him." While Buffy hated lying to her friend about the circumstances of her marriage, she knew that what she had just said was the truth. She had been wrong about Spike, and he did seem to truly have some sort of feelings for her. Her own feelings for the man had never dwindled, no matter how hard she had tried to put them aside over the past couple years.

"But in all honesty when you agreed to go away with him did you think you would be getting married? I mean….I just…." Willow wasn't sure how to vocalize her concern or shock.

"That's why we went away, Willow." Buffy assured her.

"I just can't believe this, Buffy. I mean, no insult here, but are you nuts? You go on one date with the guy and then you suddenly marry him. I know you think you've loved him for years, but you barely know him anymore!" Buffy smiled at her friends disbelief. Had it been Willow telling her that she had suddenly gotten married, Buffy was sure she would be reacting the same way.

"Wills, you know me, I may be a little crazy, but I'm not nuts." Buffy assured her wryly.

"Yeah, and I know him. This isn't like either of you." Willow paused and thought for a minute. "Well, maybe it sounds a little like something Spike would do, but not you….Then again, getting married never really seemed to be something I would have ever pictured Spike doing, so I guess, it really doesn't make sense."

Buffy laughed as her friend babbled on. "Willow! I love him. You know that." That much Buffy was sure Willow couldn't deny. It wasn't as if Buffy's feelings for Spike were a recent development.

"So you marry him?!" Willow exclaimed. "Buffy, this is probably the craziest thing I I think you've ever done."

"It was the right thing to do."

"But does he love you?" Willow's concern for her best friend was obvious and Buffy wanted to reassure her that it was going to be okay. She knew that if she could reassure Willow that Spike did indeed love her, however untruthful that may be, her friend would support them.

"Yes."

Willow stared at her for a minute, trying to determine if Buffy was telling her the truth. "Are you absolutely sure about this Buffy? It just seems so sudden."

"I'm positive, Wills. I have loved him for so long. This has been an absolute dream for me. To find out that he's cared about me all along and has wanted to be with me has been amazing. I haven't been this happy in a long time." Buffy hated lying to her best friend, but she consoled herself with the thought that it wasn't all a lie. She was happy.

Willow caved. She could see the joy on her friends face, and there was no denying that Buffy had always had deep feelings for Spike.

"All righty then, but you have to promise me that if anything…and I mean anything at all…goes wrong you are to come back here right away." Willow told her sternly.

Buffy laughed. "I promise, but nothing is going to go wrong." If only she could truly convince herself of that. There were so many things that could go wrong. A large part of her hoped that once this was all over she and Spike would continue on in a relationship, but what if they didn't?

"So long as you're happy, Buffy, that's all I want for you."

"I'm happy, Wills. I don't know what else I can say to convince you of that." It only took a moment for Buffy to realize that she spoke the truth. She was happy. The past few months had been weighing on her, particularly her need to decide about the upcoming season. But the past weekend with Spike she hadn't worried about it once. Sure things had been tense at times, but after their first argument things had changed drastically.

"Good," Willow said with a grin. She wiggled her eyebrows at her friend. "So tell me about this wedding and honeymoon. And your new hubby with his sexy accent. I want all the juicy details."

"Here, you have to see the pictures." Buffy said grinning, handing her friend the packet of photographs.

The women spent the next 45 minutes looking over the wedding photographs and talking about Spike and Buffy's honeymoon-the PG parts at least. Spike walked into the apartment an hour after he left to find them laughing and giggling.

"You lovely ladies have a nice little chat?" he asked, moving further into the room and settling himself on the arm of the couch near Buffy.

"A wonderful chat," Buffy said giving him a smile. Spike lowered his head to give her a quick kiss.

"It was very informative," Willow said once the couple had pulled apart. "Congratulations, by the way. I don't think I said it earlier. I'm sorry if I seemed so surprised earlier."

"Thanks, Red." Spike told her with a grin. "You didn't think Buffy would go off with me for just anything did you?"

Willow smirked. "I wouldn't have put it past you, but she surprised me."

"Buffy, we should get these last few boxes downstairs so we can get home. It's getting late and I'm sure you'd like to spend a little time unpacking." Spike said turning his attention to his wife.

"Yep," Buffy replied jumping up from the couch. She quickly gathered up the photographs from their wedding and slid them back into the envelope, making sure she put them into her purse before assessing what boxes they still had to take to the car. After some quick arranging of boxes they discovered that with the three of them they could get them all downstairs in one trip. Spike loaded them into the car as both girls said a quick goodbye.

"I will see you at the rink sometime later this week." Buffy promised giving her best friend another hug.

"If you don't I at least expect a call." Willow warned. "I know it's your honeymoon and all that, but you still need some girl talk."

"I will," Buffy said with a teasing roll of her eyes. Spike came up behind her snaking one arm around her waist.

"Promise I'll take good care of her, Red." Spike said addressing the other woman.

"You better, buster. I know where you live." Willow said giving him her best stern look. Spike did his best not to laugh. He gave Buffy a quick squeeze then let her go, giving a quick wave to Willow as he headed to the driver's side of his SUV. Buffy gave her best friend another quick hug before climbing into the car. Back at Spike's they unloaded the car and unpacked a few boxes before taking a break. Settling onto the couch Buffy cuddled up next to Spike, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Tired, love?" he asked sifting his fingers through her hair.

"A little," she admitted. She had been on a high all weekend and earlier in the day from the excitement of their 'honeymoon' and now it was definitely starting to wear off.

"Why don't you go take a nap," Spike suggested pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I want to check in with Giles and then I'll join you."

"Thank you," Buffy said moving her head so she could give him a quick kiss. As she began to pull away Spike pulled her back into his arms for a deeper kiss.

"You better go, or you won't get a nap." He warned when they broke apart a few minutes later, his voice husky with desire.

Buffy laughed and stood up. "Wake me up when you're done on the phone."

"Will do, sweetheart," Spike said watching her go up the stairs before pulling out his cell phone.

Buffy found Spike's room easily. Having not seen it on her visit to his home last week, she took a few moments to look around the room. It was sparsely furnished, a king sized bed with red and black linens took up the majority of the space. She looked around for pictures, trophies, anything that would make the room homier, but found nothing. All she could find on the surface was a book of poetry on the bedside table. Stifling a yawn she slipped off her shoes and pulled back the bedcovers. With one last look around the room she snuggled under the covers and drifted off to sleep. A half hour later Spike stood in the doorway of the room staring at her sleeping form. She was in his room, in his bed, and he still couldn't believe it. He knew he should wake her up and take her out for dinner, but all he wanted to do was join her in bed. Giving into his desire to hold her, he climbed into the bed with her. Spooning up behind her he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Buffy mumbled incoherently and snuggled back into his embrace. With a contented sigh Spike nuzzled his cheek against her hair and closed his eyes.

The next few days passed quickly. They spent an hour or two each day slowly moving Buffy's stuff into Spike's house. Buffy found herself often falling into the belief that everything about their relationship was real. Everything seemed to fall in place so naturally between them. They were married, and living together, yet they were still getting to know each other again. It was a struggle at times for them both. Things were different living together. There was so much to get used to and with no time together prior to their abrupt marriage it was understandably more difficult. Had they simply been living as roommates, as they would surely have if they hadn't moved forward with their relationship over the previous weekend, it would have been much simpler. At least that is what Buffy told herself.

Their first visit to the rink was the first big challenge they faced together outside of the comfort of Spike's home.

"You ready for this, pet?" Spike asked opening her car door for her. Buffy took a deep breath and stepped out.

"As I'll ever be, I guess." She said letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"Good, should be interestin',"he said leading her towards the front doors of the rink. "'m sure Willow has spread the word about us. You birds just can't keep things to yourselves."

"I'm sure you're right about that." Buffy agreed.

"Love, before I forget to mention it…I want you to move your skating stuff into my office."

"What? Why?" Buffy asked in surprise. What was wrong with keeping her stuff in the locker room?

"It would make me feel better about it. This guy was in the locker room, he knows your locker. I just don't want him doing something to your stuff or tampering with your skates, yeah?"

"Oh," Buffy hadn't even thought of that. She never thought about her stalker wanting to cause her harm in that way. "I guess I can move it in later today. I don't really have much in there but my skates and a couple of dresses."

"I have plenty of room." Spike pulled the front door open for her and waited for her to precede him into the rink.

Buffy paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath before she stepped into the rink.

"Buffy!" Tara said in surprise as soon as she stepped through the door. "It is so good to see you!" She came around the counter quickly and gave Buffy a big hug. She gave Spike a hug as well, much to his discomfort.

"Good to see you, Tara," Spike said pulling back quickly and taking Buffy's hand in his.

"I'm so glad you guys are back. Congratulations by the way," she said with a wink.

"Thanks, Tara." Buffy said, immensely grateful that Tara was the first to greet them.

"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with their presence." A voice said walking up behind them.

"Giles!" Buffy squealed turning around and quickly throwing herself into her surrogate father's arms.

"Well, can't say that I dislike that greeting." Giles said when she pulled away. He was surprised to see the joy that radiated from Buffy. Something had happened while they were gone. He was sure of it. A part of him was happy to see Buffy so perky; it was something he hadn't seen out of her in quite some time. But the part of him that looked on her as a daughter was worried. He had known that something could happen, hell, he had even advocated for it, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't want to see Buffy get hurt. That was his greatest concern.

"Spike," he said greeting the platinum blonde standing next to Buffy.

"Giles," Spike said in return, not quite sure how to act towards Giles now. The man was his boss and now his pseudo father in law. He wasn't sure how things were going to change now that he and Buffy had embarked on the beginnings of a real relationship. "How are things going?"

"All is well here at the moment." Giles replied. "Shall we retire to my office and talk?"

"Of course," Spike said. He and Kate followed Giles into his office. Spike sat down in one of the chairs in front of Giles' desk and pulled Buffy onto his lap. Buffy was surprised by his action, but said nothing as she settled on his lap.

"How was your trip?" Giles asked, raising an eyebrow at the actions of the two blondes in front of him. Something surely happened in Vegas.

"It was good," Spike said. "Nice chance to unwind a bit."

Buffy nodded her agreement.

"Good, I thought we might speak about your plans for right now."

"What kind of plans?" Buffy asked looking at Spike questioningly.

"Buffy, I know you have yet to make your decision about the upcoming competitive season, so you still need to practice. I, however, don't know that I want you to be practicing out on a regular session. I believe it might be too dangerous for you and for the other skaters. So for now I want you on private ice only. It can be anytime that something isn't already scheduled.

"Okay, but what about my students?" Buffy questioned. "Should I reschedule their lessons around too?"

"For now, that would be best."

"No problem, Giles." Buffy replied with a smile. It would be a bit of a bummer not to be on the ice with her fellow skaters, but she would never complain about private ice.

"Good. Spike, what did you have in mind?" Giles asked.

"Don't really have any plans right now," Spike responded. His hand had crept under Buffy's t-shirt and was softly caressing the skin at her waist. "I think we need to wait and see what happens now that Buffy and I are back. Word will get out that she and I got hitched, so we'll see what happens."

"Do you anticipate any changes related to work?"

"No," Spike replied.

"Buffy?" Giles asked.

"I think I'd like to spend more time working on events here." Buffy said, relieved that she had given it some thought during the week. "It will give me more to do, but not put me out in the public a lot." She looked to Spike for his approval and was rewarded with a smile.

"That seems to be a sound plan, Buffy." Giles replied. "I was hoping the two of you would come over for dinner this evening. Dawn is dying to see you Buffy. I must admit I am quite surprised she hasn't been calling you incessantly."

"Have you told her?" Buffy asked, already regretting that she hadn't been the one to tell her little sister of her marriage.

"Yes, I must admit that I did, though I didn't share the news with her until last night. I believe my eardrums are still recovering," he told her with a grimace.

Buffy giggled. "I can hear the shrieking now. It will be okay, won't it Spike?"

"Course, love." Spike responded quickly. He knew she didn't know about the fact that he and her sister spent time together at the rink. When they had been together before he had really grown to care about her little sister. He had missed the lanky teen while he was gone. Not sure how Buffy would react to them spending time together they had kept their continued friendship quiet. Perhaps now it wouldn't be a big deal. The three of them could spend time together like they used too.

"Wonderful," Giles said standing. "Now, if you don't mind, I believe we should go down to the meeting room for a few minutes. I want you to take a look at something."

Buffy stood and waited for Spike to stand. Taking her hand in his he led her out of the office behind Giles and down the hall towards the rinks meeting room.

"Surprise!" a sea of voices exclaimed as Spike & Buffy walked through the door to the meeting room. Buffy jumped in astonishment, backing into Spike who quickly put an arm around her waist to hold her steady. Looking around, the couple saw that the room was full of skaters and staff from the rink. The room had been decorated with streamers and paper bells. Standing in the far corner of the room next to a table that held a simple, but beautiful cake was Buffy's sister Dawn. The tall, lanky blonde was grinning from ear to ear as she watched her sister and new brother in law. Tears suddenly filled Buffy's eyes. Everyone she cared about was in the room, and they were all happy and excited for her. She was suddenly overwhelmed by the reality of what she had done. She and Spike had really gotten married. All these people believed that they had romantically run off and eloped. A sudden feeling of shame hit her as she realized that eventually the truth would have to come out. What would they think when they found out the truth? Buffy turned her face up to look at Spike, desperately trying to hold onto her tears. Somehow sensing her differing emotions Spike bent down to place a quick kiss on her lips, then let his lips drift along her jaw to rest near her ear.

"It's okay, kitten. They're happy because you're happy. No reason for them to ever know any different right now is there?" he whispered.

"But," Buffy began to mumble, and then she looked at her friends again.

"No buts sweetheart, just go with it. We'll suss it all out together when the time comes."

Buffy nodded and turned towards Tara who had quietly approached her.

"We wanted to do something special for you guys," Tara explained, gesturing towards the crowd. "When Willow spread the news everyone wanted to have a chance to congratulate you."

"Thank you," Buff told her giving the other woman a warm hug.

"Yeah, thanks, Tara. Really means a lot to us, 'specially Buffy." Spike said his voice gruff, himself not being used to the attention he was suddenly receiving.

Buffy pulled away from Tara and eyed Dawn who was still standing next to the cake beaming. Surprisingly the girl hadn't attacked her big sister the second she walked into the room. Buffy started to walk towards her but was suddenly stopped by one of her students.

"Miss Summers," the young girl said. "I mean… Mrs. Pratt."

Buffy grinned at hearing herself called Mrs. Pratt. "Yes, Jen."

"Come see what we made for you." The young girl replied anxiously.

"What did you make?" Buffy asked following the young brunette over to a nearby table. Spike followed close behind, unwilling to let Buffy get far from his side.

"Well, it was really Miss Willow's idea, but we all helped put it together." Jen informed her pointing to the large picture frame on the table. Much to her surprise the frame was a collage of pictures. There seemed to be no specific theme except for Buffy & Spike. There were pictures of them at various stages in their careers, and random candid shots that had been taken over the years at the rink. It surprised Buffy that they had even managed to find a few of the two of them together.

"Thank you, Jen." Buffy's voice caught a little, as she was truly touched by what they had done.

"It's great, Jen." Spike said giving the young girl a genuine smile. Jen giggled and blushed when Spike gave her a quick wink.

"I think it's time for the newlyweds to cut the cake," Tara said shooing Spike and Buffy towards the table that was being carefully guarded by Dawn.

"Dawnie," Buffy said as she approached her sister. With a loud squeal Dawn launched herself into her sister's arms.

"Oh my gosh, Buffy, I can't believe you ran off like that. And got married! To Spike! I mean it's so awesome I just can't tell you how awesome it really is. I mean you're my sister and he's always been like a big brother to me…though of course not when he was gone, but that's all water under the bridge now and…"

"Dawnie…slow down," Buffy said unable to keep up with her sisters rambling.

"I'm so happy for you guys!" Dawn squealed again, this time throwing herself at Spike. Buffy watched as Spike wrapped his arms around her sister and placed a brotherly kiss on her head.

"Thanks, nibblet." Spike replied his voice, perhaps, more telling of his emotions than he would have liked.

"You guys have to cut the cake! It's chocolate!" Dawn suddenly pulled away from Spike and grabbed both their hands pulling them closer to the cake. She thrust a wicked looking knife into Buffy's hand and quickly reached for a camera she had sitting nearby. Buffy looked down at the sheet cake in front of her. Congratulations Spike & Buffy was written in red icing, with red roses on white frosting decorating the rest of the large sheet cake.

"I don't…"Buffy started to say, unsure what to do next. She had been to numerous weddings; she didn't know why she felt so lost as to what to do.

"Just have to give it a quick cut, love. Then I get to feed you a nice little piece of this sweet tasting confection." Spike winked at her and she blushed, and then looked up at him indignantly.

"William Pratt you are not going to smear frosting all over my face," she said pointing the knife at him. Spike quickly raised his hands in defeat.

"Not gonna do anything of the sort, love." He said a wicked gleam in his eye.

Buffy turned back towards the cake. She jumped slightly when Spike came up behind her and placed his hand over hers on the knife. Together they cut out the first piece of cake. Spike fed Buffy the first bite, teasingly placing a dot of icing on her nose before kissing it off. Buffy grinned then did the same thing to him. After that everybody seemed to get involved with talking to friends and eating cake, leaving Buffy and Spike to mingle around and chat.

"Buffy!" Willow called out to catch Buffy's attention and motioned to her friend to join her at a nearby table.

"Hey, Wills." Buffy plopped down into the chair closest to Willow, relieved to finally have the chance to sit down. "Thanks for working on that collage. I love it!"

"Anytime! It was really fun to do, thought I feel bad we didn't have more pictures of the two of you together. You guys just never were...well…really together before now." Willow smiled and quickly changed the subject. "Hey, you remember Darrell, right?"

Buffy looked to the chair on the other side of Willow and instantly recognized the dark haired man as her current boyfriend.

"Hi, Darrell." Buffy gave the man a smile. "Thank you for coming to this. I'm sure it's not the most happenin' party you've been to."

Darrell shrugged. "Congratulations on your marriage, Buffy. I have to admit I was pretty surprised when Willow told me."

"Thanks, Darrell." Buffy jumped when a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. Looking up she saw Spike standing next to her. "Spike!"

"Sorry to startle you, love."

Buffy just shook her head and mentally chastised herself for being so jumpy. "Spike, this is Willow's boyfriend Darrell. Darrell, this is my husband Spike."

"It's nice to meet you, Darrell." Spike said reaching out to shake the other mans hand.

"Likewise," Darrell replied, but said nothing further.

"Sweetheart, Giles wanted to speak to you for a moment." Spike told Buffy, relaying the message that had him searching her out.

"Oh, where is he?" Buffy looked around the room but saw no sign of Giles.

"He headed back to his office. I'll meet you there in just a moment. We should probably head out of her for the day pretty soon. Looks like things are starting to wind down a bit here."

"Sure," Buffy said a quick goodbye to Willow and Darrell and went off in search of Giles.

"Hey," she said poking her head inside his door and peeking around to see if he was there.

"Ah, Buffy, good you found me. Please come in." he replied gesturing for her to take the seat she had shared earlier with Spike.

"What's up Giles?"

"I just wanted a moment alone with you to talk." He admitted. "I've been worried about you and wanted to see how you were doing? I feel bad for pushing you into this. I just…Well at the time it just seemed the right thing to do."

"I'm doing great, Giles." Buffy assured him. "In fact I think I should be thanking you."

Giles looked surprised. "For what, dare I ask?"

"For everything." She told him. "I know last week I was really against this…like majorly. But now I'm glad that I did. I know you have my best interests at heart and if this works then major bonus. If it doesn't then no harm done; at least it's given Spike and me a chance to get to know each other again."

Giles was speechless. What had happened between Spike & Buffy over the past week? "Buffy, I don't know what to say. I take it the two of you had a good trip."

"We did. And I took what you said to heart. I never thought that Spike might actually care about me. When he left 2 years ago I was devastated. You know that. The fact that he never called or communicated with me at all really hurt. I'm not going to say that I'm not still hurt by that, but I think I understand now that something happened with him. I'm trying to trust that someday soon he's going to share with me his reasons for leaving. In the meantime I think this is a good opportunity for both of us to start fresh. Granted it would be nice if it weren't all because some crazy stalker dude decided to have some fun with me."

Giles stared at Buffy amazed at the insight she was displaying. "I'm very glad you see that Buffy. I know that Spike has not always been my favorite person, but I can see how good the two of are and could be together. I wouldn't have pushed this if I didn't think that being a couple would be something the two of you could pull off. I only ask that you keep an open mind and not let petty things come between the two of you."

"What could come between us, Giles?" Buffy asked, wondering if Giles knew something about what Spike had been up to the past couple of years.

"I just," Giles paused to remove his glasses and stare thoughtfully at Buffy. " I don't want you to get caught up in the moment and get hurt when this is all over and this guy is finally where he belongs behind bars."

"Way ahead of you, Giles. I so don't want that either. That's why Spike and I are just going to take this day by day and see where it leads. It's a risk that I have to take."

"Yes, it is." Giles agreed nodding his head. "I must say I am very proud of how you are handling this and I think your mother would have been too."

Buffy's eyes misted as she thought about her mother. Her mom would have been so supportive of her and Spike. It was then that Buffy realized that her mom had really liked Spike. There was no denying it. The few times Joyce had met Spike she had shown true interest in him. She was shaken from her thoughts by a knock on Giles' door.

"Come in," Giles called out, relieved when it was Spike that walked in.

"Read to head out, pet?" Spike asked leaning against the doorway.

"Yeah," Buffy replied standing, eager to get away from the rink for just a little longer.

"I will see you both at dinner this evening correct?" Giles asked before the two blondes could escape.

"I'll make sure we're there, Giles." Spike said with a nod. "Wouldn't want the nibblet coming after us if we decided to stand her up."

Giles nodded in agreement knowing full well that Dawn could be a force to be reckoned with if crossed.

"Good. Buffy, if you're serious about wanting to do more administratively here at the rink I will have Tara make sure one of the desks in the front office gets cleared for you. Then at least you would have a workstation should you need it."

"That sounds great, Giles. We can talk more about what I can do tomorrow."

"I would be agreeable to that. Now you two get on out of here. I will see you at dinner this evening."

Spike grabbed Buffy's hand and led her out of the office.

"I already put the stuff from the party in the car," he informed her as he gave Tara a quick wave as they passed her on their way to the door. Buffy just nodded and allowed him to lead her to his car. The trip back to the house was spent in silence. Buffy sat huddled near her door, staring out the window lost in thought. Spike sensed the change in her attitude back at the rink prior to leaving, but he wasn't sure what could have happened to make her so sullen. He wondered if perhaps it had something to do with her initial reaction to the party. Back at Spike's Buffy walked quietly into the house ahead of him, slipping her shoes off at the door she walked silently over the couch and sat down, curling up on one end. Spike kept his eyes on her as he sat down the few packages he was carrying on a nearby table.

"Buffy, love, what's wrong?" he finally asked, crossing the short distance to the couch and kneeling down in front of her. Buffy shot him a quick look then quickly averted her gaze. "Tell me, pet."

"I just," she started, and her voice wobbled a bit. "I feel so bad about all of this."

Spike's heart clenched. He had been waiting for this moment; the moment when she would push him away. It no longer mattered that he knew deep down this stemmed from her earlier upset over deceiving her friends about the truth of their marriage. All he could focus on was the idea that she was starting to show signs of regret. He could only hope that he could talk her out of it. They had come so far already; it wouldn't be fair to lose everything before they really had the chance to make it work.

"Bad about us, love?" he asked, holding his breath as he waited for her answer.

Buffy snapped her head around to look at him and she felt her heart miss a beat when she saw the uncertainty in his eyes. She hadn't meant for him to think she was upset with him.

"No!" she quickly reassured him, smiling when he let out a sigh of relief. "I just feel bad deceiving everybody. We aren't really married, Spike. Not the way people think we are. They think we're some happy young couple in love that ran off on some romantic whim and got married. Dawnie was so excited today. I hate lying to my sister, Spike!"

Spike lightly touched her chin and tilted her head so she was looking him in the eye. His other hand grasped one of hers tightly. "Buffy what they believe about us is their business, and it's important that they think this is the real thing, remember? But the most important thing is what we believe. We may have started out with this just being some crazy plan, but I'd like to think we've moved past that a bit, yeah? This past week has been somethin' special, pet. May be a bit unconventional how we started out, but we are together right? All this between us this past week hasn't been just a bit o' cold comfort has it?"

Buffy vehemently shook her head. "No, Spike, never! This past week has been more than I could have ever asked for."

"So we're not really lyin' yeah? We really are married, got the paper to prove it too." He reminded her with a grin. "And we're together, so what's the problem?"

Trust Spike to reduce all her worries to nothing, Buffy thought. She gave him a soft smile. "Nothing, I guess. Just me being all worried Buffy."

Spike grinned. "Have an idea 'bout somethin' to make you smile. I brought in the gifts from the party this afternoon. Still have a few unopened ones to check out."

"Presents?" Buffy asked, quickly perking up. She hadn't noticed anything beyond the photo collage. "I didn't notice presents."

"Really?" Spike gasped in teasing surprise. Buffy playfully smacked at him.

"Bring them here, we can open them together."

Spike stood and retrieved the stack of presents, placing them carefully on the couch next to Buffy. Returning to his place on the floor at her feet he watched as she picked up one of the boxes. It was small, wrapped in shiny gold paper, but no card.

"Curious," Buffy commented as she carefully unwrapped the package. The plain white box aroused her curiousity even more. She gasped when she opened it and found a box full of broken red crystal. Spike looked up in surprise at her gasp.

"What is it, pet?"

"It's broken," Buffy told him frowning, her bottom lip pushing out to form a bit of a pout.

"Sorry, love. I thought I was careful with it all."

"It's not your fault." Buffy said pushing aside some of the crystals to get to the card she saw at the bottom of the box. "Don't know how it happened. I mean look at this- the box doesn't look beat up or anything, everything inside is just smashed."

"Maybe it was extra fragile."

Buffy shrugged and pulled the card out, careful not to cut her finger on any of the crystal shards. "Oh, it was really pretty, look." She said flipping the card around to show Spike the picture of the red crystal heart. To Spike's surprise before he got a really good look at the card Buffy had gasped and dropped it to the ground.

"Love?" he asked questioningly. She had suddenly paled, her earlier excitement over the gifts immediately gone. Buffy said nothing as Spike picked up the card from the floor to see what had her so spooked. Flipping it over he saw the writing on the back:

You've broken my heart; perhaps now I will have to break yours

"Fuck!" Spike exclaimed reaching for the box still in Buffy's hands. "The wanker was there! I don't believe this. Just wait til I get my hands on him."

"Spike, please, don't shout." Buffy said quietly, looking up to see him looming over her.

"Sorry, sweetheart, I just…I know this is what we wanted, but it just bothers me to think that he was there and nobody knew it."

"They'll figure it out, Spike. We can take this with to Giles' tonight, and maybe he can have somebody look into it."

Spike reached down and pulled Buffy to her feet, wrapping her protectively in his arms. "Yeah, I just…Wish you didn't have to be reminded of this today of all days. Was supposed to be a fun day for you."

"It was a fun day," Buffy assured him, pulling back far enough that she could look up at him, yet keeping her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "A little weird gift isn't going to ruin it for me."

Spike was proud of the brave front Buffy was putting up, but he knew better than to think she wasn't upset or worried over the gift and note. But he was willing to play along for now. "Why don't you go get ready, pet. Promised Giles and your lil sis we'd be there by 6, that's not too far off."

Buffy nodded and extricated herself from Spike's embrace the rest of the gifts forgotten for the time being. She gave him a quick smile before heading towards the stairs and their bedroom. She sighed once she was out of sight, grateful not to be under his watchful eye. Tears formed in her eyes, as she fought the anger that was rising in her. How dare her stalker come in and ruin this for her. It was as if he knew that she had been happy and not thinking about him. That she had forgotten for just a moment that some crazy guy had his sights set on her. Wiping at her eyes she headed towards the bathroom where she could take a quick shower and hopefully get her emotions under control. There was no way she was going to let Spike or her sister see how shaken up she was. That just wouldn't do. It wouldn't do at all.

"Bitch!" he exclaimed pounding his fist down on the kitchen table. How dare she go and get married? She was supposed to be his. "Fucking Bitch."

He had known she had been away from the rink for a few days. While he had heard the rumors, he had hoped they had been wrong. There had been no sign that she had any interest in that pest of a hockey director. Yeah, he had seen the moon eyes that Spike had given her, but he never imagined that they had been reciprocated. Hell, why did it have to be like this? How was he going to win her now?

He slumped back in his chair, feeling defeated. Reaching out he picked up the small red crystal heart that he had picked up a few days ago. It was supposed to have been her next gift. It was supposed to symbolize him giving her his heart, and hope that she would be touched by the gesture. His thumb ran over the heart, caressing it softly, wondering at where his plan had gone wrong.

No, not wrong! There had to be a way. He would figure something out. Buffy was his, and nothing was going to stand in the way of that. Definitely not some menace of a hockey player who had somehow wheedled his way into her life. But how? Now that she was married it was going to be more difficult. Buffy was too pure to coerce into an affair. She wouldn't stray from her husband, of that he was sure. So the key had to be with Spike. Perhaps he could get some dirt on him and send it to her. No, that would just break her heart. Then again, it would leave him in a position to step in and pick up the pieces. Yes, that could work.

He looked down at the picture in front of him. It was of Buffy and Spike at their wedding. Here, right in front of him was all the evidence he needed. Buffy fancied herself in love with another man. He could see it in her face as she looked up at Spike with a bright smile, excitement over what they had just done reflecting in her eyes. He almost wouldn't have believed it had he not seen the picture. A picture is worth a thousand words, or so they say. This one spoke volumes. It tore at his heart to see her so happy with someone else. Really, he had nothing against Spike. At least he told himself that. But Spike had what he wanted. Buffy's love.

He focused his attention back on the crystal heart in his hand. It was so perfect, just like her. Then again, it was cold, not warm like she was. Buffy radiated warmth to everyone around her. This heart was just a pale imitation of the heart she truly had. Should he still give it to her? Could it be a final parting gift? There didn't seem to be any hope did there? His earlier plan sounded good, but could he make it work? Shaking his head he sighed and laid the heart down carefully on the table. He cared about her too much to hurt her like that. Didn't he? He thought for a few minutes, looking down at the picture on the table. The sudden anger that consumed him should have surprised him, but it didn't. He angrily stood up from his chair and grasped the heart in his hand.

The bitch had single-handedly broke his heart in the simple act of getting married. After all he had done to show her how he cared, she repaid him by getting married to another man. Shaking in anger as he stared at the picture on the table he lifted the hand holding the heart and slammed it down on the table forcefully. He winced as the crystal shattered under the force of the blow. Pulling his hand away he looked forlornly at the shards of crystal that were scattered over the table and photograph. That was what she had done; she had shattered his heart. Looking up at the clock he realized it was almost time for him to go. He quickly washed his hand of the blood and specks of crystal that had stuck to his hand, then swept the rest of the pieces into the box it had come out of. Picking up the card that was supposed to go with the crystal he carefully penned a short note and placed it in the box with the pieces.

This won't be her final gift, he thought as he carefully wrapped the box in the supplies he had out. No, this is going to just be the beginning of something more. He knew it would take some serious planning. Perhaps this would be the last gift for a little while as developed his idea. But he knew what he had to do. He had to break her heart, so that he would have the chance to pick up the pieces. The key was Spike. He knew that. Now he just had to figure out the best way to do it.

He jumped when he heard the door to the apartment open and looked carefully to make sure there were no leftover crystal shards on the table before turning to smile at the woman who had just walked into the kitchen.

"Ready to go, sweetheart?" he asked, his smile showing no signs of the earlier anger he had displayed.

"Sure, just let me get my stuff," the girl replied with a grin, slipping past him and towards the bedroom.

Oh yes, this was going to be sweet, he thought. He hadn't lost Buffy, not yet, and most certainly he wasn't going to lose her without a fight.

"Spike," Dawn squealed throwing herself into the arms of the bleached blonde who had just walked through the door of the Giles residence.

"Niblet," Spike replied wrapping his arms tightly around the teen.

"I'm so glad you guys came!" she said disentangling herself from Spike and moving to give her sister a hug. "Though I'm still mad that you didn't tell me that you guys were going off to get married. I'm just so excited!"

Buffy just grinned at her younger sister. A part of her was still uncomfortable about lying to Dawn about the true circumstances of their marriage. She was afraid of what it could do to Dawn if things didn't work out between her and Spike. Dawn would be devastated, she was sure. But seeing her sister so happy with Spike she pushed the worry aside.

"It was a bit of a surprise to me too, Dawnie." Buffy confessed.

"I'm just glad! Now I can spend as much time as I want with Spike and I don't have to worry about you finding out and being mad!"

Buffy looked at Spike in surprise; who in turn just looked down at the floor, shuffling his feet in embarrassment. He hadn't intended for Buffy to find out that way that he had been spending time with her sister. Now he was sure that she wouldn't mind, but he knew that when he first got back she would have had a fit knowing Dawn had instantly started spending time with him again. Mostly it was at the rink when Buffy wasn't around, and mostly had to do with him helping her with schoolwork, or just talking. The girl had grown up a lot while he was gone, but she was still like a little sister to him. One of the toughest moments he had had when he first got back had been with Dawn. She had not taken his abrupt departure well.

"Dawnie," Buffy said slowly, trying to absorb what the girl had just said. "I would never be upset with you for hanging out with Spike."

"But I know you were upset when he left, and when he came back you were still pretty mad. I figured you wouldn't like me hanging out with him." Dawn wrung her hands together in front of her wondering if perhaps she had been wrong about her sister's reaction and mentally slapping herself for even bringing it up.

Buffy looked back and forth from her sister to Spike and sighed. Spike wouldn't meet her gaze and Dawn seemed worried about her reaction. Before she could say anything Giles wandered into the front hall from the kitchen.

"Ah, Buffy, Spike, I'm glad you are here. Dinner seems to be just about ready." he said before turning to Dawn. "Dawn would you mind going and checking on the bread?"

"Buffy come with me." Dawn said grabbing her sister's hand and dragging the elder girl behind her towards the kitchen.

"Got a moment, Rupert?" Spike asked watching the girls go.

"Of course, what's on your mind Spike?" Giles asked, curious as to what the young man would need to speak with him about now.

"Buffy and I opened some of the gifts that were given to us at that little shindig you did for us this afternoon." Spike told Giles as he reached into his pocket to retrieve the small box from her stalker. "This happened to be with them."

Curious Giles took the gift and carefully opened it. "That bloody wanker!"

Spike couldn't help but chuckle at Giles' response. "Right there with ya, Rupert. You have any ideas how this could have gotten there? Don't know that we ever really thought this guy had a connection to the rink, but..." he let his voice drift off as the girls walked back into the room. Giles quickly replaced the lid on the box and stuffed it into the drawer of a nearby table.

"I'll make sure that gets to one of your team." Giles said quietly before the girls were in hearing range.

"Rolls are fresh and hot and on the table, Giles." Dawn reported her tone serious, but a grin on her face.

"Wonderful, ladies, let's adjourn to the dining room."

Buffy waited for Spike to walk to her then grasped his hand as they started towards the dining room. Dinner was pleasant, Dawn and Spike's banter providing a wealth of entertainment for Buffy. The couple didn't linger long after dinner, though they promised Dawn that she would be welcome to come over anytime to spend time with either one of them. Dawn just grinned and said she may wait awhile so that they could get out of their honeymoon phase. Buffy had blushed, while Spike just grinned at her proclamation.

Buffy grasped Spike's hand the minute they walked into the house and pulled him over towards the couch. She lightly pushed him down then sat down so she was facing him.

"Spike," she began quietly, "why didn't you tell me that Dawn was hanging out with you?"

Spike sighed and looked down at their clasped hands.

"Wasn't really hangin' out so much...At first the niblet just wanted to let out her unhappiness with my leaving. Since you and I weren't really an official thing when I left, I never thought about it hurting her when I left like I did. Apparently it did. I let her get it out, and we talked a bit; then she started showing up more and more at the rink just to say hi, or ask me for help on homework. I just couldn't say no to her. Missed her almost as much as I missed you while I was gone."

"Spike, no matter what you are always welcome to spend time with Dawn." Buffy told him softly, giving his hand a squeeze. "I'm sorry that you guys felt that you had to hide that from me."

"Didn't really think of it as hiding, just didn't make a deal of it." Spike told her. "Guess a part of me didn't want to risk it. Spending time with Dawn let me know what was going on with you."
Buffy was silent for a moment, letting her hand softly caress his. "You know, we never have really talked about you leaving."

"Buffy..." Spike started to say, sure she was going to ask him to explain why again. A part of him felt ready to confess all, but greater still he didn't want to risk the relationship they were slowly building.

"I know you may not be ready to explain yet Spike, I get it." Buffy said raising a hand to his lips to silence him. "But I need to talk for a minute."

Spike slowly nodded and waited in silence for her to continue.

"I know we never really acknowledged things in public and when you left a part of me was glad that we didn't so I didn't have to go through all that drama. But...it was still hard. My friends didn't understand why I was suddenly so hurt and I couldn't tell them. I just couldn't admit that I had driven off another guy."

"Buffy, I..."

"Shh... still talking," she reprimanded sternly, but with a smile. "I never imagined you leaving would hurt as much as it did. It nearly broke me, Spike. When you came back, I didn't know why or if we could somehow reconnect? You never told me why you felt you had to leave so I didn't know if it was something we could fix. Now...Now, I still don't know, but...I want to believe that we can and will make something of this."

Spike finally interrupted Buffy, unable to keep silent any longer. "Buffy, love, I know we can. I just..." He ran his fingers through his hair messing up the curls as he fought to find the right words to say. "I just need a little more time. But believe me when I say that I do want this. Never really wanted anything else."

Buffy moved so she straddled Spike's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "That's good to know." she whispered before closing the distance between them and pressing her lips to his. Spike immediately slipped his hands under her shirt and caressed the warm skin of her back. Buffy melted under his touch, loving the heated feel of his hands on her flesh. Not breaking the kiss she reached down and pulled at his t-shirt desperate to feel his skin. She still didn't feel completely comfortable being so forward with Spike, but there were times when he just brought out a different side of her. When he touched her, her insecurities and any residual feelings of shyness simply disappeared.

They finally broke apart for Buffy to pull his shirt over his head. Spike did the same for her, quickly stripping off her top though leaving her bra intact. His hands came around to cup her breasts and Buffy let out a low moan when he gave them a gentle squeeze.

"So beautiful," Spike whispered trailing kisses down her neck, over her collarbone and into the valley between her breasts. Buffy closed her eyes and brought her head down to rest for a moment on Spike's curls. Suddenly not content to simply let him have all the fun, she dug her fingers into his hair and gently pulled his head back. Her breath caught as she saw the stormy desire reflected in his now lust darkened eyes. It amazed her to think that he wanted her so completely.

"Spike," she whispered just before attacking his lips again. Suddenly it was as if she couldn't get enough of the feel of him. Without breaking apart they somehow managed to end up stretched out on the couch, Spike partially on top of Buffy.

"Fuck, pet, I don't know what you've done to me." Spike whispered pulling away to let his lips travel down to her breasts. "Never wanted anyone as much as I want you."

"Really?" her voice came out low and raspy. Her hands slid down his chest and fumbled with the buckle of his pants as he effortlessly snapped the clasp to her bra.

"Never, Buffy." He responded, groaning as her hand slipped inside his pants to grasp his throbbing cock. "You are my golden goddess. Was a bloody fool to walk away from you before."

Buffy's eyes had drifted down between their bodies watching her hand as she pumped his cock, but now they quickly snapped up to stare at him. Stormy blue eyes were staring back down at her and it shocked her to see concern and worry reflected in his eyes. Her hands suddenly came up to cup his face.

"Spike…"she whispered tugging his head down closer to hers, so eventually their foreheads were pressed together.

"Don't let me fuck this up, Buffy." He pleaded. "Please don't…."

"Shh," she said thumbs caressing his cheeks. "Make love to me, Spike. Show me how much you want me."

Spike captured her lips in his, determined to show her through actions how much he loved her. He couldn't say the words yet, but surely he could show her. Clothes were quickly discarded in a frenzied hurry to come together. Later Spike carried Buffy to their bedroom and they made love again before falling to sleep curled together under the blankets.

That weekend Buffy made plans for her and Spike to join Willow, Darrell, Xander and Anya at the Bronze for an evening of socialization. When Spike and Buffy arrived they found Xander and Anya at a table in the corner.

"Buffster!" Xander said enthusiastically, excited to see his friend.

"Hey Xander," she replied, taking a seat on the chair next to him. Spike settled on the chair next to her.

"Congratulations, Buffy." Anya said, uncharacteristically solemn. "I was surprised when Xander told me that you two had gotten married."

"Thank you, Anya." Buffy said, squeezing Spike's hand beneath the table. He was obviously uncomfortable, being the odd one out of their group. He had never spent much time in the past with Buffy and her friends. Buffy didn't recall seeing Xander at the party earlier that week which had surprised her, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up. Xander had never liked Spike, she was well aware of that, but she hadn't thought it would keep him away.

"You, uh, want a drink, love?" Spike asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

"I would love one." Buffy replied with a smile.

Spike stood up and looked at the other occupants of the table. "You lovebirds need anything?"

Xander stood before Anya could say anything. "I'll go with you."

Spike nodded curtly. Pressing a quick kiss to Buffy's forehead he walked towards the bar with Xander, leaving the girls at the table alone.

Both men were silent as they walked to the bar and ordered their drinks. It became almost an uncomfortable silence once their order was placed. Finally Xander spoke up.

"Look, man, I know we haven't always got along." Xander said. Spike snorted; entertained by the fact that Xander thought they had ever gotten along. "And I sure as hell don't know what you're playing at with Buffy, but you hurt her and there's going to be hell to pay."

"Don't know what you're goin' on about Harris." Spike replied. "I've got no intention of hurting Buffy."

"We both know your track record with women, Spike. Buffy may be blind to it, but the rest of us aren't. I don't…"

"Stop right there, Harris. You don't know shit about me. If all I wanted to do was fuck the chit I sure as hell wouldn't have married her. Not that I should have to defend myself to you. Buffy's a big girl, she can make her own decisions." Spike interjected, frustrated at Xander. He reached out and grabbed the drinks the bartender had just put down in front of him and turned to leave Xander behind. He didn't want to ruin the evening for Buffy, but he wasn't about to listen to Xander threaten him.

"Spike!" Xander called out. Spike stopped, but didn't turn around to face him. Xander grabbed his own drinks and quickly caught up to Spike. "Look, we don't like each other. I get that. But we both care about Buffy. I just don't want to see her hurt. I don't get what the hell you did to get her to run off and marry you, and to tell you the truth, I don't want to. She deserves better than you, but somehow you got her to choose you."

Spike eyed Xander suspiciously for a moment. "Know I don't deserve the girl, Harris. But you just need to get it through your thick skull that I have no intention of hurting her. I love her, no changing that."

The two men eyed each other for a few tense moments then Xander nodded. "Guess I'll have to learn to deal."

Spike nodded back then continued his trip back to the table. Willow and Darrell had joined Buffy and Anya and the group was talking animatedly.

"Diet Coke for my girl," Spike said placing a glass down in front of Buffy while giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Buffy smiled up at him and his heart swelled. Here they were, out with her friends and they were together, he almost couldn't believe it. Didn't matter that Harris didn't particularly care for him. He didn't particularly care for the boy. Always had a tendency to try to manage Buffy's life. He had seen it first-hand a number of times. Buffy had always been a strong willed woman, he didn't get why she often let her friends have control. Even now he knew she looked to them for approval of their relationship.

"Spike!" Buffy said, drawing him out of his thoughts.

"What?" he said, confused as to why she was looking at him expectantly." Sorry, love, I didn't catch that."

"Willow was just asking when the next hockey camp was, and if Angel was coming back for it." Buffy told him. She looked at him carefully, wondering where his thoughts had wandered to. She wondered if he was as nervous to be out with her friends as she was.

"Oh…uh…think it's coming up in October. Don't know if Angel will be back for it thought." Spike answered, struggling to refocus his attention on the conversation.

"Have you set the roster for the junior team yet?" Xander asked. While he no longer played, having given it up in high school, he still enjoyed attending a game or two.

Spike looked at him in surprise. "Just 'bout, still working on a few. Plannin' on coming to a few games, Harris?"

"A few," Xander replied with an indifferent shrug.

Silence once again reigned among the three men as the three women moved into a new conversation. After a few minutes Spike looked over and saw Xander and Darrell conversing, feeling slightly like the odd man out, he scooted his chair closer to Buffy, casually letting his arm rest on the back of her chair. She turned and gave him a quick smile when his fingers started tracing patterns on her bare arm, then turned back to her friends. Finally a slow song started playing and the other two couples quickly disappeared onto the dance floor leaving Buffy and Spike alone.

Spike let his hand wander up her arm and then over her back tracing the outline of her dress. He felt her shiver under his touch and suppressed a grin. He enjoyed that he could get a reaction from just touching her, not even needing to say a word.

"So this has been nice," Buffy commented after a few moments of silence, desperately trying to get her reaction to Spike under control. Regardless of what they had done together over the past week since getting married, she still felt a little awkward in his presence.

Spike just nodded, his gaze remaining on the dance floor and his hand still caressing her skin softly. Buffy turned her head slightly to study him. She knew he was feeling about as uncomfortable as she was around her friends. They were okay with each other in private, but she was still unsure exactly what was expected in public. For her the relationship was still pretty new, yet their friends were sure to expect more from them as newlyweds.

"I know it's going to take some time for them to get used to us," Buffy began, desperate to erase the silence between them. "But Willow's happy for us. I mean I know she doesn't really know everything. I'm sure she would totally wig out if she knew the whole story, but that doesn't really matter now does it? I mean we are together, just not in the way they think. At least I think we are…"

Buffy's voice trailed off as Spike took his gaze off the dance floor and eyed her. She lowered her gaze after a few moments, feeling oddly vulnerable to his penetrating stare. Spike watched her for a few moments, surprised when she lowered her eyes and wouldn't meet his gaze. She had been babbling, something he found quite adorable, but it was what she said that really got to him. They were together. Something he often had to remind himself. This wasn't just a plan to keep her safe anymore. They weren't just pretending at being a couple. They really were.

"Dance with me." Buffy shivered as she felt his breath caress her neck, his lips lightly touching that sensitive spot just behind her ear that he had discovered. Spike stood quickly, after all it had been a statement not a question, and held out a hand to her. Buffy took his hand and stood on shaky feet. Memories of their first dance flooded her mind. She wondered if Spike remembered too.

Spike led her to a less crowded area of the dance floor and pulled her close, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, while Buffy's automatically came up to encircle his neck. Tentatively she rested her head on his chest relaxing when Spike tightened his grip on her and rested his chin on top of her head as he swayed them back and forth to the music.

"We're together, Buffy." Spike said a few moments later. Buffy pulled her head back and looked up at him in surprise. Spike could see the question in her eyes and continued speaking. "It doesn't matter what your friends think or know it won't change things."

She gave him a brilliant smile then stretched up to press her lips to his in a quick kiss.

"What was that for, love?" he asked in surprise; Buffy could still be rather reserved in showing him affection in public or private.

"To say thank you for being you." she replied with a grin, pleased to have caught him off guard.

"'m always me, sweetheart."

"I know, but you just..." Buffy paused for a moment; her lips pressed tightly together trying to figure out what she wanted to say. While she was thinking her fingers were playing with Spike's hair creating a mess of curls out of his normally slicked back hair. Spike almost groaned aloud as he watched her tongue dart out to wet her lips. Instead he just attempted to pull her even closer, pressing her body tightly to his.

"You just seem to say exactly what I need to hear at exactly the right time," she said finally. "I don't know how you do it."

"Don't really do nothin' 'cept say what I think, love." Spike grinned a little sheepishly then added, "Usually gets me in more trouble than it gets me thanked."

Buffy grinned; she was well aware how often his mouth got him in trouble, at least it had in the past.

"'sides, was only tellin' the truth. We are together. Doesn't really matter what everyone thinks yeah?"

"Yeah," Buffy sighed. The song they had been dancing to ended and Buffy moved to pull away. Spike pulled her back into his embrace as another slower song started. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her friends returning to the table and their drinks, but he wasn't ready to let Buffy go just yet.

"One more dance, sweetheart," he murmured in her ear.

"Mmm, okay," she replied pressing herself closer, enjoying the security of Spike's arms.

Spike carefully maneuvered them so they were in a darker corner of the room, away from the crowd. Letting his hands slide down her sides, he grasped her hips and pulled her lower body flush against his.

"Love the feel of you so close to me," he murmured pressing his lips to the spot just below her ear. Buffy let out a soft moan and moved her head to give him better access to her neck.

"Really like this little dress of yours." Spikes voice was low and rumbled as he spoke between light kisses pressed along her neck. "Fits you like a glove; shows off the best parts of you."

"Spike!" Buffy gasped when he brought a hand up to gently cup then squeeze a breast through the fabric of her dress.

"Shh," he whispered not moving his hand. "No one can see us."

Buffy blinked open her eyes and saw that he was right. He had expertly maneuvered them into a dark corner.

"You wear this dress just for me, kitten?" he asked fingers tracing along one of the thin straps of the blood red dress she wore.

Buffy blushed and was grateful Spike couldn't see her red cheeks because of the dark. She had worn it just for him and had hoped he would like it. She normally didn't dress up for a night out at the Bronze, but she had discovered the never worn dress as she was unpacking earlier in the day. She remembered buying it some time ago, but never having the right opportunity to wear it. Tonight seemed the perfect time.

"Well, I know red is your favorite color," her voice was low and soft, her breath teasing at his ear.

"'specially on you." He told her before turning his head and capturing her lips in a kiss causing Buffy to melt further into his embrace. The sounds of the club slowly disappeared as she focused solely on Spike and the way he was making her feel. When he finally tore his mouth from hers they were both breathing heavily.

"You are so beautiful, Buffy." Spike whispered trailing kissing down the side of her throat, his hands skimming along her sides for a moment before returning to gently cup her breasts. "So fucking beautiful."

"Mmm, Spike!" Buffy gasped again as he slid one of the straps of her dress off her shoulder kissing his way across her collar bone. "We can't, not here."

Either Spike didn't hear her or he ignored her, moving his other hand to the other strap as his mouth moved softly over her skin.

"Spike," Buffy repeated a little more forcefully, hands coming up to tangle in his hair and attempted to pull his head away from her chest. She didn't want to, she loved what Spike was doing to her, but she knew if she didn't stop him now the others at the club would get a very interesting show. Threading her fingers through his hair she tightened her grip and tilted his head back so he would look her in the eye. His eyes were dark and cloudy with lust making her wish they weren't at the Bronze where everyone could watch them.

"Not here," she whispered giving him a quick kiss.

Spike nodded, not yet trusting himself to speak. He hadn't intended for things to get as far as they had. He had only wanted to dance with her, but it just felt so damn good holding her in his arms. He would never admit it aloud, but a part of him was afraid that someday soon this warm, willing Buffy would disappear and be replaced with a Buffy who no longer wanted him. Silently he slid her dress straps back up into place then bent his head to press a chaste kiss to the pulse point on her neck. Buffy let her hands slide down his chest and wrap around his waist under the duster he wore.

"Take me home?" she whispered truly more a statement than a question.

Nothing would have made Spike happier at that moment, but he forced himself to ask, "What about your friends?"

"They'll deal," she replied, not really caring, yet knowing her friends wouldn't mind.

Spike hesitated only for a moment, and then pulled away. Firmly taking Buffy's hand in his own he led her back to her friends. After a quick goodbye and promises to get together again soon, Spike pulled Buffy out into the night and towards their home. For once there were no thoughts of a stalker, or how their situation was only temporary. Instead all they both could think about was going home-together.