Her eyes blinked at the whiteness of the room around her and for a second her chest constricted thinking that it had been some kind of trick and she was back in that stupid room with that insufferable stupid demon.
Thankfully the beeping of the machines behind her shattered that thought in just a second. She took in the feel of the cool sheets around her and gave an experimental little stretch. There was still a lot of pain in her chest but it felt like it was healing okay.
The sound of voices drifted in to her from outside of the room.
"Miraculous really. The doctors said that any normal person would have been dead just from the blood loss alone."
Wesley's Watcher voice that brought back some memories.
"She was dead Wes. Spike and I heard her heart stop."
"Be that as it may Angel the point is she's alive now and seems to be recovering rather speedily."
"But what happened down there?" The slight twang in the light voice identified it easily enough as Fred to her.
"Not much actually. Big fight with big demons then we kill them."
Her eyes wandered the room letting the sounds of their conversation turn into a low drone in the back of her mind. Now that her eyes were focused she could see the brightness of the room was more due to the awful florescent lights that were overhead then the actual color around her. How anyone would be able to sleep with that much light was beyond her.
She dismissed the plain beige of the walls and the small counter that lined one side of the room where a single small flower arrangement of daisies sat. She wondered briefly who they were from before turning her head to take in the chair near the side of the bed.
Apparently the over use of light didn't seem to bother some people.
Spike was sitting in the chair fast asleep his head resting on her bed, which couldn't be exactly comfortable. She couldn't resist letting her fingers run through the soft curls of his hair. If possible his features seemed to relax even further and settle deeper into sleep.
She felt a grin spread on her lips at the sight of the man she loved. Just as always when she needed him here he was by her side. He was her reward. One that she wouldn't take lightly and she could only hope in whatever time she was allowed to remain with him that he knew that every second.
The peace in the room seemed to evaporate as Angel walked into the room.
"Buffy?"
She lifted her hand and brought her fingers to her mouth in a shushing gesture.
The sad smile that Angel gave her spoke volumes as he nodded his head in agreement.
"Just wanted to make sure you were okay." His voice was a whisper now he didn't want to wake Spike either.
The last two days had been rough on the peroxide blond. Between watching Buffy die fighting the senior partners finding Buffy alive again and waiting for the last fourteen hours for her to get through surgery and wake up well he had little time to rest from the emotional roller coaster that he'd been on. Through it all Angel had kept a worried eye on his errant childe.
With Buffy now so obviously on the mend he couldn't help a sigh of relief. Not only for himself but for him too. The love the two of them felt for each other wasn't something he was capable of denying. Not anymore. Not when it was so obvious and especially not when it had almost been lost.
"I'm fine. You guys are gonna get me out of here right?"
"First thing in the morning. Wes is gonna bring a car around and pick the two of you up. I'll just let you guys rest." Angel began to back out of the room.
"Angel." Her soft call to him made him stop and turn his warm brown eyes to her. "What are you going to do now?"
The question hadn't even crossed his mind in the events up to and following the death of the foe that he had been fighting against for a good number of years. Now with everything settled and the return of the confidence of his friends in him even if it was slightly uneasy in the face of their regained memories allowed his thoughts to turn to the future. He was sure the Powers would continue to use him in any manner they saw fit and he was still accepting of that. He had chosen his own road of redemption after all and it was no stretch for him to continue on that path. It was just now he felt better knowing he wasn't the only one.
His eyes turned to the sleeping vampire and gave a soft smile. No he wasn't as alone as he used to be.
"We'll go back to the hotel. Reopen Angel Investigations. Continue to help the helpless."
Buffy gave him a tired but genuine smile.
"If you ever..."
"I know." He returned her smile before he left the room.
*******
She sat quietly in the car her eyes trained on the door to the house.
Two days of rest and she was fully recovered from her injuries. Now she sat in the car its tinted windows allowing the light from the setting sun to warm her gently and not catch her companion in a blaze of fire. They hadn't really spoken about what she had experienced not that she was keeping it from him but she could see the emotion in his face every time he looked at her. Like he was working around the lump of tears in his throat. He was still just trying to get used to the idea that she wasn't dead. Again.
She wasn't sure if he was ready to hear that he was still going to be a pawn of the Powers that Be. A Champion they would feel the need to test over and over again before he too was allowed the rewards they promised. If only to be free of their duties. She was definitely sure that he wasn't ready to hear that she had given up her second chance at heaven for him.
Catching the look in his blue eyes she was sure of it. It was too soon for him to know.
But that didn't mean she couldn't show him just what he meant to her. How much she loved him. Why he had been her choice.
She had no regrets. No forbidden wishes that she had lived or chosen differently. Not with him.
The thought that she was happy even sitting here in one of Angel's appropriated cars while they waited for the sun to finish setting before they went to the house brought a small smile to her face. No she didn't have any regrets.
The last two days had been filled with tender looks and touches that she would never thought the both of them capable of. Filled with tremendous amounts of love communicated through touch and feel through sound and taste. Neither willing to leave the side of the other for more then a few minutes at a time. He was being extra possessive of her afraid that the second she left his presence that she would just disappear. Similarly she was afraid for the first day that she would turn around and he would be snatched out of her grasp by the cruel beings that watched over their fate.
It didn't happen of course and she began to relax.
Spike on the other hand....
She turned to look at her vampire, her man, her friend, her lover, her mate. Because even if he had yet to claim her she could feel the inevitable as it drew near. And it pleased her to no end.
The soft look in his deep blue eyes made her smile and she placed her hand over his.
"Are you ready?" She couldn't help the slight note of nervousness in her voice for what they were about to do.
"Only if you are pet." His support was there she knew without it even being spoken.
"Spike?" At his look she sighed letting out the tension that had been building steadily in her body for the last half hour. "When we get done I want to go back to Cleveland."
They hadn't spoken about what would happen since she had gotten out of the hospital and she knew that he would be surprised. The widening of his eyes confirmed her guess easily.
"You want to..."
"Yeah I liked it there."
"But your mates..."
"Are getting on just fine without me." She tightened her fingers over their clasped hands. "But only if you want to go."
He cocked his head to the side trying to read her she was sure.
"Only if I...?"
He seemed in capable of finishing a sentence and if she hadn't wanted him to take the rather one-sided conversation seriously she would have giggled at his lack of verbage.
"Spike we started a new life together. I just want to get back to it." The light that she saw in his eyes warmed her already loving heart. "I love you."
She never got tired of saying those three words to him. Of course she was sure he never got tired of hearing them.
His hand caressed her cheek as his lips gently brushed against hers. A chaste kiss really but one that held the promise of more tomorrows surrounded in love. The kind of kiss every girl dreams of but so few ever get.
When they parted she stroked her hand softly over his. She let a teasing grin come out to play across her features.
"So was that a yes?"
"Oh god pet. If you didn't know it by know I'd follow you to the bloody ends of the earth."
As the last of the fading light slipped beyond the horizon she leaned over and kissed him gently.
"Just to Cleveland okay?"
He nodded his assent and she squared her shoulders as she reached for the door handle.
They walked up the front steps and onto the porch pausing before the familiar door. Standing side by side.
Through her own nervousness she could feel his unease and she reached out and took his hand in hers drawing him closer to her side. Satisfied she used her free hand to knock on the door.
The squeal that greeted them was sharp and piercing and one of the loveliest sounds she had ever heard.
"Hey Dawnie Merry Christmas."
And as they followed the excited teen into the house Buffy felt her happiness and contentment fill her. With the same look reflected back at her from the man by her side she was sure that no matter what life and upper beings had to throw at them in the future she would always have this.
She was okay with that.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
This is it. The end. Just to let you know I wouldn't have been able to finish this story without all of your support and loving words. Thank you all so much for making this story such a rewarding experience. It was sad to finally wrap this up and I put it off for as long as possible. Please let me know what you thought of just not the epilogue but the story as a whole. Thank you all so much once again.