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As the light encompassed her, she realized too late that her aunt Willow might have been right. Maybe the reaches of space and time would punish her for stepping outside of where she belonged. Perhaps every being did have a certain time and place in which they fit in the universe. Perhaps there was only one time, one moment when the world bends to their will and becomes putty in the hand. And she realized that that time might indeed be finite and measurable.

Joni thought that maybe she'd overstepped the invisible boundary, because the instant she felt herself being pulled into the apex of her spell, her body felt like it was being ripped open at the seams. It could be that the universe was trying to tell her that this wasn't the place for her, this time. It may have been that her aunt Willow was right, just this once.

A scream tore from her throat, but it could not be heard. The vacuum of time had snuffed out the sound, and the thought that made it, before it had even had a chance to begin.
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IN THE INTERREGNUM

He was up and pacing again. Buffy tried to calm him, but she knew that that was like trying to calm a whirlwind, "Spike, if you don't calm down they're not going to let you in. I couldn't bear it if I had to be without you," for the first time since her arrival here, she felt like crying, "Please don't make me do this without you. You came all this way. I'm so proud of you. Please calm down."

"So this is purgatory, being omnipresent and still not being able to help? Her blaming herself nearly broke my heart the first time around. If I have to watch this happen to her again... Love, I just can't do it."

"Spike, she doesn't understand. She didn't know. All she knew is she missed her Daddy," Buffy hugged Spike as his head pressed into her neck, "I'm sure you remember how that felt. Here, the years go by so fast, I still feel like I just left you. But, I know that you were so long without me. Five years felt like an eternity, didn't it?"

He nodded, the tears he shouldn't be shedding, not when he was finally with her again, obscuring his vision of her.

"Spike, you were over a hundred years old. Joni's just a little girl. She's seventeen, Spike. Two years without her Daddy? Trust me," she smiled, wiping his tears, "for a Slayer, that's forever. Add on the fact that she's also a little girl who had her Daddy wrapped around her little finger from the first time he laid eyes on her, and that's forever plus one."

"I know Love, it's just that I feel so helpless here. I should be doing something. I told Red to watch out for her. Turns out you can't send a witch to do a vampire's job."

"We could tell Cordy," Buffy offered, "she could get word to Angel. She's still on probation because of that whole Circle thing. But there could be an exception."

"No, absolutely not! I will not let that overzealous berk near my baby girl!"

"Then how do we help her?"

Spike shook his head in thought, "If only there were some way to..." his eyes brightened with hope and mischief, "That's it!"

"What Spike?"

"I've got an Idea, Love," he smiled, holding her tight as she looked into his face, "It won't be pretty. In fact, it's gonna hurt a lot."

Buffy smiled, "I guess this is one of those times a borrowed soul really comes in handy, huh?"

"...But, if this works, I can have you, and my baby girl. And, Red won't have to go through years of guilt over her part in teetering the balance. I need to talk to your Mum."
***********************************

MARCH 22, 2005

Spike couldn't believe he wasn't dreaming. She was here, and she was his. It was all still a blur. Had she really married him?

He let air into his lungs. The scent of her washed over him, and he could hear her steady heartbeat and the hush of her breath. But, even though his superior senses told him she was indeed there with him, he knew from experience that, when it came to something he wanted with all of his heart, sometimes his senses could lie to him. They could lie to him with surprising ease and skill, especially when it came to her. That was why he'd lain there, for what seemed like hours, awash in her warmth and her scent, and he still couldn't find the courage to open his eyes.

He didn't think his heart could take it if all of this had been a lie. He moaned a little at the thought. What was it she had said about removing a bandage? Best to do it fast, then it's over quickly with a minimum of pain. He didn't want to tear the bandage off of his heart, but he had to.

So, he opened his eyes.

In the dim light of the room, he saw the delicate outline of the wedding gown she wore. The fabric was as light as a snowflake and sparkled in the light that only he could see. He saw the bottle of champagne, still on ice, on the table inside his small flat.

The fact that the bottle was more than three quarters down, could well be the explanation for the rather pleasant buzz he had around him. He wasn't near drunk, just pleasantly numb.

He shifted slightly and rose up on his elbow so that he could look down at her sleeping face in the pre-dawn light. He knew that they would have to find somewhere new to be. This was a warrior's living space. This was no place for a husband and it was definitely no place for a wife. The bed alone was woefully inadequate. But at the time, it was enough. After all, he wasn't going to entertain any visitors, was he? But now, if his wife hasn't been so petite, there would be no room for her to sleep comfortably.

And, there it was. The word. Wife. He had a wife. He looked down at his hand, and the small silver band confirmed that this was no dream because when he saw her small hand there was the circle's twin. The band was small, delicate and perfect, just as she was, and it confirmed the miracle. She was his, and he belonged to her, now and always.

He brushed his knuckles against the skin of her cheek. The skin was soft as rose petals and glowed with an inner light. The kind of light that he'd never seen before, but he hoped would never leave. It would be his job to keep the flame inside of her alive. It was his job to keep her safe. A job he took on willingly, and one he would never quit.

He whispered softly in her ear, knowing that somewhere in the space between sleeping and wakefulness, she would hear him, "I love you Buffy. I really love you."
*****************************

IN THE INTERREGNUM

"Joyce, I need your help. There's no way I can stop Jonina from doing this thing, but I can give some warning so that it doesn't blindside them. The first time around, by the time I pinpointed the source of the illness, it was too late for Buffy, and I loved her too much to see her hurt. I tried to tell her that I loved her. That it wasn't her fault," he paused, reliving the hurt of his heart, his little girl, " But the grief, it eclipsed everything else. And by the time I worked through it, no amount of hugs and kisses. No amount of love could convince her that I did. Love her. That can't happen this time. I can't let it. I need...some kind of warning."

Joyce nodded sympathetically, "I know how you feel, Spike. I think I know how to help you."
******************************

As he slept with his wife in his arms, for some reason, Spike dreamt of flying doves.





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