Spike Rayne sat next to his best friend and soon to be best man, Xander Harris. Tomorrow was the big day. He was getting married. He never thought he would be settling down. If someone had asked him two years ago, he would've laughed in their face and insisted he wasn't the marrying kind.
"Wow, I still can't believe it, man. Tomorrow, shackled to an old lady, old married guy," Xander chuckled, wondering when the world was going to end or if lightening would indeed strike the bleached blonde wonder down. "Never in a million years would I have dreamed you'd actually be getting hitched."
"Well, she is my equal."
"No, man, she is loony as they come."
"Xander Harris, don't be spreading lies about my intended bride like that." Spike's tone of voice held a bit of mirth to it, knowing his friend was only joking.
"Not, lies buddy. She's got to be crazy to be marrying you," Xander snorted good naturally.
"Is this seat taken?" a husky voice interrupted. The stunning brunette gave Spike a look of interest.
Xander said no, but Spike said yes, causing Harris to take a closer look at his best friend. He so hoped and prayed he wasn't thinking of doing what Xander thought he was going to do.
"Come on, Spike, let's call it a night. Bells will be ringing early, and you need to look your best." Xander tried to get his friend to leave with him.
"You go on, Harris. I have a few more drinks left in me,” Spike answered as he returned the woman's sloe-eyed look.
"Spike, tomorrow…remember?" Xander reminded him, thinking he shouldn't be having to remind him.
"Whelp, I'll be there with bells on, don't worry about it." Spike answered, giving his best friend a wink and nod for him to leave.
Xander couldn't help but lean in and whisper, "This is wrong, Spike. So wrong."
Spike leaned back and gave him a smirk. "Nothing wrong about it, mate, I'm not married yet."
"Yeah, but can you look Buffy in the eye tomorrow and say your vows if you sleep with this woman?" Xander hissed. "I know I'll have a hard time looking at her standing there all in white. If you do this, then I guess you really don't love her as much as you claim."
"Xander, this isn't about love, it's about my last night of freedom," Spike whispered back.
"Well, then I guess if you look at it like that maybe you should show up tomorrow and serve your life sentence in the prison of matrimony, then," Harris growled as he threw down his part of the tab, "Think about it, Spike. Or maybe I should stop off and tell Buffy to find her a last night of freedom fuckage. Hey! I hear Angel's back in town, I'm sure he'd be up for the job."
Spike glared at his best friend's back as he walked away and then turned toward the beauty beside him. The bint wasn't wasting time. Looking down, he smiled as her hand moved up the inside of his thigh.
"So, baby you wanna go splurge on your last night of freedom?" she asked as her hand found his hard cock and squeezed it.
"Got a name, pet?"
"Faith. Do you want some?" She leaned in and licked his lips, then moved over to suck on his earlobe. "'Cause, I'm game if you are," she purred as she rubbed harder on his stiffing member. "Oh, man, your dick feels so good and it's not even in my pussy yet."
Spike closed his eyes as he let her work magic with her hands. For two years, he'd been faithful, never tempted to stray until now. It had always had been about Buffy, but these last couple weeks their wedding plans had come first. All she talked about was the flowers, the cake, the ceremony. Getting married, saying the vows and wearing rings that would bind them together forever, or until she tired of him.
The vibration of his cell phone penetrated his fog of lust. Pulling it from his belt, he groaned as he recognized his future wife's number on the caller I.D. Who knew Cingular came with a conscience? Spike found himself at a crossroads. Let this Faith continue to seduce him, or answer the phone.
"Don't answer it, baby. You know you wanna dance."
He suddenly pulled away from her clinging hands. Her words brought back memories of a time when he'd said the same thing to Buffy the first night they met. It hit him then what he was doing. Without sparing the other girl a thought, he moved away and flipped the phone open.
"Hey, baby," he said into the phone as he walked away from his last temptation.
"Hi, I miss you." She sniffed.
"Buffy, baby, are you crying?"
"A little. I feel so bad, honey. I want you here with me. I miss you so much. I think by trying to make this the most perfect day for us, I forgot to make sure you knew how much I love you."
"Buffy, I'm comin' over. I don't give two fucks about tradition," he told her. "I'm spending my last night as a free man with my girl, just like the rest of my days."
"Please hurry. I just need you to hold me and tell me you love me."
"I love you, Goldilocks, have since the first time I saw you."
She gave a watery giggle. "I’ll always remember the first words you said to me."
"Come on, you know you wanna dance," he said, his voice husky, his body craving her touch, her warmth. He truly didn't know what he was thinking back in the bar just now, except he was scared and nervous.
"You know I do, with you and only you for the rest of my life," Buffy told him.
"God, Buffy…I've missed you these last couple of weeks."
"I know, but we will have the rest of our lives," she reassured him, thankful that she had called Xander to drop Spike off at their place instead of taking him home to his.
In hindsight, she realized that she had gotten caught up in all the wedding preparations, unintentionally making Spike feel left out of everything. No one knew about the insecure little boy named William that hid inside her Spike. She'd forgotten how easy it was for him to feel unloved, since the only love he'd ever found was with her.
"Spike, you do know I love you, don't you?" she asked, hoping he'd get a hint that she knew what he almost done.
"Buffy…I…for a moment I'd thought you stopped."
"I know, and I'm here to tell you I will love you until the day I die, but if you so much as look at another woman with lust in your eyes, I will scratch them out."
"Xander called you."
"No, I called Xander to see if he'd drop you off here. He can't lie worth crap," she scoffed. "Do you want to marry me, Spike? If not, tell me now."
"Buffy, promise me you'll never leave me."
"William, I'm yours forever and always- if you'll have me," she vowed as tears ran down her cheeks. If she could travel back in time and punish all those that hurt him so much, she would. "I so need to hold you right now, feel your skin against mine."
"Buffy, how could you even want me?" He felt lower than dirt, soiled for even contemplating what he'd almost done to her. To them.
"Because I know you so well, baby. I know once I say I do and slip that ring on your finger, you'll really start to believe I'm your girl. I know when I tell you for the first time we're going to parents, you'll finally believe we're a family. When we're old and gray and our grandkids are driving us batty, you’ll believe we were meant to be."
"I don't know what I did to deserve you. Not sure I do."
"Oh, baby, just get your ass over here so I can show you just how much I love you. It's not about deserving, but just about it being there. You're not a bad, rude man, just my Spike, and I won't share you with anyone."
"I love you, baby. I'm coming home."
"Yes, you're coming home."
Spike hung up the phone as he tried to hail a cab, jumping when someone grabbed his ass.
"Hey, handsome! Did you forget something. Or should I say…someone?"
"No. In fact; you could say I was saved by the vibration," he answered as he moved toward the cab that was arriving.
"Hey, what's with the tease and leave?" she demanded, her voice a very bitchy whine.
"'Cause you're not her. It's always been and always will be all about Buffy."
He got in the cab and as it drove away, he thanked whoever was looking out for him tonight. Whoever it was had saved him from making the worst mistake of his life. Xander was right, he would never have been able to stand before God and all those witnesses and marry his love if he'd slept with that woman. He also knew he'd never be tempted again, for no one could love and understand him like Buffy. She was the only one he could tell his deepest and darkest secrets to, and she still loved him.
Buffy sat on their bed, waiting for her lover and soon-to-be-husband to come home. She would welcome him with open arms and shower him with love, affection, and support. No one knew how truly horrific his childhood had been, and no one would. It had taken him a long time to trust her, but he’d shared his darkest secrets with her and she would protect him at all costs.
The ringing of the telephone startled her and she quickly snatched it up. "Hello?"
"Did you get hold of him?" Xander asked.
"He should be home soon. He was on his way to your house in a cab when I called." She was lying, but she didn't care. It was none of their business.
"Good, see you at the church, then."
"We both will be there with bells on," she joked as she hung up the phone to wait for her man to arrive.
*******
Spike stood with Xander by his side. His heart started to race the moment the Wedding March started to play. Once blue eyes met hazel, all thoughts of loosing his freedom flew out the door, for in Buffy's arms he'd found the sweetest freedom of all. Her love and support would give him the strength love, raise a family, and to enjoy life like he'd ever done before.
He smiled with new-found confidence. After today, he would no longer be alone. His entire body flushed with warmth when she smiled at him sweetly and mouthed, 'I love you,' to him
Buffy looked at him standing there, so handsome, waiting for her. They had talked long into the night about his being tempted, but it was worth it, for they'd finally put a few issues to rest for good. There was no way she was going to let his past fears come between them. He was hers, and she'd do everything in her power to give him the love he needed. She'd already noticed a difference in the way he looked at her and in the way he smiled.
"Still feel like you're losing your freedom?" Xander asked, noticing the look of awe and happiness on his friends face.
"No, mate, for the first time I truly feel free," Spike answered as he watched his future being handed to him by her mother. "Thank you, Joyce, for trusting me with her care."
"William, there's no one else I would trust her to," Joyce replied as she leaned in and gently kissed his cheek. "I'm happy to be gaining a son."
Spike fought the tears as he returned the sweet kiss with one of his own and said, "I love you, Mum."
"I love you, too."
Buffy fought so hard to keep from crying at her mother's open demonstration of affection and Spike's reaction, and she entwined their fingers when Joyce brought their hands together. The look of awe on her lover's face told her that last night had been a good thing; it made them really see what was important to them.
"I’ll love you 'til the end of the world," Spike said as they turned to face the priest.
"I'm so gonna hold you to that," she replied with a wink.
Everyone laughed at how both the bride and groom glared around the room, daring anyone to show cause why they shouldn't be married. The tears that fell from both their eyes was proof of why guests brought tissues with them to a wedding. The sound of 'ahhs' was heard as the groom sealed the placing of his ring by pressing a kiss to it, and applause echoed throughout the church when they were introduced as man and wife.
It was the beginning of an incredible marriage that would span some sixty odd years of faithful loving for the happy couple.
The End.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This is a one shot ficklet that wouldn't leave my head until I wrote it down.......so I'm sharing......