With a frown, she realized she really needed to work on coming up with better metaphors.
Instead, however, Willow settled against the outside wall of a nearby crypt and just watched. It was nice to get a moment to catch her breath after leading the three soon-to-be-dusty vampires in a chase across the cemetery towards their waiting doom, but she was also enjoying the show. When Buffy and Spike fought, it was so much like a dance, all power and grace, with timing so right it made the whole thing appear as if it had been choreographed.
Even in the violence, they were beautiful, the vampire and his mate, and it was a truly awe-inspiring thing to get the privilege of watching them from the outside. In the moonlight, they seemed to glow, a shimmer of pale light surrounding them both as they moved. Vampire dust began to swirl around them as they staked one, then two, and Willow had to giggle as she noticed the third vampire begin to realize his mistake in coming there tonight.
"Too little, too late, and now you're toast, fang face," Willow thought.
Buffy and Spike wore nearly identical grins as they circled their prey, adrenaline soaring through them from the fight. The vampire panicked, tried in the last second to run, but Buffy was there, stopping him with a sharp kick that sent him flying backwards and onto Spike's waiting stake. The eyes of the mated pair met through the dust, the tension still coursing in their bodies also heavy in the air, and a silent promise passed between them as their smiles grew.
Later, when we're alone…
Buffy remembered once, several months ago, trying to sell Spike on the idea of fighting demons with her by pointing out that with them, the mayhem and destruction could be fun. She knew now just how right she'd been. There was nothing quite as exhilarating as a good fight followed by a good rough and tumble with her mate. Often times, it was all they could do to actually make it down the stairs to the apartment Giles had set up for them in his basement. More often than not, the first round of the evening took place somewhere other than their bed, which always seemed too far away.
If Willow hadn't been with them then, Buffy knew they wouldn't have been making it out of the cemetery.
Remembering the redhead's presence, Buffy turned, even as Spike moved closer to her and rested his cool, strong hand against the small of her back, making her tremble. "Ready to call it a night, Willow?" she asked.
Willow nodded. "Yeah. I think I've had my fill of being bait for the night. Kinda wears you out pretty quickly, the whole running through a cemetery with vampires nipping at your heels thing."
"You did an especially good job of that tonight," Spike told her. "That piercing scream of terror was quite believable."
Willow beamed. "Was it? I've been working on it."
"Oh yeah. I'm still trying to stop the ringing," Spike replied.
"I wanted to be more convincingly scared," Willow said. "It's a little hard to be these days, knowing I'm just leading them to get their asses totally kicked by you guys."
"Well, it's very convincing," Buffy confirmed. "You could totally have a career as a horror movie victim."
"Thanks," Willow said, her smile growing. She liked feeling useful, even if it was just by screaming and flailing her arms while she ran in mock-terror.
Willow stepped away from the crypt, and the three of them walked out of the cemetery together. Spike always insisted on walking Willow home first, no matter how badly he really wanted to get Buffy alone at the moment. She may be no real prey with the two of them nearby, but Spike knew how easily someone like Willow could become a tasty treat if she was left on her own, and he'd be damned all over again before he let that happen.
They dropped Willow off at her house and said their goodnights, then stepped back out into the night. Buffy walked with Spike for a few feet down the sidewalk before she stopped, grabbed him, and kissed him hard. Spike groaned into her mouth, everything seeming to blur around him except for the taste of her lips and the desire he felt for her body.
Suddenly, Buffy pulled away, a mischievous smile on her lips. "Race you home," she said before she took off at a run, her laughter trailing behind her.
Grinning, Spike gave chase.
Yes, that is the end. Before anyone asks, I don't currently have any plans for a sequel. If something came to my mind that I really wanted to write, maybe, but as it is, I don't see that happening. I have so many other fic ideas and a pretty full schedule, so there's not really a lot of time for sequels. But do know that they live a long, long time together, and even with the trials they find themselves facing, they find a way to overcome it all together.
Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with this story, supporting and enjoying it through to the end, even when things got dark. I promised you a happily ever after, and here it is, after months of angst and times when it didn't look like our couple was going to make it through. I really do appreciate everyone's kind words and support throughout the fic, and I hope that I was able to entertain each and every one of you.
Thanks for reading!