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Although he gave no outer sign of it, Buffy could tell that Spike was nervous. She could smell it on him, mixed with the usual sultry blend of leather, smoke and power. Her mouth watered, and she closed her eyes against the tide of desire rapidly rising in her. Now was not the time.

She rested a gentle hand on his arm; he jumped, turning to look at her with a startled expression. A soft smile curved her lips. Her ploy worked, and he relaxed under her hand. Lifting her knuckles to his mouth, he kissed them before returning her smile. Looking back at his friend, sitting patiently across from them, he grinned suddenly.

Willow watched the interaction between them curiously, with a hint of a blush rising on her cheeks as she noticed the heat smouldering lazily between them. Oz, who had already guessed the reason for their request to ‘chat’ with him and Willow, merely nodded his head knowingly, rubbing a hand against the itchy scab on the back of his neck.

Buffy had the grace to look guilty, mouthing “Sorry!” at him before Spike cleared his throat. “We wanted you to be the first to know, Red. We’re… Buffy ‘n’ me… Well, we… Oh Hell!”

As the Slayer ruefully scrubbed a hand over his face, his partner giggled and came to his rescue. “We wanted to tell you that we’re together now. As a couple.”

Spike froze; the vampiress could hear his heartbeat beginning to accelerate, his face tight with nerves. He let out a big sigh of relief when the witch suddenly shrugged and grinned. Casting a look at the werewolf, Buffy had her suspicions confirmed: he didn’t look surprised in the least. Then again, his face rarely seemed to show anything but his usual impassive acceptance.

“Just remember to keep the noise down, ok?” And with that, Willow gave a cheeky grin and a wink, sweeping from the room followed by a silent Oz, leaving a suitably sheepish Slayer to contemplate how smoothly things had gone.

****

Tara watched the couple opposite her with a gentle smile. She could see Spike fidgeting nervously, while Buffy just looked contented and a little smug. Their auras were breathtaking together. The Slayer’s was a rich mixture of wine-red, oranges and golden yellows, like a sunset. Buffy’s was the same eerie, silver-grey of her vampire eyes at the heart, but one edge was blindingly white and the other dark, shifting blacks and blues.

She could read their love in every move, every little touch they thought she didn’t see, and every look they exchanged. Even if they hadn’t yet named it for what it was, she could see that somewhere inside they recognised what they had. It came as no surprise when they made the announcement, and she merely smiled wider and wished them a happy relationship. As they exited the room, she flicked her fingers after them to send good luck on their tail.

“So mote it be.”

****

They cornered Anya when Xander disappeared into the bathroom. Sitting her down firmly, Spike remained quiet as Buffy took the lead, seemingly undaunted by the task of telling one of his best friends that she, a vampire, was now officially his girlfriend. Christ, the world was a fuckin’ weird place.

“Anya,” Buffy began, “We wanted to tell you that we’re-”

“Fucking like bunnies!” the former demon cut in with a bright smile, though her nose wrinkled at the turn of phrase, “Yes, I can tell. The unresolved sexual tension between you two was driving me crazy. I wish you many orgasms!”

Spike blushed and looked down, uncharacteristically shy. The petite vampiress merely smirked. “Yeah yeah, just don’t complain when we drown out you and Xander in the night.”

Pulling a thoroughly mortified Spike by the hand, Buffy departed, leaving a chuckling Anya behind.

****

He couldn’t look at them. He couldn’t bear to see them sitting there like normal people, couldn’t bear to see them acting as if one of them didn’t have a capacity for evil that was beyond imagining. Although he was grateful to Buffy for saving his life and he’d reached a sort of truce with her, something about a human being willingly being with a vampire just struck him as fundamentally wrong.

Xander wasn’t stupid. He knew what they’d come to tell him. Hell, what with Tara’s quiet satisfaction and Willow’s bubbly enthusiasm as she rambled on about how great it was that they had finally got it together, he couldn’t help but know.

Some part of him was hurt that Spike hadn’t told him first; he thought they’d had the whole male bonding thing down. Another, more rational, part of him knew why they’d done it. As the one who was most likely to put up resistance, it was logical for them to confront him after they’d gained the support of the other Scoobs.

He waited patiently until Spike finished his somewhat jumbled explanation, a wry smile tugging at his lips. For a long, long moment there was silence, the announcement hanging heavily in the air. Xander studied his friend intently. Despite the anxiety on the expressive face, he could still see that the Slayer was happier than he’d ever been before. It was there in the way he moved, the unconscious rub of his thumb over the back of her hand.

The tension was weighing heavily on Spike, he could tell. Finally he sat back, shooting a warning glance at Buffy as he spoke with a slow, tightly controlled tone. “I’m not going to stand in your way if this makes you happy. I can’t say that I’m delighted about this, but… It’s your life.”

The taller man slumped back in his seat, relief making him feel momentarily dizzy. He roused himself when Buffy pulled firmly on his hand, reminding him that the most difficult task was yet to come. As they stood to leave, Buffy turned a smirk on Xander.

“It’s ok, Xander. By the time next weekend comes, you’ll know more about our relationship than you even wanted to. I intend to make sure of it.”

She laughed at his disgusted grimace, sweeping from the room with her Slayer boyfriend close behind. He tugged her hand until she stopped. “What was all that about, luv?”

“Payback.” She replied cryptically, one hand pressed to the skin over her heart.

Spike looked back at Xander’s still form, only partially obscured by the doorframe. He turned to the vampiress with a suspicious scowl, but she only grinned at him and walked away, hips swinging distractingly. The Slayer remained frozen for a minute before following after her, shaking his head. He must be losing it. Not even Xander was that stupid.

****

Wood sat perfectly motionless for a few minutes after Spike made the announcement. Buffy had wanted to go with him, but he’d insisted that he do this alone. The Slayer paced restlessly in front of his oldest friend and advisor, disturbed by the closed-off face that was presented to him.

He’d known Wood longer than he’d known the rest of the Scooby Gang. The man had been his father-figure, his saviour, his teacher, his advisor. His friend. Spike knew that the dark-skinned Watcher wouldn’t take to the idea of his Slayer dating a vampire with eagerness. So it came as no great surprise when the man stood, looming over him, his face hidden by the shadows in the ill-lit room.

His voice was so soft that Spike had to strain to hear it. “You know that I was trained by the council to believe that all vampires are inherently evil. Spending time with Buffy has proved them wrong, but you cannot deny the flashes of the demon that seem to occur in her. She will always be a vampire, Spike, just as you will be the Slayer as long as you live.”

“If the Council were to find out about your… relationship with her, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. They might even come after you. I cannot approve of this, this unnatural mating of darkness and light, but.” His voice rose slightly to cover Spike’s protests, “I know that she is, in a way, different.”

“Slayers rarely live much longer than you. You know it and I know it. Buffy knows it too. So, if this is what makes you happy, then so be it. You do this without my consent, and as far as the Council is concerned I have no idea that you and her are together. But you deserve whatever measure of joy you can find in this life, as does she. I won’t say any more on the matter.”

And with that, the tall Watcher strode from the room, leaving a reflective Spike to think over everything he had said, unable to help the sheer pleasure coursing through his body like wildfire.





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