Author's Chapter Notes:
Just one more part after this til it's over...so review and I'll get my new story beta'd up faster---really I will...the bad review LC got slowed me down but good ones will speed me right back up again :-)
A/N: Panta_rei made me a great banner for this story


Part V


One entire year later


“Think we should move out, luv.”

“Spike, we can’t move out. You know we need to be here to protect the girls, besides where exactly were you thinking we could go? Your crypt’s not exactly hospitable or safe for that matter,” Buffy argued as they sat on the back steps attempting to find some peace and quiet.

“Yeah,” He objected petulantly, “But I want to!”

Buffy leaned over to hug her sulking vampire.

“They’ll be gone soon,” She assured him before realizing how it sounded. “I mean, they’ll be home soon’ all this will be done and it’ll just be us and Dawn.”

“What about Red and her bird?”

“There is no way, Buffy muttered, “That Kennedy is living here. Don’t tell Willow I said this, really don’t,” She whispered, leaning as close to his ear as she could, “But Kennedy’s kind of a bitch.”

Spike couldn’t hold in his laugh at that, “Not much of a secret there, kitten.”

“Still can’t tell.”

“Yeah? And what are you going to do to keep me quiet?”

“I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Oh gross!” Dawn exclaimed, coming out the back door, “Can’t you two ever behave?”

“Oh, hush Niblet,” Spike said, not moving away from Buffy but turning to look at Dawn. “We’ve been cooped up in that house with all the Slayerettes, I’ve been behaving all day!”

“Ooh, I whole day,” the young girl mocked.

“Dawn,” Buffy started, “Spike and I are allowed to have time to ourselves. Time where we can do whatever we want,” She said pointedly.

“Well not ‘whatever’…’cause, ewww!”

“Come out here for a reason, bit or just trying your best to be the nosey lil sis?”

“I so have a point,” She said, teenage rebellion in full force.

“And?” He prompted.

“Giles wants to talk to you now,” She answered sullenly.

“Knew Rupes would want to know at some point. Even if it is none of his business.”



“So, what is it you want to know?” Spike asked as soon as he sat down across from Giles. The potentials had all been sent off patrolling with Faith, Willow, and Xander leaving just Dawn, Buffy, Spike, and Giles in the house.

“I want,” Giles said, acting very much like the father cum watcher that he was, “To know how it is you came to claim my Slayer.”

“Didn’t claim ‘your Slayer’,” he said, sounding annoyed.

“I know full well you did,” Giles was beginning to sound angry.

“No,” Spike clarified, “I didn’t claim your Slayer, Rupes. Buffy,” He emphasized her name, “And I are mates.”

“I don’t much see the difference,” Giles protested.

“The difference is, instead of Rupert Giles’ little Slayer belonging to me, Buffy and I belong to each other. There’s a difference.”

“Regardless,” Giles started, but this time Buffy interrupted him.

“Why won’t you accept that there’s a difference Giles?”

‘All I need to know is that my Slayer has been claimed by a vampire,” Giles insisted.

Spike got up and left the room, refusing to have anything more to do with the conversation if Giles was going to keep that up.

“God Giles,” Buffy muttered, getting up to follow Spike, “Just accept it already. If you want to know something so badly, then you need to acknowledge what exactly it is you’re trying to find out about.”

Dawn, who was the only one left in the room with the watcher got up and left as well, “Gee, Giles, you’re as bad as Xander used to be.” The younger man had, actually, made great strides in the last year towards accepting the couple’s relationship. He still wouldn’t admit to liking the vampire, but no longer was the open animosity there.

That left Giles with some things to think about—he was so ready for Spike to be like Angel; to be taking advantage of Buffy somehow, to be the wrong one for her, that he hadn’t really taken time to consider other possibilities. Maybe it was time to do so.



Buffy found Spike, just as she’d thought, in the basement attacking the punching bad that had been hung there.

“You’re going to have to stop letting him get to you like that,” Buffy said neutrally as she sat on the third stair from the bottom, just watching him.

“And I will,” He said, still hitting the bag, making each word accented by a punch, “As soon as he gets off his high horse and admits what we have.”

“He’s just gone into Super Watcher Mode lately with all these potential slayers around, he’s probably more okay with it than he realizes.”

“Not so sure about that. I don’t have a soul, pet. I’m a soulless vampire. Not much there for him to like.”

“Yes there is, William,” She insisted.

“You’ve gotta stop letting him make you think that about yourself. Doesn’t the fact that I’m never, never leaving you mean anything? Doesn’t it show you anything?” He didn’t answer her, but he did stop his assault on the punching bag. “Doesn’t me loving you matter?”

Spike snapped out of his …whatever it was, then and walked over to Buffy, crouching in front of her.

“You know it does, sweets. I just…We’re mated now,” He attempted to explain where he was coming from, “That’s something that’s for ever. And well, I just hate the idea that something that’s forever with us is going to…I just hate the idea that something I’ve done is going to cause you pain.”

“Something you’ve done?” She asked quietly.

“Loving you. Us mating.”

“Spike,” Buffy insisted, “You’re mine. That’s all I need right now. You…and Dawn. She’s good with this and…I can wait on the others and if Giles…if he never comes around, then that’s just something I’ll have to deal with. But it’s not going to make me regret this—us—one bit.”

“I love you, kitten,” Spike told her, more than reassured.

“Love you too, Spike. Now,” she smiled, “Want to go kill some things?”

“Actually,” Spike smirked, “I wan thinking we could put the near empty house to better use.”

“Dawn’s right,” She muttered even as she led him up the stairs, “You really can’t behave.”

“Yeah, but you like me bad,” She didn’t know how he managed to get so close to whisper that right into her ear.

“I do,” She admitted, laughing when he gave in to his impatience and hauled her over his shoulder.

“Don’t have all night, pet,” He said by way of an explanation.

TBC....



I posted the ending to Learning Curve the day before yesterday, please do read it :-) clicky

Also posted the first chapter of my new story, My Boyfriend's Back: clicky again Please read that one too ;-)





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