Spike and Buffy reached a small village where they'd rest for the night. The driver of the carriage let them know he'd be waiting for them at dawn and to be ready. He would take them ten more miles up the mountainside, then the rest was up to them. The village was tiny. There were a few shops and pubs, but not much more than that. Even the Inn they were going to stay was pretty small. After settling in, they decided to hit one of the pubs. They deserved it. Spike raised an eyebrow at Buffy as they reached a pub called Fardy's. Of course, after chuckling at the name Buffy looked up at him, cracking a smile.

"What?" she asked him.

"Do you remember the last time you and I shared a drink?" Spike asked her.

"Huh?"

"I recall the night ending with your insides in the toilet?"

"Ugh. Well, Italy has raised my tolerance, I mean, they give you wine with your eggs for breakfast!"

He smiled at her as they entered the pub. It was filled with the ickiest of ickies. The men in here looked more like the demons they just fought in L.A., rather than the humans that they actually were. Something about this scene felt really wrong. It was as if these guys had no idea how grotesque they looked as they drank themselves into a stupor.

Buffy's lip curled as she looked at around, inhaling the pungent aroma of body odor and urine. "Spike, can we.."

"Not quick enough," he said as he grabbed her arm and walked back outside with her.

"That place was just too... ugh!" Buffy said.

"Got that right. Even Willy's had more appeal," Spike joked.

They laughed as they walked the main street of the village. The night was here and the sky was beautiful. There were billions of stars twinkling above them. People went around, some tending to his or her cart selling various goods, blankets, etc. Spike passed by one cart selling flowers. Buffy didn't notice him give the woman a few of Wally's coins in exchange for a beautiful red rose. Buffy kept on, noticing Spike wasn't walking beside her. She turned around to see Spike running up to her with his hand behind his back. She was curious what he hid from her.

"Spike, what do you have?" she asked, smiling.

He pulled the rose from behind his back and handed it to her. "Well, I figured, this is kind of our first date... date."

"Oh, um... " Buffy stammered.

Spike had a huge smile on his face. "It's okay, luv. I didn't mean to make you..."

"No. I mean, Yea, it's a date." Buffy said, smiling and then lifted the rose to smell it.

She grabbed hold of his hand and that shocked him. He looked down at their joined hands then back at her. It was all a bit confusing to him at how easy it was for them to act like a couple. Spike wasn't even sure they were a couple. He was never really sure about anything when it came to their relationship. He just figured he would let her drive. He was just happy to be with her. Spending that year without her was pure torture.

They walked hand in hand to the edge of the village. Music could be heard from a distance. Spike narrowed his eyes and spotted what looked like a bonfire and people dancing about. As they got closer, they could see a pretty big crowd gathered in the backyard of a small cottage. Men, women and children having a good time. The men were holding up pints and toasting to friendship, good weather, and whatever else they were happy about. Small children were chasing each other around the grounds, laughing. A small boy and girl ran to Spike and Buffy and grabbed their hands, pulling them to the party. Spike protested, looking ahead to see a woman motioning for the children. He recognized her. She was the mother of the young girl he saved last night. He just assumed she lived in Marno.

"Come come, children." She smiled and looked up at Spike. Her eyes grew wide. "You. You were... from last night... you saved..," she stammered.

Spike smiled at her. "S' nothin' really," he said modestly.

"Nothing? I think not. By the way, my name is Kinara." She held her hand out to him.

"The name's Spike and this is Buffy," he said, shaking her hand, and then motioning for Buffy to step up.

Buffy had been talking to the little girl about the party. It was her birthday and she was so excited to have all her friends and family here. She heard Spike say her name and looked up at him and this... attractive brunette obviously a bit smitten with Spike. She rose and joined them, holding out her hand. The woman shook it, looking a bit strangely at Buffy.

"Buffy and Spike. Those are unusual names. You are not from around here, are you?" Kinara asked.

"You have no idea," Spike smiled at her.

"So, is she your daughter?" Buffy asked her, turning her gaze onto the young girl.

"Yes, and thanks to... Spike here, she's safe and sound," Kinara said, smiling at Spike.

Buffy leaned in, taken a little by surprise at the obvious flirting this woman was doing.

"And the Mister?" Buffy asked her, feeling the vibe shift.

Spike glanced at Buffy, a little shocked at her jealousy but it made him smile, none the less.

Kinara looked back at her daughter. Just then a big group of people came out, yelling for Kinara to come back to the party. Kinara looked back at Buffy and Spike, almost relieved she didn't have to answer that question.

"Please join us, there's a lot of food and plenty of ale to go around," Kinara offered.

"We can't, we shouldn't..," Buffy protested, looking up at Spike.

"Please, I insist. It's the least I could do..," Kinara smiled again at Spike, leaving Buffy with a bitter taste in her mouth.

They accepted the invitation. The yard was full of life. People danced around a fire, singing. A few men played their harmonicas and guitars. Kinara brought them plates of chicken and potatoes, fruit, and bread. Spike and Buffy ate hungrily, hardly even speaking as they chomped the food down hastily. Kinara looked at them surprised. Spike smiled at her, realizing he must look like a pig.

The night went on with more singing and dancing. Spike and Buffy sat near the bonfire, soaking in the heat. Buffy looked down at the rose he gave her and smiled. She knew he had been a born romantic, but she rarely ever got to see it or hadn't seen it in a while. She felt him staring at her, so she smiled bigger. A man swayed up to them and pulled Buffy to her feet for a dance. Buffy looked down at Spike in shock, but noticed he just smiled. The man swept Buffy up and swung her around. Buffy starting laughing at her lack of coordination, but quickly picked up the tempo and danced with him. She glanced back over at Spike as she brought the rose back up to her nose.

Spike watched Buffy dance around which sent his heart soaring. She looked so happy and she was actually having fun. That was so important to him. He knew Buffy could be an 'all work no play' type of gal, and he still blames Giles for that to this day. Just seeing her let go and enjoy herself, even if they were stuck in some dimension and the only way back was to retrieve pieces of a gem. It was kind of humorous, their lives that is. If it wasn't one thing, it was another... always.

Spike saw a shadow close in next to him. Kinara. She smiled down at him. She sat, after he motioned for her to. Very polite dimension, he thought.

"Is she your wife?" Kinara asked him.

Spike smiled as he looked down at the dirt. "No, not my wife."

Kinara's smile grew wider and she even inched closer to him.

Uh oh. Spike looked at her sternly. "She's the love of my life."

Her expression changed. Spike felt awkward, but there was no way he was going to lead this woman on.

"I see. So, any hopes of marriage?" Kinara asked him.

Marriage? He hadn't even thought that far ahead. He had only just reconciled with Buffy five days ago. Although they had been through hell and back these past few days, he knew their love was stronger than anything he had ever known, and it was clear they never wanted to apart from each other again. Still, marriage?

He would love it.

"I, uh... we just recently... it's complicated," he told her.

Kinara smiled at him, leaning her head. "Love is very complicated, but Spike, living without the one you love is even more so."

Spike looked up at her in shock. Here he thought she was coming on to him. He rarely spoke to anyone about his feelings for Buffy. Angel wouldn't hear any of it, and he didn't really have any friends. Talking to Kinara, even though he just met her, made it more real in his head. His expectations of their future together wasn't very high. Spike never really thought that far ahead, especially when it came to Buffy. Their lives were very unpredictable. Spike wasn't even sure what she felt. He knew Buffy cared about him, loved him, wanted him, but he didn't know much more, if she even thought about tomorrow or the next day, or the day after that. He didn't know what was going to happen or what she would want to happen, and not knowing this kind of gave him a sense of insecurity. Deep inside, he wanted to know. He wanted to know if she felt the same, if she wanted more tomorrows with him.

"I know women, seeing as I am one and I know love. I can see something inside the both of you that is extremely rare and sacred. You are soul mates," she told him.

Soul mates. Spike never really considered the term seriously until he met Buffy. That sudden drive to be with her. That pull. He knew he felt it way before she did, he wondered if she thought of him as her soul mate.

"You think?" he asked her.

She reached for his hand and slipped a small pouch into it. Spike looked down, confused. She rested her hands on his hand and closed his fist to secure the pouch.

"Open it later. It's a gift from me for saving my Lily. You are a true hero and so is Buffy. Give this to her when you're ready, when the time is right," she said. "Oh and another thing, try not to let her drink too much." Kinara rose and walked back over to the food buffet.

Spike cocked his head, looking at her. What was she? A witch? Seer?

"Sure thing," he said softly, still wanting to find out what in the bleeding hell she was talking about. He wondered what it was she gave him. He'd have to check it out later. For now, he slipped it into his jean pocket.

Buffy came back, exhausted from the dance-a-thon she had with this strikingly handsome stranger. Spike stood, taking her hand. Buffy leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Kinara smiled at them from across the room.

"So, did she steal you away from me?" Buffy joked

Spike pulled her closer to him and planted a kiss on her lips. The music slowed down to an easy tempo. Someone had brought out a violin and played a sweet melody. Spike swung Buffy into a dip, kissing her throat.

"Care for a dance, Milady?" he asked.

They danced together slowly, Buffy grabbed hold of his hands and raised them up to her chest. Spike watched her eyes change color as the light of the fire bounced off of them. He wanted to stare in those eyes forever.

She brought his hands up to her lips and kissed his fingers. Spike was easily aroused by her touch, especially when her lips were involved. He looked around to see if anyone was watching them, but no one seemed to take interest. She brought his hands around to her waist and rested them there as she leaned in and pressed her body to his. She lay her head on his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. Becoming lost in the moment, Spike held her tight, swaying to the music. He forgot where they were. He wanted to tell her about his conversation with Kinara, but the words just couldn't find their way to his lips. He wanted to ask Buffy what she wanted, what she saw for them, but he just remained silent and became lost in the moment.

Buffy had to admit seeing Spike talking to Kinara gave her a twinge of jealousy, but nothing to make a deal about. She loved being in his arms, dancing slowly in some far away place with people she didn't even know. It was comforting to her but she knew it would have been a lot different if her friends were around. She didn't like the fact that she wouldn't feel completely comfortable being this close to Spike with them around. She didn't like hiding her emotions or her feelings from them, but sometimes they didn't understand her. It's not that they don't like Spike, because they do, at least now they do. It's not even the fact that they know their torrid history. Buffy came to the conclusion that most of her relationships were doomed before they even started. Her friends knew it too, so maybe, if she kept this thing with Spike a little more private, then it wouldn't be so open for criticism. She wouldn't have to assume it will burn out or extinguish too soon. She didn't have to suffer the looks of 'Are you sure about this, Buffy' from Willow and Xander. For once, Buffy just wanted to feel. She wanted to go with the flow and see what happens. She didn't want to make promises or demands. She just wanted to lose herself into the purity of her feelings for Spike. She spent far too long analyzing her heart, it didn't do anything but turn her into a cold, scared schoolgirl. Something changed that last year in Sunnydale. In her. In him. In them. After seeing him sacrifice himself in the Hellmouth, she realized that holding anything in, when it came to matters of the heart was not going to be an option anymore.

After an hour of listening to the men tell their wild stories of manly hunting trips and sea hags, Buffy thought it was time to go. She was beat, but happy to be tired from having a good time. Finally.

"Thank you for the hospitality, but I think we should head back," Buffy told Kinara. They each got a hug from her, then they turned to leave.

Spike and Buffy entered the warmth and coziness of their room. Buffy complained about being all sticky and sweaty and needed a shower. She placed the rose in a cup of water next to the bed then headed to the bathroom. She wanted to talk to Spike about their creepy experience in the mansion, but no time seemed to be the right one. She didn't want to bring him down, or herself for that matter. She knew that one day they will need to share what each other had gone through. She loved this time with him, now. It was strange and new, but familiar at the same time. She knew him well. He knew her well, better than she knew herself. When he came back with a soul, it was the most heart wrenching moment Buffy could recall with him. What he did, for her, still amazed her. His soul cried out to her every night from that basement. And every night she would check up on him, being there if he needed anything, falling in love with the man who fought against the demon that dwell inside of him. There was a time, when she thought he may have even been her soul mate.

"Soul mate" Spike said to himself as he slipped off his jeans and t-shirt. He pulled his jeans back up from the floor and pulled out the little pouch Kinara had given him. He opened it, seeing something sparkle inside. His eyes widened at the brightness of a diamond and emerald. It was a ring. It was beautiful.

A ring? "Give this to her when you're ready, when the time is right."

It's an engagement ring. The thought blew him away but not as blown away at the thought of proposing to Buffy. It was all just too unreal. He thought of Lorne telling him that he saw Buffy and himself, happy with their baby...

Why are my wildest dreams coming true?

He lay down on the bed holding the ring up to the light. The way it sparkled looked magical. It caught the light and bounced off rainbows. It was a single diamond surrounded by two small emeralds.

Beautiful, he thought.