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Author's Chapter Notes:
many many thanks to my kind reviewers. And as a treat, a quick update
Buffy and Dawn and Fran were exhausted. It was late and they had had a busy, exciting evening. Dawn left her name and address to have the photo’s sent on after they were processed, collected their coats and went out to find a taxi.

Spike felt unsettled, as though he’d missed something important.
Lorne was laughing and joking as he cleared up the room of their personal stuff, chatting to Xander the whole time. They had been together over fifteen years, the clothes designer and the architect. Fred collected their stuff and was loading the car with Wesley’s help. All was normal.

Back at the hotel Lorne and Xander were watching the pre-recorded football game while they waited for a late supper to be sent up. The photographer brought in the pile of photos that had been taken in the evening. Spike began idly flicking through them. He picked up the one of him with Buffy, Fran and Dawn. Looking closely he was still mesmerised by the green eyes. He threw the photo back down on the table just as Lorne went to put a beer down for him.

‘Hey, that was the pretty girl who used your phrase about beer, coffee and chocolate being the three staple food groups.’ Pointing to the brunette, ‘must be her sister she’s with.’ The other woman looked typically middle-aged housewife. Youngish for that he supposed, but definitely older than those Spike usually went for.

Spike stopped dead. Green eyes; beer, coffee and chocolate, and here. No: it couldn’t be.

That night as Spike fell asleep in the hotel, he kept thinking about green eyes and laughing girls. The concert had been brilliant. He’d come in on a great high, but had quickly made it to bed and into the arms of Morpheus.

‘Hi William, how are you today?’ Elizabeth’s voice brought him to his senses. He could smell the coffee and opened his eyes to see the familiar green ones looking back at him. Spike sat up from the couch where he had awoken and took a good look around the apartment they had shared for so long. There were countless photos on the shelves near Buffy’s art stuff. Spike wandered over to them, his silence disturbing Buffy a little; Spike picked up one of a dark haired girl with piercing blue eyes.

‘I never really looked at this properly before, but Dawn is beautiful. And she’s quite the young lady. And Fran has grown so much: do you remember the first time the pair of them rode Ellepant? And their faces when we took them to see Father Christmas off on his flight? How old are you really, Buffy?’

‘Well past 40, just like you, only we don’t age up here, not that you don’t look fantastic down there as well.’

‘How would you know what I really looked like? The camera often lies.’

‘Saw you tonight in concert. I was less that twenty feet from you most of the evening, and you had your arm around me at one point. I always said we would meet one day, and today we did.’

‘The Sunnydale gig, there were only a few hundred there and less than seventy five in the bar afterwards.’

‘I know. I liked Lorne, he was sweet to Dawnie.’

‘You really were there, weren’t you? You and Dawn and Fran, I didn’t recognise you, you were that close and I didn’t know you.’ Spike was getting upset. Buffy hated to see him like this.

‘It’s alright: I didn’t expect you to. I’m hardly a size 6 there, with blonde hair and no wrinkles. I’m 42 years old, with a daughter approaching 18, I came and saw you, and we touched, you kissed me. It was enough.’

‘Would you take more if you could?’

‘Oh William, you are my soul mate, it wasn’t supposed to happen but it did: we fell in love totally, we have been together for twenty years. You taught me to be a real woman again, in many ways I wouldn’t have Fran if it hadn’t been for you. Dawn would have grown up in care… of course I would love to be with you there as well, feel you hold me the way you do here, but you’re a huge star and it would be hard. I’d have to remember who and what you are, no hugging old friends like Robin because the publicity would kill you, and I’d have to get used to some very catty things in the papers. I’d do it for you, but you’d get bored with me soon enough. You’ve had a parade of beautiful, wonderful women in your life; would you be happy to settle for a middle aged housewife with a grown up daughter? And Dawn’s near the age now when you date ‘em. If we met it would be her you would fancy, not me. William might enjoy us being together but Spike Atherton would always feel there was something missing. Red carpets and high heels aren’t my style.’

‘Do you really think I’m that shallow? That I would pass you over for a newer model just because you actually eat food, have curves and enjoy life? No Buffy, Elizabeth, if I had realised that you were there, you would be in my bed now and I would never let you escape if I had to keep you handcuffed for the rest of your life. Why do you think I have never settled properly? Because none of them were you. I couldn’t give myself totally to a woman who wasn’t Buffy Summers Doyle and now you’re so close I am going to find you and keep you with me always. When you wake up down there tomorrow lady, go looking for a wedding dress, ‘cause you’re so going to need one.’

William left the apartment and tried to wake up, desperate to take the memories with him, but before he could Giles was with him.

‘Would you give up things, not people, so you could have her down there as well? Would you care for her properly? Love her, cherish her? Care for Dawn and Fran as though they were your own blood?’

‘Yes: happily, willingly, to have Buffy in my life, to know that incredible spirit in the real world and not just here, of course I would.’

‘Then I give a gift, if you really mean it you will take this memory with you when you wake.’

Giles gently laid his hand on William’s head, and for one moment Spike could see what Buffy really looked like in the world. Her worldly face was in his mind. No, she wasn’t glamorous, but when you looked into the eyes, the eyes hadn’t changed in the twenty plus years they had known each other.

‘Thank you Giles, you won’t regret this.’

‘I hope not. Elizabeth has suffered so much in her life, it’s time she had true joy.’

Giles hoped he had done the right thing. It seemed as though he were breaking the rules: they were supposed to be apart in this life, but it seemed totally unfair. Giles prayed that his choice was right.

‘We were waiting for you to act,’ said a voice behind him. Giles turned to see the bright light settle into a woman.

‘Pardon?’

‘We were waiting for you to act. Of course they should be together when it was time, but you had to learn that rules aren’t always to be obeyed totally. They are there for guidance, not blind obedience. Be proud, Giles: you have passed the test and nothing bad will come from it. In fact it will be necessary.’


William forced himself awake, it might be three O’clock in the morning but Xander and Lorne would just have to like it. He ran out of his bedroom and across to theirs, banging hard on the door.

‘Wake up, wake up the pair of you! I need you in the sitting room now!’

Xander and Lorne looked half awake as they staggered into the seating area. ‘What’s up, sugar plum?’ asked a very sleepy Lorne.

‘You two are going to think I am mad, but if you really care for me I want forty-eight hours where you trust me totally.’

‘Have you been drinking or smoking something?’

‘No, stone cold sober.’

Xander and Lorne looked at each other and nodded at Spike.
‘Go on man,’ said Xander.

‘Xander, we’ve known each other for nearly thirty years and you were the one who told me to keep a track of my dreams. Well you know I did, and you know how often the advice has helped us both. Got you away from creepy Andrew, helped with Dru, kept me close to Harrison, got me away from relying on the drink, everything.’

‘Yeeess…’

‘Dreams?’ came a Texan voice from another of the rooms. Fred looked cute in her jammies, but Wesley looked annoyed at being woken up.

‘Dreams,’ answered Spike. ‘Have you never had a problem that you can’t see a way through and after a good night’s sleep you come up with a solution? Well I dream, and remember the dream about the place where we all go when we have those kinds of dreams. You bring back the advice and the love, you really bring back the love,’ he explained.

‘Well last night I had another of ‘Those Dreams’: she’s here, the girl from them, she was at the concert last night with her daughter, and now I’ve got the chance to really meet her, be with her, everything. I just need your help.’

Xander looked pensive. ‘She is only a dream.’

‘A dream I’ve been having for half my life. She’s as real as you and I, and I need her, I want her, I really love her and so will you. All I’m asking for is 48 hours, just two days, then if it’s a bust I’ll go and see a psychiatrist like a good boy. Please…’ Spike begged.

‘48 hours, we trust you completely, then if it comes to nothing you will leave it?’

‘Yes.’

‘Ok, sugar plum, you’ve got your two days.’

Fred and Wesley looked at one another. They weren’t used to Spike being flighty.

‘Two days?’ Spike begged.





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