As the maid brought them their food, she informed them that tomorrow they would be dining with the King. Spike commented that that would most likely be their last meal in the fortress. It was not the maid’s place to comment, so she nodded, leaving the meals and a clean nightgown.
Spike and Buffy were eating in silence, when she suddenly whispered, “How come you want to be human so badly, yet hate your old human self?”
Spike shrugged. “You deserve better than an evil soulless vampire. You deserve someone who you can give you children, grow old with you, and die with you.”
“You sound like Angel. I guess that’s to be expected after so many years together,” Buffy scrunched her face in disappointment.
Spike growled, letting his distaste for being compared to Angel apparent. “No pet, it’s just that you are a human; you’re a Slayer, in fact. You should be able to enjoy life to its fullest, and being with me forever, as a vampire, hardly helps.”
“I wanted an equal, not a human,” she spoke as she cut another slice of her meat. “I want someone who I know I can count on in a fight, and who can defend me, and keep me safe. I want someone who can take a hit when I punch them by accident and who can put me in my place when needed. I don’t want a big baby who I have to watch when I’m fighting, and spend all my time worrying about. Because you are so strong, like me, I don’t have to worry about you in a fight. I know I can depend on you to win.”
She sighed as she pried open the claim to see what he was feeling and he growled, “Buffy you can’t just keep forcing that claim open any time you, bloody hell, want.”
Buffy glared at him. “Then why bother to even have it, if I can’t understand you or feel what you’re feeling? What’s the point?”
“You have a point. It’s just that sometimes… I don’t want to hurt you. Sometimes my thoughts are harsh and unedited.”
Buffy shrugged, “Same here. Point is?”
Spike frowned. “We have tempers…” Buffy said, “Yup” popping the p, loudly, as Spike tried again, “Bloody hell Buffy, I just don’t understand why you are happy with me? I’m evil, I eat people for a living and I am probably the biggest messed up vampire around. Dru didn’t want me, why would you?”
Buffy stood up, putting her hands on her hips and opened the claim as she let the love she felt pour through, bringing tears to his eyes.
“Because I love you you stupid vampire. You’re my equal as I have said before and will repeat as many times as it takes. You’re my match and probably my soul mate if you had a soul. We are perfectly in sync with each other and I’ve never met anyone in my life like you. You’re one of a kind, Spike. You have a heart of gold, and when you use it, you can be the nicest guy I’ve never met, and I know you are the nicest guy Dawn has ever met. Point is, I don’t deserve you. I’ve treated you like dirt, hurt you and made you cry, and still you stand in front of me, offering me help and assistance like I deserve it. I don’t deserve it so perhaps we don’t deserve each other, but we love each other and that’s the important part I think.”
Spike stood up, knocking the table hard but ignoring the pain that shot through his thigh as he reopened the cut. He needed to hold Buffy, that’s all that mattered. He wrapped his arms, tightly, around her.
“I don’t deserve you but I can promise you that you will never find anyone in this world or any other, including our world that will love you as much as I do. As long as that’s enough, then we will be happy together.”
Buffy nodded and whispered, “It’s enough.”
“I’m sorry I’m not the best of company but I’ll be honest, I’m tired. I need sleep. You can go swim or train, or whatever, since it’s nighttime, you’re probably not tired. I’ll understand.”
Buffy shook her head. “No, I’ll stay with you.”
Spike smiled as she picked up Fuzzball and placed him on the bed before crawling over to his side and resting her head against his shoulder whispering, “Sweet dreams.”
She heard him whisper back, “Sweet dreams, Buffy.”
She didn’t realize how tired she was until she was sleeping five minutes later in his arms.
Spike awoke, feeling pretty good. He was tempted to wake up Buffy by making love with her, but instead he wanted to enjoy their last day here. He was well enough now, that if he made love to her, she may never leave the room.
He wanted to take her for a walk to the beach again, make love after playing in the waves and then watch the sunset. Then he’d take her for a picnic in the garden, she loved so much, for dinner and then come back inside to fall asleep in each other’s arms.
Then in the morning, he’d have to feed from her and then go prep for the big battle.
He was nervous, but he wanted, more than anything, to make the most of this day. He wanted his last day in this paradise to be spent with Buffy and with them enjoying it to the fullest.
He felt Buffy stir and he placed a passionate kiss on her lips, “Get up and at ‘em, luv. Today we are able to spend it together, outdoors.”
Buffy smiled and gave him a hug, noticing that he didn’t flinch from pain. She pulled the blankets down to look at his body; there were barely any marks from the battle the previous day.
She grinned. “My blood did that?”
He nodded and smiled back. “Yeah, ready for your adventure? Grab a breakfast and then we are going for a walk.”
Buffy giggled and jumped out of bed, and put on the soft tan shirt and black skirt. She turned around, letting Spike brush her hair and then tie a ribbon around it to keep it off of her face. She arranged his hair as she did every morning and then together they enjoyed a large feast of meat, cheese, eggs, cracker like toast, and two pieces of fruit.
When both were full she whispered, “Need to feed?”
Spike shook his head. “No, I’m feeling fine and I’m good for now, thank you. Ready to go, pet?” He grabbed his duster, after putting on his vest, and watched as Buffy did the same and he took her hand as she picked up Fuzzball.
“Want to go on a trip, Fuzzball? Perhaps we can even find you a buddy if we go close enough to the woods.”
“I think we can take a quick peek in the woods but can’t stay long. We can try the day we leave, as well,” Spike replied with a smile.
Buffy nodded and picked up Fuzzball, putting him on her shoulder, she noticed he had grown a bit more. She grabbed a few leaves and stuffed them into her mate’s duster pocket, just in case Fuzzball got hungry.
Together they walked out of the castle to start their day.
Buffy twirled in the woods as Fuzzball was munching on some fresh leaves. Spike motioned for her to be quiet, causing her to frown. She sat next to him in a huff.
Spike opened the claim. ‘Fuzzball needs time to find a mate. You being all noisy won’t bring a female along.’
Just then, Fuzzball bounded off into the woods, and Spike and Buffy ran after to find him. Sure enough, Fuzzball had smelt a female Fuzzball and was sniffing her. Spike and Buffy stood back and watched as Fuzzball sniffed her first, and then she followed. He rubbed against her, and the female did the same. He licked her, and she licked him back.
Then the two snuggled up together, and Buffy looked at Spike thinking, ‘I think they like each other. Let’s take them.’
Spike nodded and picked them both up putting them on his bigger shoulder and took Buffy’s hand. Together they walked towards the beach.
Spike petted the two sleeping Fuzzballs. “So what are you going to name Mrs. Fuzzball?”
Buffy shrugged. “Ms. Fuzz?”
Spike chuckled and shook his head, suggesting, “How ‘bout Dusty.”
Buffy repeated, “Dusty…Dusty and Fuzzball. Fuzzball and Dusty. Fuzzball and Dusty Pratt. Fuzzball Pratt. Dusty Pratt. Buffy and Spike. Spike and Buffy. Buffy Pratt.”
Spike eyed Buffy, who giggled, “I was just testing out all the possibilities.”
He shook his head, taking off his boots as he ran towards the water.
“No killing things together this time.”
Spike chuckled as he put Fuzzball and Dusty, onto his leather duster and stripped before dashing into the water.
“Brr, it’s cold this time but come on in.”
Buffy frowned. “How do you know it’s cold?”
“Come and tell me how princess,” Spike shrugged a response.
She raced into the water, screaming at the cold as her teeth chattered. “I don’t remember it being this cold last time.”
“Perhaps, it’s getting closer to winter here or something. The air is a bit nippy too,” the vampire explained.
Buffy nodded and splashed water at him, “Here, let’s make you all wet to warm you up.”
Spike shouted, ‘Hey!’ and splashed water in her direction. She started making big thunder waves in his direction and he did the same. Finally, every part of them was completely drenched and very cold.
Buffy’s teeth were chattering as she leaned over, wrapping her arms around him to kiss him.
“I’ll warm you up, love,” he breathed in her ear.
Just then, it started pouring rain, and Buffy screamed, running out of the water to put her clothes back on. Spike got his clothes on and pulled his duster over Buffy. He handed her both, Fuzzball and Dusty, to keep warm as he put his arm around her, racing with her back to safety.
He knew they had close to four miles to run, but he figured they could make it.
Suddenly Buffy slowed down and held out her hand. “Let’s walk back, hand in hand, in the rain. We don’t get much rain in Sunnydale, after all.”