~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: To all of you who are following this story, I want to apologize for taking so long before posting the last chapter. I was kinda focusing on Please Mrs. Jailer and forgot.But this is the end folks. Last chapter. I hope you've all enjoyed it. Let me know. Oh yeah, and huh... Major fluffiness warning! lol

EPILOGUE: After the dust settles

The Bronze was jammed packed with partying people. The mood was light, like it always was after closely averted apocalypses. It was as if people knew. As usual, they had probably found a way to explain to themselves what had happened a little more than a week ago, but deep down, people knew how close they had been and they were enjoying life as much as they could. Dancing, drinking, laughing, making out, and just generally having a good time with their loved ones.

At a table near the dance floor, a group of friends was even cheerier than the rest of the Bronzing teens crowding the place. Their excitement reached its apogee when they noticed the blonde couple slowly making their way through the rowdy crowd. They both sported a dazzling smile, even though Buffy had to lean on a cane for support. For a moment, it looked like Spike was growling threateningly at a teen who hadn’t moved out of the Slayer’s way fast enough to his taste, but his smile came back as fast as it had left. They had a lot to celebrate tonight. It was Buffy’s first time out of the house since her knee surgery, and the first time they could all get together since the closely averted apocalypse. Life was grand.

As soon as they reached the table, their friends got up to greet them and give Buffy a hug.

“Looking good Buffster.” Xander said, taking his old friend in his arms.

“Thanks Xand. Not ready to boogie just yet, but it’s good to be out of the house. I was going crazy.”

Willow took her turn hugging the Slayer. “The Bronze missed you… and so did we.”

“Yeah, you were better add that last part, or else, I would have sent my vampire body guard after you.” The blonde girl said, taking a seat at the table. “You’ll see, he’s quite unforgiving. This guy outside didn’t see me and brushed against my arm. It took all my power of persuasion to stop Spike from ramming the poor guy’s head into a brick wall.”

They all chuckled.

“What? That was bloody rude of him, pet. He had it coming.”

Willow looked at Spike. “Chip spell not wearing off, huh?”

The vampire grinned happily. “Nope.”

“Good for you blondie. Maybe the spell I did damaged the chip permanently. Anyway, it’s not like you need it anymore.”

“As long as nobody hurts my girl… or any of you lovable losers, the world’s safe from me.”

Xander almost choked. “I know I should be offended by the use of the word ‘losers’ to describe us, but did fang boy just call us lovable?”

“Yeah, whelp. You’re like fungus. You kinda grow on a bloke--whether he bloody well likes it or not.”

Buffy laughed and ruffled her boyfriend’s hair playfully. “Awww. See? I told you guys he was just a big cuddly teddy bear.”

“You told them what?!” Spike asked with a horrified look on his face.

They were interrupted by a waitress putting a beer in front of each of them, including Dawn who tried really hard to hide her delight at being considered one of the adults. The teen seemed to know better than to touch it in front of her sister though.

Anya looked puzzled. “Who’s paying for that? This country is ruled by capitalism. Free beers don’t just appear in front of people for no reason. Someone has to pay for them and I didn’t…”

“It’s alright Anya. Don’t fret. I’m the one paying for those.” Giles walked from behind the waitress, holding his own drink.

“G-man! You made it!.. Look guys, it’s Giles coming to party with us! Come on man, take a seat.”

Giles walked around the table to sit next to Buffy. He squeezed her shoulder affectionately.

“I must say you look much better Buffy.”

“Thanks. It’s definitely better than when my face was blue, green and yellow. So not my colors.” She smiled at her watcher.

Xander stood up, getting everybody’s attention. “Alright people, quiet. It’s time for a long over due toast. I’d like to drink to Buffy’s speedy recovery, to kicking the bad guy’s asses again thanks to our beloved General fang face…”

“Harris…” Spike growled warningly. But Xander only smirked at him.

“to Giles, who finally had the courage to get out of his house and prove, once and for all, that he’s still cool enough to hang out with the kids…”

Giles rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips.

“… and to Dawny who’s been accepted in the cheerleading squad and has recently narrowly escaped having to attend Sunnydale High next year thanks to all of us--To us guys!”

They all cheered, but Buffy stopped them by trying to stand up. She struggled to her feet and they all got silent.

“It was a nice toast Xander, but you forgot something important.” She seemed sad when she solemnly lifted her beer bottle. “To Faith. She hasn’t been the best of friends, I’ll give you that. But she was still a Slayer. She was still my sister. And even though she was the one to put us in this mess in the first place, when push came to shove, she still had the courage to make the right choice. It isn’t easy to take the dive and give up everything… I should know, I did it. But she chose to right every wrong she’s ever done by sacrificing her life. We tried again and again to save her, and failed. In the end, she’s the one who saved us.”

Buffy remained quiet for a beat or two, lowering her head. “I just thought she was worth mentioning.”

They all lifted their beer and said solemnly: “To Faith”

Spike put an arm around Buffy and pulled her against him. He knew what this meant to her. He had been the one to hold her while she cried over the rogue Slayer’s death after he told her what happened at the high school. She had told him everything about her relationship with Faith over the years and her conflicted emotions towards the other Slayer. It had been very hard on Buffy when The Watchers Council had called a few days ago to inform them that a new Slayer had been called. She didn't take it well. Spike understood. Buffy‘s voice pulled him out of his musing.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Dawn froze, the beer half way to her mouth. The girl had been trying to be discreet, hopeful that they wouldn’t notice and they would all forget that she was underage. Big sis caught her. Obviously.

But Buffy just laughed at her sister, rolling her eyes. “JUST this once. Don’t make a habit out of it. Beer bad. Take it from me.”

The teen smiled brightly, happy to feel like one of the adults for once. “Promise.”

The happy group hadn’t noticed the man watching from the shadow. Angel would do as Spike asked and never show himself in front of them again. But he needed to see for himself that they were all alright. Especially Buffy. Actually, Spike didn’t even have to ask. Angel remembered vividly everything he had done to Buffy, the look of pain on her beautiful face, her screams. And when he wasn’t thinking about it, he was dreaming about it. There were no forces on earth that could ever make him stand in front of Buffy Summers again. And if Spike changed his mind and decided to come after him to end it, the dark haired vampire wouldn’t defend himself.

He didn’t even think he had deserved to be cursed again, and Willow had told him it wasn’t a curse this time. It was a soul restoration spell and it was permanent. He saw it as a gift and knew he didn’t deserve it, but was grateful nonetheless and he swore to find a way to repay the two blondes for their sufferings. He cursed himself for destroying the ring of Amara. That would have been a great gift. But he’d find something else.

He watched as Spike got up and helped Buffy get to her feet. She was laughing and shaking her head no, but obviously, the vampire wouldn’t have it. He put his arms around her, just underneath her butt, and lifter her up. The action made her laugh even more and she instinctively put her arms around his neck. Then Spike carried her to the dance floor, close enough for Angel to be able to touch them if he’d reached out.

He didn’t want to spy on the couple wrapped lovingly around each other and swaying to the music, but he couldn’t help himself. A few months ago, if he had learnt that Buffy was in love with his insufferable childe, he would have been horrified and possibly tried to talk her out of it. Now, he knew it was right for her and Spike would make her happy. The things he’d witnessed now, and earlier as his soulless self, were enough to convince him. He had never seen Spike so in love before, not even with Dru, and he was glad it was Buffy. She deserved that kind of love. If there was one thing Angel knew about his childe, it was that he could love more, and better, than anyone else, and he would always be loyal to the one he chose. Buffy was in good hands, and Angel knew it.

Angel’s sensitive hearing caught their voices. Love words, teasing, throaty laughter. He was trying not to pay attention too much. Until the tone of the conversation changed to a more serious one, and he could almost feel the sadness rolling off of Buffy in waves.

“Will you… still love me? When I’m old and tired. Will you still be there? Will you get tired of me, Spike, when my beauty is gone, my mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be, and you‘re still the same?”

 “Buffy..”

“I want to be with you forever. But forever will be short for you. A blink of an eye in your own forever.”

“Please pet, don’t talk like that. Not tonight. You know I’m not like that. You know I’ll love you no matter what and I’ll be there until the very end. I just can’t… not tonight. I can’t talk about this. Aren’t you happy tonight?--let’s leave it like that.”

“Of course I’m happy. Happier than I’ve ever been. That’s why I’m thinking about this. It’s always when I’m the happiest that I think of the not so happy times ahead. It’s like a way to bring myself back to reality. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself.”

“Talking about this involves me having the put you and death in the same train of thoughts and I refuse to do that. I just can’t. It hurts too bloody much.”

“I’m sorry Spike. I didn’t want to hurt you. I’m just scared when I think of our future. I know I should take things one day at a time and enjoy our time while it last. The thing is, I just want it to last for a very, very, long time. As long as you’ll last. I can’t stand the idea of leaving you alone someday, or you getting tired of me. Both possibilities hurt too much.”

“I know luv. But I’m not going to get tired of you. You’re my girl now, and you’ll be my girl then.”

“Can we stay like this forever?”

“Lets try.”

Angel took a step back, and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow sat on the swing on the porch of the Summers’ house, hesitant to go in. She reread for the hundredth time the letter she had received from Angel.

She knew Buffy and Spike didn’t want to hear anything about Angel, but this was different. The letter wasn’t an apology. Angel said that he knew anything he would say to apologize would sound ridiculously insignificant and hollow. He said that this was a parting gift. A way for him to wish them a long and happy life together.

The gift was a spell. Something that would definitely make Spike happy, but she wasn’t sure if Buffy would be interested. It was probably something that bothered them both, but she didn’t know if it bothered Buffy enough to be tempted to do the spell. Her friend had never mentioned anything about this to her and Willow was afraid that by mentioning the existence of this spell, it would maybe create some conflicts between the two blondes.

But on the other hand, what if it was something that Buffy would want, and she just never talked to Willow about it because she considered it was something private that only concerned herself and Spike? What if she would be thrilled to know such a spell existed? Willow couldn’t make the decision for her friend by not telling her about this. Decisions had been taken for Buffy in the past, and it only resulted in sorrow and pain.

Willow took a deep breath and knocked at the door.

“Hello Red.” Spike moved to let her pass, but when she didn’t enter, he raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Shall we join you for the party on the porch, or are you gonna come in?”

“Oh. Huh--yeah.” She walked in and went to the living room followed by Spike.

“Is Buffy home?.. I kinda need to talk to both of you.”

“BUFFY!” Spike bellowed. “RED‘S HERE!!!”

Willow grimaced, putting her hands on her ears dramatically. “You think she heard you?”

Spike sprawled himself comfortably in the armchair. “Well at least this way, I’m sure to get her attention. She’ll come running, bitching about waking up the neighbors and all that rot.”

As he said that, footsteps could be heard stumping loudly down the stairs.

“Spike?! Did you really have to wake the entire neighborhood?”

Spike smirked at Willow. “What’d I tell you ducks?”

“Alright you two, enough. I have something important to tell you.

Buffy went to sit on Spike’s knee and he automatically pulled her back flush against him.

“What’s up Will? Anything bad?”

“N--not really, no.” The red head started, fidgeting with the pile of papers she was holding nervously in her hands. “It’s nothing bad--well, I guess it depends on your reaction. If you both want to, then it’s good. If you both don’t want too, it’s good also. If one of you want to and the other doesn’t, then it could be bad…”

“Would you get to the bleedin‘ point already?”

“Yeah. The point. Alright. I can do that. Get to the point…”

“Red…” Spike started warningly.

“I got a letter from L.A. this morning. Well, it was kinda for you, but it was sent to me because he knew I would read it, and you wouldn’t.”

“The soulful wanker sent you a letter for us! How dare he try to get in touch with…”

“Spike!--let her speak. Please.” Buffy took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently to calm him down.

“What was the letter about, Willow?” Buffy asked, trying to prompt her friend to continue.

“Alright. So Angel, Cordelia and the others have taken over Wolfram&Hart’s L.A. branch for a couple of months now.”

“Isn’t that the law firm that tried to end the world a few months ago?” Spike asked curiously.

“Yeah, well, according to what Angel said, they are trying to work from the inside to change things. Something like that. Anyway, that’s not really the point. The thing is, W&H has never ending resources when it comes to magic and since they took over, Angel put a team to work on finding something that would be perfect for you two. Kind of a gift if you want.”

“Save it Red. I don’t want ANY THING to do with that sodden wanker and his gifts. You can send it back and tell him to shove it up his arse. No. In fact, I’ll go and do it myself! Has he gone completely stalkers, thinking we’d accept anything coming from him?!”

“Baby, please calm down. We don’t even know what it is.” Buffy tried to sooth him, speaking in his ear. She turned his face to make him look at her. “Honey, I just want to know what it is, ok? Please? Lets just listen to Willow, then we’ll decide.”

“Ok.” He breathed, before brushing his lips against hers.

Buffy turned to Willow. “Go on Will. What is it?”

“Actually, it’s a spell. A very old one.” She waved an old parchment to illustrate what she meant by old. “I studied it all day and I can guarantee that it’s genuine, and it would work. If, of course, you’d want to do it. But I doubt Buffy will agree.”

Buffy was starting to lose her patience now. “What. Is. It!”

“It’s to bind your life force together.”

“To what?” Buffy and Spike asked at the same time.

“Bind you. To make you share your life force, you life span. For example, if I bind the life force of a dog, whose life span is around 15 years, and his master‘s, whose life span is around 80 years, then the dog will age a lot slower and live maybe 45-50 years. Though… so will the human. But in your case, since Spike could possibly life forever, then the middle is sometimes around--forever. Does that make any sense?”

She looked at her two friends who were now staring at her with matching wide eyes and open mouths.

“Hey, guys… No pressure. I have the spell now, so it’s up to you. It’s just an option you have now if someday you decide it’s something you’d like to do. It doesn’t mean you have to or even want to. I don’t even know if this aging thing is an issue between you.”

“Major one.” Buffy answered quietly.

“Oh.”

The three of them were silent for a long time. Spike turned Buffy’s face to make her look at him. Her eyes were stormy. Uncertainty, a little bit of fear, and… hope?

“You know where I stand on this kitten: whatever you chose, I’ll be there with you and I’ll accept your decision.”

“I know.” Buffy got up. “I--I need to sleep and think this through. I’m exhausted. Thanks for telling us Will. We’ll let you know what we decide.

Spike and Willow watched as Buffy disappeared up the stairs, then Spike turned to the redhead.

“Are you absolutely bloody certain about this spell Willow? Did you study it, try to find out any possible outcome, negative side effects, consequences…”

“Yes. I did. It’s a positive spell. It’s good magic. There are no bad consequences to it, and it can even be reversed. It would be hard to reverse, but possible. And Spike… I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to tell you because I knew you would want to do it, and maybe Buffy won’t. But you guys don’t have to decide now. You can change your minds years from now and I’ll do it for you. I don’t’ want you to fight over this if she doesn’t want to do this.”

“I already know she’ll do it. That’s why I’m asking about the consequences. I don’t want to rush into anything without knowing every possible outcome. But she’ll do it. She already wants to.”

Willow frowned. “You seem really confident about this. How--How do you know?..”

Spike smiled softly, remembering a conversation he’d had in this living room with another girl a few months ago.

Cordelia: “You two are gonna be happy some day.”
Spike: “But we are happy.”
Cordelia: “I meant.. happier. I know you’re happy, but you’re a vampire, she’s human.. Things are not all gleefully perfect. But you will meet in the middle some time soon. Well, if the world isn’t sucked into Hell, of course.

“Lets just say… A little bird got a vision, and was nice enough to share it with me.”

And on this cryptic answer, Spike left Willow. He went upstairs, a smile on his face and a song in his heart, to be with the woman he loved more than anything. Forever was definitely looking good.

The End

A/N: Last a/n. Just want to make sure you won't leave without telling me how you liked my story. :)