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Spike lay perched on his elbow, watching Buffy as she slept. She was curled on her side, blanket wrapped tightly around her, and Spike couldn't think of a time when she had looked more beautiful. And she was really his. Completely this time.

Buffy scrunched her nose up in her sleep, and Spike couldn't help but grin. She was adorable. He loved that he could see this side of her, the girl who was buried beneath the Slayer. That she'd let him in, let him get this close to her, meant everything to him.

It was some time later when her eyes finally fluttered open, and a slow, lazy grin spread across her face when she saw him looking down at her. "Hey."

"Hey. Sleep well, kitten?"

Buffy stretched, a very close imitation of what he'd just called her. "Wonderfully. I should sleep next to you every night."

"That could be arranged."

"Oh yeah?" Buffy moved closer, draping her arm over him. "Care to make that official?"

"How? Marry you?"

Buffy blinked. "I…I wasn't thinking about…I…"

Spike felt his heart drop a little. He hadn't planned on saying that, hadn't even given all that much thought to actually marrying Buffy. But then it had popped out, and now she was probably scared again. Dammit… "Buffy, I didn't… That wasn't a proposal."

"I know." She frowned, and Spike could swear he saw disappointment in her eyes. "Why not? Don't you want to marry me?"

"I…I hadn't thought about it. I mean, I want to be with you, but… Did you want it to be a proposal?"

Buffy figured they must've held off the serious relationship talk as long as they could. Might as well get it over with. She pulled back, and saw the fear on Spike's face as she did. "Just getting comfortable," she assured him. Then she reached out and took his hand. "See? I'm not going anywhere."

Spike raised her hand to his lips and gave it a soft kiss. "Good. You're a hard woman to chase."

"And yet, you never given up."

"Nope. I'm annoyingly persistent like that."

Buffy chuckled. "That's one way of putting it." She pushed a wayward curl away from his face.

Spike reached up, feeling his hair. "I probably look like Shirley Temple."

"No, not at all. It's very sexy bed hair."

"If you say so," Spike said, leaning in and kissing her, all thoughts of the serious conversation they'd started to have fleeing from his mind.

Suddenly she broke away, avoiding Spike's attempt to pull her back. "So we were talking about marriage?"

"Were we?" Spike replied, wrinkling his brow.

"Well, sort of. We do need to figure out what we're going to do. I mean, we can't really have a relationship with you here and me in Rome. I mean, I guess we could, but I don't want to be that far away from you."

"Buffy, luv, I hate Los Angeles. You tell me you want us to move to a remote outpost in Siberia, and I'm there. I told you once I was your willing slave, and that hasn't changed. I'll go where you go."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah."

"Cause, well, I was sorta thinking about going to London."

"London?"

"Yeah. That's where the Slayers are based now. Giles has been prodding me for a while to take a more active role in what they're trying to set up there, but I wasn't ready for a while."

"And you think you're ready now?"

"Yeah, I do. Rome is nice and all, but I sorta miss being the Slayer. Not that I've given it up completely or anything, but I still haven't been as active as I used to be."

"This coming from the girl who used to lament about her lack of a normal life," Spike teased.

Buffy looked sheepish. "I know. I've just…grown up, I suppose. Realized who I really am."

"And that would be?"

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer of course," she said with a giggle. "I can be both. Buffy and the Slayer. And being the Slayer, well, that's my normal. And even now that I've shared my power with all those other girls, it's still who I am. It's who I'll always be, and I think…I think I'm okay with that."

"And is there room in the life of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for an ex-vampire husband?"

"Is…is that a proposal?"

"It is if you want it to be."

"I think I do." A smile slowly crept to Buffy's lips until it lit up her whole face. "Yeah, I do want it to be. I mean, if you want to…"

Spike grabbed her, kissing her hard. Buffy's eyes widened in surprise and the suddenness of his actions, but she was soon kissing back, reaching up to tangle her fingers in his hair. "You know," Buffy said, breaking away after a moment, "Technically, we've been engaged for four years."

"True," Spike said with a chuckle. "You never did give me my ring back. What sort of horrible fate did that thing meet anyway?"

"Oh… I, um…kept it in my jewelry box." The last part came out in a rush.

Spike arched an eyebrow. "You what?"

"I kept it in my jewelry box. And don't ask me why, 'cause I don't know. I just…wanted to keep it."

"I knew you wanted me even then," Spike said with a wide grin. "Couldn't resist my sinister attraction."

"Oh please," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "I resisted plenty, mister."

"Yeah, and a lot of bloody good it did you, too, stubborn woman."

"Hey, I learned my lesson!" She pressed herself closer against him. "Look at me now, all…willing…and…wanting."

"Mmm…Are you now? And what exactly are you wanting?"

Buffy leaned in and nipped his earlobe, making Spike shudder. "My fiancé."

Oh, he liked the sound of that… "And where do you want him, pet?" he teased hotly.

"Inside me," Buffy replied, rolling them over so she was straddling his waist. "Think that can be arranged?"

"I do," Spike said, pulling her back into a kiss. Buffy positioned herself over his cock, sliding down to take all of him inside. She tore her mouth away from his, crying out when he filled her.

"Spike…it's so perfect…every time."

"I know, baby," he said, taking hold of her hips. "Meant for each other, we are."

"Yes…" Buffy moaned, throwing her head back. Spike watched her riding him, in awe of her beauty. He'd loved her for so long, and now here she was—his.

"Buffy…oh god, Buffy…" Spike thrust his hips up harder, slamming up to meet her downward thrusts. Buffy cried out in pleasure, bracing herself on his shoulders. Sex with Buffy had always been amazing, but this… Last night had been incredible, both of them managing to take each other to new heights of ecstasy. And now that Spike knew exactly where she wanted him in her life, what he really did mean to her…

He flipped them over, supporting himself on his arms so he could look down into her eyes. Their rhythm didn't falter as their gazes locked, and Spike continued to drive into her, bringing them closer.

"Never gonna let you go again, kitten," he vowed. "I'll be the one who stays forever. You'll never have to face anything alone again. I promise."

Buffy was too far gone to speak, too close to the edge. She nodded, tightening her grip on his arm, and hoping he could feel all the love and devotion she felt for him. He was her support, her rock—the one who gave her strength. So many times he'd been the only one to stay beside her, the only one to give her support when she needed it most. She'd taken it for granted so many times. She wouldn't ever again.

Spike's thrusts stayed steady and strong, and Buffy knew she wouldn't last much longer. With a cry of pleasure, she arched up, letting herself fall over the edge. Her internal muscles squeezed him tightly, pulling Spike over with her.

Spike rolled over on to his back and held her in his arms, basking with Buffy in the afterglow. It seemed almost impossible that this could be real, that they could've actually made it this far. He'd truly been given a new life—a new life with the woman he loved.

He felt Buffy's fingers tracing the outline of his abdomen, and he lifted her tiny hand into his, bringing it to his lips for a kiss. "Love you, kitten," he said, his voice rumbling through his chest and making Buffy shiver.

"Love you, too."

"And you were serious…about the whole wanting to marry me thing."

"Yes. There's no one else in this world I'd rather spend my life with."

"Good, cause I'd have to kill any bloke that tried to get you away from me, and I'm not supposed to be doing that anymore."

Buffy smirked. "I promise you you won't have to."

"And the Immortal?"

"Let me deal with that. It was fizzling anyway. It wasn't serious, Spike. I just needed comfort, and he wasn't asking me for anything permanent. You're who I was really wanting. Who I always want."

"Couldn't you have found someone less vile to seek comfort with?"

"Would you really want me to have a 'less vile' man waiting for me back in Italy?"

Spike frowned. "I hate that you have anyone wanting for you back in Italy."

Buffy pressed a soft kiss against his chest. "But you're the one I'm going to marry, Spike. The Immortal is history."

Spike grinned. "I really like the sound of that."

"Which part?"

"Well, both, but I'm partial to the bit about you marrying me." Spike shifted a little, though he kept Buffy pulled tightly against him. "I never thought about it before, us actually getting hitched. I mean, other than that crazy spell of Willow's. But now…maybe it's the heartbeat talking, but I think it's exactly what I want."

Buffy craned her neck to look up at him. "You think? You better do more than think here…"

"I know," Spike amended, pulling Buffy up for a kiss.

*** *** ***

Spike woke again later that afternoon to find Buffy moving around the room. "Goin' somewhere, pet?" he asked groggily.

Buffy looked up sharply at the sound of his voice. "I thought you were asleep."

"Was. Awake now. What's going on?"

"I'm going to see Angel."

Spike sat right up. "You're what? Buffy, no. If you remember from our last little visit, he's not exactly in a hospitable mood."

"I have to do this, Spike."

"So you were what, going to sneak out to see your ex while I was asleep?"

"I was going to leave you a note!" Buffy said in her defense.

"Fine. Just go then."

"You're angry with me."

"Well, yeah. You sneak out of bed after the night and morning we just had to go see Angel? What am I supposed to do, jump for joy?"

"It isn't like that! And I wasn't sneaking. I just knew you'd, well, do this."

"Why do you need to talk to him anyway? Wanna make sure he's really done with you before you get yourself hitched to me?"

"What? How can you ask me that? After everything we've been through together, everything we've shared? You honestly think I'd do that?"

Spike crossed his arms in front of him. "I don't know, Buffy. What are you doing?"

"I'm not…" Buffy closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again. "I'm not going to see Angel because I still want to be with him, Spike. That's the furthest thing from what I want. But you know how he is as well as I do. Nothing's more appealing to him than the thing he can't have. The first time he showed up in Sunnydale after he went to LA—and actually had the decency to show his face around me—was when he found out about Riley. And then he got in a fight with him in an alley."

Spike perked up a little at that. "Yeah? Who won?"

"So not the point, Spike. And Angel, I think. Anyway, I need to make sure he knows he's not in my life anymore. That I don't need him in any way, shape, or form. I don't need him being my Champion from afar. I'm no longer his concern, and I'm no longer his object of courtly love to place on some pedestal. I have to know that that's clear with him, and that he isn't going to cause us any trouble."

"And that's all?"

Buffy sat down on the bed, reaching out to take Spike's hand. "You don't have to be insecure."

"I'm not bloody insecure."

"Please," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "I know you, honey, so no point in lying to me. But it's all right. You have me, and I'm not letting go of you ever again. I just have to do this, okay?"

"Be back soon?"

"Of course." Buffy leaned in and kissed him lightly. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Spike replied as Buffy got up from the bed. He watched her leave, and willed himself to be okay with it.

She was his now, not Angel's. He'd just have to hold on to that.

*** *** ***

"Hi, Buffy," Cordelia said from behind the reception desk as soon as Buffy walked into the Hyperion's lobby. "Angel's upstairs. I'll get him for you."

"Thanks," Buffy said, frowning a little. Cordelia as a psychic Higher Being as opposed to an airheaded cheerleader was something she was going to have to get used to.

Angel came down a short time later, and Buffy noted that Cordelia had remained upstairs, to give them privacy, Buffy assumed. "Hey, Angel."

"Cordy said you wanted to talk to me?"

He seemed more subdued than he had been the day before, and Buffy hoped that he wouldn't make things difficult again. For once, she wanted something with this man to go smoothly. "Spike and I have decided to get married."

Buffy could tell from the look on his face that Angel hadn't been expecting anything near that. "Oh. When?"

"We haven't decided yet. Just that it's something we want to do. Probably fairly soon, I'd suspect. We're going to go to London. I want to go work with the other Slayers, get back into my Calling."

"William the Bloody in a building full of Slayers. I guess if you think that's a good idea…"

"Angel, don't. He's not the man he used to be. You know that."

"So why exactly are you telling me this?" Angel asked. "Just felt like rubbing it in?"

"No. I wanted to make sure that you understand that this is what I want. You told me once to find someone who could take me out into the light. I have that now. And I'm happy. Can you respect that?"

Angel was silent for several moments, and Buffy wondered if he was going to snap at her. "Just answer me one thing," he said finally.

"What?"

"If I had been the one that the Shanshu…"

"No."

"That quick of an answer, huh?"

"Yes. I love, Spike. I want to be with him. The fact that he has a heartbeat now is just an added bonus. If the Shanshu had been about you instead of him, then I'd be with a vampire right now."

Angel closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "Then I can respect that."

"Good. I don't…I don't want you in my life right now, Angel. Maybe someday, I'll be able to see you as a friend, but with all the hurt and betrayal…I can't right now."

"I know."

"Then it's settled." Buffy turned, walking towards the door.

"Buffy?"

She stopped, but didn't turn around. "Yes?"

"You told me once you'd always be my girl."

"I did. But I'm a woman now." Buffy walked out then, into the daylight.

*** *** ***

Only one more chapter left of this one. I wasn't real sure about this one, so reviews would be very much appreciated. Let me know if you liked where this one went.

I've had several questions about the Immortal. I didn't make him up. He's mentioned in the Angel season five episode "The Girl in Question," as Buffy's new boyfriend who has a history with Angel and Spike as a sort of archenemies or something. They didn't go into a lot of detail on the show, which is why I didn't here either.

Also, I'm trying to make my website look a little less hideous, so if there's anyone with banner-making talent who would be willing to make banners for any of my fics, please email me (addie_logan@yahoo.com). I'm quite challenged in that area, and I could use the help.





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