Part VI

“Spike, might I have a word with you?” Giles knocked on the bedroom door early the next morning, after a night full of thinking.

“Yeah, yeah,” Spike shouted sleepily through the door, “Be out in a minute, Rupes.”

“I’m sure you will,” Giles muttered before going downstairs to make some tea, hopefully he would manage to get his talk with Spike in before all of the girl awoke.

“When did this all start?” Giles asked twenty five minutes later after he and Spike had been speaking for several minutes. “We all know when it started for you, but what did you do to Buffy?”

“Didn’t ‘do’ anything to her. Just gave her what she needed.”

“There’s no need to be crude, Spike,” Giles replied, having misinterpreted Spike’s statement.

“And I wasn’t being,” Spike said, getting angry all over again, despite Buffy’s words to him the night before. “Want to know what changed it all? You want to know what I ‘did’?”

“Yes, I do believe I’ve made that clear.”

“I took her to the fair,” Spike said simply.

“You took her to the fair?” Giles nearly echoed.

“Yeah, Rupes, took her to the fair. Gave her some fun, let her be Buffy while all you were making her be the Slayer. Let her have a break.”

“You’re implying that we were putting some sort of pressure on her?”

“Not implying, saying. You lot were making her be what you wanted her to be. Weren’t looking after what she needed. “

“And you were?”

“Yeah, he was,” Buffy said, coming down the stairs into the kitchen.

“Always going to interrupt my conversations, pet?”

“When it’s helpful,” She answered, knowing he wasn’t angry with her.

“Giles, I know you all had…you all thought you were doing what was right for me, getting things back to normal. Making things how they were before. But you didn’t get it, things weren’t the same.

Mom died and I didn’t even have time to come to terms with that before Glory came, so when I was back I was trying to get through that, too. And I was trying to get used to being alive again…it’s not something that just happens.

Things were hard and hurt and…I had to try so hard,” She said, her voice breaking, “To make you all happy, to be who you wanted me to be. To be the Slayer. To save everybody again.

But Spike, he saved me. He knew the truth the entire time, knew where I’d been, how it felt, what I was going through, he knew it all because he was the only one I felt I could tell.

And yeah, it was that night we went to the fair that changed things. I was so close to giving in, to breaking really…and he took me…okay,” she admitted with a shrug, “He made me go to the fair. Made me do something for me. Made me forget about all the responsibilities that all of you—and life in general—had put on me.

Made me have fun…well that I guess he didn’t make me do because you can’t really make someone have fun and if you do make them, then well, it’s not really having fun is it? Because really—“

“Luv? You’re rambling again,” Spike let her know.

“Yeah, sorry. Anyway, he took me to the fair and I had fun and I had sugar and…God Giles, it was the first time since I’d been back that I had an honestly good time.

And it was like, once I realized what all it was, once I knew that if I just accepted it…Giles, really, once I just let him, Spike really does take care of me.

I love him Giles,” She said, her voice, though strong, full of emotion, “I love him and he loves me. That’s really all there is too it. We’re going to be together forever and honestly, there’s nothing you can do about it—so I really do love him Giles.”

“I’m beginning that,” The older man had to admit.

“Think I can talk to him alone for a minute, luv?”
“I don’t think that will be necessary, Spike,” Giles said.

“Might not be, but still’d like it.”

“Fine then.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll just be out back.”

“Thanks, pet,” Spike kissed her quickly before she went outside.

Once the door had shut firmly, Spike immediately turned his attention to his mate’s surrogate father. “I know that she won’t ever admit it, but Buffy’s never going to be happy with you looking down on this…on us…’cause she sees it as you disapproving of her.”

“That’s not it at all,” Giles objected.

“Know it’s not, but she doesn’t…not really. I love her and this thing we have is permanent so you’d do best to get over yourself and see this for what it is.”

“And what’s that?”

“Love,” He answered concisely.

“Simple as that?” Giles asked.

“Yeah, mate, simple as that.”

“You didn’t kill him did you?” Buffy asked after Spike came outside.

“No, kitten, Watcher boy’s just fine. Wants to talk to you actually.”

Spike tried to hide his knowing smile as a beaming Buffy came outside moments later.

“You didn’t threaten him did you?” Buffy asked skeptically.

“Think I’d be sitting here if I did?”

“Good point.”

“So, you feeling better now?”

“Why do you know me so well?”

“It’s a gift,” He smirked, he moved over indicating for her to sit next to him.

“Spike? Once this is all over with…can we maybe go see Tara?”

“That would be good, pet. Miss having Glinda round actually. Be nice to see her and Dorothy.”

“Spike! Do you have to call her Dorothy?” Buffy asked, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah…she’s with Glinda and she’s from Kansas, she’s just asking for it, pet.”

“Do you think maybe there’s a way she could have stayed?” Buffy asked after a minute.

“Not likely, Red was getting too far into the mojo…wasn’t what Glinda was.”

“Guess not. So, we can go out and see her soon?”

“Once this is all over and done with and the bit-bit’s born. Will just be a few more months…then our baby’ll be here and we can go wherever you want, for however long you want.”

Content with his answer Buffy was happy to just sit on the back steps with him as the house came to life.

THE END

and Merry Christmas to you to Priya