disclaimer: don't own them - Joss Whedon does.

"Ouch! That really does hurt you know?" The blonde sitting on the bed complained loudly.

"If - you - had - listened - to - me - this wouldn't have happened!" The pretty blonde beside him accentuated each word.

Buffy sat behind Spike, using tweezers to remove shards of broken window glass from his back. She was trying to maintain her anger at him for following her on patrol. But she was having a hard time doing it, she knew he did it out of love and concern for her.

"Honest, luv. I wasn't following you, I was taking a walk and just came up on you and that vamp." Spike halfheartedly explained.

"Right, just out for a walk. You were following me and you got shoved through a window for your trouble. Do you ever listen?" Buffy asked as she extricated the last shard of glass from his already healing back.

"Ouch!" He proclaimed loudly.

"That's the last one. You're lucky." She told him as she gathered the first aid kit and stood up. He grasped her arm. She turned to look down at him.

In his most forlorn voice, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry." He grasped her arm tightly.

Buffy tried to break free of his grasp, but he looked so pathetic that she sat back down beside him on the bed. Sighing deeply she spoke, "I know you didn't but I've explained this before. It's not a good idea, and anyway I usually have help on patrol. Don't worry!"

"You didn't have help last night, or Tuesday night or even Sunday night...." Spike stopped knowing he had said too much.

"You've been following me every night, haven't you?"

Spike tried to avoid her eyes, he shook his head yes and then added " All right, I decided that if it was okay for the poof to patrol with you, then I could!"

Anger flashed hot in her eyes. Spike wished the words could have been taken back before they ever completely left his mouth. She stood up and spoke in voice cold enough to give a vampire chills. "One more word about Angel and I will start on Dru. You decided it was okay, so that meant it was okay?" She rolled her eyes at him, turned and left the room.

He nodded his head to the empty room. She had gone to return the first aid kit to the bathroom. What a wonderful way to spend the evening , in trouble again. And he had been doing so well lately. He stood up to go, he didn't think he could even salvage a goodnight kiss from these ruins.

Buffy stared into the bathroom mirror. How dare he follow her, and then bring up Angel. Angel was a different situation. She picked up the hairbrush and absentmindedly began to brush her hair. Her anger subsided as she realized that it wasn't a different situation, Angel had loved her, Spike loved her. She turned and went back into the bedroom. Spike appeared to be leaving. "Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?" She asked softly.

"Didn't think you would miss me tonight" He answered with slight smile trying to disguise the hurt he felt.

She noticed the smile and took his hand in hers. "I always miss you." She whispered into his ear as she put her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry, Spike."

"No, I was wrong . It's your decision. You don't want me to patrol with you, you don't want all of your chums to find out about us, so I won't do it again. But, I think I should get to help make the decision about telling them about us. Unless you are just so ashamed of me that you just plan on putting me off indefinitely about telling them." He asked her a serious note in his voice that did nothing to conceal his hurt and anger at the situation.

Buffy looked up at him with despair in her hazel eyes. She sighed and removed her arms from his neck she led him back to the bed where they sat down again. "Spike, I'm not ashamed of us, I just don't know how to explain us to everyone. Why do I always choose relationships that will hurt everyone who cares for me?" Unshed tears glowed in her eyes now.

"Willow accepted it, maybe it won't be so hard for the rest of them. Anyway, don't you deserve to be happy? Why do you have to make sacrifices for their happiness? You've saved all of them a dozen times or more." Spike told her irritably. Then his tone softend as he pulled her close to him, "I love you, Buffy. I just want it out in the open so I can help protect you. Is that too much to ask?"

Buffy fell into the embrace, she lay her head on his shoulder and made a decision. "No, it's not too much to ask. We tell them all tomorrow night, okay?" She said the words in an almost whisper.

"Are you sure?" He asked hesitantly.

"Very sure." She answered a new confidence in her voice.

"Why tomorrow, why not tonight?. I know they're all at the library." Spike told her, his impatience evident in his voice.

"Tomorrow is better, I have plans for tonight." She smiled at him and brushed her lips softly against his. Then she said mischieviously "The only decision you have to make tonight is..." and she whispered something in his ear as she pulled him even closer , running her hands through his hair.

Spike pulled away and smiled broadly at her as he lay her down on the bed. "Tomorrow it is, the decision's been made. We can wait till tomorrow to tell them." His words trailed off as his lips found hers once more. "Now for that other decision, you mentioned..." Suddenly,everything could wait, the world could stop spinning on it's axis and he wouldn't notice. He was with the woman he loved.

The End

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