disclaimer on first part

Spike acquired a firm grip on Buffy's hand. It was rather like holding a cloud; but it was better than nothing.

"Wonder what happened to Anya? Or Olivia?" Buffy mused. "Willow and Amy have been together for a decade."

"How'd she lose her leg?" Spike asked curiously.

"Morgan," Buffy flared angrily. "They went after her about a week after my death; and she...she..."

His hand tightened. "Easy, luv. They were lucky to survive it- against a Slayer turned."

"I know," Buffy agreed quietly. "They were all hurt; but Xander somehow got everyone out alive. And Willow manages fine now."

"Seems blooming to me," Spike offered, feeling a sudden urge to drive the anxiety from her eyes.

As he'd hoped, the Slayer brightened. "Yes, they're very happy, she and Amy. And they have this little black kitten they named Ripper! Isn't that cute?"

Spike grinned, pleased to see her smile again.

"It's funny," Buffy continued. "Willow and Amy grew up together; but they were never really close. Who'd have thought they'd end up a couple?"

"You never know about these things, luv," Spike advised. "People can fall in love suddenly- after years of togetherness. Sometimes it's just that the timing has been wrong! Like...like..."

"Who?" she asked, wonderingly.

"Wesley and Cordelia!" Spike seized on them with relief.

Buffy giggled. "That's so weird. But Cordy always liked him, even when the rest of us thought he was a wimp."

"You don't fight demons for years and stay a wimp," Spike reminded her.

"Speaking of fighting demons, how do we help them against Morgan?" Buffy asked expectantly.

Spike frowned. "Depends on whether Angel still has his soul."

Buffy gasped. "You mean, he might have lost it?"

"Morgan didn't kidnap him because he's such a soddin' great detective," Spike growled. "What do you know about Beltane, lu...uh, pet?"

"It's one of the big Magic festivals," she answered eagerly.

"Yes, that's part of it," Spike acknowledged. "It's a time of...well, passion. Vampires often choose their consorts then."

"Ohh, we're too late!" Buffy wailed. "Wasn't Beltane last night?"

"It lasts three nights for vampires." Spike informed her. "We may still have time."

"You think Morgan wants Angel to be her consort?"

"Seems likely, luv. Women always seem to go for the dark, broody type."

Amazingly she giggled. "He does brood a lot, doesn't he?"

"That he does, pet. Now me, I make the best of things! When I got this bloody chip in my head, did I go all dark and agonized and 'Oh lord help me make amends for the evil I have done!' No, I did not!"

"Well, you should have!" Buffy retorted.

He cocked one dark eyebrow. "Why? Would it have made any difference?"

She gave him her patented little frown. "Difference in what?"

Spike glanced away. "Doesn't matter, does it? Let's make a plan for tonight."

Early evening found the six friends and two ghostly observers once again assembled in Giles' office.

"I can't think why it's so cold in here," Amy complained.

Xander looked annoyed. "Never bothered you before."

"But now it does." Amy got up and began prowling the room. She stood by the long windows. "That chill isn't coming from here."

"I feel it too." Cordelia huddled in her cashmere sweater.

"It's quite warm outdoors," Wesley commented thoughtfully, "and heat rises, so the office ought to be..."

"Here!" Amy stopped by the couch, inches from Spike and Buffy.

"Hello, Amy," Buffy said in a normal tone.

Amy frowned. "There's something...odd here."

"Let me see." Crdelia jumped up and hurried over. "Do you smell something?"

"See? I told you we have to shower," Buffy hissed in Spike's ear.

"Stop that, pet! We do NOT have a hygiene problem! We're ghosts, not zombies."

"There's a faint scent of...vanilla," Cordelia decided. "And leather. And...cigarettes?"

"She's making that up!" Spike was outraged. "I haven't smoked in..."

"A full moon!" Giles exclaimed. "There's a full moon this evening; that may affect our mission."

"Where will Morgan be holding Angel?" Cordelia asked, moving back to the table.

"No doubt he'll be at the Bronze; the Beltane festival is a rather important one to vampires," Wesley explained. "Even for a former Slayer."

"It's just like Spike to turn a Slayer," Xander said coldly. "Bleach boy never played by the rules."

"Still, I'd have thought Spike was smarter than that," Willow put in. "Guess not."

"Oh, thanks bunches, Red," Spike snarled.

"It WASN'T the smartest thing you ever did," Buffy pointed out. "Not the dumb thing they think you did- turning a Slayer. But the dumb thing you REALLY did- handing her over to Drusilla."

Spike bit his lip to hold back a protest. He didn't see how he'd ever make her understand his devotion to Dru, his weakness where she was concerned. For months after they'd parted, he'd still been convinced that he couldn't survive without her; that the loneliness he feared would come crashing in to drown him.

That was the reason he'd taken up with Harmony; that and his discovery that she'd gone to high school with the Slayer and her friends. It didn't, couldn't work, of course. They'd split up; and he'd drifted back into the orbit of the Slayer.

And Buffy kept him sane. She kept him so preoccupied with his resentment of her, of all she was and all he wanted, that he never really felt alone...

"I fell in love," Spike said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, I know," Buffy nodded vigourously. "Drusilla meant so much to you; guess it all comes down to what you told me once, 'Love isn't brians, it's blood.'"

Spike's jaw dropped; but he realized there was nothing he could say without revealing everything.

"They're leaving now," Buffy said suddenly.

Xander was on his feet, distributing weapons and rapping out orders. "Giles and I will go in from the roof, Wesley and Cordelia from the back, Willow and Amy in front. "

"Well, who bloody died and made him General Bonaparte?" Spike wondered.

"I did," reminded Buffy. "Xander always had a good grasp of strategy; he'd have done well in the military."

Spike snorted. "That whelp would have been court-martialed within the week! The ideal military model was your soldier boy Riley Fish..."

"Finn," Buffy corrected.

"Yeah, the big brainless type. Only too pleased to have some higher-up do his thinking for him. Can't imagine what you ever saw in him!"

"He was nice," Buffy argued, defensively. "He loved me, and I loved him."

"Which is why you never even gave him a thought until I brought him up," sneered Spike.

"You take that back!" Buffy was furious.

"Why should I? The soldier boy was a real thrill, I could tell. I bet you only shagged him to disguise the fact you had nothiing to talk about!"

"That's not true!" Buffy yelled.

"C'mon, pet, admit it. Riley was so boring you never wanted to talk to him anyway!"

"He was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not! Ohh, you make me so mad, you..."

"So what if I do? At least I don't make you yawn!"

She gave him a smoldering look; then flounced off after Giles.

One look at her face convinced Spike that it might be better to make himself scarce for awhile.

"I don't care; I was bloody right!" he told himself stoutly, drifting after Willow and Amy. "She forgot all about that soldier boy; yeah, very forgettable, that lad was. What's more, she knows it!"

Still, he drooped unhappily; why had he been the one to drag the git out of the murky past? Of course he knew the reason- jealousy had always been his downfall.

The Bronze was packed with demons as well as vampires; evidently Morgan had expanded her rule beyond the local vampire population. Spike frowned, he didn't mind taking on any sort of demon; but he did like to know something about them first.

Then he remembered- he couldn't really jump into the fight unless he somehow materialized.

Suddenly uneasy, he looked around for Buffy and found her in the middle of the dance floor.

For one moment the years rolled back; and he was once again concealed in the shadows, watching the Slayer dancing with her friends. But even as he watched, she stiffened and stared at the stage.

Spike followed the direction of her gaze.

Angel, shirtless yet clad in black leather pants and vest, sat beside Morgan, shimmering in a magnificent green gown. The pair of them were ringed by a vigilant circle of vampires.

The music was loud; Spike turned to survey the crowd, noting that all Buffy's friends were in position.

He turned again to look at Morgan; and nearly yelled aloud.

Buffy was on the stage, whispering in Angel's ear.

Morgan scowled angrily, and pulled her silk wrap closely about her bare shoulders. She got to her feet, pacing restlessly to the edge of the stage.

That's when Xander made his move, rappelling down from the catwalk above the stage, fighting his way to Morgan with his favorite crossbow in his hand.

He almost made it. Even as he reached the stage, Wesley and Cordelia were there, staking the vampires nearest Angel.

Willow and Amy were casting; a thick fog enveloped the stage.

Spike arrived just in time to see Xander loose the bolt; and Morgan seize her nearest guard and use his body as a shield. He disintegrated into a pile of dust and Morgan stood facing Xander, with the remaining bolt targetted at her heart.

"Xander," Wesley said tensely.

Angel's arm was locked around Cordelia's neck as he held her hard against him.

"Drop your weapon," he ordered Xander, "or I'll snap her neck."

For a long, nerve-stretching moment, no one moved.

Then the crossbow clattered to the ground.

Spike didn't wait. He whirled, grabbed Willow, and shoved her roughly toward the door. He couldn't manage to put much force behind the push; but he hoped she'd get the hint.

It was too late for Amy; he could see a green-skinned demon already twisting her arms behind her back.

But Giles was still on the catwalk...Spike floated up to the ceiling.

Giles had been struggling with a flame-thrower, angling it to get a clear shot at Morgan...but there was no way he could pull it off in the few minutes remaining before the demons captured him.

Spike kicked over the equipment.

"Blast!" Giles bent to retrieve it as the first vampire climbed up.

Spike kicked him off the ladder into space. For this two things were responsible- he took the other vampire entirely unaware, and in recoiling from the kick, he lost his balance and slipped.

But Spike had no quarrel with success. Giles was tugging desperately at a small air-vent.

"Here mate, I'll give you a hand," Spike said urgently, keeping one eye peeled for approaching vamps.

Together they wrenched open the grate; and Giles crawled into it. Spike merely floated through the wall to the other side.

To be met by a tearful Buffy.

"She has them," she wept. "Morgan."

"She doesn't have Giles or Willow, pet," Spike said firmly, hoping it was the truth. "And together they've got more brains than any ten people."

Buffy continued to cry. "Stop that!" Spike said sharply, as Giles made his way down from the roof. "Crying won't help anything!"

She gave a funny little strangled gasp; then stopped her sobbing, though tears continued to roll down her face.

He looked at her, half-regretting his harshness.

Finally she whispered, "I couldn't help him, Spike."

"Angel?" he asked with a stab of jealousy.

"Xander," she replied sadly. "I couldn't...stop...Angelus!"

Spike grabbed her. "Forget that now...get ready!"

Willow's car screeched to a halt next to Giles. He wrenched open the front door and tumbled into the passenger seat as the two ghosts flowed into the back.

Willow floored the accelerator. "How'd you get away, Giles?"

"I escaped through an air-conditioning vent," Giles explained. "Just tore out the grating and climbed out. I suppose it was the adrenaline."

Spike snorted. "Adrenaline! It was me!"

And then he felt her lips, whisper-soft, brushing across his cheek.

Stunned, he turned to stare at her.

She had never before kissed him; not since that one night when the witch's spell had gone mad and his world had been turned...

"Turvey-topsy." He said it aloud, hearing the sense of wonder in his voice.

Her face fell. "I just wanted ...to thank you, Spike. For saving Giles."

Willow drove like a rocket to the house she shared with Amy.

"We'll be safe now; there are very powerful wards all around this place," she promised, unlocking the door.

"I don't think we need to be concerned," Giles assured her. "They'll have returned to their Beltane celebration by now; they won't be worried about us."

Willow disappeared into the kitchen. "I 'll make coffee; then we'll delve into the books."

Spike suddenly found himself fending off an assault from a half-grown kitten who seemed to take exception to the vampire's presence.

"Shhh, Ripper!" Buffy scolded the kitten, who was snarling at Spike.

"What ails that cat?" Giles demanded irritably, looking up from his spellbook.

"I don't know," Willow said worriedly. "Maybe he misses Amy?"

Giles grunted. "I say we go back during the day. That will be our best chance."

"No, Giles," Willow said earnestly. "Tomorrow's the final night of Beltane; and everyone'll be distracted! That's the best time."

"Distracted by what?" Giles asked curiously.

"Basically, it's one huge orgy," Willow told him. "What I thought...suppose we do an augmentation spell? To exaggerate the natural effects of Beltane?"

"That sounds feasible," Giles admitted. "But we'll also need a protection spell- to avoid getting caught up in the frenzy?"

"We'll be protected to a degree, but not entirely," Willow warned. "Just remember to focus on the main goal."

"Killing Morgan," Giles and Spike spoke in unison.

Willow frowned reprovingly. "Saving our friends. If that means we have to let Morgan go, THIS time, then that's what it means!"

"I've hunted her for years," Giles said flatly. "Ever since..." his voice trailed off.

Willow did not back down. "Like I told Xander, it's what Buffy would want. If she could be here...if she could come to us from anywhere, what do you think she'd say?"

"Fry Morgan," Buffy muttered.

Spike forced back a chuckle.

But Giles sighed in defeat. "Very well, Willow, we'll rescue the others. Although perhaps Angel..."

"Not now, Giles." Willow got wearily to her feet. "We need to grab a few hours sleep. The guest room is the first door on the left, just down this hall. And there's an adjoining bath. I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"What about us?" Spike groused.

"We can sleep in the den." Buffy led the way. "The couch opens into a sleep-sofa."

"They use this room if they have an extra guest. " Buffy explained. She slid beneath the covers.

"What guests do they usually have?" Spike asked, gingerly easing in beside her.

"Only Michael," Buffy admitted. "He's Amy's best friend from high school. He joined a dance company and travels a lot; but he visits Amy three or four times a year."

"A regular menage a trois," Spike said gleefully. "Wouldn't have thought the little witch had it in her!"

Buffy sat up in bed and glared at him. "You're a pig, Spike!"

"What? It's natural to want sex, Slayer! And don't act all prissy; I seem to recall you allowed a go or two, back in your college days!"

"Oooh, I hate you!" Buffy screamed, lauching herself at him.

They wrestled pointlessly for a minute or two; then he got the upper hand. In one swift motion he pinned her arms above her head; and kissed her hard.

She went completely still.

"Uh-oh," Spike thought. "Now I've done it! She already hates me, she..."

He opened his eyes and got a distinct shock. "...wants me."

Buffy's eyes were shining, her lips moist.

"Spike?" her voice was tremulous.

He kissed her again, lingering to explore her rosebud mouth. He broke the kiss and stared at her, waiting.

"Oooh," Buffy sighed blissfully. And reached for him once more.

They kissed with growing eagerness now that the fear of rejection was gone.

The Slayer's sea-blue eyes were wide. "Spike, I felt that kiss! Really felt it, all the way down to my toes. Do you think we're learning to materialize?"

He blinked, surprised. Then he saw that he could indeed feel her- the tiny perfect body in his arms, the velvet of her lips, the silky softness of her hair.

He swallowed. "You're here, pet."

She looked down at herself, awed. "It's true. I'm ...here, and real. And- so are you!"

He didn't expect to sleep, could not possibly sleep.

He was too happy.

Yet somehow, towards dawn, reassured by the closeness of her small form, he drifted off.

When he finally woke it was late in the afternoon, and she was gone.

Panic set in; he fumbled awake and out to the kitchen...to find Giles and Willow lingering over coffee. And Buffy, fluffing her long hair to dry it.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" he yelled, grabbing her.

"Taking a shower," she said, wincing and rubbing her arm.

"WHAT?? With Giles?"

"No," Buffy giggled, suddenly comprehending his jealousy. "With Willow. You're the possessive type, aren't you?"

Too late he remembered his resolve to treat her casually until he tested the depth of her feeling for him. It was done though; he couldn't take it back.

"Get used to it, Slayer," he growled. "I don't want you showering with other males! Is that understood?"

Buffy bristled. "You're not the boss of me!"

"Is that understood?" he repeated, menacingly.

She wavered in the ferocious light of his eyes. "Umm..."

"Slayer!"

"Okay, okay!" Buffy capitulated. "Geez, Spike..."

Before she could say another word he jerked her roughly into his arms and kissed her. He kept on kissing her, stroking her hair and holding her.

When he finally let her go, she smiled up at him mistily. "Spike?"

"Yeah, luv?" he asked huskily.

"Giles is about to go shower," she hinted demurely.

Spike studied her suspiciously. "You wait right here," he ordered.

She nodded meekly as he floated out of the room after Giles.

Much to his surprise, she was actually there when he returned.

"Spike! Now I can materialize at will!" She grinned and created a distinctive Buffy silhouette, even as he gazed.

"You try." she urged.

Without any hesitation, he obeyed her.

"I can see you!" she said happily, bouncing with joy.

He was more pleased than he liked to admit.

"Shh, here they come!" she warned, fading to an insubstantial wisp.

He was quick to follow suit.

They trailed Giles and Willow back to the Bronze.

"Maybe we should split up?" Buffy suggested.

"Oh no you don't, pet. You stick to me like glue, understand?"

When she hesitated, "Get it??" emphatically.

"Okay! I will. Look, they're going back down that vent."

Sure enough, Giles and Willow were re-entering the Bronze the same way Giles had made his escape.

"Should we materialize?" Buffy asked anxiously.

"No!" Spike said emphatically. "First, let's find everyone."

Back stage they quickly discovered Xander and Wesley, tied together as if awaiting a summons.

"Are they okay?" Buffy looked at them with concern.

"Yeah." Spike slapped Wesley's face; and the former Watcher regained consciousness with a loud groan.

"Quick! Untie him!" Buffy ordered, loosening the bonds so that Wesley could slip free. Swiftly the former Watcher cut Xander loose.

"Uhhh," Xander was groggy. "Where's Amy? And Cordelia?"

"Why don't we find out?" Wesley said determinedly.

Xander upended a small table and broke the legs off.

"They didn't leave one for me," Buffy complained, as her friends stowed the stakes somewhere on their persons.

Spike snorted. "The last thing we need is a floating stake, luv!"

He caught her hand, pulling her after the two men- out into the frenzy of a vampiric Beltane.

Instantly he felt his senses quicken- the scene was like something out of Dante.

"Spike!" Buffy cried out. "Look- it's Cordelia!"

It was indeed Cordelia; she was naked,dancing sensuously in the center of the stage.

At a front table sat Angel, beside a magnificantly dressed Morgan....and a drugged-looking Amy.

In the background, dozens of vampires and demons were writhing in an orgiastic frenzy; others among them were feeding upon a few luckless humans.

Buffy immediately headed for the main table.

Spike seized her blonde hair and hauled her roughly back.

"Oww!" Buffy yelled, glaring at him.

"Where do you think you're going, pet?" he glared back at her.

"Morgan can't be killed by a ghost," he added, as she seemed disposed to argue. "You help Amy."

She hesitated, then did as he ordered.

"Amy," she whispered in the witch's ear. "Amy! Willow needs you!"

The glazed eyes cleared slightly.

"Willow?" Amy repeated groggily.

Angel laughed harshly. "Don't worry about your lover, girl.

She'll join us soon enough!" Buffy was careful not to look in his direction. "Amy...please! Try, for Willow's sake."

Amy's right hand dropped to her side....fingertips tracing tiny patterns.

Morgan frowned. "There's a chill in the air," she complained.

Spike found himself standing with Xander and Wesley as Xander raised his crossbow.

"Soon as I get a clear shot," Xander said softly.

"Wait! What about Amy?" Wesley protested. "You might hit her."

Xander's lips tightened. "This time- I won't let anything, or anyone, stop me!"

"We'll just see about that," Buffy murmured in Spike's ear.

She floated over to her friend; and the air around them shimmered slightly as her outline slowly took shape.

Xander lowered his crossbow. "Buffy?" His voice was filled with wonder.

And someone else had seen.

Angel was on his feet, staring in awe at the apparition.

"Buffy," he whispered.

"It's a trick!" snarled Morgan. "She's not there...I killed her myself! And I killed the vampire when he sought to avenge her! SHE'S NOT THERE!"

Angel turned his dark eyes on Morgan's beautiful face. "You...killed Buffy," he repeated, thickly.

His huge hands reached for her, fastening relentlessly around her throat.

But Morgan was a Slayer turned. She held her own, locked with Angel in a parody of a lovers' embrace. Gradually she forced him back; and then down.

Xander was still staring at Buffy in bemusement, weapon dangling uselessly.

"Buffy...I couldn't...save you..."

"Dematerialize, pet!" Spike yelled at Buffy. "So he can deal with Morgan."

Buffy started...immediately she began to fade.

"No!" Xander put out his hand to keep her. "Don't leave me again!"

Willow, breathing hard, reached his side. "Xander, there's nothing there!"

With a tremendous heave, Morgan flung Angel halfway across the Bronze.

Then she turned towards Amy.

And Willow screamed.

The sound galvanized Xander; he whipped up the crossbow and fired.

The bolt flew straight and true, embedding itself in Morgan's heart.

"NOOOOOO!" she shrieked- and disintegrated into ash.

Willow rushed over to Angel, clutching a canvas tarp she'd found backstage. She threw it over him, just as Amy's spell took effect and the stage burst into flame.

"Bloody hell!" Spike muttered.

The remaining vampires, who's been milling about uncertainly and staring at the pile of Morgan's ashes, now panicked and began kicking and slashing to get to the exits.

Then- the sprinkler system came on.

"Giles!" Buffy exclaimed admiringly. "It's holy water!"

Spike nearly jumped out of his skin. "It's WHAT?" he shouted.

"It can't hurt you, remember? You're dead!"

"Oh, right." Spike calmed down, feeling a bit sheepish.

"Sometimes I forget, too," Buffy confessed.

Under the tarp, Angel began stirring as the sprinklers all stopped.

Most of the vampires and demons had fled; the few remaining would never threaten anyone again.

Wesley had wrapped another tarp around Cordelia; she was now sitting groggily alongside Angel on the floor.

"What did they do, drug us?" she asked.

Amy grimaced. "It was part of their Beltane ritual. I feel like I could sleep for a year."

Xander still stood, staring at Morgan's ashes.

"I thought I saw her, Giles," he said shakily. "Angel did, too. Looking just as she did when...just as she did twelve years ago."

Giles nodded slowly. "Maybe you both needed to see her, Xander. To remind yourselves what we fight for."

"I needed reminding," Angel said quietly. "When I'm drugged, my demon takes over. But I was able to beat him by focusing on her."

He left with Wesley and Cordelia, while Willow led a wobbly Amy to the car.

Spike waited tensely, wondering what Buffy would do.

To his surprise, she opted to return to the museum.

"Why here, pet?" he asked, concerned.

"Xander lives in the director's apartment on the top floor," she told him.

"I know," Spike nodded. On the first night he'd discovered that Giles had chosen to keep the apartment where he'd lived for so many years, turning the director's rooms over to Xander.

"I just want to check on him," she said enigmatically.

Spike shrugged; he knew he'd go wherever she did.

Xander's apartment was just down the hall from Giles' office. The rooms were spacious and could have been attractive, but they had the impersonal look of a hotel suite.

"How long has he lived here?" Buffy asked suddenly.

"Over eight years," Spike responded, knowing what she was thinking.

Buffy wandered around - remembering the cheerful clutter of Xander's basement back when they were all still together. The starkness of the place depressed her.

Then she heard Xander's footsteps; he walked in, staring at the large picture above the fireplace that was the only personal thing in the living room.

With a start, Buffy recognized that picture. One day shortly before the fatal meeting with Morgan, Riley had driven them all to Venice beach: Xander and his demon girlfriend, Willow and a young wicca with whom she was enamored, and Buffy.

Xander stood watching the beach-front artists sketch the tourists, and finally approached the best of them.

The woman had drawn the three of them in pastels- Xander looking serious for once, Willow with a wide, elfin grin, Buffy with her little half-smile.

It was this picture to which Xander lifted a glass in salute.

"Thank you, Buffy."

Buffy clutched Spike's hand tightly as they made their way to Giles' office with its comfortable couch.

"Do you think Xander will be okay?" she asked anxiously.

"Yeah, luv. He's let the poison out by killing Morgan. Now, he can have a life again."

"What about us?" Buffy inquired, settling onto the couch.

"We'll have to be content with our unlife," Spike smirked, eyeing her hungrily.

She sat up abruptly, frowning. "About that, Spike...what did Morgan mean when she said...SPIKE! How. Did. You. Die?"

He'd known it was coming. "Uh, Morgan killed me," he offered weakly.

"I know that! But what were you doing, fighting her?"

"I...um..." his mind was a complete blank. "I just wondered...if I could take her. I mean, YOU couldn't," he said snidely.

She was studying him intently. "So, your challenging her had nothing to do with me?"

"NO!" he practically shrieked. He plunged in, recklessly. "You really think I'd challenge a Slayer-vampire to avenge you, Summers? When you've tried to kill me more than once? I'd have to be sodding crazy! Crazy, or some lovesick fool..."

Horrified, Spike heard the damning words come out of his mouth. He hadn't just said that, had he?

Her huge sea-blue eyes widened in surprise.

He had.

Spike groaned aloud, and turned his back, wishing for a stake to end his misery. Then he remembered that a stake wouldn't help him anymore.

"Spike?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

Stubbornly he refused to turn around. He'd just managed to ruin his life...right, his death...and he'd be damned if he'd give her the satisfaction of gloating over his humiliation.

"Spike!" An edge in the soft voice. "Look at me!"

Defiantly, he swung around to face her; and found, to his amazement, that she didn't look angry. Or disgusted. Or upset.

Instead her pretty face was glowing, almost as if...

"Buffy?" He took a single step towards her.

SHE HELD OUT HER ARMS TO HIM.

With a loud whoop, Spike hurtled forward and landed- hard- right on top of the Slayer.

"Ooof!" she said good-naturedly. "I knew it was a mistake to materialize so soon."

Frantically he pawed at her. "I hurt you, didn't I? Oh pet, I'm so sorr..."

Her kiss cut off the rest of his apology.

Spike's mind reeled...she was KISSING him now?

She was; and so enthusiastically that for several long minutes he could think of nothing else.

Finally, she broke the kiss? "Spike? What's the matter?"

He shook his head, bemused. "You know something, pet? It's a lot better to be a ghost than a vampire!"

"Is it?" she giggled.

"Oh yeah," Spike said eagerly, " I really LIKE being a ghost!"

She kissed him again. "Then maybe you should dematerialize," she suggested wickedly, "since you like it so much."

"Oh no you don't!" He grabbed her, relieved when she stayed reassuringly solid in his arms.

She twined her arms around his neck. "being real has its advantages."

Spike said nothing, being fully occupied with exploring just how real they were.

Later- a long time later- when they were tired but far too happy to sleep, he said "Know something, luv?"

"What, Spike?" she inquired, snuggling closer to rest her small blonde head against his shoulder.

He kissed the top of that head. "Just...when we were in limbo, it was like a big soddin' moor. Not what I thought it would be, at all."

"Mmm," she assented sleepily, "I know."

Spike looked down at the girl in his arms, stroking her long hair possessively.

"Yeah, pet," he smiled. "But what you don't know, what I was wondering...Limbo doesn't look the way I thought it would. And... neither does heaven."

He paused just long enough to kiss her again.

"In fact, heaven looks a lot like....the Sunnydale Museum of Natural History!"

The End

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