*ten years later*

In the hushed light of the waning December evening, Buffy Summers lifted her face to the cold sky, felt the coolness of the air caress her cheeks. She leaned back in the swinging chair and rubbed her arms through the thin wool of her sweater.

It was a perfect winter night. Sipping a steaming cup of coffee, she inhaled the fragrant brew and ran an experimental hand over the lights strung on the porch railings.

Christmas always made her reflect, something she did more and more as she got older. Not that she was ready for the nursing home yet. She still retained the youthful bounce she had had when she was twenty. Thirty isn't that old she thought irritably and smiled at herself.

And at least I got to keep the strength part. She silently thanked The Powers that Be for that honour. After they had let her off Slayer duty when she was twenty-five, they had granted her a reward. Of course she hadn't got to choose, but what they gave her was fine. It would have been to hard to know what went bump in the night and not be equipped to protect herself. She remembered how shocked she had been when they let her go.

Apparently there was some rule they had never told her about. Giles defended himself by saying that it was too hard for him…because, of course, no one had expected her to reach twenty-five. What was the point of getting her hopes up? But she had celebrated twenty-five years and gotten the greatest present of her life.

Her freedom.

Buffy smiled. In her mind's eye she could still see her mother's face when she heard the news. Over-joyed and at peace. Her sweet mother…she and Dawn still lived in Sunnydale, across town. Dawn went to University now, and was just like a regular girl.

Only Joyce, Giles and Buffy knew otherwise. And they never planned to tell her, as there seemed to be no need to. Glory had disappeared off the face of the earth, and the orderly Ben, at the hospital had told Buffy not to worry about her ever again. She still didn't know how he had known about Glory…but he had been right. That particular demon was gone.

Willow and Tara were still together, and running the Magic Box in Giles' absence. He took more and more trips to England these days and sometimes Buffy wondered why he didn't just go back for good. He and Olivia were seeing each other regularly, and Buffy thought it was high time her former Watcher settled down.

And Xander… she giggled to herself as she thought of her old friend. Married to Cordy…who would have thought? When the two ex-lovers reunited two years ago, no one had thought it would last. But they couldn't live without each other now. Despite the bickering. No one saw Anya much anymore, and Xander suspected she had gone back into Vengeance. Their relationship had never really worked out; and they had broken up long before Cordy came on the scene.

Buffy felt a breeze of warm air hit her face and looked up as the screen door opened. “Hey,” she murmured, her lips curving in welcome. “Is she asleep?”

Angel nodded, placing a finger over his lips. They listened and heard only silence. “I think so…she wanted three stories tonight.”

“That's a record,” his wife laughed and patted the seat next to hers. He smiled and lowered his long body gracefully into the swing, taking her hand.

As their fingers embraced, Buffy leaned her head against his shoulder. Her Angel…Shanshued three years ago after the End of Days fight. The first thing he had done was drive down to Sunnydale. They were married immediately…in a ceremony on the beach in Santa Monica…Buffy in a long white dress, Angel in a suit. Afterwards everyone danced and sang and celebrated. She still smiled when she thought of that day. So magical.

Their little girl had been born exactly nine months later, and they called her Gemma. A sweet and feisty child with long blonde locks and brown eyes, she could charm anyone and everyone. Angel adored her. Buffy didn't worry about her. She could see the fire in her little girl's eyes. She was a fighter. She could be nothing else, coming from the parents she had.

“Beautiful night,” she murmured to her husband drowsily, burrowing her face into his neck. He laced his fingers through hers and kissed her brow, resting his head against hers. They fell asleep on the swing, only awakening to watch the sun rise on a new day.

He had come back. And as promised, she had never given up on him.

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love…
on this winter's night with you...
END