A/N: In this story I need you to believe one thing - the adjoining spell is not needed by a pure slayer.

Chapter 12

Buffy wandered aimlessly around Spike's living room, intermittently picking up things as she moved. Sending a furtive glance in the direction of the kitchen, where the bleached blond vampire she had claimed was rather domestically preparing them both a cup of hot chocolate, she struggled to contain her frustration. They'd taken the night off by deciding not to join her other friends for their Halloween night at a frat house party with the excuse that they needed to talk, but all they had managed to cover was why neither of them wanted to put up with Xander's sniping. They were meant to be getting to know each other better; finding out maybe if they could be more than just a couple destined to be together. She could feel through her claim to him that he was insecure and wanted to know that there would be actual caring involved-maybe even love.  She knew with absolute certainty that he was capable of it himself. She wanted the same thing. But if they kept going as they were they'd never find out.

Spike lifted an eyebrow in query when, as he walked back into the room with two steaming cups, Buffy stamped her foot and seemed to growl. Placing the mugs on the coffee table, he sat and waited silently for her to tell him what the problem was. He felt no desire to speak at this point in time. He really didn't know where to start with all that needed to be said, so he figured it better to let her begin.

"Why do I have to be all-talky girl?" she whined plaintively. With a quick spin she faced him squarely. "You're the one that's usually all up there with the insightfulness. Can't you just do that thing you do with the whole ‘understanding of the situation' bit?" she asked hopefully.

Spike shrugged. "Prolly could if I actually knew how you felt about it all, pet."

"And we're back to me with the talky," she grumbled unhappily. With an ill-concealed sigh of disappointment she slowly made her way over to the couch, sat down and reached for her drink. All the while her mind searched for a way to begin.

"Look," she started, turning to face the other blond. "Up until recently I hadn't felt my slayer side as an actual side, you know? I could never really separate that part of me from the rest. Now, though, I can feel it. I can tell the Slayer's motivations and feelings just as easily as I can Buffy's. If you add into that Super Slayer with the weird glinties and electric bubble of protection and, well...it gets kinda confusing."

Taking a sip of her drink, Buffy paused for a moment before continuing. "Both the Slayer and Super Slayer see you as mine. And both are seriously happy with the choice gotta say. But really Super Slayer doesn't get a vote, ‘cause she's not staying. Now me, Buffy, on the other hand, is totally terrified. I mean, I know you're not Angel, but he's the only experience I have and you gotta agree with me that as experiences go - that one sucked with a vengeance." 

Spike chuckled lightly at Buffy's slight self-deprecating smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, blood breath," Buffy groused, rolling her eyes. "But seriously, it was majorly of the bad and even though a lot of my relationship with Angel sucked, I still care for him. But I keep getting these annoying little comparisons flitting through my mind, like... ‘unlike Angel's, you know this demon loves you' and ‘Spike stuck with Dru for over a century so you know he stays,' and then there's the ever powerful ‘at least this one doesn't seem to be allergic to fun,' so even if I am scared of going through the same stuff over again, I'm kinda willing to take the chance."

Buffy collapsed back into the couch as she finished speaking. She'd gone first and now felt as vulnerable as she'd ever been-waiting on the words of a demon to put things to rights. Her hands shook slightly as she self-consciously wiped her sweating palms on her jeans. Chancing a surreptitious glance in Spike's direction she was somewhat relieved to notice the array of emotions that flittered across his features. It was nice to know that she wasn't alone in her confusion.

"What you said...about havin' two sides...is almost how it is for me," Spike admitted stiltedly. Then, with confidence gained from the way Buffy had exposed herself to him, "I've got m'demon and m'William side. It's the combination of them that makes up Spike. I'm not gonna argue that m'demon is crazy arse in love with both sides of you, but that's just the demon, slayer. You're not the only one with concerns." Spike spoke quietly, his eyes focusing on anything but the young girl by his side. "I've been in love twice in my whole existence and rejected both times. The first time sent me outside into Drusilla's arms and the life of a vampire; the second time brought me to you. I'm not like Angelus; I really believe that love is an asset. The one thing I want, that William needs more than anything else, is to be loved in return. So I need to know, Slayer," Spike said, finally turning to look at Buffy and asked his questions with harsh determination. "Can you love me? Can you choose me over the poof? ‘Cause I'm not riskin' m'heart if you can't."             

"That's just it, Spike. As far as my slayer side is concerned, there's no competition between you and Angel. He was never even in the running. From the moment you walked into my life in that alleyway, it was you. The Slayer is totally in love with you. And if I understand Super Slayer correctly - it was always meant to have been you," Buffy revealed earnestly.

"All well and good, Slayer...but what about Buffy?" Spike asked quietly, still not daring to hope.

"Buffy...really wants to try," she almost whispered, ducking her head apprehensively.

Dropping his own head in matching shyness, Spike chuckled nervously. "Let's give it a bloody whirl then, Slayer."

With Buffy's brilliant smile, the cheeky vampire felt urged to add a little eyebrow wiggle. "I snog better than Peaches too!"

"Smog? There's smog now?" Buffy frowned in confusion.

Spike chuckled. "Not ‘smog,' kitten, ‘snog.'"

"What's snog?"

Spike smiled widely before showing her exactly what the word meant.

‘Oooh! Spike lips! Lips of Spike!'

~*~*~

Anya raced through the streets of Sunnydale dressed in a large, pink, bunny suit. She had a very strange feeling surging through her. If she didn't know better, she'd swear it was fear for someone else.

~*~*~

With Buffy settled comfortably in his arms, Spike told her all about the Gem of Amara that he had swallowed. He was gratified to discover that, rather than being pissed at him that he was now invincible, she seemed to be stuck on the point that he could go out in the sun. She busily suggested picnic's and beach days then almost scared the demon out of him by getting all excited over taking him to the mall for something she was calling a ‘make-over.' He was positive that he didn't like the sound of that at all. Urgent knocking at his front door interrupted her terrifying train of thought and Spike swiftly took the opportunity to thank the higher powers and answer the door.

Spike frowned in confusion. "Watcher? Demon Girl?"

"Is Buffy here, Spike?" Giles asked, his voice laced with urgency.

Stepping out of the way and holding the door open wide, Spike wordlessly indicated that they should enter and the direction they should head. Closing the door after them, he followed Giles and Anya into his living room.

"Giles? What's wrong?" Buffy asked, standing quickly.

"I'm sorry to disturb you both," he started, nodding to Spike to include him in the apology. "But it appears a situation has arisen..."

"Xander's trapped!" Anya interrupted loudly, her agitation clear.

"What?" Buffy demanded.

Spike grabbed his duster and Buffy's jacket from the coat rack in the hallway. Passing hers over, he made a suggestion as he slipped the familiar black leather over his shoulders. "Fill us in on the way, yeah?"

Returning to the door and opening it expectantly, Spike waited for them all to file through. ‘Stupid whelp! Getting' himself stuck in another mess. The quicker we save the minions the more chance I have of convincing the Slayer to come back with me. Bloody hate interruptions in the middle of a good snuggle!'

~*~*~

 As the days passed, Buffy and Spike grew closer. Both stepped carefully, wary of reliving past hurts.

Together, the two blondes had easily defeated Gachnar, the Fear Demon that had trapped Xander, Willow, Oz and all the other party goers within the confines of the frat house they had chosen as the place to hold their Halloween celebrations. Buffy giggled, saying the words ‘actual size' every time she remembered the look of chagrin on Giles' face when Spike had pointed out the inscription below the picture of Gachnar in the book that the Watcher had relied on during the incident.

Xander extended the proverbial olive branch when he invited Spike along with Buffy to visit him at his new job. He wasn't about to admit that Anya had threatened to withhold happies if he didn't.

The minute Spike smelled the Black Forest Beer, he alerted the others to the residual magic he could detect in the scent and between them they dealt with the problem before it got too complicated.

The entire situation had Xander reassessing his stubborn persistence that the only good vampire was a dusted one.

When Buffy visited the ladies room, Xander took the opportunity to express his confusion with the bleached blond.

Spike faced the brunette, his countenance serious. "I'll make you a deal, Harris. I'll lay off the insults if you do too. Who knows, if we both put in the effort to tone down the abuse, we might even actually get to like one another. Either way, Buffy doesn't have to put up with our shite. It's the least we can do for her."

Xander considered the vampire's words. With a sharp nod to accede his acceptance of the plan, the brunette reached out a hesitant hand in offering.

Buffy returned to find two of the most important males in her life sharing a smile and a handshake.