The final part! Hope you all like! But it might not be over… *see note at the end of the fic*
A Mother Knows Best
By angelic_amy
Rating: PG 13
Medium: Fiction
Summary: Buffy hates Spike and Spike can’t stand Buffy. Right? Ever since Willow’s ‘my will be done’ spell, the vampire and slayer have been plagued with thoughts and dreams of their supposed mortal enemy. And neither of them know what to do about it. When Joyce Summers receives a mystery visit from someone in the know, and learns a little about the possible future, the slayer’s mother is set to work – playing matchmaker. Set in early season four, post ‘Something Blue’, and goes AU after that.
Disclaimer: Buffy & Angel and most of the other characters used in these fics belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television, 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, et.al. and are being used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made. This web site, its operators and any content relating to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” are not authorized by Fox.
Authors Notes: The idea for this fic is the complete brain child of the wonderful megan_peta. Megan, without your help I doubt I’d have something ready for my due date. Thanks so much sweets! *big hugs*
Betas: megan_peta and just_sue were the lovely ladies who helped whip this into shape for me!
Distribution: 
seasonal_spuffy, and soon to be added at When Hearts Collide and the The Bloodshedverse. Anywhere else, ask me first so I know where it’s going!
Feedback: is LOVED… I’d love to hear what you think.
Part 6: New Perspectives.
“Buffy, you’re all right!” Willow exclaimed with relief. Before the Slayer could respond, she was wrapped in a warm hug. The girls separated a moment later. “It was so strange, like you were all frozen in a block of ice.” The redhead frowned at the imagery her words presented. “Except, without the actual ice involved.”
Buffy laughed as her friend dragged her into the living room. Their departure left Spike and Anya alone in the kitchen. Spike was completely lost in thought. What he’d heard, what had been said, no, what he had said, played over and over in his mind like a CD stuck on repeat. And the closer he examined the snippets of conversation, the more he began to read into them. Was it possible he would one day have such deep feelings for Buffy? The answer was absolutely, unequivocally, indisputably, yes.
Spike didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at what would soon be, apparently, a change of heart. It was a revelation. For a hundred years he’d lived for, and loved, only Drusilla. When she’d dumped him, for a chaos demon no less, he’d been utterly devastated. The pain had burned long and hot, until it felt as if he would suddenly combust from the loss of his sire’s affections. This was the turning point in Spike’s un-life, when he’d realised—or remembered—the true purpose of his existence, to kill the Slayer. Though try as he might, he couldn’t. After each and every defeat he’d assumed it was because he’d not tried hard enough, the Slayer had surprised him, or his heart wasn’t really in it. It seemed the truth might have lain in the latter all along.
While they’d been in Brazil, Drusilla had moaned and groaned about Spike’s obsession with the Slayer. She’d told him he tasted of her, that she could feel his desire for the diminutive blonde in his touch. Spike had assumed she meant his craving to kill her, perhaps she’d sensed an alternate sort of longing. Drusilla was known for her abilities with the sight, but the thought that she knew he would eventually fall for the Slayer was almost a little too much for Spike to bear.
A sudden decrease of heartbeats within his immediate proximity alerted Spike to the fact the room was almost cleared out. Almost.
The ex-vengeance demon was studying him with intensity hard enough to bore holes into his skin. It was unnerving and Spike squirmed in response.
“See anything you like?”
Anya shrugged as her lips quirked into a smile. “I’m sure your body would be very pleasurable. I will enjoy speaking with Buffy after you have given her many orgasms.”
Spike’s jaw dropped as Anya left the room. Then the reality of her words sunk in and a thrill rolled over him at the thought of being responsible for giving Buffy that sort of enjoyment. A lascivious smile curled his lips and he quickly left the kitchen to join the others.
Joyce patted her daughter’s hand, more than comfortable now that she was resting on the sofa. “Sweetheart, I’m perfectly fine. It’s not everyday my body is hijacked by a Higher Power to act as a conduit, but –”
“Higher Power you say?” Giles interrupted, his attention grasped and interest piqued the moment those words left Joyce’s lips. While the woman had not had a lot of experience with the mystical and demon world since learning about its existence a little over a year ago, she had come to accept its existence. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure,” Joyce snipped in response, her lips forming a thin line at the hint of disbelief in Giles’ voice. “I may not be as knowledgeable about the paranormal as you are, but I am confident in my hearing abilities.”
“What did they want?” Willow questioned curiously.
At that precise moment Spike entered the room and both Xander and Giles stared at him suspiciously. Neither of them believed the reason the vampire was involved in all this could be a good one.
“To pass on some information,” Joyce shrugged nonchalantly. Not that she didn’t know; she was completely aware of what had happened, what had been said while they were ‘frozen’. But she didn’t believe it was her place to explain. “All I know is something bad was possibly going to happen, and Buffy and Spike needed to be informed.”
“Buffy, what did you learn?” Giles inquired.
One person smirked knowingly in her direction. Another shyly ducked their head. And three sets of questioning eyes turned upon her.
“I… ah, well you see…” Buffy fumbled for an answer as she shot a pleading look in Spike’s direction.
“’t’s alright, Slayer. You can tell ‘em.”
Spike was right, she could do this, she could answer the question. The other her, the one from the vision or future, whatever, hadn’t been afraid of expressing what she felt. She didn’t have to go into detail, she could just relay the overall message – Spike was going to become an ally, and from now on he should be treated as such. With a deep, shakily inhaled breath, Buffy opened her mouth. And lied. “I don’t remember.”
The spark of hope fled Spike’s eyes. Without saying a word, he turned and walked out of the room, the front door closing with a quiet click.
“Buffy! Why did –” Joyce began.
“I don’t know, Mom,” Buffy sighed. But she did know. She was afraid. Afraid of what her friends might think, afraid of what the broken fragments of conversation might mean about her future, afraid that admitting it—out loud—would make it true.
It wasn’t as if Buffy had never contemplated what being with Spike would be like; she had, on numerous occasion. Both before and since Willow’s spell. A girl would have to be blind not to notice the obvious physical appeal of the vampire. Strangely, especially considering her limited experience with men, it wasn’t the thought of physically being with Spike that frightened her most. It was the notion she could possibly, one day, have very deep feelings for him that had caused her to back-pedal. To lie…
“Go and talk to him,” Joyce insisted firmly. “I can explain while you sort out the mess you’ve created.”
Buffy opened her mouth to argue, a ‘but Mom’ excuse ready to deliver, when she caught her mother’s glower and decided against it.
Giles frowned with curiosity as Buffy disappeared through the front door in search of Spike. “Can you please enlighten us explain what happened?”
“Spike, look…” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that, why I lied. I guess it’s all a bit much to comprehend. I mean, for as long as I’ve known you we’ve been at each other’s throats. And to think that will all suddenly change, and instead we’ll be –”
“At each other’s lips?” Spike interrupted with a half-hearted, sardonic chuckle. Slowly he moved forward, stopping when he was close enough to reach her. “Is it so hard to believe?”
Buffy’s searched his eyes, and was blinded by the naked longing she found. Its presence wasn’t the shock it should have been. If she were honest with herself, she would have to admit that she’d seen it before—several times over the last week. Not as intense, not as fervent, but still there.
“This isn’t some fairytale, Spike,” Buffy said quietly. “We can’t just all of a sudden be together because some voices told us to.”
“Why not?” Spike demanded. “They weren’t just some voices, they were us. That was me.” He thumped his chest to reinforce his point. “What he… what I felt, it was real. Do I believe it’s possible? Yes. Because I feel at least some of it now. I care about you, Buffy.”
Buffy closed her eyes and clenched them shut, trying to block out what he was saying. If she couldn’t see the truth of his words reflected in his eyes, she wouldn’t have to believe him. And if she didn’t believe him, she wouldn’t have to admit she shared some of the feelings with the other version of her self.
“Spike, I –”
“Open your eyes, Buffy,” he pleaded. “If you’re going to deny that you feel, even a tiny morsel, then I need to see it.”
Slowly, Buffy lifted her lids and tilted her gaze upward, and was once again blown away by the intensity of Spike’s eyes. “Spike, I do–” The words died on her lips, she couldn’t finish the sentence.
Just moments ago she may have been able to lie to herself, to her mother, to her friends, but when Spike looked at her like he was now, Buffy couldn’t lie to him. Terrified by the prospect that she was about to admit there were some feelings there, Buffy did what she did best, she avoided it. Instead of voicing it, she let her answer shine from her eyes.
Understanding dawned on Spike and a brilliant smile broke its way across his face. Before he could say or do anything, his arms were suddenly filled with a slayer-sized package and rosy lips latched on to his.
Giles’ own shock at the information Joyce had relayed to them had been presented by a frantic cleaning of his glasses. Twice. In a matter of minutes.
“Wow…” Willow breathed. “This is just…”
“A little much to comprehend,” Giles finished.
“Or believe,” Xander snorted with derision.
“Xander!” Anya chastised. Her boyfriend’s intense dislike for the vampire was bordering on manic, and she was convinced it had more than a little to do with the vampire’s affections for the Slayer.
“I was actually going for amazing,” Willow retorted as she folded her arms over her chest.
“Willow, you can’t be serious!” Xander exclaimed. “Spike is an evil vampire! There’s no way that he could possibly –”
“Turn a new leaf?” Willow finished. “Why not?”
“Well, because he’s… evil, and –”
“Spike is harmless. The chip is still in his head, remember?” Willow reminded.
“If Spike were truly evil, why did he jump in to protect me in the cemetery?” Joyce questioned. “He could have let me die.”
“Well, Buffy was…” Giles fumbled, also searching for some other viable reason why Spike had acted heroic, apart from what Joyce was suggesting. Spike had terrorised the world’s population for over a hundred years. A vampire like that doesn’t just change overnight.
“Rupert, please don’t make me doubt your intelligence.” Joyce’s tone was firm and left no room for argument. “You saw what happened, and I told you what I heard.” Her eyes roved the room, making sure she made herself quite clear. “Sometime in the future, there is going to be an apocalypse. The voice that communicated with me explained very clearly that without Spike’s help, something very bad would happen.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment.
“The words bad, apocalypse and Buffy are not three things I would like to see combined.”
“Me neither,” Willow agreed quickly.
With a deep sigh, Giles relented. No matter what he protested, he knew there would be no arguing with Joyce, not where the safety of her daughter was concerned. And he had to admit, he agreed with her. If Spike’s presence would keep Buffy safe, then so be it. He’d just have to learn to be more tolerant of the vampire. Besides, he could always do some research into the matter.
“Alright,” Giles nodded. “But if he sets one foot, one tooth out of line…”
“What makes you think Buffy won’t put him back in his place?” Joyce questioned.
“Ah huh,” Anya nodded. “All Buffy would have to do is threaten to withhold orgasms and I’m sure he’ll behave.”
“Ahn! So did not need the visual!” Xander protested.
Joyce smiled. “I don’t know, Xander. Spike is quite easy on the eyes.”
Anya nodded in agreement, which caused Willow to break into giggles at the jaw dropped expression it caused in Xander.
“How about some coffee?” Giles suggested hastily as he walked toward the kitchen.
A thrill of pleasure and pure delight washed over Spike as Buffy’s lips gently caressed his own. Part of him was waiting for the fantasy to end, to find out this was all just a dream. But his dreams had never been this vivid.
Spike’s arms banded around Buffy’s waist, pulling her flush against him as he coaxed her lips to part for his insistent tongue. The challenge was made and Buffy rose to the occasion, refusing to surrender. Their tongues duelled like Titans, neither willing nor wanting to be the one to end the embrace of their lips. She recognised that with Spike, it would always be like this. He’d give his all, no matter how small—or significant—the situation. Because that’s what Spike was like—if he cared about something he gave it his everything. And Spike cared about Buffy.
The thought made Buffy gasp, and she reluctantly broke the kiss when oxygen became an issue.
A pink flush rose on her cheeks.
“Hey now, none of that,” Spike said gently, as his fingers lifted to brush across her jaw. He was in awe, in complete and utter disbelief. When he’d begged her for an answer, Buffy kissing him was the reaction he’d least expected. Which made it all the more special.
A gentle smile teased its way across her face when the sounds of conversation from inside met her ears. Buffy groaned. She didn’t expect Giles or Xander to be too impressed with this new development in her life. Surprisingly, she didn’t care. She’d done the whole ‘live her life like her friends expected her to’ with Scott back in senior year, and look how great that had worked out. Nope, if Buffy was going to do this, was going to be with Spike, it was all or nothing. No hiding from her friends. It brought a smile to her face.
“Should we go inside?”
“Do we hafta?” Buffy groaned. “There’s going to be questions and looks, and you know Giles gives the worst ones, and –”
Spike chuckled, pulling her close to him once more, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes. “Come on, Slayer, ‘t’s not like they can really complain.”
“And why’s that?”
“You heard your mum, the fate of the world is depending on us,” Spike answered with a devilish twinkle in his eye. “And if that means I’ll have to shack up with you, who am I to complain?”
“Hey! That’s not –” Buffy started, but was cut off when Spike interrupted.
“I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be, than right here with you on this doorstep.”
Spike’s tone was gentle, his gaze heavy with affection, and Buffy melted.
“Surprisingly, me either,” Buffy laughed, leaning up on her tiptoes to steal another kiss, the first of many to come, before Spike could argue any further.
Relieved now his task was complete, Whistler let some of the tension drain out of him. Buffy and Spike were on good terms, to say the least. Which meant the Hellmouth would be a safer place. After a moment of observing the new couple, he turned his back and began to walk down the street and into the dark of the night.
“It’s up to them now.”
THE END
A/N: And that’s the end of our tale! One of my beta’s has given me an idea to continue this little fic (bad girl!) – so there could possibly be a sequel somewhere down the track. But not until I’ve finished some of my WIP’s. And also depends on what people think of this!
Anyone interested in reading my other stories, I’m archived at: The Bloodshedverse, Sweet Temptation my personal archive When Hearts Collide.
To those of you who have read this, I hope you enjoyed. And to those who’ve reviewed, I give you thanks. The wonderful feedback and support has meant the world.
Amy
Originally posted at http://seasonal-spuffy.livejournal.com/107099.html
