A/N - I decided to post the last chapter, which is a half-chapter really so that you can see how it all ends. Hope you enjoy - and thanks so very much for all the feedback.
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LAST ORDERS




EPILOGUE




Buffy snuggled against her lover's side, dozing happily as he stroked her hair. She stirred as Spike chuckled, the rumbling in his chest reverberating through her skull.




“What?” she murmured sleepily, her eyes heavy.




“Bloody altar you've got going over there, love. Is that my shirt? And where the hell did you get my journal?”




“Bag. On the bus. Dawn...”




“The Bit had it? Well, bugger me. Didn't even think about it, too busy getting cow-eyed with you and fighting overwhelming odds, I suppose.” He paused, smiling. “Glad to see it again though. Erm...did you...read it?”




Buffy blushed, feeling like she'd intruded on his private thoughts. “Yeah...a little.” When Spike looked at the book, he'd realise that was a massive understatement, the pages crinkled with her tears and dog-eared with her caresses. “I thought it was beautiful, the things you wrote, the poetry.”




“Ah, yeah. The poetry. Thing is, love – I know I'm a bad poet and all, but I only write what I feel.”




Buffy shifted to rest on one elbow so that she could look at him. His eyes burned into hers, and Buffy was lost for all eternity in their depths. “Was it...was it about me?”




“Every word.” Spike tensed as he remembered the same conversation a century before. His fragile ego waited for a bashing.




“I'm honoured. Wow. I wish I could show you what you mean to me. I just don't have the words.”




Spike drew her to him and kissed her, softly, exploring her mouth with his lips, his tongue, savouring her taste, his hands mapping her body where he held her. “Don't need words, Buffy. I know. Stubborn as I am, I know.”




Slow tears trickled down Buffy's face as her heart mended.




+ + + +







“D'you think they're done?” Xander asked Dawn, finally taking his fingers out of his ears.




Dawn shook her head and reached for more chips. “Not even close. I figure they'll be at it for the whole night, so don't think we'll get much sleep. We could always go to your place.”




Xander snorted. Willow and Spike were bad enough; Willow, G-man and scary Dawn was another matter entirely. Although, now that he thought about it, there was no reason why he couldn't go home. It was, after all, where he lived.




Dawn, however, was having none of it, but it was Giles' earnest yet wordless begging for male company that had Xander flopping back against the couch and accepting the bribe of a bottle of beer. Willow wore a constant smile, her connection to the earth that was being honed by her continuing studies with the coven opening her to the feelings of love and completion that emanated from the floor above.




In the end, the four of them fell asleep downstairs, the television blaring through the night to mask the never-ending roars and moans of the reunited lovers rediscovering their life's passion.




Dawn was the first to stir as her sleeping mind noted the lack of background noise. She blinked gritty eyes, struggling to focus on the hazy form standing in front of her.




“You okay, Bit?” Spike whispered, stroking her tangled hair from her forehead.




“Mmm, yeah. Bit stiff – what time is it?”




“Just gone seven. Came down to get your sis a drink, didn't think you'd all be in here. Turned off the TV – surprised you could sleep with that racket.”




“That racket was how we could sleep. And we kinda needed the buffer of the floor between us too.” Dawn pursed her lips and rolled her eyes.




Spike grinned, pride lighting his eyes. “Yeah, well. Lot of making up to do. Not renowned for my self-control, and Buffy's got muscles you wouldn't...”




“DON'T!” Dawn shrieked at his teasing, forgetting her companions until Xander leapt up from his hunched position on a chair, fists raised even as he tried to focus with his one eye, spinning round to locate the assailant that had rudely awoken him. Eventually his gaze fell on the vampire crouched at Dawn's feet and his dozy brain caught up with events.




“Oh. It's Mr-Twelve-Times-a-Night. Doesn't that thing have an off switch?” Xander asked, sarcastically.




Spike smirked. “Jealous, Harris? I'd like to fit you in, but my lady's kinda partial to me being hers and hers alone, you know? Still, I could fix you up with a stallion if you'd like.”




Xander shuddered; Spike was doing his usual trick of pushing his buttons, having latched on to his discomfort about the man-chick who'd hit on him earlier. Xander snorted and dismissed the vampire with a shake of his head before settling back down on the chair and turning his back.




Giles blinked and reached for his glasses, stretching out the kinks in his neck from sleeping on the other chair. Despite the uncomfortable night, he still looked calm and collected, barely a crease in his crisp, white shirt and dark grey flannel trousers. The only sign that he'd spent the night hunched up on an easy chair with his jacket for a cover was the loosened tie and bed head hair. He cleared his throat and squinted as Spike rose from his knees in front of Dawn and nodded at the watcher.




“Mornin', Rupes. Just getting Buffy some juice. Shall I put the kettle on?”




“Ahm...good morning. Is it morning?”




“Yeah, just gone seven. Sorry I woke you all – thought some muppet had left the TV on when they went to bed.”




“Quite. Well, while I'm awake I will take you up on your offer of tea, but make sure you use my leaves this time. And a china cup---!” Giles shouted after Spike as he strutted from the room.




Dawn turned to look at Willow, still fast asleep behind her on the couch where they'd spent the night top to toe. The redhead was snoring quietly, so Dawn nudged her, almost sliding off the couch when Willow stretched out her legs and arms.




“Hi,” Willow said sleepily. “Has it stopped?”




“Uh huh,” Dawn nodded, “well, round one has. Spike's in the kitchen getting juice for Buffy.”




“Oh. Juice sounds nice.”




They all congregated in the kitchen, bleary eyed and stiff from their makeshift beds, all except Spike who was whistling as he made his way around the kitchen, putting coffee on, boiling the kettle for tea and pouring juice for Buffy. Dawn's stomach grumbled, so the impromptu gathering turned into breakfast for everybody, Spike surprising them all with his deft moves with the frying pan and toaster.




“Can't do any of that rubbish you lot call breakfast, but I can do you a fry-up, long as Rupes here has the goods.”




Giles nodded that indeed he did have bacon, sausage and eggs in the fridge, but apologised for his lack of kidneys.




“Ewww!” Dawn said, for them all, so Spike got busy. Just as they were about to dig in, Buffy appeared at the doorway, hair mussed up, wearing an oversized nightshirt with 'Careful – I Bite' on the front over a photograph of a cute kitty that patently didn't. Dainty pink fluffy mules finished off the ensemble, but the cuteness evaporated when Buffy folded her arms and started tapping her feet with a scowl on her face.




“Five minutes you said. What are you doing?” she whined, ignoring the evidence of her eyes that told her Spike was about to ladle out scrambled eggs onto the waiting plates.




“Got sidetracked, love. Kept this lot awake, so thought it was the least I could do to feed 'em all.”




“Oh.” Buffy blushed, and grinned, biting her bottom lip. “Sorry, guys. Won't happen again.”




“Bloody well will, and in about ten minutes,” Spike muttered as he set a plate down for Buffy and shooed her to sit at the table. “Eat that, Slayer. Gonna need the energy.” He smirked and raised his eyebrow, winking at her knowingly so that her blush deepened.




Dawn ate her food and watched all her favourite people as they teased and laughed, comfortable together as only old friends could be. A week ago, Dawn had been worried sick about her sister, and here she was, colour in her cheeks, fingers entwined with the vampire who nearly killed her by not being there. And Spike; Dawn couldn't get enough of looking at his pale features, animated as he argued with Xander, full of awe as he gazed at Buffy. Spike turned his head to look at her, and Dawn smiled at him when he nodded, understanding that he'd make time for her later.




All in all, Dawn thought, she'd had worse days.




THE END