Music Box

PART 2: things move.

***SIX MONTHS LATER***

-1-

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

let yourself be light From now on, our troubles

will be out of sight....

The music filled the air in Giles' house. Buffy and Giles were around the tree, trying to decorate it and not quite succeeding.

Xander and Anya were sitting on the floor, trying to disentangle the lights, Spike and Willow were in the kitchenette, they couldn't hear them talking, but they could hear noise of kitchen implements being moved.

Deciding to spend Christmas together had been fairly natural for them, since they were spending most of their time at Giles', anyway.

"Buffy, what in the name of God are you doing?" Giles asked looking at the woman.

Buffy looked at him blinking and asked, "Uhm...I'm trying to decorate the tree?"

Giles shook his head. Buffy looked at the results of her attempts, sighed and looking at him said, "I'm trying to destroy this poor pine tree?"

"I guess so, love..." He said smiling.

Buffy shrugged and said out loud, "Willow? When did you say the effects of the truth's spell were going to wear out?"

"Ah, bloody, ah..." He mumbled placing a little crystal star on the tree

Willow got out from the kitchenette and asked, "What did you just say?"

Buffy looked at her friend and waved a hand in the hair saying, "Aw, forget it, doesn't matter...my watc..." Giles flashed her a look. She shook her head and said, "er...boyf..." Giles raised an eyebrow, Buffy rolled her eyes and pointing at Giles said, "*He* thinks I'm destroying the tree with my attempts to decorate it "

Willow entered the living room, she took a look at the tree, crossed her arms over her chest and looking at Buffy said, "He's right, Buff..."

She then returned to the kitchenette, ignoring her friend's growlings.

"Fine, Will...whatever! Remind me of this, next time you need that black skirt..." she said out loud, yet she was smiling.

Buffy realized, that in the last six months, she'd always had a goofy grin on her face. She was afraid to tell she was happy, even to herself.

Life had been quite hectic for the past six months. She'd slayed, she'd studied and she'd sometimes barely restrained herself from pushing Giles against a wall and make love to him.

They'd decided to wait. At first she'd thought it was romantic, and she still thought it was.

Yet, she often wondered, what they were waiting for, after all they loved each other, they were happy together...their relationship hadn't gotten in the way of their duties as slayer and watcher...then why they hadn't still made love?

Twice they had tried to. Both times they'd been interrupted by someone or something.

She was really beginning to suspect there was a conspiracy going on.

<First we couldn't admit our feelings to each other even if our lives depended on it, then after it took a bloody spell to make us admit them, we can't make love...maybe we should have made it that night.

Great! Now I'm beginning to sound like a nympho! Hey, did I just say *bloody* spell? Ok, girl...in case you didn't notice, you’ve got it bad for your ex watcher >

She giggled then she shook her head and approached Giles.

She slid both her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back, inhaling his scent. She closed her eyes, she could hear Giles' heartbeat, she smiled and placed a kiss on the nape of his neck, smiling when he shivered, then whispered, "You know, Giles? I've just decided that your heart beat is my favorite sound in the world"

Giles smiled and turned around, he met her eyes and one of her brightest smiles, ever. He leaned toward her and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose, then said, "Thank you. I take you've forgiven me?"

"For what?" she asked really surprised. Giles looked at her and said, "For the tree..."

Buffy raised her eyebrows and Giles shaking his head said, "Uhm, it doesn't matter..."

Her arms were still wrapped around his waist, and he had an arm around her shoulders, when Xander raising his head looked at them and snorted, "Jeez, guys...you're really trying to make it up for the time you lost, aren't you?"

Both Buffy and Giles grinned at Xander's words, then Giles placed a kiss on Buffy's forehead and let go of her saying, "Why don't we take a walk outside? I am sure Xander and Anya will be happy to keep decorating the tree"

"Gladly" she said smiling.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his mouth before grabbing a stake both their coats and headed toward the door.

Giles shook his head and followed her. He turned toward Xander and Anya who were kissing, shook again his head and left, without them even noticing.

-2-

~ This is torture, Willow, you know? And please believe me, I know something about torture! ~

Spike's voice exploded in her head, while she was cooking.

She yelped and turned toward Spike who had morphed into his game face.

Not caring about it, she flashed him an angered glare yet she politely asked, "Could you hand me the salt?"

~ We have decided they didn't have to know about us, and yet you were all but undressing me in the kitchenette! Luckily for us they were all too busy smooching to notice it! ~

She replied to his silent question.

~ Yeah Willow, it's easy for you...if you didn't want me to undress you, why are you wearing that blue dress? You know how much I like it...~

Spike heard Willow giggle at his words.

~ Do you think it's funny? ~

He silently asked, his tone had been serious, yet his eyes were twinkling and he'd morphed back into his human face.

~ Well, Spike...next time, I'll choose more carefully what to wear, then. I chose this dress, just because it masks well, my not wearing any underwear ~

A second later, Xander and Anya from the living room, heard the noise made by the casserole who Spike had been previously holding, dropping on the floor and a loud, "Bloody hell, Red! Are you trying to driving me crazy, or what?"

Xander looked concerned at the couple in the kitchenette. They were facing each other, a strange look on their faces.

Xander turned toward Anya and asked, "Do you think we should go and check on Willow?"

Anya held back a laughter and said, "No love, I don't think we have to. Willow can take care of herself"

"Do you think she's safe with Spike? I mean they're getting quite along and all...but..." Xander seemed genuinely concerned for his friend.

Anya just shook her head and said, "Love, he can't hurt her..."

< And I don't know why, I think that even if he could, he'd rather be dust than hurting her... >

She thought. Anya was the only one who knew about Willow and Spike.

She hadn't caught them together, and they'd been really careful, no one in fact suspected about them, but she knew.

 She could sense what was going on. She'd been able to, since the beginning. She hadn't told anyone, she hadn't even let Willow understand that she knew.

Spike knew though. The night they'd cast the spell on Buffy and Giles, when Xander had driven Tara to the dorm, he'd approached her and had said, "One word...mind your own business"

"Actually that would be four" she had dryly replied.

"Yeah, whatever..." he'd told. He'd gotten close to her and had hissed morphing in his game face, "Not a word to anyone..."

"You don't hurt her and there won't be any problems" she had said.

Spike had morphed back in his human face when he had said, "I will never hurt her, it's not what I want..."

"What do you want from her, then?" She had asked.

He had been about to answer, when Willow had joined them. They hadn't talked about it ever again, and Spike had kept his word.

He hadn't hurt her, actually Willow seemed very happy.

She put her arms around Xander's neck and said between kisses, "Don't worry, she'll be fine..."

Back in the kitchenette, Spike was leaning against the fridge. He was looking at Willow, smiling.

After that first night at the hotel, there had been another…and then another, they just hadn’t been able to stop meeting, they’d finally talked realizing they were in a relationship…sort of.

He realized in that moment, though, that the petite red-head had made him forget Drusilla.

 Though he didn't want to admit, he was *in* love with the young witch. He was so in love, that for her own happiness, he didn't tell her about his feelings. their relationship was ...multi faced.

They were having sex, lot of it, and it was, to put it mildly indescribable. Yet their relationship wasn't just physical.

They talked a lot, Willow knew things about him no one else had ever known before. They had fun together, watching the telly or playing games, or just silently talking to each other.

It wasn't easy to carry on the relationship, since they'd decided to hide it from Willow's friends.

In the beginning they'd done so, because they thought it was funny, then, as weeks had became months, they'd just decided that it was their life and that they didn't owe explanations to anyone, least of all the Slayer and the Watcher.

Spike smiled at Willow. She was so beautiful, so intelligent, so pure.

He felt pangs of guilt, whenever he thought about the fact he was robbing her of her innocence with that relationship.

He watched her profile, her red hair slightly lighted by the kitchen's lights was almost like fire. Her green eyes sparkled with happiness, and he felt an irrational surge of manly pride because he knew *he* was the cause of that happiness.

~ I'm really going soft...~ he thought.

A wicked grin crept across Willow's face when she silently told him

~ Oh, I'm sure we can work something out about that, don't you think? ~

Spike actually blinked at her words.

~ Now, Willow...you're really going to pay for this, you know? ~

Willow turned slightly toward him, she raised an eyebrow and silently asked

~ Promise? ~

"You can bet on it, Red" he said aloud a wicked grin matching Willow's while he silently told her how exactly she was going to pay.

-3-

"Where are you taking me?" Buffy asked, clasping Giles' hand in hers.

 Giles had blinded her with a scarf, once they'd gotten in the car.

She hadn't objected, had just rested her head, against Giles' shoulder.

She'd dozed off, lulled by Giles' scent, and the light noise of the car.

Giles had awoken her with a kiss, when he had stopped the car. Buffy had smiled against his lips and had asked, "May I?"

"No, you have to wait" he'd told her.

Once they'd gotten out of Giles' car, and he'd taken her hand in his, she'd said, "One of these days you'll have to tell me, how you manage to always know what I'm thinking and what I'm going to say..."

Giles had laughed at her words, and he'd lead her to their destination.

Now they'd stopped walking, Giles hadn't removed the scarf from her eyes, yet.

She felt him behind her, she felt his warmth, and smiled when he whispered against her ear, " I shall remove the scarf, now. Just promise me, you'll keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them"

"Slayer's honor" she said between giggles.

"That's my girl" he whispered again against her ear, before kissing her earlobe. Buffy shivered in anticipation. Though Giles had removed the scarf from her, Buffy didn't open her eyes, until, a soft music filled the air.

She gasped in surprise, when she recognized where they were, in the library, rather what remained of the true library.

It was scarcely illuminated by the street lamplights and the full moon who was rising.

She was so surprised by what she was seeing that it took her some seconds to recognize the song. A smile crept across her face when she did.

When I'm lost, you shine a light for me

And set me free. When I'm low, you wash

Away my tears and take me through the

loneliness, and emptiness, through the

darkest night, somehow I'll survive.

Through it all, when you tell me I'm the

only one you need, sweet and tenderly,

and your love breaks away the clouds

surrounding me

All I have I wanna give to thee

Buffy had tears in her eyes when Giles approached her, shyly asking, "May I have this dance?"

She just nodded, the lump in her throat preventing her from speaking. She buried her face in Giles' chest, while he led her.

If I should fall, your love is strong enough,

to lift me up. If I'm afraid, oh babe, you chase

away my tears, and take me to a brighter place,

beyond the rain, and I feel alright, 'cause, you're

By my side. Through it all, when you tell me I'm the

the only one you need, sweet and tenderly, and your

love breaks away the clouds surrounding me

All I have I wanna give to thee.

Giles felt her shaking against him, he pulled her closer, to warm her. Buffy tilted  her head up, Giles could see that her eyes were twinkling with unshed tears, she swallowed hard before whispering, "I really love you, Rupert Giles, you know?"

Giles just nodded, unable to do something else. Buffy nodded as well and sighed before resting her head against his chest, while the song continued, and Giles led her.

She hadn't known he was such a good dancer, she knew without doubt that she'd have lied like that all night long.

< And if a vampire decides to pay a visit to us right now, he's *so* going to regret it.. >

She thought. She bit her bottom lip, to not giggle.

You take me through, the loneliness, and

Emptiness, and I feel alright 'cause you're

By my side. Through it all, you tell me, I'm

The only one you need, so sweet and tenderly

And your love just sweeps away the clouds

surrounding Me. Baby all I have I wanna

give to thee.

She raised her head and looking at him she mouthed the last lines of the song.

I wanna give you all of my love...

He smiled, while tears veiled his eyes as she kept mouthing the song's words

Now and forever my love...

All I have I wanna give to thee.

They both smiled at each other, when the song ended. Giles took her in his arms and softly kissed her. She let out a shaky sigh against his cheek and closing her eyes whispered, "Wow...I...I *so* need a drink right now..."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead then he gently pulled her away from him and said, "Don't move..."

"I don't plan to...and besides I don't think my legs would carry me even if I tried." She mumbled.

Giles came back a few seconds later, holding in his hands two mugs of...hot chocolate. She began laughing, so hard that her sides hurt and tears began streaming down her face.

 Giles looked at her, puzzled, then politely asked,  "Buffy? Did I do something wrong?"

Buffy just shook her head, while she wiped away the tears from her face with the back of her hand. Giles was smiling.

 He loved when Buffy laughed, her laughter always seemed to fill his heart , his soul.

Buffy approached him and stood on her tiptoes before kissing him square on the lips. "Thank you!" she finally said.

"For what?" he asked, surprised.

"For being Giles...the most romantic man alive..." she said smiling.

"Actually I had thought about bringing some champagne, but then I realized you are still..."

"Under age to drink..." she finished for him.

She took a sip of the hot liquid from her mug and smiling said, "See? You always take care of me...besides, how did you know I'd have needed a drink?"

Giles lowered his head and looked at the cup he had in hands, then shrugged and raising his head, he just said, "Because I love you..."

She smiled, yet her eyes filled with tears, she rolled her eyes and said, "I don't know how you manage to do that...you make smile, yet you bring tears in my eyes at the same moment..."

"I'd say, I often wonder the same thing about you, love" he paused then he hesitantly added, "my love..."

Buffy closed her eyes, letting some tears roll down her cheeks. She sighed, knelt and placed her mug on the floor, then she got close to him.

 Giles placed his mug on a stone and took her in his arms, then he hugged her tight, when he released her, he looked at her and said, "A...actually...I...w...we came here, because there is s...something I need to tell y...you"

Buffy tilted her head and looked at him concerned but she couldn't help teasing, "Must be serious, I hadn't heard you stutter in a while..."

Giles pulled her slightly away, holding her arms, and said, "Actually it is, Buffy."

He took a deep breath, let go of her arms and knelt before her, he extracted from his jacket's pocket a small, velvet box, he swallowed and said, "Buffy...I have thought about what to say for the longest time...but even with the help of poems...I couldn't even getting close to find words which describe, how much I love, need and cherish you. I want to be with you...always. Will you marry me?"

Buffy swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the San Francisco sized lump in her throat.

She slowly knelt in front of him, she caressed his cheeks and cheekbones with trembling fingers before throwing herself in his arms.

"Is it a yes?" he asked, trying to balance himself.

She looked at him and almost shouted, "Yes!"

She kissed his face everywhere, then she suddenly stopped and giggled against his jaw.

Giles smiled and caressed her hair asking, "What?"

She lightly pulled back and between giggles said, "You know? You could have said, 'You. Me. Marriage. Now ' and I'd accepted anyway"

He laughed at those words and commented, "It wouldn't have been very romantic."

"I know..." she said shrugging, but she was still giggling.

Giles shook his head and patiently looked at her while she tried to calm herself, after a while she said, "Don't look at me like that! It's not everyday I get engaged..."

"I should hope so" he dryly replied.

"I have every right to giggle..." she all but pouted.

Giles raised an eyebrow and said, "I guess you are right, love..."

"Say it again?" she asked smiling.

"I guess you are right? Do you want me to put it in writing for you?" he teased.

"Later, but I want to hear again the other part..."

"Love?" he asked smiling.

She nodded, and he repeated, "Love...you're my love...I love you Buffy Summers..."

"I'd never tire to hear that from your lips..." she softly said, looking at him, grazing his hair with her fingers.

"Good, because I'm not going to get tired to say that anytime soon."

"I think we have a deal, then." She purred

"Yes, it looks like...you and me struck together...for the duration." He whispered against her mouth, before kissing her.

When they parted, Buffy rested her head against his shoulder for an instant, then she raised it and asked, "May I see the ring now?"

"I knew you were with me, just for my money..." he

teased.

She laughed a little then teased back, "Actually, I'm in it for the sex..."

"Ah, ah...I'm barely containing my mirth." He replied. He then opened the small box, revealing a solitaire diamond on a platinum setting.

"Oh, my God..." she managed to say.

She didn't even realize that Giles had slid it on her ring finger of her left hand. It fit perfectly. She lightly raised her hand to admire it. The diamond sparkled in the moonlight.

She looked at him and grinned before saying, "Forget the sex, Rupert...I'm with ya for the big bucks!"

Giles' face grew suddenly very serious, Buffy looked at him puzzled. She lightly hit his forearm and said, "Giles? I was kidding..."

Giles shook his head and flashed her a grin before saying,

"Do you realize you've just called me Rupert?"

"So? It's your name, isn't it?" she asked, not understanding where he was heading.

"Yes love, I know...but you..."

She suddenly opened her mouth to talk, but she closed it and shrugged, "I guess there's a first time for everything"

"Undoubtedly " he said, he was still grinning, though.

<You wanna grin, G-Man? Let's see if I can help >

She silently thought. She gave him her best smile and grazing his chest with her fingers said, "Speaking of first times for everything. Do you think now that we're engaged we could finally, uhm... make love? Shag like bunnies?"

Giles' grin widened when he said, "I certainly hope so, love."

"THANK GOD!" she said out loud before pinning his fiancé to the floor of their former library and kissing him almost senseless.

-4-

~ Usual place, Spike. It's very important! ~

That's all Willow had said. He hadn't been able to make her talk all evening.

It was the night before Buffy and Giles' wedding. They had spent it at the Bronze.

Willow had looked upset, very upset. She'd lighten up, only when Xander had proposed to Anya in front of all of them.

Spike was a bit confused. The confusion had started when a quite embarrassed Giles, had unexpectedly asked him to be his best man, together with Xander.

The Slayer and the Watcher had meant to thank him for his help in the casting of the spell, that way. Of course they had decided not to marry in a church, and to marry after dusk, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to even attend the wedding.

He'd been touched by Giles' request, yet he had accepted only because Willow had gently asked him to.

 He'd long ago realized he couldn't deny anything to her, and that had been just another proof of it.

Yet, that night, Willow had avoided him, so he had patiently waited until the Watcher had fallen asleep before leaving the house and had headed toward the small hotel outside Sunnydale where Willow and him usually met.

It was the hotel, the room where everything had started. The room where they had made love the first time, the night after the casting of the spell.

Spike entered the room, it was dipped in obscurity, except for the lights which came from the street.

He motioned to turn on the lights, but Willow's cracked voice stopped him saying, "Don't..."

"It's alright, luv. What happened?" he asked sitting on the bed.

Willow was facing a wall turning her back on him, avoiding to look at him.

Spike frowned, trying to sound casual when he said, "You should be with the Slayer, you're one the bride maids, after all."

"She was asleep when I left, anyway Anya will cover for me, in case she wakes up." She stopped talking, then added. "I didn't think she knew about us."

She was still facing the wall, still turning her back on him.

"Don't worry, she won't talk." Spike said.

He was worried. When they were alone they usually only communicated through their link. When they were alone they usually couldn't keep eyes and hands off each other.

Something was wrong. He knew it, even before she weakly said, "It doesn't matter anymore"

Spike closed his eyes, clenching his hands into fists. That was it, it was the end.

Willow had probably finally realized how wrong their relationship was and she was going to end it.

He couldn't blame her, yet he was trying very hard not to shout at her.

"What does it mean?" he asked, surprised by how soft his voice had sounded.

She lightly turned toward him, still avoiding eye contact and handed him a paper.

"What is it?" He asked, taking it in his hands.

~ The Watcher's Council called me. They're offering me to become a Watcher. Giles and Wesley pulled a lot of strings for me...~

She silently said, using for the first time their link. His first reaction was of pure, absolute joy for her.

He knew that was her dream, she'd told she'd almost given up hope they were going to call her.

He smiled and brushed her hair with his fingers, then realization of that letter's meaning sank into him and he hissed as if he was in pain, jerking his hand away from her hair.

"What are you going to do?" he finally asked.

"I don't know, Spike. I honestly don't know what to do. I've until Sunday to decide, though."

"When should you leave?" Spike asked.

"Monday, in case I accept ." she whispered

The vampire sighed then said, "I think you should accept"

"What?" she asked, she sat up on the bed, still avoiding eye contact. "Do you know what does it mean? I'm going to leave Sunnydale, I'm going to go to London to train as Watcher..."

"I know what it means, Willow." He said, he too was finding difficult looking at her.

~ You should go, Willow. You deserve so much more than this ~

He silently added.

"I love *this* , Spike!" she said out loud.

"Yet you don't know what to do." he noted.

"I'm confused, I admit it, but I'm happy here and I don't want to give up on it...I don't want to leave you..."

~ And I don't want you to leave me...~

He silently said.

~ Ask me to stay then, I will...~

"I won't, Willow. I won't do this to you." he whispered

"Why?" she asked, crying.

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" he shouted.

He jerked away when Willow touched his shoulders and got up.

He went to the window, and fixed his glare on the street, he heard Willow approaching him, but stopping just before touching him.  He closed his eyes.

They were both quiet for a while, then Willow said, her voice still cracked, "I don't get it...you love me, yet you want me to leave?"

Spike shook his head and turned toward the woman, meeting for the first time her eyes that night and noticing how red and puffy they were.

He caressed her hair and said, "I want you to *live *, Willow. Even if we ignore it, even if we refuse to think about it we both know I can't give this to you, I can't give anything to you" he paused then hissed, "I'm a vampire, dammit!"

Willow raised her eyebrows, and crossed her arms over her chest.