Epilogue
June 3rd, 2003
“Honey, I’m home,” Spike’s teasing voice drifted into what he fully expected to be an empty dorm room. He got a rather pleasant surprise when the usual pile of blankets of the double bed shifted and Elizabeth’s brunette head peaked out.
“’Bout time,” she grumbled with a yawn.
“Back already?” he asked in surprise, dropping the backpack he still carried with him at all times. It was a habit he hadn’t broken even though he’d graduated almost a year ago. Elizabeth frequently accused him of deluding himself into believing that he was still a college student.
“Mmm-hmm,” she murmured sleepily, blinking at the man who’d shared her bed for the last four years – for better or worse.
“How’d it go, then?” he asked with curious eagerness, his head titled to one side like an anxious kitten.
Elizabeth giggled slightly at the mental analogy. “Come to bed first, then I’ll tell you,” she insisted.
A predatory smile spread across his face as he kicked off his boots and began to undo the buttons of his shirt.
Elizabeth watched him disrobe with a feeling of pure feminine satisfaction. Xander and Anya’s surprising decision last year to start seeing other people had left Elizabeth briefly worried that the attraction that had brought her and Spike together might fade over time as well. However, she realized by now that the notion was silly. He still took her breath away now every bit as much as he had the fateful afternoon of their first snark-filled encounter in the dining hall. Only now she had enough common sense to admit it.
“Miss me?” Spike practically purred, sliding under the covers beside her and discovering much to his delight that she was just as naked as he was.
“More like falling asleep from boredom waiting for you to get home,” she shot back, sidling up against him and stealing a kiss from his lips. Her nose crinkled in distaste. “You need to shave,” she pointed out.
“Wasn’t expectin’ you back until tomorrow, now was I?” he countered, moving to get up with a weary sigh.
She pulled him back down to her. “I’ll deal,” she informed him. “But you are so shaving tomorrow morning.”
“Cross my heart,” he assured her before leaning in for another kiss. “So how’d it go?” he demanded.
“Stubbly,” she giggled, pushing him over onto his back so that their reunion could continue on her own terms. “How was work?” she shot back, playing coy for the moment.
He rolled his eyes. “There were books. Useless wankers checked them out. I put them back. Truly, Dewey was a visionary. Now, will you tell me what bloody well happened? Last night you’d just made it to the top eight.”
“No irritating, flirtatious researchers bothered you?” she continued to press. Harmony’s continued insistence that she absolutely needed Spike to help her find all her books for class had been a persistent problem since he’d reluctantly taken the post-graduation job.
“None at all,” he assured her. “I just keep tossin’ her Andrew’s way since ‘s his job and all.”
“Poor Andrew,” Elizabeth sighed, nibbling gently on his earlobe as her body slid atop his.
“So, now that we’ve thoroughly established that nothin’ has happened while you were gone…” he began, only to stop and gasp at the naughty things her hand was doing.
“Hush,” she reminded him, “or Jonathan will yell at us again.”
Spike snorted on the RA’s insistence that other people actually be allowed to sleep at night. “Like he and Kendra are any better,” he retorted. “Now, about… Christ, Summers!”
“Shh,” she reminded him.
His eyes narrowed on her. “You’re not gonna distract me that easily, pet,” he informed her matter-of-factly. “My girl made it all the way to Nationals this year, and she will bloody well tell me how she did or…” He fumbled for a decent threat.
She sighed before he had to carry through. “OK, so I wake up this morning to check the listings,” she informed him, settling down at his side as she entered narrative mode, “and my first bout of the day is against… ‘What’s her name?’” she mocked the fan cheer.
Spike groaned. “Glory?” Despite Elizabeth’s persistent efforts over the last four years, she’d still never beaten Glory in a tournament. Second place at Regionals, just behind the smug blond, had been enough for her to go to Nationals, however.
“Oh yeah,” Elizabeth winced.
“Well, let’s hear about it,” Spike demanded, rolling over onto his side so that he faced her.
Another sigh. “So, I actually get her down 3-2, and then she starts doing the Glory thing, and I barely hold on, so it’s tied at four…”
“And?” Spike pressed.
Elizabeth pouted. “She trounced me. I came in eighth.”
A sigh and a reassuring – albeit stubbly – kiss to her brow. “Better luck next year, kitten,” he whispered.
“Except Madison’s not in the same conference,” she pointed out. “I’ll have to make it to Nationals to even face Glory.”
“So, you wait ‘til spring to kick her lopsided behind.”
Elizabeth giggled. “Next year you have to come with me,” she decided. “I need the Gorgeous Boyfriend Factor to make her all jealous and sloppy.” She pulled him down for another kiss and this time lingered on his lips, savoring the heady taste of Spike.
“Hmm…next year,” he promised.
“So,” she turned to practical matters once more, “did you ask about getting the weekend of the 28th off?”
He groaned. “Yes,” he insisted, “and we can nab Mum’s car to go apartment hunting.”
“Good,” she decided, “I can do some research about possible buildings and you—”
“You,” he cut her off, “have to graduate first.”
She gave him an annoyed look. “Just rein in all my hopes and dreams, why don’t you?” she teased.
And instant and very sincere – not to mention pleasurable – apology followed. Elizabeth accepted it readily. After all, she wasn’t really angry. In fact, she was downright giddy at the thought of her and Spike in graduate school together. They’d pretty much had their pick of schools, what with her glowing recommendation from Professor Steinberg and his 4.0 GPA. They’d both fallen instantly in love with Madison when they’d visited, though, and so now they were about to be off on the next leg of their life together…
“What’re you smilin’ about?” Spike asked suspiciously, face hovering a foot or so above hers.
“Just you,” she assured him with a shy smile.
His scarred eyebrow rose half an inch.
“Who would’ve thought, huh?” she clarified. “Here we are, disaster-free and still together.”
“Well, the disasters tend to materialize every nine months or so,” he pointed out.
She let out a bark of laughter.
“What?” he demanded, confused.
“Really easy set-up,” she informed him.
He blinked very slowly.
“Disaster? Nine months?” she pressed.
Another sloth-paced blink.
She rolled her eyes at how dense guys could be at times. “What takes about nine months?” she finally demanded matter-of-factly.
He frowned for an instant… “Oh!” His eyes widened with understanding, then with typical male horror.
She shook her head and pulled him back down into her arms. “We’ll forego that particular disaster for a long time, OK baby?” she cooed softly. She really hadn’t meant to freak him out like that, especially since she sure as hell wasn’t ready yet, either. Not that she didn’t have occasional fantasies about children with brilliant blue eyes and their father’s cheekbones…
“’Lizabeth?” Spike murmured again her ear.
“Mmm?” she sighed contentedly.
“Missed you, luv,” he admitted.
She smiled up at the love of her life. “Show me,” she requested…
The End.