It wasn't absolutely necessary that Giles call the member of the new Council's inner circle together physically; after all, they did do regular conference calls. Still, it'd been nearly a year and a half since they'd all been in one place and a small reunion wouldn't hurt. Besides, if pressed, he had to confess to some curiosity about some of the happenings in the former Scoobies lives. There was the fact both Willow and Kennedy had requested a transfer from South America, which meant the relationship had clearly hit a rocky point. There was also the fact that Faith and Wood always seemed to be rubbing along quite well in Tokyo and he was curious to actually see their relationship in the flesh. Xander had someone he wanted considered for watcher training (with him doing the training) and was bringing her along.

The biggest curiosity was the very audible rolling of eyes that had emitted from Dawn in the last two conference calls. Apparently, Buffy had found a new love and as always happened at this point, it was all consuming. Dawn's description: "She's acting younger than me. Do you know how weird that is?"

Buffy herself had been chipper yet silent on the subject, making no mention of whomever she was apparently dating. When he'd talked to her about coming to London for a visit, though, she'd hedged, saying there were things that might keep her in Rome. Only when Giles had said he'd arrange for a hotel and she could bring her boyfriend did she reluctantly agree. Clearly, she thought he'd disapprove for some reason.

That he'd disapprove was likely; Giles had never thought much of his slayer's taste in men -- at least, not since Owen, who'd seemed a nice enough lad even if totally unsuitable for a slayer's lifestyle. Angel had been a disaster in more ways than one, Scott Hope had upset already precarious equilibrium, Riley Finn had added to her emotional baggage and he didn't even want to go into the Spike situation.

He supposed that sooner or later, Buffy would discover that Spike was alive and living in LA; it'd been a miracle that he'd been able to keep the news from her, but being in a different physical location from Andrew had helped. And wasn't it convenient that Andrew was needed on a mission to Reykjavik while Buffy was in London? Angel might have told her, but Buffy didn't trust him at this point, not with his close ties to Wolfram & Hart, which meant it was unlikely they were going to have any long, meaningful conversations. All Giles could hope that when she did learn of Spike's continued existence, she would be at a point where she had moved on from her emotional attachment.

The night before the meeting started, Giles had arranged a quiet dinner for his old friends from Sunnydale, a chance to exchange personal news in a more intimate setting. Faith and Wood were the first to arrive at the restaurant, all smiles and Faith wearing, amazingly, a dress. "Thought the occasion called for it," she said casually at Giles' compliments, though she did turn to show off the long black skirt with slit and the top's low-cut back and didn't seem to mind at all.

Wood was more effusive. "I think she looks great. Sure it's not practical for slaying, but I think I'm convincing her there are times slaying is not the primary consideration."

Faith flashed Wood a grin that answered most of Giles' questions. She looked happy, calmer and more at ease than he remembered, as if some ever-present tension had been removed. Oh, it was still Faith, brimming with energy of all kinds, but her partnership with Wood was clearly providing an anchor that had been missing until now.

If the sight of Faith and Wood was good news, Willow's arrival fulfilled his fears. She was dressed brightly enough in a typically Willow eclectic concoction, but she was drooping, her eyes tired and sad. When he went to hug her in greeting, she wrapped her arms tight around him, burying her face in his shoulder. "We'll fix it," he said simply, having no idea how to do such a thing, but unable to avoid the urge to make it better.

She gave him a weak smile when she stood back. "Hey, don't worry about me. I have no intention of being mopey-girl while I'm here. After all, aren't we here to pass judgment on Buffy's new boyfriend?"

"What's this about Buffy having a new boyfriend?"

Willow's faced brightened considerably at the sound of Xander's voice as she spun to wrap him in a fierce hug. Xander hugged back, holding on as if for dear life. The fleeting thought that perhaps he should send Willow to Africa for a while crossed Giles' mind; some time with her oldest and dearest friend might be good for her. Of course, if this new watcher candidate Xander wanted to train turned out to be someone he was potentially interested in, the last thing Giles should do was send Willow to Africa.

Xander himself was looking good, somewhat tanned and in better shape than Giles remembered. He looked calmer as well, as if some of the personal demons he'd been chasing after the end of Sunnydale had been laid to rest. "G-man! It's good to see you."

Giles let the odious nickname pass, content to shake hands and trade greetings. "I assured Buffy we would not sit in judgment. I don't know much about the young man, except that Dawn seems to find him tolerable and Buffy seems happy. She was, however, reluctant to have him meet us, so I would suggest we don't cross-examine him immediately."

"I'll just fix him in my eye and stare at him until he cracks. I've been practicing that, you know."

There was no doubt Xander had, but Giles declined to comment, especially since he could see Dawn approaching...alone. "She's outside," Dawn said once greetings had been exchanged. "She wigged out when we got here, so he's calming her down. They probably wanted to get some last minute necking in, too. That's a constant."

Taking her seat, Dawn shook out her napkin and draped it across her lap. "Oh, and she's convinced you're going to hate him."

"Since when have we hated Buffy's boyfriends?" Xander asked cheerfully. Willow poked him in the ribs with her elbow.

The others had all taken their own chairs, but Giles remained standing, his eyes focused on the door. "I can understand her nervousness, but I must confess I'm glad that she..."

His words trailed off as he caught sight of her with the hostess. A few brief words and she was heading across the floor towards them, looking far better than he'd seen her in some considerable time. She'd put on just a touch of weight, giving her curves more womanly than girlish and there was almost a glow of happiness to her, as if she'd found the connection she'd lacked. Yes, she looked worried as well, tossing nervous glances over her shoulder at...Spike, who followed closely behind her, their hands connected even when the layout of the tables didn't allow them to walk side by side.

Complete and utter silence descended on the table at their arrival and they stood there, Buffy looking for all the world like she wanted to flee and clutching Spike's hand even tighter as everyone stared.

It was Faith who broke the silence first, laughing with delight and getting out of her chair and wrapping Buffy in an embrace. "My god, B, you went and did it. Good for you!"

Buffy didn't appear to quite know how to take the hug, but she submitted gracefully. Then Faith turned to Spike. "And you, Blondie. I thought you were living the high life in LA with good old Angel. You're looking pretty good for a former pile of dust."

Spike quirked one eyebrow up. "I'll take that as a compliment. LA was fine but I found a good reason to head for Europe."

He smiled at Buffy and her face lit up completely in response as she reached for his hand again. "I'm glad you did," she said softly.

It was like the rest of them weren't even there, the pair leaning in to kiss one another. "They're like this all the time," Dawn complained, putting on her best long-suffering expression. "Three months and they're still like this. I'm scarred for life."

Three months. Three months ago, Buffy had briefly been back in the states, lending a head to the slayers located in Atlanta. Giles remember that mission report; Buffy had been perfectly straightforward and showed no sign that anything had been amiss. Of course, it'd been shortly after that they'd first started seeing the telltale signs Buffy had a new man in her life. "How did you enjoy Atlanta, Spike?"

"Huh?" Spike managed to tear himself away from gazing into Buffy's eyes. "Oh, Atlanta was fine. Had to deal with a Youngar demon, but other than that..." A sappy smile appeared on his face. "It was wonderful."

Mentally, Giles kicked himself for deciding Atlanta was far enough from Los Angeles to be safe. Kennedy would have been a better choice...except Willow and Kennedy had already been tied up, which was why he'd asked Buffy to go in the first place. They might have activated all the potential slayers in the world, but experience still counted for something. Taking a deep breath, he put a pleasant expression on his face and closed the distance to greet Buffy. "You're looking very well. Very...happy."

"I am." The old defiant lift to her chin was back, a signal that she'd dug in her heels already. He'd have to find an opportunity to discuss this with her later, but not now; not when she was so clearly on the defensive.

He suggested they sit and decide what they'd order. Anything was better than this awkward standing while Xander, Willow and Wood gaped at Spike in something akin to horror. Giles was about to do the gentlemanly thing and hold Buffy's chair, but Spike beat him to it, doing it as if this were a normal thing. That earned him another eye roll from Dawn as he took his own chair, seated between the sisters. Thankfully, the waiter appeared almost immediately, greeting the diners and rattling off the specials for their consideration. At the suggestion that they might care to place drink orders, Giles ordered himself up a scotch, feeling the need for some fortification against what was clearly going to be a very long evening.

Everyone managed to be reasonably polite, though Xander did ask if Faith could poke out his other eye at one point, which earned him a dirty look from Buffy. But then Spike leaned over and whispered something in her ear and her expression softened. She whispered something back as their fingers entwined with one another, resting on the table for all to see. There was something secretive about it all, but it was the kind that spoke of two people who inhabited a world of their own, not the sort of hiding Buffy had once done in regards to Spike. Through it all, Dawn either looked exasperated at her sister's behavior or stared the rest of the party down, as if challenging them to object. Xander's request that Faith do the eye poking as soon as possible so he'd have an appetite for desert earned an extra-special death glare.

The entree was almost done when Willow announced that she needed to make a trip to the Ladies Room and insisted that Buffy accompany her. This prompted Dawn to decide she needed to come along as moral support for Buffy. The three girls had been gone for about ten seconds when Faith announced she "couldn't miss this" and hurried after them.

That left the men to stare at one another...at least until Xander fired the opening salvo. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Finishing my prime rib," Spike commented, looking not at all discomfited.

"I meant with Buffy. She was doing fine until you showed up."

"Girl's doing just fine right now -- save for having all sorts of panic attacks about how you lot would react."

It was the old Spike, ready to stand up against the lot of them despite obvious and rampant disapproval. He had to have known Xander would react badly; Xander always reacted badly where boys and Buffy were concerned. Add Spike to the equation and it was worse.

"I have to wonder that the two of you are together since you swore Andrew to secrecy about your return from the dead."

Wood's quiet voice did seem to prickle Spike a little, or maybe it was what he had said. "And he seems to have kept that secret real well since its obvious all of you knew." Spike turned his head toward Giles. "Where'd you send him so he wouldn't have a chance to spill the news to Buffy?"

"Iceland, actually. And it wasn't just for Buffy; I think the rest of us needed a break. Andrew is a bit over-enthusiastic." He leaned forward, hoping to keep things from getting out of hand. "I think you can understand why we're all a bit worried."

"A bit? Rupert, old boy, you're all acting like another apocalypse is at hand. I don't give a rat's ass whether you like me or not. I just care whether you give Buffy grief over it. I'm making an effort; why can't you?"

Spike was making an effort, clearly. He'd been polite throughout the meal -- if somewhat mono-focused on Buffy -- and while he was wearing the ubiquitous duster, beneath it he was wearing clothes suitable to the occasion, including, wonder of wonders, a tie.

Perhaps the apocalypse was at hand.

"The point is, Spike, I don't want to see Buffy falling into old habits. She's been building a new life, she's been happy..."

"And I want her to be happy too. It might be that I'm lucky enough that she could be happy with me."

To the accompaniment of low snarls from Xander, Giles ordered another scotch.

"But why? How? Why?"

Buffy examined her reflection in the mirror, checking her lipstick for the fifth time. She really wanted to be anywhere but here, justifying her life to Willow. "We ran into each other while demon hunting. Things...happened."

"I understand that, but why? I thought you and Spike were over."

"Which is why B spent the last couple of nights before the big battle down in the basement instead of upstairs in her bed." Faith shifted her weight slightly on the counter where she was sitting and took another drag on her cigarette. "I can understand why. I mean, beside the obvious fact Spike is not hard on the eyes, all you have to do is take one look at them and you can tell they're besotted with each other.'

"Besotted! That's the word I was looking for." Dawn grinned at Faith. "Thanks."

"No prob. And, yeah, no problem. Spike sacrificed himself to save the world, then got magically brought back by someone with a vendetta against Angel, ghosted around a while, became solid and ended up fighting the good fight, only to end up running into his long-lost love. If you think about it, it'd make one helluva of a movie for Lifetime."

That caused Buffy to actually break her stare-at-a-single-fixed-point-to-avoid-Willow strategy. "They made you watch that crap in prison? Isn't that against the Geneva Convention?"

"Nah. They thought the uplifting messages would reform us or something. My point is that Buffy's made her choice and we should go with it."

Taking a deep breath, Buffy looked over at Willow. She'd been afraid she might see the Resolve Face, the one that meant Willow wasn't going to cede the point but would just keep chipping away. Buffy knew the chipping wouldn't convince her to break up with Spike -- she doubted anything could that at this point, including the fact the man seemed completely incapable of picking a wet towel up off the floor and hanging it up -- but it would nick the wonderful little world she'd been living in for the past three months and she didn't want that to happen.

It wasn't the Resolve Face she saw, though, but something more thoughtful. "Do you really love him?"

"In glorious passionate, scary-making Technicolor. It's so strong that sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize I'm not dreaming."

"I'd be happy to do that for you," Dawn commented, helpful as always.

Buffy tossed her a pro-forma annoyed look before turning back to Willow. "Look, there's a lot of crap Spike and I have to work out. Tons of crap. Mountains of crap. It's probably going to keep us busy for the rest of my life. But he's also the one I want to be with. I know it probably seems crazy to you and I know you can think of a million reasons why Spike and I shouldn't be together -- I certainly can -- but I don't want to listen to reason anymore. I just...we just...he's just....well, he's Spike."

She wasn't doing a good job of explaining this, but she'd never been able to put it in words. Yet, words were important at the moment. "When I wake up in the morning and he's there, I'm so happy I can't describe it. Seeing his face makes me think that maybe, just maybe, the world's going to be an okay place."

It sounded stupid and sappy, but it was how she felt. They'd spent three months laughing and loving and she couldn't remember a time when she'd been happier. Well, there'd been one, but that had been Willow's spell and she and Spike weren't planning a wedding. Not at the moment, anyway.

Buffy really wanted to be anywhere except here at the moment, waiting to see how Willow would react. She'd known her friends wouldn't like that she was with Spike; that they'd kept his return from the dust secret from her for over a year was a pretty good indication of how they felt -- and explained some of the uncomfortable pauses and half-statements she'd heard. It'd been the very reason she'd been so reluctant to come to London in the first place; she was terrified that it might come down to the moment when she'd be expected to choose between her friends and the man she loved.

Her friends weren't going to like the answer if it came to that.

All this flashed through her head as she waited, wanting to get out of this restroom and back to Spike, nose twitching and eyes watering from Faith's cigarette. She wasn't going to bitch about that, though, because Faith seemed the only one on her side and Buffy knew she needed all the allies she could get.

Then Willow burst into tears and threw herself on Buffy. "I miss Tara so much," she wailed. "She was my whole world and she's gone and I don't think I'm ever going to know that again and now it's gone all wrong with Kennedy and I don't want to be in Brazil anymore and do you think Spike would mind if I came and stayed with you for a while?"

Okay, so not what she'd expected, and Buffy shifted so she could look at the other two. Faith and Dawn seemed as shocked as she was, eyes wide as Willow continued to wail. After a moment, Faith ground out her cigarette in the ashtray, hopped off the counter and tapped Dawn on the shoulder. "Let's go see if Spike needs rescuing."

Dawn hesitated, then nodded, mouthing "talk to me first" before following Faith out. Dawn didn't have to worry; Buffy didn't think she could take adding Willow to the household at this point. Now, though, she really needed to get her calmed down.

After ten minutes of tears, Buffy was fast growing convinced "calming down" wasn't on the menu. Willow kept babbling about how her life had gone all wrong and nothing was going to be right anymore. Buffy had seen this type of behavior before and tried to take some comfort in the fact that this was more the "poor, poor, pitiful me" version rather than the "destroy the world" one. That was small comfort for her best friend soaking the shoulder of her dress while her boyfriend waited at a table filled with people who'd happily stake him given half the chance.

She tried telling Willow that nothing needed to be decided now, that Giles would likely have some ideas on places she could go that would really be much better for Willow's psyche than Rome.

At fifteen minutes, Buffy found herself promising Willow she could come to Rome if Giles couldn't come up with anything that suited her better. Anything, so long as Willow would stop bawling.

The tears quickly stopped, and Willow was looking at her with brighter eyes even if there were still sniffles. "And we can eat gelati and go shoe shopping? And I can help you on patrol, make things easier."

Too late, Buffy realized what she'd done. "Of course...but I'll be Giles comes up with something even better. Want to put some water on your face and we'll go back out? They're probably wondering where we are."

Cold water was applied and Willow managed to get herself back into a semi-presentable state. "What could be better than shopping and cruising graveyards with my best friend? Oh, but we probably shouldn't say anything about it until I've, you know, talked to Giles officially. We'll just keep it our secret for the moment."

All Buffy could do was nod. They needed to keep it a secret because she knew both Spike and Dawn would freak over acquiring a new houseguest. And how would she let Spike know that those wonderful patrols where it was just the two of them to slay and kiss and stake fledglings and kiss some more and possibly even end up at the cute little pensione where the middle-aged signora who ran the place looked at them with a sparkle in her eye and was more than happy to rent them a room once or twice a week where they didn't have to worry that Dawn was next door might have to go on hold for a little while?

She was in so much trouble.