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Barukh haor baolam.
Barukh haor baadam.
Barukh haor baHanukka.
At the time it had seemed like such a simple little wish.
She smiled to herself doubly glad she had come to visit Willow for Hanukka. She ran her fingers through the short bleach blond hair of the head resting against her shoulder. A small grin crossed her face as she felt his warm breath blow out over her skin.
He was finally warm and alive and all hers.
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"Hey Willow."
Willow's face snapped into a huge grin as she hugged her best friend. "I'm so glad you could make it Buffy."
"Wouldn't have missed it for the world." They hugged as Willow pulled Buffy in to the apartment she shared with Kennedy.
Buffy looked around and saw absolutely nothing of Christmas in it. Rather it was all Hanukka. "So not doing Christmas anymore then?" she grinned at Willow.
Willow giggled, "Kennedy wanted to celebrate Hanukka this year because I'm Jewish, but she agreed to do a mix next year." She was grinning as she lead her into the livingroom.
"You made it just in time for the major celebration. Kennedy and I were invited to some friends house to celebrate but I can call them and tell them we can't come." Concern and disappointment had crossed her face for a minute which she quickly covered with a happy grin.
Buffy smiled at her and pretended to yawn before she said, "No it's okay Willow. You two go on and have fun. If it's okay can I just borrow your couch for awhile? I just got into town and I'm really kind of tired but I wanted to see you before I got a hotel room."
Willow studied Buffy's face but didn't tell her she knew Buffy was lying. She was greatful for the lie though so she played along, "Sure you can! And when we get back we can sit up and watch movies and talk all night."
Buffy giggled at this and said, "Sounds perfect!"
Twenty minutes later Buffy was wandering through the empty apartment looking for something to distract her since it was going to be a couple hours before Willow and Kennedy got back. She wandered back into the livingroom and spotted the manorah burning on the mantle. Walking over she looked up at it. She knew each candle ment something but she didn't know what so she just enjoyed the light glowing from it.
She actually hadn't realized she had been thinking of Spike until she heard herself saying, "I wish Spike were here. He would love this. I hope he got what he deserved."
She turned away to sit on the couch in the mostly dark livingroom as she remembered The Day. There at the end he had basically called her a liar when she told him she loved him. But she did love him. He had made so many sacrifices for her... no not just her but the whole world and hardly anyone would ever know. He deserved better than that. He deserved to have his name shouted from the rooftops at the top of everyones lungs. She laid her head down on the arm of the couch not even realizing as her eyes drifted shut while she watched the candles in the manorah flicker and sway gently.
A hand reached out and gently touched her shoulder and was gone.
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"Damn it Angel!" Spike screamed at the vampire in question.
"I said no Spike. End of discussion." Angel turned his chair so the back of it was facing Spike. He listened as Spike muttered something even he couldn't hear, probably cursing him. And then listened to the leather coat creak and the dock martins stomp out of his office.
Spike made it as far as the large open area between the desks before he was frozen in his tracks. It wasn't that he didn't want to move it was that he couldn't. He began to glow like he had in that sodding cave under the high school in Sunnydale. Only this time it didn't hurt. It felt like a warm blanket was wrapped around his icy cold shoulders before his eyes closed.
"Angel!" Harmony shrieked from her desk which caused Angel to come running just in time to see glowing Spike disappear with a pop.
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Buffy squeezed her eyes closed tighter as the candle light became impossibly bright. Before she stirred and sat up quickly with full wakefulness with the soft pop and then thud. The unmistakable thud of a limp body dropping to the floor. When the light faded Spike was laying limply on the floor but not like a broken rag doll more like he was simply asleep. She watched as his chest rose and fell with the air that was being draw in and expelled in breath. His skin was no longer pale and deathly looking but had color and seemed to radiate warmth of it's own.
She had to know. She just had to. So she got up off the couch walking over softly and placed one hand on his chest her breath catching in her throat in a kind of half sob. It was beating... It was really and truly beating.
Her touch seemed to release whatever spell had been holding him in sleep. His pale blue eyes fluttered open meeting hers. "'Lo, Pet." he said.
Then he sat up quickly suddenly realizing something was different. He took a deep breath to calm his suddenly jangled nerves. The third deep breath caught in his throat as he realized he had to breath.
Buffy's hand was still on his chest so he placed his own over it and felt his heart beating strongly through her hand.
Blessed is the light of the world.
Blessed is the light within humanity.
Blessed is the light of Hanukka.