Valley of the Queens. Clone City. Out on an upper terrace.

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Ang leans back against the sun-warmed stone and wriggles her toes inside her shoes as she listens to her computer tell a story about a little chicken who went to town and saw a clown. It's a rhyming story, simple and catchy, and she's enjoying it very much. And up here there's no one to complain about her listening to it twelve times in a row. Present is curled next to her, asleep and purring.

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[spikesblood.livejournal.com]

Spike approached slowly, a small crown of flowers he'd made clutched in his hands.

"Ang?" he said tentively, nervous about how she'd react to him being gone so long.

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She looks up, her face lighting with her smile as she greets him as though he hadn't been gone for two months. "Spike!"

[spikesblood.livejournal.com]

He grinned in relief and sat by her, kissing her forehead.

"Hey, sweetheart, I brought you something," he smiled, offering her the crown. He'd missed seeing her, she was so beautiful.

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She takes it and sets it carefully on her head, then shuts her computer and leans against him, sobering slightly. "Are you alright?"

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His only reply is more ardent licking and purring. Her world's alright now. Both Mama and Daddy are here again.

[spikesblood.livejournal.com]

Spike smiled and stroked her, then kissed Ang's cheek.

"Missed you, luv," he said softly.

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"I missed you too." She hugs him again, closing her eyes and just holding on as tears tried to come.

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"Oh, I wish I had my planning book. I could show you what's ready." Her face lights, excitement dancing in her wide summer sky eyes.

[spikesblood.livejournal.com]

"We can go get it, if you like," he smiled at her.

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"Alright!" She scrambles to her feet, and Present wakes and mews to be picked up and set on a shoulder.

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She snuggles against him and pulls the book chip out of her pocket, then presses it to activate it to book form before setting the now nicely decorated scrapbook on the table and taking Spike's hand to examine it. She's never really looked closely at a hand before, and the lines and creases and old scars fascinate her. Her own small fingers run over his knuckles lightly, and then she turns the hand over and traces the lines of his palm, her eyes intent.

[spikesblood.livejournal.com]

He smiled, watching her and glancing at the book, but then went back to looking at her. She was so beautiful, and innocent. Perfection. He smiled and kissed her cheek.

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Those wide summer sky eyes smile up at him, and he might notice that the face that holds them is no longer that of a girl in her late teens. While he was away Ang has finished growing and now resembles a woman in her mid-twenties.

Ang herself is unaware of this as she lays her cheek against his palm and snuggles gently.

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She gives him another smile and then flips to a page of pictures that Spike probably didn't know she had. "And here's your tux! You look so nice in it."

[spikesblood.livejournal.com]

He blinked in surprise, then grinned. "It's an excelletn look," he agreed.

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"Pretty." She touches the pictures gently. "The way you look in that...." She presses on it for the name. "Cummerbund makes me happy."

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"I do. We'd just be living in Clone City instead."

[spikesblood.livejournal.com]

"Ah," he said, blinking and then nodding. "Alright, luv, that sounds great!"

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She grins, then turns the page to show him the pictures, which are of the views from terraces on different levels. "How high up should we live?"

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"But if you don't want any, that's okay," she says quickly, looking worried.

[spikesblood.livejournal.com]

"No, no," he said quickly. "No, I do. I just... never thought of having any."

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"But I'm pretty sure we talked about it before." She furrows her forehead as she tries to remember.

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"It's part of being married." She reaches for his hand, but then thinks it might make him uncomfortable and stops.

[spikesblood.livejournal.com]

He took it, then smiled at her and looked at her. "Doesn't have to be until you feel ready, luv."

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"I know." She leans against him with a sigh, the book forgotten for the moment.