Times were tough. Hearts were sore. Egos were...likely soon to be bruised some more. But Buffy had possessed a full twenty-four hours to digest Spike's arrival. Her frayed nerves -- so often shot from the get-go with sudden surprises -- were now considerably better knit. And she'd had a lot of other familiar faces in the meantime. A lot of unconnected chatter. A lot of distractions.

Well. Except for one.

So -- tonight? Sunset saw the Slayer inhabiting her couch and leafing through a pile of...bridal magazines. There was no way she was going to hit her patrol in earnest tonight if there was a chance that Spike was still out with her.