Disclaimers: Everything but Claire belongs to Fox, Joss, ME, WB etc.
Spoilers: season 4 mostly
Rating: PG–13
Disturbution: hey, go ahead.
Dedication: To Rebecca.
Story: Buffy and Angel's future daughter is sent into the past by the PTB (Powers That Be) to reunite the couple.

Just as she got sucked into the portal she felt an eternally happiness. She'd made it through. Maybe not as strange, as it was they who'd called upon her, but she still had had fears that she wouldn't be accepted.

They stood before here, mutt faces and silent glances, Powers That Be. Claire instantly lifted the gold amulet she'd gotten from her mother, and threw it towards the woman.

"My gift." She explained shortly, her voice echoed into a strange sound.

"We brought you upon us to give you a challenge." The man said, exchanging glances with the female. "Everyone knows about you being the daughter of the impossible. The result of a love between a Slayer and a cursed Warrior. Now, we knew this tragedy that has happened to your family would eventually happen, and as they both served us all their lives and repaid us more then we ever will possibly do, we wish to do something in return." He continued.

"What are you saying?" Claire questioned calmly.

"We will bring you back in time, before the day that you were made. Long before that. You will have some time to re–do the future, bring them together in a way that what has happened will not." The female continued. She met Claire's brown eyes. "Will you?"

Claire muttered, she wasn't sure. But, if it was for her loving parents, then she had to. They'd given her so much joy.

"Yes, I will." She replied.

"Good, now remember, everything – every small act you do there will end up as a tragedy or a family quarrel in the future. Beware the evil and remember what they've told you of their past." The female ended, closed her eyes and lifted her arms. Her palms open and facing Claire, they extended a bright light and Claire fell.

~*~

"Miss, you all right?" a person asked her. Claire batted her eyes open and looked around. She lay in the middle of the streets, in front of a car.

"What… what happened?" she asked blurry and tried to arise. "I feel so… strange…" she mumbled and noticed the clothes the people around her were wearing. Old clothes, like her mother and father used when they… she sighed. It was true. She was sent back in time.

"The car hit you… I didn't mean to… I didn't see you; it was like you suddenly appeared there… I'm sorry…" he muttered.

Claire let a hand slip through her brown hair and swallowed.

"What…" she was almost afraid to ask. "What year is this…?"

"Year 2000, miss." He replied, with a confused look on his face. "You sure you're all right?" he asked, to get certainty.

"Yeah. I'm fine…" she mumbled and walked away from the whispering crowd that had gathered around them.

She knew she had to wait until the darkness came, then her mother would appear in some churchyard. But, unable to use her money from the future she was left wandering around.

Claire knew everything about her parents, well, the stuff they'd told her anyways. That her mother, Buffy, was the Slayer, and her father, Angel, was a cursed vampire. Their love was unable, and they stayed apart until year 2002. Willow found a spell causing Angel to become mortal. He instantly come down from L.A. to Sunnydale and found Buffy. They spent three months like this, until suddenly Buffy found out she was pregnant. Claire was born 9 months later and they lived as one small, happy family until the day she turned thirteen. Then her mother was killed in a battle. Her father never got over the tragedy and on her fifteen birthday, two years later, it was all too much for him to handle and he took suicide.

Her parents had always taught her well, how to fight, how to be and act, who were their friends and who weren't and that love conquered all. But, now, aged 17 she was about to meet her mother and father and get them back so what happened in the future never happened. How was she going to make that happen?

"My father's still in L.A., my mother is here in Sunnydale and I'm… I'm not born. Jeez… I can't just tell them this…" Claire mumbled. "I'll keep it a secret... until the time is right…"

~*~

Right hook in her jawbone and a hello to miss tree actually (not unexpectively) pissed Buffy off quite a bit. She replied with a roundhouse kick and then a back flip before she staked him with a swing with her arm.

"I hate those…" she mumbled irritated and began strolling casually towards the church. Suddenly she heard fizzling in some leaves. Quickly she spun around with stake poised and ready to kick some more demon butt.

"Hey! I'm not that bad…" Riley said, grinning and went towards her. Buffy slowly let her guard off.

"Hey…" she replied. He kissed her and without even thinking she backed away. He noticed and wrinkled his forehead. Just as he was about to comment it, someone appeared in their eyesight to the left.

"Well, aren't you two cute." A voice said. He left go of her and they turned around. A brown–haired girl, with brown eyes and a slim body.

Both Buffy and Riley immediately thought she reminded them about someone.

"Who're you?" Buffy questioned. Claire got a weird feeling looking at her mother again. It had been a long time. And now she was almost at the same age as she was herself. Though she wanted to embrace her hardly she stood stiffly and answered.

"Let's just say I'm a friend." She said, coining a phrase her father had used at their first meeting. Something which they'd told her countless times.

"Huh? What did you say?" Buffy quickly asked again, remembering everything. It wasn't nice being reminded of someone she mostly wanted to forget.

"She said: 'Let's just…'" Riley began, intruding their private and intern conversation with his I–know–I–know–morals.

"I *heard* what she said!" Buffy snapped back at him before she turned to Claire again.

"I'm a friend. I just wanted to see if I could…" she paused and frowned. Buffy raised an eyebrow. Quickly Clare ran over at Buffy and fetched the stake out of her hand.

"Hey!" Buffy shouted and watched Claire push Riley aside and stake a vampire behind him. When the vampire became nothing but dust, she turned and threw the stake back at Buffy.

"Help you…" she ended.

-------

Chapter 2

Almost a week had passed; Claire had gotten acquainted with the youth of her best friends in the future. And, here the always–discussed Mr. Giles was still alive, not dead as in the future. Willow and Tara, the lesbian, married couple, still hadn't met and Xander hadn't married Cordelia yet and was still dating Anya. Oz was still around. Claire hadn't got to know much about him, but she knew he had been Willow's sweetheart in high school and some in college.

She was staying at Giles' together with Spike. She never got to know Spike either, after what her mother told her he was also staked in a fight.

"Bloody coffee machine…" Giles mumbled irritated and she heard curses after curses.

Suddenly Spike came in the door, he ran over to the TV and turned it on.

"Lemme guess, 'Passions'?" Claire questioned, he nodded eagerly. Spike had to be the character she mostly liked in the past, except her mother. But she was afraid to get too close on her, she was afraid she'd get to know secrets about her mother that would change her whole image of her in the future. Though it sounded strange she felt it that way and couldn't change it.

She was getting tired of waiting for her father to take initiative and appear in Sunnydale, so she had borrowed some books of Willow and went upstairs.

Willow had, in the future, taught her some Wicca–magic, 'in case she might need it sometime'. Luckily she would.

Messing the words said in the book she lighted the candle and poured some toad–y stuff into a bottle of Perchi, a pink serum.

A big cloud of steam filled the room and she knew what she'd done was about to happen. She'd brought forth Kralik.

-----

Chapter 3

Bringing Kralik forth wasn't her highest wish or anything; she just needed her father to drag his butt down to Sunnydale, and needed an excuse for it to happen. Buffy had fought Kralik before, she knew, but this time she might need some help…

Claire dialled the number to Angel Investigations and waited for someone to pick it up.

"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless. What can I do for you?" Cordelia said and waited for a reply.

"Angel. I need to speak with him." Claire said shortly.

"Hey, you might be a little bit more sensitive! I know you don't wanna chat with me, but if you want to talk to him then…" Cordy began irritated.

"Cordy, who's in the phone?" a voice sounded. Claire sighed. She knew that voice. It was her father's. Angel.

"Oh… um, it's for you…" Cordy mumbled and Angel went into his office and took it there.

"Angel Investigations, Angel speaking." Angel said motionless.

"Da… I mean… Angel…" Claire whispered with a horse voice. She cleared her throat and began over. "I just phoned to tell you that Buffy is in grave danger. You'd better get down here quick," she said with a mutated voice. She'd used a spell for that detail.

"Who are you…?" Angel asked, but then she hung up.

Spike suddenly entered the room, just as Claire had hung up. He coughed and opened a window.

"What in the bloody hell have you done here?" he questioned, referring to the steam in the room. Claire looked innocently at him and shrugged her shoulders, grabbed the spell book, arose and left the room. Spike raised an eyebrow, noticed the phone on the floor and grabbed it. He pressed 'repeat' and waited for someone to take the phone.

"Angel Investigations, we help the…" Cordy's recognisable voice in the other end made him quickly hang up and stare confused into the wall.

"What the hell is that girl up to?" he mumbled to himself.

~*~

Claire grabbed the stake and plunged it into the vampire's undead heart. She watched him turn into dust with a scream, dried her sweat off her forehead and sighed. Then she heard clapping from behind her.

"Well done, luv," a voice said on British. She knew who it was. Spike. With a whirl she turned and faced him. "Now, I have these questions I'd like to ask you…" he began.

"Well, either you ask them extremely quickly or you don't ask them at all." Claire said, lifting her stake and glancing at him.

"Ooo… intimidating… you think you're gonna kill me, right?" he mumbled.

"I wasn't talking about me…" Claire said with a grin. Spike frowned, turned around and just managed to bend forwards and prevented the demon that leaped towards him to hit him. Claire quickly set the stake through it's heart and sighed.

"Now, questions, comments, thank you's?" she asked with a smirk.

"I'd go for a therapist…"

-----

Chapter 4

"So… let me get this right…" Spike said between two laughs. "You're Buffy and Angel's daughter?" he chuckled. She nodded slowly. "Daughter??" he chuckled more. "Oh, please, say it again!"

"I'm Buffy and Angel's daughter from the future." As she said those words Spike bursted into full laughter. Claire got mad of him not taking her seriously and slapped him. He instantly became quiet and gazed hurt at her.

"Now, why did you go and do that?" he asked with a serious voice. She rolled her eyes.

"Look, they got me when Angel turned human, my mother was killed and he took suicide two years later. The Powers That Be brought me here to prevent that to happen."

"Oh. I get it." Spike giggled soundlessly.

"Spike, or should I say Hostile17, shut up!" Spike shut up.

"How'd you…?" he began stuttering, she just looked at him. "Oh…"

~*~

Claire was out shopping for Giles when she suddenly bumped into Riley. The person whom she hated more then anything. She had to get rid of him, quickly. He smiled at her and strolled casually over to her.

"Well hello, Claire, right?" he said, she nodded. "So, you're new around here, right?" he continued.

"Yep, pretty new." She replied shortly, pondering on a plan on how to get him off her back.

"Wow, you really got nice eyes," Riley pointed out when their eyes met.

"Why, thanks. I got them from my father." She said, with a smirk, and left him.

~*~

Angel pulled the car over and walked over to the Bronze. He knew it would be crowded there and was prepared to see some well–known faces. Hopefully he wouldn't have to meet anyone, except Buffy.

Claire sat in the couch when she noticed him coming in. she didn't see him, but sensed him. They'd always had a special relationship, she and her father. Like her father and her mother. Buffy and Claire never had had that special relationship, but they still loved each other.

Angel felt the presence of Buffy, he knew it. He followed the feeling and ended up in front of a lovely young woman. She smiled happily at him. That smile reminded him of someone. But he couldn't put his finger on whom.

"I was expecting you." She said and arose. They stood a few inches away. She was on the edge on embracing him and sobbing loudly, but bit her lip hardly so she wouldn't.

"You were…?" he questioned and wrinkled his forehead.

"Yes. Buffy are in danger. Kralik has returned." Claire explained shortly. She was looking into her own eyes, the once loving eyes of a father, but the love was gone. As she mentioned Buffy he enlightened. –He really loved her– she thought and sighed.

"Kralik?" Angel repeated, not knowing who he was.

"I killed him five minutes ago…" a voice said from behind them. Angel whirled around. Buffy.

"Buffy." He said.

"Angel." She replied. Claire wanted them to see her, to remember her, to embrace her and accept her into their love, where she'd once been. But they were both dead and she missed them so. Watching them together in their teenage love was amazing, just seeing them together for the first time in four years was heartbreaking. She felt left out.

"I'll leave you…" she mumbled and tried to get past them.

"No. Wait." Angel called. She didn't listen, for the first time she didn't do as her father told her, and she left. Was he really her father? She questioned herself. Her mind was too confused to answer her own question.

-----

Chapter 5

"So, luv, no–one believes you?" Spike summed up. They lay towards a tree, she on top of him, facing the sky and he holding about her to keep her warm. He let his hand slip through her hair.

"No. And I just can't tell them how I feel…" she mumbled sadly. An owl flew fast them and they both watched it.

"Why not, luv?" he questioned her calmly.

"Cause it'll be like 'Hey, I'm your daughter from the future, and I feel left out. Are you OK with that?'" Claire pictured with a sigh. "The point is that they always loved me so dearly, like I was the only thing that mattered, now that I'm here I'm not their centre of their lives. I'm like a friend. And they only have each other to worry about."

"You're jealous." Spike stated.

"I know. And it hurts like hell." She whispered.

It was silent a while before Spike cleared his throat.

"So… you mostly know what'll happen to us here…?" Spike began. She nodded. "What happens to me?" he questioned. She closed her eyes. It was what she wished he'd not asked her. He would die. Just as it crossed her mind she get so sad. He couldn't die. She didn't want him to die.

"Oh…" she began, turned around and faced him. She looked into his eyes. Their lips get closer and closer. "Nothing much…" she ended and kissed him passionately. While kissing him she let a tear fall down her cheek. She loved him.

~*~

Angel and Buffy had talked and now her father was leaving. Again. The sight of Buffy watching Angel enter his car amazed Claire, who came back from the chat with Spike.

She walked over to her mother and saw a tear fall down her cheek. Buffy sniffled and swallowed hard.

"He's leaving me again…" she whispered.

The anger built up inside of Claire and she ran over to the car that was driving out of the driveway. She lined up in front of it and made it stop.

"What the hell are you thinking of??" Angel shouted as he stopped the car. He came angrily out of the car and Buffy ran down towards them. She hurried to dry her tears.

"Right now I'm thinking about the future!" Claire yelled back. It hurt her to raise her voice at her father, but this was to his own good.

"Listen to me," Angel began intimidating her. Claire interrupted him and screamed back at him.

"No! You listen to me!" she said, her eyes getting filled with tears. Buffy paused and watched her in surprise. A tear fell down from Claire's eye and Angel swallowed.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to get you upset…" Angel began excusing.

"I'm not who you think I am. I'm not Claire Nielson. I'm Claire Summers." She admitted silently. Buffy and Angel exchanged glances.

"What are you saying? You're in my family?" Buffy asked carefully. Clare looked at her.

"You might say that. Don't you remember that feeling at the Bronze, the deep feeling of someone who you love's presence? I was there." She told him whispering and with a crispy voice. He remembered.

"You love her…?" Buffy asked Angel. He peered back at his future wife.

"I don't know what it meant. I love her, yes. But not the same way I love you. It was a different feeling of love I felt."

"You felt a father's love." Claire said and let another tear drip. The Slayer and the Warrior turned their heads towards her.

"What?" They said unison.

"A father's love!" Claire said loudly, to imprint it into their minds. "And you," she turned to the extremely confused Buffy. "Look into my eyes." The slayer did so. "Now look into your love's eyes."

Buffy glanced from Claire to Angel. The truth slowly showed itself to her and she sighed.

"You're my sister with lenses?" she said. Claire rolled her eyes.

"No. I'm your daughter."

~*~

"Look, you can't be our daughter… you're as old as I am…" Buffy began.

"Yes, and I can't have children…!" Angel said.

"I know. I know everything. I'm from the future. The Powers That Be sent me, they told me to bring you together in a different way then you were brought together the first time. Now I'm here and trying to bring you together…" Claire admitted.

"What happened the last time?" Buffy asked seriously.

"You died. And dad killed himself."

A strange silence surrounded them. they all swallowed hardly.

"But how did we get you?" Angel began, with a horse voice. He coughed to clear it.

"Willow found… finds a spell which creates you into a human. You live happily together and get me… Spike dies and so does Giles. Xander marries Cordy and Willow and Tara marry too. And, the Initiative is dangerous. It takes time for you to understand and that's why Spike and Giles die… you must destroy them!" Claire informed them. "But now it's time for me to leave…" she whispered. "Please… don't get killed… watch out… and stick together. Coz I love you and I want to live after I disappear now. I don't want to die now because you two didn't work it out." She said almost soundlessly.

Angel stepped forwards and embraced her. Buffy did so too. They let her carefully go and she took two steps backwards.

"It's time.." she said.

"No!!" a voice cried. They turned and watched Spike. He ran towards Claire and embraced her. "I love you!" he kissed her. Claire let a tear fall and kissed him back.

"I love you too. Wait for me in the future…" she said, grinning and dried his tear as she faded into nothing, leaving the three alone.

"Ok… I have a relationship with the unborn daughter of my poof of a Sire…" Spike mumbled.

"And how do you think I'm feeling about that?" Angel asked him, holding around Buffy.

"Not too fine… I'll take this moment to skip…" Spike said and left.

~*~

Claire opened her eyes and sighed. She was alive. And, she lay in her bed. With firm steps she entered the living room, where her mother and father lay in each other's arms, fallen asleep in front of the TV. Both aged, as she knew them.

She smiled happily and let a tear fall.

Suddenly someone knocked the window at the veranda door. Carefully Claire walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hello…?" she said, gazing into darkness.

"Claire…" A voice said. She turned and faced Spike. He hadn't aged.

"Spike…" she whispered. "You still a vampire?"

"No, I turned mortal with the same spell as your father tonight. Do you remember?" he asked her, grabbing a hold around her. She nodded.

"I remember."

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