Important: Before the second part, can I just say sorry for the first. I sent it off before I read through it and it doesn't make much sense. So for the record it went something like this. Willow's parents die in a crash but before Willow's mum dies, she manages to give birth to Willow who Spike helps to deliver. Willow is then brought up by her great Aunt who's sort of a witch and knows about the whole slayer and Sunnydale situation. It's set in season 4 but we haven't met Spike or Dru yet. Dru is dead so don't think about her. Sorry again, I was revising for my exams and thought i'd send the first part off when I had a moment. But this second part has been checked through so fingers crossed, it makes sense.
-Joanne

*~*~*
 

Part 1

Spike shifted as he took in his surroundings. He knew he was dreaming as it
was all too familiar. The ice on the road, the screech of the brakes, the look
on the faces of the angry driver and the worried passenger. The realisation
that hit them both. But what always hit him hardest was the screams. These
screams where not of pleasure or of pain. They were of pure terror. A terror
that wasn't even heard in the screams of his prey. And it rattled him like
nothing else could. He saw the car sail off the road and felt his body run over
to it as it stopped and the passengers slumped forward.

"My baby," the woman murmured but then screamed, "MY BABY!"

He didn't know why he'd gone over, he normally would have just shook his head
and muttered something about the loss of a good meal.

Spike could see that the guy was dead, that there was no heartbeat and his skin
was turning pale. The woman was still hysterical and so he managed to get her
out of the car.

"Please," she begged him, grabbing hold of his shirt as best she could. "Please
help my baby. My waters have broken, please." She was attempting to push but
Spike could see she was on the edge. Of death.

He just nodded and crouched down at where he could see the blood seeping out
from her body. Where a baby's head was beginning to emerge.

Minutes later and with a baby girl in his arms. A silent tear fell down his
cheek as he looked down at the woman who had managed to give her life to the
small bundle in his arms. Now looking up he saw the weeping willow tree that
stood next to the car. "Hello Willow," he whispered to the baby.

*~*~*

Present Day - 18 years after the accident.
 

Spike woke up as the dream ended. A small unreadable smile on his lips.
"It's time to go visit Willow," he decided. It had been five years since he had
last seen her. She had been brought up by her great aunt and he always tried to
visit when the time was right. Her great aunt was a wise woman and knew he was
a demon but she trusted him, probably because he had saved Willow. Willow. His
smile widened as he thought of her, always such a quiet child but so accepting.
"Yes, it will be good to see her again," he said as he began to pack.

Part 2

Willow sighed as she leant back in her chair. Staring blankly at the screen
in front of her before turning around she rolled her eyes at Xander's attempt
to lift up their spirits. He was trying to collaborate his 'all-new Austin
powers influenced happy dance'. But it was not giving the desired effect.

"Xander, can't you do something useful?" Giles asked.

"I am, i'm trying to help you all get on my happy so that you'll find out what
the latest threat is, and we can all go mad at the Bronze." He answered. "Well
maybe not you, cos it's kinda not your seen." Noticing Giles' deadly glare, he
added. "But then you're always welcome.

"Guys can we concentrate on the matter at hand?" Buffy interrupted.

"I really have to go," Willow said grabbing her bookbag, "Aunt Flora will be
mad at me if i'm late again and I need to get some sleep. I'll try and see if I
can find out anything on the net and get back to you."

"Sure," Buffy said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Maybe you could ask Flora, see if she knows anything about this supposed
prophecy." Giles asked.

"I'll ask."

The others said their goodbyes and Willow was on her way. Humming softly to
herself on the way back home, she suddenly became aware of a presence. She
stopped suddenly and looked around. Nothing. Shaking her head and muttering
something about a lack of sleep, she carried on with a significant quickness to
her step.

***

Spike didn't know what to do. He was on his way to Flora's when he'd
noticed the petite redhead. Noticing a familiarity to someone he couldn't think
of, he'd carried on making sure he kept behind her. Seeing her walking into
Flora's, he'd stopped dead in his tracks. "Willow?" He asked the night. Of
course receiving no answer, he carried on and peered through the window.

***

"You're early," Flora commented.

"I thought I should try and make an effort." Willow replied.

"That's sweet honey. You sure you weren't needed?"

"I'm sure," Willow said some what bitterly.

Flora after a pause decided not to question any further. "Well, if it helps I
could do with a hand with one of my spells."

"Really?" Willow asked, eyes brightening up.

"Yes, though I don't know what your parents would say. They would have wanted
me to bring you up in a strict Jewish household."

"You have, just not too strictly. And I love you for it. So what's this spell
about?"

"You'll find out later."

"Cool, a surprise. Hey, did I tell you about Xander's new dance?"

***

Spike smiled through the glass. This trip was an omen, he was sure of it.
Feeling eyes on him, he looked up at Flora who was looking silently at him.

***

Willow carried on talking about Xander's dance as Flora grimly smiled.
"Spike!" Her brain screamed. She looked back at Willow. She'd been dreading
this moment and of course she knew that she wouldn't have been able to stop it.
The stars were never wrong. Hell, they'd always been true to Dru no matter how
insane she was. "It doesn't mean I can't stop it," she thought. And with that
thought she turned her attention back to Willow.

"You want to start the spell now?"

Part 3

Flora and Willow sat around the large conservatory. The room was bathed in
the gentle touch of candle light and the soft sounds of the night called to the
animal within.

Willow was excited, she was almost never allowed to participate in her aunt's
spells. Breathing in deeply, she calmed down her racing heart and let the words
wash over her as she gently started to sprinkle the herbs necessary to complete
the spell.

"Still waters,
Hidden secrets.
Not to be seen to the naked eye
I call on you.
Hear my cry.

Calm is in ripples
Chaos is in stillness
Part now and hear my cry.

Evil is in the air,
Pure and unwanted
But not to be heard
Take it away, smoother it with fire
Do anything, just hear my cry.

Calm is in ripples
Chaos is in stillness
Come now, hear my cry.

The fire in the centre of the circle roared and shot up into the air. Its
colour changed from black to white to purple and then to black again, before it
disappeared. Willow could feel the magic in the air and she smiled.

***

Flora noticed Willow's smile and smiled herself. Glancing up at the stars
overhead and began to whisper, "Starlight, starbright..."

***

Meanwhile across the other side of town somebody else smiled. "So the
little witch wants to play."

"Mistress," a voice called out, "We have got it." The small demon limped over
to her and handed over the small box.

"Good," she purred and dismissed him.

Opening the box. She smirked, "Wishes are so fickle these days." Glancing down
at the box, a small necklace sparkled in the moonlight and in the sky a star
plummeted to it's death.

Part 4
 

I breathe in. The overwhelming scent of roses overpowering all my senses. No
words dare I to mutter and interrupt the sweet song of the birds. I feel like
i'm floating as I walk through endless fields.
But suddenly one emotion devours the rest. My hand reaches out for yours, like
a magnet drawn to another. But you're not there. And all at once everything
starts to spin.
"This isn't real," I tell myself. "It's the Matrix." But as I speak the
setting starts to shift into another. The sky is crying and i'm standing where
it all began. The house of truth, yes, but also of horrors.
A shadow is at one of the upstairs windows, "Neo!" I cry, hoping my friend, my
lover, my soulmate will hear me. But then glass shatters. Freeze frame. Sharp
pointed jewels flying everywhere, his body following behind.
Suddenly there is blood, blood so very, very red coating everything in it's
path. You lie there like a fallen angel. My fallen angel. Shock floods my body
as I feel a part of me being torn away.
"It'll be alright," A voice calls out from behind me. A beautiful innocent
looking woman stands there. Her fiery red hair blowing in the breeze, and those
green eyes. So wise for their years, look up at me. "You need to let go, love
as well as hate knows no boundaries Trinity." She turns and walks away.
***
Trinity awakens startled. "A dream," she whispers to herself in disbelief as
Neo stirs next to her. "Got to let go," he mumbles in his sleep," Got to let
go."

Part 5

Willow blinked the sleep from her eyes as she began to wake up. But before
she could climb out of bed, the phone rang. Willow groaned as she reached for
the blaring object. Before she could reach it, it went off and the answerphone
clicked on.

"Willow? It's Buffy. We need you to get on down here now, there's something big
going on. Can't say much more. Can you bring Flora too? See you soon."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Guess I won't be having a quiet Sunday
then."

***

They were all sitting around the library. The quietness was deafening as
the latest prophecy had chance to sink in.

"What do we know?" Flora asked.

"Not much," Giles replied, "I guess research is on the menu. Anyway that's why
we called you. I thought maybe you'd heard something."

"There is a buzz going around. I'm not sure how much help i'm going to be
though."

"Well anything would be helpful right now."

"I don't know much more than you do. A lot of the regular customers down at the
Magic Shop seem to be, well... scared. There's something happening and it's
enough to scare them. Trust me, they don't get scared easily."

"They certainly don't," she thought. "The calming spell didn't work. Spike's
still hanging around and I don't seem to be able to scare him off."

"Magick around the town is getting stronger. You can start to feel it. And I
mean it, i'm having people i've never seen before who have had nothing to do
with magick, come into the shop and ask me what's going on. I've run out of
excuses." She said speaking outloud again.

"I guess we know where to start then," Buffy said. "I'll take a look around
town, maybe pop in and see if our nice little friends know anything. I'll be
back in an hour."

"Research anyone?" Xander asked.

***

"Hey i've found something." Cordy said before she started to wince, "At
the cost of a nail. So you'd better appreciate it."

Giles took the book from her and smiled a rare smile. "It looks like we could
have something. The prophecy seems to be linked with something, a pendant
maybe. It seems this pendant holds a portal between worlds. But according to
the book it was lost many years ago."

"In other words somebody took it and hid it away from where evil could find it."

"Yes, but it seems like it's back."

***

"She's ready to see you now." The vampire said, leading Spike into a large
room.

"Spike." The voice said, hidden in the shadows.

"It's nice to meet you again Dominique. I hear you have something for me."

"Oh yes," the faerie said coming out of the shadows and holding up the
sparkling jewel that hung upon a necklace. "I have just what you're looking
for."

Part 6

"So, we have nothing then?" Xander said, "Great. Anybody else just want to
go jump off a cliff?"

"I came all the way down from L.A to help you guys, all for nothing?" Cordy
replied fuming. "Well excuse me, i'm think i'll go back."

"Cordy, we need you and your visions." Willow said.

"Geez that makes me feel good."

"Want a lift back?" A voice asked.

"Angel?"

"Hi," he said coming out of the shadows. He nodded to the others and looked
around the library. "The new school looks good," he commented.

"Yes, well... they're is a new principal as well. More like Bob Flute. I guess
you could say good came out of all this." Giles said dryly.

"I'm glad."

"Angel, not like we aren't pleased to see you or anything. But why are you
here?" Willow asked.

"I was thinking about Cordy's vision and I realised that I knew who someone in
the vision was."

"Who?" Buffy asked.

"That would be me." Another voice said, entering the equation.

They all turned around to see a blonde haired man standing in the stacks. His
icy blue eyes stared at them.

"Miss me?" He asked Angel.

"Spike." Angel hissed.

"You know peaches, you were never good at welcoming people. Especially your
family."

"Family?" Buffy asked, turning her gaze at Angel. "Angel what the hell is going
on?"

"That's what i'd like to know. Spike what are you doing here and where's Dru?"

"Dru," his eyes softened as he spoke her name. "She found a life in the sun
better than a life with me. And you know why? Because you left. You ruined
everything. Well, not this time."

"Spike stay away," Flora said in a warning tone.

"Or what? You'll put a spell on me?" He laughed harshly. "Nobody gets rid of me
that easily."

Willow stepped forward, "what do you want?"

"You don't remember me?"

"Remember you, I... I don't know. Maybe. You didn't answer my question."

"Of course you don't remember me, five years is a long time for a human."

"Spike I said _stay away_."

"I know and will you get the hint. I'm not going anywhere. There's a lot of
catching up to do between me and Willow here."

"How do you know my name?"

"I gave you your name."

"How... why... but-"

"CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!" Giles yelled,
shocking the occupants of the room as his alternate side ripper shone through.
 

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