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Chapter One- Life of a Slayer

Dear Diary,

Well, we’re on Christmas Break. Mom and Dad are in Australia so Alex said I could stay with her for the break. I wanted to go and visit Buffy and the gang, but my funds are a bit low for airfare. Mom was actually late with her check and now all the flights are booked. I called Xander and told him. He was upset, but I think it was more then me not coming home for Christmas. Buffy called yesterday and told me that she was sad that I wasn’t going to be there, but she was happy that I had a friend to stay with. Buffy has talked to Alex a few times and they seemed to get along, but then again Buffy doesn’t know that Alex is a Slayer also. No one in Sunnydale does. Alex wanted to keep it that way. Buffy also told me, what was wrong with Xander. It seems that Anya and him have been fighting more then he ever did with Cordy. Buffy has a feeling that their going to break up. I feel sorry for Xander. He was starting to have a good relationship, finally, and now it seems like its not working out that way.

As for the home front, well, Spike is great. We’re talking like we used to, and I missed that. Spike and Alex on the other hand have been acting like brother and sister. Going on patrol with them is actually funny. He’ll tell her to do one thing and she’ll do the other. Spike has also figured that Alex has been slacking in her training, so he has taken it upon himself to get her back into shape. Now, that is really funny to watch. He’s been sneaking up on her and trying to attack her and she just blocks and he usually ends up on the floor. But through all of this he won’t give up. She gets him at every turn but he will just not let it be. Alex has given up trying to get him to stop, and so have I. If he wants to get his ass kick all the time, who am I to interrupt his Big Bad image.

Oh, look at the time. I have to run to the store and pick up our groceries. More later.

~Willow

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Alex was in the den working on up dating her Demon Database when she heard the first sounds of Spike getting up. Always with the stomp, stomp when he puts on his boots. She thought as she moved til she had the stereo in sight, she pointed at it and spoke softly under breath. "Play." With in moments the familiar sounds of ‘Bad to the Bone’ started playing and she looked at the stairs and saw Spike walking down in time with the music. Spike turned and saw her standing in the doorway to the den. "Funny, Lex. Real bleeding funny." He said scowling at her.

"Oh, that’s right." Alex pointed at the stereo again, and the song changed to ‘Sympathy for the Devil’. "This is your song. How could I have ever forgot?" She turned and went back to the computer without waiting for a response. As she went back to working she heard him in kitchen fixing his blood and talking to Spike.

"She think she’s so funny. Doesn’t she realize it’s not nice to make fun of a hungry vampire?"

She heard Spike bark in response. She got up and walked to the kitchen but stayed in the doorway. She watched as he took out the bag of blood and poured it into a mug and drank it down. When he went to rinse it out he spoke. "You do realize sneaking up on me is not an option for you, right, Blue?"

"Yeah, I know. I just keep wondering when your going to realize that it goes both ways." Alex said moving to the table.

Spike sat down across from her. "I know, but I don’t want Peaches coming down on me because your not prepared for anything."

"Angel won’t say anything. And I’m prepared. Michael and you prepared me really well. And for anything I can’t handle the Slayer way, I got what Mom and Nana had prepared me for. So, aside from handling my love life, I’m set for anything." Alex smiled at him.

"Alright, I’ll let it go for now. So where’s Red?" Spike asked casually.

"She went for groceries." Alex was interrupted by the phone ringing. "I’ll get it." She ran over to the phone on the side of the wall. "You’ve reached Vamps ‘R’ Us. This is Alex how can I help you?"

"Alex? Is Willow there?" Asked the male voice on the other end of the line. Alex had talked to everyone from the Scooby gang and she recognized Xander’s voice. She could tell something was wrong.

"Xander, I’m sorry. Willow’s not here right now. She went food shopping, Can I help you with anything?"

"Actually, maybe you can. I was thinking of coming for a visit, and I was wondering if I could stay with you? See, I have the money for the plane, just not enough for a place to stay." Xander said hoping he didn’t sound like he was lying to much.

"Yeah, that’s no problem. I just hope you remember that Spike is living here. So you will have to deal with him." Alex knew that Xander didn’t exactly like Spike or Angel for that matter, so she just felt she needed to warn him. "Oh, and Angel is coming here in a few days so, you’ll probably have to deal with him and Cordy as well, but if you can handle that then you’re welcome here anytime."

"Yeah, I can handle it. Thanks, Alex. Oh, I’ll see you guys tomorrow." Xander said going to hang up. "Bye."

"Wait, Xander?"

"Yeah."

"You’re coming tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it’s the only plane ticket I could get. Do you think you could probably pick me up at the airport?" Xander asked sounding hopeful. After the way he sounded when he had first started speaking, Alex couldn’t say anything to make him sound like that again.

"Yeah, I’ll pick you up. What time?" Alex copied down the information and hung up. She walked back over to the table and sat down. "Well, at least Willow won’t be so down about not being near her friends for Christmas." Alex looked up at the clock. "Well, It’s seven o’clock. Time for patrol. Willow should be home soon. Help put the stuff away?"

"Yeah, I will. Be careful, Blue." He said following her out into the livingroom.

As she put her black leather jacket on, she smiled and replied. "Always." And with that she left. Spike watched her leave the walkway, before he turned and shut off the stereo. He turned on the Tv to wait for Willow. He didn’t have to wait long. Twenty minutes after Alex left, he heard the door open. He turned his head to see Willow walking in with two bags of food. "Need any help, Red?"

"Yeah, there are four more out in Alex’s car. Where’s Alex?" Willow said walking into the kitchen, after not seeing Alex anywhere.

"Patrol." He answered as he walked out the door to get the other bags. He heard the phone ring and Willow pick it up.

As he brought in the last four bags, he saw Willow putting the phone down. After seeing her face, he decided that something was wrong. "What’s the matter?"

Willow snapped out of her daze, when she heard what he asked. She looked up at him still in shock. "That, um, was Buffy. It seems her, her mother, Riley and Giles are, um, coming here, for, ah, Christmas."

"Red, don’t joke about something like that. You know as well, as I do that Peaches is going to be here. And him, Buffy, and Buffy’s new boyfriend are not going to mix well." Spike said quickly putting down the bags.

"Yeah, I know, but she wouldn’t even let me speak. She just started talking and then said bye and that she would see me when she gets here at the end of the week." Willow said sitting quickly in one of the chairs. She looked up at him as another thought hit her. "How am I going to tell Alex?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Diary,

Christmas is going to go soooo bad. Alex is going to freak when she finds out that Buffy kind of invited herself here. Not to mention Angel. This is going to be a really weird Christmas to say the least. None of the Sunnydale gang know that Alex is a Slayer, but all of the L.A. know. To make matters worse, only Xander and Giles know that Spike lives here, too, and well, Angel and them. I have to tell Alex, she doesn’t know yet. She’s out on patrol and hasn’t come home yet. How am I going to do this?

Oh, there’s Alex now. I guess I have to face the music sometime. Here, I go. More Later.

~Willow

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Alex walked into the house to find Spike sitting on the couch staring at the Tv, but the weird thing was that the Tv wasn’t on. She was about to say something when Willow came down the stairs at a run, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Alex. Alex looked back over at Spike and found him looking between Willow and herself. "What in bloody hell is going on?" Alex asked confused.

"Um, Well, it’s like, you see." Willow started trying to tell Alex, and she had all intention to but Spike cut her off.

"We’re being bloody invaded."

"What? What are you to talking about?" Alex asked as she looked between the two. Willow finally got up enough nerve to get a few words out. "Buffy’s coming here."

Alex looked over at Willow to urge her to continue. "When?"

Willow suddenly found her hands really interesting as she started rubbing them together. "Um, she said they would be here by the end of the week."

Alex took off her jacket as she was starting to get what was going on. "Who’s ‘They’, Willow?"

Before Willow could speak again, Spike spoke up for her. "The Slayer, The Watcher, The Commando, and Joyce."

Alex looked between Spike and Willow again, then she walked into the kitchen without saying anything. Spike got up and followed as he heard a few cabinet doors opening and then shutting. When he got in there he found Alex pouring herself of triple shot of whiskey. After she down the whole thing she turned to him and Willow standing in the doorway. "So we’re going to have the whole Scooby Gang and Angel’s crew here for Christmas?"

Willow spoke up from he behind Spike. "Well, not the whole Scooby Gang. Xander’s not going to be here."

Alex looked at Spike. "You didn’t tell her." He shook his head, and she turned to Willow. "Actually, Xander going to be here. He called before I went on patrol and I’m picking him up at the airport tomorrow."

Alex poured another shot as Willow walked towards her. She handed it to her and Willow swallowed it quickly. "Oh, bloody hell." She said coughing from the whisky and looking at Spike and Alex.
 

 Chapter Two-Partners in Crime

Dear Diary,

After I told Alex last night that Buffy was coming, all three of us had a few drinks and then decided to wait until Xander got here to figure anything out. That was my idea. I figured if anyone could figure how to help this mess it would be Xander. He was always the one that got me and Jesse out of trouble when we were kids. So if figured he could help here.

I’m kinda worried about Xander. Alex said that when he called he seemed upset, but he calmed down after he found he could stay here. I know from what Buffy said that him and Anya were having problems. She said they were fighting more and more. I have a feeling that the relationship is over with that’s why he’s coming here. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I don’t love him like I used to, like crushy love. He’s my best friend and he always will be. There was just something about Anya that wasn’t right for him. He needs someone that’s strong in mind, not clingy. Someone who’s smart, caring, helpful, independent, won’t freak about the things that actually go bump in the night, someone that would love him for him, if they have a sense of humor and can get along with the gang, well, those are pretty much givens, they are needed in our group. I just wonder how long it’s going to take him to realize that Alex is the perfect girl for him. Yeah, I came to that conclusion last night. They just fit. And Alex needs someone like Xander, just like he needs someone like her.

I told Spike this morning, while I was making breakfast. He actually liked the idea, and agreed to help me get the two together. Well, this was after I had gotten some blood and coffee into him.

I had woken him up, when I woke up and Alex wasn’t around. I kinda wish I didn’t for the simple fact that Alex had taken his duster with her to pick up Xander at the airport, and he was bitching about it off and on all morning. I know it’s mean to wake a vampire up in the daytime, being that’s when they sleep and all, but I was lonely. Alex was gone and Spike, Jr.(the dog) can’t really hold a conversation with me. Ok, I admit that waking him up did involve me going into his room and catching sight of him bare chested laying on the bed. He looked so peaceful. I know that if I wasn’t already head over heels in love with him I would have fallen that moment. Of course my ogling time was interrupted, by him actually talking. Which isn’t a bad thing, but it meant that I was there. I just hope he didn’t realize that I was staring at him.

So now, I’m spending all day with him up and about wearing only his jeans. That’s right, no socks, and NO SHIRT!!!!! I’m dying. I swear if Alex doesn’t get home with Xander soon, I’m going to end up jumping his nicely tight ass.

Ok, reading this over, I realize I have finally lost it. I’ve turned into some wonton hussy. Like those girls that me and Alex saw at the club the night before. We were standing over by the bar talking to Billy, Marco and Mick at Flame. Since school has been out we have started living there, and Marco had asked Alex to help him out by bar tending a few nights a week. Those are the nights I love the most. Alex had started doing a few things that she learned from a bar in New York City called ‘Hogs and Heifers’. See, there every so often a night the bartenders would get up on the bar and dance to different music. Marco loved the idea, as long as Alex, Maggie and me were three of the girls. Spike almost died the first night, we all got up there. Billy and Mick were laughing at him, cause as Alex was dancing she was making fun of him. Just another example of the whole ‘Brother/Sister’ thing they had fallen into. Speaking of which, I have to get to my self defense lesson that she had made him start giving me. I swear, I’m doomed for the torture of unrequited love. More Later.

~Willow

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Alex walked into the airport and checked the arrival screens. When she found what gate Xander’s was coming in at she went to wait. As she was waiting she decided to investigate Spike’s duster. He’s going to freak when I get home, but right now, I could careless. I need proof that he’s in love with Willow, and I have a gut instinct that it’s in this jacket. She continued to look though the pockets when she heard someone cough. That someone was standing in front of her. As she raised her head to face the person, her eyes locked with the warmest brown eyes that she had ever seen. That’s when he spoke. "You must be Alex, seeing that you’re wearing the Sacred Duster of Spike."

Xander was actually nervous getting off the plane. He wasn’t worried about seeing Willow, no that was majority of the reason behind this trip. And Spike, well, he was one of those packaged deals. No, he wasn’t nervous to see them again. It was Alex. He had talked to her on and off since Willow had moved to England. He had really started to like her. Then Anya had broken up with him, saying that ‘He was fun, but he wasn’t the mature kind of man she was looking for’ it had partially killed him. It wasn’t until he called and asked Alex if it alright to stay with her, that he felt Anya leaving was right. When he called and heard Alex’s voice he felt instantly calm, and that he was finally on the right path in his life. It was at that moment that he understood what Willow meant by saying that she had finally found her home, because hearing Alex’s voice had given him that feeling. Now, he was scared to death to finally meet her.

He walked down the walkway as the butterflies in his stomach started doing the tango. If everything goes right, I’ll finally be coming home. As he walked out the door her saw a woman standing off to the side searching her jacket for something. Watching her he noticed that it wasn’t just any jacket. It was Spike’s duster. He watched her face as it filled with determination at the task at hand. Her long light brown hair seemed to shine with golden highlights as it fell around her face and shoulders. She was wearing an old pair of light blue jeans that had a hole in one of the knees and a black tee shirt that had some kind of writing on it. He moved closer to her, until he was standing in front of her. When she didn’t look up he coughed. Then his eyes meet and locked with the bluest eyes that seemed to shine with ever emotion she was feeling. Xander was really surprised to hear himself speak. He didn’t even realize he remember how, until the words left his mouth. "You must be Alex, seeing that you’re wearing the Sacred Duster of Spike."

Alex smiled as she shook off her thoughts, and held out her hand to Xander. "Yep, that’s me."

Xander shook her hand as he finally got to read what her tee shirt said. He had to laugh. In white letters it said, ‘I leave Bite Marks.’ "You know I really have to say that I love that shirt. I bet it’s bugging the hell out of Spike."

Alex laughed. "Actually, William hasn’t seen it yet. He was sleeping when I left, so he actually doesn’t know that I borrowed his duster, so he’s going to be ticked about that. But we actually have a bigger problem then a pissed off William the Bloody." As she talked, her and Xander made their way to the baggage claim to get his suitcase.

As they headed to Alex’s car, Xander spoke. "So what’s the bigger problem?"

Alex looked at him sadly as she spoke. "Keeping Angel and Buffy from wrecking my house, when she gets here with her new boyfriend."
 

Chapter Three - Early Visitors

Alex pulled Mustang up to the curb. "Well, here we are. Home Sweet Home." She turned off the car and as she pulled the key out her arm brushed up against the jacket. "What the?" She reached her hand into the inside jacket and pulled out what seemed to be a folded piece of paper. As she unfolded it she found that it was a photo. It wasn’t just any photo either. It was of Willow. "I knew it."

"What? What did you know?" Xander asked as he tried to see what she was holding.

Alex showed him the picture. "I just got my proof that Spike is in love with Willow."

"How does a picture of Wills proved that Fangless is in love with her?"

"Ok, A) Don’t call him Fangless in my house. And B) It’s in his duster. He almost never takes it off. He had it in here so he could keep it with him at all times. Besides, I’ve seen the way he looks at her. Add that to the picture and it equals William being in love with Willow." She smiled triumphantly. "So now, all I have to do is get them to admit to each other that they feel the same and then they can both be happy."

Xander was quiet for a few moments then he nodded. "Now, that I think about it. They were getting close back in Sunnydale. So what do you have planned?"

Alex looked over at him and pulled her Spike smirk before she spoke. "It’s more like what don’t I have planned for them. You asking cause you want in?"

Xander smiled brightly. "Oh, yeah. I want in."

"Good. Let’s go. I have to get yelled at sometime." Alex and Xander got out of the car and pulled his luggage out of the trunk.

~*~Downstairs~*~

Spike was teaching Willow a few self defense moves down in the basement of the house. Alex’s grandmother had turned to large room into a training room soon after Alex was called as a Slayer. If anyone was watching the lesson they would have been laughing. More then once it had turned into a tickle fight.

"Ok, luv. Let’s go over What you would do if you are grabbed from behind again." Spike walked up behind Willow. He gripped one arm around her neck and the other around her waist. She was locked firmly to his body. If Spike’s heart needed to beat it would have been beating so hard he probably would have had a heart attack. As it was Willow was having a problem breathing, let alone thinking. So she let her instinct take over. She reached her right leg back and hooked her foot around the back of his knee. When she pulled forward on it he started to fall, that’s when she took advantage and brought her left arm up across her and hit him with the heel of her palm in the nose aiming upwards. He dropped his arms and grabbed his nose as he fell to the mats that were spread out over the floor.

"Oh, Bloody Hell, Red!" Spike yelled holding his nose.

Willow turned around and found him lying on the floor holding his nose in pain. "Oh, Goddess, Spike. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I just... and then... Are you alright?" She finally gave up trying to explain as she kneeled next to him. She reached to move his hands away from his nose. He flinched as her hand started towards his nose. "Oh, don’t be such a baby. I thought you liked pain?"

"William only likes pain if he’s causing it." A female voice said from the stairs. It was followed by a male voice. "Yeah, you should know that by now, Wills."

Willow and Spike both looked at the stairs. "XANDER!!!" Willow yelled as she rushed the young man that had move to the bottom of the stairs as Alex moved over to Spike lying on the floor. Xander hugged Willow as she up at him. "Gee, I’m thinkin’ you missed the Xand-Man."

Alex looked over at the two by the stairs. "Xand-Man? We defiantly need to get you another nickname."

"Well, I usually just call him the moron, or Chubs. So take your pick, Blue?" Spike said a bit snippingly. Alex turned and smacked him on the chest. "Be nice."

Spike looked at her and smiled. "I’m never nice."

Alex smirked and said under her breath facing Spike so only he could hear her. "Yes, you are, but only when your around Willow and me." Spike looked at her stunned. "Now let me see your nose you big baby."

Alex lifted his chin so she could see better with the light that filled the room. "Well, I’m sorry to say this, but your dead, but I have this odd feeling that your going to live. It’s only a bloody nose." She stood and turned to Willow and Xander. "Willow why don’t you show Xander to his room and you can catch up. Remember we need to be at the club, by seven."

"You’re working tonight?" Willow asked confused. Alex usually had Wednesdays off.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, Marco called this morning. His normal bar tender is sick, so he asked if I could help out. It’s not going to be one of our normal nights, I’m just tending. Wednesday’s are pretty dead, so you don’t have to come if you don’t want to, I was just hoping you guys would keep me company. Billy said he would be there, so Xander can meet him. But If you guys want to stay in and catch up I’ll understand."

"No. It sounds like fun. Maybe we will actually find a night where Flame seems like the Bronze." Willow said smiling before her and Xander went up the stairs.

Alex walked over to the small sink that was in one of the corners of the room. She turned on the water and ran a washcloth under the stream of cool water. When she heard Willow and Xander start up the other set of steps, she rang out the cloth and brought it over to Spike. She handed him the cloth before she spoke. "Here. Get cleaned up. Your duster is upstairs on the back of the couch." She turned to walk up the stairs herself, she stopped when he spoke.

"Why did you take it, Blue?"

Alex didn’t turn to face him as she replied. "I needed to look for something, now I have it, so you can have it back." Alex left the training room leaving a confused vampire behind her.

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Dear Diary,

Xander’s Here!!! I’m so happy. I missed him so much. I told him about everything that has been happing here, well, minus the whole Alex is a Slayer thing. I, mean, how was I going to tell him. Oh, by the way Xander, Alex is a Vampire Slayer. Oh, yeah, and she’s a half-breed and Spike is her Sire. No, none of that would freak him out, much. I just didn’t think it was my place to tell him. That’s Alex’s job. It is her life after all. He hasn’t seen the pictures in the tea room either, so I know one of these days Alex is going to have to tell him. I just hope he can have one night of normal fun stuff, before he’s brought into the Slayer deal, again.

He told me about everything that had been happing in Sunnydale, and as I thought the real reason behind his visit. Anya did break up with him. She told him that he wasn’t mature enough for her. Ok, Xander has his moments, but he is mature. We both had to deal with a lot at a young age. Me and Xander were only fifteen when we meet Buffy, and Jess was turned into a vampire. It was a shock to the system to say the least. Many that had gone through it would have never been able to handle it. My way of handling is learning more about demons and magic to help in the fight. Xander’s way is through laughter at times, but most of the times it’s just by his presence. He has a strength to him, and just being around him can make anyone think they can handle anything. How many people could say that they had held the mantle of Gatekeeper and survived, well, besides, Jacques Regnier? Hell, at the time, Xander even came back from the dead.

All of us Scoobies, former or otherwise, possess a strength that no one, who doesn’t realize the full magnitude of the Forces of Darkness and Demon is general, could even imagine to hold within their person. Giles, Gunn, Cordelia, Xander, Wesley, me, Amy, Oz, Jenny, Aldrianna, Adriana, Michael, Maggie, and even, Billy have all chosen to help in the fight with the forces of Darkness. We chose to help the chosen fighters for the Powers The Be. Alexandria, Buffy, Angel, and even Spike would fall into this category. He was chosen years ago to help Alex through her life, and he has. Through some of us have died, we still go on fighting the fight, for the forces of good.

Ok, I have to stop there. My explanation has turn in to a ‘Mission Statement’ worth of Jerry McGuire. I have to get ready for tonight. It’s supposed to be cold tonight so Alex let me borrow an old forest green sweeter of hers. She told me she used to love it so much that when she got older she bought one just like it in a deep plum color. That’s what she’s wearing tonight, with her black leather hip huggers, and doc martins. I’m just going to wear the pair of black form fitting jeans that I bought, with my boots. I don’t want Xander to freak out and have a heart attack on his first night here at seeing the new me.

Well, I got to get going. More later.

~Willow

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At six thirty, Spike, Xander, Willow and Alex left for Flame.

At six thirty five, the phone rang three times until the machine picked up. "It’s Alex. I’m working at Flame tonight, so if it’s important find me there, if not speak at the beep." The machine beeped one long beep before the voice on the other end started. "Alex, It’s Cordy. Angel had me call you, cause he’s didn’t know how to work the phone on the plane, although I’m not surprised. He hardly ever uses his cell phone, he usually forgets it. Anyway, as I said, We’re on the plane. We’ll be in London in a few hours so We’ll just meet you at the club. Wesley says he knows were it is, but how he knows about a club named Flame is beyond me, so we’ll see you there. But if your already there, I guess you’ll know that when we get there, huh? Ok, I’m just hanging up now, because this was all Angel’s idea to begin with, so bye." The phone disconnected and the message light on the machine started to flash.
 

Chapter Four- A Slayer’s Work is never done

Flame was dead. Well, not really dead, but they weren’t as busy as it usually was, so Alex spent most of her time talking to Spike and Billy who had taken it upon themselves to hold the bar up. Willow and Xander were having fun on the nearly empty dance floor, Alex would look over at them every once and a while. She was happy that Willow had gotten Xander to laugh. He had seemed so upset on the phone, but then he seemed fine when he was at the airport. Ok, one of them needs to tell me what’s going on. She thought as she poured Spike another shot of whiskey. And Spike better make a move soon or another guy is going to go after Willow. She was about to say something to the vampire in question when she was called down to the other end of the bar.

Alex got down to the other end of the bar and found another regular sitting there. “What can I get ya, Joe?” She asked the middle aged man sitting there.

“Just the usual, Alex.”

“Ok, be right back.” She went to get Joe his drink when she felt her ‘Slayer sense’ tingling. She looked up and made it seem casual as she looked of the vampire. Back in the right, next to the fire door. She thought as she quickly gave Joe his drink and started to the other end of the bar again. Then she felt the sensation again. Damn, what is this Vamp Night? She looked around again and this time spotted Angel by the front door. She kept walking towards Spike and Billy.

She leaned over to Spike, and spoke quickly. “Vamp by the fire door. Grab Peaches and meet me outside. He might have friends.” She looked at Billy and mouthed the word ‘Vamp’ to him and he moved to take her place behind the bar.

Out on the dance floor Willow was watching Xander. She leaned in to talk to him as they danced. “If you keep watching her she’s going to know that you like her.” She laughed at his stunned expression.

“How did you know?” He asked.

“I was watching. She likes you, too. So why are you dancing with me, when you should be dancing with her?”

“Cause she’s working, Will.” Xander said looking over at Alex as she moved to the other side of the bar.

“Ask her. Billy can look after the bar for a bit.” Willow said following his gaze. That’s when she noticed the way Alex was walking back to Spike and Billy. Something’s up. She thought as she continued to watch.

Alex moved quickly to where she spotted the vampire and saw him almost run out the fire door. She quicken her pace. As she stepped out the door she felt more vampires. As she looked around she saw five of them and they started to move around her in a circle. A female vampire that must have been turned in the eighties stood infront of her and spoke. “Well, What do we have here? Are you lost?”

Alex smiled at her. “Not really. Are you? Cause, ‘Like a Virgin’ wear went out with Tab soda.”

“You, Bitch!” She yelled at Alex before she lunged at her. Alex sidestepped and brought her knee up and hit her in the stomach with it. As the vampire was doubled over Alex quickly pulled her stake out of her back pocket and slammed it home. As she turned to dust, Alex looked at the
rest of them. “Next batter?”

A male vampire, that looked like he used to play American Football, spoke up. “She was a moron. Why don’t you and I have some fun, Little Girl?”

Alex looked at him, and gave him a pout as she spoke in a little girl voice. “Please, Don’t hurt me Mister Vampire. Cause you might make my Sire a bit mad.” Then she let her vampire face come forward. “Oh, and by the way, I’m NOT a Little Girl.” She said as she punched him across the face.

He was taken back by her change that was when she punched him he fell back against one of the wooden boxes by the dumpster, and exploded into dust.

A few minutes after Alex left and then Spike went to the front door and herded Angel back out of the club, Willow started to worry. Xander was standing next to Wesley and Gunn talking about some kind of demon that the L.A. Crew had just gotten rid of, and she found her chance to talk to Billy. Cordy had just come over to her as Billy moved to talk to her. “Hey, How’s the fight for the innocent going?” Willow asked, after she gave Cordy a hug.

“It’s going fine. It’d be a hell of a lot better If I wasn’t getting that major pain from the PTBs every times there’s a big trouble a brewin’. So how are you?” That’s when Cordy saw Billy standing there. “Hi. I’m Cordelia. And you are?” She held out her hand as she spoke and Willow had to stop herself from laughing.

“I’m good, Cordy. And this is Billy. Billy’s Alex ‘s Big Brother, though non related.” Willow smiled. She turned towards Billy as she lowered her voice. “Where’s Alex?” Billy mouthed the word ‘vamp’ to her as he pour her and Cordy a drink. Willow nodded as she turned back to talk to Cordy.

Alex was about to turn to face another vamp when one grabbed her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her and pinned her arms to her side. She quickly reacted throwing her head back and hitting him in the face. He was surprised and dropped her arms. She spun and kicked him in the stomach and he flew across the ally and hit the side of the next building. That’s when she heard the sounds of another fight at the other end of the alley.

She looked down quickly and saw Spike and Angel working on the other two vampires. She looked back at the one she was fighting and grinned evilly still in her ‘Grr. Face’ as Willow calls it.

The vampire looked up at her surprised. “Who are you?”

Alex couldn’t help herself, the way the vampire said it, it sounding just like the bad guy in the first Batman movie asking Batman who he was, so she decided to have a bit of fun. “I’m Batgirl. What’s the matter don’t recognize me?”

The vamp must have made a decision that no one made fun of him, cause he charged her aiming for her stomach and slammed her into the wall. Alex slid down the wall as he let go. He stood over her. “You asshole!” She yelled at him as she quickly lifted her leg at he had made the mistake of standing over. He doubled over in pain as she hit her mark. Angel and Spike, who had both dusted their vampires, even cringed at the site of the other vampire getting hit in his groin. She stood and pulled his head back by his hair. “Next time, Watch who you ram into brick walls. Oh, who am I kidding? You lost your next time.” With that she brought her stake down and hit him in the chest with it.

When he exploded into dust she smiled and turned to face Spike and Angel, her face shifted back to normal before she spoke. “Aren’t you early, Peaches?”

“What can I say? I missed my favorite Slayer.” Angel said as he hugged Alex.

“Oh, watch the back. I think the asshole bruised a rib.” She hugged him back as he loosened his grip. “And don’t let Buffy or Faith hear that, they might get mad.”

At the mention of the other Slayers, Spike spoke up. “Hey, Peaches. We have something we have to tell you.”

Alex quickly looked at him and mouthed ‘Not Now.’ as she shot him a death glare. “Why don’t you come inside, Angel and introduce me to Cordy, Wesley and Gunn? Oh, Xander’s here, so it should be fun. Don’t you think? Dead Boy?”

“What was Spike going to say?” Angel asked as they walked back to the front of the club. “And I get enough of that Dead Boy crap from Xander I don’t need it from you.”

Alex smiled sweetly at Angel. “Oh, nothing, just that Xander was here. Oh, and that He STILL,” Alex said stressing the word still. “hasn’t told Willow how he feels, but other then that everything is fine, Peaches.”

“Wait, a bloody minute!” Spike yelled from where he was behind them. Alex turned and looked at him.

“Yes?” She asked sweetly.

“Is that why you took my duster?”

Alex pretended like she was thinking about it, before she spoke. “Um, yeah. Don’t worry. I put the picture back right where you had it.” She smiled at him as she and Angel left him standing stunned on the sidewalk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Diary,

Well, Angel’s crew is here. Xander knows Alex is a Slayer. She told him. He said he actually figured it out. ‘Cause how else would she be able to put up with Dead Boy and Junior’ as he put it. I thought we were going to have to get out the smelling salts for Alex, she looked like she was going to faint.

They seem to be getting closer too. Although, it’s only been one night, Xander and Alex seemed to become like glue. We came home from the club, they stayed up all night talking. I came down the stairs this morning and found them both asleep on the couch. They looked so cute. Alex had her head on his shoulder and one arm around his waist and Xander had his head resting on top of hers and his arm was over her shoulder. I’m in the kitchen now and they’re still sleeping like that. I hope Spike doesn’t wake up and do something to spoil the picture perfect scene. Which I got a picture of, by the way. I’m thinking of blowing it up and adding it to Alex’s pictures in the parlor.

Speaking of those pictures. Cordy cried a bit when she saw Doyle’s picture. I think she actually loved him a bit. She’s changed so much. She’s still got a bit of Queen C in her but she’s showing more of her true self. I was shocked when I saw her with her short hair, but it looks so good on her. We have plans to go Christmas shopping later with Gunn and Wesley.

Gunn is so funny. He hasn’t stopped laughing at most of the things here. Like, when Alex slipped into her British accent, He turned to Wesley and asked him if Alex was his long lost sister.

Wesley said that he wished she was. Then he got a sad look on his face. I get the feeling that if Wesley went to visit his parents it would only be for a few hours, and then he would be back with us. He’s changed so much. He’s still a bit stuffy, but he’s also loosened up a lot. He seems like he’s more comfortable in his skin, kinda like, the guy he was before wasn’t the real Wesley, and now he finally found him.

I noticed that all of us are finally finding out who we all are. I found the real Willow. Had to go to London to do that but I found her. Xander’s finally found his home, as he told me last night. Spike’s happy and hasn’t complained too much about his chip. Cordy finally found out that she’s more then her fashion sense. Wesley found out that he’s more then a Watcher. And Gunn found that this are weird all over not just in the state of California.

I’m missing someone. Oh, Angel. How cold I forget Mr. Scare-the-shit-out-me-by-laughing? Yeah, he did. He laughed and he’s smiling more. I swear if I didn’t know better I would say that Angelus was back. But I know better. And I’m so happy that he’s finally happy. I just hope it lasts when Buffy gets here. The LA crew knows, well, except for Angel. We all didn’t want to make him brood. He’s on vacation after all.

Well, I have to go. I hear someone walking around upstairs, have to go tell them to be quiet.

More later,

~Willow

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow walked out of the kitchen to find Angel standing behind the couch looking shocked by Alex and Xander sleeping there. “Angel, don’t freak.” Willow whispered as she saw his face.

Angel looked over at Willow, and whispered harshly back. “Don’t freak? That’s my little sister he’s groping.”

Willow let out a sigh. “Angel, he’s not groping her, they’re sleeping and it’s cute.”

“CUTE!!! It is not cute!” He yelled.

Alex woke up hearing Angel yelling behind her. She looked up and found Xander awake and looking confused at her. She slowly sat up placing her head in her hands, as she spoke to Angel.

“What’s the matter, Angel?” She asked as she turned toward him yawning a bit.

“He was groping you.” He yelled pointing at Xander.

Xander jumped up at the accusation. “I was not groping her. I had my arm around her. There is a big difference, Dead Boy. One that I thought you’re two hundred and forty plus mind would be able to wrap itself around. Well, they say the first thing that goes is your mind.” Xander fired
back with the same tone of voice.

Alex stood up and looked at both of them. “That’s it!! Stop the yelling now. This is my house, and you both have succeeded in giving me a head ache and I’ve only been awake for two minutes! I give up. I’m going up stairs to lay down and I swear if you two don’t stop yelling I’ll throw you both out in to the nice cold sunlight. Got it?” She asked as she looked between the two. When they nodded she walked around the couch and smiled at Willow. “Morning, Willow.” She said and then she walked up the stairs.

Willow looked at the two and slipped into her resolve face before she spoke. “No more fighting. I don’t care what it is about. This is Alex’s first real family Christmas since she was four and I don’t want anything to go wrong or anything to upset her. Now, You...” She turned to Angel.

“Go get your blood and think about how to make it up to Alex.” She pointed toward the kitchen. When Angel started to move she turned to Xander. “Xander, please try not to get into a fight with Angel. I know he started it, and I’ll talk to him, but just try ok? We’re going to have enough to deal with when the rest get here.”

Xander nodded. “I’m going to run upstairs and get changed. I’m going to run to the video store and pick up a few movies to get us all in the holiday spirit.”

Willow smiled at Xander. “That’s a really good idea.”

Upstairs, Alex moved to go into her room, but realized that wasn’t what she needed. She needed advice and she was sort of mad and the person she would usually go to so she moved quietly to the room next hers down the hall. She opened the door and slipped into the inky darkness. It took her eyes a second to adjust to the darkness, as soon as they did she moved to the bed with the silent figure under the covers.

She knew he was awake and that he was faking being asleep. She lifted the quilt and slid next to him. She looked up to his immobile face and smirked as she moved her hand into a fist and knocked on his forehead. “Wakey, Wakey, Spikey.” She said in a childish voice.

“What’s the matter, Blue?” Spike spoke opening one eye.

“Peaches, gave me a head ache and I needed my life size teddy bear.” She said as she hugged him.

“What was Peaches yelling about anyway?” He asked as he hugged her back. He started petting her hair as he remembered how they used to lay like this for hours when she was younger. Even before they were together, him and Alex used to lay next to each other and just talk or not talk
for hours. They used to draw strength from just being next to each other. He remembered the first time she crawled into his bed. She was only five years old and it was a few days after he came back after her mother died. He told her about he mother when she younger, and she fell asleep in his arms. That was the night he promised himself that he would always protect her. That night he found the first human that he would give his life for just to let her live.

“Me and Xander stayed up last night talking and I told him about my mom and Michael. Well, I started crying and he held me. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I know Angel’s yelling about him groping me.” She said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Spike chuckled a bit imagining Angel’s face. “Blue, I probably would have done the same thing. We both don’t want anything to happen to you. You mean to much to us to lose you. I think you are the only thing me and Peaches can agree on, that alone is monumental.”

“Yeah, I know, but couldn’t he have just handled it quietly? My head hurts.” She said moving her hand to gently rub her temple.

“Aww, poor baby.” He said as he moved her hand replacing it with his own. As he rubbed her temple, he spoke again. “Get some rest. Remember you’re babysitting the twins for Maggie’s mom today, so she can go Christmas shopping.”

“Yeah, and you and Peaches have to help me put up the lights on the house and go get a tree tonight.” She said as she slipped back to sleep.
 

Chapter Five- Babysitting Vampires and OH, SHIT! Incoming!

Alex woke up an hour later in the bed alone. She looked over at Spike’s clock and quickly ran to the bathroom to get a quick shower before the twins showed up. Which would be in five minutes.

The twins were Maggie’s five year old little sisters, Rylie and Poppy. Ale had promised to watch the adorable little red heads, so that their mother could go Christmas shopping and not have to worry about them causing trouble. Both little girls saw Alex as their other ‘Big Sissy’, being that they were one when she first meet Mags.

Spike, Jr. always hides when they come over, ever since the ‘horsey incident’, as Maggie had named it. Alex was in the kitchen making lunch when it happened, but the girls both told her that they wanted to play horsey and that Spike was said horsey, but Spike didn’t want to play and ran away after Poppy climbed onto his back.

It took Alex an hour to find her dog after that. She ended up getting a phone call from Billy. Spike had ran all the way to Billy’s house and anytime Billy mentioned taking him home, he started howling. It took Alex another half hour to get Spike to go home with her.

Hoping to avoid another ‘Horsey Incident’, Alex had asked Billy to come and pick up Spike for the day. Someone should have woke me when he got here. She thought as she quickly threw on her fade blue jeans and one of Spike’s button down shirts, she snagged from him last week.

As she walked down the stairs, she heard knocking at the front door. "I’ll get it!" She yelled as she got closer to it. Alex opened the door to find Maggie smiling at her and was hit by two small bundles of energy. "BIG SISSY!!!!" Chorused the small girls. Alex looked down and hugged them back.. "Hey, girls."

"Well, I see you in three hours. Mom told me to tell you ‘Thank You’ and that you have to come over on Christmas day. And to bring everyone. I’ll tell her you’ll come over around seven so the sun problem won’t be an issue for Angel and Spike." Maggie said as she quickly hugged Alex and walked back to the car where her mom was waiting.

Alex waved as the car pulled away, then she closed the door and turned to the girls who had sat on the couch. "Are you girls hungry?"

"Nope, Momma gave us grilled cheese for we left." Poppy said as she tilted her head over the back of the couch to look at Alex.

Rylie turned around so she was kneeling on the couch and leaning over the back. "Can we watch Sailor Moon? Pawwwwweeeeeezzzzzee?" She begged.

Alex smiled as she walked over to the video cabinet. "Sure. You can. Do you wanna watch it from the beginning?" She asked and was answered with a double ‘Yes’, so she pt in the first tape, for the girls to watch as she went to find out if anyone was in the quiet house.

Alex walked into the kitchen and was surprised to find Angel and Spike sitting at the table playing chess. "Ok, that is scary. Where did everyone go?" She asked as she moved to the coffee pot to pour herself of the warm ‘life line’, as she calls it.

Angel answered not looking up from the game. "Wesley took Cordy and Gunn sight seeing."

"And Red and Shaggy went to get more food and other supplies." Spike finished, using Alex’s new nickname for Xander and also, not looking up from the board.

"Ok, How come no one woke me up when Billy got here?" She asked as she sipped her coffee, while watching the two ponder their next moves.

Spike actually looked at her as he answered. "I figured you needed the rest, and Peaches felt bad about giving you the head ache in the first place."

Angel looked up at her. "I’m sorry, Lexia. I was just shocked to find you both that way."

Alex nodded. "Accepted." She said as she moved over to the table. She reached down and moved one of the black pieces. "Checkmate. Come on and meet the girls." She said as she walked out of the kitchen.

Angel and Spike both stared at the board. Then Angel spoke up. "Maybe you should have had her plan your campaigns back in Sunnydale. They would have actually worked out." He moved to the living room to find Alex sitting in one of the chairs and two little red heads sitting on the couch. They were identical except for the color of their sweat shirts. One was wearing a forest green one and the other was wearing a black one, with a white cat with big brown eyes, on the front of it.

Alex looked up at him and smiled. "The one in green in Poppy, and the one in black is Rylie. Girls, this is..." She was cut off by Rylie who jumped up and ran to Angel. "Prince Darian!!"
 

As Spike came around the other side of Angel, It was Poppy’s turn to yell. "It’s Malaicite!"

Alex couldn’t help laughing at the stunned expressions on the two vampire’s faces, and even more what the two little girls called them. "Actually, girls, This is Angel." Pointing at the dark haired vampire. "And Will." As she pointed at Spike.

"Oh." Rylie said sounding disappointed.

"That’s o’tay. They can still watch with us, right, Lexy?" Poppy asked as she moved to stand by Spike.

"Sure, If they want to." Alex said as she waited for what she knew would come from the two girls. As if on cue, both girls looked up the vampire they were next to and gave them the ‘puppy pout’.

Both guys knew at once that they were tightly wrapped around these little girls’s fingers. Spike was having flash backs to the first time he meet Alex, as he looked down into Poppy’s bright blue eyes. And Angel was remembering Spike’s picture of Alex at five, as he looked down at Rylie’s mischievous blue eyes. "Alright." They said in unison as the two girls grabbed their hands and pulled them over to the couch.

The phone started ringing as Poppy and Rylie started filling Angel and Spike in on Sailor Moon. Alex got up to answer. "Hello."

"Alex?" Asked a female voice on the other end.

"Yep, that’s me."

"Oh, good. I was hoping to get you and not Willow. It’s Buffy. I’m calling from the airport. We’re here and waiting for our luggage, and then we’re heading to the hotel. I want to surprise Willow , so I’m calling to find out what time would be ok, for us to come over? Giles’s says he can find your house, so directions won’t be a problem. So what time?" Buffy asked, as Alex felt like she was drowning. She looked over at the couch and found Spike watching her. She mouthed the word ‘Buffy’ to him, thankful that Angel was looking at the tv and didn’t see how white her face must have been for Spike to look that worried.

"How does seven sound?" Alex asked taken back that her voice sounded even. "You can come over for dinner."

"Ok, that sounds great. We’ll see you at seven. And remember Alex, It’s a surprise." Buffy said as she hung up the phone. Alex repeated the action on her end and took a deep breath to calm herself for the acting job she was going to have to pull off on Angel.

She walked back over and looked at the tv as she spoke. "That was Lara. She’s coming at seven for dinner. I’m going to run to the store and see if I can find Willow and Xander. Can you guys do me a favor and watch the girls for a bit for me?"

"Sure, Blue. Willow took your car so your going to have to take the bike." Spike said quickly.

"Oh, ok. Do either of you need anything?" She asked casually looking between the two.

"No, thanks, Lexia." Angel said as he smiled up at her. She smiled back and turned to quickly run up the stairs to put her sneakers on, grab her cell phone and get her jacket.

She was on the road in five minutes and quickly hit the com unit that Bryce had installed in her helmet. "Bryce here. What’s up, Alex?" Came the heavy accented voice.

"Bryce, please, put Lara on asap." Alex asked as she quickly navigated the roads to the store that Willow loved for her food needs.

Within a few moments, Lara’s voice came over the ear piece. "Alex, what’s wrong?"

"I need my big sis. I’m in crisis mode, major. I just got a call from Buffy. They’re here. Which I could handle, but Angel’s crew came in last night. I haven’t been able to break it to Angel that Buffy was coming, let alone tell him that she was here, and coming to dinner at seven. What am I going to do?"

"Alex, breathe. Where are you?"

"I’m on my way to tell Willow and Xander."

"Ok, honey. I’m going to tell you what Hilly’s telling me to tell you, ok?"

"Sure."

"Ok, first go and tell Willow and Xander. Then you’re going to go home and take Angel into the den, making sure you are both alone. Ok, here comes the hard part. You are going to sit him down and tell him." Lara said laughing a bit.

"Lara this isn’t funny. I know that’s what I have to do. I’m just asking for you to calm me the bloody hell, down before I have a panic attack on the streets of London." Alex said slipping into her accent as she concentrated on her driving. Of course, this only made Lara laugh more.

"Fine, Lara be that way. But you know what?"

"What?" Lara asked between breathes.

"All of us are going to show up on your door step on Christmas day." And with that Alex hit the power button on the link.

As she pulled into the store parking lot she found her car easily, and parked her motorcycle right next to it. She ran into the store and found Xander first. She pulled her helmet off and as she took deep breathes to calm herself.

"Alex? What’s wrong?" Xander asked worriedly.

"Buffy. House. Seven. Dinner." She answered between breaths.

"Buffy’s coming to the house at seven for dinner?" He asked. When she nodded, he continued. "Good girl, Lassie."

Alex glared at him as her breathing became normal again. "Not funny, Shaggy."

"Sorry, I couldn’t help it. It’s going to be fine." He said reassuringly putting his arm arond her shoulders as he walked her to where Willow was.

Alex shook her head. "Not until I tell Angel."

"He doesn’t know yet?"

"No, somehow, ‘Hey, Angel. The love of your life is coming for Christmas.’, just never came up in any conversation."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be hard to segway into while talking. Come on, Scooby. Let’s find Wills." He said as he moved behind her to walk her through the store.

Three hours they made it back home.

The twins were gone.

One vampire was passed out on the couch.

And the other one was M.I.A.

Alex found him, ten minutes later.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Diary,

OH, MY GODDESS!!! Today has gone from really ordinary to panic stricken to so funny I almost died laughing. Of corse this is after Angel screaming at Xander for ‘groping’ Alex. Remember, how they were sleeping so cutely? Yeah, well, Angel killed that.

Anyway, Wesley took Cordy and Gunn sight seeing, so I took Xander with me to get more food. Well, about a half hour after we got to the store. Alex came running in on the verge of freaking.

Buffy called. Seems Angel isn’t the only one that decided to make the trip early. And Alex still hadn’t had the chance to tell Angel that she was coming. Let alone me tell Buffy that Spike’s living with us. So by the time she tells me. I’m right behind her in the panic attack department. And we only had Xander to calm us down. His way worked better on Alex, I wouldn’t even let him try it on me. I mean, I love him and all, but I don’t want him to kiss me that way. Now, Spike. I really, really, wouldn’t mind, but not Xander. Oh, that’s right he kissed her. One of those kisses that starts as a peck on the lips, but grows into a hyperventilating, cause of lack of oxygen one. Yep, it was one of those kisses. Right there in the deli department. Now, do you see why I said, I really, really wouldn’t mind Spike kissing me like that? I think so.

Anyway, so after Xander and Alex’s breathing became normal again, Alex paged Wesley 911 from her cell phone. We finished up the shopping as we waited for them to call back.

And I have to put this in here, before I lock Alex and Xander in a closet somewhere. The whole time, neither of them would look at the other, let alone talk. Not a peep. To me they talked but not to each other. But they were sneaking looks at each other when the other wasn’t looking. I swear, If they aren’t talking by the time this vampire wakes up, I am going to lock them in a closet.

Oh, ok, now back to waiting for Wesley to call back. They finally called about a half hour later. So we told them what was happening, not mentioning any kissage. Well, we figured on a place to meet and to work out a plan of attack, for this crisis. By the time we were done it was another two hours. And that was also the point, in which, Alex remembered that she left Angel and Spike watching Poppy and Rylie.

So we hurry home and come in to find that the place was spotless, no kids, and Angel passed out on the couch. When Alex went to try and wake him up he mumbled something about not wanting to play ‘Horsey’ anymore. So she just shook her head and went to look for Spike, who at this point was ‘Missing In Action’ and feared ‘Wounded In Action’, by Alex.

She found him, ten minutes later, in the bathroom. She came back down stairs and grabbed my hand and nearly dragged me back up stairs. She didn’t say anything, so I was fearing the worst at this point. Anyway, we get to the second floor and she pushes me into the bathroom, and before I could ask her why I found I had no voice. Cause lying passed out in a tub full of blue water was Spike. Naked as the day he was born, With a bit of what I figured was blue paint on his chest, face, and hands. Did I say he was naked? Cause he was. And I’m very proud of myself. I didn’t blush or jump him. Instead, I walked back out of the bathroom and closed the door. As soon as I heard it click, Alex and I both fell to the floor laughing our asses off.

Another ten minutes later, Alex had gotten him clean and wearing a pair of boxers. That’s when I helped her drag him into his room. The most amazing thing is that he never woke up.

And now I’m here, on ‘Vampire Watch’, as Alex named it, waiting for the vampire that I love to wake up and find out what happened. Oh, I think he’s waking up.

More later.

~Willow

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow set her diary on the floor as she moved closer to Spike. She gently nudged his shoulder while calling his name. "Spike? Are you awake?"

"Red?" His sleepy voice asked not opening his eyes.

"Yeah, It’s me." Willow answered as she moved her head closer to hear what he was mumbling. She was watching his lips so intently to try and figure out what he was saying that she didn’t notice his hand moving. Until it rested on the back of her neck and pulled her face to his. Even more important, her lips to his.
 

Chapter Six - Kisses and Issues of the First Degree, with love from the PTBs

Dear Diary,

HE KISSED ME!!!!! Yes, Spike kissed me. Hello?? World is this mike on? I was kissed by William the Bloody, half the Scourge of Europe.

It was the best kiss of my life.

And now the bastard is asleep again.

I give up. I swear. He finally kisses me and then he falls back asleep.

I have to talk to Alex.

More later,

~Willow

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow walked back downstairs to find Angel up and talking to Wes, Gunn, Cordy and Xander. Alex was nowhere to be seen, but Willow heard the pounding music coming up from the basement door. "Is Alex downstairs?" She asked smiling to the group as if nothing was wrong.

"Yeah, she went down about thirty minutes ago and then the music started." Cordy said as she picked up her soda.

"Thanks." Willow replied as she ran to the door and down the steps. When she reached the last step, she stopped to watch Alex trying to relax.

Alex’s way to relax ever since she was called has simply to beat the ever loving shit out of a heavy bag. Willow recognized the music playing to be Korn, which was what Alex played most when she trained. Except for the few times she put Kid Rock or a few other bands. She surprised Spike one day when she wanted to train to the Ramones. I guess Spike forgot that Alex fell head long into punk rock by the time she was thirteen. She thought as she watched Alex move swiftly and filled with the deadly grace of her calling.

It was times like these that Willow noticed how much Alex seemed like a human weapon. Alex was wearing a A-back black tank top, that showed off her shoulders and arms. Willow could almost see the individual muscles shift with each maneuver that she sent toward the imaginary opponent. The same was for her thigh and calf muscles that could be seen at the edges of her shorts as she extended and retracted the kicks.

Willow couldn’t help but wonder if Buffy would one day end up looking like that. Buffy always looked like a normal teenage girl who seemed fragile, but Alex at times looks like she could take on a lion and survive. She had once asked Spike about Alex’s reaction to things, and he explained that Alex has the demon to deal with on top of everything else. That she, like him and Angel, has to fight the demon in her body and mind from taking control. He also confided in her that Alex had learned how to deal with her demon on her own, yes, Doyle did help her a bit, but the demon is in her body and she has to deal with it daily, not just on the few occasions that she let’s it out to play a bit during fights.

Alex sent a right snap kick that would have had a vampire’s head rolling on the ground. From which, she moved into a back flip and whipped a stake at the bag as she spun into a defensive crouch. The stake hit it mark on the bag and the bag started leaking it’s fillings on to the floor below. "Shit!"

Willow was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Alex’s voice. She looked up to see that Alex had turned and walked over to the cd player and shut it off. "Can you bring me the duck tape from over on the washer, Willow?" Alex asked not turning around.

Willow picked up the duck tape and brought it to Alex as she stood by the heavy bag. "Why was the duck tape on the washer?" She asked as she held the tape as Alex pulled the stake out of the bag.

"Goddess only knows. You know Will and his theory. If all else fails, duck tape it." Alex answered as she put another patch on the bag. The bag had a total of four last time Willow counted, and it was only a few months old.

"Think it would work on him?" Willow asked, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Alex raised an eyebrow as she looked over at Willow. "Now, what did he do?" She followed Willow over to the washer and dryer. Willow jumped up to sit on the washer as Alex moved to the dryer.

"Well, he woke up slightly, called my name, kissed me, and then fell back asleep." Willow said as she finally got situated.

Alex couldn’t help the bitter chuckle that escaped her throat. "I’m not sure which is worse. Will kissing you and falling back asleep or Xander kissing me and then acting like it never happened."

"Yeah, but Xander really likes you." Willow said trying to cheer Alex up.

"Yeah, and Will really likes you." Alex looked up at the clock. "Ok, here’s what we’re going to do. Buffy’s coming at seven, with Giles, Riley, and her mom, so I’m going to send Wes, Xander and Gunn to get the Christmas tree, go wake up Prince Valium, so him and Peaches can put up the lights, and then you, me and Cordy are going to get the rest of the decorations from the attic. Then when the rest get here, after dinner we’ll all decorate the tree, the living room and the parlor. How does that sound?"

Willow thought it over a bit. "Sounds great. Just you have to tell Angel about Buffy and when she gets here, I’ll have to tell her about Spike. So we need to also lock all of the weapons and wooden objects away."

"Oh, yeah. I kinda forgot about that stuff." Alex jumped down and started for the stairs. "I guess Xander’s kiss did something good."

"What was that?" Willow asked following her.

"Gave me amnesia." Alex answered dryly as they walked up the stairs.
 
 

As Willow and Alex walked into the living room, Willow noticed that Xander’s eyes immediately moved to Alex. She looked up and noticed that Cordy also caught the look, and both girls shared a secret smile. Which stopped suddenly as the former may queen grabbed her head in pain, at the same time Alex fell to her knees mirroring Cordy’s pain.

Willow noticed the signs of a vision and she quickly turned and ran to the kitchen to get the aspirin as Angel moved to Alex’s side, while Wes and Gunn moved to Cordy’s. Xander sat there confused as to what was happening, which deepened as Spike came running down the stairs. He didn’t stop moving until he was next to Alex’s slumped form.

Willow came back with two glasses of water and the bottle of pills. Xander looked up at her and she noticed his confusion and worry. "It’s a vision." She said simply as she handed Angel a glass and couple of pills and then moved to Cordy’s side and repeated the action. She set the bottle on the coffee table as Spike picked Alex up and set her on the couch as Wesley helped Cordy back into the chair she was sitting in.

Alex was the first to find her voice as Spike gently stroked the back of her head. "It’s a demon."

"Yeah, a real ugly bastard, too." Cordy added after she took a sip of water.

"It’s attacking people around Trader Vic’s." Alex said as she moved away from Spike and walked toward the library. She came back out a few moments later reading a very old looking book.

"Ok, we got a Nataric demon. They feed on people’s essences. They feed by the little mouth like orifices on the palms of their hands. Decapitation and incineration are the only way they can be killed." When she finished reading she looked up at the group, which seemed to be waiting for instructions. "Alright, here’s the game plan. Angel and I will go after the demon." When she noticed that most of them were going to protest she held up her hand. "There’s too much that needs to get done by seven." She looked pointedly at everyone except Angel. "Wes, can you and Gunn go and get a Christmas tree?" As Wes and Gunn nodded, she continued. "Willow, Xander will have to help you and Cordy get the decorations from the attic. The boxes are marked so you’ll find them easily." She looked down at Spike sitting on the couch in his boxers. "Will, go pick up the lights for the outside of the house and Angel can help you when we get back. Oh, and get dressed. You might scare someone at the store." She laughed a bit when he looked down and instantly jumped over the back of the couch and headed back upstairs.

Alex turned and walked back into the library and set the book on the desk so she could add the demon later to her database. Angel followed her in and moved to the secret cabinet behind one of the book selves. The self opened like a door reviling an inner lining of weapons, everything from axes to wooden stakes to small throwing knives, and almost everything possible in between. Angel grabbed a Scottish broad sword for himself and a Japanese katana for Alex, and the scabbards for both of them. "You ready?" Angel asked as he handed her the sword.

"Almost, I have to run up and throw on a pair of pants and grab my jacket. I’ll be right back." Alex said as she moved out the door again.

She swiftly ran up the stairs and into her room. After she had her jeans back on and tied her sneakers, again, she grabbed her overused black leather jacket and was back out the door. When she turned to head back to the stairs, she found Spike stationed in front of her. "What is it, Will?" She asked a bit hurriedly.

Spike didn’t say anything for a few moments, then he pulled her into a tight hug. "Be careful. Don’t let anything distract you. We’ll take care of everything here." He spoke into her hair, then he gave her a quick kiss on the crown of her head, and let go.

She looked at him and smiled. "I promise. Besides, Do you really think Peaches is going to let anything happen to me?"

"He better not, or I’ll show him to take better care of my childe next time." Spike said smirking at the thought. She lightly punched him in the stomach as she ran down the stairs. "Be have yourself, Will, or you’ll deal with me." She called as she moved.
 
 

A half hour after Alex and Angel left to fight the demon, and Wesley and Gunn left to find Alex a perfect Christmas tree, and Spike left to buy the lights for the outside of the house, Willow, Xander and Cordy found themselves in the large space the was the attic. They had already located the boxes and moved them over next to the stairs, so now they were looking through a group of trunks that had caught their eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Diary,

You’ll never believe what Cordy, Xander and I found in the attic. We found three trunks and each one of them told us something of Alex’s past that we know she would love to know.

First, there is the trunk that Cordy found. Aldrianna’s trunk. Inside we found a detailed family tree that just went to prove that Alex is related to Angel. We decided to give it to Angel as a Christmas present, so that he will know that no matter what he has family and he’s not as alone as he usually thinks he is, and neither is Alex.

Second, in the trunk that Xander found, we found Michael’s private writings. But the most important was an old picture of Alex’s mom, Michael and a young man, who we all know and love as Giles. Yep, that’s right, the three of them were friends back in Giles’s Ripper Days. In the journal, we found mention of Giles being Alex’s father.

Then, I was looking in the most important trunk of them all, Adrianna’s. Inside, I found her Book Of Shadows. As I read the back pages, I found out that when Alex was born, Adrianna had a vision of her life. She even mentioned about Alex’s father, and left a letter for him before she died. Her letter to Alex was tucked in the back of the book. I read it and found myself crying for Alex’s loss. Her mother wrote the letter the night before she died, that means that she knew she was going to die. She saw her own death, but knew that it was part of making Alex who she is today, and needed to happen.

I don’t think I can honestly say that I would have the strength to do that myself.

I have to go, I hear Spike. That means he’s back.

Gunn and Wesley came back a little while ago, and are setting the tree up.

Alex and Angel aren’t back yet, but I promised myself I wouldn’t worry, yet.

Later,

Willow

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow moved to the window in her room and opened it. As she looked outside she heard the cursing first, and saw Spike standing on the roof of the porch second. "What’s the matter? A few little lights get the best of the Big Bad?" She called as she crawled out of the window and sat down on the roof.

Spike turned and glared at her. "Don’t start with me, Red." He was about to say more, but stopped as a car pulled up in front of the house, behind Alex’s car.

Willow stood up and looked through the darkness as the occupants of the car started to get out. She realized it was Buffy, when she heard Spike mutter, "Here’s Slutty."

Giles stepped around the car and looked up at the house. "Buffy, are you sure this is the right place?" He asked as he looked over the house he hadn’t seen in years.

"Yeah, this is the address that Willow gave me." Buffy said as she looked up and noticed Spike standing on the porch roof. "And look it’s complete with it’s own Spike statue. But I thought, it was Christmas, not Halloween." She said snidely, before she realized what she said. "Wait, What the hell are you doing here, Spike?"

"I, bloody well, live here, Fluffy." Spike said as he glared at her. Then he turned to Joyce. "It’s always a pleasure, Joyce. But, next time, please leave her home."

"Spike. Buffy. Be have. We’re guest here." Joyce said as she started up the walk way.

Willow spoke up as Joyce walked in to the light of the porch. "Hi, Joyce!" She said cheerfully. She looked to where she could make out the dark figures of the others. "Hi, Giles. Hi, Buffy! Hi, Riley."
 

Chapter Seven - Family Ties

Dear Diary,

Well, It’s now going on two hours since Alex and Angel went after that demon. Spike’s still on the roof, and says he won’t come in until the lights are all up or Alex is back. He also had a few choice words about Angel, but I’m not going to repeat them, ever. Joyce’s hot coco didn’t even draw him in. I’ve seen him act like this before, but it was only briefly. So I know he’s worried, and upset that he can’t do anything to help.

On the other side of things. Buffy took a half hour to calm down, after she found out that Spike lives here, and when she saw Wes and Cordy, that Angel was here, too. It got even worse when she saw the wall of pictures. She mad that Angel never told her about Alex, but I think I got her to understand that it wasn’t his place to tell. Now, I think she mostly wants to spar so I sent her and Riley down to the basement.

Giles is another one that’s acting weird. When he was outside he kept looking at the house with an odd expression on his face. When he came in he didn’t say anything to Wesley or the others, he just went right for the parlor and the wall of pictures. He’s been in there staring at the pictures ever since. I think he knows, or at least realizes that Alex might be his daughter. He’s just not sure how to process that information.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow dropped her diary, when she heard the yelling coming from outside her window. When she got to her window and looked out, she noticed that Spike was no longer there. "Oh, Shit!" She said as she quickly ran out of her room and down the stairs. When she opened the front door she fond him laying on the walkway. "Spike!" She yelled as she ran out to see if he was hurt.

She kneeled down next to him and found him looking up at her. "Spike, what happened?" She asked softly as she helped him to stand.

"I got a really bad pain in my back and I fell off the bloody roof." He said as she helped him inside. He looked over and saw Willow looking concerned for him. "Red. It’s not me. It’s Alex. She’s hurt."

Willow nodded as she realized what he was saying. "Well, we can’t do anything until she’s back. And Angel’s with her, he won’t let anything else happen to her." Willow said as she lead him into the kitchen. Please, Don’t let anything more happen to her.

As they passed the parlor Giles heard part of their whispered conversation, and followed them into the kitchen. "Something happened to Alex?" He asked softly.

Joyce stood in the doorway trying to figure out what happened. She moved over to the refrigerator as Willow lead Spike to the table. "Alex got hurt and Spike felt it." Willow said as she left Spike and moved toward Joyce and helped her pull out the stuff for the hot coco.

Giles moved farther into the kitchen and sat across from Spike at the table. "How did you..." He started and then his mind put the pieces together. "You’re her Sire." He said stating a fact not a question.

Willow handed Spike his blood as she started to explain. "Spike’s sort of her Sire. Alex explained it to me a while ago. Slayers can’t be turned. Their from the same blood line as Vampires, so you can’t turn something that already is."

"That explains the predatory nature of the Slayer. It’s the same as a Vampire, but with a different prey." Came Wesley’s voice from the doorway. "That also explains the reason there were never any mention of a Slayer being turned, only killed."

"So Alexandria was a Slayer, like Buffy?" Joyce asked from where she was poring the coco into mugs.

Willow nodded. "Yep. Alex was the Slayer a few years before Buffy, and like Buffy she still fights." She looked over at Spike who hadn’t said a word since they had gotten to the kitchen. He was sitting there looking into his mug, and even thought his head was down Willow could see his worried expression on his face. The feelings in his face matched the ones that were fluttering through her.

"But if she’s a Slayer and others were called that means that she died, and..." Wesley trailed off on his verbal connecting of the pieces as he realized what he thought had happened. No one else got to act on their reactions, because as soon as Wesley trailed off, Giles reacted.

Giles had Spike knocked back onto the floor and was sitting on his chest with his hands wrapped around his neck. "You fuckin’ bloody bastard!" Giles said though clinched teeth. "You killed my daughter!" Giles’s hands brought Spike’s head up and then back into the kitchen floor. He was about to do it again, but Willow stopped him.

"Giles! NO. It wasn’t him." She cried as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

Giles stopped with Spike’s head ready for another dive to the floor. "Then who?" Willow saw the look on his face and knew it wasn’t totally their Giles that was reacting, It was mostly Ripper. She knew she had to handle this carefully, so she kneeled down next to them and gently started to pry Giles’s fingers off of Spike’s neck. "It was Dru. Spike saved Alex, she would have died if he didn’t try to turn her."

After a few moments, Giles fully released Spike’s neck and his head fell to the floor slowly this time. But Spike didn’t move. He just stared up at the ceiling for a few more moments before he spoke. And when he did speak it was low and even, a voice that Willow knew meant he was hiding his feelings on the matter. "Dru killed Adrianna. I found out years later and left her, and ended up on Alexandria and Michael’s door step. I took Alex out to dinner for her birthday the night Michael was killed. I knew Dru did it, she left one of her dolls on the porch. A year later, Alex was patrolling and she ran into Dru. Dru had another Birthday present for her. The head of her best friend Toby, and telling her that I knew, and that I was doing all to protect my Princess." He spit out that last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, and then he continued as if nothing happened. "Alex was upset and came home to ask me if I knew. I told her the truth, and she punched me and left before I could stop her. She went hunting for Dru, but Dru found her first. Alex had given up, she wanted to die. Yet, she survived the hours of physical and mental tortures that Dru put her through, until Dru gave up and left her for dead. I finally found her a little bit after Dru left. I gave Alex my blood, and I brought her home. The next night I woke up to find her gone. I left and found Dru. I was mad at them both, but mostly at Alex. She broke a promise to me. And you all know the rest."

Everyone had ended up in the kitchen, before Spike started talking. Giles had gotten off of him and was sitting on the floor looking horrified and heartbroken at what his daughter had to go through. Joyce was alternating looks from Spike to her own daughter in the doorway of the kitchen. Buffy had tears in her eyes almost reliving what Alex went through as a Slayer and what she, herself, went through with Angel and Angelus. Riley had a comforting hand on Buffy’s shoulder, but looked just like Wesley, their shock showing on their faces. Xander was leaning against the wall, outside of the door, with tears in his eyes for his friend, that he had come to care about almost more then anything. Cordy stood next to him giving him silent comfort, as she remembered Doyle and later, Angel telling her a bit about Alex’s past. Gunn stood across from Cordy and Xander just looking up at the pictures on the wall, his gaze lingered on the young woman with the bright smile that didn’t seem to have a care in the world, but who actually had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

No one made a sound, except for Willow. Who was quietly crying for her sister like friend and the vampire that she had come to know as one of her best friends. She hadn’t moved from her spot on the floor, except that she had taken hold of Spike’s hand when he first mentioned Dru.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Diary,

Spike told them. He told them all, everything. Alex told me herself everything before, but Spike telling it, made it different. Maybe it’s because it was coming from a former cold blooded killer, I don’t know. I think for me it was because for the first time I really saw how it affected him. He went all stony. I know he wouldn’t have been able to tell them if he didn’t, and Alex’s house would have paid the price.

Alex and Angel still aren’t back yet.

Spike and I have been sitting in Alex’s room since I was able to get him to move again. He’s curled up on her bed holding her pillow, but he hasn’t said a word. I’m sitting next to him, trying to be supportive, but I have no idea what I should say. Xander came up a little while ago. He sitting in her window seat just looking into the darkness.

It’s like part of us is missing and we won’t be whole until its back. I realized just how close the four of us have become in a short time. We’re a family on our own.

Amy told me once that I was kinda the glue that held the Scooby Gang together, Alex is our glue. She’s the one that reached out to me when I first came here. She the one that’s always been Spike’s touch stone. Even though, he didn’t see her, he knew she was still out there. She’s the one besides me that believed in Xander no matter what. I know, by his reaction now, that Alex was the reason it didn’t work out with Anya. He fell in love with her before they even met in person.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow stopped writing as Spike sat up on the bed. "Spike?" She asked softly as she raised a hand and set it on his shoulder.

"Blue." He replied as she moved quickly out of the room. Xander and Willow were right behind him as he went down the stairs and out the front door. But they stopped short at the sight before them. Angel was walking up the sidewalk with Alex’s limp body in his arms. Spike moved quickly to him and pulled her into his arms, and headed back into the house.

Xander followed Spike as Willow took in Angel’s appearance as he reached the porch light. "Oh, Goddess." She gasped softly as she saw the blood on his shirt and the rip on his shoulder.

When he got up to the porch she helped him inside and up the stairs to the bathroom. She grabbed the extra first aid kit and started to clean his wound after he took off his jacket. "What happened?" She asked softly as he flinched from the alcohol connecting to his wound.

"There was another demon. I didn’t see it. Alex knocked me out of the way and attacked it. As I was getting up the first one attacked me, so I was fighting that one. Neither of us saw the third. Until I heard her cry out in pain. I had just finished killing mine and turned in time to see the third throw Alex into a near by building. I quickly took the last ones head and went over to her. There was so much blood." Angel said softly. Willow knew that he was blaming himself for Alex getting hurt. She had seen him do it before with Buffy.

"Shh." She said as she finished bandaging him up. "I’m sure she’s going to be fine." She threw the bloody clothes into the sink and picked the first aid kit up again. "Why don’t you go downstairs and let everyone know what happened. I’ll go help fix Alex up. I’ll be down soon." She said as she quickly moved back to Alex’s room.

Spike was looking at the deep gash on the left side of Alex’s head, as Xander was gently cleaning the three long, deep claw marks on her back.. They had placed her on her stomach with her head to the left side to make it easier to bandage her up, and for her to be more comfortable. They had to take off her tank top to get to the wound on her back, along with her black leather jacket that was hanging on the back of her chair. From the doorway Willow could clearly see where the claws went through the material, neat and clean like a knife going through butter.

Willow turned her attention back to Alex and Spike as she kneeled down on the floor next to him. "How is she?" She asked softly.

Spike turned and looked at her sadly, but she noticed a slight glimmer in his eyes. A glimmer of relief. "She’ll be fine. Her cuts will heal within a day. I’m just worried on how hard she hit the building." He said softly back to her.

Willow nodded and handed him the other first aid kit. "I’ll go tell the others." Spike nodded as she got up and watched her as she walked out the door, then he turned back to dressing Alex’s head wound.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Diary,

Alex and Angel are back. Angel was only slightly banged up, and Alex was knocked out along with some nasty gashes. We’re waiting for her to wake up. Xander and I have taken up watch duty. Spike has gone to tell Billy that Alex was hurt. He decided to go after his rather rough altercation with Angel. Giles has been standing in the doorway since I told them what happened.

More later,

Willow

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Xander’s voice. She looked over and saw him talking to Alex, while holding her hand and brushing the hair from her face. At first she thought Alex had woken up, but as she listened she realized she didn’t. Xander was pouring his heart out to her and pleading with her to wake up. "Please, wake up, Ally. I need you. I came half way around the world to find my life and I need you there. You’re the thing I never knew I wanted, but always knew I needed. Please, come back, baby. I love you."

He said the last part so soft that Willow thought she miss heard him, but she looked up and found Giles looking at her with the same questioning look. He nodded, as if he knew her question.

Any farther words, were cut off by the soft moan from Alex’s mouth, and the almost gravely word that followed. "Will..." She coughed slightly.

Willow saw Xander’s face drop at the name, but she turned her attention back to Alex cause she wasn’t finished.

"Will... you stop being over dramatic, Shaggy. I’m good." She said clearer and opened her eyes to look at Xander with a slight smile on her face.

Interlude

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