Destiny

By PSUBrat

Resouled

William hesitantly knocked on the crypt door. He didn't know why he was knocking since this was his home yet. But on the other hand, it didn't feel like his home. His home was a nice comfy apartment, in a nice neighborhood far away from a cemetery. It had only been a few months since he had become human again but he was amazed at how quickly he had adapted to being one. He no longer had the desire for his former demon trappings. Including his duster. The Bit had told him that she and Buffy had kept it for when he returned and asked if he wanted it back. He hadn't thought about it but told her he'd let her know. She had eyed him questioningly and then shrugged as if to say, "suit yourself." He just didn't want to explain to her why he didn't really want it back. Returning his thoughts to the present, he waited a few more moments and then knocked again, this time more firmly. Finally he heard the door creak. One eye peered uneasily out from the crack.

"No one here but us dead people," Clem said in a false high pitch.

"Open the door Clem," William stated moving into Clem's line of vision.

At the sight of the human in front of him, Clem panicked and closed the door. He didn't know who the man was or why he wanted to come into Spike's crypt. He promised his friend he wouldn't let anyone in and that meant human and demons alike. And that's what he was sticking to.

"Clem, you stupid git," William shouted as he pounded on the door once again, "Open the bleedin' door!"

"Spike," Clem asked cautiously, "Is that you?" It sounded like his friend but it did not look like his friend. He wasn't going to be fooled.

"It's me," William growled in frustration. "Now open the bloody door or I'm gonna knock it down and string you up by your…"

With that outburst, Clem opened the door and threw his arms around his friend. "Spike! It's about time you got back man. I've been worried sick about you. Where have you been?"

***

"Don't drop your shoulder so much Dawn," Buffy chastised her sister as the two took a break from their workout.

"I'm trying not to but these are kinda hard moves," Dawn complained, "Are you sure I'm gonna need to know this stuff?"

"Quite certain Dawn," Giles stated. He had stayed in Sunnydale longer than he had planned due to Buffy and William's shared dream foretelling the rise of the Master. Things had been quiet despite the dream and he was beginning to suspect that perhaps the dream was a result of Buffy's subconscious trying to get her to come to terms with her feelings for William. Then again, that didn't explain why both of them had had the same dream. He glanced over at his slayer and noticed that she had that solemn look on her face again.

"Dawn, why don't you call it a day and go home," Giles suggested. "I'm sure you're going to need plenty of rest for tomorrow what with it being the start of the new school year."

Dawn watched as a grin crept across Giles' face. He really loved education. Gross. But she was happy that he had intervened in the training session, otherwise Buffy would have worked her to death. Ever since the whole William/Cecily thing, Buffy had been a total slave driver. Buffy didn't socialize much since then and she stayed in her room a lot. The only time she really went out was to come here to train or to go out patrolling. It was nerve wracking. Dawn had decided that it was a good thing school was starting up again. It would give her a chance to get away from her sister for eight hours a day.

"And Dawn," Buffy called as her sister was walking towards the shower, "don't forget to put out the garbage before you go to bed."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

After Dawn had left the room, Giles walked over to Buffy to make sure she was holding up all right. He cleared his throat trying to get her attention since she had gone back to punching the bag again. When that didn't get a response, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder, startling her out of her reverie.

"Buffy, are you alright?"

"Sure Giles," she said with a frown, "You just startled me a little. I was concentrating on my moves…"

"That's not what I meant."

"I'm great. Peachy. Couldn't be better."

Giles sighed and removed his hand from her shoulder. Ever since the day in the shop when William and Cecily reunited, Buffy had closed herself off from the world. "Are you getting enough rest?"

"Yeah Giles. Plenty of sleep for the slayer," she replied taking a sip of water from the bottle she had just picked up off the floor.

"I think we should talk," Giles started, "about your feelings for…"

"Nothing to talk about. I'm so over it." She gave him a smile that tried to say she was fine. The smile felt fake to her so she could just imagine what it looked like to Giles. No matter. She was so not going to talk about this with him. Besides, as she had said, there was nothing to talk about. William was dating Cecily and that was that. Can't stand in the way of a century old love, right?

***

"I was in Africa," William stated indifferently, "and then England. Now I'm here."

"Dude, you look strange and," Clem said as he started sniffing William, "you smell…human!"

"That's because I am a human," William said flicking his friend's forehead.

"Ouch! Spike! What happened?" Clem demanded with a tone of concern as he rubbed his head.

"Went to Africa a vampire and came back human. So you tell me what happened."

"That wasn't the plan. I mean, I don't remember that being the plan. I thought you were just going for a soul so that Buffy would love you."

William flopped down on the loveseat and looked around the crypt. Clem had tidied the place up real nice while he had been gone. "A soul was the plan. But seems to be I already had one."

"What? Are you sure? How come I never smelled one on you then?"

"Not sure. Watcher's still looking into it."

Clem took a few moments to let things sink in. Finally he asked, "Why are you dressed like that?"

William laughed. "What? This old thing," he asked as he gestured at his khaki dockers and navy blue polo shirt, "I've had 'em forever, just never wore 'em."

"Uh huh. This coming from the one color wardrobe guy."

William snorted. He decided it was time to tell his friend about what he did for a living. "I'm a watcher now."

Clem's eyes widened. "You're a watcher? Get out! Is that why you were in England?"

"Yeah. Went there to find Giles and wound up becoming like him. I'm Buffy's watcher now cause he's going back to England soon. Soon as we suss out this whole dream thing."

"Huh?" Clem asked his eyes widening again. Had he just heard right?

***

The Master paced back and forth in the cave that had become his prison. Anger built more and more with each passing step. How dare they do this? How dare they trick him like this? They had promised him new life and he had believed them. But now he was trapped like a caged animal. He lifted his hand and felt the invisible field that covered the opening of the cave. It was very similar to the one that had trapped him below Sunnydale for all those years prior to his death. He had noticed that they themselves could come and go as they pleased but he was stuck here. Which could only mean one thing, the field was magic.

He stopped pacing when he saw Gavin's car come to a halt a few yards from his cell. He sneered and growled. He hated all of the humans who had done this to him but he held Gavin personally responsible for the imprisonment. Eventually he was going to get out of this cave and when he did, there was going to be hell to pay and he would start with Wolfram and Hart.

Gavin smiled as he approached the cave opening. "How are we doing today, Mr. Nest?"

"We? There is no we. There is just me. And I am extremely unhappy. How dare you continue to hold me like this?"

"Mr. Nest," Gavin grinned, "as I said before, this is just a temporary situation until you have completely re-acclimated to your new life. I assure you, you will be released once we are satisfied that you are not a threat to anyone other than the Slayer."

"Yes, so you keep saying. But I have no proof of this, just your word. And right now, you're word doesn't mean a lot to me. So forgive me for not trusting you."

Gavin nodded his head and smiled. "Understandable that you feel that way Mr. Nest. However, as a gesture of good will, I've brought you a little something." He waved his hand and two men got out of the car. They opened the trunk and dragged out a young woman who was bound by ropes and gagged. She was kicking and squirming, trying to get out of their grip.

He glanced over at the Master to assess his reaction. The Master stood in awe of the offering and did not say a word.

"I know that you have a penchant for blondes," Gavin cooed, "so we made sure that this one was of the same hair color and build as the Slayer. Do you approve?"

He hadn't eaten in a long while and he could smell the fear coming off the girl in waves. His mouth began to water and the thrill of killing washed over him. He nodded at Gavin, his gaze never leaving the girl. "I like to play with my dinner a bit before I eat," he said, "so please unbind her before you give her to me."

"As you wish," Gavin said with a bow.

The two thugs removed the ropes and the gag. She began screaming but the second man covered her mouth as they pushed her through the mouth of the cave and into the waiting arms of the Master.

***

Clem looked at his hands, studying his nails. This had been a lot for him to digest. Spike was human now. And he was a watcher. Not just any watcher though, Buffy's watcher. He processed the thought a little longer and smiled. In a round about way, Spike had gotten everything he had ever wanted. Buffy would love him for sure now. But he also noticed that his friend didn't look at all happy. "Hey Spike?"

"Yeah," William asked closing his eyes and leaning his head against the back of the loveseat. Even if he felt out of place in the crypt, the loveseat was comforting to him. It made him forget his new life for a while. It wasn't that he didn't like his new life, because he did. It's just that some days, it was a little overwhelming.

"Aren't you happy about being human? I mean, isn't this a good thing for you and Buffy?"

William didn't bother opening his eyes. "Things have changed mate," he replied, "Buffy and I were never meant to be. It could never work out."

Clem's mouth dropped open. Thank goodness for the excess skin, otherwise he was afraid he would have had to pick his jaw up off the floor. "What do you mean things have changed?" He demanded. "Wasn't the whole point of you leaving so that you could get Buffy back? Now you're her watcher. This is too confusing."

"It doesn't matter much now does it? Besides, I'm seeing someone else right now." He noticed Clem's curious expression and added, "Cecily. I'm seeing Cecily. Can you believe it?"

"Cecily? Are you serious?" He remembered the night that Spike had told him the story of how he had become a vampire. And how if it hadn't been for Cecily rebuffing his advances, his life might have turned out differently. Of course, he had pointed out that if it hadn't been for Cecily, Spike would have never met Buffy.

"Yeah. Turns out she was that vengeance demon Halteck or something like that. Said she always wanted to marry me just her father didn't approve is all. That's why she became a vengeance demon." At this point he moved up to the edge of the loveseat and put his head in his hands. "After all these years Clem, I become human, she becomes human and we're thrown together. Maybe Buffy was just the catalyst for bringing us together."

Clem studied his friend closely. To him it sounded like Spike was trying to convince himself that dating Cecily was the right thing to do and that it was fate that had brought them together. He shook his head. He didn't believe for a minute that Spike still wasn't pining away for his beloved Buffy. "Spike, I don't believe in destiny. I believe destiny is what you make it to be. But if you want my opinion…" Spike nodded, "then I think you're 'destined' to be with Buffy."

Continue