Chapter 9

“I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.”
-Tears for Fears

“Daddy? Are you in there?” Drusilla asked, crouching over Angel’s still form. She giggled when his eyes open and an evil smile spread over his lips.

“Hello, princess? Did you miss me?” He reached up and grabbed her by the back of her neck, pulling her down into a rough kiss. Angelus sat up, flipping Dru so that she was in his lap. She giggled and wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing herself against him. “How ‘bout a welcome back shag. Soul boy was swearing off the old in and out, and ‘m dying for a little release.”

“Not in front of baby,” Dru purred against him. “She’s not ready yet.”

Angelus pulled Drusilla by the hair so that her face was out of his line of vision. “Oh, look. Seems William’s left his Slayer all alone and abandoned. I think we should see if turned Slayer blood is as good as they say it is.” He pushed Drusilla off his lap and began to make his way over to where Buffy still sat in shock, staring at the stairs that Spike had disappeared from.

“No, bad daddy. That’s Spikey’s bride, not yours.”

“Ah, Dru, you forget, you’re all mine. ‘Sides, she’s immortal, the blood will come back. Spike will never know it was gone, I promise,” he cooed at her.

Drusilla grinned, “It will be our secret.”

“Yes, our secret. We could chain her up and drink from her forever,” Angelus whispered in her ear and Drusilla giggled again.

“Chain her up, her screams will be our music,” she whispered.

“That’s me girl,” Angelus said, and kissed her hard on the mouth. He walked over to Buffy and pulled her up roughly by her shoulders. “Now, let’s have a look see. My, Buffy, the years have not been kind.” Buffy’s face was still turned toward the staircase, and with a growl Angelus grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. “You will look at me when I’m talking to you or I will make you very sorry.”

“He didn’t want to look at me,” Buffy muttered.

“And why would he, Buff? Have you taken a look in the mirror lately? The kinder-whore look is centuries out of style.”

Drusilla stopped dancing behind him, “Daddy doesn’t like how princess dresses?”

“Not talking to you, Dru,” he snapped. “I’m talking to Miss Slayer here, THE Slayer. We had some good times in the past, didn’t we Buff? And now, hey, we’re both immortal. We can have more good times in the future, but first, I’m gonna take a little taste of your blood. Then I’m gonna chain you up and use you as an all you can drink buffet. What do you think of that?”

“Why didn’t he want to look at me, Angel?”

“It’s Angelus,” he said as he sank his fangs into her neck.

Buffy let out a surprised cry and went limp in his arms.

XXX

“What are you watching?” Buffy asked, plopping down on the couch next to Spike.

“Dunno, some new soap opera about a bunch of rich kids who go out and battle mythical creatures every week,” Spike answered, sliding his arm around her shoulders so that she could snuggle into his side.

“Wow, they are really running out of ideas, aren’t they?” Buffy snorted.

“Yeah, I mean, they just took out a dragon with a water hose. Everybody knows that the only way to kill a dragon is to stab a sword right through the little fire nodule thing in their throat. They burn from the inside out that way,” Spike said. He rubbed his hand over Buffy’s shoulder and she flinched. “Here, wot’s that now?”

“Nothing, I’m a little sore still from that fight with the fyral demon yesterday,” she answered. “I hit the side of a tombstone.”

“Turn around, lemme see it,” Spike demanded.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing, really.”

“I’ll decide if it’s nothing or not, turn the bloody hell around.”

Buffy sighed and turned around, pulling her shirt off over her head. She tilted her head to the left so that Spike could get a good view of her shoulder.

“Dammit, Buffy. You’re all black and blue back here. Don’t move, I’m going to get the balm stuff.”

Buffy leaned her head against the couch and closed her eyes as she listened to Spike mutter and curse as he rummaged through the medicine cabinet. This was exactly why she’d said nothing in the first place. She felt the couch dip down behind her.

“Don’t move, luv. Fix this in a jiffy,” he said and Buffy let out a low moan as his fingers began to work the balm into her shoulder. Spike smiled at her reaction and scooped out some more of the balm onto his hand. He worked it slowly into her shoulder, then moved his hands to her neck.

“Mmmm, feels good,” Buffy said lowly.

Spike moved his hands up her neck, just below her hairline, then over to her other shoulder. Buffy leaned back farther until she was lying against his chest and he was forced to move his hands to her breasts. She moaned and arched into his hands.

“See, is it so awful to let me take care of your injuries?” he whispered in her ear.

She tilted her head back to capture his lips in a kiss. “Not awful at all…but now I’m all smelly and tingly and turned on.”

“Well, we can fix that.”

“No,” she kissed him again. “We can’t because you know this stuff gets all burny. So, now you’re stuck messaging my shoulders all night, and we both have to go to bed all unsatisfied.”

Spike growled and pressed a kiss into her neck. He made a face and smacked his lips together. “You’re right. That stuff tastes bloody awful. Come on, luv, guess its all message and no shagging tonight.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. “Let’s go, sooner we go to bed, sooner it’s morning and we can shag.”

XXX

Spike surveyed the shambles that was their bedroom. The closet had been ripped apart and its contents lay spread across the floor, along with every piece of clothing he owned. There was blood, Buffy’s blood, smeared across the bed sheets, the walls, even the ceiling.

He picked up a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and walked into the bathroom. The bathroom was even worse off then the bedroom. The mirror was shattered, the bathtub caked in more of Buffy’s blood, various razor blades and daggers were on the floor, each coated in blood.

“Oh, luv, what have you done?” he muttered as he sat on the seat of the toilet. Spike ran his fingers through his hair and pulled his pants on. He was still somewhat in shock that she had pulled-no-yanked him out of Heaven. After all that they had been through after her own release from Heaven…he wondered if she even remembered that.

He had been mostly happy in Heaven, though not completely. Spike could never be completely happy without Buffy by his side, but he had been mostly happy. He had been with Madison and Joyce and Dawn…even his mum and da had been there. He had been forgiven for all his past sins and been one with all the world. His spirit had been a part of everything and everyone and he had been almost complete. Almost because he couldn’t be complete without Buffy, and maybe that was the reason he had been brought back. Maybe, after all this time, they couldn’t be complete without each other…but it still hurt. The loss was still there.

Spike’s head snapped up at the sound of Buffy’s cry. Throwing his shirt over his head, he ran down the stairs to see her hanging limply in Angel’s arms. With a roar, Spike yanked Buffy back and stared at his grand-sire as the latter wiped the blood off his face.

“What’s ‘smatter Willy my boy. You should know that everything you have belongs to me, and you better learn to share,” Angelus sneered.

“Why Angelus, fancy you making an appearance,” Spike said glaring back at him.

“Get used to it. I plan on sticking around for a bit.



 

Chapter 10

“And I was too far to stand with you tonight
And I was too lost to find my way home
And there was just this breath of air between us and I couldn’t breathe”
-Lennon

“Wow, hey Ahn, come look at this.”

“What? I’m busy here,” Anya said walking up behind him.

“Look, it’s a picture of Willow,” he said, pointing at a wall of old fashioned photos.

“Yes, that is the great Willow Rosenberg,” Lenore said, joining them. “She was one of the most powerful witches of her century. She-“

“Was my best friend since kindergarten,” Xander finished.

“You knew her?” Lenore inquired.

“Yeah, like I said, since kindergarten.”

“I was not aware that she socialized with demons in her lifetime. I was taught that she helped the Slayer to stop the forces of evil,” Lenore said.

“Well, I kinda wasn’t all demony back then…Hey, even Anya was having a human spell at that time…and she hung out with a few demons…mostly vampires, oh and a werewolf,” Xander muttered.

“She lived here with her partner, Tara, and the only living key of power known in existence. The three of them were able to harness the true powers of the Goddess. They are legends here. Their deaths are mourned, their lives celebrated.”

“But there were only here for like five years,” Anya objected.

“Five great years,” Lenore said. “Or so the writings say. Dawn Summers wrote the definitive book on the Ring of Vendia. Come, I was just about to show you.”

XXX

“Spike I need you to do me a favor,” Dawn said, pulling him into the guestroom and shutting the door.

“Wot’s goin’ on, nib?” he asked, his brows knitting together in confusion.

She reached into the pocket of her sweatshirt and pulled out a box, flipping it open to reveal the red ring.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the gesture, pet, but you and I are both happily married.”

“No, it’s not, I mean, you do know what this is, right?” Dawn asked.

“Yeah, it’s that red ring that Buffy gave you. Got some sort of power, don’t it?”

“It does. It has a lot of power,” Dawn paused. “Okay, remember when Xander made you watch all the Lord of the Rings movies in a row?”

Spike rolled his eyes, “How could I forget. Nine hours of little elvey things running around with swords, thought me arse was gonna stay asleep for the rest of my life.”

Dawn rolled her eyes and held up the ring, “Meet the one to rule them all.”

“Wot? Are you kidding me? That’s just a story, pet. Don’t tell me you believe in that rot?”

“Spike, how long have you been a vampire? Come on now, you know that all those things are based in truth,” Dawn said, smacking him in the chest.

“Lemme get this straight, you’re saying that this ring-“

“Is the most powerful thing in the world.”

“Can it make me invincible?”

“What? Spike, no. Listen to me, you hate magic, right?”

“Well, yeah, you know I do. It’s always got consequences,” Spike answered.

“Okay, well this ring, has really, really, really bad consequences,” Dawn said.

“How bad we talkin’ here, bit,” Spike asked.

“Uh, world domination and the end of life as we know it.”

“Oh, well that’s no good.”

“Nu-uh.”

“So the favor?”

“I need someone to hide the ring. Someone who wouldn’t ever be tempted to use it, and who won’t ever lose it,” she said.

Spike took the box from her outstretched hand. “Guess I’m the vampire for the job then.”

“I thought you might be.”

XXX

Spike glared at Angelus. “Plan on telling me what you’re doing with my wife? And I wanna know how you lost your soul and the name Buffy better not be in that equation.”

“What’s wrong William? You afraid that I took over your husbandly duties while you were gone? Wouldn’t be the first time as I’m sure you’ll remember,” Angelus answered as he wrapped his arm around Drusilla’s waist and pulled her closer. As he did, Spike caught sight of the ring on Drusilla’s finger.

“Where did you get that ring, Dru?” he asked lowly.

“Do you like it, my William? Baby found it all hidden, thought it was a present from her long lost prince.” She wiggled her fingers at him.

“Give me the ring, Dru,” Spike demanded.

“No, I don’t think she will,” Angelus answered. “That pretty little ring is the reason I’m standing here now. Think I rather like it…Thought you’d like it too seeing as it’s the reason that you’re standing here as well, but then, you never could learn to say thank you, now could ya?”

“What did you do to Buffy?”

“Baby’s all broken,” Drusilla said sashaying her way over to him. She ran her finger down the side of Buffy’s face. “All alone without her prince, no one to help her, no one to love her. They’d all gone, left her all alone. She tried to make her insides be seen on the outside, painted everything bright red but it didn’t help. She called to me. I heard her crying, crying, crying, crying for you. It made my insides go all cold, like icicles in my veins. The stars they told me to come to her, told me that I could bring you back and have my daddy back in the process. And it worked my William. Our family is whole now. All together.”

“No, Dru. We are not together.” Spike shook his head and Buffy let out a moan. “This is far from over, but for right now, get the hell out of my house.”

“Dru, me darling, I think we’ve worn out our welcome. Let’s get out of here,” Angelus said.

Drusilla pouted, “But I wanted to be a family again. The stars told me that’s what would happen.”

“Well, the stars lied. Let’s go have a massacre.”

Drusilla giggled and took Angelus’ offered hand. They ran out the door.

Spike adjusted his hold on Buffy. He knew that he couldn’t follow them at the moment. He swung Buffy into his arms and carried her into one of the guest rooms. He laid her on the bed and crawled in next to her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

“Oh, luv, what did you do?”


 

Chapter 11

“Oh someone please the moon has raped me, I can feel it inside me
Oh mama please let someone fix me, let them fix me”
-Cursive

“Okay, that’s the last of them,” Buffy said, setting the shopping bags on the counter. “Do you want me to start putting stuff away?”

“T-that would be nice,” Tara said from her seat at the table. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m so tired today.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I mean, it is really hot outside today and we were shopping for awhile. Maybe we just over did it,” Buffy said as she began unpacking the bags.

“Guess I’m not as young as I use to be,” Tara smiled.

“Hey, none of us are,” Buffy replied.

“True, but I think you look b-better for your age then I d-do.” Tara brushed some of her white hair back behind her ear. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“If you’d like me to. It’s card night at Xander’s, so Spike won’t be home until late.”

Tara chuckled. “Who’d have thought that those to would be such good friends?”

Buffy laughed as well. “I know! It was always ‘whelp I’m going to rip your head off,’ and ‘don’t make me stake you dead boy jr,’ and now they’re like inseparable.” She paused in the middle of putting away a bottle of Aspirin.

“What’s wrong?” Tara asked, noticing Buffy’s pause.

“Nothing,” Buffy said quickly. “Nothing wrong here. Nope all is good.” She began to unpack a little faster.

Tara sighed and stood up. She grabbed her cane and began to make her way over to Buffy. She opened the medicine cabinet and turned to look at the blonde next to her. “I should have told you.”

“Told me what? You have nothing to tell me,” Buffy said. “I mean, what business of mine is it if your cabinet looks like a pharmacy with all the pills in the bottles and the doses…”

“Buffy,” Tara said, gently. “I’m sick.”

“W-what? No, no you can’t be.”

“Buffy, I can and I am. I’m old, I’m going to be ninety-three this year,” Tara continued. “And to be honest, I miss Willow. It gets lonely being here alone-“

“I can visit more, and-and Spike too. I’ll-I’ll come every day,” Buffy interrupted.

Tara held up her hand. “It’s not that and you know it. It’s my time. We all have to go at some point.”

“Except me,” Buffy said softly.

“That is true, but l-let’s not talk about this any more. Let’s go watch that video you rented. Come on, Spike installed that new 3-D projection thingy last week. I want to see how it works.”

XXX

Xander studied the book in front of him. It was well preserved, but the pages were still yellowed and crinkling at the corners. Lenore had brought him the original and staring at Dawn’s neat handwriting was like a blast from the past…which it was. It reminded him of when he’d found the little love notes she’d written during her ‘I love Xander’ stage. Every I dotted, ever T crossed.

He ran his fingers across the page as though he could pull Dawn’s memory out of them. He could almost picture her sitting at the wooden table, hair falling over her face as she carefully wrote out her findings. Willow and Tara would be nearby, doing Willow and Tara things and occasionally helping her with sentence structure or a misspelled word.

“Why don’t I have a copy of this in the library?” Xander asked Lenore.

She smiled, “Because you work in a demon library and the books of witches are not housed in such a place. We keep our own counsel and our own library.”

“Can I see it?”

“If you like. I could arrange a tour,” Lenore offered. “Are you finding the readings of Dawn Summers to be interesting?”

“Yeah, I am. It’s weird to be reading this. She had a crush on me, you know? When she was younger,” he said.

Lenore regarded him a moment. “I would like, if you don’t mind, for you to come visit me again once the danger was passed. I would like to hear you stories about your time with the Slayer and the great witches of our past.”

“Well, I’m not really allowed to leave the library per say. This is kinda a special once in a millennia world is in danger clause,” Xander replied.

“That is too bad. Perhaps while you are here…”she trailed off.

“Oh, sure. Well, see Willow and I met over this-“

“Honey, you aren’t telling the yellow crayon story again,” Anya interrupted, walking into the room. “Really, it’s so boring, no one cares.”

“Hey, she asked,” Xander protested.

“Aren’t you supposed to be researching?” Anya crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

“Wha-? I am researching. I am Xander the research man here. Listen to this, ‘The Ring of Vendia was forged in Pltazhcfte, one of the deepest dimensions of Hell known among travelers as the worst dimension outside of Quortoth.
‘The ring was designed for the Hell God, Vendola, as a way to control his subjects, but was lost in the Hell Wars not to be seen again for centuries when a man named Augustus Brownstone used the ring for his own purposes. The ring is not meant to be worn by mortals, and to do so means the wearer will die a gruesome death.
‘It has been prophesized that Vendola will return for the ring, and that a great struggle between good and evil shall wage when the planets reach their alignment. There is little fact to support this theory outside of the ramblings on an old priest circa 498 B.C.’” Xander stopped reading. “There’s more but I figured we just need the gist of it. I’ve already recorded most of it in case we need it later.”

“Recorded it?” Lenore asked. “You cannot take a copy of this book! It must remain here.”

“Oh, no,” Anya said. “He means he memorized it. See, he has a photographic memory. It’s part of his contract.”

“Yep, this book is almost entirely in my head. You can pick any page in here at random and I can tell you word for word what it says,” Xander explained.

“Yeah,” Anya said. “He’s creepy like that.”

XXX

Buffy’s scream brought Spike tearing up the stairs and into the room. She was sitting on the bed looking around her wildly. When she caught sight of him, she threw herself in his arms with a sob.

“I thought I’d dreamed you. I woke up and I was alone, and I thought that it was all fake, but it’s not and you’re really here. Are you really here, Spike? Are you here with me? Please tell me you are. Tell me I’m not alone anymore.” Her eyes searched his for the answers to her questions, while her hands roamed over every inch of his body as though he would disappear if she stopped touching him.

“I’m here, luv. Just went to get you something to eat,” he ran his hands through his hair, messing up the tousled curls that lay on top his head. “You haven’t been eating, I can tell and most of the food in the fridge is moldy.” He paused a moment. “Buffy, what happened to the kitchen? What happened to the bedroom and the bathroom? What happened to you?” Spike had grabbed her arms and forced her away from him so that he could look at her.

Buffy looked at him for a second before her knees crumbled and Spike had to hold her up to keep her from curling in a ball at his feet.

“I’m bad, bad, bad, bad. I pulled you away and you hate me and I deserve it. I deserve your hate, but you were gone and I was alone. You said you’d always come back for me!” Buffy broke free from his grasp and began to hit him weakly on the chest. “You said you’d always come back and you lied! You weren’t coming back! You were going to leave me! You were going to leave me!” She fell against him, sobbing. “I wanted to go too. I didn’t want to be here without you. I tried to go with, I tried and tried and tried and they wouldn’t let me leave, wouldn’t let me rest with you.”

“Oh, luv.” Spike wrapped his arms around her tightly. He kissed the top of her head and nuzzled his cheek against her hair. He had hurt the girl, and she had broken apart. He had always known that beneath her strong exterior was a fragile little girl who never got over her destiny. They had been together long enough for him to occasionally see the cracks in her armor, but he had never allowed himself to believe that she would break over him. Two centuries of happiness together and he was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, and now it had dropped but not in the way he had thought. He had always thought that she held all the power in their relationship, and the whole time, it had been him. He felt his inner poet swell at that thought. Damn the real Heaven. He held his own Heaven in his arms, and that was all he needed.

XXX

 

Chapter 12

“Two halves are equal, a cross between two evils
It’s not an enviable lot
But if you listen, you’ll learn to hear the difference
Between the halfs and the half nots”
-The Dresden Dolls

Angelus wiped the blood off his face with the back of his hand. He watched as Drusilla amused herself by finger painting designs on the dead clerk’s naked body with his own blood.

“Daddy, do you think he’ll appreciate my art? I’ve made him so pretty,” she cooed at him.

“Dru, I’m sure he’d love it if you hadn’t taken out his eyes,” Angelus replied.

“I had to. He was looking at me while I ate,” Drusilla growled at the body. “Didn’t his mummy teach him any manners? Rude to watch a lady while she dines.”

“I’m sure he’ll not make that mistake again. Why don’t you pick out some lovelies for yourself while we’re here? Then we’ll go find ourselves a nice place to reacquaint ourselves,” Angelus said, picking out a few sweaters for him to take with. It was going to be light soon and he needed to find them a place to stay. He glanced over at Drusilla and grinned. He was planning on ravaging her for most of the day, and when he finished, he was going back to the house and taking a go at Buffy. William needed to relearn that anything he thought was his really belonged to Angelus, and he planned on taking his revenge in Buffy’s blood.

XXX

Spike shrugged his duster off and dumped it on the back of the chair before he sat down. He lowered his head to the table with a bang.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid bloody git,” he muttered to himself.

“Okay, not that I’m one to interrupt your self beating over there, but what are you doing?” Xander asked coming out from behind on of the library stacks where he had been shelving books.

“I am the biggest ponce on the face of the planet,” Spike declared.

“And I’m not denying it, but what did you do?”

“It was nothing, really…You know how Buffy’s got this notion about bad luck on her birthday?”

Xander sat down at the chair across from Spike and dropped his stack of books on the table. “Oh, no! You did something, didn’t you? What did you do?”

“I just wanted the girl to have a good birthday! You know, little flowers, little wine, little enchanted flying doves-“

“What?! You-you hate magic! What are you doing with enchanted flying doves, and my God, how cheesy is that?” Xander exclaimed, then quickly added, “And how much was that ‘cause Anya would love it.”

“I won it off some ponce at cards. He said all that would happen was the birds would fly around our table a bit and do some bloody acrobatic thingies,” Spike said.

“But,” Xander prodded.

Spike sighed. “Bloody wanker gave me a dovita demon. Thing sits as separate birds until it wants to attack and then it merges to form a seven foot tall vulture type thing.”

“Oh, well I’m sure that went over well,” Xander said.

“Yeah, don’t know what was worse. The bloke from the restaurant yelling or Buffy…She’s not talking to me, you know,” Spike muttered.

“I heard her saying something to Anya, but I missed the gist of it. So I take it you’re in the dog house?”

“Which part of me saying that she’s not talking to me failed to penetrate your head?”

Xander shrugged, “So I take it you’re staying for dinner then?”

“Uh, yeah, you don’t mind, do ya?”

Xander shook his head. “Nah, mi library es su library.”

XXX

“Come on, pet, let’s get you clean, yeah?” Spike whispered into her ear as he started to guide her toward the bathroom.

Spike stripped her down and turned on the water. He debated about running to their bathroom to grab her shampoo, but the strength of her grip on his arm made up his mind. She usually kept stuff in the extra bathroom, and a quick rummage helped him to find a bottle of peppermint shampoo and a bar of soap.

“You want a bath or shower, luv?” he asked.

“Spike, do you hate me?” Buffy asked softly.

He sighed. “I could never hate you, Buffy.”

“But I-I pulled you out of H-H-“

Spike silenced her with a kiss. It was the first one they’d shared since he’d been back and Buffy accepted it hungrily.

“Shh, none of that now. Wasn’t Heaven without you, luv.”

Buffy let out a sob and buried her face in his neck.

“Come on now, that’s enough tears. Into the bath with ya.” Spike scooped her up and gently lowered her into the water.

He washed the dried blood out of her hair and off her skin although he had to scrub a bit. Some of it looked as though it had dried on weeks ago, and he wondered how long he’d been gone. Each stroke of the washcloth was like a cut to his heart. She had inflicted all this on herself knowing full well that she was a true immortal.

Buffy made no move to help, just sat with her hand on his arm, and watched him. She didn’t say a word until he had her dried and wrapped in a robe he’d found behind the door.

“I always thought I was strong,” she said softly. “I thought that after Mom and Dawnie and…Madison…that I could survive anything.” Buffy paused and walked over to the bed, sitting and motioning him to join her. His heart shattered when she looked him square in the eye. “But I couldn’t survive without you.”

“Buff-“

“No,” she cut him off. “Please, I-I need to say this. After you…”Buffy swallowed hard. “After…I saw the d-d-d…the d-d-d-d…I couldn’t move. I just stopped. It was like everything stopped moving, stopped working. Angel, he saw what happened…staked the vamp.”

“Who was it? I don’t remember seeing anyone.”

“It was no one. It was a stupid fledgling. If-if I had been looking, if I hadn’t stopped to tie my shoe, I-I could have stopped him,” Buffy started to hyperventilate. “And I did stop him every time I relived that moment, but by then you were gone.”

Spike couldn’t help but chuckle. William the Bloody done in by a fledgling. “Guess that fledge got his one good day then.”

“It’s not funny!” Buffy smacked him on the chest. “It’s not funny!”

“Whoa! Easy, luv. You’re right, it’s not funny…but it is ironic.”

Buffy gave him a dirty look.

“Sorry, luv. Go on.”

She took a deep breath. “I don’t…I don’t really know what happened after that. Angel…he brought me home…brought you home too. I tried…I-“

“Buffy, you don’t have to tell me.”

“YES! Yes, I do. Oh, Spike I wanted to join you. I couldn’t…all the time I thought I was strong, but you were my strength and then you were gone…and it’s so stupid because I knew, deep in the back of my head that it wouldn’t work, but I tried anyway. I thought that if they saw how I f-felt then the Powers would take pity on me and let me go with you. But they didn’t. They didn’t even care. And I…Spike I didn’t mean to, but I ruined the island in the kitchen…I-“

Spike cut her off. “That’s enough luv. I don’t care about the bloody island. I do care about you and what you’ve done to yerself. The entire house can fall into a bloody hole for all I care. Hell, we can move tomorrow. All I care about is you.” He softened his voice and pushed some hair away from her face. “Buffy, I love you. More then the stars or the bloody planets and what have you, and yeah, I was in Heaven, but to me, Heaven is where you are and you weren’t there.”

He leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss. It started off chaste, but soon became more passionate as Buffy’s tongue forced its way into his mouth. She moaned and Spike slowly pushed her down on the bed, letting her crawl backwards until she reached the headboard before lowering himself on top of her. His hands slid under her robe and she arched her back into him. He felt her hands at the hem of his t-shirt and he paused long enough to help her pull it off.

“Please,” she whispered as he kissed a wet path down her neck and to her breasts. “Need you, need you now.”

“Sssh,” he blew a stream of air across her chest and he smiled as she gasped and arched toward him.

Buffy hands fumbled with his zipper, and Spike finally relented and helped her take them off. He had wanted to go slow, but understood her frantic need to prove to herself that she wasn’t dreaming.

Spike positioned himself at her entrance and leaned down to capture her lips as he slid his way inside. They both moaned and Buffy’s legs immediately wrapped around his waist as he began to move into her. Although her need to have him inside her was urgent, once he was there, Buffy let him set a slow pace. She gasped and moaned into his mouth, her hands reacquainting themselves with his body.

“Spike,” she murmured against his skin.

“I know,” he replied.

“Now, do it now!”

Spike let his face shift and his fangs hit her neck moments before she buried her fangs in his. He felt her scream her release into his neck and he followed.

“Mine,” she sobbed. “My Spike, my William.”

“Mine,” he replied. “Always and forever.

XXX
 

Chapter 13
“We don’t want anyone to mind us
So we play the roles they assign us”
-Fugazi

“Oh, look at you all graduating girl,” Buffy squealed helping her daughter put her graduation cap on.

“Mom, it’s eighth grade, it’s no big,” Madison replied.

“I’d say it’s a big deal. Next year you’re going to be in high school. You’ll have dances and-and all kinds of high schooly things,” Buffy said.

“But, just so you know, I will eat any boy that tries to date you before you’re thirty,” Spike joked.

Madison stomped her foot, “Don’t do that!”

“Do what, pet?” Spike asked.

“Don’t-don’t joke about eating people. You’re always doing that and it’s weird. No one else’s dad jokes about eating people!” Madison exclaimed.

“Well that’s probably because you’re the only lucky girl with a vampire for a father,” Buffy answered.

“It’s not luck, it’s freaky,” Madison muttered.

“Hey!” Buffy said, “Knock it off, that’s not nice. Now what’s going on here? Where’s this coming from?”

Madison huffed and folded her arms over her chest. “It’s not coming from anywhere, okay? I’m just tired of being the only kid in school with freaks for parents.”

“Oi, your mother and I are not freaks!” Spike was almost yelling.

“W-why would you say that?” Buffy asked.

“Oh, come on, you pretend that no one has noticed that Dad never goes out during the day. You think people really buy that he has a skin allergy? Jennifer said that her mom said that the reason Dad is never around during the day is because he has another family he’s hiding from us.”

“That’s not true and you know that, Madison Joyce,” Buffy said sternly.

“Yeah, but-but everyone else’s dads show up for softball practice and stuff and-and their dads are gonna be a graduation today, and my dad has to watch it on a video camera! It’s not fair! I hate this! I hate that I can’t tell people that my parents are, like, superheroes that save the world, and I hate that I have to lie to my friends about why my dad can’t go out in the day and I hate that you adopted me and forced me into this life of lies. Because that’s what we live in, lies.” Madison turned and ran up the stairs.

Spike watched his daughter disappear up the stairs and out of sight. He was frozen to the spot.

Buffy came up next to him and slid her arms around him. “She-she didn’t mean it. She’s just upset that you can’t go to graduation.”

Spike shoulders slumped. “No, she’s right. Can’t do a lot of things that fathers should do with their daughters. Can’t take her to softball or soccer. Can’t take her to the park or on picnics. She’s got a bloody useless git for a father.”

“No! Spike,” Buffy ducked her head so that he was forced to look in her eyes. “You are an amazing father.”

“No, ‘m not. She deserves better. She deserves some one who can take her out in sunlight-“He was cut off by the slap of Buffy’s hand across his face.

“Don’t you dare say that! Don’t you dare say that in my presence.” Buffy grabbed his face between her hands and pulled him in for a bruising kiss. “You are my reason for living and for fighting. You are my everything and don’t ever forget it.”

XXX

Angelus rolled off of Drusilla and let her curl up in a ball around him, purring her contentment. He grabbed the hand that was sliding up his thigh and held it to the light. The red ring glittered and danced in front of his eyes.

“So what do you think about taking your ring out for a test drive? See what it can do?”

“Can we use it to kill more people?” she asked sleepily. “It makes such lovely designs in their skin. It calls to me.”

“What does it say when it calls to you?”

“It wants us to rule the world. Bring up the demons and do away with the humans. Not their time anymore. Demon time now. Pretty demons with their pretty horns coming to topple the humans,” Drusilla whispered. She clawed her way up his body and scratched a bloody line across Angelus throat. He moaned as she licked it clean. “We’ll be a family again.”

Angelus growled and pinned her back to the bed. “There will be no more talk of family in this bed or I will have to punish you.”

Drusilla squealed in delight as Angelus rammed himself back into her body.

“The ring…it calls to me…wants us to raise its army,” she moaned.

“Suppose we could…do an apocalypse…just for fun, like old times,” he grunted.

“Two days!” Drusilla screamed.

“As the princess wishes,” Angelus growled and bit into her neck.

XXX

Spike lay awake for a long time after Buffy had fallen asleep. He wondered if she had noticed the difference in him, and then realized that she barely registered anything outside of the fact that he was back with her. He started to slide out of the bed, but Buffy’s grip tightened on him.

“Shh, luv,” Spike whispered, brushing her hair out of her face. “’M just going to the bathroom.”

Buffy’s grip released, but the second he stood up, Buffy grabbed his pillow and clutched it to her. He sighed and closed his eyes. Tomorrow he was packing up the few salvageable items in their house and getting her out. Too many bad memories now and Spike felt her sorrow all the way through his newly acquired soul.

XXX

“Hey, I’m back. Have you been sitting here this whole time? What have you been doing” Buffy tossed her purse on the table and leaned over to ruffle Spike’s hair.

“Being bloody bored, I hate this town,” he answered.

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad,” Buffy countered. “I mean, it’s got lots of pretty things to look at like…ooh, trees and, um, hills and woodsy stuff.”

Spike glared at her.

“Oh, fine, it is boring,” Buffy conceded.

“When you said that you wanted to escape the city life, I thought you meant a vacation. You know, me, you, cozy little room for two, but instead you decided to buy a bloody house in the middle of bleedin’ Saskatchewan.”

Buffy sighed. “Well, we’ve never lived in Canada before and I thought you wanted to be adventurey.”

“Pet, I wanted to be adverturey with you, not in a forest,” Spike muttered. “…bleedin’ twenty miles from the nearest pub.”

“I heard that,” Buffy pouted. “You’re just mad because there’s no pub for you to go to, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m mad because you bought a house in the middle of the woods and didn’t consult me.”

“I didn’t buy a house, I rented and only for a few months.”

“And that makes all the difference,” Spike rolled his eyes.

“Fine, if you wanna sit here and be all pissy, then I’m not gonna give you your surprise.”

“What surprise? There’s a surprise?”

Buffy resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him settling for a saucy glide over to where he was sitting. “Like I would drag you out to the middle of the woods with no surprise.” She sat on his lap and nibbled on his ear.

Spike groaned and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I love surprises, pet.”

Buffy sucked on his neck, “Do you? Because you’re not acting like you do? All whiny,” she paused to bite down on his neck. He moaned and thrust his hips up at her. “And complainy,” she nibbled her way across his chin. “And not once have you looked around yet. ‘Course, if you had, you would have ruined my surprise.”

“Don’t plan on looking around right now either, luv. Got other things on my mind,” he whispered huskily, gliding his hands under her shirt.

Buffy playfully batted his hands away, jumped out of his lap, and ran out of the room. Spike growled and raced after her into the living room. There, hanging from the ceiling, was a big banner that read “Happy Birthday, Spike!”

“H-how…what’s this, luv?” Spike asked, stunned.

Buffy threw her arms around his neck. “Today’s your birthday. I looked it up.”

Spike stared at the banner and the small pile of presents resting next to a large cake. He couldn’t remember ever having a birthday party.

“Thank you, luv,” he whispered.

“Surprise,” she whispered back.
XXX
 

Chapter 14
“So much to lose, so much to gain
So much to fight for, so much to change”
-Cock Sparrer

The light streaming out of the open bathroom door woke Buffy up. She stumbled into the room to see Spike staring at his lack of reflection in the mirror. Tentatively, Buffy shuffled into the bathroom and slid her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder.

“What are you thinking about?” she whispered, kissing the side of his neck.

When he didn’t answer, she started to unwrap herself and pull away. Spike stopped her by grabbing her wrists and stepping back into her embrace.

“Don’t go,” he replied, turning his head to look at her.

She relented and let him pull her arms all the way around his waist.

“200 years we’ve been together. 200…and every time I wake up with you in my arms I feel as giddy as I did the first time…” Spike said, staring into the reflection of her eyes. “I spent a long time thinking that it was all a dream, that I had died and somehow been granted access to Heaven.”

Buffy stiffened and he felt her start to pull away.

“No, don’t,” he muttered. “The point is, I did go to Heaven, but I wasn’t as happy as I am in your arms…and I know I said this before, but I want you to understand that I know what I’m giving up by being brought back here, but what I’ve gained is so much more.” Spike turned around in her embrace and slid his arms around her. “I have eternity to be with the woman I love…and the soul to understand her.”

He watched the play of emotions flicker across her face. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.

“Could you repeat that last part,” she asked, licking her lips. Her throat was suddenly very dry.

“Which part, luv?” Spike asked, smiling down at her. “The part where I said we have eternity-a true eternity this time-or the part about my soul. My soul, not a demon’s soul, MINE…William’s.”

Buffy’s mouth dropped open, and Spike took the opportunity to lean in and steal a kiss.

XXX

“That’s…disturbing,” Xander shuddered.

“But very useful in your line of work,” Anya added.

“No, I’d go with disturbing…not that I’m knocking it though, could have lost my girl.” Spike said.

“I think we have firmly established that I’m not going anywhere,” Buffy said, her hands rubbing the sides of her neck.

“You know, being able to come back from a decapitation is a very rare trait. You should be thankful for that. Just think of all the fun games you could play knowing that information,” Anya said.

Spike growled. “No one is decapitating my wife…again!”

“But you could hide her head in places that you can’t go, and she could gather information. It’d be all covert, like a spy movie,” Anya insisted. “And I can always stick it back on again, it’s not a big deal.”

“Okay, my head is now staying firmly on my body and Anya…that is so creepy,” Buffy said, placing her hands on her hips.

“On that note, it’s time for the Missus and me to be taking our leave,” Spike said, standing up and pulling Buffy to her feet as well. “Xander, see you Wednesday. Anya, see ya next month.”

Buffy sifted through her pockets looking for the transporting dust that allowed them to travel between the Harris’ house and their own. She dropped it in a circle around them, muttered a few words, and in a poof of smoke, had them in their own living room.

“Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve been so glad to get away from Anya,” Buffy muttered, stretching her arms above her head.

Spike grabbed her around the waist and pulled her taunt against him. “Almost lost you tonight, luv,” he murmured, nuzzling the side of her neck.

“Spike, I’m immortal. I’m not going anywhere,” she replied, tilting her head to give him better access.

“Don’t care. All I know is that my life stopped when I saw that creature…” he couldn’t finish the sentence.

Buffy snorted. “Your life stopped? You weren’t the one holding your own head in her hands.”

Spike framed her face in his hands. “You don’t understand. You are my life, my reason for living. Without you, I’m dust.”

Buffy’s face softened. “Oh, Spike. You’re my reason for living too.”

He leaned forward and kissed her gently. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“Promise,” she whispered. “So long as you’re by my side, I will never try and get decapitated again.”

XXX

Lenore came into the kitchen and startled Xander.

“I’m sorry, I was, er, spacing out. You have a window,” he said, pointing toward it. “I don’t have one in the library and I always tend to revert to high school form when I see one.”

“I did not mean to startle you. I merely came to tell you that you must be leaving soon.”

“Oh, did we wear out our welcome? I know Anya can be a handful sometimes, but-“

“No, you are always welcome here,” Lenore interrupted. “But the time is almost upon us.”

“It moved up again, huh? Damn planets,” Xander joked.

“It moved neither up nor down. As I stated before, the planets keep their own time,” Lenore said.

“It was a…um, never mind. So, what do we do know?” Xander asked.

Lenore shook her head. “That I cannot tell you. You must let the stars guide you to your destiny.”

“Oookay, and how do I do that?”

“If you listen very hard, they will tell you,” Lenore answered and walked out of the room.

“Oh that’s just great,” Xander muttered. “It’s Drusilla the second.”

XXX¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

“Daddy, the stars want us to gather our forces,” Drusilla said.

“Do they now?” he asked, knocking her over so that they landed on top the dead nun that lay on the floor.

Drusilla whimpered, “Not here. Never here. He whispers in my ear. Calls me back to the fold, he does. Lost little lamb, all caught in the blackberry patch. Nasty thorns sticking in my side.”

Angelus growled and pressed down on her. “We will be where ever I decide…unless you want me to punish you. Would you like that, Dru? Have me wrap your pretty wrists in chains while I fuck you?”

She closed her eyes and Angelus stood up, yanking her by her hair. “Fine, Dru. We’ll leave, but when I get you home…”

“But the time has almost come,” she said. “Time for darkness. Time for ruling. Time for family. William and the sunshine will be family with us again. The stars never lie…Miss Edith never lies.”

“Fine, stars and Spike and Buffy. Now, get out of here before I lose me temper…and when we get home, I’m going to chain you up and do despicable things to your body.”

XXX

“Will you stop fussing? Everything will be fine,” Dawn said, hands on her hips as she watched her fiancé reset the table.

“I know. I just-I want them to like me. I mean, they’re the only family you have,” Brian said. “Plus, I find it a little weird that we’ve been dating for two years and I’ve never so much as talked to them on the phone.”

“Well, my sister and her husband are kinda…they’re different. They move… a lot,” Dawn answered. “But, hey, you’ve met Willow and Tara and they’re just like family…and-and Xander-“

“Who I’ve only talked to on the phone,” he interrupted.

Dawn winced, “Yeah, well, his job doesn’t let him get away much.”

Brian walked over and wrapped his arms around Dawn’s waist. “Baby, you know that I love you, but I sometimes get the feeling that you’re hiding something about your family from me. I mean, you’ve met my family and you gotta admit they’re a bit strange.”

Dawn couldn’t raise her eyes to meet his glance, “Yeah, well, my family’s just a bit…different.”

Brain smiled, “You mean like how you can read those tarot cards so accurately? Do you come from a family of psychics?”

“Um, no, not so much-“

The doorbell cut her off and Dawn took the interruption to run down the hall. She flung the door open and squealed as she gathered Buffy and Spike in a giant hug.

“Oh my Goddess! I can’t believe you’re here. Come in! Come in, both of you!”

“Hey, Dawnie,” Buffy said, squeezing her sister tight.

“Bit! Look at you, all grown up,” Spike said.

Brian cleared his throat and when the two blondes looked at him, he swore that his heart stopped beating. It wasn’t that they were both deathly pale or that the man’s hair was so white it glowed. No, it was the look that radiated from behind both their eyes. It screamed power, strength, and a million other things that used to give him nightmares as a kid.

“Guys, this,” Dawn made a point of walking over and taking Brian by the arm. “Is Brian…my fiancé.”

“Hi Brian,” Buffy said. “I’m Buffy, Dawn’s sister, and this is my husband, Spike.”

“Uh, hi,” Brian managed to shake both their hands, noting how cold the man’s touch was. Also, he was sure that Buffy was a full five years older then Dawn, so why did she look younger? “Welcome. Can I offer you something to drink?”

“Do you have any Diet Coke?” Buffy asked.

Brian nodded and turned to Spike.

“Beer if ya got it, mate.”

Somehow they made it through the small talk and to the dinner table, although Spike didn’t eat anything, just drank some red wine that Dawn had mysteriously produced. Brian hadn’t seen it in the house earlier. Maybe that’s why Dawn was so reluctant to talk about her sister and her husband. Maybe the man- Spike, what kind of name was that-was an alcoholic. Maybe he beat Buffy. Brain watched as the man finished off the mug-yeah mug, not even a wine glass-and Dawn got up to get him another glass.

“Hope you’re not driving home,” Brian said.

Spike laughed, “’Course I am. Have you ever seen this woman drive?”

Buffy pouted, “Hey, I am not that bad. I mean, those curbs come out of nowhere.”

Dawn laughed, “Hey, remember that time when you convinced Mom to let you drive us to school, and you-you put the car in neutral and couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t drive.” Dawn doubled over in her laughter as she handed the new mug to Spike.

“Will you guys be staying here tonight?” Brian asked.

Buffy shook her head. “No, we have a hotel.”

“Trust me, honey, a hotel is way better for them,” Dawn added.

“Hey, I resent that,” Buffy said.

“And I resent that you guys broke my guest bed last time you visited me.”

“That was like three years ago. Get over it,” Buffy answered.

“Dawnie, can I talk to you in the kitchen a moment?” Brian asked, setting his napkin down on the table.

“Sure,” she smiled and followed him. “What’s wrong?” Dawn asked once they were out of view.

“Babe, I just don’t think that we should let him drive. I mean, he had three beers before dinner and that’s his second MUG of wine,” Brian looked at her worriedly. “Dawn, is he an alcoholic? Does he hurt Buffy?”

He looked so concerned that Dawn held back the laughter that was tickling the back of her throat. “No, no, no, Spike is not an alcoholic and trust me when I say that he doesn’t do anything to Buffy that she doesn’t like. She is perfectly capable of handling herself.”

“Sweetie, my uncle was an alcoholic and my aunt, she let it go for years without telling anyone because she though she could handle it. We only found out when he put her in the hospital.”

“Something wrong, bit?”

Brian jumped and spun around to find himself face to face with the man in question.

Dawn sighed, “No, Spike, nothing’s wrong.”

“No,” Brian surprised himself by speaking up. “Something is wrong, and dammit Dawn if you won’t speak up I will.”

“Now, hold on a moment here. Don’t appreciate you talking to the girl like that-“

“No, you listen here. You may think you’ve got it under control, but if you don’t get help for your drinking, then-then I will make you get help because you are Dawn’s family and that makes you MY family.” He poked Spike in the chest with his index finger to drive the point home.

Spike looked over at Dawn, who was busy looking at the floor. “You didn’t tell him, bit?” he asked quietly.

She shook her head.

“Hey, what’s with the yelling?” Buffy asked, coming into the kitchen.

“Brian here thinks I’m an alcoholic that beats his wife, pet.”

Buffy snorted, “Puh-lease, I can so kick your ass.”

“She hasn’t told him, luv,” Spike said, softly.

“What-OH,” Buffy gave Brian an odd glance.

“Dawn what are they talking about? What haven’t you told me?” Brian demanded.

Dawn looked up at him sadly. “I meant to tell you, I did, but…”

Brian grabbed her in a tight embrace, stroking her hair as he held her. “Dawnie, I love you and nothing you can say will make me change that.”

Dawn sniffled and nodded. “Spike, just-just show him, get it over with.”

Spike waited until he had Brian’s attention and vamped out.

“JESUS CHRIST! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?”

“Vampire, mate,” Spike answered.

“And you,” Brian turned to Buffy. “Are you a vampire too?”

“Nope,” Buffy shook her head cheerfully. “I’m a vampire slayer.”

“Wha-huh?” Brian managed.

“You better sit down, this is gonna take awhile,” Dawn said.

XXX
 

Chapter 15
“What have I become, my sweetest friend
Everyone I love goes away in the end”
-Nine Inch Nails

Spike stuffed the last of their clothes into a suitcase before heading down to the living room. It had taken him a while to convince Buffy that he was capable of leaving her sight without disappearing. He had wanted-no, he had needed to do the packing alone. Needed to feel Buffy’s devastation in their bedroom as he packed their belongings, but he didn’t want her to have to relive it.

“’T’s the last of it, luv,” he said, setting the suitcase down next to the two others. “You ready to go?”

She nodded, “What are you going to do with the house?”

“Gonna torch it. Burn the memories out of our minds. Sound good?”

She nodded again, “We don’t…we don’t have a transport anymore.”

“We’ll walk a ways and then call ourselves a driver. Can tell ‘im that ours broke down somewhere. Bloke won’t care so long as we tip ‘im.”

Buffy picked up one of the suitcases and followed Spike out the door. She waited patiently on the lawn while he poured the gasoline through their home and set it on fire. It wasn’t the first home they had burned together and she doubted that it would be the last, sometimes they had to set fake fires when neighbors got too nosy about their lives or when a demon fight had destroyed the interior, but it was the only house she felt right about burning. It was the only house that she would not miss.

Spike picked up the remaining suitcases and offered his arm to Buffy. She accepted and the two walked down the street and disappeared over the hill just as the first neighbor’s bedroom light went on and the first yell of “fire” echoed after them.

XXX

Spike poked the turkey with his finger, “Uh, luv, I don’t think that’s cooked yet.”

Buffy peered over his shoulder, “What do you mean? I followed the instructions. It said cook at 350 degrees at one hour per pound.”

“Yeah, but it’s still cold, pet.”

“What would you know? It’s not like you eat food anyway,” Buffy huffed.

“Oi! You know I love a good chicken wing as much as the next fellow, so don’t be blaming me for the turkey being cold,” Spike protested.

Buffy grabbed the turkey pan, shoved it back into the oven, and slammed the door shut with a scowl on her face. She grabbed the cucumber that she had been peeling and began flicking bits of the peel all over the counter. “Stupid vampire, telling me how to cook a turkey,” she muttered to herself.

“Mommy, I finished setting the table. Wanna come see?” Madison hopped on the balls of her feet.

“’Fraid Mum’s a bit busy. Can I come see instead?” Spike asked.

“’Tay, but you gotta do what mom does,” Madison replied, taking Spike’s hand and pulling his into the dining room. “Is it pretty?”

“It’s bloody gorgeous, princess, just like you are,” Spike replied, picking his daughter up and tossing her in the air.

Madison giggled, “You swore, daddy. You’re not suppose to say bloody around me, ‘member? Mommy said so.”

“You are certainly correct and I am a bad, bad daddy. Let’s have this be our little secret, right pet?”

Madison looked thoughtful for a minute and then smiled,”’Tay, but only if I get to have two cookies after dinner tonight.” She held up two fingers to emphasize her point.

Spike shook his head. “You drive a right hard bargain there, pet, but…alright, two cookies for not telling yer mum that I swore,” he promised, knowing perfectly well that Buffy would let the girl eat as much as she wanted on a holiday.

Madison wrapped her arms around Spike’s neck and tucked her head under his chin. “Do I have to sit by Taylor?” she asked. “He always pokes me when no one is looking, and-and he opens his mouth with food in it. That’s rude, right daddy? He shouldn’t do that.”

“Oh, he does, does he? Tell you what? Next time he does that I give you permission to throw mashed potato at ‘im. Just don’t let yer mum or Auntie Dawn catch you, kay?”

“Can I sit by Aunt Tara instead? She always lets me play with her hair.”

“If you like, pet. Now, what say we go help mum in the kitchen, yeah?”

“’Tay.”

XXX

“Xander, you are paying way more attention to that musty, old book then you are to me,” Anya huffed.

“Sorry, Ahn, it’s just that this book is really fascinating. I can’t believe how much we didn’t know about this ring…or about Dawn. Did you know that she could read tarot cards? I don’t remember her ever doing that.”

Anya set her bag down in the field. “I don’t even know where we’re going? How am I supposed to teleport us somewhere if I don’t know where?”

“Listen to this, ‘The ring possesses the power to speak to the wearer through their mind. After wearing the ring for two months, I began to hear voices in my head telling me that I could rule the world and that I must raise the master’s army. At first I ignored them, but little by little I found myself following the commands without realizing it. When I found myself researching incantations to raise the army of darkness, I removed the ring from my finger and stored it safely away.’ How weird is that?” Xander asked, still walking as he read. He looked up and noticed that Anya was several feet behind him. “Hey, when did we stop walking?”

“Alexander Harris, were you even listening to me?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Um…we need to find Buffy? Can you teleport us to where ever she is?”

Anya stood with her hands on her hips. “What do I look like, some sort of Buffy homing device?” She tapped her foot for emphasis, then sighed, “Fine…fine, I’ll see what I can do. Hold on, this won’t be fun.”

Xander gulped and grabbed his wife’s hand, “God, I hate teleporting.”

XXX

“So what’s my fortune?” Buffy asked, taking a sip of her tea.

“Not doing your fortune yet, still doing mine, just like I was two minutes ago.” Dawn rolled her eyes and set another card on the table.

“Oh, well, when’s my turn?”

“When I finish with me,” Dawn answered.

“Isn’t it bad luck to be reading your own fortune?” Buffy asked.

“That’s a superstition. Now are you going to tell me what you’re doing here anyway? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but you don’t randomly drop by here much even if you do just live down the street now.”

“I need a favor,” Buffy said.

“I figured.” Dawn glanced at another card and put it down. “What’s up?”

“Well, Madison wants to go to the football game on Friday night, and I promised Giles that Spike and I would help him research some stupid ritual demony thing that supposed to be happening. Anyway, Taylor’s on the team and I thought that you might be going and-“

“You need me to drive her there and home? Yeah, not a problem.”

“And, you know, keep an eye on her.”

Dawn stared at her sister, “Buffy, Madison is in high school now. You need to tell Spike to lay off the overprotective vibe.” She set down another card. “It’s creepy.”

“I know, it’s just…he just-he worries, you know. He’s her dad, that’s what they do.” Buffy frowned, “Okay, that’s what they’re supposed to do, not that our dad ever did but…good fathers do.” She finished righteously.

Dawn flipped another card on the table without looking at it. “Yeah, it’s no problem, like I said.”

“Thanks, sis. You’re the greatest. I’ll catch you later.” Buffy hugged her sister and turned to leave. “Yuck, that’s an ugly card. Anyway, have fun.” She was out the door a minute later.

Dawn glanced at the table and frowned. Death was looking back at her.

XXX

“Are you sure this is where we’re supposed to be? Looks like a stupid hole in the ground to me.” Angelus crossed his arms and looked down into the black hole that took up most of the clearing.

“Sssh, pretty ring. Daddy doesn’t understand, but he will,” Drusilla petted the ring on her finger.

“Dru, it’s a ring. Knock it off.”

Drusilla circled him. “The ring has power. If we raise the master’s army, he will give US power, and we will rule the world.”

“I don’t like this master crap. I’M the only master needed around here, got it?”

Drusilla leaned forward and kissed him harshly. “I can see the light around you. So pretty, it is. The ring will make you glow.”

“Great, so what do we need to do this?” Angelus asked.

“Need a sacrifice, blood of a virgin, blood of a whore, blood of an immortal…blood of family,” she whispered.

Angelus smirked, “Guess we need to pay Buffy and Spike another visit. Come on Dru, let’s go.”

XXX
 

Chapter 16
“Who would’ve thought that dreams come true
And who would’ve thought I’d ended up with you”
-Rancid

Buffy lay on her side staring at Spike’s face. He was asleep, his left arm flung carelessly around her waist while the right arm rested underneath his pillow. She marveled at the peacefulness of his face, the smoothness of his lips, the muscles of his arms, the way the nail of his big toe scrapped against her leg. That used to annoy her to no end, the ragged toe nail that Spike never filed unless he filed it in bed, which was disgusting, and yet when he was gone, she would have let him clip, file, and paint his nails in bed if it meant that he would have been there with her.

Buffy ghosted her hand over his face and watched as Spike shifted closer to her in his sleep. He had been in Heaven. No matter how many times she ran that sentence through her head, she couldn’t grasp it. Heaven. Her Heaven. The one place that she would never see again, yet it haunted her dreams. It lay on the edge of her perception- taunting and tormenting her- and she could only find peace in Spike’s arms. When Spike was with her, she was in Heaven again. She’d never told him that, never told anyone that. Buffy was sure that her friends had thought that she’d gotten over her stint in Heaven, but how do you get over pure bliss? Pure love? Pure happiness? The answer; you don’t. You try to find it somewhere else and Buffy had been lucky, until Spike had been gone and Hell had raged all around her.

“Forgive me,” she whispered, brushing her lips against his.

Spike’s arm around her waist tightened, pulling her flush against him. He tucked is head under her chin and nuzzled her neck. Buffy’s arms automatically wrapped around him.

“My Buffy. My angel,” he muttered.

She stoked his hair and smiled. He was still asleep.

XXX

Buffy laughed as Spike spun her around the dance floor.

“Stop, you’re making me dizzy,” she giggled.

“Good, makes it easier to sweep you off yer feet,” Spike replied, yanking her into his arms and rocking her body to the beat of the music.

“I didn’t know you could swing dance,” Buffy said as she let Spike lead her in the unfamiliar dance steps.

“’Course I can swing dance, luv. It was the rebellious thing to do back in the forties. Told you ‘ve always been a rebel,” Spike retorted. “Unlike the Poof who spent the forties hiding in an apartment as we can see by his dancin’. Looks like he’s gonna knock Cordelia’s head off.”

Buffy glanced over her should to see Angel awkwardly stepping on Cordelia’s toe. She laughed, “Well, he doing better than Xander because-“

“Alexander Harris, you’ve crushed my foot again!”

“Sorry, you were saying, luv,” Spike grinned at her. The music slowed down and Spike pulled Buffy close. “’M surprised that Anya let him come out at all. Would have thought that on his one week off from work, she’d have whisked him to a hotel or something.”

“He really wanted to come out and see everyone, you know? I think this whole two weeks of freedom a year is kinda getting to him. He misses out on so much.” Buffy leaned in and rested her forehead against Spike’s neck. She closed her eyes and sighed softly.

“What are you thinking about, luv?” Spike whispered in her ear.

“This…us. I wish that we could stay like this forever, but we can’t. Someday,” Buffy lifted her head and looked around her. Willow was gently spinning Tara around. Cordelia had her arms wrapped around Angel’s neck, her head tilted up to look at him. Xander was battling Anya for the right to lead the dance, Brian was sitting at their table, slowly feeding Dawn forkfuls of a decadent chocolate cake. “Someday they’ll all be gone, won’t they?”

“Yes, they will…Will…Are you okay with that though?” Spike asked hesitantly.

Buffy turned and smiled at him. “As long as you’re with me, I’ll always be okay.”

XXX

Spike opened his eyes slowly to find his face pressed against Buffy’s neck. She was awake, probably had been all night, and he berated himself for being able to fall asleep when she obviously needed him. Gently, he peppered her neck with soft kisses.

“Spike?” Buffy asked softly. “Are you awake?”

“Am now,” he said huskily, pressing himself against her. “Very awake. The question is, why are you awake?” He had been slowly working his way around her neck and now latched his mouth around her nearest breast.

Buffy’s hands flew around his head, holding him to her. “Couldn’t sleep,” she moaned.

“Well, we’ll just have to do something to tire you out then, yeah?” He ran his hand down her body and stroked her through her panties.

Buffy arched into him and pulled him up by his hair. She crushed her lips against his as his hand teased her into a frenzy. “Spike,” she whispered.

“Yes, luv.”

“No teasing…need you inside me. Need to feel you. Need to be one with you.”

Spike groaned and ripped her panties with a quick flick of his wrist. He covered her body with his own, pressing kisses against her lips as he slid inside her. Neither of them moved.

“I-I want to stay like this,” Buffy whispered in his ear. “You and me joined as one, forever. You make me whole.”

“God, Buffy, what you do to me. Never felt complete until I met you,” Spike cupped her cheek with his hand. “I am yours eternally.” Slowly, he started to move his hips.

“Yours,” Buffy moaned. “Only yours, forever.”

“Now isn’t this a romantic sight? Please, don’t stop on my account. Continue with the charming words of endearment.”

Spike growled low in his throat and turned to face Angelus. “I told you to say the fuck away from us, mate or you’d be sorry.”

“And I seem to remember not caring.” Angelus moved to show the tranquilizer gun hidden behind his back. He had a dart buried in Spike’s neck before the other vampire could move.

“I have to tell you, not smart choosing to say in a hotel where vampires don’t need an invitation. Come on, Buff. That’s just asking for trouble,” Angelus continued, watching Buffy carefully. She slowly rolled Spike off of her, pulling the dart out of his neck as she did so. “I mean, I was able to sneak right in here without either of you noticing it. How have you survived all these years? Oh, that’s right. You’re immortal.”

Buffy was slowly getting out of the bed, her eyes never leaving Angelus’.

“You know what immortality means to me? It means that I can drag out your torture forever. That’s going to be so much fun.”

“It means that you’re going to die,” Buffy said lowly. Her hand shot out behind her and she caught Drusilla by the neck.

“Damn and I was so counting on Dru to be able to sneak up on you,” Angelus grinned.

Buffy tightened her hold on Drusilla’s neck. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“Oh, I’m not disappointed at all. You’re so easy to read,” Angelus replied and Buffy felt Drusilla kick her lightly in the knee.

She looked down to see the needle sticking out of the vampiress’ shoe.

“Nighty night baby,” Drusilla whispered as Buffy’s world went black.

XXX

“Well, they were here,” Xander said looking around the hotel room.

“Well, it doesn’t look like they struggled. I mean, if the tranquilizer guns worked, I’m sure they didn’t feel a thing,” Anya replied.

“Wait, how do you know they were tranqued?” Xander asked.

Anya pointed to the discarded gun lying half under the bed. “Now what do we do?” she asked.

Xander sighed, “I’m not sure.”
 

Chapter 17
“For a moment your eyes open and you know
All the things I ever wanted you to know”
-Keane

Buffy knocked softly on the door. There was no answer, but she opened it and walked into the dark room anyway. The figure on the bed rolled over on its side, away from her.

“I know that you’re hurting, but you can’t lock yourself away in here forever,” she said softly.

“Go away, Buffy,” Angel answered. “You don’t know how I feel.”

Buffy felt a surge of anger at the response, “I don’t presume to tell you how to feel, and I’ll thank you for not presuming to tell me that I don’t understand how you feel.”

“You still have your mate! I lost mine!” Angel roared sitting up to face her.

“Yes, and you still have your child but I’ve lost mine,” Buffy countered, closing her eyes against the tears that instantly welled up at the thought of Madison.

Angel stared at her a moment before curling back up on the bed. Buffy sat on the bed next to his back. Slowly she lay down next to him and wrapped her arms around his chest. He stiffened a moment before relaxing against her. Her arms were different then Cordelia’s, smaller, paler, and so much stronger.

“You can let it go, Angel. You don’t have to be strong. Let me be strong for you,” she whispered.

Angel felt the tears that had been burning in his throat begin to fall. He didn’t sob, didn’t shake, just let the tears roll down his face while Buffy whispered soothing words in his ear.

After a while, he sensed Spike walk into the room. To his surprise Spike sat on the bed next to him and handed him a handkerchief.

“Here to gloat, William?” Angel asked.

“Nothing to gloat about, mate. She was a lovely woman and I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Why are you here? Why can’t you two just leave me alone? You will never know the pain I feel.” He sat up and tried to move off the bed, but Spike held him back.

“Like it or not, we’re your family and we care about you. Yer hurting and it’s goin’ to hurt for a long time. Let us help you.” Spike cocked his head to one side and looked at Buffy over Angel’s shoulder.

“Let us take you away from here, Angel,” Buffy said softly. “There’s a place, we went there after Madison. It helped us, it can help you.”

“Fine,” Angel conceded. “Fine, take me there but leave me alone.” He flinched as Buffy kissed him lightly on the cheek.

“We’ll always help you. I promise.”

XXX

Spike woke up to find himself chained to a cavern wall. Buffy was next to him, although she was still unconscious. There were two other women chained directly across from him, awake and looking terrified.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Sssh, don’t talk. He’ll come back,” the younger looking one said.

“Hope he does, want to give him a piece of my mind, bloody bastard,” Spike muttered.

“He’s a monster,” the other woman said. “He’s not human, threw my…friend, a good two blocks…and the woman he’s with…she’s a monster too.”

“Someone’s being naughty,” Drusilla said in a sing song voice as she entered the room. “Talking, talking, talking like she knows.”

“Drusilla, what are we doing here?” Spike growled.

Drusilla grinned and sashayed over to him. “We’re going to be a family again, my William. You and me and daddy and baby.”

“What about the two birds?” he jerked his head to the two woman.

“Need them for the sacrifice. We’re going to raise an army,” she grinned.

Buffy moaned and Spike turned his attention away from Drusilla.

“You with me, luv?”

“Spike? What happened?”

“Still trying to figure that out.”

“Baby’s awake!” Drusilla clapped her hands. “We can start the ceremony. Aren’t you excited, precious?” Drusilla asked the ring on her finger.

“Stop talking to the ring, Dru,” Angelus said as he entered the room.

“But it talks to me, daddy. It says such naughty things.”

The younger girl began to cry and Angelus silenced her with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry, did I give you permission to cry?”

Both Spike and Buffy pulled at their chains in a vain attempt to break free.

“I hate to break it to you two, but you won’t be free until after our little ritual,” Angelus said. “So don’t even bother trying to free yourselves. Dru’s ring is handy for certain things like, oh, reinforcing chains.” He turned to Drusilla. “Let’s get this started, shall we?”

XXX

“I don’t like the look of this place,” Anya whispered.

Xander stared at the entrance to the cave and silently agreed.

“Do you think they’re even here?” Anya asked.

“It’s the place Dawn described in the book, so…”

A single scream cut him off.

“Yep, must be the place,” Xander finished. “I think…I think if we follow Dawn’s instructions, we should be okay.”

“Should be?”

“Well, it’s not like she ever tried it out.”

“Are you sure that you read it right?” Anya asked.

”Have I ever read anything wrong?” Xander retorted. “Come on, let’s go.” He reached out and grabbed Anya’s hand, dragging her into the cave behind him.

XXX

Buffy’s eyes were stinging as she tried to see through the fog that filled the cave. Somewhere in front of her, Drusilla was chanting in another language. The two other girls were crying loudly and Buffy tried to pull against the chains again.

“You able to get free, luv?” Spike yelled against the wind that swirled around them.

“No, you?”

“Not yet.”

“Spike, I can’t see anything, can you?”

Spike squinted his eyes and was able to make out Angelus’ figure in the mist. He watched as Angelus plunged a sculpted knife into the younger girl’s chest and captured the blood in a goblet. “No, not a thing,” he lied.

“Blood of a virgin to make it all pure,” Drusilla sang. “Blood of a whore to taint it again.” She took the goblet of virgin blood from Angelus and danced over to Spike and Buffy. “Blood of an immortal so that the spell lasts forever and blood of family to bind us together.” She slashed Spike’s wrist and caught his blood in the same cup as the virgin blood before doing the same to Buffy. “One more part left and everything will be as it should-“ she was cut off by an arrow that imbedded itself in her shoulder.

Angelus growled. “Who the hell is interrupting my ceremony?”

“That would be us, you evil soulless vampire, you,” Anya yelled.

“Well, aren’t I insulted,” Angelus smirked. “I’m going to be stopped by a librarian and a vengeance demon. Be still my non-beating heart.”

“I don’t think so,” Drusilla said, stepping in front of Xander. He had been trying to pick the lock of Buffy’s chains.

Xander grinned sheepishly and then kicked her square in the stomach, causing Drusilla to fall backwards. He muttered a few words in Latin and both Buffy and Spike’s chains released.

“Thanks, mate. Owe you one,” Spike muttered.

“We have to destroy the ring,” Xander said.

“And quickly because the ceremony has already started,” Anya added.

“Buffy and I will take care of Angelus and Drusilla, you two get the two girls out of here,” Spike said.

“Wait, I need to perform a spell to close the portal that’s opening,” Xander said.

“What portal?” Buffy asked as she turned around to see a portal opening in the floor. “Oh, that portal.”

“Okay, then Xander performs the spell, Anya gets the girls, Buffy and I kick arse, got it?”

“Who gets the devil looking guy?” Anya asked.

“What devil guy?” Spike asked.

Buffy tapped him on the shoulder, “I think she means the one rising out of the portal.”

“Er, right then. Buffy and I will get the devil guy and Angelus and Drusilla while Xander chants and Anya saves the two girls.”

“Or, I kick your ass while you’re not paying attention,” Angelus said as he punched Spike in the face. “I like this plan.”

 

Chapter 18

“Stand up strong, feel the pain
When the angels sing
Love and death don’t mean a thing
Till the angels sing”
-Social Distortion

Buffy sipped her tea politely before setting back down on the table. She had never liked tea in the first place.

“More tea?” Giles asked.

“No, thank you,” Buffy answered, covering her cup so that Giles wouldn’t overflow it again. “How are you doing?”

“Oh, fine, fine. Andrew takes good care of me…he used to want to be evil, did you know that?” Giles asked.

“Yes, I was there, remember?”

“Yes, you were there. I remember now,” Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them on his sweater. “The other Slayer was there too, right?” He shook his head. “Two active Slayers, who would have thought?”

“Faith says hi, by the way. Spike and I saw her last month.”

Giles frowned, “Spike is an evil vampire with no soul, Buffy. We must remember that his chip is not a conscious.”

Buffy sighed, “Giles, Spike doesn’t have a chip, remember? He’s a good guy now.”

“Oh, quite right,” Giles replied. “Any good apocalypses I should know about?”

Buffy shook her head. “Not this visit.”

“How’s Madison doing?”

Buffy swallowed thickly, “Giles, Madison’s d-she d…she left us over ten years ago.”

Giles put his hand over Buffy’s. “I’m sorry Buffy. I didn’t mean to…sometimes I forget, my mind…”he chuckled, “I think I now know how Drusilla must feel. I’m here, but I don’t always know where and when I am.”

“I know Giles, its okay.”

“I think I’ll be leaving soon.”

“I know,” Buffy answered.

“I’m sorry I can’t live up to my promise.”

Buffy looked confused.

“I promised that I would be standing by your side, my forever Slayer…I am sorry that you never got your normal life.”

“I have a good life,” Buffy insisted. “I have good friends, I had a beautiful sister and daughter, I have a wonderful husband, I had a wonderful mother, and,” she touched his cheek. “I had an amazing father.”

Giles closed his eyes, “Thank you.”

XXX

Spike’s head snapped back from the blow of Angelus’ fist. With a roar, he kicked his foot out and hit Angelus in the stomach.

Buffy moved toward the devil figure. Drusilla was on her knees babbling incoherently and stroking the ring. The devil was solid yet and Buffy knew that if she could get the ring from Drusilla, this would end.

Anya raced across the cave to where the girls were chained. The younger girl was dead, but the other one was alive and struggling fiercely.

“Get me out of here!” She demanded. “There’s some crazy shit going on here. I swear if I live to see tomorrow, I won’t ever spend my money on drugs again and I’ll join church and go every Sunday…I’ll join a temple too and go there on Saturdays. Just get me the fuck out of here.”

Anya released her from the chains and the girl took off running. “You’re welcome,” Anya muttered at the girl’s retreating back. She made her way back to where Xander was frantically chanting and dropping a powder around the portal.

“NO!” Drusilla leapt toward Xander, but Buffy caught her with a foot in the stomach.

“Buffy! Get the ring!” Anya yelled.

Angelus knocked Spike to the ground and pinned him down. “You’ll never defeat me boy.”

Spike smashed his head into Angelus’ forehead, “I will-and don’t call me boy.”

“Naughty baby, hitting Mummy,” Drusilla mumbled as she stood up. She was swaying slightly. “Need to raise the precious’ army. Can’t stop now.”

Buffy watched her, unsure of how to proceed.

“BUFFY, THE RING!” Anya screamed again.

Buffy slammed Drusilla against the wall, pinned her, and tried to pull the ring from her finger.

“Stuck. Can’t take it off. Too many voices,” Drusilla said. “I bit it off him, I did and he bled so prettily for me.”

Buffy shifted her face, “Guess I’ll have to follow suit then, mummy.” She grabbed Drusilla’s hand and bit the finger off.

Drusilla screamed and slumped to the floor.

Buffy removed the finger from her mouth and pulled the ring off. She tossed the finger into Drusilla’s lap.

“I got it!” She yelled toward Anya.

“Destroy it!” Anya yelled back.

Buffy dropped the ring to the ground and grabbed a nearby rock. She positioned the rock directly over the ring.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” The voice said inside her head. Buffy looked up to the devil figure in the portal. ”We can rule this world together, you and I. This ring is…precious. Can you feel it? Feel the power? The others, look at them, they would steal your power and keep it for themselves. You’ve done enough. You deserve this power.”

Buffy felt a power course through her. Why shouldn’t she keep the ring? It had been hers to begin with. Why had she given it up in the first place? This was her ring. Her power.

“Buffy!”

Her head snapped around at the sound of Spike’s voice. “Spike?” She watched in horror as Angelus pinned him down and raised a stake over his heart.

“Destroy the ring!”

Buffy turned back to the devil. She looked it square in the eye and brought the rock down. The light was blinding.

XXX

Buffy was the first one to open her eyes. The cave was dark except for a few candles. She crawled over to Spike’s unconscious body and pulled his head into her lap. His eyes opened a few moments later.

“Hi,” he said softly.

“Hi,” she replied.

“Did we win?”

“Yeah, I think we did,” she answered and leaned down to kiss him.

“Okay, ow!” Xander said, sitting up and rubbing his head. “That wasn’t in the book. Everyone on the side of good okay?”

“I have a bump on my head,” Anya complained and winced dramatically when Xander reached a hand over to examine it. “I think I’ll need Dr. Harris to take care of me when we get home.”

Xander smiled. “I think that can be arranged.”

There was a groan to the left of them and all four moved to stand around the figure on the ground.

“What happened? Why am I in a cave?” Angel moaned, slowly sitting up. “Spike? What are you doing here?” Angel looked up at him, confused.

“Long story, mate. Glad you’re you though.”

A scream filled the cave and the group turned to see Drusilla writhing on the floor, scratching herself. “Get it out! It burns! Getitoutgetitoutgetitout! Bad girl, been naughty, forgive me Father I have sinned and sinned and sinned and sinned. Cast me in hell and let me burn, I burn!”

“Oh, my…” Buffy started.

“Does she…” Xander said.

“She’s got her soul,” Spike finished.

“Thou shall not kill, not kill, not kill. Hail Mary full of grace, though I walk through the valley, I shall know no hunger, drink this wine it is my blood.”

“We have to help her,” Buffy said softly.

“No, I have to help her,” Angel said. “I made her, this is my fault.”

“Not alone,” Spike said. “Buffy and I will help you.”

“We’re family,” Buffy finished. “We’ll always be here to help you…even when you go evil and try to destroy the world.”

“Thank you…and I’m-“

“You don’t need to say it, Angel,” Buffy said softly.

“Yeah, think there’s been too much apologizing ‘round here lately. Too much gloom,” Spike said.

“I say we all go out and celebrate because-hey-I’m on an unexpected vacation here,” Xander said.

Drusillia let out another scream.

“Or we could watch movies and order a pizza?” Xander suggested.

XXX

Epilogue
*six months later*

“We’re here,” Buffy announced as she and Spike walked into the library.

”Good, you can help with the table because Drusilla was setting it when a knife reminded her of some guy she killed and she started crying and praying and Angel had to take her into the guestroom,” Anya said as she handed Buffy a stack of plates.

“Well, hello to you too,” Buffy laughed.

“Yes, yes, hello. Now go set the table.”

Spike followed Buffy into the living room to help her set the table while Anya disappeared into the kitchen.

“Hey, I thought I heard you two come in,” Xander appeared in the living room. “Sorry, Anya’s been on a cooking marathon for the past two days. She’s really taking this dinner seriously.”

“Hey, I offered to have it at our place,” Buffy said.

“Yeah, but she suddenly got it in her head that family during the holidays is important. I give up trying to figure her out,” Xander shrugged.

“XANDER! The turkey will not cut right! Come make it slice according to the picture in the book!” Anya screamed from the kitchen. Xander grinned at them and slipped out.

Buffy met Spike’s eyes and stifled a giggle.

“Don’t know what you’re laughing at, pet. I’ve been in Xander’s shoes before,” Spike said, raising an eyebrow at her.

“I have never been like that,” Buffy insisted.

“Uh-huh, you keep thinking that, Slayer.” He pulled her into his arms and stole a kiss before she could protest.

“Hello Buffy, William.”

Buffy playfully pushed Spike away and turned to the doorway. “Hello Drusilla. How are you?”

“I am well, thank you. How are you?” Drusilla walked primly into the living room and placed her hands on the back of a chair.

“We’re good. How was your visit to the sanctuary?” Buffy asked.

“I enjoyed it very much. Angel and I spent much time walking through the woods and talking with the sisters there. I have begun my path toward redemption,” she said quietly.

“That’s good, pet. You’ll do great. I mean, you’ve got great teachers and all…me and Buffy,” Spike grinned as Angel walked into the room. “Oh, yeah and the Poof too.”

“Nice to see you, too,” Angel grinned.

“Oh, good the table’s set,” Anya said. “Everyone sit.”

Xander followed behind her carrying the turkey. “I have turkey goodness and for those non-turkey eaters, I have otter blood, er, goodness.”

The group sat down at the table.

“We’re supposed to be thankful, someone say something thankful,” Anya demanded.

“Anya, you can’t force people to say something thankful,” Xander started but a look from Anya’s face silenced him. “I mean, I’m thankful for my wife and my good friends…and that the world didn’t end from the scary ring.”

Drusilla started to cry again and Angel shot Xander a dirty look.

“I’m thankful,” Spike said quickly, “for my beautiful wife.” He leaned over and kissed Buffy softly, “and my wonderful friends who are my family.” He raised his glass. “To family.”

“To family,” Buffy echoed.

“To family,” Angel said, squeezing Drusilla’s hand.

“To family,” Drusilla said softly. “Family forever.”







____________________________________________________________________

Song Listing
“It’s all over but the crying” Artist: Garbage Album: Bleed like me
“Cold man’s nightmare” Artist: Cathy Davy Album: Something ilk
“Where soul meets body” Artist: Death Cab for Cutie Album: Plans
“The year of no light” Artist: Three Mile Pilot Album: Another desert, another sea
“Perfecting Loneliness” Artist: Jets To Brazil Album: Perfecting Loneliness
“Little Earthquakes” Artist: Tori Amos Album: Little Earthquakes
“Look out below” Artist: Auntie Christ Album: Life Could Be A Dream
“You’ve got so far to go” Artist: Alkaline Trio Album: Maybe I’ll Catch Fire
“Mad World” Artist: Tears for Fears Album: The Hurting
“Couldn’t Breathe” Artist: Lennon Album: 5:30 Saturday Morning
“The Lament of Pretty Baby” Artist: Cursive Album: Domestica
“Half Jack” Artist: The Dresden Dolls Album: The Dresden Dolls
“Suggestion” Artist: Fugazi Album: 13 songs
“Because You’re Young” Artist: Cock Sparrer Album: Guilty as Charged
“Hurt” Artist: Nine Inch Nails Album: The Downward Spiral
“Who would’ve thought” Artist: Rancid Album: Life Won’t Wait
“Your Eyes Open” Artist: Keane Album: Hopes and Fears
“When the Angels Sing” Artist: Social Distortion Album: White Light, White Heat, White Trash