"Alright," Buffy sighed, pulling herself to her feet. Spike was right behind her and he pulled her close to him so that they wouldn't be separated. "Enough with the darkness. Flip on the light and let's do this."

More silence.

"Pet, maybe if you were a little nicer?" Spike suggested. He heard her immediately scoff. Nicer? That was just too rich coming from him. Nicer?

"Dammit! Show your glowy asses already! I need answers!" she demanded.

"Buffy, sweetheart," Spike persisted. "Flies. Honey. Catch more. Are you following me, Love?"

"NOW!!!!" she screamed.

He about fell over as brilliant light flooded his eyes.

"Bloody Hell! Give a bloke a break for trying to help!" he yelped as he was momentarily blinded by white light.

"Miss Summers, as always, such a pleasure to be summonsed by you." The voice surrounded them in echoing brilliance. It carried the thick, cultured sound of someone who was well-educated. And it was multi-timbred as if more than one person was speaking in precise synchronicity with the others. Of course the bloody Powers were well-educated, he thought. Omnipotent and all that rot. The voice also sounded unimpressed if not slightly annoyed.

"What is it now?" it asked.

"What? You give me this immortality and tell me that Dawn's the key to everything. You, of course, leave out the fact that Spike is alive, er uh... undead... here. That he survived the Hellmouth. You forget to tell me that," Buffy accused. "You don't get to keep butting into my life and then leaving me with more questions than answers!"

"And just why not, Miss Summers?" the voice asked, now sounding a bit amused.

"Because it's not fair!" she shouted. Spike held back a chuckle. She looked like a child. Her fists were balled at her sides. She stood on her tippy toes and he was sure she'd start stomping her feet in fits of anger any moment.

"Tah, Miss Summers," the voice called dismissively. Spike could imagine the big glowy hand that was brushing them off. "Life is not fair. Yet, there you are, on your third go-round. And now you have your vampire by your side, soul intact. Your sister is happy and healthy. Your friends have found peace and happiness in their own lives. You no longer have to fight the good fight each night. So, please do remind me what part of your life it is that isn't fair because I'm having a difficult time assaying it through your constant whines and shouts."

Buffy crossed her arms across her chest. No way was that glowy son-of-a-bitch going to talk circles around her and then dismiss her.

"Right, as I was thinking, sounds peachy to me," Spike offered in an attempt to calm down both the Slayer and the Powers.

"Oh, spare me the intervention, William," the voice scolded lightly.

"And what about when you're ready for it all to be over, Pet?" The voice was Spike's.

"That is what you said to Miss Summers, isn't it, William?" The voice was back to being the ethereal mixture of male and female timbres that it was before.

"Well, you have to admit, Ducks," Spike threw out nonchalantly. "It is a very legitimate question."

Buffy was still in front of him. He held her waist tightly, her back still to him so that they could both face the voice together. Her arms were crossed over where his rested about her. So nice to see them as a unified force, the Powers smiled.

"Yes, William. It is a legitimate question. And please, do not refer to me or my sister as 'Ducks.'"

Sister? Huh, the Powers give.

"Surely you know that we can not reveal to you your destiny. That would allow you to tamper with fate. And we certainly can not have any more of that."

And the Powers taketh away.

"The little incident with Miss Rosenberg and the resurrection spell... well, I will admit. That was quite unexpected. We truly did not expect her to pull that one off at all," the voice said sounding just a little bit chuffed with the outcome.

"You would have come back, regardless of Miss Rosenberg's meddling. Your work in your world was not done. And even He now realizes that, shirty as He may have been at the time. He does realize that even sometimes He must relinquish a bit of that omniscience for the greater good. And that, by the way, is the correct usage of the word shirty, Miss Summers," the voice informed Buffy.

Spike's brow shot up as he tried to suss out the 'He' to whom the Powers were referring.

"Not G--"

"Yes, Miss Summers. God," the voice concluded for her. "I must say, you certainly did surprise us when you figured it all out. My, my, my. Haven't you come a long way from the little girl who thought that the Turok Han was a disco singer from the 1970s!"

Were they making fun of her? Buffy couldn't believe the nerve.

"Alright, Miss Summers. Ask your questions. I can not guarantee that you will receive answers, but it certainly shall amuse us for the time being, yes?"

She wanted to kick their glowy asses... ass? Was there one or two? She was trying to pin down where they were. It was. Amuse them! And why was Spike laughing? She pulled out of his embrace and whirled around to cast an angry glare his way.

"I'm sorry, Pet," he managed between chuckles. "This is just unreal. Big room of nothing but white light and some sort of conjoined voice? You're not seeing any humor in this at all?"

"NO!" she shouted.

"They're right, Pet," he told her, looking into her angry eyes. His were soft and blue. "Can't get your knickers in a twist when you know bloody well that you'd try to tamper with any information they were willing to give you. You would have come looking for me had you known I'd survived. And maybe that wouldn't have given you the time you needed to heal."

"HEAL?" Her eyes were wide and dangerous. "HEAL? Is that what I did by becoming some sort of bookish yet slightly insane hermit? Did I HEAL?"

"Well, yeah. In a way. Maybe not the way that makes sense now. But it is apretty big universe. And there's more out there than just me and you. Other apocalypses to avert in other dimensions and all that rot. Just gave them a little time to decide what they should do, is all I'm saying. Plus, big meetings with the Big Guy who's nestled himself somewhere between the star nebulas? That's got to take some time, yeah?"

"Too smart for his own good," he heard the voice mutter. He couldn't help but smile.

"So, should we suffice it to say that Buffy's good as gold, her friends and family are on the right path to long and happy mortal lives and when the time comes, she'll be the first to know that it's done?" Spike asked.

"To meet your lack of eloquence with that of my own: Yes," the voice conceded.

"Right then." Spike reached for her hand and held it tightly. "Beam us up, Scotty."

"Just one more thing, William," the voice called to them. "You've yet to discover your gift."

Spike looked to Buffy and furrowed his brow. She shook her head indicating that she hadn't a clue what the Powers were talking about. No surprise there.

"And what would that be, Glow Worm?" Spike grinned.

A loud sigh was heard. "William, please. Enough with the pet names. They may be charming to your Slayer and other corporeal beings, but we really have no use for them here."

Spike cleared his throat and nodded. "Uh, okay. My gift, you were saying?"

And with that, they felt themselves being sucked back into their own dimension at lightning speed. They landed with a little more impact than they had the first time and he immediately heard Buffy scream.

Her voice resounded in her ears as she realized that she and Spike had landed in the soft sand of El Porto State Beach with the bright sun shining down on them. She threw her body over Spike's as her screams continued. She was frantic. She could feel him shaking underneath her; shaking with... laughter?

"Slayer, let me up," he told her as his laughter finally subsided.

"Wh-what's going on? You're not..." Her eyes grew wide. She hadn't seen him in the sunlight since he stole the Ring of Amarra and attacked her on campus. "You're not crispy-critter. What the Hell is going on? Are you... are you..."

"Dead as ever, love," he grinned. He was sitting on the beach, staring into the eyes of his beautiful girl with the sun beating down on them both. And he wasn't going up in smoke.

"I don't understand," Buffy whispered.

"Welcome to your new world, Daywalker."

It was the voice of the Powers. She heard it. She started to ask him if he'd heard it, too, but the look on his face was all the answer she needed.

"Oh my... Spike! You can... oh, God!" she cried as she wrapped her arms around him. She drew back and stared into his handsome face. "Wow, you really need a tan."

"Hey, now, Slayer. Watch it!"

He couldn't deny the fact that he was thrilled beyond belief. He could walk in the sun. He could spend his unlife with the woman he loved. The reward was greater than any risk he'd ever taken. He watched as a wicked smile crossed Buffy's delicate features.

"I have an idea," she told him.

An hour later, she and Dawn were sitting inside the Fandango Salon while Anita and Janelle worked their magic. She and Spike had left the beach with separate agendas promising to meet back at Buffy's house in three hours. He dropped her off at her Dad's house before continuing on to Angel Investigations to have a talk with Angel.

Buffy could feel Dawn staring at her from her retro-styled salon chair.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Buffy grinned.

"Hmmm... where to start?" Dawn pondered sarcastically. "I know, how about the fact that it's daylight and you're in it. Or, ooh! I know! You're finally doing something about your hideous roots and headful of split ends. Or maybe it has something to do with the smile that's been plastered on your face since I opened the door at the house. And it's not that creepy 'I'm not all there' smile that you've had for the past year."

Ancient key aside, Dawn's maturity level really hadn't advanced too greatly since the near-apocalypse in Sunnydale. She was still good for a snarky remark or a well-timed huff and pout combo. Of course, the snarkiness Buffy had always attributed to time spent with Spike. Now she couldn't help but grin thinking about how he'd taken on Dawn as his own when he thought that Buffy was dead. And he would have continued to have a hand in her upbringing had the resurrection never taken place. Buffy's smile grew even wider knowing that Spike would be part of their lives again. They were his family. And he was theirs.

"What in the world is with you, Buffy?" Dawn continued to pry.

"Keep it up and I won't take you to get your nails done," Buffy warned with a neatly waxed raised eyebrow.

Spike couldn't conceal his glee as he dialed the number to the Hyperion.

"Angel Investigations, we hope you're helpless."

Hopeless, you bint, he thought. He wasn't nearly as agitated with Harmony's lack of phone skills as he normally was, though.

"Put Peaches on, Harm," he instructed.

"Blondie Bear? Is that you?" she squealed.

"Harm!" He brought his voice down. She had an incredible way of bringing out the worst in him. "Just get Angel. Please."

He waited while he was transferred. Need some decent hold music, he thought. Maybe a Pistols medley. Or something from the Misfits.

"What is it, Spike?" Angel asked with that unmistakable tone of impatience and annoyance.

"Why don't you pull back the curtain on your necro-tempered window and look out to the walkway," he suggested.

Angel had no time for Spike's games.

"Why? Will I see you as you burst into flames?"

"Just throw back the bloody sash, you git!" Spike snapped.

He saw the curtains move slowly across the pane. Angel stepped in front of the glass and looked down to the street. He saw Spike waving at him, a delirious smile nearly splitting his face horizontally. Without thinking, he waved back. It was less than a second later that Spike heard the phone hit the floor.

"Holy fucking..." His grandsire let out a long string of profanity as he scrambled to pick the phone back up. "Get up here!" he demanded. "Get up here right now!!!!"

Angel slammed down the phone and began pacing in front of his desk. Shanshued. That stupid ponce of a peroxide blonde had been Shanshued! It made sense! Vampire. Soul. Great sacrifice! Fuck! Why was Spike always stealing his thunder? First Dru. Then Buffy. Then he went out and got himself a soul. Fought the good fight. Slayed some demons. Fended off an apocalypse or two. Now he got the Shanshu.

"It should have been me!!!" he roared. His shouts brought Wesley, followed by Gunn, Fred, Harmony and finally, Cordelia into his office.

"Angel, what is it?" Cordy asked frantically. She ran to the vampire. He was shifting in and out of game face in his fit. How could he even begin to explain that, once again, his grand-childe had managed to steal away yet another reward for which he had worked so diligently? She slipped her arm around his waist and held him close.

Spike stealthily made his way into the office.

"He's freaking out, Spike. Do something," Fred pleaded.

Angel started shaking his head. No. He didn't want that bleached moron anywhere near him. Hadn't he done enough?

"Oh, Peaches. Cut the theatrics already. I haven't stolen your precious Shanshu. Wouldn't want it. Being human's for nancy boys like you, anyhow," he let Angel know.

Angel stopped pacing and stared hard at Spike. He sniffed the air. Tried to capture a heartbeat. Nothing. Just as dead as he was the day he'd met him.

"Then how? Did you find another gem? Is it a spell?" Angel sputtered.

"You know," Spike began as he looked around the room at the slack-jawed stares he was receiving. "I think that this is best done in private if you lot don't mind."

Angel nodded. "It's fine. Really."

They filed out of his office one by one. Cordy stopped, her hand on the door knob, to question her friend one more time. "You're sure?"

"Yeah. He, uh..."

"No bloody Shanshu, Pet. Just a little thank you gift from the Powers That Be," Spike assured her.

"It's okay, Cordy," Angel told her.

She smiled weakly and shut the door behind her.

"Am I going to need a drink for this? Or something wooden with a pointy end?" Angel asked, still a little leary about Spike's sudden recovery from a century-old sun affliction.

"I could use a bit of the tipple," Spike grinned as he plopped down in one of the comfy chairs so that he could talk to Angel across his desk. He propped his boots up on the desk to have them knocked down by the brooding vamp on his way to his chair. He pulled a bottle of scotch and two glasses from his desk drawer and took to filling them. He pushed one across the desk to Spike and downed the other in one gulp.

"I didn't steal your Shanshu, you ponce," Spike insisted.

"Yeah," Angel said between swallows of his second glass of scotch. "I got that. So, what did you do?"

Spike sighed and looked at his watch. He still had a few hours. May as well give him the full monty.

"You're taking me shopping?" Dawn asked incredulously. "Okay. Who are you and what have you done with Buffy?"

Buffy giggled as she plowed through the racks at Decades. She loved the vintage styles and knew that Spike would appreciate them as well.

"Oh, just enjoy it and hush," she told her sister.

"Buffy, this place is really expensive," Dawn whispered as she read the price tag on a pair of silver Luis Vuitton high-heeled sandals. She didn't even make that much money in a week working part-time at the Gap.

"Oh, come on. It's not like I can't afford it. And when's the last time you saw me spend money on anything?" she shrugged. "I figured we could use a little retail therapy. Pick out something nice. Something... summery. Something that would look good on my back patio."

Dawn shot her a confused smile.

"I've got a little surprise waiting," she added before turning her attention back to the rack. She began shuffling through the dresses before finally stopping on a deep red confection she knew that Spike would love. It was a silken chemise with spaghetti straps. Almost looked like a fancy nighty. And it would look perfect with those overpriced Luis Vuitton sandals Dawn had pointed out.

Spike was a nervous wreck as he paced back and forth on Buffy's back patio. After Angel had found out that he hadn't been passed over for the Shanshu, things had gone a little more smoothly. Granted, he was still sorely agitated at the Powers' favor of Spike. And he still wasn't sure that Spike was the one who deserved the cookie. He did, however, know William well enough to clearly see his heart. And his heart was bursting with Buffy.

"Be good to her, William," he had said, shaking his grand-childe's hand while pulling him into a half-hug. Spike smirked at the recollection. Angel. Hugging him. That was too much. He wished Buffy could have been there. She would have really enjoyed that.

He'd taken the time to stop at the store for steaks and a bottle of champagne. Bought the good stuff, too. It was going to be a special day. Even Buffy couldn't deny Dawn a glass for a toast that was a long time coming to them all. He'd packed a small bag and returned to Buffy's house, letting himself in with the key she had given him. He started the grill and then took a hot shower while it smoldered. He was humming "My Way" to himself as he tossed on a pair of faded blue jeans and a soft white t-shirt. He even traded in his manky combat boots for a pair of runners like the ones he'd seen Gunn sporting on most occasions.

"No longer a creature of the night," he said outloud. Things were definately looking up.

He chanced that Buffy would have something he could stomach in her CD collection. He began rifling through her entertainment armoire and was thrilled to find several Sex Pistols CDs in her eclectic collection. Correction, his Sex Pistols CDs. She'd saved them all. He popped one into the CD player and then went out to the back patio to put on the steaks.

Buffy had insisted on stopping back by her father's house so that she and Dawn could put on their new clothes. Dawn was still prattling on about the expense. And then asking too many questions as to why it was so important to get so dressed up in the middle of the afternoon.

"Just do it," Buffy had told her. "For me. It will make me happy."

Dawn couldn't help but comply. She hadn't seen Buffy happy since Spike... she didn't even want to think about it. There were so many things she would have done differently. Like forgiven him.

Buffy could barely contain her excitement as she and her sister entered her home. The front door had been left open. The storm door was unlocked. She caught a glimpse of Spike as he headed out the sliding glass doors to her patio. The first thing she noticed was that the house was flooded with light. Spike had taken the liberty of drawing back every curtain and blind. He must be beyond giddy, Buffy thought with a smile. She knew that she was. And she hadn't bothered with the sun by choice. Her stomach was suddenly fluttering in anticipation of Dawn's reaction.

Dawn dropped their bags on the sofa and picked up the CD case that was sitting on the coffee table. Sex Pistols. Spike music. She set it back down and looked up at Buffy.

"Why don't you go out to the patio," Buffy said softly. She could see Spike busying himself with the grill, turning steaks and poking coals. He looked incredible with the sun shining on him, all pastel colors and white-blonde hair. "I'll be out in just a moment."

Dawn shrugged and started toward the sliding glass doors. She froze when she saw the sight in front of her. It couldn't be, could it? She froze in the doorway as Buffy grinned over her shoulder at the vampire in front of them.

Dawn felt Buffy's arms wrap around her waist from behind and her chin settle on her shoulder.

"Isn't he effulgent?" she whispered. Dawn nodded in shock.

"Sp--Spike?"

Buffy was glad that she was standing behind her sister. As soon as Spike's name escaped her lips, he shot her his biggest, brightest Cheshire Cat grin and Dawn's legs promptly buckled under her.

"He's not dead, Buffy," she whispered shakily, grateful for her sister's strong arms being the only thing keeping her from hitting the ground. It just wouldn't do to ruin a perfectly good $500 chiffon sundress. And if the heels broke on the equally overpriced Manolo Blahnik cut-out pumps, she probably wouldn't want to be revived.

"Actually," Spike told her, placing the serving tongs on the patio table. "I'm still quite dead."

Buffy giggled as Dawn straightened her back. The shakiness had seemed to wear off and Dawn was taking tentative steps toward the vampire who had been her best friend, her protector, her father figure and her greatest fan. It only took a moment and she had flung herself into his arms, burying her head in his chest the way she had when she was 14.

"You're still dead! And you're in the sun! And you're not gone! And you... you... why aren't you Spike Flambe right now?" she sobbed, a mixture of joy and remorse. She had treated him like something subterranean those last few months before the Hellmouth swallowed him whole. A world of regrets was ready to tumble from her mouth.

"I'd say let's go inside and chat, but I'm kind of new to this whole sunlight not frying my brains thing, so humor a bloke and let's sit outside." He was hugging her close and stroking her hair. Probably had smeared make-up all over his new white shirt, but it was worth it to have the Little Bit in his arms again.

Buffy walked out and sat at the patio table as Spike managed to pry Dawn's arms from around his waist. She had a grip like a vice and it wasn't an easy task, but it would be much easier to fill her in on the 15 months of his unlife if she was sitting. And if he was sitting.

"I should have known that you were back. I should have known!" she told him as she ran her fingers under the rims of her eyes to remove the last traces of the watered down mascara and eyeliner. "Buffy was so far gone... she was starting to really scare me. And then today... it was like all was right with the world again."

Spike took the seat next to her and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. She'd grown so much in the past year. What a beautiful girl his Niblet had become and he'd missed the transformation.

"You took good care of big sis, Niblet. Did the best you could, yeah?"

She nodded. "Buffy wasn't... well. And as much as I would have liked to push her into getting help, I knew that the best help I could give was to keep her condition away from everyone else. She missed you so much, Spike. She loves you so much," she told him. "I missed you, too," she added quietly. "I was wrong about you. I'm sorry."

He reached for her hand and held it tightly. She hadn't been wrong about him. He knew that now. She should, too.

"You weren't wrong, Bit," he told her. "I was a bad, rude man. But unfortunately for you and big sis, I had to get to that point in order to start making the right decisions. No chip or soul can tell me what's right and what's wrong. Vampire or not, I've always had free will. Just never chose to use it for good things."

He and Buffy took turns telling her about his return from the amulet, his time as a ghost and the decision to keep his resurgence to the corporeal plane to himself.

"Didn't realize that Buffy'd be so bad off without me," he admitted with regret.

"She tried to kill herself," Dawn told him. "So many times. And the Powers wouldn't let her. You're why they wouldn't let her, aren't you?"

"Partly, I gather," he agreed, not quite sure of the whole reason why. "The Powers tend to stick to the cryptic. They don't want us sitting around and trying to reconnoiter our whole existence too much. Best if we're kept in the dark."

"Or, in your case, the light," Buffy couldn't help but interject.

"Yeah," he said, returning her pensive gaze before turning back to Dawn. "I'm a daywalker now, Niblet. Got a pass and gave me a bit of the Blade mojo."

Dawn couldn't believe he was back. He was dead. And he was no longer a creature of the night.

"'Course, they probably have some big purpose for us all. Always do. Don't get to be immortal without a price. Don't get to be all son of Ra without them expecting the occasional favor or three," Spike cautioned her.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm just glad you're back. We missed you so much! And if I didn't tell you before, I love you, Spike. Evil dead or not, you touched our lives in a way nobody had before and nobody has since," Dawn told him. She wrinkled her nose and then shook her head with a giggle. "Euw, and am I mushy much?"

Spike went back to tend to the steaks as the Summers sisters watched him in the fading light.

"He definately needs a tan," Dawn muttered to her sister.

"Yeah, I said the same thing," Buffy smiled. "But tan or not, sunlight definately looks good on him."

"So, are you two making with the smoochies again?"

Spike's head shot up and looked back at the sisters. His hearing hadn't diminished any since he'd become Daywalker boy. Just like the Niblet to get straight to the point.

"Not so much," Buffy admitted. "But we really haven't had a chance. Between meeting with the Powers and sorting out the past year or so, there really hasn't been much time for smoochies. But we'll get to that."

Sensing Dawn's need for a demonstration, Spike made his way over to Buffy and bent down to capture her warm lips in his. It was really the first time they'd kissed since they found each other again. He took his time to explore her mouth not caring if Dawn's usual "Euw! Gross!" or "Ugh! Get a room!" interrupted. After about a minute of silence and Buffy's need for air, he pulled away and smiled.

"Wow!" Dawn breathed, reminding them that she really was there. "That was awesome!"

Spike turned and raised an eyebrow at her. Awesome?

"Jeff's never kissed me that way," she grinned.

"Jeff better not ever kiss you in any way," Spike admonished. "Who's Jeff?"

"Uh, hello? Just because you decided to play dead for the past year doesn't mean that the world stopped turning. Not so much a kiddie here any more," Dawn informed him with just the right amount of snarkiness. Buffy shook her head and smiled. Dawn was definately Spike's creation. That mouth hadn't come from anyone in her family.

"Yeah, she's been seeing Jeff for what now? About 8 months or so?" Buffy guessed.

"Try one year next week. Guess I can excuse you for having your head up your a--"

"Niblet!" Spike cut her off with a glare. "Kiddie or not, you're not too old to be taken across my knee or to have that filthy mouth washed out with soap."

"Remind me why I'm happy your back?" she pseudo-pouted. It was nearly impossible to hide how thrilled she was that he was back.

After dinner, Dawn had disappeared into the house to use the phone. She had blown off a date with Jeff to accompany her newly sane sister for a day of shopping and their impromptu barbeque featuring a very much undead vampire turned daywalker. Tha was going to be fun to explain. Jeff knew that Dawn wasn't like other girls, but she had yet to give him full disclosure. She wanted to avoid that for as long as she possibly could.

Buffy curled up on the chaise lounge against her vampire. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so complete in her life. She snuggled into his chest, grateful for the delayed series of gifts from the Powers That Be.

"So, um... where did you go today?" she asked. "While Dawn and I were out? What did you do?"

Spike wasn't sure if she really wanted to know the answer to that. If he went by her reaction to Angel the night before, he'd guess she'd find some humor in it. He hoped he was right.

"I, uh..." He took in an unneeded breath. "I went to visit Peaches," he mumbled.

She bit her lip as a smile spread across her face. He couldn't see her reaction, but she hadn't moved from his chest. He, however, had tensed up in anticipation of a lecture about what it means to be over a hundred years old and how he should be making with the maturity by now.

"I rang him up from the sidewalk. Told him to take a gander out his window," he admitted, sounding a littled shamed by his earlier childishness.

She tried to picture the look on Angel's face when he realized that Spike wasn't bursting into flames. She was sure it had been priceless.

"Stupid git got all shirty with me about how I'd stolen his Shanshu," he continued.

"Shan-what?" she asked, still not looking up at him.

"Shanshu, Pet. Little pass from the Powers That Be that lets Pinocchio be a real boy again," he explained. "'Twas the Cheerleader that got him to calm down. And then he realized that I was just as dead as always. He was all Gem of Amarra! And bloody spell! Like he couldn't believe some formerly evil, soulless piece of shit like me could ever be looked kindly upon by the Powers."

He sounded a little irritated and Buffy was quick to soothe his ruffled feathers. She tilted her head up to look at him. His eyes were a little wounded by his recollection of his run-in with her first vampire.

"He was just jealous, Baby," she told him. "You know that, now, don't you? He thought that he still had a chance. And apparently I hadn't made it clear enough that he didn't. So the Powers did. He's just hurt. He'll get over it."

He knew she was right. Part of him felt bad for his grandsire. And then that other part... well, that other part remembered the years of torture inflicted by same said grandsire. He remembered how he'd always been the one to get the girl. And that part of him couldn't help but beam with peckish pride that he'd been the one to keep the girl.

"Did... did Angel make you stay away from me?" she asked quietly. "You know, before?"

He shook his head slowly. No, he had been the one to make Angel promise to keep his secret.

"No, Pet. Told you last night. I made him promise," he reminded her.

"I... I know. I just wanted to know if I should be angry with him for some reason," she smiled, wanting nothing more than to please him.

He couldn't help but chuckle a little. His girl was doubting the Poof. He couldn't have asked for anything more ironic.

"No, Love. You shouldn't be angry with him," he told her. "If anything, you should be... you should be hopeful for him."

Yes. Hopeful, he decided. He found himself hoping that his grandsire would be able to enjoy at least half the happiness as he was enjoying himself.

"I think something's going on between him and the Cheerleader," he informed her.

"Cordy?" Buffy asked, with a raised eyebrow. "And Angel?"

She started giggling at the thought.

"Not jealous now, are we Pet?" Spike asked cautiously.

"Oh, God no. A world of no," she assured him. "Just a little stunned. I can't picture it. Angel's all... well, he's Angel. Grrr! And blah. And Cordy... she's all.. Rah! And 'let's go shopping!' I just... no. I can't really see it, is all."

"You'd be surprised how much LA can make a prissy little valley girl grow up in a very short time," he told Buffy. "Throw in a star-crossed romance with a bloke who was half Brachen demon, the transferrance of that demon's mind-crippling visions to the girl at the time of his death, a ghosty named Dennis for a roommate and taking on the maternal responsibility for Darla when she died giving birth to Angel's son, Connor, and you've got a pretty jaded and much more mature Cordelia Chase -- not to mention the makings for a Sci-Fi Channel movie of the week."

Buffy's jaw dropped. She had heard every word Spike had said, but the words that stood out the most were 'Angel's son Connor.'

"Back up the train, Bub," she said, her eyes wide. "Did you just say that Angel has a son?"

He was a litle confused. Hadn't Peaches told her?

"He didn't tell you?" he asked, brows furrowed.

She shook her head. "Not a word. Splainy, please?"

"I wasn't around for that stage in his unlife, but apparently Darla returned from the undead and shagged him senseless. Not all that sure how dead seed could create a very live baby, but it happened. The birth killed her. But Connor, he was right as rain. Amazing, but true. The boy was stolen, though. Someone with his knickers in a twist over Angel, prat named Holtz. The boy was returned an angry teenager. You think the Bit pulled some crazy stunts? She's got nothing on this kid. Wanted his father dead, he did. In the dusty sense of the word."

Buffy tried to let it all sink in. Angel was a Dad? And he had a teenage son? And he loved Cordelia? She supposed that she was in no position to cast aspersions. She was in love with a centuries old once-evil vampire who had been part of the Scourge of Europe. Stones, glass houses. Not happening here.

"So, uh... where is Connor now?" she asked, curious about Angel's human progeny.

"The giant git gave him up," Spike sighed. "Went all high and mighty and let the senior partners over at the Evil Empire do a little mindshift on everyone to make them forget the boy ever existed. The cheerleader remembered him, though. Soon as she came out of her coma, that is."

Buffy snapped her head up with a new set of questions brewing in her mind.

"That's another story to tell," Spike told her. "But the boy, he was given to a new family. Human. Angel, he, uh... he wanted him to live a normal life. Pretty sure he would have sold his soul to make it happen. For all practical purposes, he did. The whole mess with Wolfram and Hart. He managed to find a way out, though. Cordelia helped him out of it. Went back to the Hyperion and did some renovations to make it a little more vamp friendly. They've been clamoring around in a state of permanenet sexual tension since."

"How... how did you find out about Connor?" she asked Spike. "I mean, since everyone supposedly forgot."

"Right, uh, the cheerleader blabbed. Somehow, she missed out on the mindshift while she was in the coma. And Peaches, he only had me and her to talk to about it. So, I got filled in right quick on the whole thing and then sworn to secrecy that I wouldn't mention it to the others. Never said I wouldn't tell you, though," he grinned.

Buffy smiled and looked up at him with a renewed hope. He wasn't sure what was going through her mind, but whatever it was made her absolutely glow.

"Love? Something you want to share with me?" he asked, wondering what was making her smile so brightly.

"Let's make a baby."

Dawn's brow furrowed as her eyes darted from her boyfriend to Spike. Something was not right with this picture. Why had Spike called Jeff 'Connor'? And how did Jeff know Spike?

"What's going on here?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Jeff dropped his head and looked up at her sheepishly. The plan had been to lead a normal life with a normal girl and a normal family. That's what his father had wanted for him. The sacrifice had been great on Angel's part and he had done nothing to try to pull his son back into the fold even after the mindshift had been discovered by Cordelia and by Connor himself.

He remembered going back to the Hyperion to find his father sitting at his desk, a glass of scotch in his hands.

"I know who you are," he'd said softly.

Angel had kept his back to the boy, staring out into the night sky through his window.

"Then you know why I did what I did," Angel had responded evenly.

"I..." Jeff hadn't known what to say. A lifetime of memories had flooded back, mingling with those that were never his own. He sighed and stared at the back of his father's head. He looked up into the window to see his own reflection, but not his father's. "I just wanted to thank you... Dad," he whispered.

He never saw the tears that slid down Angel's cheeks. He never heard the man whisper you're welcome or that he loved him and missed him more than he could ever say. Jeff had said what he'd wanted to say. And then he slipped out of his father's office quietly.

Cordelia had been standing just outside the door, tears welling up in her own eyes upon seeing the child she'd loved as her own as an infant and the man she'd taken as her own as an adult.

"He loves you," she whispered. "We both do, Connor. Each in our own way, but both very much. We only wanted to give you what you deserved most... happiness. And something... normal."

He had nodded, barely able to look his mother, his lover in the eye. She'd reached out to touch his cheek, barely brushing it with the back of her fingers.

"You were such a good baby, Connor. And you're a good man," she'd told him. "Don't for one second think that we could ever forget you. You're in our hearts and at the very front of our minds every day. But you can't come back here again. It would kill him to see you. If any part of you loves him at all, go live the life he created for you. He sacrificed so much for you. Don't let it have been for nothing."

Cordelia had watched as Connor left the Hyperion. The emotions swirled within her. She'd loved the boy as if he were her very own. And she had been the first to love him as an adult. Her reasons had seemed so clear at the time. She had wanted to give him something real. Instead, she had fulfilled a prophesy that could have destroyed them all. And she had hurt Angel all the way down to his soul.

She had felt him while she was comatose. He had come in to read to her or talk to her. Sometimes he would just come in and sit with her. He'd hold her hand and stroke her knuckles with his thumb. And sometimes he'd lock the door and sit at her side sobbing for hours. She'd fought with everything she had to come back to him. He needed to know that she did love him and that she would wait forever for his curse to be reversed if she had to, the same way he waited achingly for her.

She had let herself into his office, his back still to the door. She stood in the doorway just watching as his shoulders shook with the pain of a million tears. And then she made her decision. She went to him and knelt at his feet, taking his hands in hers. His eyes were closed as the tears continued to fall blindly down his cheeks, wetting his face and his shirt, dripping angrily from his nose and chin. She pulled him down into the crook of her neck and held him tightly.

"I love you, Angel," she had told him for the first time. Her words only made him tremble even more. "I love you. And I'm not leaving you. I'll wait as long as it takes," she assured him.

He had pulled her up into his lap and held her close, letting her heartbeat calm him. She had been there through it all. She had become a woman nobody in Sunnydale could ever have imagined as a result of the shallow cheerleader she had been.

"I... I can't pull you into the dark with me, Cordy," he whispered. "No matter how much I like to deny it, I'm still a demon and you're a normal girl."

She had laughed softly and pulled away to look into his eyes.

"Hey Angel, part Brachen demon here, thanks to our good friend Doyle," she reminded him. "Haven't you figured it out yet? Not so much with the normal."

She had kissed him softly, just pressing her lips gently to his. She pulled away slightly and leaned her forehead against his.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," she promised. "We were bound together by that child, Angel. And we were bound together by our secret, as well. But I give my heart to you freely. It's yours... consider it a gift and you know how I don't give gifts very often, so if you try to return it... I'll have to stake you," she told him, trying to lighten the moment.

He had looked into her eyes and could have sworn that he saw his own reflection.

"No staking," he told her. "I think I'd like to keep my gift. You just let me know when you want it back."

She had smiled at him and was surprised at the genuine smile he'd given in return. She pinched him hard and he winced.

"What was that for?" he yelped.

She giggled and kissed his cheek.

"You were just looking pretty damned happy, so I wanted to make sure you didn't make with the grr! and the argh!" she explained jokingly. "Now... go ahead and say it."

He had looked at her with a puzzled expression. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I, Cordelia, love you Angel," she told him. "Your turn."

He tucked her hair behind her ear and looked into her eyes. She saw nothing but love in them and smiled expectantly.

"And I, Angel, love you Cordelia," he vowed.

"So, who wants to go first?" Buffy asked with a raised brow.

Spike and Jeff were still eyeing each other wishing that this moment had never happened. Jeff knew that it would change everything between him and Dawn. It scared him to death that she would know that he wasn't really Jeff Gelhausen and that he was really Connor, son of vampires Angelus and Darla.

He looked at Spike helplessly. The vampire returned his gaze with a sympathetic nod.

"Why don't we all go inside and sit down," Spike suggested. "It's going to be another long night."

Dawn reached for Jeff's hand and immediately retracted it when she felt him stiffen at her touch. She knew that tonight she would have to tell him the truth. She wasn't a normal high school senior who was getting ready to go to UCLA with her damn-near perfect boyfriend. She was a mystical key whose memories had been created by a bunch of stupid monks. She could lose him and until that very moment, she hadn't realized how much she didn't want that to happen. She loved him.

Dawn sat on the sofa and snuggled up against her sister. She needed Buffy's strength to get through the night. She needed to be able to see Spike as he sat in the chair across from her and feed off of his reassuring expression. Jeff sat on the end of the couch opposite of her, his face awash with guilt. He was going to break up with her for lying. She just knew it.

"It seems we all have some explaining to do," Spike began.

Buffy had already heard the story. She knew who this boy really was. She tried so hard not to stare, but couldn't tear her eyes away from the miracle that what sitting across from her. He had Angel's eyes, dark chocolate brown with his soul clearly etched in them. And he had Darla's delicate features. He was thin and slightly androgynous looking. His skin was fair and smooth. But no tinglies were going off. And she'd touched him before. She knew he was very much alive. More questions formed in her mind at the Power's decisions. What had they done? And why?

Something about seeing the boy also gave her hope. Two vampires created this living, breathing being. Two vampires who had once been evil and soulless. Darla and Angel were blessed by the Powers with a son. How could Spike think that he and Buffy hadn't earned the same reward?

"I take it you've heard of me," Spike threw at Jeff. "Your Dad filled you in on our past, yeah?"

Jeff nodded slowly. He knew all about Angelus and William the Bloody. Holtz had given him the reader's digest version of the havoc wreaked by the Scourge of Europe and their sires, Darla and Drusilla. The man he was regarding now, though, didn't give off the same vibe as Holtz had described when talking about William the Bloody. There was something different about him.

"Not by Angel... uh, by Holtz. The demon who raised me until I was 16," Jeff corrected.

"Right," Spike nodded. He'd heard the story from Angel and Cordelia. He knew it well. "And what has Angel told you?"

"Um, I , uh... I remember something about you getting a soul," he told him. He looked at Buffy and back to Spike. "For her. You got your soul for her."

"Right, then. People change and all that rot," Spike nodded. "Glad we're on the same page, then. And you knew that this was the Slayer?"

Jeff stared at Buffy for a moment. No, he hadn't known. Not until the moment he locked eyes with Spike. He didn't know if it was a residual of the mindshift or if he'd just been in denial, but he hadn't pieced together Buffy as the Buffy from his father's past. And he hadn't heard very much of the story, either.

"Um, not until I saw you. It didn't register," he told Spike. "There are a lot of things still kind of jumbled in my head. I remembered my Dad right away. I went to see him once since my memories started to return. But Cordelia told me that it would be best if I stayed away. She said it hurt him too much to see me and that he made a great sacrifice so that I could live a normal life... a human life."

Dawn's jaw was dropped and her eyes were wide with shock. She felt Buffy's arms around her, her hand stroking her hair comfortingly. Her boyfriend... her normal boyfriend was the offspring of two vampires? Go figure. Of all the boys in LA, she had to fall in love with the one who was as much of an enigma as she was.

"Dawn, I... I wanted to tell you," he told her, tears welling up in his eyes. "I wanted to tell you so bad... but I was scared. I thought it would push you away. I thought that you wouldn't want me because I was... because of what I am."

She moved out of Buffy's embrace and reached out her hand to Jeff's. He was surprised when she gripped it tightly in hers.

"You're a dope," she told him, her eyes angry that he could ever think that his parentage would make her love him any less. "I love you, Jeff. Connor. Look around," she said, her free hand sweeping the room. "My sister is the Slayer. She's in love with a vampire." Spike cleared his throat and Dawn grinned. "Correction, Daywalker. And me? Maybe I should have come clean witn you from the get go, but I was scared, too. I wanted something normal. I wanted to be a regular girl and have a regular life. But that's not going to ever happen. And I'm fine with that. This is normal for me. I like knowing that my family saved the world. And I like knowing that I have a boyfriend who can understand and accept that. Now," she took in a deep breath. "Now, I need you to accept me."

He was confused. There was nothing strange about Dawn, outside of the fact that her sister was the Slayer and was in love with William the Bloody.

"Of course I accept you, Dawn," he told her truthfully. "I love you, you know that, don't you?"

She smiled up at him. He'd never said the words to her before. Would he still feel the same when she told him she wasn't real?

"Then, I hope you understand why I never told you what I really am," she began. She looked over at Spike who was nodding his encouragement.

"I'm, uh... not so much real."

Jeff looked confused.

"Maybe you should rephrase that, Bit," Spike suggested. "You're very much real." He shifted his gaze to Jeff. "Dawn is a vessel. She's flesh and blood, made from the blood of her sister, the Slayer. But she's so much more than that. She was created by the Dagon monks, they had forged an interdimensional key of pure energy and they chose her to be its vessel."

Jeff was listening. He seemed amazed by what Spike was telling him.

"They made Dawn from me because they knew that I would protect her with my own life," Buffy continued. "And I did. I died for her when Glorificus tried to open the portals to Hell. We defeated Glory. And the Powers allowed us all to retain our false memories of Dawn and allowed us to keep her. I can't remember my life without her. As far as my memories are concerned, she was always there."

Jeff was rapt in Buffy's story.

"And I think maybe you two have a lot more in common than you originally thought," she continued. "Your father was my first love." She looked over to Spike. He didn't seem upset by the mention of her relationship with Angel. He knew she loved him. And that Angel was a part of her past. "We all know about the mindshift. We've experienced it ourselves with Dawn. I think maybe the Powers..." She looked to Spike for help.

"The Powers might have had a hand in bringing you two not-so-normal kids together," Spike finished for her. "They're the meddling sort. But they're big with the all-knowing."

His use of words earned him a grin from Buffy. She was rubbing off on him.

"Jeff.. Connor... I-- what should I even call you?" Buffy asked him.

"Connor's fine," he replied. "It, uh... it feels more natural. It feels real."

"Connor, you and Dawn were brought together because the Powers knew that you would be able to understand each other. They knew that you would be able to love each other despite the fact that neither of you are cut from the traditional sit-com family cloth. Know what I mean?"

Connor smiled appreciatively at Buffy's attempt at an explanation. He knew.

"They knew that you and Dawn could love each other not just despite the fact that neither of you are normal, but because you're not normal," Buffy told him. "Trust me, I've tried normal. Not so interesting. I wouldn't trade my life for anything. And I've had plenty of opportunities. I... I wouldn't want a normal family. I wouldn't want a normal boyfriend. Spike and I... we're the biggest anomaly of all. A Slayer... in love with a vampire? And a vampire who loves her back? It doesn't get more abnormal than that."

"What the Slayer is trying to say, Connor, is that what makes us different makes us love each other even more. And when we look really deep, we find that our differences really aren't too different after all," Spike elaborated for her. "You two kids are very special. You've both been given the chance to live happy, normal lives. Nothing's stopping you from doing that. You're both flesh and blood. Both have beating hearts and shining souls. Your Dad would want you to keep living your life just the way you've been doing since he set you free, Connor. Doesn't matter what name you use, you'll always be his. And he'll always keep you tucked inside his heart... and he does have one. Kind of resembles a dried-up walnut on occasion, but it's there. Buffy can attest to that. She's seen it."

Buffy nodded, appreciative of Spike's understanding that Angel really was in her past. And warmed by the fatherly way he spoke with Dawn and Connor.

"Make him happy, Connor. Don't let the truth change the path you're on. It's a good one. And you have a girl who understands who you are and where you're from. You have me and Buffy and you can ask us anything. I owe Peaches at least that much," he admitted.

Connor smirked, remembering how his father had cringed at times when someone would mention Spike. And, at other times, he'd get a faraway look as if he was remembering something fondly. He let Dawn crawl into his embrace and held her tightly to him.

"I do love you, Dawn," he murmured into her hair.

"I love you, too, Baby," she promised.