Chapter 26:

***

Angel followed the man that he had seen
stalking his childe and his mate. The man was
obviously skilled, for he took great measure to
avoid detection. If Angel had been a mortal
man, he would have quickly lost this man.

However it was clear that this man had never
been in this town before and did not know the
layout. He became confused a few times and
would double back to orient himself.

This was not promoting safety. Although the
man would have evaded many humans and most
animal’s detection he was attracting that of
many demons who knew the scent of a lost
human and registered the easy prey, or so they
believed.

They continued to go through the town, slowly
getting closer to the docks as the man began to
remember his way. However to get there he had
to pass through an area of the town that was
especially densely populated by demons.

So he was not surprised when a vampire jumped
out of an alley, eager to grab the human that was
foolish enough to be in this area alone at night.
Angel acted quickly, stepping between the man
and the attacking fledgling.

Quickly he had knocked the vampire’s head into
a wall with a quick backhand. Using the
moment that the vamp was stunned he plunged a
stake deep into the heart of the creature, wiping
the dust from the sleeves of his coat.

Angel turned to face the man who he had been
following to see the man standing there pointing
a knife in his direction. Angel put his hands up
in a sign to calm the man before him, “Easy, I
just want to help.”

The man looked skeptical, “Then why were you
following me? Why didn’t you show yourself
before this?”


“I wanted to see how you moved and worked,
find out if there was anything I could learn
before making myself known.” The man in front
of him had not lowered his knife or relaxed his
defensive stance, “I don’t mean to harm you.”

“Then what the bloody hell do you want?”

“I expect that you’re one of the men the council
sent, those special assassins. I believe that you
were told to kill the girl and the blonde vampire
that you saw with her.”

The man seemed stunned by Angel’s statement,
but did not lower his weapon, “How do you
know all that and what does it matter to you?”

“I happen to know and work closely with a
watcher who lives in the area. He told me of a
group of specialists and you move in the way of
a seasoned hunter. I want to help you.”

“Why? Why should I believe that?”

“The blonde vampire took something of mine,
something very precious to me and I want it
back. The only problem is that I can’t challenge
him for it directly, I tried that once and he
proved a match for me. I need for him to die in
order to reclaim what he took, and for that I
need your help.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Let’s say that you’re telling the
truth for now, what would you do? How could
you help me?” His stance had relaxed somewhat
and he had lowered his knife although it still
remained in his hand by his side.

“You ever heard of a vampire with a soul?”

The man in front of him nodded, “Yeah, they
told us he was helping in the fight for good and
all that.”

“Well I’m him. I can get you in with the demon
world here, help you get an in on his
weaknesses. I don’t like Spike, and although I’m
not well liked in the demon world I can gather
any information you might need while you are
here, as well as grant you safe passage.”

The man in front of him considered him for a
while. Then he nodded, “All right. I suppose it
would help to have someone in their group
helping us out. My name’s Hess.”

Angel nodded, “Angel. But I’m not really on the
most friendly terms with that group. Spike
doesn’t trust me although he doesn’t see me as a
threat. However I can get you someone who’s
even closer to them to help you guys out. I’ll
bring him by in an hour.”

******

Xander was lying on his bed tossing a ball
against the wall and catching it. Sometimes his
life just sucked. The girl of his dreams had
given in to another bloodsucker, and this time it
was forever, there was no chance of them ever
separating.

A vampire. He’d had problems with the
creatures ever since he had seen them take his
friend. The cool guy that was awkward and
strange like him had become a vampire, one of
them.

And Xander had been appalled at what the
transformation had done to Jesse. The friend he
had known was gone. The one he had seen
before him had been crass and cruel, too much
like the kids who spurned and made fun of them
in school.

Xander had hated what he knew the demon did.
He hated how it changed people, how it could
turn someone into something else, make them
cruel and just, different.


But what had really rankled him had been the
total disregard that Jesse had shown him, as if
Xander wasn’t even worth his time. Jesse had
found that he was strong, confident, all the
things that he had lacked.

And Xander was jealous. He wanted that
strength. He wanted that power that he saw
when he looked at his friend. The power that he
had seen in Buffy.

The difference with Buffy was that she seemed
more attainable than Jesse, in a different way.
Where his old friend had been aloof Buffy was a
lot more down to earth. She didn’t shun those
who were weaker than her, and respected what
they could do. She had preferred to spend her
time with them.

And now she had Spike. A vampire who had
saved her. She wanted to spend more time with
him, and had spent less with him and Willow.
She was not cold, but she was more wrapped up
in other matters. She was becoming more and
more like the vampires in his eyes.

Suddenly there was a knocking at his window.
He looked up, Willow had stopped coming by
since he had lost his temper in the library. He
wondered idly what could be out there.

He opened the window and frowned when he
spied the form of Angel, standing on his lawn.
He tried to close the window but Angel stopped
him. “What do you want, Angel?”

“I know that you don’t like Spike. And neither
do I.”

“Yeah, what of it? I don’t particularly like you
either.”

“Well it doesn’t matter. You remember those
council guys who take out vampires and slayers?
They’re here in Sunnydale.”

Xander perked up at this news. “Really?”

Angel nodded, “You want to meet them?”

Xander nodded and shoved his feet into his
shoes. He climbed out his window and followed
Angel off into the night towards what he hoped
would make him feel somewhat better.
*****
 

Chapter 27:
Spike walked along the streets of Sunnydale
towards Buffy’s house. He was making a trip to
the butcher shop in order to stock up on blood for
the next week. Since he had stopped hunting in
order to be with his slayer, he had been bagging it.
The butcher had grown accustomed to seeing him
and knew what he would order: two baboon, five
cow and seven pig.

Spike had wondered to himself many times why
the butcher would have baboon blood. But he
didn’t question the man. There were some things
he didn’t want to know. Oh well, it can not be
questioned about taste.

His time with Buffy had been some of the best in
his un-life. He had been attracted to the blonde
since the first time he had seen her but had
dismissed it quickly. But she had lingered in his
mind, even as he took Dru to South America.

When he had been told to pursue her he had only
needed a small push to do so. He had wanted to
know, knew that she was different. Different from
all the other women who had passed through his
life.

In Buffy he had seen the loneliness that haunted
him. When he had claimed her he had seen the
vulnerability and the pain that mirrored his in so
many ways. He had felt her need for someone
who would stay with her and her sense of
hopelessness, believing she would never find such
a person.

If he had held any doubts about wanting this girl
that bite had erased all of them. He had known
then that he had found the one for him, that he
wanted to be the one for her. He had seen her pain
that was so like his and he wanted to wrap his
arms around her and never let go.

The effects of their mating had been more than he
had expected. When they had joined they had both
grown so much stronger. He had walked in the
sun for the first time in over one hundred years,
confirming that many of their weaknesses had
been negated with their joining. Spike was sure
that there were more perks that they had not
discovered yet, but he would explore them with
her.

Something suddenly caught his attention in the
air. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch this scent.
Yes, this was one he had smelled before, he was
sure of it. He sniffed again.

This was a scent he had noticed several times
before, always around him and Buffy or places
where they had been. At first it hadn’t concerned
him so much, he had just assumed it was some
gawker and thought nothing more of it.

But the he caught the scent too many times for
that and he was forced to abandon the idea. He
sniffed again, someone was stalking him and his
slayer. He did not like that idea, even though this
stalker was human and he and his mate were quite
a bit stronger. The idea of someone following
them was disconcerting and rather worrisome.

Spike ran a list in his head, who would want to
hurt him and his slayer? The list of demon
culprits who would be after his slayer was
endless, but this scent was human. He also didn’t
know of any in the demon world who would be
after him.

His list was narrowing down quite rapidly. He
could only come up with two humans that would
want to do harm to him or his slayer. One of them
was too stupid and incompetent to be of any
concern to him. That left the last option.

Yes, it had to be them. Dammit, but he was going
to kill that watcher! The scent that was trailing
him had to be that of one of the council assassins.
The watcher must have summoned them, telling
them about the mating between him and the
slayer.

If he was right then this was a real threat to him
and his girl. These people might not be as strong
as him but they were trained to deal with slayers.
They had killed countless slayers and knew how
to deal with those who were stronger than them.

He was sure of this. Buffy would need to know
about this. He knew that she had already felt his
anxiety and would be worried. He picked up his
pace towards her house.

Indeed Buffy had sensed the change in his mood.
Through the bond that they shared she had felt his
anxiety rise dramatically, and it worried her. She
knew Spike well enough to know that he did not
worry about just anything. When he was troubled
it usually did not bode well.

What could have bothered him so much? His
feelings were beginning to transfer over to her.
Feeling as though she needed to relieve some
tension she began pacing back and forth across
the living room floor.

Spike walked in as she was pacing. He took a
moment to smile inwardly, this was a habit that
she had picked up from him and he found it kind
of cute. He quickly abandoned that as he had
important things to discuss with her.

She turned to him as he closed the door behind
him and walked into the living room, placing his
bag on the coffee table. He straightened up and
looked to her, “Buffy luv, we have a problem.”

She nodded, chewing her lower lip, “I thought so.
I was wondering why you were so agitated.”
Spike was fiddling with his hands and looked as if
he might start pacing himself, “Spike, what’s
wrong. I’ve never seen you this agitated before.”

“Luv, have you talked to your watcher lately?”

She shook her head, “No, not for a while now. I
haven’t felt really comfortable around him since I
found out about the council. Plus he’s been
locked in his office drinking.” She looked at him,
and he was now pacing across the floor, “Why
Spike? Does he have something to do with why
you’re so upset?”


Spike sat down and motioned for her to do the
same. She took a seat next to her and he took her
hand in his, “I think that he called the council to
send their special team after us.”

Buffy drew back slightly at his words. She had
heard Giles admit it but she would never have
thought that he would actually call the council, “I
don’t believe it. Why do you think that?”

“Someone’s been following us. I picked up their
scent where we had been. At first I didn’t pay it
any mind but I kept on picking up the same scent
all where we had been for the past week or so. I
don’t like the idea of someone following me or
you.”

“Why do you think that it’s the council? There
are plenty of people who might be following us.
Why did you think it isn’t one of them?”

“I thought about all the people that it could have
been. The problem is that most of our enemies are
demons and most of those wouldn’t want to
bother me. Besides the scent I picked up was
human. And there really aren’t that many humans
who would want to come after us.”

“You’ve got a point there.” She was silent for a
moment, “Spike, what are we going to do? If
these guys are really the elite squad that is
brought to kill slayers we are in a lot of trouble.”

“It’s ok kitten. We’ll get through it, you just see.
We just got to be a bit more careful is all.”

“I hope you’re right. But these guys job is to kill
slayers. They’re not going to stop untill I’m
dead.” Tears were welling up in her eyes. Spike
pulled her into his arms.

“Shh, I’m scared too. It’s ok, we’re together. It’s
gonna be ok.”

Chapter 28:

Despite their knowledge that they were in serious
peril from the council’s assassins Buffy still felt
that it was her duty to go out patrolling the
following night. She had told Spike that mortal
danger or not protecting the world was still her
job. And besides, these guys had been following
them for a whole week, what would one more
night hurt?

Spike had shook his head but had grudgingly
agreed that she should patrol, and then insisted
that he should accompany her. He believed that if
any of them should attack her she would be safer
if he was there to help her fight them off. She
didn’t mind, enjoying his presence on her patrols.

They told her mother where they were going and
informed them that they might stay at Spike’s
place if they were out too late. Joyce wasn’t
thrilled at this but conceded on the request that
they call her and tell her if they were staying there
or if they were in trouble.

Joyce looked out at them as she left. She really
was proud of her daughter for what she was
doing. She might not approve of the risks but she
understood that Buffy was doing something good
despite the danger that it brought.

And she was happy that her daughter had found
someone like Spike. She wanted her to be happy,
to be able to find someone who could understand
her and would stand by her no matter what. She
believed that Spike would do that for her
daughter. She knew that he had already gone to a
lot of trouble to make sure that she was safe and
that he would go through more to keep her that
way.

She didn’t pretend to know what the future would
bring for her daughter, but she did know that not
all of it would be good. She knew that there was
the immediate danger which they had filled her in
on. She knew that it would be tough but she
hoped that the two of them would make it through
all right.

Buffy and Spike went through the cemeteries
saying little. They met with few vamps and those
they did see were killed with little flourish.
Neither was in any mood to quip or jibe. The
work was done silently and quickly so they could
get inside where they would be safer.

After six staked fledgelings they thought they
might head in when Spike went stiff. He inhaled
deeply, bringing the night scent into his dead
lungs. This worried Buffy, as she could sense his
fear through their bond, “What is it Spike?”

He grabbed her arm tightly as he looked around,
“We need to go, now. It’s not safe here.”

“Why, do you smell one of those stalker guys?”

“Not just one, at least five of them. They’re all
around. It’s not safe, we have to leave, now.”

Suddenly he grabbed her and pushed her to the
ground. Above them something hit the tree
causing wood splinters to fall down on them.

They stood up and Buffy got a glimpse of the tree,
or what was left of it. Something had gone
completely through the old Ash tree, blowing a
hole in so it was tilting. Under the damage the tree
collapsed, breaking in half to fall to the ground
behind them.

Spike was focused onthe direction the shot had
come from. Crouching behind one of the
tombstones was Holtz, holding a high powered
rifle. Seeing his target get up unhurt he cocked his
rifle, sending the shell casing off to the side as a
new bullet was loaded into the barrel.

Around them others came out. There were four
others, just as Spike had thought. Holtz seemed to
be the only one who was carrying a gun, though.
The rest seemed to be armed with things more
focused towards the killing of vampires as well as
Slayers. One was holding a crossbow, while two
others held knives. The last man held a stake, all
of them seemed ready to strike.


Spike drew closer to Buffy, and spoke lowly into
her ear so that she would be the only one to hear,
“We have to try to get out of here, don’t worry
about killing them. Remember what I said about
our mating making us stronger?” She nodded,
“Don’t worry about me, the stakes won’t dust me.
I’m not sure about you but I’m pretty sure you’re
harder to kill as well.”

He felt her exaltation flow through the bond,
although she was careful in not letting it get to her
face. “Don’t get too confident though, I don’t
know what will kill you and they might still do it
so just try to get out and get to my place as
quickly as possible.”

She nodded and they moved apart slightly. They
dropped into a fighting stance as they prepared for
the attack. Whatever was going to happen, they
would be ready for it.

The two men with knives attacked Buffy. Deftly
she ducked as one of them attempted a slash at her
throat. She knocked his legs out from under him
with a sweep of her leg. As she came up other
man attempted to thrust his knife into her gut but
she grabbed his arm and flipped him over towards
Holtz, knocking them both to the ground.

Spike was fighting his own battle against the other
two men. As soon as the two knife men had
attacked Buffy the man with the crossbow had
released a bolt right at Spike’s heart. Spike had
caught it out of the air, flipping it in his hand to
use as a weapon against the now attacking man
wielding a stake. The two men circled each other
slowly.

The crossbow man had quickly loaded in a new
bolt and snapped it off towards Spike. Spike heard
it and threw his arm up as he twisted sideways,
still keeping his eyes on the man with the stake.
The bolt sunk into his arm, going all the way
through to stop imbedded in his flesh.

Spike screamed out as the bolt hit. It might not be
fatal but it still hurt like hell. Seeing his
opportunity the man with the stake moved
forward to attack the hurt vampire.

Spike heard the man attacking and turned towards
him. Through great pain he moved quickly,
jabbing the first crossbow bolt that he was holding
into the wrist holding the stake. As the stake fell
from the man’s hand Spike moved quickly,
snapping the man’s neck.

As the man fell dead at his feet Spike pulled the
bolt out of his arm and turned to the man who had
shot the bolt. He didn’t have time to kill this man,
he needed to end this quickly. He moved forward
swiftly, grabbing the reloaded crossbow arm and
moving it away from him as it discharged, hitting
a nearby tree. With his other hand he delivered an
uppercut to just to the side of the man’s chin. The
man fell down to the ground with the blow,
unconscious.

Upon throwing the second knife man towards
Holtz the first knife man had rolled up and
delivered a shallow slice to her upper arm. She
cried out, cursing herself for not paying more
attention to the man. Quickly she turned her
attention to the man in front of her.

Spike turned his attention to the fight that his girl
was engaged in. He checked the two men collapsed
behind the tombstone. Holtz had dislocated his
shoulder and was no danger now as he lay
beneath the knife man who had hit his head on the
stone and now lay unconscious with blood
dripping from his wound.

He moved quickly to where his girl was dodging a
blow from the knife man. They needed to get out
of here. He could already pick up the sound of
more men approaching and he knew that they
wanted to be gone when they got there. He
grabbed a branch and moved over towards Buffy.

Buffy was caught up in her fight, trying to guess
the next move of her assailant when he went stiff
and collapsed on the ground. She looked up with
relief to see Spike standing behind him holding a
large branch. He was alright. She had felt his pain
during the fight and had become worried.

He grabbed her arm and they began running
quickly towards his house, “Quickly, luv. There’s
more coming. We’ll be safe in my place, I just
had it enchanted so that it’s protected and hidden
from those who would do us harm.”

“Spike, I felt something during the battle. Are you
ok?”

He nodded, “I’m fine luv, we’ll deal with it once
we get inside.”

They moved quickly through the streets towards
his house. They ducked inside, thanking their
lucky stars as they closed the door, while at the
park the reinforcements arrived to bring the dead
and wounded back to their base.

It was time for a first strike. The assassins knew
that they had been brought out into the open.
They looked at their dead friend. They would take
the next casualty in this war.
*****
 

Chapter 29:

With the info that the girl’s friend had provided
them they set out to destroy her. They needed to
root her out, to destroy her safe-havens. With the
death of their comrade they had seen the need to
step up their offensive.

They knew where they would strike. The girl’s
friend had told them all about her. They knew
how and where to strike to hurt her.

They knew where she lived.

They knew that if they struck her while she was at
home they would catch her off guard. She
considered her home her safe haven, someplace
that the danger could never touch. She would be
unprepared for their attack and they would end
this quickly.

The girl’s former lover had told them that the
vampire had been spending a lot of time over
there. If they were lucky they would be able to
kill him tonight as well. He was protective of her
so it was unlikely that he would part from her
after the fight they had endured this night.

The men crept up on Revello Dr silently. They
had taken guns, all of them. They were all armed
with bullets coated in holy water. They were
deadly to both human and vampire.

They would take no chances. Their dead comrade
had shown them the brutality that the vampire
could act with. They had found him with a
crossbow bolt through his wrist and a broken
neck.

The men were just glad that he was the only
fatality. The other four were going to be all right,
Holtz’s shoulder was in a sling and two of the
others were coming to consciousness without a
problem. The other man had a slight concussion
but they believed he would be alright.

There were seven men in this party, three who had
regained consciousness from the last fight and
four who were fresh. Using the cover of darkness
they crept up to the house the boy had described
to them. The lights were on in the house; someone
was home.

Two men circled around to the back of the house
to block the exits in the rear. The five remaining
prepared to enter through the front door. They
approached the heavy oak and tried to the door to
find that it was locked.

Joyce had heard the fiddling at the doorway and
assumed that Buffy and Spike had returned home.
She came down the stairs to greet them when the
door was kicked in. That seemed to happen a lot
these days.

There were men at her door. She was scared for a
moment before a loud noise rang through the
house. She wondered where Buffy was and why it
was so cold.

The men poured through the door as the woman
on the stairs fell down, blood spattered against the
stairs behind her. She wasn’t the target, she was
too old. The men spread out, looking for the
house for the girl.

Three of them searched the downstairs, tearing the
place apart in their search. They checked in the
basement where they found an old cot but it
seemed abandoned. Two walked upstairs past
Joyce’s unblinking eyes.

They searched the house thoroughly. Nothing was
left untouched. When they knew that she wasn’t
there they searched for anything that might tell
them where she was. They found nothing.

Only one hour since they had found their friends
in the park they had searched the girl’s house and
found it empty. They left, knowing she would see
it. They got a perverse sort of satisfaction at this,
leaving all of this for the girl to find.

On the stairs Joyce’s hair was spread around her
head in a golden-brown halo. Her green sweater
stained dark red and her arms spread to the sides
as she stared up with empty eyes, waiting for her
daughter.

*******

Buffy and Spike had arrived at his house, tired
and scared. Buffy had bandaged up Spike’s arm
and had offered him some of her blood which he
had taken, biting her gently to reassert his claim
and to comfort, as well as feed.

They were curled up together on the couch,
wrapped around each other and enjoying the
comfort that they brought each other. Something
struck Buffy and she sat up, “Spike, I have to call
my mom. She said she wanted to know if I stayed
here.”

He nodded, “Go on then pet.”

She smiled lightly and leaned in to kiss him
lightly. She moved over to the phone and dialed
her home phone number.

She waited for at least ten rings before she turned
to Spike with her worry etched on her face,
“Spike, my mother’s not answering.”
 

Chapter 30:

******

Buffy stood in the ruined doorway of her house
looking at the figure on the stairs. Slowly she
walked forward to the body of her mother. It
couldn’t be real, they couldn’t have been that
cruel or thoughtless.

Tears were rolling silently down her face. She
felt a hand rest on her shoulder and she turned
and buried her face in Spike’s chest, sobbing
hard. Spike held onto her tight. He stared at the
body of Joyce on the stairs, tears rolling down
his own cheeks. She didn’t deserve this. If only
he had made them put protection spells on the
house...

He’d seen a lot of dead bodies, most of them by
his hand. He’d also seen humans kill humans,
and he had to say that the most brutal killings he
had ever seen had been done by humans to other
humans.

In brutality this wasn’t very bad, but Joyce was
special. For the first time since he was human
when his father had been killed in a hunting
accident someone that he cared about had died.
Joyce had been a good woman, like a mother.

“Spike, what’s going to happen now? What are
we going to do?”

“I don’t know luv. I haven’t dealt with anything
like this in quite some time. I don’t know what
we’re going to do.”

“I’ve got to call the others. I’ve got to call them.
I’ve got to tell them...”

“Buffy, sit down.” He guided her to the couch
and sat her down. She was staring forward at
nothing, shaking slightly. “Buffy, look at me.”
She turned her head, “This was horrible, and
we’re both hurting. Your mum was a good
lady.”

She just stared at him blankly. How could her
mom be gone? She was supposed to be safe
from all the slaying dangers.

That damn council. “Spike, what’s going to
happen to me? I’m only 17, what’s going to
happen now that my mom’s dead?”

“We’ll figure something out. I’m not going to
let them take you away from me. But right now
you had a point, your friends do need to know
about the danger they’re in. If they killed your
mum they wouldn’t pause to kill your friends.”

She nodded. They needed to know. She reached
over to the phone, dialing in the familiar number
for Willow’s house. The phone rang about three
times before it picked up and a familiar voice
broke in, “Hello?”

“Willow?”

“Buffy? Is that you? What’s wrong? Do you
want me to come over?”

“Call Xander and tell him that the council’s
assassins are here.”

“Oh my god, Buffy, are you ok? Is Spike hurt?
Is anyone hurt?”

“They killed my mom.”

The line was silent. “I’ll call him and we’ll be
over as soon as we can.”

Buffy hung up. She seemed so cold. She didn’t
even realize she was crying until she found
herself in Spike’s arms, with him stroking her
back as she sobbed into his wet shirt.

A few minutes later a voices came from the
open doorway where the councilmen had kicked
open the door. It was Xander and Willow,
Willow cried out, “Oh my goddess! Buffy,
Spike, you there?”


Willow came in followed by Xander. Willow
was crying softly while Xander was looking
around with shock and disgust. “How could they
have done this?”

Xander surveyed the carnage that was the house
as Willow sat next to her crying friend and her
mate. He had never wanted Joyce dead. She was
always good, she’d never done anything wrong.
He felt all tight, “I need to go... somewhere.”

He fell out the door, just needing to leave the
room where an innocent woman lay dead. He
had never wanted this to happen, had never
thought that they would do this. He just wanted
to teach Buffy, he didn’t want anything bad to
happen to Joyce.

He had to go to the docks. This had to be a
mistake. He had to talk to the men, they’d
explain it to him. It was just a mistake, they
would never kill Joyce. She was good.

He walked onto the ship where the council had
set up their base. The men inside were cleaning
their weapons as he came in. They had missed
their target and were cleaning in preparation to
continue their hunt tomorrow.

“You killed Joyce! How could you do that, she
was good.”

“So was Darnell, but he’s still dead. What’s
gonna happen to his wife and kids now that the
vampire’s killed him?”

“Joyce never did anything to hurt anyone. She
was an innocent! I thought you guys were
supposed to protect the innocent.”

“She was harboring the slayer and that vampire.
We destroyed their safe haven. We have to take
every advantage that we can.”

“I’ve got to tell them. I’ve got to tell them where
you are. This isn’t right. You’re killing innocent
people. I’ve got to tell them.”

That caught their attention, “No you won’t. That
would blow our advantage. You’ll keep your
mouth shut.”

Xander was appalled. He wanted to do the right
thing, but he didn’t want to hurt the innocent.
That wasn’t right, “I gotta tell them.”

He started moving towards the door. This was
wrong. He had to tell Buffy and Spike, tell
Angel what had happened. They’d make sure
that no one else had to get hurt.

That didn’t sit well with the councilmen. They
couldn’t let the slayer knew where they were.
One of them held a gun with a silencer on the
end, and he raised it up. He aimed carefully and
fired. Xander’s body fell to the floor.

The man put his gun down and walked over to
the corpse. He dragged it out and dropped it into
the bay. The body fell into the water and he
returned to the boat to plan for the next night.

******
 

Chapter 31:

The deaths had come about a week before Buffy
had turned 18. She had to count this as the worst
birthday ever, something which she had thought
was impossible after the Angel fiasco.

Her dad had come as soon as he had heard, and
Buffy had stayed with him in the week before
the funerals. He had been devastated by the
news of Joyce’s death, even if they hadn’t been
close when the murder had happened.

Buffy didn’t know what she would have done
without Spike, though. He introduced himself to
her father as William Collins, a writer and
Buffy’s boyfriend. After Spike and Hank had
talked Hank was supportive of the relationship.
He was just glad to find that his daughter had
found someone who was so committed to her
and who made her happy.

He stayed with her through both of the services,
standing next to her in his suit that he had in his
closet for formal occasions. He had planned to
use it to take Buffy out for her birthday, but he
thought it would be inappropriate at the
moment.

Willow had bawled during the services. Xander
had been her only real friend for a long time. He
had helped her through so much, knew so much
about her, and now he was gone.

Joyce’s funeral had been directly afterward.
Many of her friends from around town were
there. There were her friends from LA who had
driven down to bid their respects to her.

The day was cloudy and cool, the smell of fresh
earth filled the air. The eulogies were spoken
solemnly, and to Buffy it sounded like the noise
of a TV when you’re not really listening to it,
distant and empty.

After the preacher had finished Giles walked
over to Buffy and Spike who were waiting for
Hank to drive them back to Buffy’s house. He
stood in front of them looking at the ground,
“Buffy, I don’t know what to say. I loved your
mother. I never thought that this would happen.”

Spike growled, “Then you shouldn’t have called
them in.”

“I didn’t know I had. Buffy, I’m so sorry, this
has never happened before. I didn’t even know I
had called them until I heard about your mother.
I never would have thought that they would
murder the innocent.”

Buffy looked at him, she wasn’t ready to deal
with him yet, “This is war, Giles. They’ll do
anything to win.”

A car came round and Buffy turned as Spike led
her to where her father was waiting with the car
to drive them all home. As they walked off a
rain began to pour from the heavens as if the
earth itself was mourning the loss of such a
great woman. It fell upon the earth and covered
the ground, pattering softly against the stones
and the soil.

Giles stood there in the rain. He felt so guilty
about the whole situation. The past few weeks
he had mourned the loss of his slayer’s trust. He
had called the council into question in his
moments of lucidity. He had drowned himself in
liquor to avoid the terrible feelings of guilt and
responsibility.

And now the rain falling on him seemed to was
away the fog that he had been living in. The
murder of Joyce Summers had settled the matter
of morality for him. He had decided.

Too much time has passed by
To lament that we were deeply in love

Not many people in the council knew what was
going on. The death of the slayers, the murder of
these girls was often explained away by the head
councilman, who would create acceptable
reasons for why the girl had been eliminated.
Very few actually knew the truth.

The years keep coming and my heart
Cannot heal all the tears in it

Giles had always questioned the practice. Ever
since he had been told upon entering the field he
had questioned it. He had seen so many girls
die, given the call sometimes. He had always
given himself excuses to explain it all away.

Somebody cry for me with parched eyes.

Now his actions had caused the death of the
woman that he loved and cost him the trust of
the girl he saw as a daughter. He had to face up
to the blood on his hands.

The Real Folk Blues
I only want to know what true sadness is

He had buried too many people. Too many
friends were gone. He had buried the women
that he loved. No one should have to do that.

Living a dirty life isn’t so bad
If it ends after the first time.

He knew what he had to do. This act was wrong.
He understood why Spike growled at him, why
Buffy wouldn’t look at him without contempt.
He deserved nothing better.

He turned and walked back to his home. He had
a few calls to make to a few friends of his back
in England. They didn’t know the truth, but he
would tell them. He knew what they would
think of it, too.

********
I've been busy lately, classes and whatnot. Update
again soon.

Oh, the lyrics are translated roughly from the Japanese.
I got it stuck in my head. I do not own them.

Chapter 32:

Buffy lay in Spike’s arms a few nights after the
funeral. She had spent almost every night with
him, and every night since her father had
returned to LA, promising to help her if she ever
needed it. He had been reluctant to leave but she
had refused and he had other business to attend
to that could not be neglected.

So Buffy had been left with an empty house that
reminded her of her mother with every turn. She
hadn’t gone back there yet since her father had
stayed there while he was in town for the
funeral. She was wondering to herself if she
ought to sell it.

She was clinging to Spike for sanity. He had
kept her grounded, he had held her while she
cried, while he had cried his own tears. They
had shared their grief with each other, holding
each other for some reassurance. They would
come together in the night, reassuring each other
that they would always be there for each other.

They were together now, her sprawled out with
her head on his chest, her fingers playing light
patterns on his bare chest. She was enchanted by
how the lights would play against his pale skin.
The shadows made from the street lamps
coming through the leaves in the tree outside
were beautiful, creating patterns on his skin.

Spike held her close. It had been a rough week,
and he needed her. He never handled the death
of those he loved very well and seeing Joyce’s
death had scared him. He couldn’t stand the
thought of Buffy joining her. If she ever did he
would not be far behind.

Angel sat outside the closed window watching
them. He never wanted this. He had simply
intended to help the men kill off Spike, he had
never wanted the men to kill Joyce. He hadn’t
counted on Xander’s bigotry to mess it all up.

His soul was clawing inside of him. The guilt he
felt was monumental. He had caused Joyce’s
death. He had hurt this girl, his goddess, his one
salvation and joy.

That had been swimming around in his mind
since he smelled the blood at the Summer’s
household. He’d done that. He was responsible.
He had ran, drinking and then fighting, going to
places and picking fights just so he could be
beaten, just so he could make himself feel pain
on the outside, a physical manifestation of the
pain inside.

He knocked on the closed window, causing both
heads to turn to the window. He saw Buffy’s
eyes look on him warmly and Spike’s look like
he would rip his head off. Angel was so sorry,
he knew he was about to take that light out of
her eyes.

Spike got out of bed and pulled on a pair of
jeans before walking to the window and pulling
it open. He didn’t know why his stupid sire
would come here now, he was in no mood for
this. Perhaps if it made Buffy happy...

The window opened and he caught a whiff of
his sire. His opinion of him worsened
immediately. His face shifted and his hand
reached out and grabbed the older vampire by
the throat, “Why the hell are you here?”

Buffy cried out from the bed, “Spike, what’s
wrong? Why did you attack him?” She knew
that something must be wrong. Spike’s mood
had changed so rapidly with the opening of the
window.

Spike growled, “This pillock has the same scent
as those humans that are hunting us. He’s
covered in it.” He squeezed his sire’s neck,
Angel’s hands were gripped around his wrist.
“What’s the matter, sire, can’t have her so you
thought you’d get those hunters to kill us? Not
very nice.”


Buffy’s eyes were filled with betrayal and hurt.
She knew that Spike was telling the truth, but it
hurt to hear it. “Angel, why?” Tears were falling
from her eyes now.

Angel looked over to her, “I never meant for
them to hurt you. I just wanted to be with you.
I’m so sorry.”

Spike growled, his grip tightening. This pillock
had wanted him killed. “So you thought they’d
kill me and then you could run off with the girl.
I gotta say, Angelus, you’ve really lost your
touch. Did you think that they would go along
with that?”

Buffy walked to the window, holding the sheet
around her body and placed her hand on Spike’s
shoulder, “Angel, why did you come here?”

“Yes that’s a mighty fine question. Better
answer. I won’t kill you, but I sure as hell would
hurt you for what you’ve done. Now you better
have a bloody good reason for being here.”

Angel gasped out from Spike’s grip. “You two
have to get out of town. There are too many of
them here, you have to go. I’ll create a
distraction, make sure they think that you’re still
here. Just get out of town.”

Spike growled, “And why the hell should I trust
you? You’ve proven yourself so faithful these
last few weeks, after all.”

“I’ll give you a sacramentum sanguinis.”

“Spike, what’s that?”

“A blood oath. It’s given by one vampire to the
leader of the bloodline, or the dominant vampire
in the area.” He turned to look at her, “Do you
want to leave, pet? Give us some space from the
wankers who killed your mum?”


She nodded. He turned back to Angel, “Get in
here.” He then yanked Angel through the
window, throwing him on the floor. Spike
scowled down at him. “Right then, let’s get on
with it.”

Spike knelt down on one knee in front of the
older vampire. Angel switched to his game face
and sat back on his knees with his head bowed.
Spike growled at him and Angel bore his neck.
Spike bent down and sunk his fangs into
Angel’s neck. While Spike drank Angel made
mewling snapping noises, the language of the
demon inside of him, acknowledging Spike and
giving his oath.

Spike drew back from Angel’s neck as he heard
the last of the oath in their primal language. He
stood up and shook off his demon face. “Now
Angelus, come morning me and her are going to
leave town. You are to get the witch to cast a
glamour spell so that it looks like we are still
around. This spell will last for no less than 48
hours. Can you do that?”

Angel’s head was still bowed. He nodded
without looking up.

Spike growled at him, “Good, now go.”

Angel stood up and went to climb out the
window. He looked back at Buffy as he left and
saw the hurt in her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I hope
we can all meet again sometime.”

She just looked at him. She wouldn’t see him
again for a long time, and she didn’t really care
about that. “Just go Angel.”

With that Angel jumped out and set out for
Willow’s. He had an oath to keep.
 

Chapter 33:

Giles sat down at his desk sober for the first
time in quite a while. He had promised that he
would do something when Joyce died. He had
promised Buffy and promised himself that
nothing like that would ever happen again.

He looked over at his clock. Good, she would
still be at home. He reached over to his phone
and dialed a familiar number.

His family had been in the council for as long as
anyone could remember. His father had been a
member, his father, and his father. It had just
been natural that the next ones in line had joined
the council as well.

Rupert Giles had not been an only child. His
brothers and sisters had joined as well, as well
as their children. His brother Charles and sister
Claire were both dead, and the only one of his
family in any position of power was his niece
Ms. Elizabeth Bennet, his sister’s daughter.

And she was the one he was going to call. She
and him had always been close, she had been
very close to him when she was a child. He had
imparted many of his values to her. She had
risen through the levels of the council to be
appointed to the upper levels.

And like many she was unaware of the atrocities
that were being committed. Such affairs were
reserved for the highest levels and were
disseminated on a need-to-know basis. And
most of those even in the top levels didn’t need
to know.

Well his conscience had gotten to him. The
practices had never really sat well with him but
he had gone along with it because that was what
he was supposed to do. His sense of obligation
had demanded that he go along with it. But now
he couldn’t let it pass any longer.

The phone rang once, twice, three times. A
voice picked up, “Hello, Ms. Bennet speaking.”

Giles smiled, “Hello Elizabeth, how are you?”

A gasp came over the phone line, “Uncle
Rupert! It’s so good to hear from you!”

“Yes, it’s been too long. I wish it could be under
better circumstances that we could talk now.”

“What do you mean uncle?”

Giles sighed, “Elizabeth, I have something to
tell you that you should have been made aware
of a while ago.”

**********

Angel ran through the night towards Willow’s
house. He had given his word that he would
help Spike and Buffy leave town without the
notice of the assassins. To do so he would need
a good amount of magic and he only knew of
one person who could handle that.

He just hoped that she would be willing to help.

He had no reason to hope that Willow would be
willing to do this. He would understand if she
flat out refused. It was hard to lose one friend,
but now he was asking her to give up the only
other friend that she knew.

Poor girl, Angel really felt sorry for her. He
knew how she must feel. He hoped he could
help her through it, for he knew that if Buffy and
Spike did not leave town they would surely be
killed soon. He prayed that Willow would
understand.

He reached the girl’s window to find it dark, the
blinds open so he could see inside. She was
curled up in bed, snoring softly. He felt bad
waking her but it had to be done.

The sound of his knocking on the window
caused the figure in the bed to stir. She sat up
and came to the window when she saw him
standing there. She was clothed in her nightshirt
and fuzzy slippers.

She opened the window with bleary eyes,
“Angel, what are you doing here?”

“I was sent here by Buffy and Spike. There’s
something they have to do, and they need you to
help if it’s going to work. They didn’t want to
leave their house so they sent me.”

“They need me for something? What is it what
can I do?” She walked to her desk and turned on
a light. She noticed Angel standing past the
threshold. “You promise you won’t go evil
again?”

Angel nodded, “I got my soul anchored. I can’t
lose it again, no matter what.”

“You mean you got rid of the happiness clause?
And Buffy’s... Oh Angel you must feel horrible.
I can’t believe how unlucky that is. I mean if
I...” She remembered the barrier, “Oh sorry.
Come in.”

“Thank you, Willow.” He stepped through the
window into her room. “And it does hurt to see
her with Spike, but I’ll have to learn to live with
it. I just hope that they can be happy.”

Willow looked at him for a moment, “So what is
it that they need me to do? Is it more protection
spells because I hear that Spike’s got his place
completely concealed to all unfriendly people.
Or maybe it’s something else.”

“They want to leave town.”

Willow was shocked. Her voice came out
quietly, “They what?”

“Buffy and Spike realize that while they’re here
they and everyone they love are in danger. They
want to leave so they can be safe and so the
council will leave those they love alone.”

Willow started crying. Angel kneeled down next
to her chair and wrapped her in his arms as she
clung to him. She wept into his shoulder, “It’s
not fair. I’ll be all alone if she leaves.”

Angel rubbed her back, “I know. I’ll miss them
too. But they’ve made up their minds and I’m
sure that they’ll keep in touch. They wouldn’t
just abandon you. Besides, I’ll be here, I won’t
leave you alone. Neither will Oz.”

She was still crying into his shoulder. He felt
there was more he could say as he softly stroked
her back, “I’m sure that they’ll come back, at
least to visit, once they’re sure that the council
goons are gone.”

Willow sniffled and looked up at him, “You
think so?”

Angel nodded, “They wouldn’t ever abandon the
ones they love, neither of them are like that.
They just need to make sure that they’re safe
first.”

Willow drew back, wiping her eyes with the
back of her hand. “What do they need me to
do?”

Angel sighed internally. He had really hoped
that she would be willing to do this. “We need a
way to make the council think that Buffy and
Spike are still here. They suggested a glamour.”

She thought for a moment, “I guess I could
make it look like you were Spike, so that when
you go out at night for the next two days anyone
you come across will think that you’re him.”

Angel thought a moment and nodded, “That
works, but what about Buffy?”

“Well they’re working under the assumption
that the two of them are acting as a team. If they
see you they won’t need to see Buffy, they’ll
assume that she’s hidden somewhere.”

Angel nodded, “That makes sense. Alright,
anything you need?”

“I’ve got everything I need in here. Are you sure
you’re OK with this? It could be very dangerous
for you.”

“I’ve been less than supportive of their
relationship. I need a way to make it up to them.
I’m more than willing to do this for them.”

Willow looked at him and gathered the stuff she
would need to do the spell. She admired his
courage for doing this. She hoped that he would
be all right, she wanted him to be there in the
days ahead.

*********

“Then you understand what’s been going on?
Why I had to call you?”

“Yes uncle Rupert. I just can’t believe that this
has been allowed to continue. Why didn’t you
tell me sooner?”

“We were instructed that the knowledge was not
to be shared with those that did not need to
know. My telling you this could cost me my fob,
you know.”

“Yes uncle. I know what must be done now.
This cannot be allowed to continue. I will be
sure to put a stop to this.”

Giles sighed in relief, “Thank you Elizabeth.
You have no idea how that makes me feel to
know that there will be an end to this practice.”


“Of course. And uncle? Don’t wait so long to
call again.”

“I won’t. In fact I was thinking of making a trip
out there this summer. I would love to see you
while I’m there.”

“I would be delighted uncle Rupert.”

*****
 

Chapter 34:
Quentin Travers sat behind his wide desk
flipping through genealogy charts in front of
him. With the death of the current slayer it
would be advisable to know where the next one
was likely to pop up.

He had been head of the council for a while
now, and had tracked the paths of many newly
risen slayers. It was his duty to keep the balance,
to insure the purity of the line.

To insure the control of the council. The council
needed that control in the war against the
darkness. He would not give up the control, not
for anything. He would continue the tradition
that had existed since the establishment of the
council in the days of Rome.

In the first days of the council they had not kept
the control that the current council had. They
had left much of the fighting to the slayers,
recording the actions for the future generations.
Over time the slayers learned of this and went to
the watchers for advice.

The council elders had agreed to give the advice
to these warriors. Time had passed and the
slayers turned to the watchers for training as
well. This gave the watchers some measure of
authority and control over the slayers.

The watchers became accustomed to this
control. They became convinced of their own
importance. This had become an obsession for
them. It gave them a feeling of superiority over
the rest of their culture.

The current practice of killing off the slayers
had risen from this need for control as well as
the paranoia of the day. When the men had
noticed the longevity of the girls they trained
they became afraid.

Their fear had increased their feel for the need
for control. They had seen the girls as little more
than animals at that point, to be used and thrown
away. It was then that they had begun the
practice, to keep control over what they saw as
dangerous creatures.

This tradition had come through the ages,
always given different justifications. Now it had
reached the present undeterred, and was in full
swing. And Travers would see to it that it
continued for a long time to come.

He had been carefully chosen to lead the
council, to take on this burden. Had gone
through a long series of selections and much
conditioning to get where he was. It was always
that way in order to preserve the council.

His selection had yet to begin. He had not yet
seen anyone whom he thought would be able to
carry on the traditions of the council. He was
still searching, but finding the right person was
hard.

He was thinking about Rupert Giles for a while
as a suitable successor. Rupert Giles came from
a long line of loyal men, and had done
extremely well to date. His work record was
almost impeccable.

Yet he had become concerned of late. Rupert
Giles had become more and more attached to
the current slayers under his watch. It was
distressing.

And his relations were not at the level that they
had been in the past. They strayed from the set
path more and more. They questioned, and
questions were dangerous.

The door burst open, and in came men with
guns. Not the elite, but dangerous men none the
less. And all of them had their weapons trained
on him. One of them was touched on the
shoulder and they parted in front of the desk,
allowing the one behind them to walk forward
to the desk.

“Ms. Bennet, would you care to explain what
this is about?”

“Mr. Travers, I am here to inform you that you
are being relieved of your duties. You will be
escorted from here to a secure location while
your sentence is being deliberated.”

“And on whose authority are you acting may I
ask? When the rest of the board gets word of
this...”

“They already know.” A voice came from the
doorway. More of the soldiers parted to reveil
the entire board. They stood behind Ms. Bennet,
looking contemptuously at Travers.

“May I ask the reason for this action?”

“I received a call from my uncle, Rupert Giles.
He had some very interesting things to say about
what we have been doing to these young girls
upon whose heads we place the fate of our
world.”

“I see.”

“We think it best that you be relieved of your
duties as head of council. These barbaric
practices cannot be tolerated.”

“It is a practice that has survived for over a
thousand years.”

“It is a tradition that ought to be broken. This is
a new time, and the old rules do not apply
anymore. It is time for reform.”

“And who will you get to lead your new plans?
Will you sacrifice order and everything that we
have stood for if you cannot find a new leader?
And for what? To uphold your ideals?”

The soldiers moved forward and grabbed him,
handcuffing his wrists behind his back. Ms.
Bennet smiled at him, “I wouldn’t worry about
that, Mr. Travers. Your immediate concern
should be for your own well-being. Besides, we
already have someone in mind.”

With that a struggling Travers was led out of the
room and his position, leaving behind the board
members. Ms. Bennet turned to them, “Well I’m
sure that we all agree that the first order of
business should be to call off the assassins on
the Hellmouth.”

A general sound of assent rang through the
room. The business of reformation had begun.

Chapter 35:

Buffy and Spike had left the town behind as
soon as the sun had come into the sky. They had
packed everything they would need into the
back of Spike’s Desoto. Now they drove down
the open road into the desert with the windows
rolled down staring at the sky.

Never seen a blue sky
Yeah I can feel it reaching out
And moving closer

Buffy was leaning up against Spike, clutching at
his chest. Spike had his arm wrapped around
her, as he clung to something to keep him whole
at this moment.

The sunlight fell through the open windows,
warming the leather as the scent of the leather
and the warm desert air filled their noses. Spike
had scraped off the paint when he had
discovered that he no longer had an aversion to
sunlight. Now they both sat on the bench seat
bathed in the warm light while the air whipped
past them.

There’s something about blue
Asked myself what it’s all for
You know the funny thing about it
I couldn’t answer
No I couldn’t answer

The streets and buildings of Sunnydale had long
since faded into the horizon. There were few
cars out this far, away from all the towns.
Behind the sound of the wind and the engines
there was silence.

They were alone, truly alone. There was no one
else for hundreds of miles. And in all this they
were together. They felt closer to each other in
this than they had ever before.

Things have turned a deeper shade of blue
The images that might be real
May be illusion
Keep flashing off and on

Spike really didn’t know where they were going.
He had no plan, in truth, but to get as far away
from Sunnydale as he could. All he could see
was the road ahead of him, no destination in
mind.

And with the feel of the girl at his side he
couldn’t say that he really cared where they
ended up. As long as they were safe, as they
were together, it would be all right. He would be
happy.

Free
Wanna be free
Gonna be free
And move among the stars
You know they really aren’t so far

Buffy had to share that sentiment. There was
nothing left for her in Sunnydale. Her mother
was dead. Her friends had betrayed her. All that
was left for her there was death, and its memory,
and the feelings of pain.

She felt Spike’s arm around her. He felt like
home. He felt real. He was her anchor. He felt
better than anything had in quite a long time.
For the first time that she could remember, she
felt like things were right when she was with
him.

Feels so free
Gotta be free
Please
Don’t wake me from the dream
It’s really everything it seemed
I’m so free
No black and white in the blue

They had never really wanted to stay in
Sunnydale. She had always wanted to leave,
always saw in it the certainty of her death, a trap
for her. She had tried so hard to escape from it
but could not. Her sense of duty had always
forced her to go back.

Spike had hated the place. It had been a prison
for him, something that had reminded him of his
humiliation, of his defeat. How could he have
ever been happy in a place that always reminded
him of his inadequacy?

They needed to break their chains. They needed
to be free. They weren’t the kind of creatures
meant for such things.

Everything is clearer now
Life is just a dream you know
That’s never ending
I’m ascending

Spike tightened his arm around her. She curled
in closer to him, smelling his strong scent. He
kissed the top of her head.

They held each other as they flew across the
asphalt, finally at home with each other. They
were no longer the hunted, they never would be
again. They were free.

Epilogue:

79 years later...

Buffy stood by the window in the apartment that
she and Spike had rented. She watched the
sunrise over New York as her mate slept
soundly in the bed, a sheet over his waist as he
lay on his stomach, hugging the pillow.

It had been almost 80 years now that they were
together, and she still loved him just as much as
she had when she had fled Sunnydale with him.
He could still rile her passion into an inferno
with his look and touch.

The years had passed kindly. He had still not
forgone the bleach, insisting that it was retro and
that he was not lame. However she had stopped
dying her hair at his request and now it hung a
good dirty blonde instead of the bright blonde
that it had been.

Her form had only aged slightly. As he had said,
her slayer status had aged her until her mid
twenties. When she had hit her peak she had
stopped, and her body had remained like that
ever since. Of course he hadn’t aged any either,
but she didn’t expect him to.

She still wasn’t stronger than him. Their
sparring sessions had made her stronger, but his
strength had grown along with hers. They were
equally matched, just as they had always been.

She thought to her friends. A few weeks after
they had fled the hellmouth they had called
Willow. Under her prompting and after some
assurances of her safety and well-being they had
called Giles.

Giles, it turned out, had been their savior. After
the funerals he had called his niece who was on
the board in the council. She had acted quickly
and Quentin Travers had been removed from his
position.

New leadership had arisen in the council
quickly. After not much debate it had been
decided that Giles become the new head. He had
told Buffy when she called, and soon afterwards
new practices were put into effect.

Travers had been eliminated. The new order in
the council, including Giles and his niece, had
felt that the crimes committed defied all
reasonable boundaries of ethics. The execution
had been silent and carried out in secret.

The council had reverted to their original role.
They now recorded and trained the slayers, no
longer giving orders on what should be done.
They were there to aid, not to mastermind.

This had led to slayers living longer. Faith
herself had lived to the age of 36 before finally
being cut down in an apocalypse, defeating the
first evil in the process. The current slayer was
24, and was doing very well.

The hunters had been called off quickly. When
it had been discovered that they were being
threatened in order to do this the council made
vehement apologies and arranged for them to
live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

Giles had run the council for a long time, and
had done quite well. Buffy and Spike had
attended his funeral twenty years ago. His
successor was his own daughter, Ms. Jane Giles.
She had been born about five years after Giles
had assumed his position as head of the council.

He had met a wonderful woman when he moved
to London. They had fallen in love and had
married very quickly. They were together for
many years, and had been faithful until the end.

Their other friends had done well for themselves
as well. Oz had learned to control his
transformation and had moved to Europe, where
he had joined a clan of werewolves that did not
hold hard feelings towards humans.

He had met there a beautiful werewolf and they
had grown old together. They had many cubs
whom now roamed across the world, speaking
to those afflicted and giving advice on how to
deal with their gift.

Cordelia had lost all her money. They lost all
track of her after she left Sunnydale.

After breaking up with Oz Willow had nearly
gone overboard with the magics. She would
have if Angel had not been there for her. He had
held her together through her break up, when
she thought that her heart would never heal.

Buffy had been glad to hear when they had
mated 10 years after she and Spike had fled. She
had always hoped that Angel would be able to
find someone else to make him happy. She
knew that Willow could do that for him and she
was happy for her friends. Willow and Angel’s
mating had given Willow her own claim to
immortality. Now the two of them were
celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

She had come to forgive Angel for what he had
done. She had loved him and she knew that he
truly loved her, if he had some problems with
how he showed it. Spike was cautious but over
time he too had allowed his sire back into his
life.

Drusilla stopped in every once in a while. She
never stayed long, but praised their happiness
and their future joy. Truly, she did care for
Spike, if not in the way Spike had for her.

Buffy felt someone behind her, “You know she
shouldn’t stalk people.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to disturb your
thoughts.”

“It’s okay.” Buffy turned to see a tall woman
with pale skin, light hair and eyes. She
recognized her from the stories that Spike told
her. “Hello, Tionne.”

Tionne smiled, “See you’ve heard of me.”

Buffy shrugged, “It’s not every day one meets
an angel.”

“As I’ve said before, there’s only one of me. I’m
the angel.”

Tionne looked over to where Spike slept and
back at Buffy, “I see that you’re happy now. Do
you like my gift?”

Buffy smiled, “Yeah, I do.”

Tionne smiled back, “Well I got one more for
you. I already gave you the gift of your mate,
and the chance to be with him forever. But
there’s one more I want to give you.”

“I couldn’t ask for more.”

“I think you could.” She looked at Buffy, “Isn’t
there something that you’ve wanted, something
that would make your life complete?” She put
her hand on Buffy’s flat stomach.

“Well I’m going to give it to you.” A light
glowed from where her hand lay and when she
drew it away Buffy could feel it. She knew.

She looked at the angel, her eyes filled with
tears. “Thank you.”

The angel smiled, “You’ll be great. The world is
out there for you. Now go enjoy your gifts.”

She turned and disappeared. Buffy turned to her
mate one the bed. She crawled in next to him.
Her gift...

******
sigh, it's over, my very first fic. I don't know what to
say. I'm ready to hear your responses. I want to know
what to write next. ANy requests? Tell me what you
thought.

The lyrics from the last chap come from a song called
Blue. If you want I'll give you a link so you can hear it.