DECEMBER 2, 2027- NEW ENGLAND

Buffy saw the sliver of light from the doorway cut through the darkness of the room. Her body stiffened at the interruption. She was about to snap at whoever had dared to take what little time she had with him now when she heard the little voice, “Mommy, is Daddy still asleep?”

She was exhausted and worried, but there was no reason Mabel needed to know that. Being eight was hard enough. And being the younger sister of the Slayer, as well as the daughter of a former Slayer and a vampire was even harder.

Buffy slowly got up from her seat near the bed and went over to the slightly open door. She put her hand on the edge of the door and knelt, looking into her anxious face. Buffy swept a rebellious strand of flaxen hair away from her large indigo eyes as she nodded, “Yeah, Honey. Daddy’s still asleep,” Buffy’s eyes searched for any sign of Joni but found none, “Your sister was supposed to be watching you. Where did she go?”

Mabel’s chin quivered just a little as she tried to keep her tears inside, “It’s dark. You know where she is, Mommy.”

Buffy looked over her shoulder at the window, and winced. The sun had indeed set and she was too preoccupied to notice. Joni would be out on patrol. She looked back at her little girl’s timorous eyes and tried to soothe her nerves, “You know Daddy didn’t mean to scare you, don’t you Honey?”

Mabel nodded, her eyes wide and shining with tears, “Uh huh,” she said.

Buffy knew Mabel was just telling her what she thought her mommy wanted to hear. Mabel was the peacemaker of the family.

The poor thing had her work cut out for her in this family.

Buffy sighed. She looked down at her daughter’s little red tennis shoes, and smiled sadly. There they were, her favorite laces, the white ones with the cartoon honeybees on them. She liked them because her Daddy called her “Bee.” It was a play on her middle name, Deborah.

Looking back up at her face, Buffy said, “Bee, you’re still scared aren’t you?”

She shook her head vigorously, “No, Mommy,” she insisted, “I’m not scared.”

Buffy sighed again and regarded her daughter with sadness, “It’s okay to be scared, Honey. Mommy’s scared too.”

Mabel’s eyes widened in surprise, “You’re scared Mommy?”

“Uh huh. And, Daddy’s sorry Sweetheart, he really is. He didn’t mean to hurt you. Daddy is sick, you know that.”

Mabel nodded as a mewling sound came from her throat.

“…And sometimes Daddy forgets things,” Buffy said, remembering what the illness was like for her, years ago, “When Daddy forgets things, sometimes the boogieman comes out. He didn’t mean it.”

There was a little gasp, “You mean, Daddy forgot me?”

Buffy wanted to bite through her tongue when she heard the terror in Mabel’s voice, “No of course not! It’s just that you scared Daddy.”

“I scared Daddy?”

“A little,” Buffy said softly, “You didn’t know you could do that, did you?”

She shook her head, clearly unaware that she had.

“That’s why Daddy’s asleep now. Because he was scared and he doesn’t know what happens when he’s scared. And he doesn’t want to hurt anyone,” Buffy put a hand to Mabel’s cheek noticing the jagged outline of the fading bruise, “Daddy’s really sorry, Bee. Does it still hurt?”

“That was two weeks ago. Why would it still hurt?”

Buffy saw her tears shining, and she knew that it did hurt. Maybe not physically, but it did hurt, “I don’t know, Bee.”

Mabel bit her lip in thought, “Daddy has to be awake for my birthday.” She pouted and for an instant Buffy knew why Spike had never been able to resist it, or herself for that matter, when she’d resorted to the protruding lip. It was absolutely adorable, “You promise, Mommy? You promise he’ll be better soon? Daddy can’t miss my birthday.”

“I promise, Sweetie,” Buffy said, tugging on the ends of Mabel’s ponytails lightly, to put her at ease. She was rewarded with a tiny smile, “Your birthday’s three weeks away. Remember, we marked it on the calendar?”

She nodded again.

“That’s plenty of time for Daddy to wake up,” Buffy gave her a kiss on the cheek as she stood up, “Now, why don’t you go play ‘Chutes and Ladders’ with Aunt Willow and Georgie.”

Mabel pouted, “But Mommy, that’s a baby’s game!”

“Yeah,” Buffy said sympathetically, “but Aunt Georgie doesn’t know how to play. Why don’t you show her?”

“Okay Mommy,” Mabel said as she turned to go, “Tell Daddy…” her voice trailed off. Uncertain.

“Tell him what, Bee?”

Mabel looked back over her shoulder and Buffy was sure that the eyes that looked at her were older than eight years, “That, if he wakes up he doesn’t have to get me a birthday gift.”

Buffy almost suffocated on the large sob that stuck in her throat, “I will, Bee,” she choked, “I’ll tell Daddy that.”

As Buffy quietly shut the door, she looked back at Spike’s peaceful form. Sitting in the old rocker, she took his hand in hers again. Focusing her attention on the silver band that seemed to be the only thing that tied him to her now, she gave a weary sigh and said, “You heard her. You’ve got three weeks to pull this out ‘Big Bad.’ And, I’m going to help you.”
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IN THE INTERREGNUM- HOME OFFICE

Holland’s scream still echoed in the office and the smell of brimstone still hung in the air as Webster Drake paged his girl Friday, “Darcy, see if you can arrange a meeting.”

She was clearly perplexed by the request, “Sir?” she squeaked.

“Now Darcy, we’re all professionals here. He won. There’s no reason not to congratulate him.”
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DECEMBER 2, 2005- ROME

Dawn’s shoes squeaked as they pounded the linoleum. She never realized before how big the halls of Council Headquarters were. But then, she’d never had information this precious before. It already felt like she’d run a mile, and she knew she would run ten more to get them back.

She was running so fast that she nearly ran past the open conference room door. She had to catch the doorframe to keep from falling down as she abruptly stopped, “Giles,” she huffed, “I got it!”

All eyes fell on her as she stood in the doorway trying to catch her breath. But she only saw Giles’s wide eyes. They were so wide, it looked as if he didn’t believe her, “W-what?”

“I got it! Fred…well, Illyria actually, she told me that there was more of Spike’s blood in the Wolfram and Hart archives. She used her Fred persona to gain access to the samples,” Dawn smirked, knowing that there was more to it. There was no way that Winifred Burkle could get past the guards. Illyria however did not have that problem, “I think Illyria had herself a ‘spot of violence.’ Spike would be proud. The reason Stephen’s blood only slowed it down is because he’s not a vampire. I mixed the samples from the archives with the last of Jonina’s blood and tested that on the virus. Guess what?”

Dawn took a breath and looked around her. It was then that she noticed that she was the only being in the room that was breathing. Her friends were on the edge of their seats waiting for her to say something.

“Out with it, girl!” Giles snapped, “We don’t have time for games, and neither do the Slayers!”

Dawn didn’t care what Giles said. Nothing could ruin her mood, not now that she had the answer. She smirked, “It ate the virus quicker than Spike can go through a box of Wheatabix. I’ve sent out an urgent e-mail to all the Watchers and instituted a vaccination program. They all should be reporting here soon.”

Suddenly Dawn felt it difficult to breathe. She didn’t care though, all she felt was the warm embrace of her friends as they all cried with relief.
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DECEMBER 2, 2005- LOS ANGELES

Willow sat in the middle of the sacred circle trying to focus on her goal. If she could make a flower from Paraguay come up through the earth and appear in England, she could find three essences that, she had no doubt were huddled somewhere together.

She let her mind go blank so that their essences could make themselves known. At first there was nothing but a black and terrible void. Willow thought she could hear someone screaming. She’d heard that voice before, that night at the tower.

It was Spike’s. He was in agony.

Willow opened her mouth to give voice to the pain she felt, but no sound came out. Then her mind became a blur of white.

Willow could see nothing through the blinding snow.
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Spike ignored the snow that stung his eyes. He watched as the orange light sat low in the night sky. It grew larger and more dreadful the longer they stood in front of it.

It was about to take his only peace, his only refuge in this place, away from him. And he was about to let it.

As he felt her strong grip slice into him he cursed his enhanced sense of hearing as he tried to focus on the howling wind rather than her pleading voice as he descended from Purgatory into Hell, “…Please! Come back with us! Please, Spike!” she was begging. The snow was sticking to her face that was wet with her tears, “Joni needs you,” Buffy pleaded as she set Jonina higher on her hip and Spike reluctantly tried to pry his child’s hands from about his neck.

Spike would have gladly blinded his own eyes not to have to look upon his youngling’s face as she cried, “No Daddy, please! I love you! I’ll be good, I promise.”

Spike tried to be strong, tried to do what had to be done. He tried to push down the pain as he focused on her warm, dark eyes, “I know you will, Dove. I love you, too. Like always, you remember that.”

Joni sniffed back tears, as she held tighter to her toy rabbit. He looked up into Buffy’s face, still speaking to his little girl. His voice was raw and squeezed his throat, “Mummy has Daddy’s ring. You have Spike Rabbit. That’s all you need, Dove.”

Buffy tried again, “But Spike, she needs her Daddy.”

“I know,” he choked, “But she needs her Mum more. The world, that world, needs you more. Take her,” he swallowed the lump in his throat, “Take our little girl and go! Leave me here. Go!”

Buffy knew this was something he had to do. He had the look in his eyes that he wore on that day in the Hellmouth.

He needed this. And because she loved him, Buffy would let him have his moment.

She placed Joni gently in the snow, and turned her to face the glowing vortex. She didn’t want her to see the pain that she knew would be on his face.

Taking a deep breath, she clasped Joni’s hand, and together they ran into the orange light.

With a blinding flash, they both disappeared.

Suddenly, there was no one like him here. Now he was alone. It was quiet. Fearfully quiet. The only sounds here now, were the sound of his still heart and his empty tears.
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IN THE INTERREGNUM-

The seraphim with the flaxen hair and twinkling indigo eyes nodded, “There is no mistake. I’m here for you. You’ve been called up.”

Spike was nearly overcome by this news. He squinted at the glowing countenance in disbelief. He looked to Joyce for confirmation. All she did was smile and nod excitedly. Spike looked back at the girl, “Who did you say you were again?”

Her eyes glinted with glee, “My name isn’t important. But, if you must call me something, you can call me…Mabel.”

Spike averted her gaze, shyly, “You are that. Beautiful, I mean.”

The seraphim deigned to touch his face, and he felt a shock of warmth, “You are beautiful too, William.”

“I’m beautiful?” the question contained no air of arrogance. It came from boyish insecurity.

“Yes you are,” she smiled brilliantly, “All Upper beings are.”
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DECEMBER 2, 2005- LOS ANGELES

The blinding flash hurt her eyes. Willow had to look away. What she saw when she looked back shocked her.

Buffy was lying in the center of the sacred circle with her arms curled protectively around a little girl.

The only sound was the sound of Buffy weeping.
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