Consumed by benslilbug

Chapter #1 - Leaving

Buffy’s eyes widened to saucer plates as she stared into Spike’s cool blue pools, her hand tightly clutching his. “I love you.” Spike emitted a light laugh. “No you don’t, but thanks for saying it…now go, I want to see how this ends.” The ground shook violently as if it too was trying to speed Buffy’s exit. She faltered slightly, almost losing her grip on Spike’s hand, when something within her brought a serene sense of calm to her form. Her lip quivered and she squeezed Spike’s hand. “No, Spike, I left you for the last time last night…I will never leave you again. I love you.” A small stream of tears fell from Spike’s eyes as he finally realized that she was, indeed, in earnest. His form was now glowing brightly and he drew Buffy close to himself, wrapping an arm around her waist, protectively. “Hold onto me then, love…I’m sorry if this hurts.” Just as Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder, their world became a cloud of orange flames that consumed but did not burn. Sunnydale and the two lovers wrapped in each other’s arms were sucked into the amulet, which fell to the ground with a small clank. -- As her eyes fluttered open, Buffy happily realize that Spike’s arms were still holding her close to his body. She turned to face him, smiling at the peaceful look gracing his chiseled features. His eyes opened quickly, sensing that he was being watched. “Do you really need to ogle me in my sleep, Slayer? One would think you could get your fill in my waking hours.” Buffy rolled her eyes. “I think I can get more than enough of you in five minutes, Spike.” “That only happened once, love, and in my defense it was after a very long night of shagging you for hours. You can’t expect a bloke, even a vampiric one, to rest for a half an hour and be on top of his game after an eight hour sex romp.” “Whatever helps you sleep at night…er…day.” A beat of silence passed between them before Spike sat up and kissed Buffy’s shoulders with a feather-light touch. He looked down on her with a great deal of admiration and love, but attempted to hide his feelings behind the toughened image he now tried to portray. “So, where the bloody hell are we…aside from in your sodding bedroom?” Buffy sat up with a start, looking around their surroundings quizzically. “I thought the ground felt a little cooshy…so how did we get from the underground battle thingy to my bedroom?” “No clue, love. Maybe the Watcher…?” “Psh, yeah right, Giles brought you and me to my bedroom and put us into bed together…oh my God, Spike…I’m like, totally naked. Did you do something to my clothes?” Spike rolled his tongue behind his teeth. “Naked are you, Slayer? And no I didn’t do anything with your sodding clothes, or mine either for that matter...but I am going to have quite a lot of fun doing something to you.” Buffy could feel Spike’s hardened member grinding into her leg, but she swatted him away. “First we have to find out where we are….” “Suppose you’re right, love. I don’t like this whole mess…or lack thereof. Your room was a disaster when we left it thanks to the bratty little Slayer gang…and those flames should have killed us…no, love, I don’t think this adds up at all.” Buffy nodded sagely. “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” Spike chuckled as he glared out of the window and motioned for Buffy to join him. “Pet, I don’t think we’re in the same dimension anymore.” Biting her lip, Buffy rose to investigate Spike’s claim, but first checked Spike out, who was clothed in the same attire she found herself wearing. Damn, he looks good naked! Forcing herself back to reality, Buffy gasped when she looked out of the window; the familiar street and surroundings of the home were gone, replaced only by jet blackness. Buffy sat back down on her bed with a huff. "Well, crap.” “You said it, Slayer.” “Why didn’t you believe me?” “What?” “A few minutes…er…back at the battle when I told you I loved you. Why didn’t you believe me?” “Because it wouldn’t have mattered if I did believe you, pet…it was all over for me at that point,” Spike said with a sigh, “Or at least I thought it was going to be. At any rate, you couldn’t very well love a pile of dust, now could you? I wanted you to be free of me…figured if you did love me and I pissed you off badly enough, you would be able to get over the feeling and the sadness and move on.” “Always trying to be the hero, aren’t you? Well, what if I didn’t want you to let me move on?” “Pet, I just wanted what was best for you…I wanted you to be able to have the life I could never give you…I just…I just wanted you to finally be free.” Buffy’s mouth formed into a little ‘o,’ and her eyes fell to the floor. Spike kneeled in front of her, trying to catch her gaze. When he succeeded a few minutes later, he gently caressed her face with his rough hands. “Now, what were you thinking grabbing onto me like that you silly bird? You could’ve been killed.” The pair shared a brief laugh before Buffy’s eyes began to well up with tears. “Spike, I…I love you…I loved you from the beginning of…from…I loved you before I died this last time. You were the last thought on my mind as I jumped into Glory’s cloud. I was so stubborn and confused when I came back that I kept making myself lose you…just because I wouldn’t let myself tell you the truth. I always wanted to tell you, and sometimes I whispered it to you when I was sure you were asleep. But when you looked at me and told me you didn’t think I loved you, I couldn’t bear to leave you until you knew for sure how I felt…I couldn’t lose you again…especially if you thought I didn’t…I didn’t….” Just as tears began to roll down Buffy’s cheeks, Spike captured her mouth with his own, pushing her back onto the bed and climbing on top of her. He ground his pulsing erection against her as he continued to barrage her mouth with salty kisses. His nimble fingers quickly found the throbbing nub between the soft folds of her pink flesh, his other hand working feverishly on her nipples, pinching and prodding them with an incessant need. Buffy moaned and bucked her hips up against Spike, grinding in sync with his motions. Still hovering above her nude frame, Spike dropped for a moment to drink in the sight of her; gorgeous in whatever light poured in from the window. Her eyes begged him, for the first time without a sense of regret, to enter her wet opening. “I love you, Spike,” she said sultrily, “I want you to fuck me.” A low growl was all that Buffy heard before Spike impaled her on his cock. She cried out in ecstasy as Spike thrust deeply into her sopping wet slit. Spike stared into her loving eyes as he pushed in and out of her, never once dropping his eyes from her own. As Buffy’s moans hastened, her hot fluids coating his cock, Spike could feel his own pinnacle coming. A sharp cry fell from Buffy’s lips and her eyes rolled back in orgasmic bliss. Her expression was enough to send Spike over the edge and he filled her with his cold seed. Their breaths now ragged, Spike rolled over and laid next to Buffy, wrapping his arm around her. She responded by resting her head on his shoulder again and laying her arm across his chest, subconsciously protecting his heart. A contented sigh fell from her lips as her eyes fluttered shut. “So we’ll find out where we are in the morning, right, Spike?” Spike chuckled and closed his eyes. “Whatever you want, love. Whatever you want.” --

Chapter #2 - Breakfast

Spike awoke to the familiar feeling of emptiness next to him. Just like always, mate. You wake up and the chit is long gone. A loud crash from downstairs made Spike jump. After quickly wrapping the bed sheet around his waist, he stood, grabbed a swig of mouthwash from the nightstand next to him, and thundered down the stairs. To his surprise, Buffy was bustling about the kitchen, setting up a lovely little breakfast for two. She had apparently found clothing in her “room,” as she was wearing a pink tube top, black pants, and a slightly stained apron. He smirked at her when she noticed his presence. “Expecting company, pet?” Buffy scowled at him. “Psh…no…I just…I’m just really hungry that’s all.” “And you need two plates because…?” “Because I don’t like to eat off of just one plate…it’s dirty. Like a Chinese buffet, I get a new plate each time I fill my plate up.” “Ah,” Spike said, rolling his tongue behind his teeth, “And that mug of blood is also for you I suppose.” Scoffing, Buffy placed the mug of warmed blood up to her lips. “This? This is just tomato juice…see? Mmm…pulpy!” Buffy mimicked taking a large gulp of the mug, and Spike raised his eyebrow. “Tomato juice, eh? Mind if I have a mug?” “Here,” Buffy said, shoving the mug at him with a slight smile, “take mine.” Spike smirked as he took a sip of the blood. “You’re right, pet, it’s very pulpy.” Buffy wrinkled her nose and then smiled at Spike. “Yeah, well, you might as well sit down with me, Mr. Toga.” Spike sneered as he glanced down at the bed sheet still hanging around his waist. “Well, I heard something crash down here and couldn’t fit myself into one of your little delicates fast enough. If I had known that ruckus was just your cooking, I would have taken my time. Where did all of this food come from, pray tell?” “The fridge.” “And you’re sure you want us to eat ‘found’ food?” “Well, I figure if whoever sent us here wanted to hurt us, they would’ve done it when we were asleep.” “Or shagging.” “Any of the eight times.” “Was it eight? I lost track, love.” “I think so…I don’t know…maybe nine?” Spike pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his tongue dancing around hers. Drawing himself back for a moment, he winked at her and pinched her rear. “You want to make it a solid ten before we eat?” “Eat first, Spike.” “I plan on it love,” he said, leering at her lecherously. Rolling her eyes, Buffy made each of them plates of scrambled eggs, toast and chunks of pineapple, and placed a bowl of Weetabix in front of Spike. He beamed at her. “They had Weetabix?” “Yep.” “Blighters aren’t so bad then. But you knew how much I liked Weetabix?” “Yep,” she said, her mouth full of warm, buttery toast. “Bloody hell, Slayer, you do care,” he said with a chuckle. Buffy nodded and shoved a forkful of eggs in her mouth. “Yep.” They finished their meal in a comfortable silence, each pausing ever so often to look up and smile at one another. Spike began to gather up the dishes, but suddenly found his hands emptied and the dishes cleaned and stacked neatly in a pile on the counter. He raised an eyebrow and turned to Buffy. “Pet? What in the bloody hell just happened?” “I have no idea…as soon as I put the eggs in the pan they seemed to cook perfectly. I just thought I had gotten better at cooking….” “I don’t have any hope of that happening, love.” “Hey,” Buffy began to protest, but then sighed. “Well, at least I try.” “That you do, Slayer. And that’s half the battle.” “Yeah, well, whatever is keeping us here is trying to take care of us for some reason.” “Hope it’s not for testing…I had enough of that with the bloody chip.” “Me neither. I can’t find my way out of mazes anyhow.” Spike nodded and motioned to the living room. “Let’s snoop around, love…see what we can find, yeah?” Grabbing Spike’s hand as they walked into the living room, Buffy lost herself for a moment thinking about their sexual romps the previous night. She flashed Spike a becoming smile and nodded at the sofa. “We really should break the room in before we do any research…get it out of the way so we can focus, you know?” “Of course, love,” he said, “it’s good luck.” Pulling his face to hers, Buffy enveloped Spike’s thick mouth in a long, deep kiss. Without hesitation, Buffy knelt before him, untying the bed sheet and drawing his long, hard member into her mouth. She massaged the organ with long strokes of her tongue, flicking its tip every so often. Spike moaned in pleasure, rocking his hips forward as she lapped at his pulsing cock. Unable to handle any more teasing, Spike pulled Buffy up and turned her back to himself, bending her over and pulling her soft pants down. Thrusting into her dripping orifice, Spike nearly lost control of himself instantly. He pumped into her with great force, causing Buffy to allow loud moans to fall from her lips. Buffy arched her back as a pulsating orgasm washed over her. In a few quick thrusts, Spike could feel himself begin to break, and Buffy pulled herself away from him, again kneeling in front of the vampire and taking his cock into her mouth. Her feverish laps at his member finally broke him and he filled her mouth with a loud moan. Buffy smiled sweetly as she swallowed his essence, and then stood back up and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Okay…research time!” Buffy pulled her pants back up and walked briskly to a bookcase. Spike shook his head and stretched out on the couch, staring up at Buffy in awe. “How in the bloody hell do you have that much energy, pet? What was in those sodding eggs you ate?” Buffy shrugged and grabbed a large, leather-bound book from the shelf. “I dunno. I guess your ‘man juice’ gave me that extra boost I needed. I’ll have to remember that.” “So will I, love.” A strange, discerning look crossed Buffy’s face and she plopped down on the couch next to Spike. He wrapped a concerned arm around her frame. “Buffy? Pet? What’s wrong?” Buffy handed the book to Spike, still staring into the air before her. Holding the book in his hands, Spike read the cover with a strange sense of foreboding. Welcome Buffy Summers and William “Spike” Pratt to Purgatory! A Handbook For The Afterlife “What the bloody hell?” --

Chapter #3 - Reading

Buffy raised her eyebrows as she stared at the leather-bound book. “A guide to the afterlife? Psh…okay, if Michael Keaton shows up, I’m out of here…and since when do you have a last name, Mr. Pratt?” Smirking, Spike shook his head at Buffy. “Pet, you have to learn to appreciate any help that you can get…and of course I have a bloody last name. I did have a life before you, you know.” “Yeah right.” “Lots of people survived before your holy self came into this world.” “Whatever. I appreciate help.” “And that’s why the sodding book is still closed, right?” Buffy scowled. “I appreciate help that doesn’t make me read a giant book. Here,” she said, thrusting the book into Spike’s lap, “You read it.” Spike sighed and opened the tome, reading aloud to Buffy so she could get the full effect. “Dear Ms. Summers and Mr. Pratt, We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to purgatory. The length of your stay, unfortunately, will not be regulated by any of Our actions, rather, by the actions of one of your closest comrades. We, The Powers That Be, are currently attempting to expedite your claim to the mortal coil, and your stay with Us in purgatory should not be too extended. Because of your sacrifices for each other (though, Ms. Summers, we did not expect this type of sacrifice for love from you at this time), We have decided to bestow upon you a gift upon your return to the mortal world. “Mr. Pratt, as you have already received your soul, The Powers That Be have decided that the best gift to bestow upon you is that of light; you are now, and forever shall be, impervious to the harms of the sun. When you are closer to Ms. Summers, as We will explain in depth later, your natural defenses will increase, and you will be impervious also to the natural methods previously used to kill your kind. Each of you will receive the strength of the other, in essence, doubling your powers. “Ms. Summers, your great powers as the longest-lived and most powerful Slayer have preceded you, and Our gift relates to this staying power you seemingly have achieved on your own. Your life shall become interwoven with Mr. Pratt’s, and you shall never age physically past your current self, and you, just as Mr. Pratt, will be impervious to death as long as the two of you are together. The sole downside, if one can call it that, is that if one of you is killed, the other will almost instantaneously follow; however, your interwoven souls will continue even in death, and you will return here, to spend eternity together in this home. We shall work on rebuilding Sunnydale as the two of you became accustomed to it, so your eternity will not be clouded by cabin fever. Within the pages in this tome, you will find explanations of your current situation, how to utilize the area which you are in, and how to effectively enter back into the world. “Just a note on your current placement, as We did not expect Ms. Summers to join Mr. Pratt in purgatory: the accommodations We chose had to be revamped (forgive the pun), and We hastened to make each of you comfortable. If there is anything you need, food, clothing, lubrication, simply shout in an upward direction and your desires will be fulfilled in a timely fashion. You may also check on the lives of your friends and families by this method, though you must be in the living room so you may see their lives on the television We have provided. One may say, ‘Show me David Hasselhoff,’ though We cannot understand why, and one would be met with live streaming video of the actor. That being said, please do not ask to see Mr. Hasselhoff, as his shell is being worn by a very testy demon who refuses to appear on screen without payment. We are trying to fix the cable outlet to purgatory, so, until We do so (it is difficult to find a repairman in purgatory, as they either reside on Earth or in Hell), you will unfortunately only be able to see your loved ones, not hear them. So, enjoy the peace, pampering, and solitude that purgatory has to offer, as it will not last long.” “How about some pants,” Spike asked, and was immediately wearing black jeans. Spike glanced up at Buffy who was staring at the television, in awe. “What do you want to ask, love?” “Show me Dawn Summers.” The television clicked on immediately, and, after a brief moment of white noise, Dawn’s visage appeared on the screen. She was laying on a large bed, sobbing. Giles sat at the foot of the bed, staring blankly ahead of himself. Dawn was clutching something to her chest as she lay in the fetal position on the bed. Buffy peered at the screen, trying to discern the pink amorphous blob in her sister’s arms. Spike put his arm around her shoulder. “Mr. Gordo, right?” Buffy nodded. “Yeah…God, poor Dawn…but where the hell are they?” As if to answer her question, Angel walked into the room, and squatted down in front of Giles. Whatever he said brought Giles from his daze, and the men stood and walked out of the room, leaving Dawn alone, in a sniffling heap, on the bed. “That’s enough,” Buffy said to the ceiling, wiping the tears from her eyes. The television shut itself off, leaving Buffy and Spike to sit in silence for a few moments before Buffy sighed and stood up. “Do you want to spar downstairs? I could stand to burn off some steam.” Spike nodded, and followed Buffy into the basement of her purgatory home. “Always happy to help you burn off steam, Slayer.” “You’re gonna pay for that, vampire.” “Well, love, from what I understand, I’d like to be addressed as the ubervampire that I am now.” “Ubervampire? Come up with that term all on your own, Spike?” Scowling, Spike took a fighting stance before Buffy on the cold concrete. “ ‘s not nice to make fun, pet. I think I’ll have to teach you a bloody lesson. Could we have some mats down here?” The floor beneath them was suddenly covered in blue workout mats. Buffy rolled her eyes. “Ooh, the Big Bad is afraid of a little concrete?” “Not at all, love, just looking out for your precious self.” A swift kick to his gut sent Spike falling onto the mats. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Buffy said with a laugh. Cutting off her chuckle, Spike kicked Buffy’s legs out from underneath her, sending the Slayer sprawling onto the floor next to him. “Welcome, pet,” Spike said, crawling on top of her and parting her legs slightly. “Now, aren’t you glad I got the mats for you?” “Right,” she said, trying, in vain, to hide her arousal, “And they aren’t for you at all.” “Well, it makes it easier for me to plow you without worrying that I’m hurting you.” Buffy stared at Spike and flipped herself over so she was straddling Spike. She smiled coyly as she ground herself into his hard member. “Again, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Slamming her mouth against his, consumed with an overwhelming passion, Buffy simultaneously stroked Spike’s tongue and cock with her tongue and hand, respectively. She freed his cock in one quick motion, and pulled her shorts to the side, hovering her slick opening teasingly above his member. Spike growled, staring into Buffy’s eyes in adoration as he thrust up into her. Throwing her head back in pleasure, Buffy rode Spike’s pulsing cock in rhythmic grinds. Caught up in the moment, Buffy allowed her natural impulses to take over, and she honed in on Spike’s neck, biting down as hard as she could, bringing a few drops of blood to her lips. This action caused Spike’s inner beast to take over, and he flipped Buffy over, looking in awe at her, his vampiric features fully prominent. She stared at him, her fingers trailing the bumps on his forehead lovingly, and she bared her neck for him. “Bite me, Spike.” Entranced by her words and actions, Spike forgot his usual restraint and thrust into Buffy as he pierced her neck with his sharp fangs. He drew a few deep gulps of blood before gently pulling back and staring into Buffy’s green eyes. Those same eyes soon rolled back in ecstasy as an orgasm pulsed through her; her clenching muscles wringing Spike’s end from him moments after. Spike lapped at her throat, closing the small wounds as Buffy lay, contentedly, beneath him. Resting his head on her shoulder, Spike whispered in Buffy’s ear, as the entwined their hands. “You’re my girl now, Buffy.” “Always,” she replied, her voice nearly failing her. Post-orgasmic sleep overtook the pair, still wrapped in each other. --

Chapter #4 - Lunch

Buffy sat in front of the television, watching Willow and Xander comfort Dawn. She bit into her turkey sandwich, just like her mother used to make her, and watched as Dawn wiped the tears from her eyes, and laughed at something Xander said. The light mood was broken as Angel burst into the room, saying something that caused Dawn to shrink back into the fetal position. Willow yelled at the vampire, who turned to brood in the corner. Buffy rolled her eyes as she looked over at Spike, who was busy sipping a warm mug of blood and leafing through the handbook. Buffy sniffled and stretched out on the couch. “You busy over there?” Spike looked up and smiled at her. “A tad, love. I’m just trying to make sure we have all of the information we need in case we don’t have this guide on us later on.” “Oh…well that’s a good idea I guess.” “What’s wrong,” Spike asked with a sigh. “Nothing…just…Angel.” “Can’t you get the bloody Poofter out of your mind, Buffy? You still love him too?” Buffy scoffed. “No. No. Just…just watching him with Dawn makes me want to stake him.” “Ah, well then that’s alright. I’d be happy to oblige you if we ever get the chance, love.” “And what’s with the getting testy over an ex-boyfriend? You can’t tell me that you don’t think about your crazy ho-bag ex.” Laughing, Spike shook his head at Buffy. “Which one?” “Ha. Funny. Let’s see what she’s up to anyway…might as well get some use out of this bloody thing….” “Pet, did you just say ‘bloody’?” Blushing, Buffy turned her attention to the television. “Show me Drusilla.” “The Mad,” Spike offered. The television blurred for a moment, before a black screen with white lettering came up with its reply. “Is that Drusilla the Mad of Omicron Persei Eight or Drusilla the Mad of Earth?” “Earth, you idiot,” Spike yelled. The television seemed to frown for a moment before Drusilla appeared on screen. She stared up, in awe, somehow knowing that she was being watched. “Sweet William? I told you…with the sunshine now, you are…always with the sunshine now. Not like me and Miss Edith…live in the dark with Daddy. You must meet your new brother, William,” she cooed as she pulled a reluctant fledgling towards her. The fledgling glanced around him, wondering in silence who or what in the hell Drusilla was speaking to. Drusilla frowned at him, unhappy that he wasn’t paying attention to her, and snapped his neck. After the cloud of dust settled, she stared back up and almost into Spike’s eyes. “Well…brothers come and go, I suppose. Take care of my Sweet William, Sunshine…he’s always been filled with you, Slayer…if you aren’t good to him, it will make Miss Edith very cross and I will have to make you like William’s recently deceased little brother.” Buffy shook her head, and looked back at Spike, who was chuckling. “That’s enough, thank you! You know, you really haven’t changed, have you?” “I’m still the Big Bad if that’s what you mean, pet.” “Just more user-friendly?” “I s’ppose so,” Spike said with a laugh, “Buffy, you’re sure that you want me right? No second thoughts?” “None at all. I’m done baking, Spike, so you get to enjoy delicious cookie me!” Spike raised an eyebrow as he stood and slinked an arm around Buffy’s waist, bringing her flush against himself. “Well, I agree that you’re delicious, love, but a cookie? I’ll have to have myself a taste just to be sure.” Ripping her clothes off into shreds on the floor, Spike pushed her back so she was sitting on top of the couch, spreading her legs apart and resting her knees on his shoulders. He hungrily licked at her soft folds, pressing his long fingers into her warmth. Buffy bucked at his every touch, and his fervent ministrations quickly brought her over the edge. As soon as she was coherent enough, Spike brought Buffy down in front of him, pulling his hard cock from his pants. Buffy wrapped a leg around his waist, holding onto him for support as he pumped his manhood into her. Caught up as they were in their fevered coupling, neither Buffy nor Spike noticed the orange haze that began to swirl around them. Spike growled and bit again into Buffy’s neck, bringing another orgasm from her, her eyes squeezing shut with its force. Spike focused on the tiny streams of blood trailing down Buffy’s neck, coming to orgasm just as he heard a familiar male voice yell. “Spike? Buffy?! What the hell…?” -- Willow ran into the office, staring down at the heap that was Angel, passed out in a puddle of what she hoped was saliva. Buffy and Spike gasped, looking back and forth between each other and Willow. It was Buffy who found her voice first. “Willow! Oh my God, Spike, we’re back!” Willow hadn’t heard Buffy’s cries, nor did she see either Spike or Buffy. She fanned Angel with the envelope she found close to his crumpled frame. “Angel? Wakey wakey…come on big guy….” After a few more violent shakes of his frame, Angel was brought back to consciousness, and stared, enraged, at Spike for a moment before jumping to his feet and running full force at him. Spike pushed Buffy out of the way, though his actions were quite unnecessary as Angel ran straight through Spike and into the wall behind him. Angel, whose face was red from the force of his stop, turned back to Spike and growled. “How the hell did you do that, Spike?” Spike shrugged, walking back over to Buffy. “Sod if I know, Poofter. How’d you run through me?” “I don’t know.” “And how in the bloody hell did we get here? What’s this…your bloody office? Cushy digs.” “I have no idea. I opened up a letter and there the two of you were…doing…that…God, I need a drink.” Willow’s eyes bulged out. “Angel…umm…are you alright? Who are you talking to?” “Spike…and Buffy…Buffy…why Spike? Why? What the hell? I mean…it’s…Spike.” Buffy rolled her eyes, but didn’t even glance in Angel’s direction, focusing instead on Spike. “Jeez, Angel, you knew that Spike and I had been together.” “Yeah, had…as in past tense,” he said with a huff, “And I didn’t have to watch it.” “Well you’re going to have a big problem then, Poofter, you interrupted the Missus and I…and we have some unfinished business I think we need to attend to.” Rolling his tongue behind his teeth, Spike ran his fingers over Buffy’s upper thigh, stroking her naked flesh and causing her face to turn a slightly pink shade. “Spike…later…oh…okay…not super late, but a little later…and hey, why am I still naked? Hey,” she yelled to the ceiling, “A little help here!” A soft pink tank top, boots, and a tight pair of black leather pants covered Buffy’s frame, and a red t-shirt, combat boots, and his customary duster appeared on Spike, who smiled broadly. “Now that’s service, in’it, pet?” Nodding, Buffy leaned back against Spike, who wrapped his arms instinctively around her waist. “You would think they would’ve given us some kind of clothes before popping us here…and maybe corporeal forms while they were at it.” “I don’t think they had planned for the Poofter ripping us from purgatory, love.” Angel blinked. “Purgatory?” “Yeah,” Buffy said, finally looking at Angel, “When Spike and I were at the battle at Sunnydale, the amulet took us into purgatory until we were brought back to earth…though I really didn’t plan on being a ghost.” Buffy absentmindedly passed her hand through Angel’s desk, drawing a grin from Spike who swatted her hand back to her side. “Cut that out, love, it’s giving me the wiggins.” “Did you just say ’wiggins’?” “No…course not. But I bet we’re noncorporeal because of the bloody Poofter.” “I didn’t do anything wrong,” Angel wailed. Willow, who had been watching Angel intently in silence, stood and walked out of the room. “I’m gonna go get you a glass of water…er…blood…er…both. I’ll get both.” Buffy smiled as Willow walked out of the room. “I didn’t realize how much I’d miss Willow.” “Red’s a good little chit.” Angel plopped down on his couch, bringing his hand to his head. “Why always me?” “What now Poofter?” “Why me? Why do all of the things I don’t want get sent to me?” “Human condition, mate,” Spike said with a sneer. “We’re not human!” “Still.” A pretty, dark haired woman in glasses walked briskly into the office, followed closely by Willow. “Okay, Angel, what’s the problem?” --

Chapter #5 - Studying

The dark haired woman smiled warmly at Angel. “Angel? You alright?” “No, Fred,” Angel moaned, “I’m seeing things that I really shouldn’t.” “What do you mean?” Spike scoffed. “Someone’s afraid of a little hanky-panky it seems, Slayer. Was he this prude when the two of you…?” Buffy laughed and rolled her eyes at her fellow specter. “I really don’t remember.” “Ah…fucked him out of your brains, did I, pet?” “Yep…I guess so,” she said, trailing her finger down his chest to his hip. Moaning again, Angel shut his eyes to the non-corporeal display of affection besmudging his “clean” office. Fred stared, wide eyed at him, calculating what could possibly be wrong. “So…who are you talking to, Angel?” “Spike,” he spat out, “and Buffy…God, Buffy, please! At least wait until I’m out of the room!” Angel shut his eyes again and began to hum “Habanera.” Apparently, although they still couldn’t touch anything else, they were still fully capable of touching, fondling, and licking each other. Throwing his hand over his eyes, Angel slowly, blindly, found his way out of the office and into the hallway, followed by a nervous Fred. Harmony’s pert voice greeted him. “Hi boss!” Angel groaned in response and curled up in the fetal position behind Harmony’s desk. She raised an eyebrow at Angel’s limp form, and then looked at Fred, who shrugged. Harmony sighed, but said nothing, busying herself, instead, with the twirling of her hair. -- A floating pen caused a terrified uproar within the office when Willow denied being behind the phenomenon. Angel awoke with a start as a group of pinstriped Melenge demons thundered past him. He sighed after ascertaining who was the cause of the uproar. Buffy sat on Harmony’s desk, taken over completely in hysterics as Spike meandered around the office foyer, wiggling a pen and making half-hearted ghostly noises. “Oooh! Run from the phantom pen you bloody wankers! Oooh! It’s bluuuue!” Angel frowned and climbed to his feet. “Cut it out, Spike! Wait…how are you holding that? And,” he said, turning to Buffy, “how are you sitting on the desk?” Buffy shrugged. “I dunno. After we had sex, Spike sat on your desk and actually sat.” “Yeah…sorry about the mess, Peaches.” “But no one can see you yet.” “Obviously, Poofter, hence the scary floating pen gag.” “Hey,” Buffy mused, “Maybe having sex is the key!” “I thought the Bit was the Key,” Spike said with a laugh. “No, really…we started to get more form after we….” “So you’re saying if we….” “Yeah.” “And then we’ll be….” “Yeah.” “So you want to….” Buffy smirked. “Yeah.” “Right now?” “Yeah.” “Naughty Slayer!” “Horny vampire,” she said, eyeing the bulge in his pants. “Grossed out vampire,” Angel sighed. “Can’t you guys please go somewhere else if you’re going to do that?” “Sure, Poofter,” Spike said with a grin, “Back into your office then?” “No…third floor,” he said, handing Spike a small room key, “That should unlock room 314. It was prepared for a guest I’m expecting today, but I’ll just put her somewhere else.” Angel sighed when he noticed that the increasingly corporeal visages had left, probably as soon as he told them the room number. He walked, or, rather, trudged, back into his office and grimaced at his desk. When words failed him, he sighed and hung his head in distress. -- Buffy hovered briefly above Spike before impaling herself on his rigid member. Riding him at a comfortable cantor, Buffy caught his gaze and held it for the entirety of their coupling, dropping it only to blink. As Spike thrust up into her wetness, she rode him into oblivion, finding her own end simultaneously with him. A mutual cry of ecstasy echoed down the empty hallway, the staff still avoiding the building after their encounter with the phantom pen. Buffy rolled off of Spike’s lap, and lay, sprawled out comfortably next to him. He chuckled at her. “You know, pet, for someone so small, you take up quite a bit of room.” She scowled. “You aren’t calling me fat, are you?” “Of course not, you silly bint.” “What does that mean?” “What does what mean?” “Bint.” “Bint?” “Bint.” “Well…it’s…it’s hard to explain.” “Why?” “Because you aren’t British.” “Oh so first I’m fat and now I’m stupid because I’m not British?” “No!” “Giles is British and he never called me a bint.” “I should hope not. It’s a term of endearment.” “Sounds more like another ‘b’ word I know.” “Well, I suppose that’s inevitable…Buffy…bint..bitc…” “If you value your unlife, you’ll stop right there,” she growled, grabbing his hair. He chukled. “Bitch.” “That’s it!” Doing quite the opposite of what he expected, Buffy grabbed Spike’s ready member and covered it with her mouth. As she lapped and sucked at his cock, Spike felt himself rising to his end. Just as he was about to find his release into Buffy’s mouth, she stopped, and crawled beside him, closing her eyes and feigning sleep. “Night!” Spike growled menacingly at her. “Oi! Slayer! You’re not gonna finish the job?” A fake snore rolled through Buffy’s throat, and she stifled a smile. Even as exasperated as he was, Spike caught the slight movements at the corners of her mouth and rolled his tongue behind his teeth, lecherously. Still slick from their last tryst, Spike thrust easily into Buffy, and in moments, achieved orgasm. A greedy hand against her clit drew another series of spasms from Buffy, who pouted a few minutes later. “Not fair.” “What do you mean, Slayer?” “I was asleep…and snoring! You can’t…how did you know I was awake?” Spike grinned. “You snore much louder than that normally.” “Jerk.” “Hussy.” “Lifeless vampire.” “Vampire fucker.” “Slayer fucker.” “Bint.” Buffy smiled and cuddled up against him, appreciating that he hadn’t called her the one word she thought he would use instantly. “I love you.” “I love you too…bitch.” -- A loud crash and the thumping of the bed a floor above her room finally caused Dawn’s anger to boil over. “Round three? Oh, now that’s it.” She marched up a floor, enraged and fully intent on giving the unknown offending couple a piece of her mind. She banged loudly on the door, behind which groans and giggles could be heard. --

Chapter #6 - Dinner

Buffy groaned at the loud banging on their door. Rolling over to her back, she grudgingly climbed off of the bed. “What in the world could Angel want now?” Spike shrugged. “Don’t rightly know, pet. Shouldn’t open the door though.” “And why not?” “Well, aside from the fact that we’re not quite finished here, I don’t fancy on letting the Poofter ogle your little bits.” Buffy blushed as she glanced down at her almost-nude frame. “I forgot…what with you sexing me up all the time, I’m getting used to being in the buff.” Buffy chuckled. “Heh…buff…Buff in the buff.” “Pet, I think all of the orgasms are drowning your brain.” Sticking her tongue out at him, Buffy grabbed Spike’s duster off of the floor and draped it around her frame. “There. All better,” she said, opening the door. -- Spike, wearing a bed sheet in a toga-like fashion, hoisted Dawn into his arms and carried her into the room. Clucking his tongue, he turned to glance at Buffy, who was busy straightening the comforter so Dawn had something not covered in “love stench” to lay on. “Told you you should’ve put on some bloody clothes.” “Oh, yeah, like that would make her calm…blood-stained…er…you know, we’re in America, Spike.” “And what? You want me to ‘speak ‘merican?’ Please, pet,” Spike said, with a slight drawl. Buffy rolled her eyes and pulled her clothes on, as Spike set Dawn gently down on the bed. “You know, you’d make a good father.” Spike raised an eyebrow in response, grabbing his own clothes and wriggling himself back into them. “No, really…you’re kind and gentle and….” “And if you value your pretty little neck, Slayer, you’ll stop right there,” he growled, tearing his duster off of Buffy’s frame and draping it on himself. A grin ghosted over Buffy’s lips, but she held back, attempting to stare at Spike in wide-eyed horror. “Oh, yes, I forgot! You are William the Bloody! Destruction bringer! Slayer of Slayers, Pillager of…Pillagers….” “Not funny.” “Oh, I’m not laughing! Please don’t harm me, oh Big Bad Monster Man,” Buffy said, throwing her hand to her head and feigning a swoon. Spike growled and shifted into his vampire visage. Since she was still bubbling over with laughter, Buffy was caught completely off-guard when Spike lunged at her, pushing her back into the adjoining bathroom. He locked the door behind him and turned to stare at Buffy, his yellow eyes almost glowing. “You are going to pay for that, Slayer.” Buffy raised an eyebrow and took a fighting stance. “I am? I’d love to see you try, vampire.” Taking the first offensive attack, Buffy punched Spike directly in the nose. She held back slightly, so as not to break anything, but put enough force behind her blow to smart. Spike backhanded her a split second later, sending her leaning against the sink. She smiled at her singular reflection, then kicked directly behind her, which was, conversely, right in Spike’s stomach. He responded by kicking her legs out from underneath her, but was soon brought down to the floor by a swift snap of Buffy’s legs. Taking the brief upper-hand that she had at the moment, Buffy climbed on top of Spike and ripped his shirt open. “Mmm,” she cooed, “The Big Bad is very sexy.” “I just got that back on you stupid bint!” “Mmm…sexyyyyyyy!” Looking up at Buffy, Spike smiled and began to say something, but a horrific memory flooded through his mind. Reading his expression, Buffy gently stroked his face and drew him back to his senses. “Stop. I know that wasn’t your fault…it was a situation that we were constantly in and we both took it too far. I forgive you…I forgave you then, I just…I didn’t want to admit to myself why I stopped you…it was because I loved you.” Spike buried his face in her soft neck, her hair cascading over his features. “God I love you, pet.” A blast of white, burning light engulfed the pair and, after a brief moment, they realized that they were no longer in the guest bathroom, but back in the replica of Buffy’s Sunnydale home. Buffy untangled her limbs from Spike’s and stood up, shouting at the ceiling. “What the hell?! We just got corporeal form you…you assholes!!” Spike grabbed her shoulders and suppressed a chuckle. “Simmer down now, pet…let them explain themselves.” The handbook came floating into the room and into Buffy’s hands, a bright yellow bookmark noting a page. Buffy raised her eyebrows, but opened to the annotated page, and read aloud to Spike. We, the Powers That Be, advise you to always keep your Handbook to the Afterlife with you at all times, to avoid the daily purges of being drawn back into purgatory after you achieve corporeal form. If you arrive on earth, or in any other dimension therein, in non-corporeal form, to achieve corporeal form is an exchange of bodily fluids, the swiftest method of this is for Spike to drink from Buffy, although sexual congress will also work, though at a slightly diminished rate. If, at any time, you are on another plane of existence without your handbook, you will be drawn back into purgatory to pick up said handbook. The Powers That Be feel that it is imperative for beings as powerful as yourselves to always be prepared, and the handbook provides this in a succinct form. If necessary, We are willing to provide you with a pocket, or “Cliff Notes” version of the handbook, after you each have read the handbook in its entirety. There will be a test. Buffy sighed as she gripped the book to her chest. Spike wrapped his arms around her shoulders and nuzzled her neck. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll read it to you, yeah?” Nodding, Buffy frowned at the ceiling. “Can we go back now, please?” Another flash of light consumed Buffy and Spike, who were instantly transported back into the bathroom. Frantic pounding on the door announced that Dawn had woken and alerted the entire Scooby Gang to her interaction with the now-corporeal duo. Straightening her tank top and breathing a soft sigh, she turned to Spike. “Well, time to address the troops, eh?” --

Chapter #7 - Testing

Buffy cracked her knuckles and took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door, grabbing Spike’s hand as they stepped out into the room. Dawn squealed in delight and launched herself at Buffy, knocking her back into Spike, who was pushed back against the shower, steadying himself before the three of them fell into the bathtub. “Bit, I’m really not feeling like becoming part of the fixtures here,” he said, helping Buffy push the simultaneously sobbing and laughing girl off of her. Dawn calmed herself down a bit before nodding and following Buffy and Spike back out into the bedroom. Willow’s face was drenched with tears, a broad smile hanging on her lips. Xander sat on the floor, staring blankly in front of him, while Angel sulked in the corner, holding a cell phone up to his ear. Buffy raised an eyebrow at Angel, who sighed. “Giles…he just got back to London.” Buffy nodded and sat down on the bed, patting the area next to her and motioning for Spike to join her. He was slightly taken aback, though completely touched by her action, though she didn’t realize how loving it truly was. Taking a deep breath, Buffy broke the silence. “So…we’re back.” Willow laughed, wiping her eyes with a tissue. “Yeah, Buf, we kind of got that much…but how…when? Where have you two been all this time?” Buffy grabbed the large handbook from its place on the bed. “Well…when Spike and I died in Sunnydale, we didn’t actually die die…we went to a sort of purgatory. We knew we were coming back, we just didn’t know when.” “Yeah,” Spike interjected, “And when we did come back, only the Poofter could see us, so we had to fu…” “Ffffind a way to get corporeal again,” Buffy cut in. “And we did. So. We’re back.” “And better then ever, love.” Angel coughed. “And why’s that?” “Spike and I gained some extra talents while we were in purgatory,” Buffy said, “He can go out in the sun now and I’m…well…immortal.” Dawn squealed in delight. “So Spike and I can hang out in the daytime now? Awesome!” “Whatever you want, Bit,” Spike laughed. “And as long as we’re together,” Buffy continued until Spike cut her off. “We’ll be stronger…’s a nice bonus, in’it, Slayer?” Buffy nodded at Spike, who had raised his eyebrow warningly at her. “Yeah…um, anyway you guys, I’m kind of exhausted, would it be alright if we caught up a little more tomorrow?” Willow nodded as Buffy and Spike stood up, wearily. “Of course it is, Buffy,” she launched herself at Buffy, wrapping her arms tightly around the Slayer, “I’m just so glad you guys are back! We all are.” “Yeah,” Xander droned from his seat on the floor, his attention still focused on the air in front of him. Angel helped Xander stand up and led him out of the room, Willow following behind them, stifling a nervous laugh. Dawn enveloped Spike in a giant bear hug for a moment before doing the same to Buffy. “I love you guys,” she said with a smile, before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Buffy placed her hand on the door for a moment, took a deep breath, and turned to face Spike. “What the hell was that about?” “What was what about?” “The interrupting me?” “You were telling them too much, love?” “Says who?” “Says anyone with half a brain, pet!” “Oh,” Buffy said sarcastically, “So I’m dumb now, is that it?” Spike pursed his lips and exhaled loudly through his nostrils. “That’s not what I’m saying you stupid bint.” “There! Right there!” “Right where?” “You just called me stupid.” “You’re bloody insane is what you are.” “Well you should know, you dated your looney tunes ho-bag of a girlfriend long enough.” “You shut your gob!” “I could do that if I knew what a ‘gob’ was!” “You infuriating little….” “You’re just as bad!” “Bitch!” “Asshole!” “Trollop!” “Ponce!” Spike grabbed Buffy by the shoulders and shook her slightly before drawing her close to himself, his eyes boring into hers, doing his best not to falter and give in to the laughter bubbling in his chest. “Now you listen here, Slayer, you’re my girl now, and my girl doesn’t call me a bloody ponce.” Buffy couldn’t hold her laughter in, and gave into it as fits of giggles surfaced, bringing Spike’s laughter out momentarily. The two fell back onto the bed, laughter overtaking them. Spike wrapped his arm around Buffy, who curled up against his body, twirling little circles on his chest with her finger. “I love you, you know,” she sighed, after their laughter had died down. “I know, pet. Just…watch who you’re telling our good news to. If Angel ever became Angelus again, he’s use that to his own bloody advantage. Make our lives hell.” “But we could take him easily.” “Not if he knew what would happen if we were separated, love. Now, let’s do a spot of reading before the night’s out…sure those buggers upstairs have a test coming shortly for us.” Joyce gazed into the small screen watching Buffy as she rested her head on Spike’s chest when he began to read aloud to her from their large handbook. Smiling at Anya, Cordelia, and Tara who were sitting in plush chairs in the large room, Joyce walked over to her own comforter and sat down. “I think they’re learning quickly, don’t you?” Anya nodded. “I told you, Joyce, those two need each other. I tried to explain it to Xander while I was alive but he wouldn’t hear any of it…you could eat the sexual tension around those two with a spoon. I mean, honestly, some times I just thought they were going to rip their clothes off in front of all of us and just….” “Anya! Please,” Tara cut in, “I…I doubt Buffy’s mother wants to hear about that sort of thing.” “Oh, she knows all about it. Did you know that she and Giles….” “Yes! Well,” Joyce chimed up, “Who wants hot chocolate?”

Chapter #8 - Dessert

“You listening, pet? Says right here if we’re focused on our connection enough we can talk to each other telepathically. It’d be handy in a fight, you know.” “I really don’t want to be in anyone else’s head, Spike. I learned that lesson before.” “Yeah, but you’ll only be in my head and vice versa. And we can control it. I don’t think you’ve been listening, have you, love? Do I have to start all over again?” “No! I’ve been listening, really. Got it.” “I’m not failing Their bloody test just because you have a short attention span.” “We won’t fail!” “We will if you don’t focus, pet. So please, shut your gob and listen. ‘Chapter Three, Dimension Crossings, Ethereal Powers and You.’ Oooh, this one sounds like fun. ‘One of the first things that must be discussed for the recently etherealized is the appearance of dangers and the necessity for a viable escape plan, utilizing all available resources, especially the unquantifiable valuable resource of multiple dimensions. The ethereal vampire and Slayer (that’s you), and their progeny will be able to switch dimensions to any number of “safe zones” within the world, including, but not limited to, purgatory for the two of you, and numerous other worlds for the two of you and your progeny….’ ” Eyeing the bulge in Spike’s pants, Buffy licked her lips. “Oh, I’ll show you focus.” Buffy straddled Spike, trying to grab the book out of his hands and focus his attention where it rightly should have been…on her. After a few attempts, with Spike swatting her hands away from himself as he continued to read aloud, Buffy sighed and rolled over next to him. “Are you sick of me already, Spike? We haven’t even been ‘married’ a week.” “Bout four days from our perspective, pet, but it’s been months for the real world,” Spike said, placing the book down on the black nightstand next to the bed, “And since when do you call our situation a ‘marriage’?” Buffy shuffled her feet as best she could as she lay on the bed, a coy smile falling on her lips. “Well…I figured we’re all with the being together until death do us part…and we bicker! And I made you breakfast…this has all the symptoms of a marriage,” she said, her smile faltering, “But if you don’t want to call it that, it’s fine…or…if you don’t want to be with me that’s fine too…just…try not to get yourself killed or anything because I really don’t want to spend my afterlife with someone who doesn’t….” Spike cut her ranting off with a penetrating kiss, and slid his hand up to her shirt, ripping it off of her in one fell swoop. Making short work of her pants, Spike sent the tattered remains of her outfit into a heap on the floor. Buffy pulled back when he tried to kiss her again, bit her lip, and ripped Spike’s clothes off of his frame with the same force he had used. Light danced in her eyes as he thrust into her. “I hope They’ll give us more clothes after we’re done…I doubt anyone is going to want to talk to naked us.” “Oh hush, you silly bint, I’m trying to make love to you.” “This is what this is, isn’t it? It’s weird…before we died, all we ever did was fu….” Spike rolled his eyes and covered her mouth again with his own. “Slayer talks too bloody much.” “Oh, I talk too much? Well you think too much.” “We’re doing it, love! Bloody hell!” “Oooh really? I didn’t realize.” “Ha bloody ha.” “I thought it was funny.” “Afraid not.” “Angel would have laughed.” “That is especially not funny.” “Whatever. Come here and stop being shirty.” “If anyone’s shirty it’s you, love.” “Open your eyes, you can’t see me sticking my tongue out at you.” “Go to sleep, love.” “I love you, you dolt.” “Love you too, pet.” “Spike?” “What now, Slayer?” “What does ‘progeny’ mean?” -- Angel hunched over his desk, his head pulsing and throbbing. It was too much for him, Buffy and Spike, back from the dead, eternally bound together. He knew they weren’t telling him something important about their “arrangement.” He could smell it. Buffy wasn’t human anymore. Ethereal. That’s what Giles had said when he spoke to him on the phone. A prophesy about “The Two.” He had thought it was just a myth. A vampire and a Slayer, immolated together and bound for eternity to fight evil. And that wasn’t the half of the prophesy, Giles had said. Their children would be a new race. Immortals. Why didn’t he get to be the one to be bonded forever with Buffy? He deserved it, didn’t he? Angel’s mind raced for hours. Walking out into the night, his mind muddled, he barely heard the hardened voice call after him as he walked down the road. “Hey, Baby, looking for a good time?” Turning back to the voice, Angel nodded at the tall, thin blonde prostitute. Her pleather skirt hung off of jagged hips, her arms freckled with needle marks. Shrugging off his discomfort at her sickly appearance, Angel dug into his pocket for a fistful of cash. “This enough?” She nodded. “That’s enough for me and Margie,” she said pointing to a shorter, but equally as thin and needle marked Asian girl who couldn’t have been more than 14. “You’re all I need. Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand and walking into a closed-off alley close by. The prostitute drew back slightly, but shook off her fear by glancing over the bills she had shoved into her bra. She had counted at least $300. That would at least get herself and Margie through the next week without having to sleep on the street. “So,” she said silkily as Angel pushed her lightly back against a wall so her back was facing him, “What do you want me to do for you, sweetie?” Angel freed himself from his pants and shoved his cock into her, somehow knowing that she wouldn’t have worn any type of panties underneath her pleather skirt. A brief moment later, he came, roaring and shifting into his vampiric visage. The prostitute stifled a laugh at his short performance before turning around and screaming at the monster facing her. Ripping his fangs into her throat, Angel drained her body and grabbed the bills from her bra and shoved them into his pocket. “It’s good to be back.” ****************** I've gotten a few notes about an error in this chapter about Angel losing his soul. The sex isn't why he loses his soul. It's the revenge...he's soooo mad about Buffy and Spike's new arrangement, he wants the ultimate revenge. He's changing into Angelus as he's walking outside, the sex was just the method to his end...bliss can come in all forms. :) Hope I cleared it up if you were wondering.

Chapter #9 - Greeting

“Well, fuck.” “Anya! Language,” Tara said, though the other two women gazing into the large television screen in their plush room didn’t notice. Anya sighed. “It’s not fair. Just when everything is going well for those two, he shows up.” “This is the first time Angelus has been back, thank you very much,” Cordelia said, breaking her silence. “I didn’t just mean Angelus. Angel always tries to ruin things for Buffy and Spike. I never liked him. Too much forehead for one person generally indicates a bad seed. If he was born in my time we would have stoned him…or drowned him. Probably both though.” Silence once again filled the room. Anya shrugged. “Well, I don’t see any deformities on me. I’m just saying…stoning people before they can create children with poor genes has a purpose.” “Anya, hush,” Joyce said, “You’re sounding like quite the Nazi, dear, and we do have more important things on our agenda than discussing Angel’s forehead, prominent though it may be.” Nodding, Anya clapped her hands together and a round table with four chairs appeared in the center of the room. Each woman sat down in the cushy chairs behind gold plated nametags. Joyce took a deep breath before beginning. “So, is there anything that we can do to help Buffy and Spike to defeat Angelus?” Tara shrugged. “I can speak with the Powers That Be and see if there’s any way that one of us can visit that realm again, m…maybe if we give them a little bit of warning they’ll be prepared?” Studying her nails for a moment, Anya sighed. “I don’t think they’ll need our help.” Cordelia raised her eyebrow and scoffed. “And why not? It’s not like we’re worthless! We’re noncorporeal spirits who watch over the two of them and help out when we’re needed!” “But we aren’t needed,” Anya said. “I think we are…they could use…a pep talk. Everyone needs a pep talk now and then.” Joyce rolled her eyes before clapping her hands together. “Ladies, please. We all know that Buffy and Spike are capable of destroying Angelus once and for all…it’s prophesied. But it’s just that it’s so soon after they returned to that realm…they haven’t fully mastered their powers yet…they could wind up being more of a hindrance than a help.” Tara caught Joyce’s eye. “S…so what can we do?” “I have just the thing. Though I know Buffy won’t care for it.” -- As Spike read aloud to Buffy from the handbook, she drifted off to sleep. She tried to stay awake through “Metaphysical Manifestations, Metabolic Maladies, Mundane Meetings and You,” but couldn’t fight the urge to submit to the slumber which had alluded her for quite a while. Fluttering her eyes shut, Buffy relaxed as sleep overtook her. Her peaceful state of relaxation was shattered when she realized where her sleep had taken her. She frowned at the desert surrounding her. “Dammit. Not this again. Alright,” she yelled to the sky above, “Come on out! I know you’re around here somewhere…just, just come out so you can give me some cryptic message and I’ll call Giles and he’ll figure it out just in time. Okay?” Buffy was surprised when, instead of the First Slayer, a short, curly-haired, five-year-old girl stepped out from behind her. Her eyes were the deepest blue that Buffy had ever seen, and were set against soft features and sun-kissed skin. Buffy knelt down to talk on her level. “Hi…I’m Buffy, what’s your name?” The little girl laughed, her curls bouncing in the light breeze that past through the desert. “I’m Natalia.” “That’s a very beautiful name.” “Thanks,” she said with a sniffle, “You picked it out.” “I did?” “Yup.” “Oh…oh! Oh…oh my gosh,” Buffy stammered, the realization finally hitting her. “So I’m your….” “Mommy.” “Oh…I’m…I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.” “It’s okay, I haven’t been born yet.” “Any idea when I can expect you?” “I can’t tell you that. You an’ Daddy hafta find out the normal way.” “And which way is that?” “I dunno. Daddy said I’m not supposta to know about the birds and the beets yet.” Buffy stifled a chuckle as she gazed down at the little girl. “So why are you here then, Natalia?” “Gramma wanted me to give you a message.” “Gramma?” “Gramma Joyce. She said that you an’ Daddy hafta be extra-careful cuz an angel is gonna be really mean to you. She said…um…he lost his shoes and that you an’ Daddy hafta read chapter five of your book so you can be ready.” “And how did Gramma know that you’d remember the right chapter?” “Cuz I’m five and it’s my favorite number. I’ll be six in September, so then my favorite number will be six…but for now it’s five,” she said with a giant smile, showcasing an adorable pair of dimples on either cheek, before gasping. “Uh-oh…I wasn’t a’supposta tell you when I was born.” “That’s alright, honey, I don’t think you’ll get in trouble for telling me a month. It could be any year, right?” After thinking for a moment, Natalia nodded, her curls bouncing around her face. “I guess so. I hafta go now, Mommy…we’re going to see a ruggie game tonight!“ “Ruggie?“ “Dadddy likes it…he says that ‘merican sports are all daft and rot and that I’m gonna have to be a Mannie girl or he’ll be mad at me. I think he’s gonna make Evan play when he gets older too,” she said before gasping, again. “Oh no…I’m gonna get in trouble with Gramma now. I hafta go, Mommy, Daddy says I talk too much like you do an’ it’s gonna get me in trouble like it does for you.” “He said that did he?” “Yup. An’ he likes to tell me stories about when you two first met an’ you were a’scared of him cuz he was all mean and fangy.” “Hmm. Sweetie?” “Yes, Mommy?” “When you get home, remind me to have a word with Daddy, okay?” “Okay, Mommy, I love you! Oh, an’ Gramma says she loves you too an’ be careful.” Buffy nodded before being enveloped in the tightest hug that two stringy little arms could muster. Natalia waved and smiled before blipping out of existence, leaving Buffy to stand in the desert, alone. “So…can I wake up now?”

Chapter #10 - Midnight Snack

Spike closed the handbook and placed it gently on the nightstand so he wouldn’t wake the passed out Slayer sleeping soundly next to him. He stared at the red light glowing from the clock next to them. 3:30 AM. They’d been reading all night. Bugger. Not used to this sleep cycle…still a nocturnal creature, even if I can go into the bloody sun. Laying down for a moment, Spike couldn’t find a comfortable position. When his stomach growled in frustration, he realized why, and quietly stalked out of the room in search of sustenance, never noticing the erratic movements Buffy was making in her sleep, nor hearing the words she mumbled out as she had a conversation with her dream-visitor. Spike easily found his way to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator, and was pleased to find a veritable stockpile of human blood. Of course Peaches would have the best…bloody Poofter probably pays for it and everything. Git. Tossing a bag of O negative into the microwave, Spike took to snooping around the kitchen drawers. A rustling noise behind him made him jump, and he turned, in full game face, to a groggy Xander. “Geez, Dead Boy Jr., quick to the bitey, much? There are other people in this area, too, and we’re hungry.” “We, Harris?” Xander looked around himself and shrugged. “Metaphorical ‘we.’” “Right.” “Yeah,” Xander said, crossing the kitchen and grabbing an apple from the counter. “Anyway…how was purgatory?” Spike raised an eyebrow at him, then shrugged. “Slayer and I had a pretty nice set-up. Just the two of us in her mum’s house.” “What? Why there?” “Dunno Guess the Powers thought it’d be comforting. We go back there when we die.” “All of us?” Xander rolled his eye at the blank stare he received. “Stupid question, sorry. Just used to going there for so long with everyone….” “I know, Whelp. Not a big deal,” Spike sighed, grabbing the warmed blood from the microwave and pouring it into a mug. “So, they couldn’t have made you human while you were in purgatory?” “Don’t want to be human.” “What’s wrong with being human? Buffy’s human.” “Buffy’s the Slayer.” “Still human.” “Part demon.” “Not true.” “Is so.” “Is not!” Willow cleared her throat as she entered the kitchen, raising her eyebrows and smiling, however meekly, at the bickering duo. “I just came down for a sandwich….” A brief moment of silence fell upon the trio, until laughter filled the kitchen. Spike shook his head and patted Xander on the back. “Just like old times, eh, Whelp?” Xander nodded. “Oh yeah, we’re fighting, I have one eye, you’re uber-powerful and dating Buffy, who’s totally in love with you, and Sunnydale’s in a crater…so, nope, nothing’s changed.” “Well, regardless, ‘s nice to be back.” “Awww,” Xander said with a laugh, “Widdle Spikey missed us, Will!” Willow suppressed her laugh, taking a bite of her egg salad sandwich. “Mmmhmm.” “So, how’s life in LA been for the lot of you? Can’t imagine living with the Poofter is much better than it was a hundred years ago. Bloke likes things just so.” “Oh I know,” Willow said, her eyes bulging out slightly, “I think he has a seriously strange relationship with the Buddha.” A rolling laugh echoed through Spike’s chest. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Red! Peaches still has it for the little fat bloke? God, I thought he stopped that years ago. Dru hated all the figures he carried with him. Always had a little gold statue in his pocket. Complained she wanted to be the only one in his pocket or some rot.” Willow nodded. “He dropped one about a month or so ago and flipped when I went to pick it up.” “Yeah,” Xander offered, “he freaked when I moved one off of his desk.” A small, female voice spoke from behind the group. “And here I thought it was just me.” The group turned to face Fred, Willow and Xander smiling at her. She nervously stuck her hand out at Spike. “Um, hi, I’m Fred…we…we haven’t been properly introduced yet.” Spike took her outstretched hand with a raise of his eyebrow. “Fred?” “Short for Winifred…it…it just seemed easier to say…oh, look,” she said, taking her hand back and moving towards Xander, “Apples!” “Speaking of fruits,” Spike said, “Has anyone seen Peaches lately?” -- Licking his lips, Angelus walked into Buffy and Spike’s room after listening to her slow breathing. Knowing she was asleep and hearing Spike’s voice downstairs, he walked, fearless, into the room. Caught up in his own smug joy, Angelus failed to notice Buffy grab the handbook off of the side table. He did, however, notice her accelerated heart rate. “Good morning, lover. What’s got you so excited?” Buffy stood, gripping the handbook tightly behind her, and inched her way closer to the drawn curtains covering the window. “Nothing special…I always get this excited when the sun rises,” she said, pulling the curtains back. Angelus yelled and ran for a blanket, allowing Buffy to sprint by him and out of the door. When he realized a moment later that no sunlight was pouring into the room, he chuckled, then took off after her. “Nice try, bitch! I’ll make your end a little longer just for that!” Still gripping the handbook close to her chest, Buffy ran towards the sounds of Spike’s voice. Focusing her energy and mind on contacting him, Buffy screamed to Spike. “Spike! Angelus is back…get everyone out of here!” “Bloody hell, pet, what’d you do?” “Me? Nothing! Why is it always about me?” “Well the last time he lost his bloody soul it was your sodding fault.” “My fault? Excuse me? I was 18 and I didn’t know doing that would make him lose his soul.” “Shouldn’t have shagged him in the first place.” “Oh, yeah, so I should’ve waited for you? Need I remind you that you were shagging your ho-bag girlfriend while Angel and I were together? And that you were trying to kill me?” “Never mind, love, where are you?” “Look behind you.” “Ha, bloody, ha, Slayer,” Spike said, turning around and facing the breathless Buffy. “Where are they?” “Dawn took them somewhere.” An indignant look crossed Buffy’s face. “She drove? You let her drive?” “No…Red said that she and the Bit have been working on using her powers…they went to some safe realm…like a panic room or something, I wasn’t really listening, I had a bloody headache from someone yelling at me.” “Shut up, he’ll be here any second.” “So how are we going to do this, love, fisticuffs? Because I don’t see any weapons lying around the kitchen, unless you’re planning on basting the Poofter.” Buffy held up the handbook and thrust it at Spike. “I had a dream…check chapter five, it should give us answers on what to do with him.” “Stake him?” “Shut up and look!” Angelus sauntered into the room, focusing his attention on Buffy’s heaving chest. “Well, the last time I saw you that out of breath you were underneath me, lover.” “Shut your gob,” Spike yelled, before turning his attention back to the book. “Well, little Willy-boy has an opinion! Honestly, Buff, I don’t get what you see in him. He was a pathetic human, an even worse vampire, and now,” he chuckled, “Now that you’re both ‘ethereal’ beings…he’s reading a book instead of kicking my ass. You really know how to pick them.” Buffy raised an eyebrow at Angelus, who was still focused on Spike. Grabbing the first utensil she could find, she heaved it at Angelus’ chest. --

Chapter #11 - Parting

The ladle bounced off of Angelus’ chest and fell to the floor with a ‘clunk.’ As a maniacal laugh rumbled from his chest, Angelus focused his attention on Buffy, inadvertently turning his back to Spike, who was still speedily searching through the handbook. Buffy mentally sighed in relief. “Thank God…now if only Spike would read a little faster….” “I’m doing the best I can, love.” “Shut up…what am I supposed to do?” “Duck, for starters.” Buffy stood, dumbfounded, at Spike’s advice. “Huh?” Angelus hit Buffy with a large metal cookie sheet, knocking her back a few paces, and dazing her slightly. Her daze was furthered by Spike’s sudden outburst. “Aha! You’re in for it now, Poofter.” “Pet, you’ve got to chant this with me, all right?” “Sure.” “Adiksa morani clus, got it?” “Got it.” In unison, Buffy and Spike chanted the words at Angelus. When nothing happened, he shook his head at the pair, and moved menacingly toward Buffy, who was still a few inches out of reach of Spike. As he lunged towards the Slayer, a faded red light began to encompass him, beginning at his heart. Angelus backed up against the wall, clawing at his chest as the light began to further envelope his body. Buffy ran to Spike’s side on the opposite side of the kitchen, and watched as Angelus became engulfed in the redness, then fell to a heap on the floor. Cautiously moving towards him, Buffy noticed his chest heaving. “Angel?” With a ragged breath, Angel turned his head to look up at Buffy. “Buffy? I’m…I’m alive?” Before she had a chance to react, Angel’s body was wracked with pain, and his skin began to wrinkle and sag. In moments his face had aged fifty years, and Buffy turned away, burying her head in Spike’s shoulder as Angel’s body continued to wrinkle, and then finally crumbled into dust. With tears streaming down her face, Buffy finally looked up at Spike, whose eyes were suspiciously moist. “What happened? What was that spell?” “It was supposed to restore life, love…thought it was the Shansu or whatever the devil I’ve heard it called. Guess if it isn’t the real thing, it has adverse effects.” “Like?” “Like restoring life to someone whose natural body would have decomposed by now…Peaches…er…Angel was a few hundred years old, pet…his body would have been dust by now if he had died in his own time, so….” “So age just caught up with him?” “Yeah, that about covers it. Pet, look, I didn’t do it on purpose, and I know he was the bloody love of your life and all, so if you don’t forgive me I’ll….” Buffy silenced him with a penetrating kiss. “Shut your gob.” “You’re beginning to sound like me, love.” “I am not!” “Are too.” “Shut up and kiss me. The only thoughts I want to be hearing are dirty ones!” Spike acquiesced and the two quickly made their way to the living room, their lips never parting as they fell to the couch. Expertly stripping away each other’s clothes, there was nothing left between the pair. As their bodies writhed together, a flash of white light shone in the kitchen, and Dawn walked into the living room, gasped, and ran back into the kitchen, shielding her eyes and gagging. Spike and Buffy were too encompassed in their coupling to notice, and continued their tryst without a hitch. Dawn gave Willow a distraught look, and the witch laughed and nodded. “We’ll go back for a little bit, Dawnie. I think Xander probably wants to play his Xbox for a little longer anyways.” Xander nodded. “And how…if we don’t get out of here now, I’ll never be able to stop the brain screaming.” “Right, let’s go.” With another flash, the group was gone again, allowing their friends a few moments of peace. -- ~70 Years Later~ Spike held a small blonde girl in his arms, her legs wrapped around his chest, and her face buried in his neck. A white stuffed rabbit hung from her hands, giving Spike the appearance of being lazily attacked from the back by an oversized lepus. The girl let out a small sigh and Spike hugged her closer. “Chloe? Poppet? What’s wrong?” The girl sniffled and moved back so she could look him in the eye. Her bright blue eyes shone with unshed tears. “I don’t want Auntie Willow to die like Mr. Fish, Daddy.” “I know, Poppet,” he said, choking back his own tears, “I don’t want to lose her either, but these things do happen.” “Are we gonna have to flush her too?” Spike chuckled lightly and pushed a stray hair away from her face. “No, Poppet. We…we’ll…let’s ask your mother later, alright?” Nodding, Chloe motioned for her father to put her down, which he, obligingly did. “When’s Mommy coming out?” Spike laid a kiss on her forehead. “As soon as she and the twins are done talking with Auntie Willow.” Chloe pouted, then ran toward the large chair in the foyer where they were currently standing. Snuggling the rabbit close to her, she scooted back into the chair. The three-year-old’s feet dangled, and she kicked them back and forth absent-mindedly. “I wanna go back upstairs an’ play with Brayden.” “Poppet, he’s only two months old…he can’t play with you yet.” Chloe crossed her arms with a huff. “He can make things fly an’ disappear, Daddy, an’ he’s nicer to me then Grady an’ Gabby are.” “Poppet, what do you mean about Brayden moving things around?” Chloe furrowed her brow. “He looks at sumthin’ an’ makes it float…’specially when it makes me laugh. He likes to make me laugh.” “Right…well….” Spike stopped short when the door before them opened, and Buffy emerged with two blonde teenagers walking solemnly behind her. The boy, Grady, an almost carbon copy of Buffy, with short, shaggy hair, stood a few inches taller than his sister, Gabriella, whose green eyes were the only identifiable trait of Buffy’s to be found in her. Everyone who met her said that she was a replica of Spike in almost every way, even down to his mannerisms. Buffy smiled sadly at her mate, and moved across the room, and laid her head on his shoulder. “Hey…she’s resting now. They don’t think…they don’t think she’s going to make it much longer. It’s just a matter of time now before,” she trailed off, overcome by a quiet sob. Pulling her into a tight embrace, Spike whispered to Buffy. “Now, now, pet…Red’s had a long life…she….” “God, what are the girls going to do without her?” Spike shook his head. For the past twenty years, Willow had raised two half-breed demon girls, two and four when she found them, that she had found orphaned in an underground safe house for creatures running from demon hunters. Kira and Shavie were half-human, half-Carnyss demon, and both looked nearly human in appearance, however, Shavie’s facial ridges were slightly more prominent, and she had two tiny horns formed at the back of her skull. The girls walked out of the room, arm-in-arm, tears staining their olive-toned faces. Shavie nodded at Buffy, clutching onto her sister for support. “Mom’s gone now…she…she went very peacefully.” Buffy forced a smile, trying not to let more tears fall from her eyes. “She loved you girls very much, you know. You two were all she talked about.” Kira sat next to Chloe on the giant armchair, and the little girl instinctively climbed into the demoness’ lap. Staring up into her purple eyes, Chloe furrowed her brow. “Miss Kira, I love you…you can hold Mr. Bunny if you want.” A small smile crept to Kira’s face and she nodded, taking the stuffed toy from Chloe’s outstretched hand. “Thanks, sweetie. Shavie, I’m tired…I’m going to bed…I just….” Shavie nodded and sighed. “I know, Kira. Me too. Aunt Buffy…Uncle Spike…we….” “We understand, pet,” Spike said, patting the younger girl on the shoulder. “You take care of Kira, alright,” he whispered to Shavie, “She’s not as strong as you are, love.” “I will, Uncle Spike. Thank you. We’ll talk to you guys tomorrow, alright? I’ll call the funeral director in the morning. If there’s one thing mom overdid, it was the planning. I swear she’s had this thing planned for a decade.” With a mirthless laugh, Shavie helped her sister walk up the stairs to their room in the Council’s living quarters. As they were immortal, Spike and Buffy had taken over the ruling positions of the Council, and were responsible for the discovery and training of a veritable fleet of Slayers and Watchers. Kira and Shavie were the first half-demons to be trained as Watcher and Slayer, respectively, and each was coming along swiftly in their training. Buffy stared after them for a moment before focusing her attention back on her family. Chloe had fallen asleep in the chair, while Gabriella was cradling her arms around herself. Spike and Grady were quietly talking about nothing in particular, rugby, Buffy assumed. She sighed and gathered Chloe into her arms, motioning for the rest to follow her. “Let’s go to bed, guys, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” -- Joyce sighed and sat down next to Tara. “I hate seeing my little girl go through so much pain.” Tara nodded. “I know Joyce, but she’s strong, she’s battled apocalypse after apocalypse…s…s…she’ll be able to mourn Willow without losing herself.” Anya nodded, plopping down next to the pair with a sigh. “It’s just that Willow was the last of the Scooby gang to drop. Buffy will be lost without someone telling her what to do.” Willow, almost unchanged since her youth, aside from stark white hair that cascaded down to her thighs, walked into the group and sat down next to Tara. “I hope she can handle this…she’s been so reliant on me and Spike ever since Dawnie passed away.” At the mention of her name, Dawn pushed her way into the circle, followed by Giles, Andrew, and Xander. A good-natured laugh encompassed the group for a few moments, before Joyce cleared her throat. “Alright, you all know why we’re here. The Powers That Be want us to make sure that Buffy and Spike and their children make it through the next apocalypse unscathed. The next hundred years or so are going to be difficult for them, but if they can make it through…good will have the upper hand for once. It won’t be forever, but it’s something to hope for…isn’t it?” --

Chapter #12 - Munchies

A young, blonde woman cradled a tiny infant in the upstairs room of Buffy and Spike’s house. Her deep blue eyes and curly hair were very similar to Spike’s when he was human, but her sun kissed skin and softened features likened her to Buffy. She stared down at the infant, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m not going to let you end up like Evan, little Brayden. I’m taking you far, far away from this place so Mummy and Daddy won’t have a chance to hurt you.” With a flick of her wrist, a tuft of purple smoke surrounded the two of them, and they vanished. Sensing the flux of power in the house, Buffy and Spike bolted up the stairs to Brayden’s bedroom. The haze was still dissipating when they burst into the room, the faint smell of burnt violets still hanging in the air, and Buffy was immediately fraught with despair. Spike stared, enraged, at the empty crib, as Buffy crumbled into his arms. “No…Spike, no…she wouldn’t…no…not Natalia…not our little girl.” “Pet, she would and she did. She thinks she’s right after everything that happened with Evan…we’ll find her, love…don’t worry.” -- ~70 Years Earlier~ Buffy and Spike stared at the small white test sitting on the bathroom counter. Buffy stepped back, bit her lip, shook her head, and then squinted and peered down at the test again. “That can’t be right, Spike. I…I’m pregnant?” Spike grinned at her. “Think that’s what the little ‘plus’ sign means, love,” he said with a chuckle, “Wait till I tell Clem I knocked the Slayer up!” Buffy smacked him on the arm. “You will do no such thing. We have to keep this quiet, Spike…at least till we figure out how we can keep the baby safe.” “Already getting hormonal, are we Slayer,” he asked, trying to hold in his laughter, “Whatever you want, love.” Raising her eyebrow slightly, Buffy pushed Spike back against the wall. “Right now…I want you.” Their coupling was short and passionate, Spike lifting Buffy up onto the counter, setting her next to the pregnancy test. He thrust into her already wet slit, and pumped her into oblivion, sinking his teeth into her neck and pulling a small amount of blood. It was just enough to push her over the edge, and as she came down from her own high, Buffy noticed a familiar look on her mate’s face. Latching her blunt teeth onto his neck, Buffy bit down, drawing a tiny amount of blood along with Spike’s orgasm. They leaned on each other, breathing heavily. Buffy smiled. “This kid is going to need severe therapy with us for parents.” -- Over the next few months, the Scooby gang grew closer to Spike and Buffy. Willow aided the pair by casting glamours to keep Buffy’s condition a secret for as long as possible. Xander built an entire roomful of nursery furniture, while Giles and Andrew, who were currently heading up the Council, set up a trust fund for the new arrival, as well as purchasing a new home for the pair on the coast of Wales. The home was by no means giant, however, it was quite expansive compared to what Buffy and Spike had been used to in the past. It was two full stories with an attic, was painted in brown and tan hues, and had a tall chimney on the left corner of the roof. The huge, paned windows were the most impressive feature of the house, and when Spike received the first images of the estate from Giles, he silently thanked the Powers That Be for his new immunity to the once deadly rays of the sun. Dawn went ahead of the pair to the new home to ready it for their arrival, after Buffy decided she wanted to give birth as close to the spot where she had her dream of the little one she knew was to be Natalia, as her due date was set to mid-September. Giles had begun to train Dawn to be a Watcher as well, however, they had decided that she would wait to enter into her position after her wedding. Andrew and Dawn had grown very close in the past few months, even though most of their contact was via phone and webcam. Everyone wasn’t as thrilled for their new arrangement as they were, however, as Xander constantly quipped, if they could learn to accept Spike, they could learn to accept anyone. Buffy’s labor was quick and relatively painless. Spike burst out into the waiting room with a huge grin plastered on his face. Willow and Xander jumped up to greet him, and they collided in a tight group hug. “It’s a girl…it’s Natalia,” Spike said, still smiling. Giles stood and walked over to the jumping group, thrusting his hand out at Spike, and willing himself to keep his composure. “Congratulations, Spike. How is Buffy doing?” “Slayer’s a bit knackered, but the doctors say she’s doing surprisingly well. She doesn’t fancy staying here too much longer, but I doubt they’ll let her out too early.” “That’s understandable, she’s always hated hospitals.” A brief silence fell over the group, and Spike’s heart jumped. “Do you want to see the little bit?” ~Four years later~ Spike held a short, curly-haired, four-year-old girl up to the maternity ward’s viewing window. Her eyes, deep blue pools, lit up as Spike pointed to one tiny infant. “See, Natalia, poppet? That’s your baby brother Evan. How’s it feel to be a big sister?” Natalia beamed proudly up at Spike as he set her down. “I like him Daddy,” she said, before frowning, “He’s not gonna take my room is he?” Spike ruffled her hair and laughed. “No, poppet, he won’t. We talked about that, remember? He’s got his own room already. You helped me paint it.” She nodded. “I’m a good painter.” “That you are, poppet…you want to go see your Mum?” “Uh-huh. Won’t she be tired though, Daddy? Auntie Dawn said that when Mummies have babies they get real tired an’ I need to help Mummy around the house cuz I’m a big girl now.” “Auntie Dawn is very smart, poppet.” “Yep. She remembered my birthday too, Daddy,” she said, pointing down at the pink sneakers she was wearing. Chuckling to himself, Spike took Natalia’s hand in his own, and they walked towards Buffy’s hospital room. -- Buffy held onto the limp form of a teenage boy. She sobbed and rocked him back and forth, the ground around her, once their seaside home, was scorched and littered with bodies of Slayers and demons. A pool of blood, a mix of the creatures and humans surrounding her. Giles fought valiantly by Buffy’s side, figured he had nothing left to lose given his age and the malignant tumor recently found in his brain. His crumpled body lay a few yards away from the Slayer, though she didn’t notice anything aside from the dead form of her son. Spike and Natalia were nowhere to be seen. The world around Buffy spun, her mind blacked out, and she gave into the darkness. Buffy awoke to the sound of Natalia’s scream, and the smell of burning violets. --

Chapter #13 - Reasoning

Buffy massaged her temples with a shaky sigh as Spike drove through the night in their royal blue SUV. Grady was curled up in the back row of seats, having given into exhaustion and fear, and finding a brief reprieve with a few moments of sleep. Gabriella, reacting much like her father did, her fists balled at her side, sat a row up, next to Shavie, who simply stared blankly out at the passing lights. Kira had remained at their home with Chloe, and the instructions to use her Wicca training she received from Willow to transport the two of them to a safe world if danger presented itself. An upbeat clip of “I Will Survive” broke the deafening silence in the car. Shavie smiled apologetically and quickly pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She looked over at Gabriella before answering. “It’s Aunt Rhoda…Hello? Yes…yes I’m with them right now, Aunt Rhoda…yes…you sensed it? And you can’t see where they are now? Oh, good lord. Yes, I know…I’m sure they would appreciate…yes…yes, of course. He what? Just like…oh god, Aunt Rhoda. That’s why…yes, I understand. Uh-huh…yes, I’ll tell them…just keep working on it, and let us know if anything changes. I will. Goodbye.” Buffy glanced at the demoness in the rearview mirror. “What did she have to say, Shavie?” “She sensed Natalia’s entrance to this realm, but it was so clouded she wasn’t sure what to make of it…she was going to call but she didn’t want to worry you. She isn’t quite sure where Natalia took Brayden, it’s somewhere in our realm, at least…but she can tell that their auras are connected, and that they’re both safe…wherever they are.” Breathing a sigh of relief, Spike rested his hand atop Buffy’s quivering shoulder. “Well, that’s at least good news, in’it, love?” Buffy nodded. “It would help if she could tell where they are.” “I know,” Shavie said with a frustrated look, “but Natalia’s powers have increased since she left…whatever dimension she was in is so…different from ours, she must’ve grown in power tenfold. Aunt Rhoda thinks she'll taken Brayden there because of his power.” “His power? He’s two months old,” Spike said, “he can’t possibly….” Trailing off, Spike’s mind meandered back to Chloe’s childish understanding of her infant brother and his powers. His abilities were scarily similar to Evan’s, though Evan’s power didn’t manifest itself until his early teens. “He’s just like Evan…isn’t he?” With a sage nod, Shavie met Spike’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Yes…that has to be why she took him. She doesn’t want what happened to Evan to repeat itself with Brayden.” Tears began to form in Buffy’s eyes, and she tried, unsuccessfully, to wipe them away. “I can’t believe she would…there was nothing any of us could have done to prevent what happened to Evan…she…she knew that…she has to know that we had no control…we couldn’t….” “I think that may be the point, love,” Spike offered, shakily. “But we’ll find them. We’ll find them and get all of our children back.” “Not all, Spike…not all.” Gabriella grit her teeth, but could not hold herself back from her curiosity. “You guys never told me or Grady what happened to Evan…you never…we’re old enough now, Mom…Dad…please. It might help for us to know if we’re going to have to fight Natalia.” “You are not going up against her,” Buffy scolded, “you have no idea what she’s capable of. I have no idea what she’s capable of.” Grady stirred in the back, and sat up, putting his hand on his twin’s shoulder. “Mom, please…we need to know. We’re old enough to handle it now, and it will help us to defend ourselves, won’t it?” The car pulled over into a small rest area. Spike pushed the key back after parking, allowing the interior lights to stay on, as he and Buffy turned to face their two children and Shavie. A shuddering sigh passed through Buffy’s lips and she gave a pleading look to her mate. “I can’t, Spike, you…you tell them, alright?” Spike nodded and grabbed Buffy’s hand in his own, placing a light kiss on it, before looking back to his children. “We were fighting this evil corporation named Wolfram and Hart, yeah?” ~55 Years Earlier~ Buffy and Spike stood, blood-soaked, in front of their once calm seaside home in Wales. Natalia, whose wavy blonde tresses were stained with more than one color of demon blood, wielded a large axe, and was making short work of the green tri-horned monstrosity fighting her. Pockets of Slayers fought against the teaming horde of demons, and many bodies, both demon and Slayer, fell onto the scorched ground beneath them, if not into the crashing waves of the sea Buffy and Spike’s home sat painfully high above. The cause of the battle was an area of some speculation in the group. A few among them, Giles included, argued that Wesley, elderly and confused, had accidentally summoned another apocalypse after Illyria, who had taken over the body of his love, Fred, expired, and the god had moved to take up residence in another host. Others contended that Wolfram and Hart were predestined to attempt to overtake the world, and the easiest route to that end was to attempt to kill off all of the Slayers. Whatever the case, the battle raged on in front of Buffy’s home at the worst possible time. They had only recently learned of their fifteen-year-old son Evan’s metaphysical gifts, and they were in the process of training him, as he had very limited physical strength. As more and more lines of demons ran forward, Buffy made a decision. “Everyone, pair off and split up! We have to cut them back!” Spike grabbed his daughter’s attention, motioning to a four-legged snake creature that looked intriguing. Personality-wise, Natalia was almost identical to her father, even if her body and face appeared so similar to Buffy’s. She grinned, broadly, at Spike, and they ran into the fray with a similar battle cry. Buffy stayed by Evan’s side, keeping the demons at bay, and allowing him to throw a few good hits in at the demons. A look of horror covered her face when she saw Giles’ rutted old body fall before a centaur-like demon, who, all of a sudden, galloped away, leaving the man to die, surrounded by free space. Not stopping to wonder why the demons had vacated the area around Giles, Buffy grabbed Evan’s hand and they ran toward the elderly form of her dying Watcher. Evan tripped. A dragon flew down from the sky, much to Buffy’s dismay, and before she could react, a blazing hot stream of fire shot from its mouth, enveloping her beloved son’s frame, and charring him beyond recognition. Blind rage overtook the Slayer, and she ran forward, thrusting her sword into the dragon’s chest, not caring at the moment if she died as well. The beast fell over in a heap before her, but she paid no heed to it, as she collapsed in front of her son’s lifeless and burnt form. Scooping him up in her arms, she rocked him back and forth, quietly humming the song she sang to him while he was an infant. As her vision blurred, her mind did as well, and she blacked out, awakened moments later by the bloodcurdling scream of her daughter, and the intense scent of burnt violets. They hadn’t seen Natalia again since that day, but had heard of her exploits later on through Andrew and Dawn’s powerful daughter, Rhoda. The once strong and controlled child of Slayer and Master Vampire had become broken and disconnected from reality, leaving this realm for a strangely different one, where she honed her metaphysical powers, and jaunted in and out of worlds, kidnapping male children who held the same potential as Evan had. She hadn’t found one who survived her tactics. ~Present Day~ Small sobs escaped Buffy’s lips, and she leaned on Spike for support, her head resting at the nape of his neck. Gabriella’s eyes were red, her face puffy and wet, and she could find no words to express her feelings. Grady, sensing his twin’s emotions, spoke for her. “We have to find Natalia…she needs help…there was nothing you could have done, Mom…Dad…there…it was beyond your control, and if she…if Natalia is as confused and crazy as you say she is…we have to get to Brayden before she can do any harm.” Shavie nodded. “We’ll find them, Grady…if she’s still in this realm, her powers will be weakening…slowly, but enough for us to find her. Aunt Rhoda said that Natalia can’t make the jump between realms so closely together…she’s here, somewhere…we’ll find her.” “And we’ll do whatever we can to help her,” Buffy added, shakily. -- Natalia cradled Brayden in her arms, humming a vaguely familiar tune to him as he slept, peacefully. Staring out at the crashing waves beneath her, Natalia felt a strange sense of dread and remorse creep into her heart, but she pushed them back, and conjured up a beautifully crafted crib to place her infant brother in. Checking the air for energy fields, she smiled and raised a small building around them, nothing more than a main room and a bathroom, but it would be enough to house herself and Brayden for as long as it took to regain her energy and take them both back to her new home world. With a quick flick of her wrist, she conjured up a cushy bed for herself next to Brayden’s crib, along with a small table covered with a few canisters of food, and a jug of milk, set in a bucket of ice. A strange feeling of exhaustion came over Natalia, and she bypassed the nourishment, and fainted onto the charred ground beneath her.

Chapter #14 - The King of Cups' Picnic

A tall, older woman with bright green eyes brought a large tea kettle over to a large gray table, setting it down in front of Spike. Buffy was sitting next to him, Shavie, Grady and Gabriella filled out the rest of the table. Buffy smiled sadly at the woman. “Thank you, Rhoda…you didn’t have to….” “Hush now, Aunt Buffy,” Rhoda said, her wrinkled face smiling sadly, “You need to relax. Calm your mind…it will help us to focus on finding Brayden.” Buffy nodded, and Spike wrapped his arm around her. “What do we know, Rhodes?” “Well,” Rhoda said, sitting down next to the blonde vampire, “I’ve pinpointed the dimension she’s in…her power has weakened substantially.” Buffy’s face paled. “Is she alright?” “I assume so,” Rhoda continued, “She’s been jumping through dimensions for hours, probably conjuring things up…Natalia has probably simply fallen asleep.” “When are we going in there? We need to get Brayden back and get rid of her for good,” Grady said, his eyes burning in rage. Reaching across the table, Buffy slapped Grady’s face, her eyes reflecting the same rage his showed. “Don’t you ever say that about her. Natalia is misguided but she’s still…she’s your sister.” “Whom I’ve never met, and never care to,” Grady said, through gritted teeth. “You don’t…you don’t know what she went through.” Grady let out a mirthless laugh. “I will when she kills Brayden.” “Grady, that’s enough,” Spike said, his voice ringing out and silencing the group. “You’re not too old for me to take over my knee, you know.” “Please, stop,” Buffy said, tears streaming down her face, “Bickering is not going to solve anything. Rhoda, please…just give us something else to talk about.” Rhoda nodded. “As I said, I’ve pinpointed the dimension she’s in, but getting there is the problem.” Spike raised a scarred eyebrow. “Why’s that?” “It’d take all of my energy to send someone into that dimension…I’m not as spry as I used to be, Uncle Spike.” “You’re still a young bird, poppet.” “I’m sixty-nine years old, Uncle Spike. Hardly a young bird at all. At any rate, neither you nor Aunt Buffy will be able to go.” “Why….” “A dimension’s separation would kill the two of you. Claim can’t withstand it…you both’d be dead before one of you even arrived in her dimension. I have to open the portal soon before her defenses are up…we’re running out of time.” “Open it,” Buffy said, her stoic nature taking over her emotions for the moment. Rhoda commenced in chanting and sprinkling herbs around the room, and, in a few moments, a glowing fire red portal opened up in the kitchen. She sat down, shakily, in a chair, her breath ragged and eyes dimmed. After placing a glowing crystal on the table, she sighed. “Whoever goes…break this when you have Brayden and you’ll return here…oh…oh, I’m sorry, I have to…my head…,” Rhoda said, trailing off as she nearly swooned in her seat. Buffy placed a steaming mug of tea before Rhoda and got a cool compress from the freezer to press against her head. “So,” Spike said, cautiously, “Who’re we sending?” “I’ll go,” Shavie offered, her purple eyes full of unshed tears. “If I don’t return, it won’t be a loss for you…you’ve lost too much already.” Buffy laid a comforting hand on Shavie. “Shavie, if you didn’t come back…we would lose you. You’re like another daughter to Spike and I…don’t talk like that, please.” “I’m sorry, Aunt Buffy.” “I’ll go, Mom,” Gabriella said, her eyes brimming with determination. “Gabby,” Buffy said, her eyes widening. “You can’t. If anyone could handle it, it would be Shavie. She’s at least trained as a Slayer…you’re not as strong as she is…you….” Rhoda cleared her throat. “It’s not important now.” Buffy turned her attention to her niece. “What? Why?” Rhoda pointed at where the portal had been, where the crystal had been resting, and where Grady had been standing. “Your son already made that decision for you.” -- Grady’s body was wracked with pain as he was catapulted through a dimensional vortex. He landed with a thud on what felt like concrete. Looking up, he saw he had landed on a walkway of what appeared to be a castle nearly identical to the one his parents had shown him pictures of. He calmed himself for a moment, focusing his trained senses on his surroundings. Picking up the faint wail of an infant, he ran up the stairs and into a tall and somewhat ominous-looking tower. He hoped what awaited him wasn’t so terrifying as he assumed it would be. -- “This is just great, Spike,” Buffy said, throwing a pillow at him as they stood in front of the guest room bed Rhoda had made up for them. Spike threw his hands in the air. “Me? What’s this got to do with me, pet?” “Your impulsivity! It transferred into our kids!” “You’ve got to be bloody kidding me!” “What? Why is it so crazy to assume that it’s your fault?!” “Because, love, you’re just as bloody impulsive as I am!” “That’s not true! I’m very stable.” “Yeah. You’re just as flighty as you were when you were in your forties, pet.” “What did you say?” “I said you’re no different than you were in your forties.” “Oh, so after menopause I stayed the same pain in the ass that I’ve always been? Is that what you’re saying?” “You haven’t even hit menopause yet, may I remind you of the two-month old we have! And gods help me when that bloody boat comes in!” “What does that mean?” “That means that as soon as you hit that dreadful peak, please stake me so I can have at least two minutes of peace before I continue in the eternity of nagging I’m sure to endure.” Buffy scowled at him for a moment before he pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his chest and sighed. “Thank you.” “For what, love?” “Helping me forget for a few minutes.” “It’s my job, love.” “I know…I’m just so worried about Brayden…and Grady too, now. Oh, I wish he wasn’t so impulsive. Loves someone so much he rushes into things without thinking.” “Reminds me of another person I knew, love.” “Me?” Spike shook his head as he hugged his mate tightly. “The Whelp. Always thinking with his heart, not his head. You learned that lesson from him, yeah? Taught it to our kids…they’re better for it.” “Evan isn’t…and Natalia has gone mad and she’s going to kill Brayden and Grady, I just know it.” “Have a little faith, love,” he said, scooping her up and laying her down in the guest bed. “She’ll realize everything…I know she will.” “And what if she doesn’t? We’ll have lost four children then. How will we ever get through that? How will Gabriella cope? And Chloe? She…she loves her little brother so much and I….” Buffy broke down, sobbing, and all Spike could do was sit and hold her, wishing to the gods that there was something they could do. -- Chloe sat in her bedroom, her stuffed white rabbit clutched closely to her chest. This was unacceptable, she thought. Brayden is supposta be here with me…I wanna play. This is not fun. Chloe concentrated for a moment and picked up Brayden’s life force. Her powers were strong, if not stronger than Brayden’s, but she had been born with a much more advanced mind than others who had her gift, and she concealed her abilities shortly into her first year of life. With Kira sitting on the other side of her room, asleep, Chloe focused her mind on Brayden and popped out of existence in her room. She jaunted into Natalia’s chosen dimension without a glitch, and padded her way up to the room in which she knew her eldest sister and youngest brother were staying. -- Natalia woke suddenly when she sensed an intruder in her castle. Brayden was wailing in his crib, so she filled a bottle of milk for him and heated it up with a flick of her wrist. She scooped him up and fed him, bouncing his little body in her arms, while simultaneously checking out all of the windows in the room. She calmed her mind and focused her energy on finding the intruder. “There’s no need for that, I’m right here,” Grady said, trying desperately to appear menacing. Natalia opened her eyes and scowled at him. “I assume you’re another sibling of mine…you look just like Mummy…what’s your name, poppet?” “Grady.” “And why are you here, Grady? I can sense you hate me…but why? You don’t even know me. Or what our Mummy has done…what she will do to him,” she said, motioning to the bundle in her arms. “Please, just give him back. I won’t do anything…we won’t do anything to catch you or make your life miserable…just, please…give him back. It’s killing Mom and Dad.” “I hope it does. Then they can go into eternity together, alone, just like they always wanted.” “What are you talking about?” “They never told you?” “About what happens if they die? Sure they did.” “You never thought it was exactly what they wanted? To be left alone, just the two of them, for eternity? It’d be Mummy’s heaven, that’s for certain.” “They love us. They love you, God knows why.” Natalia faltered at his words, but quickly regained her composure. “What they say and what they do are two entirely different things.” “I’m sorry that you watched Evan die, but it was an accident…a goddamn dragon killed him! There was nothing anyone could have done!” “That’s a lie!” Natalia set Brayden back in his crib as her eyes began to fade into an intense purple. The smell of burning violets began to waft through the air as her body slowly began to turn into an amethyst flame. “You are no brother I know, so I shall have no problem in ridding the world of your filth!” As she began to center her power, a tiny voice shook her core. “Umm,” Chloe said, her voice not wavering for a moment, “Are you guyses done fightin’ now, because I wanna take Brayden home. It’s past our bedtimes and if we don’t get to bedtimes on times, we don’t get stories and it’s not fair.” Natalia tried to build her rage again and heaved a ball of fire at Grady. With a point of her pinky finger, Chloe stopped the flaming ball in midair and turned it into hundreds of bubbles. Brayden giggled in his crib as they floated around him. They swirled and mixed, causing larger bubbles to form, and enveloped Brayden, Chloe, Grady, and Natalia. Chloe yawned and nodded her head, and the bubbles popped, sending the group back into Rhoda’s kitchen, where a very taken aback Gabriella was caught sneaking a hunk of cake from the refrigerator. “Mom! Dad,” she screamed, as the group before her tried to get their bearings. When Natalia attempted to do anything, Chloe would scowl at her and wag a finger, binding her powers for the moment. Though she was too strong to be bound for much longer than a quarter of an hour, Chloe could still manage to keep her eldest sister’s powers at bay for a brief period of time. Spike and Buffy ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, fully expecting to be greeted with some misfortune. When they saw Natalia and Brayden, they stopped dead in their tracks. Chloe smiled up at Spike and pulled on the edge of his nightshirt. “Daddy? Can I have a glass of chocolate milk? I’m thirsty."

Chapter #15 - Reasoning

Buffy, Spike, and Chloe sat on Rhoda’s couch, set across from the high-backed chair where Natalia sat. Natalia’s face was covered in tears, her eyes darting between the faces on the couch and the floor. “I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice. Buffy sighed. “We understand why you did it, Natalia…it’s…it’s just….” Spike, failing at controlling his anger, turned a rage-filled glare at Natalia. “What were you thinking?” “I…I don’t know anymore, Daddy,” Natalia said, “I didn’t want him to suffer the same fate as Evan.” “He wouldn’t have you daft bint,” Spike said, through clenched jaws, “He was killed by a sodding dragon. The only one that was left in existence, I might add.” “I know that…it…it’s just that you can’t protect him from his own power, so how can I expect you to protect him from things that want to take it from him?” Buffy raised an eyebrow at her eldest daughter. “What do you mean?” Natalia sighed, her unnaturally youthful face showing the wear of the years. “A few days before the battle, Uncle Wesley and I were confronted by a demon.” ~55 Years Earlier~ Wesley and Natalia stood on the precipice of the mountain close to Natalia’s Welsh home. The elderly man held the deteriorating body of Illyria close to his chest. Natalia had assisted her elderly friend to carry the dying goddess up the mountain, in the hope that the height would stop her transition from Fred’s body into another host. As the goddess left the form of the once demure scientist, her true form was seen. She was enormous, covered in tentacles, and growled at the pair of humans before her. Something caught the goddess’ attention, causing her to land on the precipice in front of the humans. A grey dragon dove down at the group from the sky. “Death to the promised ones,” it called as it jettisoned through the air towards Natalia. In a moment of residual humanity, Illyria took flight and dove into the dragon, and injecting it with a liquid emitted from a spiked end at one of her tentacles. It responded by snapping the goddess in half with its powerful jaws, and the pair fell, limp and lifeless, down the mountainside. Natalia ran down the sloping ground toward the bodies, only to find the dragon still clinging to life. It lifted its head up slightly and stared into her eyes. “You would have been wise to let me kill you, promised one. It would have been easier…now he will have to suffer for your sins…and you will watch as he burns. My mate will see to that. There should not be humans like you…too powerful for those pathetic bodies…even if you are immortals. You will never be able to control the power without another like you,” it began to cough up green blood and smoke. “And he will be dead within three days.” The dragon expired on the mountainside, its body locked in a death grip with the destroyed body of Illyria, and Natalia ran up the mountain to help Wesley and hopefully, find some help before it was too late. By the end of the day, Wesley had exhausted his resources and the two of them felt comfortable enough with their preparedness for the battle which they knew would commence soon to relax for a moment. Wesley pointed to a spell in a large tome he was perusing. “Do we have everything we need for this, Natalia?” She looked over the ingredients and nodded. “Yes…I’ll have to grab the rat’s eyes from the basement, but other than that we’re good to go, Uncle Wes.” “Good…now, I don’t think there’s a need to trouble your parents with this threat at the moment…they need to be at the top of their game if we’re going to be dealing with the amount of monsters we think are going to attack.” “But they already know about the battle coming…we’ve already killed a dozen of the scouts and….” “Yes, I know, my dear, and as you can see, they will have other things to focus on…best that you and I focus on this threat on our own…you’re very strong, Natalia…and I have enough knowledge and resources at my command that I can assist you in fixing this situation long before it escalates.” Natalia nodded and sat down next to Wesley, who had begun to chant in preparations for the spell. Everything went off without a hitch until the foundation of the house rocked with a force they hadn’t anticipated. Giles ran, wobbled, rather, into the large room the pair were working in just as a vial fell from Wesley’s wrinkled hand and shattered on the ground. Giles’ eyes widened behind his thick glasses. “What have you done?!” -- “They had begun attacking by that point…Uncle Giles blamed Uncle Wes for unleashing the hordes so early…but it was all my fault…if I had just…gods, if that first dragon had just killed me instead, Evan wouldn’t have died,” Natalia said, beginning to weep as she looked up at her parents. “God…Mummy…Daddy…I’m so sorry.” Buffy rose from her chair, tears falling freely from her face, and walked to her daughter, pulling her out of her chair and into her arms. “Sweetie…it wasn’t your fault…you could never…god, Natalia…Evan’s death was not your fault. Do you think we would’ve reacted differently if it had been you who died instead of Evan?” Natalia shrugged. “You always had to protect him…if I failed, it would have been just my fault…it would’ve been easier.” Buffy shook her head and drew Natalia closer to her embrace. “We loved you both equally, Natalia. When Evan died, we were devastated.” “And we were devastated when you vanished after he died, poppet. We looked for you for years…still tried to keep as close a watch on you as we could with the help of Rhoda,” Spike said, standing up and putting a hand on his eldest daughter’s shoulder. Natalia released a shuddering breath. “How can you ever forgive me for this?” “For what? Scaring us out of our minds for a while? Poppet,” Spike said, a small smile falling on his lips, “You’ve been doing that since you were born.” Buffy laughed lightly. “Oh, god, Spike, do you remember the first time she jumped dimensions?” “In the park, the Memorial Day when she was six.” “I scoured that park for three hours trying to find you before Willow caught your essence.” Natalia smiled widely and wiped the tears from her face. “It was a dimension made up of ice cream. You wouldn’t have wanted to leave it either.” “I can imagine,” Buffy said with a smile. “So what am I to do now, Mummy? I can leave if you wish,” Natalia said, her voice wavering. Shaking her head, Buffy motioned for Chloe to come over to her. “We need you here, Natalia. If Chloe and Brayden are as powerful as you seem to think they are, they’ll need your help in figuring out control and how to use their powers for good.” “I’m going to need help calming my mind, Mummy…I’m frightened at what I might do if I become unstable again,” Natalia said, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. Spike nodded. “We’ll get you help, poppet…you’re our girl, remember? There’s nothing we can’t do for you.” -- A few months later, after an intense rehabilitation program from Rhoda, Natalia’s mind and powers had stabilized, and she had begun instructing Chloe on how to access and control her own powers. Gabriella was simply happy to have another sister closer to her age-range (at least aesthetically speaking) that she had few complaints once her eldest sister had completed her training. Grady, though unsure of the elder sister, slowly warmed up to her and she assisted in his mental training program. Though neither he nor his twin, had metaphysical powers, her training allowed both of them to calm their minds enough to sense creatures and dangers that they normally would’ve ignored. Buffy and Spike were overjoyed that their family was complete again, though they always felt the pang of agony that was left by their eldest son’s early demise. -- ~100 Years Later~ “A little help here, Spike,” Buffy screamed as she struggled to push a giant horned demon off of her. “Busy on my own, love.” Spike jumped back as the sandy ground beneath them quaked, releasing a 300-foot centipede. It shrieked and salivated, and snapped its jaws around Spike. “Bloody hell.” He locked eyes with Buffy for a fleeting second before he was snapped in half by the beast’s powerful jaws. Buffy ran towards him, her eyes widened in disbelief. She cut the head from the giant centipede without a second thought as she got to her mate’s side…or, sides, rather. “Spike.” Buffy fell to her knees in front of her mate’s expired form, feeling her own life begin to slip away. She focused her mind and forced herself to breathe as she mentally called out to her daughter. “Chloe…get everyone here…get to me…hurry…I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.” As soon as she had finished her thought, a bright purple light flashed in front of her. Her children and a few others stood before her, staring down at the Slayer and her vampire. Natalia ran to her mother’s side and grabbed her shoulders just as Buffy’s strength began to waver. A sprightly red-headed woman stood back, watching Natalia intently. In her arms she held a sleeping infant, Natalia’s child from an unsuccessful attempt at a relationship. Her mate had run off a few months after they had claimed each other. He was a master vampire, much like Spike, but didn’t have the same loyalties Natalia was convinced that he had. The red-head, Alice, was Grady’s companion, but spent quite a bit of her time caring for Natalia’s infant, Elias, as she and Grady were reproductively challenged. Natalia leaned Buffy back onto her lap and motioned for her siblings to come over. Grady and Gabriella, though now almost 120 years old, still had their youthful looks and attitudes. Grady kissed Buffy’s hand and held back his tears. Buffy smiled slowly, her eyes flickering in and out of focus. Gabriella laid a soft kiss on her mother’s forehead before turning into a tall brunette man’s arms and beginning to weep. The man, Philippe, had been her longtime beau, whom she had met while the family was recovering from Natalia’s betrayal a century ago. Brayden, who had grown into a tall, strapping man with Buffy’s blonde hair and Spike’s piercing blue eyes, pressed a kiss to Buffy’s cheek before stepping back and grabbing the hand of the short blue and tan demon, Celia, that he had wed just two short days before. Chloe, who had yet to settle down and, despite her unparalleled power, still had the smallest stature out of all her siblings, knelt before her mother and uttered a quick incantation to keep her focus for a moment. “We all love you, Mom. Tell Papa we love him too. We will see you soon….” “Not too soon,” Buffy said, her voice nearly failing her. “Be careful.” Chloe nodded as her mother expired before her. She rose and looked around at the eight people around her. “It’s up to us now. We are the protectors. The new race. We must make them proud to have begotten us. The fight for the light rages on…it is up to us to pick up where the Slayer and her vampire left off.” Her brothers and sisters and their mates nodded. Chloe looked down at the ground where her parents’ bodies just were, only to find empty sand. She smiled sadly and looked up into the sky. “They’re at home now.” -- Buffy and Spike awoke to the sound of a doorbell ringing. Spike sat up first, looking around himself groggily. “First five minutes in the bloody afterlife and someone’s already bothering us. Come on, love,” he said, shaking Buffy’s shoulder. “Wakey up. We’ve got company, I wager.” He looked up at the ceiling of Buffy’s Revello Dr. home and raised an eyebrow. “Clothes for me and my missus, please.” They were instantly clothed in matching red silk pajamas, though Spike quickly divested himself of the silk shirt. He ran down the stairs, closely followed by Buffy, to see who could possibly be at the door. A young man with a curly mop of brown hair and bright green eyes smiled at them as they opened the door, his soft features reflecting his youth. He had aged, just as the rest of their children had, to look to be in his mid-twenties, though his face hadn’t changed substantially, his body was more developed and muscular. Buffy’s jaw dropped and her eyes brimmed with tears. “Evan?!” “Hi, Mom,” he said, smirking. She threw her arms around him and drew her close to herself. Spike wrapped his arms around the pair, and attempted, if a bit unsuccessfully, to keep himself from crying. “Evan, how long have you…?” “Since I died, Dad…we’ve all been waiting for you.” “We?” Evan motioned out of the couple’s door and into the lawn, which was now an actual lawn instead of the ethereal nothingness that it once was. On that lawn stood all of Buffy’s loved ones: her mother, Dawn, Giles, Willow, Xander, Tara, Anya, Andrew, Oz, Kira, Shavie and her full blooded Carynss demon husband, Fioan, Rhoda, Wesley, Fred, and even Cordelia, who was standing suspiciously close to Evan. To Spike’s surprise, a familiar face smiled at him from the crowd. “Mum?” “Hello, William,” Anne Pratt said with a smile. “It is very good to see you again.” Spike’s pride helped him to catch himself before he became a complete wreck in front of the lot of them. He led Buffy over to his mother and smiled at them both. “Buffy, I’d like to introduce you to my mother, Mrs. Anne Pratt.” Buffy smiled at the older woman, in whom she could see glimpses of Spike’s facial structure and congenial spark. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” “Likewise, my dear.” Evan smiled at his parents and cleared his throat, as he pulled Cordelia’s hand into his. “Well, since we’re all making introductions…Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet….” Buffy raised an eyebrow at the pair of them. “We already know Cordelia, Evan…are you two…?” Cordelia huffed and rolled her eyes. “Hey, everyone else had paired off already and I’m not about to spend eternity as a bachelorette…and I…,” she trailed off as she glanced over at Evan. “Okay, so we’re in love. Big deal, get over it, next topic. Ooh, tonight is luau night at the Bronze…we always need another couple…we still don’t have enough people to fill the joint up yet.” Buffy grinned conspiratorially at Spike who smiled back at her. “Sure…we just, uh…have to get ready for it, you know? Get settled in and pick out our outfits?” Joyce looked knowingly at her daughter. “Of course you need some time to get settled, dear. Let’s all go over to my house and I’ll make everyone some hot cocoa.” “Ooh,” Spike said, longingly, “With the little marshmallows?” Buffy elbowed him in the ribs. “Uh, Mom? Isn’t this your house too?” Joyce shook her head and motioned over to Giles, who was currently in a deep conversation with Fioan about the historical reach of the Carnyss demon. “I’m living with Mister Giles now…his home is very cozy and we get along very nicely,” she said, smiling and waving to the Watcher. Giles flushed and took his glasses off, cleaning them on his shirt as Fioan continued to brag. Buffy groaned and raised an eyebrow at her mother. “I knew it.” Joyce shrugged. “We’ll see you at the luau, you two.” Buffy and Spike walked back into their home and smiled at each other. Buffy stretched out on the couch and looked up at Spike, her eyes glistening with anticipation. “So now that we’re home, Mr. Pratt, what shall we do first?” Spike didn’t respond, only grinned as he launched himself onto his mate, drawing her into a deep kiss. THE END!