A big thank you to Maria and Flight Of Fancy for betaing.


When morning finally arrived, Buffy and Spike showered together, helping each other get the sticky chocolate and whipped cream off their skin. As they dried and got dressed, they talked about their plans for the day.

While Spike headed to the kitchen to make breakfast, Buffy picked up the phone and started to set their plans in motion.

First Buffy called her mom and invited her over to the warehouse at eight for a Scooby meeting. Joyce knew that tonight was the night that Buffy and Spike would tell the rest of the gang about the mating, and that Buffy wanted her mom there to show support. Both women agreed that Joyce would explain the situation to Kendra that morning, and would let Kendra know that she would also be welcome to attend. Buffy wanted the Slayer to know exactly what she was walking in to…she didn’t want Spike staked by accident.

“Two down with just one call. Mom and Kendra have been invited. Now for Giles. Which reminds me, have you seen Merrick?”

“Not today.” Spike placed a cup of coffee in front of her. “I'll go look for him and invite him for breakfast if he’s around.” He placed a kiss on her head as he walked by.

“Love you,” she said softly to his back.

Pausing at the top of the stairs, Spike sent her an air kiss before disappearing from sight.

When Giles finally answered the phone, he readily agreed to come and stand at his Slayer and her mate’s side. Buffy smiled, satisfied. Giles finally understood that things were as they should be, and that if he tried to get between the mates, he would be the one that lost.

“Morning, Buffy.” Merrick took a seat at the table. “You look happy.”

“I am. Mom, Kendra and Giles are coming tonight. They’re all firmly on our side. I really believe that Giles has finally come around.”

“About time.” Merrick took the coffee Spike handed him.

“Will you be here tonight?”

“I'll be here. Wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“Thank you, Merrick. It means a lot to us, to have your support.”

“Before you start talking on the phone again, Luv, tell me what you want in your omelette,” Spike interrupted. “And make it quick, because you’ve still got a lot of calls to make.” He pointed the spatula at Buffy.

Pouting, Buffy told him what she wanted, before grabbing the phone again and moving away from the kitchen area.

Oz was easy to get on the phone. He had just arrived home from a gig in L.A., and promised to stop by after he caught a few hours of sleep.

Xander was quick to accept Buffy’s invitation, and seemed quite excited about the visit until he realized that he wasn't the only one invited to her home.

When Buffy reached Willow, the Wiccan sounded tired and scared, and turned down the invitation to Buffy’s home. “I...I can't come. I have to go see Giles.”

“Giles will be here tonight.”

“Oh. Then I'll come, I guess. I need to talk to him.”

“Can you stop by Angel’s apartment and ask him to come along with you?”

“Sure.”

Buffy ended the conversation, giving Willow the address for the converted warehouse, as she had done with the other invited guests who didn't already have it.

Cool arms circled her waist from behind. “Does the Poofter have to come?”

“I'm hoping he'll give up harassing us once he knows we’ve mated.” Buffy relaxed against him for a few seconds. “I still need to call Cordelia.” She sighed.

“Do you think she'll come?”

“You never know with Cordelia.”

“Okay, I'll wait a bit longer before I start to make your omelette.” He kissed her brow, and left her to her phone call.

Buffy got the housekeeper at Cordelia's, who let Buffy know that Cordelia still had her jaw wired shut. With the housekeeper as a go between, Buffy invited Cordelia to join the group. Sadly, Cordelia refused to attend. She hadn't been out of her house since the Episode, as she called it.

In fact, Cordelia had done a pretty good job of cutting herself off from the rest of the world while she waited for her jaw to heal. Other than a few phone calls from Giles, she hadn’t spoken to anyone in the group. She also hadn’t spoken with Angel, or even received a “Get Well” card, for that matter. It wasn’t that Cordelia ever wanted to see him again, but an apology would have been nice.

Buffy was enraged when she heard how Cordelia had been neglected, and couldn’t stop herself from letting out a frustrated shriek after she very politely and calmly said goodbye to Cordelia and her housekeeper. In the kitchen Spike and Merrick looked up, panic in their eyes when they heard Buffy yell. They rushed around the wall to see Buffy drive her fingers into her hair and bend over, as if in pain.

Spike rushed to Buffy and embraced her. “What's wrong?” Spike was reacting instinctively to the sight of Buffy in pain, forgetting that he also had the ability to reach out to her through their bond. When he finally remembered and did a little scan, he realized that what he and Merrick had witnessed was not pain at all…it was anger. White hot, twisted, overwhelming rage. “Buffy! What is it? What’s happened now? Tell me,” Spike begged.

“Angel! That miserable son of a bitch hasn't even apologized to Cordelia. I doubt she’d let him in her house, but still! He could at least have sent her a card. He’s so full of himself and how he’s the Champion…I'm really starting to hate him.” She turned in Spike's arms and let loose another frustrated growl.

After a while Buffy calmed down, and Spike led her into the kitchen and fed her some breakfast. Later Spike packed a basket with a little of this and a bit of that, and then took Buffy out for a picnic on the beach. It was their first day together as a couple in the sun, but it would be far from their last.

Merrick left for Joyce's. He was planning to enlist her help, as he had been given a shopping list of items needed for the meeting that night.

As the day wore on, Buffy, Spike, and Merrick once again gathered at home. The men quickly realized it had been a good thing that Spike had kept Buffy busy for most of the day, because a day of watching her as she was now would have driven them nuts. It was obvious that she was under a lot of stress; when she wasn't running around doing last minute things, she was pacing the room.

Buffy had even spent some time alone in her hidden room, after which she told them that she had cast a shield spell around the upstairs area. She knew that things would probably get a bit crazy tonight, and she wouldn't have her privacy invaded by their visitors. The only ones allowed upstairs would be Spike, Merrick and herself.

Merrick and Spike looked at each other, both a bit confused by Buffy’s extreme reaction to their impending guests.

The next time Buffy whipped past Spike, he pulled her down onto his lap. “Talk to me, Sweetheart.” With his arms around her, he waited for her to say something.

Hiding her face in his neck, Buffy admitted that she was nervous and a little scared. “At least this time they can't separate us.” With a sigh, she rested her forehead against his. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. To the end of the world.” Spike promised, before leaning in and kissing her softly.

The knock on their front door told them that their guests had begun to arrive.

Spike disappeared upstairs, as Buffy breathed in and dried her hands on her pants before opening the door for her mom and Giles.

Giles looked around nervously. “Where is Spike?”

“He's upstairs. We didn't want the meeting to start with a screaming contest. There are things that need to be said and stuff my friends need to hear. If Spike is down here, they won't listen.”

“You're quite right, Buffy. Wise decision.”

“Thank you, Giles. Do you want anything to drink?” Buffy led them to the big table.

“We can wait. Are we staying down here?” Joyce asked, as she placed her coat over a chair.

“Yes, I’d like to keep the upstairs private… at least for now.”

There was another knock. Buffy opened the door for Oz. He didn't say much, just looked around with interest, before greeting the others and joining them at the table.

Before Buffy could close the door, a hand reached out to keep it open. It was Xander, looking anxious and unsure. He wasn’t really confident of his welcome, after their last meeting in the library.

With Xander was a pale looking Willow. A Willow who could barely spare the time to smile a greeting at Buffy, before she rushed over to Giles. Willow started to whisper something to him while wringing her hands. After he had heard the first couple of sentences, Giles stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. “I know, Willow. You'll get an explanation later.”

“Have you taken my powers away?” Her voice became shrill. “You just can’t stand that I’ve got more power than you, can you? You had no right to take my powers. Give them back.” Willow had a hard grip on Giles' arm, and was shaking him, her face a twisted mask.

“Let go, Willow.” Buffy said, as she took hold of Willow’s wrists.

Willow turned to Buffy. “Make him give them back,” she begged Buffy.

“Sit down. We'll talk about it when we're all here. You too, Xander, sit down.”

“You're on his side now! I see how this works! You're suddenly best friends, you and Giles.” Willow was nose to nose with Buffy.

“Sit down or leave, Willow.” Buffy turned away, ignoring the frustrated red-head. Buffy asked Merrick to make tea and her mom to make coffee, before going herself to pull soft drinks from the fridge.

Willow looked wildly from one guest to the next. Not one of them would return her glance. With a sigh she sat down, moping.

Just as Buffy closed the door to the fridge, the last two guests arrived. “Sorry I'm late. Ran into a couple of demons who were up to no good.”

“I know how it is, Kendra.” Buffy leaned forward and hugged her. Behind her came Angel.

“Buffy.”

“Angel, come in.”

As Angel walked past her, he bowed his head and smirked. I’ve got her now. This is the start, an invite into her home. It won't take long and she’ll be mine.

Buffy had managed to see a glimpse of Angel's face before he moved past her. She smiled to herself, knowing that he would get the shock of his unlife that night.

After she had closed the door, Buffy returned to the table. “Have a seat, everyone.” At that Buffy looked directly at Angel, who was about to lean against a cupboard behind her. “Make yourself comfortable. Get a drink before we start.” Buffy poured herself a cup of tea.

“So, why are we here, Buffy? Are you finally going to tell us you succeeded in dusting the blond pest?” Xander joked, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

“Shut up, Xander. Actually, since you’ve so graciously decided to start the conversation, why don't we start with you?”

“Me? What about me?” he croaked out, sinking down in his chair.

“Are you finished lying to people yet?” Standing up, with her arms crossed over her chest, Buffy waited. “I refuse to have friends that think it’s ok to lie to each other and cause each other pain.”

“I'm sorry, but why are you blaming me? What about Giles?” He pointed a finger at Giles, who was sitting close by.

When Xander pointed at Giles, he pushed Giles' glasses crooked. “I apologize profoundly, Kendra. I never thought of how much our deception would hurt you,” Giles said, as he straightened his glasses.

Kendra sent Giles a faint smile, before looking away. She didn't like the attention she was getting.

Joyce reached out to hold her hand.

Grateful for Joyce’s motherly support, and forgetting her Slayer powers, Kendra almost squished her hand.

Buffy was still looking at Xander, as if expecting something.

“What?” he threw his hands up.

“Don't you have an apology of your own to make?” Buffy glanced quickly at Kendra.

“It wasn't my fault. The Changelings made me do it. I can't be blamed,” he angrily claimed.

“Did they make you lie about remembering?”

That made Xander deflate like a hot air balloon. After he had swallowed several times, Xander finally spoke up, “I'm sorry for lying, Kendra, and I'll try my best to stay away from you.”

Everyone could see how the words made Kendra relax a bit. It was no longer her word against his. Xander had admitted to the group that he had treated her badly, and it was clear that she had not been lying.

“As you all may have noticed, Giles is finally beginning to understand what’s happening around here. Am I right in assuming that you're still translating the book?”

“Yes, you are quite right. The book has confirmed that Buffy is the one. The second prophecy describes Buffy, and says that she will be surrounded by family and friends. Not just humans, but also demons. Everyone can join with the light, even soulless demons. The book is clear though, every individual, whether human or demon, can choose to be good or evil. It's up to each of us to decide which side we'll work for: Dark or Light. Finally, the book tells us that Buffy will find her mate, who will be with her for the rest of her immortal life. Since a human would die within a span of 100 years at most, that seems to suggest that Buffy’s mate will be a demon.” Slowly Giles moved his finger down the paper in his hand. “There is still more prophecy to translate, but that is all I have complete at this point in time.”

“Your translation must be wrong. Demons can't be good.”

“You mean Angelus can't be good.” Buffy looked at Angel with contempt.

“I'm a demon. I know what I'm talking about. You're just a human teenager.” Angel straightened up in his chair, trying to look down at her.

“You're forgetting that this body and my soul aren’t the same age. I'm older than I look. By the way, you're sitting in a house that was renovated by demons, and not one person or demon was harmed in the process.” She smirked.

“It can't be true. You must have been deceived.”

“No, there are harmless demons out there, living normal lives, with normal jobs.” Buffy looked around at her guests. Oz seemed interested.

Willow didn’t really seem interested in the conversation. Her body was vibrating, and it was clear that she was waiting for this topic to end so she could move on to getting her powers back. She appeared jittery, and her legs occasionally bumped against the underside of the table when she couldn’t stop her knees from bouncing.

Xander kept shaking his head in denial.

“Who do you think drives the cabs at night, or delivers the pizzas we order after dark?”

At that Angel slumped down in his chair, eyes fixed on the table.

Xander whispered, “Oh, no. Oh, no.”

“Xander?” He seemed out of it, his attention turned inward to something the group couldn’t see.

He didn’t respond until Buffy finally shook him lightly.

Xander looked up suddenly. “I didn't have to stake Jesse. He could have been good, but I didn’t even give him a chance.”

“He was about to eat you.” Buffy sighed. “For some reason, vampires are the species least likely to choose the side of the Light.” She gave his shoulder a pat, and returned to her seat.

“Before I forget, I'd better tell you that I've taken care of the creature that attacked this body.” Buffy flushed. “With all that happened, I forgot to tell you guys.”

“Who was it?” Giles leaned forwards. “Anyone we know?”

Unlike Giles, who was filled with curiosity, Joyce was finally able to relax. She didn’t need details, didn’t care who it was that had attacked Buffy such a short time ago. The important thing to her was that the threat to her daughter was gone.

“An old enemy from my past. I wonder if he'll still be in this future? That might be something you could find out, Giles. He calls himself the Immortal. I'll give you what I know about him later.”

Giles nodded.

“The next item on my list is Willow.” She looked over at the girl. Willow seemed lost in her own thoughts. “Willow?”

Giles had to touch her before she reacted. “Huh? What do you want?” Willow asked. It was clear to everyone that she was exhausted and stressed. “I don't have time for this. I have important business with Giles to take care of.” Willow turned to face the Watcher, sending him a look that made it clear she held him responsible for her troubles.

“More important than your magic?”

“What do you know about my powers?” No longer looking at Giles, Willow straightened in her chair and gave Buffy her full attention.

“They don't work, right?”

“Right. It's Giles. He knew how powerful I was becoming and he was jealous. That’s why he stole my powers.” She turned to look at Giles with contempt.

“Wrong. Giles wasn’t jealous of your powers; he was worried that you were going to do something damaging with them. We all were, and that’s why we decided to bind your powers until you could learn to use them wisely, instead of like a child.”

“You? You took my powers!” Willow threw herself at Buffy.

With her strength, Buffy easily got Willow under control and returned her to her seat. “Stay there, or leave my home.” Slowly Buffy removed her hands, waiting, to be sure Willow stayed in her seat.

There was no trace of the gentle Wiccan in the eyes that looked at Buffy with such hatred now. “Give me my powers back. They’re mine. No wonder you can do magic when you steal power from others.”

“Now you're getting nasty, Willow.” Buffy looked sad. “You still have your powers. They’re just bound, to stop you from hurting yourself or someone else with them.”

“Untie them!” Willow snarled, standing up and leaning over the table.

“It's not that simple. You'll have to earn them back.”

Buffy didn't let Willow's behaviour affect her, staying seated and looking relaxed on the outside.

“How? How do I earn them back?”

“By learning to use your magic responsibly and showing self-control. You'll get a teacher from a coven Giles knows, and they will help you find your path.”

“Who gives you the right to decide what I should do?” Willow spat.

Buffy didn't move a muscle, just looked at her with those sad eyes. Merrick reached over and placed his hand over hers, providing quiet support to the emotionally exhausted girl. Blinking for a moment, as though just waking from a dream, Buffy once again focused her attention on her schoolmate.

“It's in my job description, now that I’ve found my other half and have become complete. Together we are charged with stopping anyone who tries to end the world, or who wilfully chooses to harm the humans or demons of this realm.” Buffy watched as each person in the room realized the implications of her statement about being complete.

Angel straightened up, as did Xander, eyes opening wide. The rest of the group hardly reacted, as they knew about the mating already. Oz didn't say a thing, just lifted an eyebrow.

“Do you mind repeating that?” Angel was suddenly standing up, bracing his knuckles on the table and appearing to have difficulty understanding what he had just heard.

“Repeat what?” Buffy couldn't help it, she played dumb. In her head, she heard Spike chide her. “That ain't nice, Pet.” Buffy could also feel his pleasure at her teasing of the broody one.

“Complete? You said you're complete?”

“That I did!” She pushed her hair back over her shoulder, revealing Spike’s claiming mark to everyone.

Angel moved with lightning speed, grabbing her shoulders, and shaking her. “What have you done?”

“That’s exactly what I want to know.” Xander had materialized beside Angel.

“Let go of me, Angel.” He didn't respond, his face twisted in rage. Buffy grabbed Angel’s wrists, squeezing them until the pain was too great and he finally had to release her. With a shove, Angel ended up on the floor beside the treadmill.

Buffy turned to Xander. “Did you have something to say?”

Xander looked from her to Angel and retreated. “No, sorry.”

“As I said before, I'm complete. I've mated with my other half.”

Angel got to his feet, a wounded look on his face. “How could you?”

“I love him! He really does complete me.”

“You love me,” Angel claimed. “You were supposed to be mine.”

“I can't be given away. I'm my own woman, and I make my own choices about who I want to be with.”

Angel looked defeated when he sat down. “Is it because of the curse on my soul?”

“You don't have a curse on your soul anymore. I removed it when I returned your soul.”

“You returned my soul?”

“I did, and this time I made sure you can never lose it again!”

Angel's eyes lit up for a second, before returning to his normal sad puppy-dog look. “The curse doesn’t matter now anyway. You're the one I want, and you’ve let someone else claim you. There’s no danger of me being perfectly happy ever again.” He sighed. “Who?”

“Will you behave if I tell you?”

With a sour look, Angel nodded.

Buffy looked around at the people seated at the table. “Alright. I’ll invite my mate down to meet you all, but you need to understand one thing before you meet him. Kill him, and you kill me! Hurt him, and I will not hesitate to hurt you!” She walked over to the stairs. “Honey, will you please join us?”

Xander, Willow and Angel leaned over, trying to see who was coming down the stairs.

Buffy and Spike met at the bottom of the stairs for a quick hug and kiss, before walking to the table, arms around each other.

“You!” Angel screamed, just a moment before he lost control and attacked.

When they saw Angel flying across the room in their direction, Buffy and Spike simply parted and let the enraged vampire’s momentum carry him past the smiling couple.

When Angel finally managed to stop and turn around, he was fully vamped out and blinded by his rage. Like a bull seeing red, he charged again.

This time Buffy didn't pull away.

Angel ran directly into Buffy's fist. Dazed, he sank to the floor. While he was still knocked silly, Buffy and Spike grabbed Angel under his arms and dragged him out of the house. Angel was just picking himself up off the ground when Spike locked the door.

Back at the table, Spike sat down in Buffy’s chair and pulled his mate down to sit in his lap.

“You all know my mate, Spike.”

**********************************

In the months following Buffy and Spike’s big reveal, Giles made sure Willow was paired with a calm and experienced tutor from the local coven. With time, she learned to control herself and came to understand why Buffy had chosen to bind her powers. As she grew in wisdom, Willow began to help Buffy with necessary spells and enchantments, allowing Buffy to use her time and energy for other things.

Oz stayed a member of the group. When he wasn't traveling with his band, Dingoes Ate My Baby, he sometimes traveled to complete tasks for the Judges, helping Buffy and Spike when he could.

Not long after Buffy and Spike's mating, Xander left Sunnydale and spent a month touring North Africa. As the years went by, he got older and wiser, but something had changed and he and Buffy never really rebuilt their close friendship. He would still visit from time to time though, more frequently after he married Anya Jenkins, who was herself a former demon.

When things were busy, Giles spent so much time in Buffy and Spike’s home that it seemed like he was living there. He helped out when visitors arrived to petition the couple, or when they asked for help to settle a disagreement, or to end hostilities and violence with neighbouring groups of demons. Of course, there were also a few attempts to end the world to deal with too, and Buffy occasionally grew frustrated with the crowds populating the warehouse. Accommodations were in such demand, that the couple eventually bought and renovated another warehouse nearby. Clem was in charge of the remodelling, and when it was done the Judges had an official courtroom, with holding cells in the basement, and guest rooms on the upper floor.

Though Buffy and Spike kept him busy, Giles somehow found the time to befriend Jenny Calendar. At some point, he even summoned the courage to ask her to marry him. Buffy and Spike were invited to their wedding.

Joyce and Merrick became close over the years. It was no surprise when he asked Buffy's permission to move into Joyce’s home. It was, however, a surprise to all when Spike, ever the Victorian gentleman, insisted that Merrick make an honest woman out of her.

Cordelia left town right after high school graduation. Buffy occasionally got a postcard from her, but the girls were never close. The last Buffy heard, Cordelia had become a fashion model.

With the help of the team in Sunnydale, Kendra lived for almost ten years before an apocalypse got the better of her. She lived every day to the fullest, appreciating each one and knowing that it might be her last.

Angel stayed in his apartment for months after learning about Spike and Buffy mating. The only time he came out was to buy blood from the butcher, or to borrow the odd book from Giles’ collection.

One night, when Giles couldn't sleep, he organized his books. It was then that he discovered that Angel still had several volumes in his possession, and that most of the books he had borrowed were about vampire claims and black magic.

A warning call was immediately placed to Buffy. Extra shields were placed on the warehouses, and the homes of Scoobies new and old.

Once Buffy and Spike knew everyone they cared about was safe from attack, they went hunting for Angel. When they found him, he had barricaded himself in an underground cavern and was in the middle of a very dark spell that had drained him of most of his energy. The spell was stopped, but there was no way to heal Angel’s body. Seriously weakened, it took him several years to recover from the damage caused by the interrupted spell.

Angel used what little strength remained in his body to stalk Buffy. Every once in a while he would try to convince her that Spike was evil and couldn’t be trusted, but eventually he seemed to give up. After a few years, he left town and the group lost track of him. Nobody knew where he was, and nobody knew what he was up to.

Buffy and Spike decided to enjoy the peace and quiet, but both secretly believed that one day Angel would be back, and would try to separate them again.

The years went unnoticed by Spike and Buffy, possibly because neither of them visibly aged, though the Scooby gang was clearly growing older. Buffy was still a fresh-cheeked seventeen year old, and Spike hadn’t aged a day since Drusilla turned him all those years ago.

One day, Buffy was transported to a visit with the Powers in her dreams. She looked around for Spike, but he wasn't there. Buffy wasn't used to being without him. Being alone made her feel unsure, scared even. The bond they shared seemed to be blocked.

She turned around in the white room. “Will someone tell me what the bloody Hell is going on?” Her fear made her quick to lash out, and her years listening to Spike made English-isms common in her vocabulary.

“It's time.” A woman in a golden dress was standing before her.

“Time for what?” Buffy was ready to attack if necessary.

“Relax. There is no danger here. I'm a representative of the Powers. You have accomplished the impossible. Therefore, we have agreed to get you started on your reward early.”

“What reward?”'

“You'll have it in about nine months.”

“Nine months? What....? You mean?” Buffy's face shone with an inner light. “You're sure?”

She nodded. “It has already started.”

Buffy woke up with a start, looking over her shoulder before moving closer to Spike. She went back to sleep, after pulling his a hand protectively over her lower stomach.

The next day she went to buy a home pregnancy test. It was positive. Spike could feel Buffy was hiding something from him but, though she desperately wanted to share with him, she was determined not to say anything until she was sure.

Buffy was a human, so she considered doctors to be the ultimate authority for such things. She had to wait a week for her appointment.

Spike was going mad. He was picking up on some of Buffy’s emotions, but they were all over the place. He never knew what to expect from her…she was running the gamut from happy, to sad, to excited, to terrified and back again, so fast that he was barely able to keep up.

Finally, the day for her appointment arrived. That morning, she snuck out of the house while Spike was sleeping, not telling him where she was headed. When she finally came home from her secret outing, Spike cornered her. “Tell me. I have to know. What's going on? Please, I can't stand it.”

Buffy could feel how scared he was. She pulled him close. “I love you,” Buffy whispered in his ear. “Come upstairs and I'll tell you.” She pulled him behind her. Spike followed with a tight grip on her hand, as if he was afraid she would disappear.

Buffy led Spike to the bed, and urged him to lie down. After retrieving a small shopping bag from her purse, she lay down as well, snuggling up close to his side. With a gentle smile, she passed the bag to her lover, and waited for him to open it. Spike seemed to have other plans though, and simply looked at the bag while clutching Buffy just a little bit tighter.

“Open it, Sweetheart. It won't bite.”

Spike tossed a sceptical look at the packet. “Are you sure?”

Buffy just smiled softly.

Slowly, Spike opened the bag. “What?” He looked puzzled as he pulled out a tiny sleeper and held it up. “Sorry, Kitten, but I think it’s way too small for either of us.”

“It'll fit.” Buffy took the little sleeper and placed it on her stomach. “Baby will grow into it over the next nine months.”

When Buffy looked up, her breath caught at the sight of beautiful blue eyes, shimmering with tears. She wasn’t worried though…the love and joy coming through their bond was unmistakable, and she knew everything would be alright.

THE END


**************************

I know it’s a sudden end. I worked on this story for almost two years before posting the first chapter, almost hated it by then, but since I hate unfinished fics even more, it’s only right that I end mine.  There might be a sequel at some point, have started one but when or if it'll be finished is impossible to say. Thank you for reading.