a/n    I am sorry for the delay on this update.  I have been unable to work on this for several months.  I just sat there, looking at the screen and couldn’t seem to remember where I planned to take this.  Although the problem is not completely fixed, I did manage to finish chapter 3.  I hope it satisfy all those who requested this.  You made me go back to Destiny when I was half convinced I could never work on it again.  Special thanks to RebelBaby who wrote me asking when I was going to update.  Oh!  This was beta’d by the lovely Space Between.  I am grateful for the help. 

 

Waiting Room

 

The moment her eyes met his, Buffy became undone.  She never knew someone a body could hold so much pain without dying but in that instant, she understood everything that was revealed in his aching eyes; knew the reasons behind that pain. That he had saw as she had and somehow, he found it within himself to take her pain for his own.  She knew which images had hurt the most, just as she knew what he would do to prevent them from happening.  and in that moment, she finally came home in what she saw reflecting back to her in his cerulean orbs.  A sense of Peace filled her heart just as it was filling his, knowing that together they could do the unthinkable; that they could face these things and stop them from happening.  As time seemed to slow and seconds seemed to stretch out into days, they finally understood each other as they never could before, and he loved her even more for what he saw mirrored in her eyes.

 

Awed by the acceptance he could see shining in her bottle-green depths, and humbled by the strength that shone just as brightly, Spike couldn’t take his eyes off her.  Still shaken by the events of the evening, he lay back, supporting himself on his elbows, unaware of his surroundings until a familiar, gentle voice shook him out of his daze.

 

“Hello William.”

 

Slowly taking his eyes off Buffy, he turned to look at another woman he thought to be long gone, his azure eyes widening in shock as coherent thought escaped him, rendering him mute .  Finally realizing that something was seriously wrong for him to be seeing two women who should be dead, his head whipped from side to side as he looked around.  He was in a large, white, seemingly endless room, empty save for a few grey marble benches; the fluid sounds of running water teased his ears but he was unable to see where it came from.  Uneasy, he reached out with all his senses to try to identify what was bothering him.  Feeling nothing, he suddenly understood that the reason he was uneasy was that his demon, ever present for more than a century, was, for the first time since his turning, silent.  He had never been consciously aware that his demon was always there, pushing him, demanding blood and violence, its tangible presence living deep within.  But now, with its silence, the only thing he was feeling was peace.  His whole being was calm and there was nothing but Buffy.  The sudden knowledge that what he always believed to be his demon sensing her slayer was in fact so much more than just that was met with unambiguous acceptance.  He could feel her, like a warm, corporeal presence in his mind and looking in her eyes, he could see that she was feeling him too. 

 

Never taking her eyes off of him, Buffy slowly stood up from the bench on which she was sitting and made her way to where Spike was still laying prone.  Once she reached him, she crouched down and cupping his cheek with her hand, she leaned and placed a soft kiss upon his lips.  Too stunned by the move to react, Spike had no choice but to look at her as she stood again and she thrust out her hand to help him stand up.  Gently tugging on the hand she held, Buffy guided him toward her mother.  Feeling shy for the first time in more years than he could remember, Spike stood before Joyce with his head bowed, not meeting her eyes for fear of what he would see there.  She cupped his chin softly and forced him to look directly at her.  Her eyes held nothing but love and a warm welcome.

 

“Joyce.” Her name came out on a sigh, soft and reverent.

 

With a warm smile, Joyce gently took him in her arms.

 

“Hello William.”  Dazedly, he returned her hug, squeezing her close for a moment as if he was afraid that she’d disappear.

 

Joyce stepped back towards the bench she had been occupying with Buffy before he showed up, gesturing for him to join her.  He stood where she left him  until Buffy gave him a push forward.

 

“Come on Spike, snap out of it,” she said, her voice teasing.  He looked back at her and realized that the shadows that had been in her eyes for the past several months were now gone. In fact, she had never looked better than she did at that moment.  Her golden hair was curling gently around her shoulders and the flowing white dress she wore brought out the creamy tawniness of her skin.  Translucent green eyes shone at him and he couldn’t stop the smile that formed from spreading across his face .

 

“You look good Pet.”  The words were out before he had a chance to hold them in.  Her gaze turned teasing.

 

“You too.  Never thought I’d see you in white.  Nice change from the black but I have to say that you’re a bit…pale.”  Stunned, Spike looked down to find himself garbed in white trousers and a loose shirt.

 

“Bloody hell!”  He was answered by Buffy’s giggling and Joyce’s amused words.

 

“Not quite William.  This is actually a waiting room, where souls await their entrance into Heaven.” 

 

Once more, Spike was rendered speechless for a moment before his muddled thoughts exploded from him.

 

“What?!? Heaven?!?  You do remember I’m a vamp don’t you Mum?”

 

“Don’t be flippant Dear.  We have a lot of things to discuss and not much time to do it so I need you both to please pull your heads out of the proverbial clouds and listen to me.”

 

The words had both blond heads snapping to attention.  Their movements were so in synch that Joyce had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud.  These two were definitely linked, no doubts about that.

 

“Sorry.”  Twin voices echoed in the white room.  They looked at each other, uneasy with the fact that they seemed so in tune since they had come to this place.  Joyce stayed silent, knowing that they were lost in each other’s presence, overwhelmed by the recent events that brought them there.  She also had a suspicion that even if she were to say something, neither warrior would hear her.

 

After a long moment, Spike and Buffy turned back to face the older Summers woman.  Bodies that had been relaxed were now tensed; both scared of what Joyce had to say.

 

“Please relax, both of you.  Nothing will happen while you’re here.  This is a protected place, a haven.  You’re safe.”  For some reason, the words failed to relax them, both blonds thinking with her words, Joyce had just jinxed them.  Eyes met for a second before Buffy spoke up.

 

“Mom?  You know you just jinxed the whole thing don’t you?”  Voice uncertain, she was still too shocked by her mother’s presence to speak with her usual quips.

 

“Pffft.  You’re not in Sunnydale anymore baby. This is Heaven and I can assure you that nothing is going to happen.  Now, just sit down and listen to me.”  Her voice held the tone that every mother seemed to learn upon giving birth.  Buffy had an instant to consider the fact that maybe it was something that appears during the actual birthing process… or maybe there were classes… before Spike elbowed her, and she was pulled from her musings to focus on her mother once again.

 

“Long ago, a prophecy foretold the rising of the First Evil.  It was said that a pair of Warriors would lead the army of Light whom would manage to banish it from the human realm.  The pair would be fearless, both equal in power; one a warrior of light and one a warrior of darkness, and together their united power would be unmatched as both of these warriors were separate halves of a single soul.  One soul split into two entities and once they were reunited, nothing would be able to stop them.”

 

“The Powers That Be selected a soul filled with the capacity to love, the strength of mind and endless forgiveness.  They divided it and then set it free, waiting for the day when both halves would find the other.  The selection of the soul however, was noticed by the First Evil.  It created demons and vampires, hoping that one of its creations could destroy the fated pair.  If it had come to pass, the First would gain footage and thus circumvent the prophecy.  The Powers then created Slayers, infusing one girl with the essence of a demon of The First Evil’s creation so she could fight the evil borne of the first and hopefully keep the Warriors of Light safe.”

 

“When one half of the soul was given to a newborn male child, the Powers thought the final fight was nearing.  But when the boy turned twenty and there was still no sign of  his other half, everyone started to panic.  When the young man was seduced by a vampire and then turned, the Powers were in a bit of an uproar.  I heard that The Powers got very uncomfortable at that point.”  Joyce’s voice had started serious but by the end of it, mirth filled her eyes.

 

Spike could suddenly see where Buffy had gotten her sense of humour.  He looked at the Slayer, raising a scarred brow. and Buffy shrugged, her mind trying to catch up with the tale her mother was weaving.  After a few moments, Joyce’s eyes grew serious once more.  Obviously, the story wasn’t over and it was going to get worse before it was finished.

 

“The vampire that owned half of the divided soul was sired by one hailing from the original line created by the First.  The Aurelius line was vicious, cruel and had no inkling on any human emotions.  All of them were killers, unrepentant of the horrors they created, instead revelling in the pain of their victims.  From the Master, to Darla, to Angelus and to Drusilla, each of them without a conscience, Angelus being the worst.  When Drusilla sired William in 1880, the Powers thought that it meant the First Evil had won. But William retained his half of the soul, burying it deep within with the torture by his elders.  When Spike started targeting Slayers, it was thought that it was the beginning of the end because  the act of killing a Warrior of the Light meant that he had forsaken the last shreds of his humanity.”

 

“Everyone was surprised when the other half of the divided soul suddenly emerged, a hundred and fifty years after the other half.  Imagine the reactions when she was called as the next Slayer, especially considering the fact that Spike was already known as the Slayer of Slayers.  Buffy, I already told you that your death at the hand of the Master started Spike moving in your direction.  What I didn’t tell you was that it also was the first sign that the First was preparing to move against the Realm.”

 

 

Sunnydale

 

Dawn knocked softly on the bedroom door.  When she didn’t receive an answer, she quietly turned the knob, cracking the door enough to peek inside.  Her soft gasp echoed loudly in the empty hallway.  Shoving the door open, she ran to the bed in a panic.  She reached towards the golden glow that surrounded Buffy and Spike’s bodies but cried out when she encountered a barrier of pure energy that singed her hand. 

 

“Oh my God! Buffy! Noooo!”

 

Seconds after she cried out, Giles and Willow burst into the room, their panicked eyes sweeping the corners, searching for Dawn’s attacker.  When they failed to find any threat to the teen, Giles spoke up, his eyes wrought with anxious fear and confusion.

 

“Dawn?  Why did you…Good Lord!” Turning questioning eyes from Dawn, Willow looked up to see what had caused his reaction, her questioning gaze fading into bewilderment.

 

“Um, Giles?”  She finally said.  “Why are Buffy and Spike glowing like a Christmas tree?”  Her eyes never leaving the scene before her.  Despite the pain of Buffy’s death, in spite of what should be the major wigginess of what she was seeing, the redheaded Wiccan felt oddly peaceful.  She glanced at Giles and Dawn and could see that they were feeling the same thing.  The crushing grief that all of them had been feeling since Buffy’s jump was gone.  Willow felt her lover’s approach and turned towards the door.

 

“Tara .”  The name was soft as a prayer, as though Willow knew that the gentle blonde she loved with all of her heart could have an answer to what was happening.  Tara ’s soft smile answered her, her eyes glowing softly.  The shy Wicca somehow looked more confident that any of them had ever seen her, Willow included.

 

a/n  This was supposed to be a short chappie, just to get back into it, except that’s not how it turned out.  Instead, I found myself writing this.   I almost split the thing in two but decided to post it as is, mainly as a gift for all of those who requested I started posting again.  I don’t think I’ll be able to update as regularly as I do Rain though.  I won’t be able to update anything until after Christmas.  Work and personal commitments are keeping me away from my computer.