Sorry it has been sooo long since I've updated. I was on a roll for awhile, but real life...mainly work...has been piling up on my plate. I hope to be able to get another chappie up in about a week.

Thanks for all the lovely reviews, I truly appreciate all of them.

**hugs** Opal


Of course, I can't forget to give thanks and praise to Meli for doing a superb job as a Beta!*hugs*

---

*Banner By Ariel Dawn*
Thanks AD! Hugs~Opal

Story Dedicated to Meli!
Thanks for being a great Beta. Hugs~Opal


Single Quotes = thoughts to oneself or between Buffy & Spike


Chapter 27 – Lessons Learned



The remaining occupants cleared out of the bedroom, leaving Buffy and Spike with some alone time. Buffy gently shut the door and sat down on the edge of the bed. Sensing her nervousness, he made his way to her side and lovingly wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled into his embrace, and let her tears flow.

“Love, hush, everything will be ok.”

“No it won’t,” Buffy whispered between sniffles. “It’s all my fault.”

Spike held her tighter to him. He concentrated on her thoughts through the claim.

‘It’s the first time we’ve been alone since back at Angel’s. If I had never run off…he must hate me.’

“I don’t hate you love,” Spike said aloud. “I could never hate you. You were scared and just protecting him.”

“But look at the mess that has been created by running away!” She cried.

“Buffy look at me,” Spike said as he gently raised her chin up. “We live life on life’s terms, not ours. The natural instinct of being a mum is to protect her newborn. Just like mine as a vamp was to protect family. My family.”

Buffy’s teardrops dried as she took in her mate’s words of reassurance.

“By claiming me, you were protecting me? But how? How did you bite me with your chip?”

Spike had expected Buffy to come to that realization someday, but he did not expect her to ask the question without a trace of venom in her voice.

“Well, I always knew of the demon in Africa that could help, but I heard that sometimes he doesn’t give you what you ask. Dru told me about another in a jungle in Brazil, about 100 miles or so away from Sao Paulo. At first, I could have bloody dusted the bint for not telling me sooner, but she just smiled and said the pixies wouldn’t let her. When I arrived, I made my way inside and found what looked to be the most disgusting creature I’d ever seen. It snarled, and it tried to attack me.”

“Did it hurt you?” Buffy asked.

“No love. I kept focused as to why I was there. For our son, and as I focused on my true purpose, the monster changed from its hideous nature into a little sprite.”

“How did the sprite help you?”

“She giggled, and said that it was a good thing I chose her over a trip across the ocean to her brother. ‘I don’t hand out gifts, but I don’t torture folks for them either. I grant wishes on intent and purpose. Although you are a demon, you are different. You have purity within you. It is your love for your son, and for his mother.’ She threw some pixie dust at me and muttered a few words. I felt whole for the first time, yet it wasn’t because the chip was gone.”

Buffy listened to Spike’s words with awe. She raised her hand up and gently ran it through his hair.

“I felt the love you had for our son in my heart, and the love you would someday have for me,” Spike continued. “I smiled a thousand smiles. ‘You don’t need a soul to love William, but you needed to feel how it felt to be loved. That is my own gift to you. You have been given your reward, use it wisely.’”

“That’s amazing Spike. I never thought I would have given you a chance, but faced with doing what was best for William; I did give you that chance. I’ll never regret that.”

“Neither will I love. We should rest though. As much as I want to ravish you, ‘specially now that I’m alone with you, we need to rest so we can go back to Sunnyhell and prepare for what is to come.”

Spike moved them off the bed, and turned down the covers.

“After you my love.”

Buffy crawled into the bed, and Spike followed. He wrapped his arms around her, and then they both quickly fell asleep.

*******

“The lovebirds are sleeping,” Drusilla spoke. “Let’s get some room service. We all need our nourishment.”

Willow agreed, she picked up the phone and dialed the number. She was surprised that when the wait staff picked up the phone, they did not bother taking an order; they just said they would be up with anything they would need. She relayed the conversation to the rest of the living room’s occupants.

“Eww, that means we’ll probably get blood!” Cordelia cried.

“No Cordy, I’m sure they meant they will bring us what we need for everyone, including little William.” Angel said.

“He’s right,” Dru said. “I’ve got to work with you Cordelia on your skills as a seer. That is for later. What I can tell you is that little William is due to wake soon, but his parents should rest. When the cart comes in, Cordelia should bring the diapers in to me and help me change him.”

“Eww, I don’t change diapers.” Cordy replied.

“Maybe not now, but someday.” Dru said with a smile.

“How about Willow changes him, since she seems to be a favored auntie, and I feed him a bottle?” Cordelia asked.

Willow shot Cordelia the evil eye, and contemplated murmuring a quick spell to change that idea. Drusilla quickly stopped that.

“That’s sounds fine, doesn’t it Willow?”

“Sure Dru,” Willow said in her chirpy voice, but she knew that Dru had figured out her quick plan.

“Come now, I can hear him getting antsy. Let’s get him out of the dirty diaper.”

Willow followed Drusilla into the bedroom, but she noticed that William had not yet woken up. As Willow turned to shut the door behind her, Drusilla helped by picking the witch up by her throat and pushing her against the door as it closed.

Cordelia had noticed the vampiress’ actions, but Angel stopped her from intervening.

“She’s going to teach her a lesson.” He whispered.

***


Willow felt her feet rise off the floor as she looked into the yellow eyes of the vampiress. Willow tried to move, but she could not. She tried to speak so she could whisper the words of a spell that would be her salvation. She could not.

All she could do was urinate in her pants when she felt Drusilla lean into her and sink her fangs into her neck. Willow silently prayed to Gaia that she would be saved, but as Willow’s life drained away from her, she knew her prayers were of no use.

Then she opened her eyes.

She was breathing.

She was leaning against the same door.

Her heart was beating.

Her pants were dry.

Then Drusilla’s laughter shattered the silence in the room. Willow looked to the corner to see the vampiress cradling little William in her arms.

“That will teach you not think about using your magic for such trivial things for a while.” Dru said.

Willow stared at the vampiress with wide eyes.

“That was all fake? All magic?”

“Every bit of it Willow. You must learn to resist the temptation of the small stuff. It starts with small stuff, like party decorations, getting places, and so on. But it grows. It grows into malicious and manipulative things to serve you. It doesn’t make a difference if it is good, bad, or the right thing. It’s that it is purely self-serving that makes the difference. It is in those cases that the consequences of magic are the most detrimental.”

“I understand,” Willow humbly mumbled.

“What was that?” Drusilla said.

“I understand now. I didn’t before, or at least I thought I did.”

“Always remember, I can see what you cannot. I have been along far longer and learned more lessons.”

Willow nodded in acknowledgement of Drusilla’s wise words.

“Now our food is here. Let’s get everyone fed, and then I’ll see about sending you somewhere to control your powers. No need to go through Mr. Giles. You need something more rigorous and structured than where he would like you to go.”





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

Well it looks like Willow has learned her lesson…So next stop Sunnydale!

Is Joyce ok? Is she in trouble? What about William…..what were things like when he left this time to return to his own?

Stay tuned for more of the saga! Of course I crave feedback, so feel free to leave some :)
*Hugs*
Opal