Chapter 20



Spike watched his lover from the doorway as she finished talking to her sister over the phone. The littlest Summers girl was still staying at the Mansion after they had tried to take her home only to find a note left by her mother saying that she would be out of town for a few weeks on business. They hadn’t asked any questions, merely packed a bag for the teen and driven her straight back to the Mansion.

Spike pushed himself off from against the doorframe as Buffy replaced the phone in its cradle and made his way into the room to crawl across the bed and settle in behind her.

“Everything okay with the Nibblet?” he asked, as his arms encircled her waist and his nose found its way into her hair.

“She’s fine,” Buffy replied as she lent back further into his embrace. “Drusilla has been keeping her occupied.”

Spike let a deep chuckle escape his chest.

Buffy smiled as she shifted in his arms until she could see his face. “Did you talk to Angelus? He was so angry at us earlier, I wasn’t sure whether you’d ask him about the mating.”

“I spoke to him, kitten.” Spike placed a soft kiss against the skin of her throat where he had bitten her the night before—where he would bite her the night he finally claimed her. “He gave us his permission to take our request to the Master, but only once this disaster is over and done with. Angelus thinks it’s dangerous for us to think about mating now with Silas after you and all.”

Buffy nodded her head in agreement. “But he agreed?”

“He agreed, pet,” Spike said as he brought their lips together. He let the kiss linger over her lips as his thumb caressed the length of her cheekbone. “Giles’ witchy friend should be here soon, it’s almost eleven.”

Buffy hummed softly in agreement. “I’m not sure what they’re hoping to find. I’m either related to her or I’m not; at this point does it really matter?”

“It would be nice to confirm at least part of our theory,” he replied. “I know I would like the assurance that everything that we are doing to keep you safe isn’t just based around speculation.”

“Does it bother you at all? That I might have a piece of another woman’s soul in me? That Silas believes I am the vampire he fell in love with centuries and centuries ago?” Buffy asked as she chewed nervously on her lower lip.

Spike shook his head. “No.”

Buffy frowned. “That’s it? Just no?”

“You might have a piece Simone’s soul in you—her human soul at that—but there is no doubt in my mind that you are most definitely your own woman, and one hell of a woman too, I might add,” Spike said as he smirked at her. “It was never even a possibility that you are not completely you. A person is shaped by the environment they live in and the things they experience. You’ve lived a different life to what she did, you have a different name and you even look different. No matter what Silas believes, you are not her. So no, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”

“Wow,” Buffy noted, “when you put it that way…”

“You’re still you, kitten,” Spike said, picking up on what was she was thinking.

Buffy smiled at him. “I know. It’s a lot to take in though. Now not only is the bad guy after me, but the bad guy is after me because he is convinced I am his dead lover who may or may not have loved him back. I just wish things would stop spinning. I keep waiting for things to settle down, but I feel like I have been constantly running on high alert ever since the night I was turned.”

Spike was silent as he felt her body wilt against his. He was quiet for a moment longer as his hand ran though her hair absently. “Then when this is over, why don’t you and I leave? We’ll head off somewhere quiet together where we can just rest and be together without this mess hovering over us.”

Buffy shook her head. “I wouldn’t want to be responsible for tearing you away from the Clan. I know I said I was thinking about it, but that was before you asked me to marry you.”

“The Clan will always be there for us, sweetheart. It doesn’t have to be anything permanent, however long you want.”

“I’ve always wanted to travel Europe, or get a little house somewhere out in the country,” she agreed tentatively. “But I’ve got Dawn to look out for, especially since my mother thinks it’s okay to leave her for weeks at a time without warning.”

Spike ran his hands up and down her arms reassuringly, “The Clan will look after your sister. We’re your family now, and we look after our own, which includes Dawn.”

“I’ll think about it. Who knows what will happen before this thing is over with,” Buffy said as she lent her head back to smile up at him.

“Who knows,” Spike agreed as they heard Giles downstairs answering the front door. “Just think about it, kitten. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”


*****


Tara Maclay stood nervously on the front step of Mr. Giles’ apartment as the door swung inwards and the man in question greeted her with a kind smile.

“Tara, come in,” Giles said warmly as he stepped back to allow her passage into the room.

Tara smiled at her co-worker and stepped gracefully across the threshold of the small apartment. Her eyes immediately zoned in on the four vampiric presences in the room. She had known that they would be here—after all, Mr. Giles had called her in order to ask for her help on their behalf. Vampires had always made her twitchy though, despite the fact that she worked with them and all kinds of other demons and magical creatures on a daily basis.

The four standing before her were powerful. The air around them was practically humming with their combined strength, but it was their close familial ties that truly made them a force to be reckoned with. Love, in one form or another, flowed between all four of them, and that in some cases could prove to be more powerful than any supernatural strength they may or may not have.

“This is Tara Maclay, a colleague of mine,” Giles said as he stepped forward to make introductions. “Tara, this is Darla, Angelus, Spike and Buffy of the Order of Aurelius.”

“We’re pleased to make your acquaintance,” Darla said as she stepped forward to hold out her hand.

“I-it’s very nice to meet you, too,” Tara said as she slipped her hand into the cooler one extended to her after only a slight hesitation. “You wanted my help?”

“Yes,” Giles continued, “Do you know of any spells used to determine one’s ancestral line? We’re trying to find out if a certain vampire is related in any way to Buffy through her human blood line.”

Tara nodded as Giles shut the door behind her and they moved further into the apartment. “There is a spell, but I’ll need something that belongs to the vampire you’re looking to find.”

“We don’t have anything. The vampire we’re looking for is deceased,” Spike spoke up, smiling at the young witch.

Tara gave him an odd look. “And here I thought all vampires were considered deceased,” she delivered softly.

Spike threw his head back and laughed loudly. “That we are, pet. I meant that she’d been dusted.”

“I know,” Tara said offering him a small smile. “I can’t do the spell though unless I have something that belonged to her. I need something to ground me to her signature otherwise I won’t be able to find her. Sorry.”

A silence settled over the group as they absorbed the information. Angelus swore softly under his breath as he turned away from them and went to stand by the window to look out over the small courtyard.

“What about back at the Mansion?” Spike asked.

“You want to take something from the vault?” Darla asked with one eyebrow raised. Spike hesitated for a spilt second before nodding. Darla let out an amused chuckle. “You are either very brave or incredibly stupid. Somehow I’m leaning towards the latter.”

“Where else will we find something belonging to a vampire that’s been dead for over a thousand years?” Spike asked angrily.

“My soul,” Buffy said suddenly. “I have part of her soul, don’t I? Can’t you lock onto her signature via that?”

Tara shook her head. “It’s not that simple. You may have her soul, but you’ve lived with it long enough that you would have changed the feel of its signature. Not to mention the addition of your demon into it.”

“It’s only a theory, anyway,” Angelus said as he sighed and turned to face them once more. “Granted it’s the only theory we have, but it is still only a theory. We have no proof.”

“So we take something from the vault, then,” Spike said firmly.

“You can’t expect to just walk in and take something from the Aurelius vault and walk out again without being questioned. It is forbidden to remove any artefact from inside,” Angelus said in frustration.

“I didn’t expect to just walk in and out again. Someone will have to create a distraction, while two of us slip in and out unnoticed,” Spike said as he began to gain more confidence. “It’s our only option at the moment.”

Darla sighed, “Unfortunately, he has a point. For now the three of us can head back to the Mansion and check things out. We can decide once we’re there what will happen. In the mean time…Tara, if you don’t mind, perhaps you could gather the things you will need to perform the spell? You’ll have until tomorrow night to get everything you’ll need. Is everyone okay with that plan?”

Reluctant nods were drawn from everyone throughout the room.

“Good. Angelus, Spike, we need to head back to the Mansion. We won’t have much time to plan and execute whatever we decided upon.”

Spike turned to Buffy and pulled her into his arms to kiss her quickly. “We’ll be back as soon as possible. I promise.”

Buffy smiled, “Okay.”

She placed another quick peck to his lips and stepped out of his arms. The three vampires made the exit quickly and disappeared into the night once more.

“I, um, guess I’ll be going too,” Tara said softly. “See you tomorrow night.”

The young witch practically fled from the room in her haste to exit, leaving Giles and Buffy standing separately in the living room of the ex-Watcher’s apartment staring at the door after them.

“Well, then,” Giles said as he came back to himself. “Tea?”


*****


Restricted Access to Vampires

Silas’ minions stood at the entrance of a small rehabilitation village for vampire junkies. The trail had almost run cold—by now it was practically non-existent—but they had managed to track her to the entrance of a vampire prohibited area. It was both the best and worst decision she could have made. If they followed her in, her trail would easily be followed, as it would be the only vampire signature in the area despite how long it might have had to fade. If they were caught, however, they risked being sent before a disciplinary hearing or even facing a possible dusting depending on the state of their current record.

They would follow her in of course—they had little choice in the matter. When Silas’ had sent them out, he had made it clear they were not to return unless they had found Buffy Summers or knew where she was.

As if by some silent mutual agreement, one by one they slowly made their way over the fence and into the village. When it came down to it, they were only minions and they had been given orders; the choice had already been made for them.


AN: Hope everyone enjoyed the update. Big thanks to Andrea for the beta :D Thank you also for all your reviews :D