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

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

Thanks to Always LBL for giving me the correct BSV link...if not for her, there would be no update tonight. Big hugs!! :)

Next, Thank you all for sticking by the story. I was so afraid I would lose all of you after so much time off. I really appreciate each of you from the bottom of my heart.

It was brought to my attention by a very kind reviewer that I could have a Dru conflict a few chappies back (as in I said she was here but she was there). Thanks so much for pointing it out, and I will go back and make any necessary fixes. Sorry if it was confusing!

Finally, Go grab tissue boxes!! :)

*hugs* opal


Single Quotes = thoughts to oneself or between Buffy & Spike


Chapter 37 - Do You See Her?



Quentin Travers paced around the empty crypt waiting for Giles to arrive. Today would be his day. As luck would have it, Giles had managed to capture William the Bloody and would be bringing a battered vampire through the crypt door at any moment. The icing on the cake was that Angelus – with soul – had caught wind of his errant childe’s mating with the Slayer. Angelus had phoned Travers a couple of days prior to inform the Head Watcher of his disapproval of the Slayer’s relationship with Spike. The souled one was incapable of actually killing the Slayer, but he had no problem turning her over to the Council to decide on her punishment – even if it included her demise.

Travers paced around the cold, dimply-lit crypt. He brought only two men to aid him, after all it did not even seem like he would need them. Everyone had seemed to finally come to their senses about Buffy Summers.

“Sir, someone is coming,” advised one of the Council’s Special Ops guards.

The door creaked open revealing the broody vampire, carrying the Slayer gagged and wrapped up in chains. Dust kicked up off the floor with each step that Angel took.

Travers smiled to see that the girl was alert and she would be when he sentenced her to death by impaling a stake through her heart.

After all, why kill her easily when he could kill her with her own weapon of choice.

“Put her over there Angelus, and place the chain around her waist so she can’t get free,” Travers directed. After Angel locked “fake Buffy” to the crypt wall, Travers offered him a drink.

Angel politely declined, but before he moved into the shadows, he noticed that another vamp had already taken watch in the corner. Drusilla had managed to slip her way in, undetected, through a hole in the floor that was hidden behind another sarcophagus.

Minutes later, Giles, Xander, William as Willow, and a roped up Spike walked into the crypt.

“Giles, I knew you’d come around.” Travers stated as gripped the stake in his hand.

“Seeing as that pathetic excuse for a Slayer over there is to busy cavorting with this vampire to fulfill her mission, I’d say yes we do see eye to eye on this matter.” Giles replied as he pushed Spike towards Travers.

“Can we get this over quick?” Xander said. “I just want them both gone.”

Xander did his best to sound genuine and forceful, but on the inside he cringed. He had learned that even though he was not the number one fan of the evil undead that it would be even worse if he was on the top of Buffy’s shit list.

Luckily, William put his acting skills to use and in a perfect replication of Willow’s voice, he spoke up to support the death of the Slayer before his Dad.

“Please, please, Mr. Travers can you just get rid of Buffy now? Take care of her first and make this vampire suffer before his death.” William spoke as he rocked back and forth on “her” heals.

Travers was pleased that everyone in the crypt was being cooperative. He decided to no longer draw out the inevitable. He pulled out the stake and prepared to throw it at whom he thought was Buffy.

He never noticed “Willow” walking up behind him, losing her glamour and morphing into William.

Travers threw the stake at the supposed Slayer and was in shock when she exploded to dust.

He was even more shocked when he felt the teeth of a vampire sink into his neck and drain him. He looked up to the guards for help, but Drusilla and Angel had already taken one down. Xander and Giles had chained the other up.

Which left William the Bloody standing before him, without chains to restrain the angry vampire, leaving Travers wondering what the hell had just happened and how had they managed to out smart him.

“Well, your little sex toy is all gone now vampire, even if you kill me another Slayer will be called to take her place. Stupid bint, getting herself vamped. She really was worthless.”

Travers felt the teeth rip into his neck deeper, but he did his best not to succumb to the pain. He was still conscious enough to realize that something must not be right.

The red headed girl was a vampire too, he realized.

Yet, when he was thrown into the arms of William the Bloody, he was shocked to see the vampire staring back at him was also William the Bloody. Or so he thought.

“Dad, I give you the honor to finish this bastard off. Make it hurt. Every single drop of blood you take make it burn.”

As Spike morphed into game face, William looked right into Travers’ face.

“You are nothing but a weak minded, selfish fucking prick. Trying to kill my mother, how dare you! Did you think you would be able to get away with trying to murder the greatest Slayer that ever lived, one of the top warriors sent to protect innocents by the Powers That Be, and mate of William the Bloody?”

William took a stake out of his back pocked and impaled the dying man in the stomach. Travers cried out in anguish.

“You are a pussy. A worthless piece of shit. Sending out girls to drive these bloody stakes into the hoards of demons night after night. It doesn’t feel so fucking good does it?”

Spike pulled his teeth out of Travers.

“Your blood is worthless, tastes foul mate. You wouldn’t even make a decent demon.”

Spike threw Travers against the wall. The old man slumped down and fell to the floor, barely hanging on to his life. Spike took the stake from William and walked up to Travers.

“See this, mate? The last bloody fuckin’ think you will see is this stake going right through your heart, complements of your’s truly.”

“No!” Travers cried.

Spike threw the stake into Travers heart.

“Yes.” Spike replied. He turned around and took note that the rest of the team had managed to eliminate Travers’ two men.

Then he saw William leaning against one of the sarcophagi.

“William, are you ok?” Spike asked as he walked over and held his son.

“Can you see her?”

“See who?” Spike asked.

“The Slayer’s mummy,” Drusilla replied.

“Yes Dad. Grandma Joyce. She’s saying it’s time for me to go, that my work is done.” William whispered as he felt himself starting to slip away. He felt love though. The love of his father holding him.

“I’m proud of you son. I wish you didn’t have to go, but then it might be odd raising yourself, eh?”

William let out a soft chuckle.

“And that was a right smart thing you did with Dawn and your pup.”

William looked up at his dad with wide eyes.

“You think I didn’t notice? I just chose not to say anything,” Spike replied and smiled.

The rest of the gang circled in on William, all saying their goodbyes and expressing their love and gratitude.

Most surprising of all was Xander.

“William, we didn’t get to spend much time together but I can tell that you are an incredible being and I would hate to not be a part of your life because I couldn’t deal with my prejudices against your dad. I promise you, I’m going to be the best uncle ever,” Xander said as he leaned in and gave William a big hug.

“It’s time for William to come along,” Joyce softly spoke as she appeared in front of everyone. She reached out to take William’s hand.

“Bye Dad. I love you. Tell Mom I love her.”

Spike wrapped his arms tightly around William.

“I love you too son.”

William grasped Joyce’s hand, and then disappeared with her.

Everyone huddled around Spike, not one of them with dry eyes, and held him until he could finally cry no more.

*****

Angel, Dru, and Spike walked back to the Summers’ residence while Giles and Xander stopped to pick up a supply of tissues and then some dinner for everyone.

Spike was not sure what was going to be more heartbreaking, watching his son slip from his arms or telling his love that their son had gone.

Either way, it was tearing him up inside, but he had the support of his vampire clan to help him through this. Still it seemed the door to 1630 Revello Drive came before them far too soon. Slowly, he reached out, grasped the cold doorknob and turned it. He walked into the quiet house.

“Go on up to her,” Angel encouraged Spike. “She knows.”

Spike silently ascended the stairs to his mate’s bedroom.

Dru was heartbroken to see her Spike like this. She could smell the tears that had been spilt hours before they came home.

She could also sense that Joyce had paid a visit here too. She sat down on the couch and encouraged Angel to do the same. Tears began to fall down her face, and Angel pulled her into his arms to comfort her.

***

Spike slowly opened the door to find Buffy holding on to their infant son. In that moment he was reminded that he had not lost his son, but in turn gained more time with him. Time to bond and forge a relationship.

He sat down on the bed behind her and wrapped his arms around them both.

“Mom visited.” Buffy whispered. “She said it was time to take him home.”

Spike squeezed her tighter, and then wiped the tears from her face.

“He did well. I’m going to miss him.” Spike replied.

“Mom said,” Buffy softly spoke between her sniffles, “That everything was in balance now and that we would make a good family.”

Spike began to stroke her long, golden hair.

“That’s right love. I’m going to be a great dad, and you’re going to be a fantastic mother. Most of all we are going to give our son a fantastic life.”

Buffy turned around to her love, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

“A new beginning for us, it’s nice.”

“It is. What do you want to do?” Spike asked.

“Stay here. This is the only home William has known, as an infant and as an adult, with us. We can see the world, we can avert apocalypses, but we can do it all from our home here.”

“Our home.” Spike repeated and smiled as he laid his family down on their bed. In a short time, the three of them fell asleep together.


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Thanks for reading! *hugs* *hugs* *hugs*

Please review!

PS - No it isn't the end of the story - it may seem that way, but no. I have the final chapter to post sometime this week once it comes back from beta.