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ALL MANNER OF MONSTERS


Chapter 16: ‘Fathers and Sons; Mothers and Daughters’


Spike confronts his father, via telephone. When the truth is out, Spike lowers the boom on Rupert and makes it clear that his Buffy and his daughter will always come first with him.

Father Johnathan tries to convince Buffy to tell Dawn the truth.


“Dad?” Spike nearly choked on the word. “Did you know?” He asked Rupert Giles at the other end of the line. “Did you…”

“I suspected,” Rupert muttered, his deep voice tinged with shame and regret. “I knew enough to know that Buffy was the one pregnant, not her mother. It was obvious, of course, that the dates matched up with what you told us, about your time with Buffy in San Diego…..” He let the sentence trail off weakly.

Spike took a deep breath and swallowed hard before he responded to his father’s admission. This horrible betrayal, by his own father, hurt him almost as much as the pain of missing out on Dawn’s first six years of life. However, at least Spike could understand ‘why’ Buffy hid their child from him. She was terrified and basically terrorized by Riley Finn and her own parents.

“So you thought it was more important to you, the Bureau and all of ‘your’ ideals? That you keep my child’s existence from me?” Spike spat out his accusations against the man who he’d idolized since birth.

“You selfishly allowed the mother of your only grandchild to sell herself off to someone like Riley Finn? Forced her to give up her freedom; her dignity and happiness to what, Dad? Set up the perfect pawn in the Bureau’s game of ‘take down’ Riley Finn?”

“William,” Rupert mumbled in a raspy voice, “I thought it best to…”

“You thought it best to betray me and the woman I love, along with our child together? To allow them to be put into the worst possible danger, so you could what, Dad? Gain another feather in your cap, for your illustrious crime fighting career? To make yourself so fucking important and all mighty in the eyes of the do-gooders all over the world?”

Spike was definitely seeing red now as he choked out the horrible accusations against his own blood. ‘Dawn is my blood too,’ he reminded himself stubbornly, ‘and Buffy is my life.’

“You selfishly and without thought gave up my happiness, along with Buffy’s and your own grandchild’s because it meant a stepping stone to Riley Finn’s downfall? Why? Because ‘you’ only suspected that Dawn Summers might possibly be your son’s daughter? ” Spike spat through gritted teeth at the man he’d worshipped forever.

“We couldn’t be sure, son. There was no guarantee that Buffy had ‘your’ child. After all,” he continued rather smugly, “the daughter of Hank and Joyce Summers? A random affair in San Diego during spring break? Come now, William, are you really sure that Dawn Summers is yours? Come on William, the Summers’ girl could have bedded anyone and…”

“Don’t!” Spike roared over the phone, sending an anxious Xander running from the room. “Don’t even suggest that Buffy slept around or that Dawn isn’t my daughter! You know fucking well that that precious, dear little girl is mine. Have you seen her, Dad? Have you even seen photos of her Dad? Did you ever see her blue eyes or the way she scrunches up her dark brows at lies and half truths? How she smirks without meaning to, just like me and you? Well, I have. Believe me, Dawn is my child and your grandchild, in every sense of the word, old man.”

“William,” Rupert Giles stammered in a pained voice. “We couldn’t be sure, not 100 percent sure that is. Taking Riley Finn out has been the dream of every agent in this bureau. I had to make a snap decision and weigh my options. I’m sorry, my boy, but your feelings in the matter were secondary. Destroying Finn was the utmost priority, even if it meant ignoring the blood ties that the girl and I might have. I couldn’t be sure, as I said, and…”

“You fucking bastard!” Spike hissed, enraged by now. “You heartless old horror of a human being! I thought you were nearly God, did you know that, Rupes? Thought you were the nearest thing to a deity on this earth. But you’re not, are you? You’re a corrupted, power-hungry old man, like so many of them. Not so much better then Riley Finn or his dead, worthless piece of shit father. Without a second thought, you threw away my daughter and her mother, even if they were my salvation. For what? What for, for Christ's sake? A long-shot chance at some worthless fuck like Riley Finn?”

“Newsflash, Pops,” Spike’s voice just dripped with sarcasm. “For every Riley Finn we take out? Another ten will take his place. Or don’t they teach you that at the fucking FBI?”

“William, please,” Rupert rasped.

“I've got news for you old man,” Spike growled, “My Buffy is backing this assignment, all the way. She wants Finn out of all of our lives, especially our daughter, Dawn’s life. I’m going to do my duty, Dad. See this out to the end and get my future wife and our child out of this fucking mess. But I’m giving you notice. When this is finished? I never want to lay eyes on you again. You, the Bureau or anything connected with you. Except Mum. I’m not going punish my poor mother by keeping her grandchild from her. Especially after she’s put up with your bullshit all these years; that and your fucking love affair with the Bureau!”

Rupert didn’t reply, so there was a long silent moment on the phone line. Spike felt like he was going to throw up, he was that miserable by all of this. What he’d said, just moments earlier had been true. His father had always been like a God to Spike, but now?


Spike slammed the phone down and stormed out to the balcony of the hotel room. He didn’t even think twice before he grabbed a bottle from the bar and lit a smoke.

“I swear to God,” he hissed, “if that old bastard comes between Buffy and me? I’ll…”

“Spike, man,” Xander called from the connecting door to his own room. “You okay?”

“Not really,” Spike grumbled, taking a long swig from the whiskey bottle. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be okay again,” he spat angrily.

“I’m sorry, man,” Xander mumbled, sincerely. “I only just got wind of the fact that the old man might know something about Dawn being your daughter, I mean,” he finished with a mutter.

“But,” the dark-haired man continued as he stood next to his partner, and friend. “Look at the bright side, dude. You’ve just found out that the girl you’ve loved for years loves you back. You have a child together and a future together, if you play your cards right. In the meantime, you can take down a monster like Riley Finn and pretty much free your lady and daughter from him. Is that so fucking bad?”

Spike stared out at the view in front of him, smoking his cigarette and taking quick, short sips of the whiskey. After a few moments, he began to chuckle lowly.

“What’s so funny?” Xander asked suspiciously.

“You,” Spike grunted. “You’re a fucking riot, Harris and you know why?”

“No,” Xander shook his head, confused suddenly.

“You’re a fucking riot because, with all of your Bureau rot and to thine country be true bullshit? Deep inside, you’re a fucking genius. A virtual guru of wisdom, mate. And you’re right,” Spike whispered as he stubbed out his smoke.

“Nothing matters now, except Buffy and Dawn, at least to me. I’ll rip Riley Finn to shreds and spirit my true family out of this God forsaken plastic city of LA. Then,” Spike sighed wearily, “I’ll never look back. None of us will.”


Buffy sat in Father John’s office, anxiously watching the ‘Felix the Cat’ clock on his right wall.

‘Why would Father Johnny have a Felix the Cat clock?’ Buffy wondered briefly.

“So,” Father John broke into her quiet musings, “do you think the time has come to tell your daughter the truth then, Elizabeth?”

“I, I don’t know,” Buffy stammered truthfully. “It’s so sudden and…”

“It’s been six years, daughter,” the priest sighed through pursed lips. “What does your William say?” The sly holy man asked with a raised dark brow.

“William would have told Dawn the minute he laid eyes on her and found out the truth for himself,” Buffy murmured. “But it was too soon and I was afraid,” she continued shyly. “I am still afraid,” she finished with regret.

“Fear is the work of Satan himself,” Father John snorted ruefully. “To give into fear, Elizabeth, is to give into the devil and his deceit. Now, I’m not judging, certainly,” he continued with a scowl. “I am just trying to bolster your courage and urge you to come clean with your lovely daughter.”

“And if she rejects me? And William?” Buffy asked in a frightened whisper.

“I don’t believe she will,” Father John replied knowingly. “Elizabeth,” he continued evenly, “your daughter is a beautiful and brilliant soul. She is the combination of your inner and outer beauty and her father’s inner strength, and yes, his outer beauty also. Shall I tell you what she asked Sister Marie today, in Art Class?”

“Yes,” Buffy replied, meeting the priest’s warm gaze.

“Little Dawn asked Sister Marie if she knew why Mr. Spike Giles’ eyes were exactly like hers. Dawn’s that is,” the father grinned wickedly.

“She didn’t,” Buffy gasped, nearly horrified.

“She did,” Father John chuckled heartily. “Elizabeth,” he tsked, “your daughter is a replica of her father and you. A clone if you will. She is smart, instinctive and tenacious. How could she not notice such a glaring resemblance as her eyes to her father’s?”

“We need to tell her, don’t we?” Buffy rasped. “Will and me, we need to tell her the truth. As soon as possible, yes?”

“Yes,” Father John responded with a nod of his head. “I would say the sooner, the better.”


Buffy’s cell phone rang and she excused herself from Father John to answer it.

“Hey,” William’s deep timbre greeted her from the other side. “Just wanted to call and let you know I’m less then thirty-five minutes from Sunnydale.”

“Oh,” Buffy murmured softly, her mind somewhat distracted by the recent discussion with the priest.

“What’s wrong?” Spike asked anxiously, “Baby? What’s wrong? Is it Dawn? Buffy, answer me…”

“Will,” Buffy began carefully, “how do you feel about ‘coming clean’ with Dawn. Right away? Tonight I mean?” She began to play with the hem of her skirt, absent mindedly.

Spike remained silent for about three seconds before he chimed in, “I think I can be there, in Sunnydale, in less then twenty minutes. Is that okay?” He tried to hide the desperate excitement in his voice, but failed miserably.

“Okay,” she replied quietly. “Oh, and Will,” she continued in an intimate whisper, “please, please drive carefully. Come to us, Dawnie and me, safe and sound. I love you, Will,” she murmured softly before she clicked off the cell phone.


A/N: Next chapter, Spike and Buffy tell Dawn the truth, or most of it anyway. Will their daughter accept or reject them both?

And, what about Riley Finn and his gang of misfits? What are they up to and what do they know?

Will Spike really turn his back on his own father? Will Buffy let him?


Thanks for reading and please, please review. I’m trying to wrap up this story and La Cosa Nostra. I have another fic on the burner, but I don’t want to start it until I finish at least one or two of my WIP’s. Thanks again, spufette.





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