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Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's another chapter for you. Thanks to everyone who has left a review (and keep them coming!).
I don't own the characyters. Thanks to my beta, Nichole, for all her help!
4 Surprises


Connor met them in the lobby.

“You’re back.”

“Seems that way.” Angel rubbed his neck, he was beginning to feel tired from not sleeping in... he didn’t remember the last time he slept. Couldn’t have been that long, though.

“I’m going to head upstairs, take care of some things.” Spike left the two in the lobby and got in the elevator.

“We have guests.” Connor said as he turned and started to way back towards the Angel’s office.

“Who?” Angel followed.

“You’ll see.”

Angel stopped dead in his tracks right inside the door, looking at the people inside the room, but only seeing one. Her.

“Buffy.”

“Angel.” She didn’t move. He closed the door behind him.

“What are you doing here?”

“We need a place to stay, just for a week or two. You weren’t here and Connor said it would be OK.” She sounded defensive. He couldn’t blame her. Last time they’d talked... let’s just say they hadn’t exactly parted as friends. That had been almost three years ago.

“I didn’t mean here. I meant LA. Last time I checked you were in Rome.”

“You’re spying on me now? Is that it?” Buffy crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“You make it sound a lot worse than it is. I just want to keep an eye on you, make sure everything was OK.” Angel tried to justify.

“Oh, that’s a good one.” She laughed. “You know, a phone call would have been good. Hey, Buffy, how are you? How’s Dawn? Tara? Oops, I forgot. You don’t care about her, do you?”

“Buffy, I’m sorry about last time, what I said. I was just... hurt, I guess. Shocked, surprised... I don’t know why I said what I did, but I know I’ve been sorry ever since.”

“Then why didn’t you say something?” She looked sad now. “It’s been over two and a half years.”

“I know. I guess there’s just been... too many things to deal with here. Demons, the apocalypse, stuff like that... I’ve been really busy, I guess.” He pleaded with her for some understanding.

“Oh, well that makes everything OK, doesn’t it?” She started pacing the room. “We’re moving here.”

“What?”

“You asked what we were doing here. That’s it. We’re moving here. The military’s setting up a new Watcher’s Council and a Slayer training school. We’re running them.” Buffy was tired of explaining everything.

“Just the five of you? Doesn’t seem like much of a staff.” Angel surveyed the group in the room.

“Faith and Robin are coming down from Cleveland as soon as the school opens, along with some of the more experienced Slayers. Some people from the military are helping too. I was supposed to offer you a job too, if you want it. And Dawn, of course.” Buffy finally stopped pacing the room and sat down next to Willow on the couch.

“Where is Dawn?” Angel scanned the room, but the only ones there were Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles and the boy, the one who had come to get the rouge Slayer... Andrew, that was it, along with Connor, Nina and Lorne.

“She put Tara to bed upstairs. I hope that’s OK.”

“She’s where?” Angel’s heart skipped a beat. So, that’s what it felt like.

*****

“Dawn.” Was the only thing he could say when he saw her. She wasn’t supposed to be there.

“No. No. No. No.” Her voice turned into a whimper as he got up and carefully walked towards her, ready to stop at any moment.

“Don’t come near me!” She yelled at him. “I thought we got rid of you at the Hellmouth, that we wouldn’t have to see them... not him... not anymore...” She was crying now, her voice barely more than a whisper. He took this opportunity and with a few last steps he pulled her into an embrace.

“It’s me, Bit, not it... just me.”

She pulled away from him and he could see the questions in her eyes.

“Don’t really know what happened. Just kind of, poof, and here I was. Something about the medallion and the Powers that Be... anyway, I came back.”

“When?” She dried her tears.

“A couple of weeks after the big fight.” He awaited the reaction.

“You’ve been back ever since then? And you didn’t come to find us?”

“Just listen, please. There were circumstances...”

“There better be! You know what you put her through? All of us?” He could hear the pain in her voice.

“Look, I’m sorry, I really am. Would you just let me finish?”

She seemed to accept this. They sat down on the couch and he started talking.

“So, I came back. But I was a ghost for a while, incorporeal. And I knew I couldn’t see you like that. Plus, I couldn’t leave LA for some reason. Then, when I regained my body, there was this thing with an Old One taking over Fred’s body, and I had to help her. Then, Angel got word about the Immortal stalking Buffy, and we went to Rome...”

“You were in Rome? When?” Dawn was getting worked up again, so Spike hurried to explain.

“It was in March, two years ago. We were supposed to get a demon head back, and while we were there, we decided to save Buffy from the Immortal, only to find out she was dating him.” Spike huffed. “Andrew told us about how happy she was, that she’d moved on blah blah blah. That’s when I knew what I had to do.”

“But, Angel didn’t tell you? That wasn’t Buffy, she wasn’t even in Rome then, she was in London with Giles. The Immortal had some girl pose as her, and he did some spell on Andrew, Buffy told Angel that as soon as she heard of it...”

“Guess he wasn’t too keen on letting me in on that...” Inwardly, Spike cursed Angel for his decision. “It doesn’t matter, though. I did what I had to do, and now I’m back.”

He told her about everything that had happened since the battle in Sunnydale. She didn’t say anything, didn’t interrupt him, until... a cry reached them on the couch, and Dawn immediately jumped to her feet.

“Oh, God, I forgot! I shouldn’t have left her.”

She disappeared into the bedroom while Spike looked after her in complete confusion. She emerged from the room seconds later holding a little girl, about two years old. She was rocking her slowly, obviously trying to get her to go back to sleep. Spike stared at the image for a second or two. It couldn’t be. Not his Bit, not with a kid... she wouldn’t do that... would she?

Dawn saw his look and realized that he didn’t know. That made her mad. Mad at the world, that had deprived him of over two years of Tara’s life. But more mad at Angel, who obviously hadn’t told him. He deserved to know. But it wasn’t her place to tell him.

“Sorry. New place. She gets scared if no-ones there when she wakes up.”

“That’s OK. I was just surprised. Didn’t expect to...” He gestured to Dawn and then to the little girl.

“What?” Dawn realized what he thought. “Oh. No, it’s not what you think. She’s...”

She didn’t finish the sentence. Spike looked at her, even more confused.

“Look, I have to go. But, don’t go anywhere, OK?”

She was out of the penthouse before he could answer.

*****

“She’s where?” Buffy backed away a little at Angel’s angry voice.

“Upstairs. In one of the suites. You know, where you live.” Buffy looked confused. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing.” He tried to cover. But Andrew understood.

“He’s up there, isn’t he?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Angel avoided Buffy’s eyes.

“Angel, I think it’s time they knew.” Andrew said.

“NO!” Angel practically yelled.

“Knew what? Angel, what is he talking about?” Buffy had a determined look on her face.

“I’m talking about Sp..”

Andrew was interrupted by Dawn, rushing into the room with Tara.

“Dawn, what’s wrong?” Buffy looked scared. Angel didn’t remember ever seeing her scared. Maybe that one time with the Master.

“Nothing, nothing at all. In fact everything’s fine.” She had a big smile on her face. “There’s just... something I think you should see upstairs.”

“What?” The frightened look was replaced by confusion.

“Buffy, don’t.” Angel stepped in front of her, blocking the way out of the room.

“Angel, is there something you don’t want me to see?” Buffy took a step closer to Angel, challenging him.

“Angel, get out of her way.” Dawn was mad now. “You can’t keep it from her forever, you know. She would’ve found out sooner or later anyway.” Andrew had stepped forward also, and the rest of the gang were starting to wonder what was going on.

“Fine.” Angel stepped back and Buffy hurried past him and into the elevator.

“What the devil was that about?” Xander was the first to ask.

“I can’t believe you!” Dawn was yelling at Angel now, not even noticing that Tara had woken up again and was moving in her arms, afraid of the sound.

Willow stepped forward, took the girl from Dawn and sat down on the couch.

“And you!” She turned to Andrew. “You knew all along, and you didn’t say anything! You knew what she was going through, what we were all going through. How could you? I may have expected this from Angel, but never from you!” She was very close to tears now, and had to stop to catch her breath. Andrew saw his opportunity.

“I’m sorry. Really. But he asked me not to tell you.”

“And since when can you keep a secret?” Dawn said in a contemptuous voice.

“Look, I don’t want to spoil the party here, but what on earth are you two talking about?” Xander spoke up again.

“Spike.” Angel walked across the room and sat down in one of the chairs. “He’s back.”

*****

As the elevator started to slow down, Buffy drew a deep breath. She didn’t know what to expect, but Dawn had seemed happy, so it couldn’t be too bad. As the elevator stopped, she drew one final breath and entered the living room.

*****

Spike heard the elevator coming back up. He hoped it was her, but he was too afraid to believe it. What if she didn’t want anything to do with him? He braced himself as the elevator stopped. Then there she was. He forgot to breath for a while, not used to having to do it. Then...

“No.”

Just like the Bit.

“Buffy, love...”

“No. Not him. NEVER him, you hear that! Get out of here! I will not let you do this to him, not now, not ever!” She was very close to tears, he could see it.

“Buffy, it’s me. Look.” He picked up a magazine that was lying on the table. “See. I’m corporeal. Not go-throughable.”

For a couple of seconds, that seemed like years to him, she just stood there, staring at him. Then she took a few steps, and she was back in his arms. Where she belonged.





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