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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to Cryssiemarsters for all her help and being a great beta
IT’S ALL A QUESTION OF TIMING …


CHAPTER 7

After breakfast one morning Giles announced that he had some disturbing news to pass on to everyone. Having watched the news the day before, he learnt of an earthquake in LA. According to the reporter it had been very localised to one particular area, and fortunately there had only been a few casualties and one main building destroyed.

At this the Scoobys looked at each other. They all knew that this probably meant that there had been a problem involving Angel. Giles confirmed that he had done some research and found out that Angel and his group had taken on The Black Thorn and thus Wolfram and Hart. Giles said that he had tried calling both Angel and Wesley but their phones were going straight to voice-mail. This was not to say that there was anything wrong, probably that they were a bit busy. However Willow agreed that she would fly to LA to find out some details and Giles confirmed he would keep trying to phone.

Buffy didn’t know whether to be sad or relieved that having William meant that she would be staying in London. Although she and Angel were no longer close he was still her first love and, of course, a relative to Spike and thus to William!

That evening while Willow was “somewhere over the Atlantic” Angel phoned Buffy. He told her that they had been correct in their analysis of the situation and although they had not actually won the battle they had done serious damage. He had stayed vague about the actual details, but a phone call like this one is never easy at the best of times. It wasn’t as if they were in regular contact; so for their own private reasons they found that it was easier to stick to a few basic facts and leave it at that.

#

Meanwhile it turned out that Illyria had huge reserves of strength which she was able to draw onto once in this plane of existence. So she managed to destroy many of the advancing demons. She had kept this fact a secret as she didn’t want to feel that she was being exploited, but decided that this had been the right time to draw on those resources.

Gunn had been injured before the actual battle, but had managed to take down a few demons before being killed by a vampire, of all people. Spike saw it happen, but was pleased to see that it was a quick-kill, instead of being turned into the creature that this human warrior had fought against for most of his life.

Wesley never made it to the street. It had been expected really, by Spike, who knew how much he had missed Fred, and how seeing Illyria had made that pain worse. Spike realised that Wesley felt his death approaching by making him promise to take the Diaries to Giles.

Angel was badly mauled by the dragon, but 250 years of unlife had taught him to keep going whatever the odds were. He had taken on this battle voluntarily and realised that he had extra help. He accepted the human help, as he had got used to that in the years since meeting Buffy - but his main support he knew came from his Grand-Childe. He wished that he had let Buffy know about Spike being “alive” – as much as a vampire could be - but knew that however long the three of them lived he would always be jealous of her relationships. He guessed that people would call that petty, as he had a great time with Nina and had loved Cordelia, but he had put Buffy on a pedestal and no amount of time would remove her from that in his eyes.

Spike had always said that he wanted to “go down fighting”. He had lived un-life with the zest for life that he never found in mortality. As a poet he had been a dreamer; but as a vampire he had experienced the full range of emotions in actual fact, rather than fiction.

#

Buffy was glad to be able to go and speak to Giles, Dawn and Xander and to assure them that though the damages had been done, but there had been no major casualties. When the group later found out that Wesley was dead they were astounded to receive further proof as to how impersonal Angel had become. Although Wesley had only been in Sunnydale for a short time it had been in the role of Watcher, so he had been close to both Buffy and Giles. Dawn had even received Buffy’s memories of him, so they all felt that it was a pity that Angel didn’t consider that they would need to mourn his loss.

###

Meanwhile - in a basement flat in LA

"How are you doing?"

"How do you think I am doing, you poof!" replied Spike, as Angel collapsed into the spare comfy chair.

"Yes, about as good as me, I suppose."

"Yeah, but you still got Nina to go to when you feel up to it, haven't you? And Connor?"

"Spike, that is why I am sitting here resting, rather than with either of those two people. Spike you are my Grandchilde and I know that family is important to you. I am sorry that I haven't been able to give you what you have needed over the years. It also seems wrong that Dru always came back to me if she had a chance."

"Well, I always knew she was daft."

"No, don't mock this, I need to say it. I think you should go and see Buffy ..."

"Are you mad?"

"No. I have just spoken to her to let her know what happened here, but I still haven't told her about you. However I wonder if things are still okay with The Immortal because when I said that I must speak to Giles, well it turned out that she was in London. Actually she has been for some time. So go and see her, even if it is to settle things for your own peace of mind. If you still want to be away from her then come back and let's see if that family-thing really is as important as you think"

Spike was silent - as silent as only a vampire can be. Angel let him take his time, and eventually got almost the answer he wanted

"I'll see, time will tell what I decide."



Chapter 8

It seemed that he had to go to London. If it wasn't for Angel, then it was for the previous promise to Wesley. Oh well, a quick visit then - maybe taking off for parts unknown and see what Angel found so great about the drifting life of a vampire.

Spike debated with himself as to whether he would use the W&H jet that Angel said was still okay and available. Although he hated owing favours, he knew that a plane trip was fraught with problems as he couldn't guarantee where the sun was. So reluctantly he asked for the jet to take him to London, but then to return without him. Eventually he would let Angel know what he would be doing with his time.

On his way back to his flat from Nina's he stopped off at the bank to collect the packet that Wesley had entrusted to him, from the safety deposit-box. There was a large sealed case with Giles' name on and a smaller box with Spikes name on. There was some money in the box - both Dollars and Pounds - so that Spike wouldn't have to steal to eat on his travels (well that was what the envelope said!). There was also a letter, which Spike read in the comfort of his own lounge, complete with a mug of blood and a large glass of whisky.

Dear Spike,

If you are reading this it means that we won - but I lost. Still hopefully it means that I will have met up with Fred again, so then I am a winner as well, aren't I?

I am sorry that with all my worries over what Angel was getting into and my sadness at the loss of Fred we didn't get to spend much time together. Although I think that you had even more major sorrows to work through than I did. I wish I could have managed to persuade you to go and see Buffy when you first became corporeal. However if you had then you probably wouldn't have been able to do this favour for me, would you?

As you can see I have put some details about The Shanshu Prophecy together – I have also included the same information for Giles. The Powers-That-Be had a great laugh at Angel’s expense, because I have now confirmed that you are the more likely recipient as you went and searched for your soul for altruistic reasons. However there are still other criteria that have to be met before you will be granted the transformation to human. These details are in Giles envelope, and I leave it up to you what you decide – maybe it will end up being up to Buffy ?? !! ??

I do hope that whatever the future brings, you will find the peace that you truly deserve.

Thank you, again, for your help
Wesley Wyndham-Pryce

Spike decided that Wesley was being very fair to him – it was great that someone felt that he was up to making his own decisions!

So he put both the boxes in his holdall as well as a few clean tee-shirts and a spare pair of jeans, then collected his spare cigarettes, a couple of spare stakes, shrugged on his new duster and walked out of his bed-sit. He had paid the rent for another few months, so to give himself a bolt-hole if he wanted it. For now, London and his future were ahead of him, so he walked to LAX to meet the jet with a real swagger to his step. Angel had organised the perfect flight times – so that he left in the dark, and arrived 10 hours later as it was turning to dusk.

###

Meanwhile

Things were quiet at The Watcher Headquarters. Giles had taken some of the trainee-slayers on a trip to Stonehenge and then to Bath. He had wanted to postpone things, but Buffy felt happy that Willow would find out the details and then they could make plans if necessary.

Dawn and Xander had also got a trip booked – to visit Paris. They had originally arranged it for the week following Giles’ trip, but hotels were pretty busy, so their plans were amended.

So Buffy was enjoying a time of tranquillity. She answered the phone to a couple of enquiries, and to a persistent double-glazing salesman, but other than that she was able to sit and watch as much TV as she wanted! However it seemed that William had other ideas. The evening was drawing in and as she was hoping to relax and curl up on the sofa in the lounge, he started crying.

“William, what’s wrong?” She asked him with no expectation of an answer. He had recently been fed and changed so she tried working out what could be causing him to be so unsettled. She walked him up and down, chatting away in a soft voice, hoping that he would relax as she did that.

“So, what is it? Have you got a tummy ache?” She asked as she rubbed him slowly. “No, what about your head, are you just feeling poorly?” She suddenly dreaded that he was coming down with some illness, just at the time when she was by herself. However, as she put her hand on his forehead, she also rubbed across a cheek that seemed slightly rosy.

“Oh, poor boy, is that what’s wrong? Are you growing a tooth? Is it trying to break out? I am sorry, baby.” She carried on with her soothing talk walking around the muted lights of the lounge area; not realising that she had a silent, but awe-struck observer.

“Poor boy – Just think what would have happened to your Daddy if he had this much pain ever time he grew his fangs. At least you only will have this for a short time. Never …”

The words penetrated her spectator’s brain and he gasped. She turned round in shock and for the first time almost harmed her baby by dropping him. Fortunately she was near a settee, so dropped herself and her precious bundle into it. As she stared, she realised that William had quieted and was looking at this new face.

“Buffy,” started Spike “Erm, I didn’t expect you to be here. I thought you would be in Italy, although Peaches said you were visiting Giles I didn’t dare hope that I would see you. How are you? Where is everyone?” He realised that he was rambling and trying hard not to mention or even to look at the baby; trying not to think about the implication of Buffy saying *daddy* about the child, although his brain hadn’t yet caught up with the rest of her sentence. Basically, he was hoping that Buffy was baby-sitting, because to think that it was her child meant that she had finally moved on and he was relegated to history.

The silence stretched as Buffy took in the sight she never thought she would ever see again . The man she loved – and at a loss for words!

“No, I have always lived in London. The story about The Immortal was to help us to investigate him, but that is just about finished now. The Scoobies are on holiday at present, so I was enjoying a quiet few days,” she finally filled in.

“Quiet,” he quipped. “It didn’t seem all that quiet when I arrived. Although the kiddy seems happier now? Are you doing a bit of baby-sitting so as not to work in The DoubleMeat Palace?” He asked in the continued hope that there was still some possibility of being with her, however remote that seemed.

“He’s fine” she replied, completely ignoring the question. “I’ll just go and settle him down and then we can chat. Do you still like hot chocolate?”

“With marshmallows? Yes please”.

So Buffy went upstairs leaving Spike to pace up and down the lounge. The minutes apart that this gave would allow them both the time to “take a deep breath” and so be able to chat and find out what the last year had done for them both.

They needed to discover if their last few days in Sunnydale had meant the same to both of them. And if the passing of the weeks had changed them.

Was the time now right for them, or had they missed their special moment, never to able to regain their unique relationship?



tbc





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