Buffy made her way into the kitchen looking for something to eat. She felt better now than she had in the last few months. It was more than the fact that she had come to be with friends again and it was in spite of the fact that there was something out there hunting the other slayers. She was finally making peace with everything in her life. It was giving her the first real chance to move forward and hope for the future no matter how long it would be.
She had left Spike after he had finally drifted off to sleep. The emotional toll on both of them had been heavy. Maybe if they had only been open enough to tackle this stuff last year things would have been so different. But there was no point in feeling that way now. She just hoped that he had taken to heart what she had told him. It was important that he had the same chance to heal that she had had.
The sun had been up for awhile now and she expected Giles to be arriving at any time. Reaching into the fridge to pull out some milk for her cereal she heard footsteps behind her.
"Morning Willow." it sounded odd to her how cheerful her voice was. It reminded her how long it had been since that was a genuine feeling.
"Hey Buffy." the red head looked her up and down critically. "So you seem happy. Any special reasons for the sudden happiness."
"And what are you implying Will?"
"Me nothing not so much with the implying." she stopped and smiled. "More with the asking I think. Does it have something to do with a bleached vamp who just happened to stay in the same room with you last night?"
"Yes but so not in that way your thinking."
"So you're telling me there were no smoochies."
"No I'm telling you that-" she stopped there for a second. "That's cheating."
"What?" she asked innocently.
Buffy giggled. "Yes there were some smoochies. But mostly we just talked. Progress is being made."
"I'm glad Buffy. I like seeing you happy."
"Me too."
*********
Even though she knew that the phone call had been a necessity it wasn't anything she had wanted to do. She had tried to put it off but eventually there was nothing else she could do. Instantly she had cringed at her timing. The things she had heard on the other end made her blush. And after much cursing and the sound of things breaking she got Faith to promise to return to the house immediately.
Giles and Xander had arrived not to long after she had her breakfast. The bright afternoon sun shone outside although it was blocked from her view in the living room the heavy curtains shut tight against the window. No point in taking a chance that Spike would be up and want to come out into the room with them.
There had only been two more phone calls from the council and neither had filled her with confidence. The first had confirmed the original death count. She had grimaced at the news. The second had told them that Slayers were starting to arrive at each of the other safe houses.
For the next few hours the four of them had spent the time pouring through stacks of books researching anything that would give them a clue as to what was going on. And they found out zilch. Nothing was helping. So now Buffy was pacing in the living room trying to figure out what they were going to do next. She knew that she needed to go to the demon bar and try to find the creeps that had hired those vamps. Unfortunately there were still hours of daylight left and she wanted Spike to be able to go with her. If only because she already knew these guys wanted her dead. It would only make sense to have him as backup. Fed up she threw her hands into the air.
"I'm going out."
"Where will you go Buffy?" Giles had taken his glasses off and was polishing the lenses.
"I just need to do something Giles. Maybe I'll do a little shopping I need more clothes."
"Isn't that like a permanent condition?" Xander asked without looking up.
"Yeah but I only brought an overnight bag. So technically I really do need more clothes."
"Shopping is good. I could maybe use a few things." Willow smiled.
"So shopping it is then we'll be back before dark."
"Mind if I come with? Or is this a girl thing?"
"The more the merrier I think. You can drive."
"Buffy need I remind you what is going on around you?" The disapproving tone wasn't hidden to her.
"I know exactly what's going on Giles but we don't have anything to go on and we're just sitting here waiting for nightfall."
"You're right of course,” he didn't sound to convinced. But he was willing to let it go.
"We'll be back soon." And just like that the three of them were out the door.
*********
Slowly Spike blinked focusing his sleepy eyes. He felt calm and collected not something he was used to waking to. Staring at the whiteness of the ceiling he concentrated on the events of the day before. There hadn't been time for his emotions to regain their equilibrium going from fear to love to sorrow to joy swinging wildly every few minutes. Now he was in this room alone the quiet house settling around him.
His thoughts of course continued to settle around the petite blonde who always had his full attention. There had never been a time when he hadn't thought about her in one way or another for the last six years. Sure the first two years they hadn't been particularly nice thoughts but that was neither here nor there. Now he knew she loved him. He had loved her first had devoted his life to hers since the night he had that startling dream but it seemed like a distant memory. The feelings he had now burned with intensity he had never experienced before. She was amazing the gifts she had given him in the last day and a half was beyond anything a mere mortal could ask for. It was also a lot more than a simple vampire had ever expected to have. He once had told her he would be happy with any crumb she could give him. Instead this morning she had proven to him that she had given him everything.
It was such a good thing that there wasn't a happiness clause to his soul. Happiness is one thing that had been sorely missing in his long life. She was right it was time to move forward and today was going to be a beginning like no other.
Spike rose to his feet and walked out of the bedroom striding purposefully to the kitchen. He began making himself a mug of blood when he heard the footsteps behind him.
"Good you're awake. Mind if we have a word Spike?"
"Not a problem with me Ripper. Where did the others get off to?"
"Shopping as always. I have something rather serious I wanted to discuss with you however."
Spike nodded at him taking his mug out of the microwave and sitting himself at the island. As the silence continued he raised a curious eyebrow at him.
"Right. I want you to answer as truthfully as you can." As usual the older man began to clean his glasses.
"What's got your knickers so twisted mate?"
"Tell me how badly was Buffy injured last night." Direct and to the point for once Spike thought. He wondered how much he could tell the watcher. Knowing how astute the man was he didn't want anything to give him more of a clue of what was going on especially since Buffy didn't want them to know yet.
"It's Buffy." he shrugged. "She heals pretty damn fast."
"I'm quite aware of that Spike. Tell me anyway."
"What makes you think she was really injured at all?"
"I'm not blind Spike. I saw the look of pain she had. And I saw the fear that was in your eyes. Something serious occurred last night and I want to know what it was." His tone had changed it wasn't just a conversation to the man. Giles was pushing Spike wondered why.
"It's not my place."
"I think you're wrong about that." He looked into the older man's eyes and saw the weariness that was hidden in their depths.
"What do you know?" He eyed him suspiciously.
"I am not sure yet perhaps if you would answer my question I could figure that out."
"Bugger all I don't know anything." Giles eyes flared and he saw Ripper come to life.
"Now." he ground the words out.
"Fine!" He threw his hands up in defeat. "She was injured very badly and it scared the hell out of me. That enough?"
"I need the details Spike."
"She took an ax to the stomach."
Giles nodded. "And it started healing within moments correct? Loss of blood didn't seem to faze her?"
"Yeah that's right."
"Then it's as I had suspected. She really is immortal isn't she?" Spike started choking on the blood that suddenly started going down the wrong way.
"You know?" He managed to cough out.
"Yes."
"Well. I'm waitin' mate."
"I suspected as much since we had left Sunnydale." At Spike's tilted head he continued. "I had taken a look at the sword wound she had received during the battle. She was almost completely healed by the time we made it to the hospital. That wasn't a normal amount of healing time for her even as the Slayer. I of course was curious and began researching. However I was hampered by the fact that there has never been a slayer as long lived as Buffy. I could not ascertain if her better healing ability was because her powers were becoming more powerful or if something else was the cause."
"What changed?"
"I received or rather the council received a hospital bill for her from Canada."
Spike took a sharp breath he didn't need.
"Quite. I called the doctors and told them I was her father. When questioned they told me the extent of her injuries and the fact that she was released the following morning." He took his glasses back off and laid them on the surface of the island. "She should not have survived. At the time of her admittance she had lost a great deal of blood, had a ruptured spleen, a tear in her pericardium, a punctured lung, a hole in her liver, and her femoral artery had been severed. Those were just the internal life threatening injuries. I lost track of the number of broken bones they had told me."
Spike's mouth had dropped open. Yes she had told him that her injuries had been serious and he knew that to take a slayer down they would have to be. The doctors had been right she should have been dead just from the blood loss alone.
"When she wasn't forth coming about the trip I began to research in earnest realizing that no amount of slayer healing was going to repair that kind of damage in one evening."
"Good God man just give me a straight answer."
"There is a prophecy."
"There's always a bleeding prophecy." He hated prophecies.
Giles resettled his glasses on his nose and took out a sheet of paper from his coat pocket.
"It is an appendage to another prophecy it’s known as the Shanshu prophecies."
"I know of it." He snorted.
"Apparently no one had done a full translation it seems it was only picked apart for certain pieces."
"Let me guess some bloke who's a vampire with a soul saves the world from an apocalypse and gets to be a real boy again."
"Yes that is the passage most referred to." He eyed Spike with a certain gleam of amusement in his eyes. "And you are so knowledgeable in this area because?"
"Oh please I'm not deluded. They dangled that bloody thing like a carrot in front of Peaches to get him to be a Champion."
"Anyway the translation states that before the afore mentioned apocalypse the last guardian of all the hellmouths shall be chosen. The last of the Chosen Ones will become more than human guarding humanity until it ceases to exist. Not one but two Champions of her heart will join her in battle. Both ensouled and neither human they will fight side by side to defeat the evil force. Whatever that is these things are never that clear. When the battle is finished one will receive their reward and the other two will continue."
"And you think this part of the prophecy has come to pass?"
"It would seem that way. Buffy has already become immortal that is a fact that I can no longer deny. And for the two ensouled non-humans I think you and Angel more than qualify. Also there have been rumors of all types of large demon communities gathering to join forces. And with these other attacks on the Slayers I assume there is a united front although who is behind it is a mystery to me."
"But you weren't concerned about this before."
"Spike you and Angel were dead. At the time the prophecy didn't fit."
"So what does this mean exactly Ripper?"
"It means we have an apocalypse to stop. Again. But there is also something else I wanted to ask you."
"No time to be shy now mate."
"How is she emotionally I mean. Is she okay?"
Spike's eyes softened to the other man's. He couldn't deny how much Giles really did care for Buffy. Despite everything that had happened between the two men in the last few years as ugly as it was they would always have this connection.
"I don't know. In the last few hours she's gone from acceptance to sheer terror about it. I think she's still got a ways to go before she'll be okay with it."
"I suspected as much. I wish she had been able to tell me but I understand her hesitation."
"Do you really Ripper?"
"Of course. To know that she is going to live forever and we are not. I understand even if I could not fathom the pain the thought must bring to her. And I know that I would be one of the last people she would want to be around."
"Are you daft? The woman adores you."
"And I her. I only meant that as the oldest in her circle of friends...."
"You would remind her the most of what she was going to lose. I get it mate."
"There is the slight problem however of needing her to know about this prophecy."
"Yeah. She still doesn't want you to know yet."
"Perhaps if you suggested it?"
"I'll try but you know her." The knowing smile on Giles' face brought one of his own. "I have a question of my own."
"Do tell."
"Why the sudden welcome into your lives?"
"Ahh. Maybe it isn't as sudden as you think."
"No?"
"Spike. Buffy has loved you for a while now. I knew it when I returned to Sunnydale with the first of the potentials. She didn't understand it then but I saw it. I can't say this is what I had hoped for her. After all it was bad enough when she had been in love with Angel. But knowing what I do now... You're the only one who can promise to stay with her and actually have a chance to do it. It's very important to me that she is happy. You can give that to her."
"It's what I want more than anything." It was a simple confession but one he knew the other man would understand.
"Then I will have to let that be what comforts me even if you are the most infuriating creature I have ever come across."
"Thanks mate."
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry I know I didn't post yesterday but I got home late. So here is a new chappie. Thanks again for the reviews and for continuing to read.