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Author's Chapter Notes:
It's been so long since I updated this and I apologize. I hope you'll all read it and enjoy it.
There are some litle hints or omens in this chapter; but it will be wrapped up soon.
Summary: Buffy reflects on her time with Spike and the gang so far. The gang meets up with; yes, Native American Apaches and some trouble just may come of it.


Chapter 27: ‘In The End…..’


In the end, if Buffy had it all over to do again? She would have done exactly the same thing; except……

In the end, Buffy would have started her journal much sooner then she had. At least the sections that covered her journey through the wilds of Utah, Arizona and finally then finally……

‘Who would want to read it anyway?’ Buffy wondered to herself as she plodded along on Buttermilk, right next to William on his horse. Every moment or so, Will looked over at Buffy and smiled affectionately.

Oh how she wished that she had captured every moment of this arborous journey and each second that she had with her young husband. If only she had written about each and every loving glance and word of endearment that he had given her.

Instead, she would only have it in her own memory; which was fine, until she would be too old to recall every detail of that time of danger and the unknown. Memory would have to do for much of that time in 1876 when she had ridden with the Crawford Gang and her handsome, once wild young husband, William ‘Spike’ Giles.

“I like them,” Buffy mumbled softly as she rode along next to William’s huge steed, Midnight.

“Who’s that, Princess?” Spike asked casually even while he clasped the reins of Buffy’s horse.

“Darla and Anya,” Buffy giggled in response, “I like them. They’re tough but beautiful,” she murmured dreamily.

“Okay,” Spike chuckled in reply. “I’ll agree with you there, but I don’t think either of them is as tough or as beautiful as you, wife.”

Buffy smiled at her husband, benevolently. “You’d better say that,” she mumbled with a sly smirk.

Spike thought that Buffy’s smirk must resemble his own and felt a tug at his heart. She was his, his Buffy was; lock, stock and barrel. He was hers too and that’s the way God meant things to be between a husband and wife.

“Look there!” Connor Crawford exclaimed as he pointed to the nearby vistas, or mesas as Arizonians called them.

“Will! Indians!” Buffy gasped in stunned delight.

“Don’t fret, sweetling,” Spike whispered nervously as he watched the horizon and the ever growing crowd of Apaches that gathered there.

“Fret? Why would I?” Buffy asked naively. “I think they are magnificent,” she added seriously. “I….” but her sentence was cut off by Rupert Giles, her father-in-law.

“Buffy if I live to be one-hundred, you’ll never cease to amaze me,” Spike cooed with great admiration for his little wife.

“I intend of seeing that you live to at least a hundred and amazing you every day,” Buffy giggled saucily.

“I think it would be best if we skipped the obvious trail and headed a bit more to the southeast,” the wise older man proclaimed. He anxiously watched the movement on the mesa; his weary brow was scrunched in concern.

“Ah, they’re more interested in Union soldiers and miners Uncle Rupert,” Angel interjected quickly. The head Crawford didn’t look all too sure of his words however.

Buffy noticed that her husband’s cousin looked every bit as nervous as the others did. His wife, Darla, seemed quite distressed and the blond woman kept rubbing her pregnant tummy protectively.

“Don’t they fancy white women?” Anya Harris asked tactlessly. Buffy noticed that Xander’s wife fidgeted with her hat strings and frowned at the vista a few miles away.

“That’s talk, nothing more,” Xander blurted, but he looked as pensive as his wife did.

“Perhaps if we spoke with them; like British gentlemen?” Rupert inquired calmly, although he looked as if he was about to be sick.

“Well unless you know Apache, Da. I’m not sure how much progress you’ll make,” Spike snorted.

“I know some Apache,” Angel muttered under his breath.

“I bet its old Cochise himself!” Connor cried with all of the innocent glee of a young, invincible youth.

“Oh bloody great,” Spike hissed, pulling Buffy onto his own horse and leaving poor Buttermilk without her rider.

“I’m going up there,” Angel grunted, once again in full command of the situation. “I’ll offer the old boy some of our stolen gold and a polite request to pass through ‘His’ territory,” the large man offered.

“Angel, no!” Darla whimpered as she reached out to clasp the reins of her husband’s horse in her hands. “Us! Our child,” she cried desperately.

“Darla,” Angel murmured soothingly, “it’ll do no good to try and avoid Cochise or his tribe. These people are proud and at war with the United States government; much like us. I’ll go up to him; hat in hand and try to negotiate our safe passage through ‘His’ land. With respect and honor; I’ll secure our safety; I promise.”

Angel cupped his little wife’s soft cheek in his right hand and leaned in for a quick kiss. Before Darla could stop him, Angel had ridden off to the vista and his negotiation with who everyone figured to be the great man ‘Cochise’ himself.

Just before he rode off, Angel secured a nice amount of the golden profit his gang had taken from various banks and railroads along the way. He also tied the two horses poor Riley and evil Graham had left behind to the saddle of his own horse. Angel was well aware that Cochise of the Apaches was a wise, educated man. The Indian chief knew the ways of the white man and his innate love of money and riches.

To receive a payment of stolen riches from a United States’ bank would please Cochise and probably secure a safe passage for Angel’s gang and their women. Angel would offer the gold in return for safe travel through Apache land; something most men did not think to ask for.

It was a matter of respect, you see, where Cochise and his tribe of proud people were concerned. So little of the still fledgling nation that was the United States ever seemed to ‘get’ that.

However, Angel Crawford seemed to ‘get’ just that and he rode off to talk over some agreeable terms with mighty Cochise himself.

No one was more amazed then Rupert Giles when his nephew by marriage returned an hour or two later. Minus the two horses and the gold of course.

Angel seemed pretty winded by his hasty ride back to his loved ones. He rode hell bent for leather into the slap shod encampment and tossed his little brother, Connor, the reins to his horse.

“Give him water and food,” he ordered the anxious boy with great authority.

“What did he say?” Spike asked carefully; speaking of the man whom they all knew must be Cochise himself.

“It’s him all right,” Angel blurted in a giddy childish manner; almost as if he was pleased as punch to meet the formidable chief of the Apaches.

“Are they going to let us go through?” Darla asked nervously, still clutching her swollen tummy protectively.

“Yes, they are,” Angel grunted quickly as he took a swig of the whisky bottle Spike had handed him.

Between sips of the comforting liquor and hasty breaths, Angel filled the group in on what had transpired up on the vista. Between Cochise of the Apaches and himself, a simple ex-farmer from Alabama.

“First thing he mentioned was our women,” Angel muttered just before he took another swig of whisky.

“What?” Xander squeaked like a female in shock.

“Our women,” Angel repeated impatiently. “Cochise used the word ‘isdzan’ and I do know what that means believe it or not,” he snorted ruefully.

“Why would the old man use a word like that?” Anya asked suspiciously.

“Apparently the Apache party has been following us for miles,” Angel shrugged non-chalanty; a move that was not lost on Spike or Buffy.

“He mentioned the isdzan with the litsog bitsizil…like the chigonaai,” he mumbled quietly. His gaze fell upon Buffy who shivered in apprehension at the meaning of these foreign words.

“Woman with the yellow hair like the sun,” Angel explained warily. “Don’t worry Buffy, Spike,” he offered carefully, “I told Cochise that Buffy here is married.”

“The old chief actually grunted ‘mores the pity’ when I told him Buffy here was married to my cousin,” Angel added with a wink at Spike. “Said he’d never seen a more ‘denzhone’ woman in his entire life and that she’d make a good addition to his tribe!”

Buffy clung to Spike who wrapped his arms even tighter about his little wife.

“Then the old man asked about Anya there,” Angel chuckled wickedly. “Said she looked like a hardy brood mare and….”

“Angel!” Xander and Anya gasped in unison.

“Oh for God’s sake I told him that Anya was taken too. Consider it a compliment,” Angel added mischievously. “Cochise speaks some English and he assured me that two great beauties such as Buffy and Anya here would make great treasures as wives for his sons!”

“Well!” Darla hmphed in exasperation. “I guess he didn’t think I was worth a look eh?”

“It’s not that,” Angel laughed outright, “Cochise saw your obvious condition and respected it. Congratulated me on our forthcoming child!”

“Hmmm,” Darla snorted when Angel pulled her onto his lap and cuddled her lovingly. She was soon giggling in relief along with the others however.

“Cochise made do with my offer of Union gold and the two horses,” Angel explained. “I guess he’s pretty savvy with present day news and has actually heard of us. Respects us in his way,” he sighed with a shake of his dark head.

“Cochise is no fool,” Rupert Giles interjected. “He’s an educated man; far more so then most of the whites around here and elsewhere. His people come first and foremost with him and he would respect anyone that bucks the system of this country like we have. We’re kindred actually,” he added with just a tad bit of skeptics.

“There’s more,” Angel muttered softly. The group about him fell silent and listened to what the natural born lead had to say.

“Cochise’s scouts told him and he told me of a group of white men. They’re riding fast and hard and have nearly caught up to us,” Angel said evenly. “It’s the posse from Redemption of course,” he finished with a frown.

“The Apaches won’t mess with them,” Angel warned his comrades. “They’re more interested in causing havoc with the white soldiers and all; not mere law men and their prey.”

“Oh, Will,” Buffy whispered harshly, burying her face into her husband’s comforting chest. She did not see the worried look on William’s face as he tried to soothe her with a gentle stroke to her bare arms.

“I can’t wait to get to Nogales and across the border,” Anya spat evenly. “When we get there, Xand, do you think I can get pregnant and…..”

“Anya honey,” Xander began woefully, “you need to curb your tongue baby. Everybody doesn’t want to hear about our personal plans, okay?”

“We’d best move on out,” Angel commanded. “Darla, I want you to ride in front of me, on my horse,” he told her authoritively. “We’ll tie yours to Uncle Rupert’s,” he finished with a shrug.

“Do you think we can make Nogales before Dad and the others catch up with us Will?” Buffy asked nervously as she watched Darla slip onto Angel’s horse.

“We will, baby,” Spike mumbled in his best secure tone. “We’ll get over the border if I have to drag you and the rest by myself.”


A/N: Okay, short but I hope sweet.

I wanted to add a short snippet of Cochise and the Apache Tribe to the story because they were so prevalent around this area at this time. These proud people would not go quietly to the reservations that the soldiers tried to send them to.

I lived in the nearby area where this chapter took place and I learned quite a bit of history about it while there. Cochise took his people, after a while, up to the mountains near the Huachucas and holed up there. This mountainous fortress is called ‘Cochise’s Stronghold’ and is quite popular as a tourist attraction.

Cochise probably would have succeeded in holding out against the soldiers, except that a young Apache child, about four or so I believe, died of starvation while under siege.

Cochise surrendered to the soldiers but remained a spokesperson for his tribe from then on. Eventually, he ‘retired’ from his post as protector of the Apache and lived out his life in peace.

I like to write historical fact and fiction into my stories because I am a history buff. I want to spark an interest in American history to all readers and I hope to have succeeded!

Thanks for reading and please review, spufette.





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