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Author's Chapter Notes:
The justification for this chapter goes all the way back to episode 1 of "Buffy." Giles says something about a vampire's "soul." Also, please keep in mind that the "Interregnum" is timeless. Please review.
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IN THE INTERREGNUM

The horror of what they were asking made Spike want to grimace. The forces that controlled existence on that plane had definitely been out of the game too long. Their little girl was not going through that. Not if he could help it, "Are you daft?" his voice rumbled in a barely contained rage, "You must be, or you wouldn't ask that."

"Child," the spirit's voice was calm, even as the atmosphere was in tumult, "Entropy has been fractured. How do you propose it be mended?"

"Not this way!" he hissed, "She was just a child. She missed her father," his fist thumped his chest, "She missed me. What did you expect her to do," Spike's voice quivered in empathy for her, watching her warm eyes shine, "when the one person she counted on, couldn't hold on?"

The spirit was infinitely patient, "Child, humans die. It is the way of countless universes. She sought to subvert the natural order. That cannot be tolerated. Something must be done."

"If you have to punish someone," he looked longingly at Buffy and Jonina as they huddled together trying to be brave. Spike's chin lifted in defiance, "Punish me. I'm the one who left her alone. I'm the one that drove her to it."

"Daddy, no!" Jonina gasped.

Spike continued, as if he hadn't heard her gentle sobbing. If he allowed himself to be distracted, he knew he wouldn't have the strength to go through with this, "Because of my mistake, it's coming ahead of your precious timeline. Because of my weakness," he looked at Buffy's suffering eyes, "A child will lose her mother before she's ready. And I will lose something dearer to me than my own...anything!" he fell to his knees, "I'm begging," his voice was gruff and Buffy could hear the tears in it, "The world needs her. Let Jonina go. Please?"

In the emptiness of time, the spirit contemplated the odd child, bent in supplication, "We shall do as you request, child."

Spike bowed his head and his shoulders slumped in relief, and defeat, "Thank you," he sighed.

They both knew what the consequences of their actions would be, but once it was done they had to help their daughter. She was proud of him. They both knew that the punishment for interfering would be harsh. They were prepared to take the brunt of it.

So when they were told that Joni was to bear the horror of that, Buffy was fully expecting to take it, if only to spare him from his worst fear. But he just couldn't keep the Champion from showing through.

He refused to hear her arguments against it, stubborn to the last. He took the pain on himself and placed his heart in her hands again.

If she were to refuse the sacrifice he was offering her, Buffy would hurt him. And she had promised herself that she would never hurt him again.

That would be worse than not having him.

The very fact that he was willing to do this should have proved to them that he was more deserving of the honor. Buffy hated the idea that someone less deserving might take it, by default.

Buffy experienced something she hadn't felt for what seemed like millennia, as they led him away. Time meant nothing here, and she didn't want it to. All the time in the world meant nothing to her if he wasn't with her. Her heart ached even at the small reprieve of his soft farewell kiss, "Hey, no tears, Love. Remember? Not here, they don't belong here," Buffy watched his face harden in an effort to hide the pain she could feel raging in him, "And now, neither do I."

"That's not true, Spike! You..."

Spike brushed away Buffy's tears, "No more tears. I have enough of my own. I'm not taking yours with me, too. Then it truly would be Hell," he leaned over and kissed her ear, "Love you. Always," he turned his eyes to Joni, "Always remember I love you, Dove. You're my heart. And now you're my soul. You'll be my true north when your Mum can't be that for me. He's going to need you, Dove. I need you. I love you."

"We love you too, Daddy!" Joni sobbed, "Remember, please."

Buffy watched his eyes, those beautiful eyes, as they slowly faded into the mists of time.

She cried at the pain of separation, and her heart ached with pride.
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NOVEMBER 1, 2030

The man walked through the cemetery with his heart in his throat. The ache was a familiar companion now. It was the only friend he had now.

The closer he got to the cluster of headstones, the more he wanted to scream but there was just no room for words here.

He hated being here, not just because of the cold, but also because of the fact that being here brought some painful memories.

He knelt down, stirring the leaves under his weight. There was a sense of déjà vu about being here. Like someone had seen it all before.

"Hello William," he said, taking in his surroundings. All around him there was death. From the dying leaves and the grey winter sky, to the headstones of departed family and friends, all around him was death.

He focused his attention on the task in front of him, "Who knew? Someone once told me that prophecies were tricky things," he hung his head in shame, "Who knew that that was the one time he was telling the truth?"

He looked at the newest stone to be erected in this part of the cemetery. He knew it was the newest because he was the one who'd had it placed here. He had it placed here so that there would be an acknowledgment of her.

They would have wanted it that way.

He had begged Willow to pull Joni back before she could change things, maybe make them worse if that was even possible. Willow had tried. He'd brought in mystics from the four corners of the earth. They had worked for nearly a year to find her when Georgie, Willow and he finally gave up.

Illyria even sacrificed herself in an attempt to retrieve Jonina from a timeline that was foreign to her, and nothing worked. There wasn't even a body to bury. Under the headstone that bore her name, there was just an empty vault.

A flash of red distracted him on the sea of grey, "Remember when things were so much easier? Black was black and white was white. Now there's so much grey. What's a person to do?"

"Holland," he rasped, "It's over. There's no one left.

Holland chuckled at the sad scene he made, sitting in this graveyard, with only tombstones for company, "Oh, it's never over. You know that."
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APRIL 21, 2005

There was a knock at his door. He double checked the safe and opened the door to reveal Spike, "Hello, Angelus," he said, looking at him through hooded, suspicious eyes, "I think we need to talk."





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