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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you to everyone.
LITTLE MISSY THE MARKER


Epilogue:


Title says it all, really. This ‘chapter’ takes place about two years after the last chapter.


Spike Jameson watched as his wife, Buffy, stood at the railing fence of her father’s farm. He sat on a bale of hay (who would have thought that!) and grinned at the antics of Buffy as she directed their daughter, Dawn. Dawn was taking riding lessons from Hank Summers, her grandfather, and Buffy’s father.


“Show him who’s boss, Doll!” Buffy exclaimed excitedly.

“Oh, he know’s who’s boss, Mama,” Dawn cried back as she directed The Charger to trot; not gallop.

“She’s a pistol, Buffy,” Hank Summers chuckled after he hopped his fence and joined his daughter. This prompted Spike to rise from the bale of hay and meet up with his wife and father-in-law.

“Yup, just like her Mum,” Spike chuckled proudly as he wrapped his arm about his wife.

“Mama!” A tiny voice proclaimed from the stroller next to Buffy and Spike.

“My grandson seems to be awake now,” Hank stated the obvious; he bent down and swept the young child out of his stroller and held him to his body.

“Oh, little Will, you are a treasure,” Hank whispered in his deep voice. “You and Dawn are my whole life,” the older man continued as he hugged the one-year-old to him.

Little William Hank Summers was the spitting image of his father, Spike. He had the blond’s fair hair and blue eyes, but oddly, the mouth and chin of his mother, Buffy.

That night, back in Mercy Hospital, New York City, when Dawn pulled through her injuries. Spike asked Buffy to marry him and she said ‘my answer is yes, of course.’

Officer Lawrence Wilkens, being a man of various connections; gave his good friend Mayor Jimmy ‘Beau James’ Walker a ring on the telly. Mayor Walker hurried off to Mercy and officiated over Spike and Buffy’s wedding himself, right there in Dawn’s hospital room the next day.

Willow, Anya and Cordelia had decorated the little hospital room with white roses and daisies. Mayor Walker officiated over the ceremony himself, then, went one better to the delighted surprise to everyone present.

Mayor Jimmy pulled some more of his apparently very long strings and pushed adoption papers through, in twenty-four hours, thank you. Exactly two days and nights from the moment Dawn Merrick woke up from her sleep? The good Mayor made sure that William and Buffy Jameson were the official parents of one Dawn Summers-Jameson.

Three days after Spike and Buffy were married; Rupert Giles swept his Jenny off of her feet. The older couple married, conventionally, in a nice, small wedding at the local Episcopalian chapel. Two months later, Rupert took Jenny to England and settled down into a proper lifestyle; English manor and all.

When Faith delivered her and Riley’s first child, it turned out to be ‘children’ as in plural. The twins reminded Riley that he needed to get his life in order and he gave up the bookie business. He bought a nice little club in the Bronx and moved his growing family into a brownstone close by.

Xander, who worshipped the ground Spike walked on; took the opportunity to do the right thing. Harris finally took the plunge and legally married Anya Jenkins, his soulmate. Once Buffy and Spike took Dawn and high-tailed it to California, Xander decided to make a move himself. He moved his bride to Florida and set up a nice little ‘legitimate’ business there.

Buffy heard from Anya every three months or so, via mail, and was happy her old friend had found stability at last. Xander’s restaurant was going great guns in Miami and his wife and he were expecting their first child.

Larry and Cordelia Wilkens had a little girl and presently were expecting another child. Officer Wilkens had been promoted to Inspector of the entire West side. This not gave Cordy a reason to have extravagant galas, but it afforded the couple a chance to produce even more Wilkens’ offspring.

Daniel and Willow Osbourne had followed Buffy and Spike to Los Angeles, California as soon as possible. The Osbournes made their home in a nice little burg by the name of Malibu, by the Pacific Ocean.

Angel O’Connor had fared a bit less well. After he had given the life saving blood that had rescued Dawn, Angel had returned to his less then legitimate ways.

A year or so after Spike and Buffy had moved to California, Angel had been killed in a bar room brawl. Oddly enough, O’Connor had been stabbed to death, trying to break up a fight between two drunks in the bar.

No one knew what happened to Jesse, Mitch or Lars. No one asked either.


“Grandpa! Grandpa!” Dawn squealed impatiently at Hank Summers. “I want another go, Grandpa, please!” The little girl’s blue eyes danced with excitement and Hank couldn’t turn her down.

“I’ll be there in a jiff, squirt!” Hank called to his miracle granddaughter.

“Thank you,” Hank mumbled to his daughter and son-in-law as he watched Dawn hop back onto The Charger.

“For?” Buffy asked innocently, even though she knew exactly what her father was thanking ‘them’ for.

“For everything,” Hank began, his voice choked with emotion. “For coming home, Punkie,” the older man whispered sincerely. He ran a calloused hand over Buffy’s soft cheek.

“To you, Spike, for bringing my Buffy home to me,” he continued, there were tiny tears in the older man's eyes. “For giving me wonderful grandchildren,” he sighed in contentment as he looked first at Dawn then at little William.

“Just for everything,” Hank finished with a warm smile. He turned to hop the fence and continue Dawn’s riding lessons.

“We’ll miss you, when we go back to LA, Daddy,” Buffy murmured in a tear filled voice. “We can’t thank you enough for…..”

“You know, Spike,” Hank began carefully; he turned to look at his son-in-law and his brown eyes gleamed. “I’ve spoken to Mr. Flute, the Sunnydale Times editor. He’s goin’ to retire, next month. I thought….” Hank Summers’ deep voice trailed off as he clocked Buffy and Spike’s reactions to his words.

“You thought that maybe I’d be willing to bring the family up here, to Sunnydale? Take over the Times, right?” Spike asked his father-in-law; a slight smirk on his mouth.

“Daddy,” Buffy sighed in frustration. “You shouldn’t…..”

“Maybe your Da shouldn’t have, Princess,” Spike tenderly admonished his wife. “Then again, maybe he should have. I’m tired of bein’ a one line writer at the Los Angeles Times. Its time for me to move up to something more in my field,” the blond muttered to himself.

Buffy smiled, softly, happy that her plan was apparently going to work. Her William, proud man that he was, would surely give up a by-line at the LA Times for an editor’s job at the Sunnydale Times.

“Should I stop by the Flute’s office, say this Monday then Hank?” Spike asked hopefully.

“I believe you should,” Hank replied with a laugh. “Flute’s practically got ‘your’ name up on the door of his office,” he informed the young couple.

“Grandpa!” Dawn squealed again, totally past impatient for more horse riding lessons. “Charger is waiting,” the young girl informed her grandfather.

“I’m there,” Hank chuckled heartily. “Oh, honey,” Summers winked at his daughter, Buffy, “I’m thinking that the old Rogers' place, down the road, would be just perfect for you and the family!”

Hank scurried off to help his granddaughter ‘tame’ the still wild Charger.

“The old Rogers’ place?” Spike asked his wife as he took her into his arms. The couple gazed down at their son, William, and both smiled happily.

“Yeah,” Buffy murmured, “it’s a five bedroom, two bath place, just a mile or so down the road.” She gazed off down, south, of her father’s farm.

“Five bedrooms and two baths?” Spike asked with a raised brow. “That’s bloody huge,” he gasped.



“Well, that’s just it,” Buffy began hesitantly, “we might just need that much room,” she ended in a whisper.

“Buffy?” Spike drawled slowly, “do you have something to tell then, Princess?”

“I do,” Buffy giggled softly, “but I think you’d better have a seat again, right on the hay there!”

“I love you William,” Buffy whispered affectionately, flopping down on his strong lap.

“I love you too, kitten,” Spike murmured, his mouth buried into Buffy’s sweet neck.


The End.


A/N: Thank you for everyone who read this. Thank you for the reviews, spufette.





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