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Author's Chapter Notes:
Here’s the next to the last chapter. I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo starting next week, so I’ll make it a point to get the final chapter posted before then.

As always, constructive criticism is definitely welcome. I would be most pleased to know if the overall story or any part of it does or doesn’t work for you.

Also? A recap of earlier chapters can be found at the beginning of Chapter 25. I hope you enjoy!
CHAPTER 26



“Look at her. All grown up, isn’t she?”

Spoon halfway to her mouth, Buffy paused, following Spike’s gaze across the room to where Dawn stood, flanked by Xander and Mrs. Hudson. She and Spike had arrived in the kitchen a few minutes ago to find Xander busy reinstalling the pot rack knocked askew when they’d plummeted through the portal. Now her sister, arms outstretched, was placing the last of the freshly washed pots and pans back on the rack.

Leaning against the kitchen counter, Buffy made a face and frowned down into her bowl of leftover stew.

“Don’t give her ideas. You wouldn’t believe how many not-so-nice Italian boys I had to chase off our first few months in Rome.” Then she lifted her gaze, studying his profile, head cocked. “So…from the warm greeting earlier, I take it you two are friends again?”

“You were gone three months, love.” Spike shrugged, giving her a faint smile, but looked self-conscious. “Had some time to talk. Worked out a few things.”

“That much is obvious. Care to share?”

“Uh-uh, Miss Nosey Slayer-Pants.” Dawn’s cheerful voice sounded almost in her ear, causing Buffy to jump. “That’s what we call privileged information.”

Her sister might be a little older, but she hadn’t outgrown her annoying talent for sneaking up on people.

“That means it’s only between Spike and me. All you need to know is that we’ve reached a point of mutual accord. After I reamed him out for letting you pull that stupid stunt of yours, of course.”

She gave them a mock glare. “I still can’t believe he didn’t guess what you were up to. Hello! Exactly what he would’ve done in your place! But,” she added, dismissing it with the airy wave of a hand, “we’re past all that now. Just like we’re past the…you know…other.”

When Buffy raised a questioning brow, Dawn shot a quick glance over her shoulder to where Xander stood teasing Mrs. Hudson. She turned back, her expression and lowered voice growing serious.

“What Spike did…everything that happened between you guys…it took me some time to understand. To be honest, I’m still not sure I do. There’s a lot Spike wouldn’t tell me, and you’ve never talked about it. But for the record, I don’t hate him anymore. And if that’s why he stayed away…”

“Already told you, Bit. It wasn’t. Promise you that. Besides,” he added, quirking an amused eyebrow at her, “when have you ever known me to let someone’s bad opinion put me off? Just needed to be somewhere else for a while, is all.”

Taking a deep breath, Dawn studied him with large eyes. “But you don’t anymore, right?” she asked, glancing sideways at Buffy. “Now you need to be here with us?”

Buffy thought she caught a flicker of something deep and very powerful in Spike’s gaze. But an instant later it was gone, replaced by his familiar smirk. “For as long as you’ll have me, pet,” he said, then turned his piercing gaze on Buffy. “Maybe longer even.”

A brilliant grin spread across Dawn’s face. She winked. “Oooh, better be careful. Sounds all solemn oath-ey to me. Not the kind of thing you can take back without dire consequences.”

“No taking back intended.”

“Good,” Buffy said, setting the bowl of stew on the counter and looping her arm through his. “Because I’m not ready for you not to be here.” She bit back a smile as she saw the spark of recognition flare in his eyes and reached up to pull his head down, brushing her lips softly against his. “I’ll never be ready for you not to be here,” she whispered. Then kissed him hard—plundering, possessing and publicly staking her claim.

By the time she surfaced for air, she and Spike were the center of attention in the room. Mrs. Hudson beamed at them, Dawn rolled her eyes and Xander shook his head. But she saw an amused gleam in his eye that Buffy would never have expected under those circumstances.

That was when it really hit home, just how long she’d been gone. Long enough for a drastic change in attitude towards Spike. Or more accurately…Spike with Buffy.

Not that she’d noticed it right away. After they’d first crash-landed in the kitchen, things had been far too chaotic. Her friends, all talking at once, swarmed into the room, catching her up in a big group hug. Sandwiched between Willow, Xander and Andrew, she’d only caught a phrase here and there, but it was enough to get the general gist. Once again, Buffy Summers, prodigal slayer, was returned to the bosom of her extended family, forgiven for the rash actions that had caused them months of work and worry.

Eventually emerging from the tangle, she was tackled again by Dawn. Then Giles swept her into a bone-crushing embrace as she returned the bear hug, her cheek pressed tightly against his chest.

That’s when she’d seen it, out of the corner of one eye. A brief clap on the back from Xander. A faint smirk and answering nod from Spike. Then the big light bulb-over-the-head moment as Willow gave Spike a wide, beaming grin, followed by a quick hug that seemed awkward, yet heartfelt.

The biggest surprise, however, came when they moved from the kitchen to Giles’ book-lined study. After sinking into one of the overstuffed chairs, Buffy shared a somewhat edited account of their time in the void. At one point, Giles made an observation and Spike responded with something typically snarky.

Instead of shooting him a withering glare, Giles actually laughed.

Buffy blinked. Twice. Soon after, when Giles turned away to talk to Xander and Willow, she rose and sidled up to Spike. “So…” She kept her voice low. “…am I hallucinating here, or have you and Giles suddenly become bestest buds?”

She glanced over at her watcher just in time to see him exchanging a few whispered words with Willow, who gave a quick nod and slipped out of the room.

Spike snorted softly. “Not bloody likely,” he countered then shrugged. “Suppose you could say we’ve reached an understanding. He doesn’t expect me to nursemaid the baby slayers, and I don’t take liberties with his primo stash of Midleton…much.”

Buffy might have pursued it, but at that moment Xander asked a question about Faith, which took the conversation in a different direction.

“Faith insisted on being here to await your return,” Giles related. “With brief absences upon occasion, necessitated by certain…situations. Nothing too terribly serious until recently.” He paused to remove his glasses.

“Something big, eh?” Spike tilted his head. “That why Blue and Angel are conspicuously not here?”

Buffy tried not to look interested in the answer. She’d noticed their absence but didn’t want to ask. Though she and Spike had made a lot of progress, she wasn’t foolish enough to think all of their…baggage, for lack of a better word…had been unpacked and put away for good. The last thing they needed was Spike’s Angel-related insecurities re-surfacing while they were still finding their way.

Giles inclined his head. “Indeed. Reports began filtering in regarding an awakening hellmouth located in Houston. We’ve always been aware of its existence, though it has apparently been dormant since well before The Colonies were settled. As such, it’s been of little concern to us. Until a rogue warlock with delusions of world dominance decided to use it to raise a Gil ’brahala demon.”

“Let me guess,” Buffy said. “A big nasty?”

“An extremely big nasty.”

Leaning forward, Xander grimaced. “Think a cross between The Terminator and Godzilla and you’d be somewhere in the neighborhood.”

“Ouch.” Buffy frowned. “So shouldn’t we be hopping a plane to Texas?”

Giles shook his head. “Fortunately, the crisis has been averted. Between Faith’s slaying skills, Illyria’s strength and Angel’s connections and experience, the three make a fairly formidable team.”

“The battle was epic,” Andrew gushed. “Like Gandalf triumphing over the Balrog, sending the beast hurtling into the fiery pits of hell. Only…you know…they didn’t go with it. I think they went and had a pizza instead.” He looked around as if checking for eavesdroppers then lowered his voice conspiratorially. “They’re currently in mop-up mode, according to the latest report from my trusty field operative.”

“Said ‘operative’ being Robin Wood,” Xander added dryly.

Just then the door opened and Willow re-entered the room, apparently in time to hear the last. “Funny you should mention him,” she said. “I just got off the phone with our favorite former principal. I told him the good news. He said he’d get word to Faith and Angel, but it could take a while to hear back.”

Down the hall, the phone rang.

“Or not.” She shrugged.

Soon after, Mrs. Hudson appeared in the doorway and nodded at Buffy. “There’s a call for you, dearie.” When Buffy hesitated, Mrs. Hudson looked at her questioningly. “Should I be taking a message for you then?”

Buffy glanced at Spike, who met her gaze but didn’t say anything. She turned back to Mrs. Hudson. “No, that’s okay. I’ll take it. Thanks.”

Buffy followed her to a nearby alcove, picking up the receiver as the other woman disappeared down the hallway. “Hello?”

“Are you okay?”

It was Angel, of course.

“Never better. You?”

“Yeah. I’m good, too.” There was an awkward pause. “Stopped an apocalypse. Well, sort of a mini-apocalypse…or maybe…I guess you could say it was a wanna-be apocalypse. More like an apoca-lite. But there was magic and…a big demon. Really big. Nasty. And there was a while there when it looked like it could turn apocalyptic at any time.”

“Angel?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you really okay?”

A long beat of silence answered her. Then the damn broke.

“Ah hell, Buffy, did it have to be Spike, of all people?” He sounded resigned but also a little forlorn.

Buffy glanced down, her hand tightening around the receiver. “Really did. I’m sorry, Angel.”

“Yeah.” She heard him sigh and envisioned the slight nod that went with it. “I know.”

He asked her about what happened in the void, and she respected the change in subject, sharing the same edited account she’d given the others. At the end, she hesitated, biting her lip.

“Angel…it may not have seemed like it, but please know that I really am happy for you. The being human and all. You totally deserve it.”

“Right. Happy for me. I kind of hoped you’d be happy with me,” he said, his tone turning a bit wistful. “But I know it’s not going to happen. I think I knew back in Sunnydale when you took the amulet and told me I couldn’t stay. We talked about someday, but I guess we were really saying goodbye.”

After a moment, he snorted softly. “At least I know Spike will always have your back. And don’t tell him I said this, okay? But you could do worse. At least it wasn’t that Finn guy.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Angel…” But a familiar tingle distracted her from what she’d started to say.

Turning, she spotted Spike leaning against the wall a few feet away, thumbs hooked over his belt as he watched and listened. She studied him, trying to decipher his expression until Angel’s voice called her back to the conversation.

“Look, Buffy…Have you…uh…have you talked to Giles?”

“Many times. Why?”

“I mean since you got back.”

Spike’s frown no doubt mirrored her own puzzled expression.

“Yes. Again with the why?”

“It’s just that there’s something you and Spike should know, and it doesn’t sound like you do. Not that it makes much difference now, I guess, but…”

Buffy waited. “But what?” she finally prompted, locking gazes with Spike, who also waited, head tilted.

But whatever it was Angel had wanted to tell her, he’d clearly changed his mind. “Just talk to Giles,” was all he said.

And that’s where the conversation basically ended. He turned the phone over to Faith, who first ragged on Buffy about going AWOL before segueing into a colorful recounting of how she, Angel and Illyria had taken down the warlock and his beast. When Buffy finally hung up, she stared at Spike.

“You heard what Angel said?”

He nodded.

“So what do you think that’s about?”

“Dunno. Reckon we’d best do as he says and have a talk with Rupert.”

Just then Buffy’s stomach growled. Loudly.

“Okay. But do you think we can swing by the kitchen on the way? If I’ve been gone as long as you and Giles said, that would make my last meal about seven months ago.”

And that’s how they’d ended up back in the kitchen, all eyes currently trained on them.

“What? I can kiss my boyfriend if I want to,” Buffy defended, more than a little self-conscious.

“I think we’re okay with you kissing Spike,” Dawn said, “but do you have to keep demolishing the kitchen?”

Buffy followed her sister’s gaze to the floor. At some point during the mini-makeout session with Spike, her bowl of stew was knocked off the counter. The contents had splattered across their legs and the cabinets behind them. Broken bits of blue-and-white ceramic were strewn around their feet.

“Oops. Sorry. My bad.” Grimacing apologetically at Mrs. Hudson, she grabbed the nearest dishtowel and dropped to her knees.

“Don’t be bothering yourself about that, dearie,” Mrs. Hudson ordered, bustling over to confiscate the towel as she shooed Buffy away from the mess. “It’s not the first that’s been broken in this kitchen, and it’s that certain I am it won’t be the last. Kitty will take care of it. The child loves to feel useful. Now leave it be and go get yourselves cleaned up. I’ll send another bowl up to your room directly.”

Reluctantly, Buffy let herself be herded from the kitchen, followed by Spike, Dawn and Xander. But instead of heading upstairs, she exchanged a look with Spike.

“Um…we need to check with Giles,” she told Xander and Dawn. “About something Angel mentioned. Is he still in the study?”

Xander nodded. “Last I saw. Anything we can help with? We were just heading over to Slayer Central to meet up with Willow and Andrew. They got called over just after you left. Something about a botched love spell one of the newbies was messing around with. But it can wait if you need us.”

“No, that’s okay.” Buffy shook her head. “Just something we have to ask him. You go on. We’ll catch up later.”

Dawn eyed her suspiciously. “You know, I think there’s a book of reverse spells I saw in Giles’ study that might help. I’ll tag along with Buffy and Spike then meet you over there.”

Squinting at each of them in turn, Xander started to say something then seemed to think better of it. Instead he shook his head and with a silent wave headed off down the hall.

One look at Dawn’s stubborn expression told Buffy they didn’t have a prayer of ditching her. So she sighed and led the way to the study, where they found Giles seated behind his desk, head bent over a massive, ancient-looking book.

“Ah, there you are,” he said, looking up and removing his glasses. “Everything is proceeding smoothly in Houston, I trust?”

“By all accounts,” Buffy confirmed. Moving forward, she settled next to him, hip perched on the only uncluttered corner of his desk. Spike and Dawn hung back a bit, watching.

“So we were wondering…” Buffy paused, then decided to dive right in. “Okay, here’s the deal. Angel says there’s something you need to tell us. Since you haven’t mentioned anything, we’re here asking.”

She caught the flicker of surprise in his eyes.

“I knew it!” Dawn crowed. “I so knew it!” She pumped her fist, dancing in place.

Sighing, Giles leaned back in his chair. “I’m somewhat surprised he mentioned it. He hardly seemed to give it credence at the time. But perhaps he’s since reconsidered. I wonder—”

Buffy held up a hand. “Giles, you know I love you and not to be rude or anything, but I’m really tired. Could we skip all the expositiony stuff and cut to the chase?”

“Of course. Sorry. I had planned to tell you. I was merely waiting for the appropriate moment. Which, apparently, would be now.” Lowering his gaze, he cleared his throat. “It concerns the Shanshu Prophecy.”

Spike made an irritated noise. Buffy shushed him. “Definitely listening.”

Getting up, Giles moved around to lean against the front of his desk. “I was intrigued by what Angel and Spike told me when they returned. So, after you left to retrieve Buffy,” he said, meeting Spike’s gaze, “I took the liberty of comparing Wesley’s translation of the prophecy to the text in its original form.”

Spike stared at Giles, brow furrowed. “Original form. How the bloody hell did you manage that?”

“Ooh! I can answer that,” Dawn piped up. “We had some help. After Angel told us about Wesley’s translation, we popped over to Rome…Angel and me. Paid a little visit to the Italian branch of Wolfram and Hart. The woman in charge of the place seemed really happy to help out. Normally, she couldn’t have given us a copy since her bosses are pretty mad at Angel right now. But since the Shanshu Prophecy doesn’t matter anymore she said it wouldn’t be a problem.”

With a wicked grin, Dawn looked at Spike. “To tell you the truth, I think she has a soft spot for Angel. And she really seems to have a thing for Spike. Kept going on and on about how handsome he is with the cheekbones, and the eyes and the…you know…other stuff.”

“Dawn…”

The warning note in Buffy’s voice silenced Dawn but it didn’t quite succeed in wiping the smirk off Spike’s face. He did, however, purse his lips and widen his eyes in mock innocence as she aimed a suspicious glare at him.

“Yes, all quite fascinating,” Giles observed, his tone dry. “However, as I was saying…it seems the prophecy has its roots in the ancient Proto-Bantu. According to Wesley, it basically stated that the vampire with a soul, after fulfilling his destiny, would become human. It’s a particularly challenging text. It took some time, but I confirmed that Wesley’s translation was actually quite brilliant. With one small but significant exception.”

He paused, looking first at Buffy then at Spike. “It seems his mistake was in translating one of the words as ‘vampire.’ The more accurate interpretation is the plural form of the word.”

Pushing away from the desk, Giles moved to face Spike, looking him in the eye.

“Specifically, ‘vampires’…” he said, stressing the “S” at the end.

Barely a beat passed before the full significance hit Buffy square in the face. She stood up. “Wait…you mean…”

Giles nodded. “Exactly. I mean…as in, more than one.”

Buffy and Spike stared at each other. She could feel herself gaping and snapped her mouth shut.

Then Giles cleared his throat again. “But I’m afraid it doesn’t end there. You see, there’s something more. Something Angel doesn’t know because I only discovered it after he left.”

Buffy was almost afraid to ask. But she did. “What?”

Giles glanced first at Dawn, who seemed to be verging on a fit of the giggles, then back to Buffy and finally Spike.

“Another prophecy.”


--------------------------------

TBC in Chapter Twenty-Seven





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