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Reunions / Part 5

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As the second ring faded away and before the third, Giles snatched up the phone and spoke into it urgently “Willow, is it you? Did you find him?”

“I found him Giles, last night. He’s alive, or un-dead, or whatever and he has his soul.” Willow said in a rush. “But he’s different Giles. He’s not like he use to be. He’s harder and colder, and, and I think bitter. I don’t know all the facts yet.”

Hearing from Willow that Spike was actually alive and still had his soul was wonderful news on one hand, but at the same time it filled Giles with dread. He would have to tell Buffy soon now, he couldn’t keep it from her much longer or she would never forgive him. But he needed more information.

“Willow, tell me what you do know. Make some guesses. Tell me something.” Giles pleaded into the phone. “I have to have more than ‘He’s Alive’ to tell Buffy, I have too.” Giles realized that Dawn had gotten up off the floor and was standing next to his desk listening to what he was saying. “Hold on a second, Dawns here with me and I’m going to put you on the speaker phone so she can hear what your saying.” Giles pushed a button on the phone and set the receiver back in the cradle.

“Are you there?” Willows voice said from the speaker in a slightly distorted and tinny way. “Can you hear me?”

“We can hear you” Giles said in a louder voice as if he were talking to a slightly deaf person. “Please tell us what you know.”

“Giles, I don’t really know a lot” Willow told him. “Spikes not very talkative about what happened or why he never contacted us. I did find out that Illyria sort of half saved his life and then abandoned him to go save Angle. When I first told him that Angel was still alive he seemed happy about it at first and then angry. When I told him that Illyria had saved him, he really got angry and wouldn’t talk anymore. I think he thinks Illyria and maybe Angel abandoned him. You know how there’s always been a rivalry between Spike and Angle and hearing that she chose to save Angel instead of him must have really hurt. He thought that they both died in the fighting and that’s why they never came back for him.”

“But why didn’t he contact us?” Dawn interjected “Angel did, as soon as he was able.”

“I don’t know Dawn” Willow said, “but I think at first he was too badly injured and he thought the Senior Partners might be looking for him.”

“Why couldn’t we locate him when we did look for him Willow?” Giles asked, “We had the whole Coven and fifty slayers looking for him for a month.”
“I don’t know Giles. All I know is that he’s got some kind of magic spell or something protecting him now. When I found him last night it was only because he let me. He led us into a trap and I’m pretty sure that if he hadn’t recognized me he would have killed all of us. I think, but I’m not sure, he thought we were from the Senior Partners. Apparently things have been getting pretty bad in L.A. for the past several years.”

“Willow, how does he look” Dawn asked quickly before Giles could say anything else. Giles looked over at Dawn as if to ask why she had asked such a silly question.

“Dawn, he looks the same, just like he did back in Sunnydale. Same eyes, same way of looking at you with that head tilty thing he does, same way of talking, everything’s the same, mostly. He doesn’t have the leather duster anymore, or at least I didn’t see it. But he’s wearing a black leather motorcycle outfit and boots and something else Giles” Willow told them. “He has mystical symbols all over the suit and he’s wearing a big silver cross on a chain around his neck.”

“My Lord, how in the world can he be doing that” Giles said in total surprise. “A cross should be burning him every time he touches it?”

“I know Giles, but he had it on the whole time we were with him, even when he was sleeping.”

“It must be part of his protection” Giles said with wonder in his voice. “I don’t know how he can do it though. I’ve never heard of anything like it before.”

“And Giles” Willow said in a much more strained tone of voice. “There’s some other things you need to know. First, he’s living with about forty of fifty street kids and he’s their leader. Boys and girls, all ages. The youngest looks about five or six and the oldest are in their early too mid twenties. He has them organized and they ‘fight’ vampires.”

When Willow didn’t continue speaking the sense of dread that Giles had been feeling earlier resurfaced. “What else Willow? What else do I need to know?”

“ Giles” Willow was almost whispering now, as if she were afraid of saying something to loudly. “There’s this little girl, with blonde hair, she looks about six or seven years old. He calls her Joy.”

The name took Giles by surprise at first, but then again the name Joy wasn’t all that uncommon, especially in California. He realized then that he had been thinking about the girls name for several seconds and Willow had stopped talking again. “What else Willow, what did you leave out” Giles asked quietly as apprehension seized him.

“Spike say’s that she’s his daughter” Willow whispered just barely loud enough for them to hear her.

Giles had been standing the whole time during the conversation, having not even thought of sitting down. With Willows pronouncement his knees buckled and he fell back into his chair. Dawn, who had been standing also, sank down to her knees and rested her head on the desk near the phone. For long, long seconds, no one said anything. When Dawn raised her head from the desk and looked at Giles she had tears running down her face.

It took effort, but Giles cleared his throat and said shakily “How is that possible?”

Willow was still speaking in an almost whisper when she replied, “I don’t know Giles. But Angel has a son, and that was suppose to be impossible too.”

“Is there a mother” Dawn asked quietly, like Willow, not wanting to say it to loudly.

“Of course there’s a mother” Willow responded not understanding what Dawn was really asking at first. When she did realize she said “But not alive, or un-dead, or anything. At least I don’t think so. There’s just the two of them living in Spikes room. And Giles, she’s human. I mean she isn’t un-dead or anything. She’s just as human as Connor. You know what I mean?”

“Does she have special powers like Connor” Dawn asked, again very quietly.

“I think so Dawnie” Willow responded using the old term of endearment from when Dawn was a child. “I saw her run toward Spike and jump through the air twelve or more feet into his arms. And Dawn, she doesn’t talk. They seem to communicate with each other through bird coos, like doves or something.”

“Oh God” was all Dawn could say.

“Dawn he loves her. He really does. I was using some magic to entertain the smaller children and I did something that made her happy. It made Spike so happy to see her happy that he, he cried.”

“Oh God. Oh God. Buffy.” Dawn moaned.

“Willow, when are you going to see him again” Giles asked suddenly, his voice stronger and more determined than earlier.

“I don’t know Giles. I guess I could go back to his place, but I don’t know if he will talk to me or tell me more than he’s already told me. I mean it Giles, he’s different than he use to be. He can’t be bullied or intimidated. He doesn’t have a chip anymore, you know that. He’s not helpless against humans now and he doesn‘t have that connection with Buffy to keep him from harming us. He really doesn’t seem to like us or trust us. If I try to force him or use coercion he will turn against us even more.”

“What about friendly coercion?” Giles asked, seeking a way to get to Spike. “He always was open to a little bribery. If we do something nice for him do you think it would help. You said he’s with a group of street kids, is there anything they need that we could provide?”

“Giles, honestly I don’t know if it’s possible to bribe Spike anymore” Willow responded seriously. “But Spike and those kids are living on the edge of things. Anything we do for them or give them could only be of help. But like I said, I don’t know if it will make a difference.”

“Willow, I need you to try” Giles told her. “Use the Gold Cards to buy whatever you think they need. If you can’t use the cards to buy it, go to a bank and draw cash against them. I need more information before I go to Buffy. If I tell her what you’ve told me so far I don’t know if she will jump on a plane or jump out of one. I have to have more information and I need it soon. I can’t keep this from Buffy much longer, she’ll never forgive me.”

“I’m coming out” Dawn said suddenly with determination in her voice. “Spike will talk to me. I can make him talk to me.”

“Are you sure about this Dawn” Willow asked. “What are you going to say to Buffy?”

“I’ll tell her Giles wants me to go to Rome for him again. I’ve done it a dozen times or more, she won’t think anything about it. I’m going to catch a plane in the morning and tell her I’ll be back in a couple of days. Giles is going to have to tell her by then, one way or the other, so it won’t make any difference by then. There’s a non-stop international that leaves at 6:00 in the morning. I know, I already checked, just in case. I’ll call from the plane before we land and you can send Sara or Vi to pick me up. And Willow, don’t tell Spike I’m coming. If it’s a surprise it will be more effective.”

“Giles” Willow said from the phone “are you good with this?”

Giles looked at Dawn and could see that he wasn’t going to stop her from going, and right now he didn’t want too. “Yes Willow, I think it’s a good idea, and remember, no limit on what you have to spend. Just get me more information before this whole thing blows up in our faces.”

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