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Author's Chapter Notes:
many thanks tothose kind souls who keep reviewing. especially cordykitten.
Chapter 7

Giles looked like a child lost in a sweet shop. All those books. There were copies of every book on demonology that had ever been written in this dimension or any other.
Even the catalogue ran into ten volumes.

Br. Roberto smiled at the watcher’s face.

‘Well it seems my dear,’ he said to Buffy, ‘he is well occupied for a couple of hours,’ watching as Giles buried himself under more and more books. ‘Is there anything you would like to ask me? About your sister, your witch friend, your lover, your new acquaintances?’

‘I don’t know where to start,’ came her answer.

‘The beginning always seems a good idea to me,’ the old monk answered.
‘Maybe this will help’ He handed Buffy an envelope. In it was a letter in her mother’s handwriting.


Darling Buffy,
Firstly let me say I am so proud of you, you have grown into the most wonderful woman that any mother would be proud of and you’re mine. I think I will bask in your reflected glory for a while.

Secondly, I didn’t really understand your calling when I was with you. I do now. The wonderful people here have made me open my eyes and see, and so I am sorry for treating it as though it were a teenage fad that you would eventually give up.

Thirdly I have met Br. Roberto, there is a lot more to him than meets the eye. Don’t be fooled by him, my dear. He can NOT lie; he can avoid, he can ignore your questions and lead you astray, but will not lie. If he says a thing is true, it is true.

I was only allowed a short note. Know that I am always near you and love you and Dawn so much. Give my love to Spike as well, and tell him that I still think fondly about our hot chocolate evenings.

My love now and always,

Mommy



Buffy started crying, tears falling down her cheeks in silence as she clutched the note to her heart. Looking towards Giles she expected him to notice, but he seemed oblivious to everything but his books.

‘I cast a small charm over him, I thought you’d like your privacy; now where were we?’ Br. Roberto added after handing Buffy a tissue and giving her time to get herself together.

‘OK: Dawn, my sister, but she’s not, you know. Those Monks made her out of me.’

‘And another,’ added the monk.

‘Another? What do you mean?’

‘Are you really ready for the truth, the whole truth, Buffy?’ Br. Roberto asked in all seriousness.

Buffy nodded slowly. She knew in her deepest heart of hearts that this man held many answers, to many questions.

‘I think it’s amusing that an old man of the church has to teach a grown woman the facts of life,’ he said with a smile.

‘I’m lost here,’ Buffy said. ‘The facts of life?’

‘Dawn is a wonderful woman. I have been privileged to watch her grow since she was put in your care. You really are her mother, you know; she was born of your flesh, but her father, that is something else. Dawn had to be strong enough to cope with her gifts and powers, strong physically and mentally. Her mother gave her some of that strength, but her father gave her the rest, her loyalty, her compassion, her belief in you, and despite the arguments you had with her when she was a teenager, she really does believe totally in your infallibility.’

‘Who, who is her father?’ Buffy wasn’t quite sure whether to be scared with the answer or not, but she had to know.

Buffy looked towards Giles. ‘Ah no, not Giles, I mean I love him, but not like that.’

‘Neither Giles, nor Xander, not even Riley. Her father is the strongest, most loving man we could find for you. In fact, in about 10 years you are going to help us arrange the last of the magic needed to make Dawn and she is going to send it back in time to be found by the monks just when they needed it. It is one of her gifts, to manipulate time. She can also travel between dimensions.’

‘I’m starting to get annoyed, who is her father?’

‘I think you know in your heart, he is the only man you could conceive, if you’ll pardon the pun, fathering any child of yours.’

‘Spike.’

‘Spike,’ he confirmed. ‘Where did you think Dawn got her blue eyes from, my dear? Would you prefer we chose Riley or Angel?’ He added with a smile.

Giles looked up from his place behind the mountain of books piled up in front of him.
‘Are you telling me that Spike is Dawn’s father?’

‘Yes: why do you think, aside from his great sense of honour, he cared for her so conscientiously that dreadful summer? She is his, part of his soul knows it, and part of hers is aware of the fact as well. Does she not obey him more often than argue with him?’

Buffy nodded, shocked. Spike and she had a child. It made Dawn even more precious, if that were at all possible. Spike’s child, Spike, William the Bloody was a Dad. The thoughts kept running through her mind.

Br. Roberto looked towards Giles, who seemed to be back with them again. ‘I suppose I had better guide you to your goal if we are to get you out of here before the Vatican shuts its doors for the evening. This is the first book you require and these,’ handing up a box of books, ‘are the watcher’s diaries written before the break in the council.

‘If you come back tomorrow I will meet you at the gate at 11 am. It is right by the catacomb entrance, Buffy, and your witch friend is more than welcome to accompany you. I will lower the wards for her at 10.45 am, giving her time to walk to the gate; then I will bring you here so you may continue your research.’

‘Thanks,’ Buffy said, putting her precious letter into her pocket.

‘Yes, well thank you very much for your assistance,’ added Giles.

Brother Stephen’s voice could be heard in the corridor as Buffy and Giles went back through the secret door into the main room. Giles put the volumes he had been given into his soft leather briefcase, and Buffy picked up her note pad. They looked, again, like a pair of researchers tired after a long day in the library.

Br. Stephen led them to their taxi with little talk and both Giles and Buffy were grateful for the quiet. They got in and set off home.

‘Are you going to tell him?’ Asked Giles. Buffy looked at him.

‘Sorry, stupid question. I should have asked, when are you going to tell him?’ he rephrased his original enquiry.

‘As soon as we are alone. He has every right to know.’ Buffy sounded defensive, as if expecting Giles to argue with her.

‘Buffy, my dear, you have been as close to a daughter to me as I’ve ever had the privilege to have. I know I didn’t treat you with the respect you deserved, and I made some dreadful mistakes, but I think you’ll find all parents do. But I have had my telling off, and I am sincerely grateful that Br. Roberto wasn’t strong enough or young enough to put me over his knee and paddle my rear or I think I wouldn’t have been sitting down for a week! I promise I will always remember what he said and of course your lover, your friend, must know he’s a father. I honestly believe that all men should know when they have been blessed with a child and Spike is no different. I just meant time wise, when are you going to tell him, before or after you tell Dawn, or do you want to tell them together?’

‘Together: I don’t think I could go through one of them knowing and not the other.’

‘In that case I will distract the others with research on these books we’ve been given, and you can tell Spike and Dawn of today’s adventures.’

Rachael and Spike were starting to prepare supper before Dawn finally got home from college. She had stayed late to work on a project for history and was looking forward to grabbing Spike as a ‘major resource’ for the project. Sometime, ok most of the time, it was really cool having a friend who had lived through everything she was learning about.

Buffy was getting more and more nervous as the afternoon wore on. Spike had taken refuge in the kitchen rather than face her in that sort of mood. He had sniffed the air to see if there was a smell of blood. Much as he hated to blame ‘that time of the month’, with all the stress Buffy had been going through, it would explain her anxious behaviour.

Giles was head deep in his new books, with both Willow and Xander helping him. The whelp was turning into quite the watcher these days.

Buffy couldn’t wait any longer, she called Spike and Dawn and led them into the small bedroom that no-one used.

‘What’s this all about, pet? You’ve been on edge since you got back from the field trip.’ Spike asked gently, stroking the inside of Buffy’s wrist. He could hear her heart thumping in her chest, going far too fast. She had been calmer when fighting a nest of vampires! What ever it was, it is a biggy, he thought to himself.

‘When we were, Giles and I were at the library this afternoon, we met a monk.’ Buffy started.

‘He knew things, all about us, and I know he was telling the truth, and…’ Buffy fell silent, reaching for Dawn.

‘Buffy, you’re starting to frighten me, pet.’ Spike said.

Dawn looked towards the blond Vampire then back to her sister. ‘It’s me isn’t it? I’m dying or something?’

That shook Buffy back to some semblance of normal. ‘No, nothing like that, yes its you, but I think it’s nice, nothing about dying, nothing bad.’

‘Well come on pet, tell us then,’ Spike joined in.

‘Here goes, deep breath Buffy’ she said out loud. ‘Well, you know when the monks made you they used my blood, making me sort of “mum”,’ she said. Dawn nodded.

‘Seems they needed to give you a daddy as well.’ She looked first at Dawn then at Spike.

‘Who?’ came the single word from the brunette.

‘Seems they chose the strongest person around who fitted the bill, or we did. I’m not quite sure how it works, but you can send stuff through time, or will be able to, and you will send the “genetic material” back to the monks.’

‘Who, Buffy?’ Dawn asked again.

‘Spike,’ the name was whispered.


There was silence in the room. Both Dawn and Spike looked like they’d both been hit by a 2x4. Then they grabbed hold of each other in a hug, opening it up to include Buffy. ‘We’re a real family!’ Dawn squeaked.

‘I’m a dad,’ the wonder and awe in Spike’s voice couldn’t be mistaken. ‘Are you sure pet, I don’t want to get our hopes up, without being sure…’

Buffy handed him the note she had been given.

‘I can smell Joyce on this, her scent is all over it. How?’ he seemed confused.

‘Br. Roberto, he wants to meet Willow, I get the feeling he will meet all of us before this is all over. Read what it says, he can’t lie, she’s yours, ours, we have a daughter.’

Spike and Buffy just held onto Dawn. They were complete in their happiness.

‘Hey: if I’m your Dad, you really are not seeing that wanker any more, in fact no more boys for you ‘til you’re 50!!’
Dawn kissed him gently on the cheek and stood up.
‘Never goin’ to happen Dad’ she said as she left the room.
Spike put his hand to his cheek, touching the kissed spot gently.
‘She called me dad,’ he said in awe.



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