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Author's Chapter Notes:
Stuff in italics is telepathic speech between Buffy and Spike, or internal monologue.

Anya (Joss' Anya) is going to be referred to by her demon name, Anyanka, to separate her from Buffy and Spike's daughter Anya, who they named after her.

We're almost done! YAY!!!
Spike called out to Buffy as he cautiously looked at Drusilla.

“Buffy, love, I found Colette.”

“Where? Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine pet, but I think you need to come here.”

A few moments later, Buffy stumbled into the living room, and, noticing Drusilla, grabbed for the stake lodged in her belt.

"No, Buffy…I think she’s alright.”

“Drusilla…alright? You’ve got to be kidding.”

Spike shook his head and turned to Colette.

“Colette, poppet, what happened?”

Colette looked up at Drusilla, who nodded, her eyes bulging and teeth gleaming in a dazed smile.

“Well Papa, I was very scared when Althea came in my room because she had this strange man with her, looking in my window. I missed her since she left, but she looked all different, and the man’s forehead was too big and mean, so I screamed. She covered up my mouth and I fainted. When I woke up I was in this little room…not a big room like I have at home. Althea gave me a little piggy to sleep with, and he was nice, but I missed my dolls at home. Althea said we were on vacation, but I didn’t like it, because you guys didn’t know. I cried a lot and that scary man came and yelled at me, but Althea yelled back so he hit her and took her into the other room. I was so sad until grandmummy came in to see me! We’ve been having tea with her doll, Miss Edith! She’s sort of like my dolls, except Miss Edith actually talks to us! It’s nice to have someone to talk to; do you want some tea with us Papa?”

“No poppet…I’ve had quite enough tea with Miss Edith for one lifetime.”

Colette ran to Buffy, who scooped her up in her arms.

“I’ve missed you, Mummy!”

Tears began to well up in Buffy’s eyes as she held her daughter closer to her.

“Gods, Colette, Mummy’s missed you too.”

She turned to Drusilla and gave her an appreciative nod.

“Thank you for taking care of her.”

Drusilla clapped her hands and smiled at Colette, barely acknowledging Buffy.

“We’ve had lots and lots of fun, haven’t we, moppet?”

The horde of Buffy and Spike’s remaining children, save for Althea, piled into the large room; Anya, Roxanne, and Tara ran to their mother’s side, all doting on Colette and checking her for any injuries, while William, Joyce, Conrad, and Rupert stood by their father, at a close distance from Drusilla, eyeing her up cautiously.

“What’s her deal,” William asked his father, “and why aren’t you guys beating her senseless?”

Spike patted him on the back.

“ ‘S alright William. Think Dru’s been taking care of Colette in our place; sorry ‘bout the boy Dru, he…”

Drusilla frowned at Spike.

“Told you you were full of the Slayer. The faeries were right. Knew you’d end up with her, I did…saw the moppet as soon as you gave Miss Edith to me. ‘S why I didn’t make you mine, Spike. Wouldn’t be a grandmummy then, Miss Edith said. Couldn’t take her away. Couldn’t take her place…just kept it warm.”

“Right. Well, thanks just the same.”

“Had to save her from Angelus. Wants to be more powerful, he does. He knows about the children. Knows their secrets…its those damned pixies; everywhere they are. Chirping and fliting about, and saying things they shouldn’t,” Drusilla wagged an angry finger at the air. “Naughty pixies. My grandbaby will see them too…but she has Slayer in her. The stars’ll help her, not like they did with me. They’re cross with me because I shouldn’t hear them. They don’t listen when I try to explain…there are too many of them to talk to anyway, and I’ve named them all the same. It gets so confusing!”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. No one invited us to the family reunion, Althea; what a pity.”

The whole of the group turned to look at the towering Angelus, who was grasping a meek and very pale Althea at his right side. Spike growled as his Grandsire entered the room.

“Angelus. See that even when you’re evil, you’re still a brooding ponce.”

“Spike…you’ve gotten soft. I can see it in your eyes. Children do that to you, eh? That’s why vampires aren’t supposed to have children,” Angelus stroked Althea’s punctured neck, “At least, not that way.”

“You monster! What did you do to her?”

“Well, it’s obvious Spike. She’s all mine now. Sorry! Your little girl is my childe. I can already feel her power in me…it feels really great, by the way. Thanks for having her, Slayer...she's even better in the sack than you were.”

Buffy, overcome with grief for her daughter’s turning, and rage at Angelus for turning her, could only muster a flabbergasted gasp. Angelus chuckled.

“Very poignant, Slayer. You always had a way with words.”

“Why don’t you go back to hell, Angelus?”

“Now, is that a way to speak to your new son-in-law?”

Overcome with anger and confusion, Rupert, Conrad, Anya, and Tara lunged toward Angelus with a shout. The power that he showcased was unbelieveable, and he deflected each of the four without so much as a flick of his wrist.

“Ah…something I forgot to tell you; the powers your lovely daughter gave me are unbeatable. Surprise!”

Buffy and Spike stared in slight horror at each other.

"Pet, I know we haven’t completely gotten a handle on this…”

"We don’t have a choice, Spike. We have to. We have to get rid of Angelus once and for all, he’ll never leave us alone if we don’t. We can’t risk it…we can’t risk our children’s futures.”

Spike nodded and grabbed Buffy’s hands, staring lovingly into her eyes.

"Love you pet.”

"I know.”

A flash of blinding red light swept over the room, and where Spike and Buffy once stood, now stood a large, throbbing, red demon. Colette shrieked and buried her face in Drusilla’s chest. Drusilla smiled.

“Lovely!”

Taken aback for a moment by the beast in front of him, Angelus staggered behind Althea. After regaining his composure, he commanded Althea with a dark gaze.

“Show no mercy. I’ll take that…thing.”

Althea nodded, and lunged at her brothers and sisters, attacking them with a savageness the likes of which the world had never seen. The mental weight of being the progeny of a mated Slayer and vampire, and being turned early in life by a “master” vampire, proved to be too much for Althea. As she made a crazed lunge for Roxanne’s throat, she was met with a swift blow to her head by Tara.

“I’m sorry Althea…we’ll get you help.”

Angelus roared in anger as his plaything fell to the ground, unconscious. Sensing the beast’s worry at Althea’s fall, Angelus’ mind quickly brought him to a new realization. In mere seconds Angelus was at Althea’s side, holding a stake to her heart. This new, terrorizing thought broke down the connection Spike and Buffy shared, bringing them to their normal, separate forms. Buffy’s pleading look did little more than humor Angelus in his rage.

“Give me the girl, or I’ll send this one to Hell with me.”

“You know we’ll never do that Angelus,” Spike said, gritting his teeth. “Just put her down and fight us like a man.”

Angelus shrugged, and was suddenly covered in a burst of dust. For a brief second, Buffy swore that she saw a flash of blue light before Althea’s lifeless body was no more. Angelus grinned.

“Oops.”

A horrified Buffy tore after Angelus, her heart pounding. Spike too began to attack him, with full vampiric face bared. Colette gasped at her father’s appearance and turned to Drusilla.

“What happened to Papa?”

“Ohhh moppet, that’s just Daddy's cross face. You never see it because you’re a good girl.”

Surrounding their parents and Angelus in a circle, Anya, Rupert, William, Joyce, Conrad, and Tara growled angrily at Angelus. Spike took a stiff breath after lunging, unsuccessfully, at his Grandsire.

“You’ll never get out of this alive, Angelus. Why don’t you just stop fighting? I’ll make it as painless as I can.”

“You still have a lot to learn, don’t you, William?”

Because of Althea’s warm blood still coursing through his veins, Angelus’ next movement was almost invisible to the naked eye, but Drusilla in her usual madness, knew before he even though of it, what would happen next. Grabbing a sharp metal poker from the fireplace, Angelus lunged, fangs and blade bared, at Colette. As the blade came moving toward Colette’s throat, Drusilla heard Miss Edith’s tiny voice.

“Save her! That’s what the stars want!”

Drusilla didn’t take even a moment to nod before jumping in front of Colette, pushing her back against the wall and away from Angelus’ cruel intent. Spike, blinded by rage and fear, didn’t notice Drusilla’s injury until he had Angelus’ head in his hands.

“Go to Hell you son of a bitch.”

A large cloud of dust accompanied a loud snapping, and Buffy sighed in relief as she checked Colette for injuries, and found none. Drusilla moaned in agony on the bloodstained carpet beneath them. Spike, realizing what she had done, moved to her side and pushed the hair out of her face.

“Dru, pet…what have you done?”

“Miss Edith said. Said I had to save my grandbaby. Wouldn’t be fair if I kept her gift now, would it?”

“Yeah. How are you feeling, Dru?”

“I’m feeling very red. Spike…I’ve never felt this red before, Spike…I…I can’t breathe.”

“Dru, pet, you’re a vampire. You don’t have to breathe.”

“Nonetheless, I can’t do it. Everything is getting red now Spike. I don’t like it.”

“I know, Dru…I….”

Spike was overcome with compassion and gratitude toward his Sire, and, though he attempted to blink the tears away, he could not, and they flowed freely down his cheeks.

“Dru, I don’t know how to repay you.”

“We have to get her blood now if she’s going to make it,” Buffy said, her face as tear-stained as Spike’s.

Without a second thought, Colette raised her tiny hand and moved to Drusilla’s side.

“Please, Mummy…let me help Grandmummy! She saved me! I know she won’t hurt me, I just want to save her too.”

Drusilla smiled at Colette, but shook her head.

“No, moppet, I don’t deserve it. You keep your neck and take care of Miss Edith for me.”

Buffy sighed and took a small knife out of her back pocket.

“How much does she need Spike?”

One by one, Buffy and each of her children cut a small slit in their wrist and allowed Drusilla to feed briefly from them. Colette held her wrist out last, as Spike pulled the poker out of Drusilla’s stomach. Sucking lightly on Colette’s wrist for a brief moment, Drusilla smiled and looked up at her grandchild, her wound now completely healed.

“Wait...wait! I can’t….”

Drusilla’s smile faded and she stood up, twirling about the room and perking her ears up randomly. She picked up Miss Edith and shook the doll violently, before dropping it to the floor.

“I can’t hear them!”

Drusilla smiled and picked Colette up, twirling her around and laughing merrily.

“Your blood fixed it, moppet! Only you have the gift now!”

Colette smiled at Drusilla, and when she set her down, gingerly picked up Miss Edith and stroked the doll’s hair back into place.

“Miss Edith says everything will be alright, Grandmummy.”

A burst of smoke permeated the room, and Colette coughed.

“Oohh. Sorry! I’ve got to work on that whole entry thing, don’t I?”

Buffy smiled sadly as she picked Colette up in her arms.

“Hello Anyanka.”

--





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