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AN: Hi everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long, I've been really busy lately! But anyway... I'm doing a new story and I REALLY need a beta! Do you know a good one or do you beta yourself, please let me know!

Thanks SO much to Allison for betaing the last couple of hapters of this story.
And to all the people that reviewed for this story, I love you!!

Well... here's the last chapter!


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~ Chapter 24: Where Are You Now (Epilogue)

The gang, including Giles, was sitting round the table in the library. They had told Giles, and surprisingly, he wasn’t mad about it. He wasn’t completely thrilled, either, of course, but he had congratulated the couple and promised to help them if they needed him. He still wasn’t sure how they were going to manage because they were still so young, but he had faith in them. He was actually excited when he finally realized that he was going to be a grandfather.

Nobody in Sunnydale High knew that Buffy was pregnant yet, only the gang and Giles. She wasn’t really showing, and school would end in less than two months. Buffy and Spike wanted everyone to know but not when they were still in high school- they wanted to graduate first.

Buffy was sitting on Spike’s lap with his arms wrapped around her. His hands were resting on her stomach, which had a slight bump. They were just talking and having fun- it was after school, so they didn’t have to be quiet. They didn’t notice the door opening or the man walking in. Giles was the first to notice the man looking at them with a strange expression on his face.

“Can we help you, sir?” Giles asked him.

“I’m here for Elizabeth.” He hadn’t taken his eyes off of Buffy.

The whole table went quiet. Everyone looked at the man standing in front of them before looking at Buffy, who was looking at the strange man with a scared look on her face. Buffy moved her arms tighter around Spike, who in return pushed her more against him, trying to keep her and the baby safe from the man who she was obviously afraid of.

“Kitten, who is that?” Spike whispered softly into her ear.

She didn’t look at him- she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the man standing in front of her.

“What do you want?” She finally found her voice when she realized that she was safe with her friends and boyfriend.

“I want to talk to you.”

“Like hell.” She really didn’t want to talk to him. Her friends were intently watching the exchange- they didn’t know what to do. Willow was standing behind her boyfriend, feeling that something big was about to happen. Anya didn’t know why everyone was suddenly so quiet and wanted to say something but was stopped when Xander put a hand over her mouth.

“Elizabeth, I…” the man started but was interrupted when an angry Buffy stood up and started yelling at him.

“My name is Buffy! There are only a few people who have the right to call me Elizabeth, and you’re not one of them!” she yelled, looking at him with an angry glare.

“Please, Eli…Buffy. I’ve changed- I’m not like I was before,” he tried to convince her, but it wasn’t working.

Spike had a pretty good idea who the man was, so he stood up, standing beside his girl to protect her if necessary. He didn’t want the man around her or his baby.

“Someone like you can’t change.”

“A lot has happened since you last saw me. I… I lost my job… I lost everything. I have no place to live,” he ended in a whisper, looking at her with a sad look on his face.

“Welcome to my world.” Buffy couldn’t stop the bitterness in her voice when she said that.

“I’m still your father, Buffy. Doesn’t that mean something, doesn’t family mean something to you?” he asked her.

“My family means a lot to me.” She put her hand on her stomach and looked behind her. The table was empty- everyone had moved behind her to protect her when they heard who he was. Buffy smiled. “These people are my family, and I would do anything for them. But you’re not family- you lost that right when you first laid a hand on me,” she told him, not feeling sorry for him at all.

“Don’t you care about me?”

“Like you cared about me? Like you cared about mom?” She fought to keep the tears inside.

‘He isn’t worth it enough to cry,’ she thought to herself.

“What about me?” He looked at her with innocent eyes. “What am I supposed to do?”

“You could die, for all I care. You’re already dead to me,” she answered.

Her father looked at her and then at her friends, who were standing behind her, looking at him like he was dirt. They would obviously do anything to protect her. He wasn’t going to start something with so many people around, so he gave Buffy a brief nod before walking out of the library.

Buffy turned to her friends.

“Thanks, guys,” she said with a small smile. Before she knew what happened, she was involved in a big Scooby-hug. She smiled to herself.

‘This is my family.’



People were clapping until Danny Jameson left the stage.
The bartender, also known as Bert, entered the stage. He walked towards the microphone and smiled at the audience. It was a busy night. It always was on ‘open-stage night’- everyone who wanted to sing could come up the stage. It was the most popular day of the month.

He coughed to get attention. “Well, that certainly was a great song from Danny Jameson. And boy was he hot!” he yelled through the microphone, which made all the girls in the audience yell and shout. “Alright, alright. He was great, but there’s someone else waiting for a chance to come up and sing tonight- my dear friend Buffy Summers, ladies and gentlemen! Give her a round of applause!”

Everyone clapped when Buffy entered the stage. She gave them a shy smile and walked to the microphone. Giles asked her to sing tonight, knowing that it would do her good, and she agreed. Singing made her feel free, and that was exactly what she needed right now.

”Hi, everyone.” She looked at all the people in the audience, and she saw Spike looking at her with a smile on his face before giving her a wink. She smiled- she had dressed for him tonight. She was wearing a strappy red dress that exposed a lot of cleavage. It was classy, but not slutty. “I’m going to sing a song called ‘Where are you now’- I wrote it myself.”

She didn’t notice that her father had slipped into the Bronze and was walking towards her friends.

“Hello,” he said to them, hoping that they would be his way to his daughter.

They all looked at him with murderous glares.

‘I guess not,’ he thought.

“You get the hell away from us, from Buffy!” Spike moved towards him to kick him out, if necessary, but his uncle stopped him.

“What do you want from Buffy?” Giles asked the man standing next to him.

“Money,” he smiled. “Joyce put some money aside for her. She will get it when she’s eighteen, and that’s in a couple of months. If I’m correct, it’s about a million dollars, and I want it.” He gave them an evil smirk.

The gang gasped, not believing that Buffy would get that amount of money from her mother.

“You’ll never get the money, so leave and don’t come back,” Giles threatened him.

“Look, she may have told me that she doesn’t care what happens to me, but she needs me. I’m still her father- she’s lost without me.” He smirked at them.

‘That bitch can’t live without me. I’ll make her give me that money before dumping her on the streets.’

“Really?” Giles looked at him. “Why don’t you listen to your daughter, then?” He pointed at Buffy on the stage, who was just beginning to sing her song.

As I look back on things you have said in the past
I hear you talking, trying to make me understand
That you’re better than me, that you’re stronger and wiser
It made me think that you must have been out of your head
But now I know that you really don’t know who I am

I am better, I’m stronger, I’m wiser and I am flying

I’ve got everything I want, everything I need
After all those times you’ve tried
To push me in the ground
Trying to pull me down
Where are you now?
Where are you now?

She looked at her friends, who were sitting at the table, looking at her. She didn’t notice her father because he was standing in the shadows.

You thought I’d be lost now
Without you to hold onto my hand
But you’re mistaken
I finally know who I am.

I am better, I’m stronger, I know what I want
I’m wiser, I’m smarter, I know how to get there, I’m flying.

I’ve got everything I want, everything I need
After all those times you’ve tried
To push me in the ground
Trying to pull me down
Where are you now?

Everything I want, everything I need
After all those times you’ve tried
To push me in the ground
Try to pull me down
Where are you now?
Where are you now?

You’re mistaken
I finally know who I am

She closed her eyes again, singing with every emotion that she had. She thought of her friends, of Giles, of Spike, and of her unborn baby. They were everything that she would ever need.

I’m everything I want, everything I need
After all those times you’ve tried
To push me in the ground
Trying to pull me down
Where are you now?

I’ve got everything I want, everything I need
After all those times you’ve tried
To push me in the ground
Trying to pull me down
Where are you now?
Where are you now?

Everyone was clapping when she stopped singing. She smiled at the audience before quickly moving off the stage to go to her friends.

Everyone at the table was looking at Buffy’s father.

“I guess she doesn’t need you as much as you think she does.” Giles grinned at him.

Hank looked down.

“It would be best if you left.”

Buffy came to the table and sat down on Spike’s lap.

“Hi, guys,” she said with a big smile, not noticing that her father was standing next to Giles.

“Hi, Buffy” the gang replied.

“You were great up there.” Willow smiled, which was confirmed with nods from Xander and Anya. Oz had heard her sing that song many times- he was the one who had made the background music with his guitar. Buffy smiled back at her friends.

“They’re right, luv. You were amazing. You are amazing.” Spike smiled at her, looking at her with pride on his face.

‘God, I’m so proud of her. She’s changed a lot in the last couple of months.’ She smiled at him, not noticing that her father was looking at them with a disgusted expression on his face.

She looked at Giles with a smile, but that smile disappeared when she saw her father standing next to him.

“Get out.” She glared at him. “You’re not welcome here.”

“Now listen to me, young lady. You’re still not eighteen- I could go to social services and get legal custody of you. And life would be just like it was before you and your mother moved to Sunnydale.” He grinned at her.

Spike was about to comment, but Buffy stopped him. She needed to deal with him on her own.

“Yeah, you can try that. But I don’t think that they’ll give you custody of me, seeing that you don’t have a job and don’t have a place to live,” she said, standing up, determined to not let her father win.

“That may be so,” he said after a while. “But what are you going to do without me? Every child needs its parents.”

“I’m not a child anymore. I was forced to grow up a lot in these past years. And I do have a parent.” She gave Giles a soft smile. “He’s more of a father than you could ever be.”

“You’ll still be leaving with me! Social services won’t allow a child to be without its father.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” She grinned at him. “Every child needs its father.” She moved to sit on Spike’s lap again, wrapping her arms around his neck. “That’s why I can’t leave, even if I wanted to. I won’t let my baby grow up without its father.” She moved her hands to her stomach.

Hank looked at her hands, stunned. “You’re pregn… pregnant?”

Buffy smiled. “Yes, I am.” Spike smiled, too, and kissed her bare shoulder.

Before Hank had a chance to say something, Buffy stopped him by continuing what she wanted to say.

“So trust me, Hank, I don’t need you. I’ve got everyone I need sitting right here at the table.” She looked at her friends, who were looking at her with pride in their eyes. “Now leave.” She looked at her father. “Before I let Bert kick you out,” she said, referring to the man standing next to her father.

Hank looked at the man beside him, then at his daughter. “No, I need that money. You’ll never make it without me, bitch,” he said with a grin, and Bert grabbed him by his arm. “Fine, have a nice life, you slut,” he said to her with a smile.

Bert dragged him to the door of the Bronze and kicked him out. “If you ever come near her again, I will make you regret it. Buffy has a lot of friends here that will do anything to keep her safe.” He grinned at him before walking back in the Bronze.


“Are you okay, Buffy?” Willow looked at her with concern.

“Yeah,” she assured her best friend. “I’m glad that I got the chance to deal with him so I can move on. I don’t need him in my life- I’ve got you guys.” She smiled at them, receiving big smiles. “And I’ve got the man that I love,” she said before turning back to Spike and kissing him with passion. They pulled back after a while with big grins on their faces. “And I’m going to have a baby. That’s everything that I need.”

Spike hugged her. “I’m going to be a better father, Buffy, I promise,” he told her.

“I know.” She smiled at him.

Their friends were looking at them with smiles on their faces, happy that their friend was finally at peace.




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Well, this was the last chapter! I had so much fun writing this story, even though I got stuck a couple of times. But a lot of people helped me with ideas to get this story going, thanks you guys for that!
This is my first story that I actually finished, I'm busy with 3 other stories and I still have the story 'Working it out', I don't know if you guys want me to continue that story, let me know.
You guys have been great, giving me so many sweet reviews and I hope that you'll read my next stories =)

Thanks to Allison, blondiebear, sarah g, Brittany, Bint, ~*~Tasha~*~, gypsy_jin, Phoenix, BuffyandSpikeForever, Caite, Kiera Thornton, Superstes Diligo and Superstes which is probably Superstes Diligo too =)

Thanks for all of the reviews and please let me know if anyone knows a good beta 'cause I really need one!

~ Spikegirl





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