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Chapter 39 – Living Among the Dead


It didn’t take long to find him.

Buffy practically had a sixth sense when it came to knowing where her father was. Or more accurately, where Angelus was.

The group was small. Wesley and Spike had insisted on backing her up, but everyone was in agreement that Fred and especially Cordelia should stay at the hotel. It was bad enough that Buffy would have to see her father die at her own hands- she didn’t want that image being the last thing Cordelia ever remembered. Even if he technically wasn’t the man she loved, Buffy knew that Cordy’s last memory of his face shouldn’t be him turning to dust.

Walking into the warehouse, her jaw was set in a firm line as she looked around the open area.

“Looks like someone’s been busy today,” she muttered, double-checking the stake that was tucked in the waistband of her leather pants before hoisting the sword up in a defensive maneuver, waiting for Angelus to jump out at any given moment.

The space had obviously been cleared out fairly recently, leaving a huge open area in the center of the building.

Spike could feel the familiar presence of his grandsire. Looking around, his jaw clenched in frustration as he glanced up at the catwalk. Even in full vampire guise, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location.

With a heavy sigh, Buffy walked to the center of the room, standing in the dim light, giving herself a slight advantage that he wouldn’t be able to sneak up behind her, out of the shadows.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” she called in a sing-song voice, giving the sword a good twirl as she looked upward, not willing to let him sense how unnerved she really was.

Whirling around when he heard a soft thump behind him, Spike snarled as he watched a two-by-four connect with Wesley’s head, knocking the other man unconscious.

“Should have known you would have brought reinforcements,” Angelus said, shaking his head with a slight smile as Spike approached him. “Tsk, tsk, tsk…should have known I couldn’t trust you around her.”

Not giving Spike a chance to comprehend what he was saying, Angelus pulled out a small crossbow, aiming it at Spike’s heart and firing.

“No!” Buffy screamed, running for the two vampires, feeling as if she was going to faint from relief when she saw Spike turn, letting the arrow embed in his shoulder.

Growling as he pulled the arrow from his shoulder, he flung it back at the older man, letting a smile cross his face when it stabbed him in the stomach.

“You should know better than to give me a weapon,” he said in a low voice.

All Buffy saw was a blur as Angelus jerked the arrow of his stomach and bent down to pick up the sword Wesley brought with him. Letting it slice through the air at Spike’s neck, Buffy immediately planted herself in front of her mate, stopping the sword with her own.

“Spike, get out of here!” she yelled, using all of her strength to push Angelus back, trying to retain a semblance of control.

“No!” he yelled back.

“Better listen to her, Willie,” Angelus said with a smile. “She’s having to fight defensively to keep you safe, and I gotta tell you, I really want to see what she’s got.”

Growling possessively, Spike dove for his grandsire, vaguely aware of the sword slicing along his stomach as he tackled him.

“Spike!”

Punching the other man, Spike heard Buffy’s frantic cry but didn’t dare take his eyes off Angelus.

Wondering why the older vampire wasn’t fighting back, he was mildly surprised when he found himself hurtling through the air, landing on his back on the hard cement floor.

Jumping up with a roar, Angelus stalked toward Buffy, seeing the shocked look on his face. For a split-second, she thought that this was her father, merely walking toward her to reprimand her about something. It wasn’t until he’d angrily grabbed her hair and forcefully jerked her head to the side that she remembered who she was truly dealing with.

Struggling against his hold, Buffy cried out in pain when his other hand twisted her wrist, forcing her to drop the sword with a clatter.

Inwardly feeling a tremor of fear pass through the woman he loved, Spike jumped up to a standing position, running toward the couple in the center of the room. Surprised when Angelus let go of Buffy’s wrist to spin around and slam his fist into Spike’s jaw, the blonde vampire quickly righted himself, freezing in terror when he saw that Angelus could snap Buffy’s neck at any moment.

Panting as she glanced at Spike, Buffy tried to control her emotions, for his sake. She knew that he wanted nothing more than to get to her, but if anything happened to him, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. Briefly closing her eyes, she waited for the final blow that would come at any moment, marveling to herself that not all prophecies were right.

Gritting her teeth when Angelus still didn’t make a move, Buffy turned her eyes to his, seeing the anger simmering below the surface.

“You claimed her?” he growled, narrowing his eyes on Spike. “You claimed the woman who’s rightfully mine?”

Seeing her window of opportunity, Buffy spun around, bringing her arm down hard on his elbow, breaking his hold on her.

“Yes,” she replied, delivering a high kick to his head before spinning around and letting her foot connect with his stomach. “After I begged him.”

Reeling back, Angelus snarled as he punched her, knocking Buffy off her feet. Growing irritated when Spike stepped up, the two attacked each other with renewed force, one fighting for a woman he thought rightly belonged to him and no one else, the other fighting for the woman who willingly belonged to him.

“How’s it feel, mate?” Spike asked, smashing his fist into the other man’s nose, feeling sickened by the fact that Angelus wanted Buffy for himself. “Knowing that she chose me. That she wants me!”

“You’ll always be a poor substitute, Spike,” he replied, spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the floor. “That’s all you were to Drusilla. Just a partner to have around when she couldn’t have me. Hell, you couldn’t even have Lucy. She wouldn’t give you the time of day. And Buffy? You just wanted something that was mine. You tried to take something from me since you couldn’t have anyone you really wanted.”

“Never mind the fact that she chose to be with me. Because I love her. And you’re also forgetting one thing,” Spike said.

“What’s that?” Angelus asked with a sadistic smile, gritting his teeth when Spike grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around to face Buffy.

“Me,” she replied in a deadly tone. Not giving Angelus a chance to react, Buffy slammed a stake into his heart, feeling as if her own heart was shattering with it. Seeing the demon slip into the face of her father before exploding in dust, she felt her body grow weak.

Catching her before she collapsed, Spike held her close as she began to cry. “I’m sorry, luv,” he whispered, stroking her back and running his hands through her hair as she cried.

“I didn’t think it would be this bad,” she murmured against his chest, grateful that he was there to hold her. “Don’t leave me.”

“Never,” he said in a strong voice, cupping her face in his hands to look in her watery eyes. “I love you. I’m never going to leave you.”

* * * * *

Feeling numb as she walked into the hotel, closely followed by Spike and Wesley, who was rubbing the bump on his head, Buffy briefly made eye contact with Fred before walking toward Cordelia.

“Are you okay?” Cordy asked, hugging the younger woman and looking at Spike as he paid close attention to Buffy.

“Could be worse…I guess,” she muttered. “I mean…killing my father, not exactly on my top ten list, but we’re all still here,” she finished, glancing at Spike and Wesley over her shoulder, giving them a soft smile.

“But you’re okay?” Cordelia asked again, looking at Buffy worriedly.

“I will be,” she murmured, blinking back the tears in her eyes as she turned and walked toward Spike, letting him take her pain away for a few brief moments as he held her.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Buffy sniffled as she pulled away from the comforting arms of her lover, turning to the front of the hotel. Her eyes widened as she gasped in disbelief, unwilling to believe what was right in front of her.

“Angel?” Cordelia whispered, swallowing hard as she took a step toward the man.

A brilliant smile lit up his face as Cordy ran for him. Lifting her in his arms, he eagerly kissed her, spinning them in a slow circle.

Buffy watched in stunned silence with everyone else, her lips parted in astonishment.

“It’s impossible,” she murmured, reaching for Spike’s hand and squeezing it for reassurance.

“Yeah,” Angel said with a smile, approaching his daughter. “It is. But it’s true.”

Trembling as he closed the distance between them, Buffy felt more tears spill over, looking into the warm brown eyes of her father, nearly breaking Spike’s hand with the pressure she had on it as she hugged her father.

“I’m sorry, Buffy,” he whispered with a remorseful expression.

“This…it’s not happening,” she muttered, shaking her head, seconds before she threw herself into her father’s arms, nearly breaking his bones with the force she was holding him.

“It is,” he said with a slight nod, holding his daughter close. “And I never wanted you to see that side of me…to hear…”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said softly, slowly pulling back to look at him, willing to forget everything that Angelus had said to her as long as her father was back. “But…how?”

“Looks like there was another attachment to the prophecy,” he said with a slight smile, glancing at Wesley and Fred, who were as stunned as everyone else.

“What attachment?” Wes asked, looking at him in disbelief.

“The prophecy that mentioned the daughter will kill the father…it was the first part of a larger one…”

“The Shanshu, of course,” Wesley said in understanding as if he should have known it all along. “The cycle- you get to live until you die. To die and to live again. The vampire with a soul, once he fulfills his destiny, will Shanshu…become human…it’s his reward. And turning into Angelus was the final test?”

“It was,” he said softly.

“You’re human?” Cordelia and Buffy asked at the same time.

Angel smiled at his daughter before turning to the woman he loved and embracing her again. “I am.”

Walking back to Spike, Buffy snuggled closer to him, Her sadness seemed to evaporate as he held her, watching her father so happy with the woman that he was meant to be with.

Glancing around the room, Spike pressed a kiss to Buffy’s temple, smiling at her when she looked up at him with a blissful expression.

“Thank you,” she whispered, closing her eyes when his lips brushed over hers in a tender kiss.

“For what, Goldilocks?” he asked, running his hand over her hair.

“For being here. For being supportive guy.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” he said with a smile. “Among other things.”

Giggling quietly, Buffy rested her head against his chest, smiling as Wesley and Fred slipped out the door.

“Spike?” she whispered, not wanting to disturb the other couple.

“Yeah, pet?”

“Let’s go home.”

“Sounds good,” he murmured, gently biting the mark on her neck, smiling against her skin when she shivered. “I think it’s about time we started on our own ‘happily ever after’.”





Thanks so much to: Kimber, spufette, Ariel Dawn, Cordykitten, daisy, Reciprocity, Franchesca, Caitie, phantomwriter, starhawk, BuffyRat, baby spikes, Bernardette, Panta_Rei, Jade2099, blondiebear, willowmouse, SpikeLover520, Anne, charisma, Sevvy_O, Jessica, BuffyandSpikeForever, Brunettepet, Erika, Tasha, Melissa, gypsy_jin, I_Love_The_BigBad, & Spikes Eternal Lover for reviewing!





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