The Tie That Binds...Part X
One of Dru's new human minions had made contact with the London head of Wolfram-Hart, Europe...Sir Harold Milliken...aka Ernest Gruber-Schemm, long-sought Nazi war criminal, once a youthful star of Hitler's People's Court...
Having heard the full details of the massacre of the LA office's Special Projects Division by Darla and Dru...Sir Harold much preferred this sort of "contact" to the direct approach employed by Darla...
Although he had significantly benefitted from the clearing of American "deadwood" as a result of the Slayers' friends recent exploits ...Sir Harold realized the need to better support efforts against the Slayer and her friends in the future and was willing to offer Dru what assist he could...
***
In the morning Spike suggested they head over to Buffy's...Besides wanting to see the future Missus and co, he had decided it was time to fulfill his pledge to BR to "speak" to Buffy...
He had felt it was best to let her have a little time and see how she recovered from the after-effects of her recent traumas...
But with her showing increasingly high spirits, he deemed it the proper time...
Besides he had managed to persuade an extremely nervous BR to let him keep the daylight ring with the pledge that he would use it only in the presence of company...and the chance to drive to the Summers' in freedom while Angel...his roomie...was swathed in cloth wrappings beside him was simply to good to pass up....
Angel was reluctant to be mummified but it beat hanging around with Spike in a dark room all day...
Spike loaded the gift-wrapped Angel into his car...
"Granddad?...You ok in there?..." Spike called to the bandaged Angel...
I am going to kill Wesley first...Angel reflected...Then Spike...
***
Spike realized immediately that the young black woman answering Buffy's door was the awaited new Slayer whose arrival had not yet been passed on to the vamp boys...
Her little brother was fascinated by Angel, standing on the doorstep...A package of mammoth proportions...to be unwrapped as quickly as possible...
"William and...Angel?...I presume..." she asked...
Spike entered with a smile and headed for BR's tank...Angel found himself blocked by Willow's latest barrier...And in eminent danger of spontaneous combustion with Leroy picking at his bandages...
Ms. Granger regarded him with amusement...pulled off her brother, and called Buffy to the door...
"Buf...One of your undead in-laws needs some help..."
"He's a dear old thing..." Spike called back to her... "But mind you don't get Granddad started on his stories..."
No...thought Angel...Spike first...then Wesley...
***
BR begged through the tank for another hour's sleep...And would Spike please not bang on the tank like that...It wasn't made of wood, you know...Sound carries quite well...
However she allowed him a brief glimpse and kiss...
"You're thinking I look just like Drusilla in her coffin, aren't you?..." she glared at him before closing the lid again...
Well, Dru never wore teddy-bear pjs...
***
Buffy drew the curtains in the living room and got Angel unwrapped and settled...Leroy watched fascinated...
"If I shine a flashlight on you...Would you burn up?..." he asked pleasantly...
***
Angel sensed Basey was a little skittish around vampires...even friendly, soulful ones... And worked to put her at her ease...Buffy having been called away by Spike, he was equally anxious to have Basey stick around and prevent her brother from opening the window blinds...
In the other room, Buffy was a little nervous to see Spike using the ring...She didn't have any more faith in his caution with it than BR...
"Nibs at school?..." he asked, looking for a way to begin...How to tell Sis he loved her dearly...but...
In the past he'd dreamed frequently of being in a situation like this with the Slayer...But it usually involved her being in his thrall...Or at least at his mercy...
And implements of torture had generally been prominent...
She grinned at him...she knew what this was about...And if anyone had told her a month ago...
That Spike would be attempting to "let her down easy"...
"I love you, William...I can't help it..." she said frankly.. "But...I know this is for the best...Safest for both of us..."
She took his hand and patted it...
"And after all, we will be together...she is me...The me who could help you..."
He kissed her solemnly on the forehead and grinned back...The Slayer...His "sis"...His blonde nemesis, his salvation, and his redemption, looking into his eyes...
God bless the day I came to Sunnydale... And that little brat, that Annointed One...Who introduced us...May his soul be at peace...
"Of course..." she said, looking at him... "I wish Warren might have considered a Spike-bot for me before he shut down that part of the business..."
***
Wesley and Cordelia reached Sunnydale as promised the next day...After they had secured the office for the next few days...
Plus picked up the second ring made up from the same crystal used in Spike's...for the boss...
Who decided therefore to spare Wesley...for now...
***
It was now the decisive moment...Ready to do and die...
Time to party...
The ladies couldn't wait...and zipped off asap...
Xander had a vague idea of where they might go...
There was this "place" in town...
Spike and Angel knew the "place"...But Spike suggested a brief stop-off...
He was concerned for the Nibs...All by her lonesome in the house...Well, with the new Slayer's little brother... But that was hardly likely to be a fun evening for her...Seemed unfair...
Angel was in agreement... Nothing worse than being cooped up at home by oneself...He and his "grandson" ought to know...
Warren and Ben both thought it was a fine idea...Stop by and see Dawny for a mo, then...Out we go, the "wild" boys of Sunnydale...
Xander agreed...Just for a mo...Then let the wild times roll...
***
"Why don't we order out..." Angel suggested after they'd spent a happy hour with Dawn and Leroy...
The "wild" boys were in complete agreement...
Dawn wasn't all that surprised...Well, she had expected a little more from Spike...
***
Nor was Buffy all that surprised when she checked on Dawn from the Bronze...And got Ben..
It figured...
However, as to the female members of the team...
Buffy Rebecca was very carefully explaining to Basey that if Buffy could get pl-pl-plast...drunk, well...she could get such a way...
Buffy was in semi-Mom mode...but throughly enjoying herself...
Willow had already taken Cordelia to the stage and "borrowed" the players' equipment, courtesy of a very mild and harmless spell...And about a half-dozen "Bronze blasters"...
This one is for Oz, she had announced solemnly at the start of each of the three pieces they'd attempted to play...
It would have been, she had corrected each time, if she had not been gay...
Tara hoped Dawn was not too lonely...Buffy reassured her....
Basey noted that none of the guys present seemed to match the Slayers' band of fellers...
Buffy and her sis knew how to pick 'em...
Buffy and her increasingly plastered sis exchanged smiles...Xander, Giles, Angel...And good old Wesley...And Spike, well Walthrop at least, and even old Warren...And gentle Ben...
Yeah...
"It's a Shayer...ummn...Slayer's instinct..." Buffy Rebecca solemnly noted...
***
It was quite early...in the morning...when they left and Buffy decided to drop Willow and Tara at their dorm before taking Cordelia, BR, and Basey home ...
She didn't like the idea of them walking so far...As they were...
Even with the peace agreement's ongoing success...
She parked and she and the others walked them towards their dorm...
Theodore was waiting in the bushes with a couple of his pals...
They'd gotten info from a "reliable" source that the Slayer and friends were out for a party and likely to return quite late...and plastered...
Unknown to Theodore, his pals had alerted Leto who waited nearby as well...
***
Fortunately for Willow and Tara, Theodore did not see the others just heading back for their car...
Unfortunate for him and his pals...
One must give him credit... After his initial attack on Willow and Tara, he faced the combined forces of not less than three Slayers, with one, the Greatest Slayer of All Time, the easy equivalent of three...
Even their slight drunkenness did not diminish their prowess...much...
Leto barely had time to show himself to them...After helping Willow to her feet from the corner where she had been shoved by Theodore...
Apologizing profusely for the reprobate...He had learned of the fool's boasts and set out to ensure that the agreement was not violated.
He hoped the evening had not been spoiled for them...And felt the two staked fools had received their just desserts...
He vowed that the last one would be captured...Presented to the Slayer at the first opportunity...
And he was pleased to see that his gentle friend Willow and her friend were more or less unscathed...If somewhat shaken...
***
Buffy agreed that he'd laid it on a little thick...Still...
Basey insisted on examining Willow and Tara...Standard procedure by the Council...
Really?...Buffy thought...They might have mentioned it to me and Giles...
Newly implemented at her suggestion, Basey explained...After her year with Sentinus, she felt it was a wise precaution...
Really?...Buffy thought...The Council has never once asked me for a suggestion...
Buffy Rebecca, blushing bride, was still a leetle dizzy...
Both Will and Tara were bite-free...Though Willow especially was shaken...
"No, fine...It's ok...It's just nerves..." she grinned at them...
***
It was only later that night when Tara was asleep, that in the bathroom she carefully rolled up her pant leg and examined the scar Leto had left...In a large vein of her thigh...deep...She traced it almost lovingly...
They'd never think to look there...And with so little time to work...
He was much too smart for them...she thought...Her Leto...
But after all, it was her business if she chose to spend time with a dear old family friend...
But...she tried to shake away the confusion...she was afraid...This wasn't her...She should tell them...
But she knew she would not...
The shadow of evil had fallen over Willow...
***
The Tie That Binds...Part XI
Anya, who had been dropped first by Buffy and so missed the excitement, was out like a light by the time Xander reached their apartment...After a delightful evening at the Summers',
featuring a reading some of Walthrop's new poems, Giles' essay on Buffy's recent vision quest, Angel's Tibet stories, and an intense discussion of the nature of the soul which
naturally fascinated the reformed vampire members... during which Dawn and Leroy had begged to be allowed to go to bed...
Capped by an allnight marathon of Hammer vamp films on Channel 9...Which Warren especially found fascinating...
Yes, a great party...Xander never thought it would go off so well...
Too bad the ladies had missed it...
***
Spike had hung around to see his blushing bride and sis...And was horrified to find BR staggering in...
Another neural problem?...Maybe Warren's new brain was on the blink?...
Had she accidently stuck her finger into an electric socket?...
"Oh sheetheart..." she grabbed and hugged him...He was always waiting for her...Her little Spikey...Oops...Didn't mean to nearly strangle him...
"She's ok, Spike..." Buffy assured him... "But if I don't miss my guess she's going to have one robotic hangover tomorrow..."
And if I hadn't had to be "Mom" tonight...she thought...Well, someday BR could cover for her...
Too bad Warren wasn't around to see the fruits of his obsession with accuracy...
***
At the Magic Shop the next afternoon...
Giles, Basey, Willow, Tara, Anya, Wesley, and a somewhat hyper Leroy...reviewed the events of the past few days...
Giles agreed with Basey that the peace agreement was unreliable...Though Willow felt Leto could be trusted to maintain quiet for now...
They agreed that normal Patrols should be maintained with both Buffy and Basey working together once the Walthrops were off to Europe...
Giles noted that Willow seemed distracted, although she made a valiant attempt with Wesley to continue researches on Drusilla's possible movements...And to prime Basey on the current state of Hellmouth activities...
Long day in class on top of a busy night, no doubt...
He was a bit preoccupied in any case...
Anya was battling a raging hangover headache and those annoying customers who insisted on being dealt with in spite of her obvious aliment...
Basey left with her brother to look at possible future apartments...Her current plan was to stay in Sunnydale at least until Spike and Buffy Rebecca would return and the Council let its wishes be known...
She was anxious to check on the possibilities for taking at least some college courses as well...And intrigued to hear that Buffy Rebecca had found a unique way to avoid residency requirements using the underground network run by demon and vampire "references"...
If she stayed in Sunnydale, she might speak to Spike about his vampire network connections...
She'd no desire to lose another year of school if it could be avoided...
And a Slayer deserves some breaks...
Willow was called away by Tara to look at gowns... Seeming quite relieved to get away from the computer and books...
They wouldn't be going for anything too elaborate but the robotic copy of one's best friend doesn't marry her vampire nemesis everyday...
Still she felt she had forgotten to mention something to Giles...But her head was throbbing...She'd think about it later...
As they all left, in came a new batch...
The vamp boys had delightedly strolled Sunnydale in daylight, under the terrified supervision of the Buffies and Cordelia...
Wesley couldn't help smiling at them...It was nice to see the boss in non-brood mode...He and Cordy had worried about Angel's reaction to the marriage news but he seemed genuinely glad for Spike...
Although of course his happiness needed to have some limits...Perhaps he should show him the books for last month...
Spike was planning to show "Granddad" his lab and office next...With Buffy Rebecca proudly in tow...
He'd never seen the place himself in daylight...
Angel was still trying to get past the idea of "Dr." Walthrop the "cybergenius"...
I mean it's nice that Spike is at last gainfully employed...But somehow he had never seen his "grandson" as a scientist...
Dawn brought a package over to the store after school...Addressed to Spike care of Buffy of all things...
Spike looked at Giles and Angel...And quietly suggested they open it outside...
He and Angel carefully took the box outside...Buffy Rebecca insisted on coming as well...
The others waited...Dawn suddenly realized why they were making such a fuss...
There couldn't be much doubt about who had sent it...
Angel, Spike, and Buffy Rebecca re-entered the store quietly...
Angel was trembling...Spike put his hand on his shoulder...
Giles looked at them...Buffy Rebecca handed him the package without a word...And hugged Spike gently...
The others came over to see...
Dru had decided to send a gift...Addressed to William Walthrop c/o Buffy Summers...Inside quite a lovely card, which Dru had headed "Dearest children..."
With an appropriate poem...
"A mother's love knows no bounds...
And the tie that binds is unbreakable..."
She had signed at the bottom...
"All my love on your wedding day...Mother..."
It actually was quite a lovely gift...A beautiful old necklace...
Which Angel recognized only too well...
The only piece of jewelry the human Drusilla had kept when she entered the convent where Angelis had murdered her...
***
The Tie That Binds...Part XII
Angel was troubled...Drusilla was after all his responsibility...
A feeling that Buffy secretly shared...And she did not doubt that BR felt likewise...
As much as they loved Angel...
Both she and Buffy Rebecca had realized who was in danger from Dru now...
Whatever hopes she might still have of destroying the Slayer...It was her "boy" who was the primary focus of her attention...
And who would be the more vulnerable of the Walthrops in facing her...
***
But Spike was determined to deal with Dru himself...And they all could see he felt it was a part of his redemption...Full circle to close the arc begun with a bad love poem and a chance meeting with a lost soul and psychotic vampiress...
He'd felt human Drusilla's agony down through the years in flashes...And never so much as when Willow had freed her for an instant...
Besides he wanted to see the old home ground...At last in daylight...And show his soon-to-be wife around...
And after all Walthrop wanted to earn his keep at his company...And Europe was a burgeoning market for bionetics..With BR at his side to cover the nuts and bolts...And his "instinctive persuasive abilities"...
Angel would have enough to do chasing Darla down... A Darla still hemmed in by Willow's restraint on attacking humans but sure to be deadly when cornered...
And Spike would have the assistance of the Greatest Slayer of All Time...
Buffy guiltily agreed... Poor Angel, he still had not fully realized what the merging of the two sisters' memories had done to her feelings for him...Still strong, but not what they had been...
She'd noticed a couple of nights ago he'd asked about Willow's resurrection spell with considerable interest...
Had he been...Considering it?...
Willow had warned him there was no way to guarantee which would control the resurrected body...soul or demon...At least in the case of such an old and experienced demon as Angelis...
As opposed to Buffy's newborn demon which had fearfully fled the death of the vampire body...
Another faint hope shattered...At least he hadn't counted on it...And he did not know her feelings for him had faded...
There was no reason to put this burden on him as well...She did her best to indicate that she fully agreed with Spike's view...Angel had enough to do...
But Angel had seen that she feared for Spike...
***
There were only two items to be settled...One fairly minor...
Buffy Rebecca wanted to see Giles alone...Just for a moment...
He couldn't resist teasing her about the hole in his wall...That she had made the day the gang had learned of her existence...When he "trapped" her in his storeroom...Which had weighed on her mind for weeks afterward...
She was still embarrassed about it...But much more nervous about her current request...
"Giles...I would love for you to give me away...But that's a privilege Buffy deserves..."
However they had decided it was best not to have a minister given the circumstances...Instead...if Giles would possibly consent to read the Anglican service...
At least to have an Englishman read the Church of England service would make Spike feel better...The next best thing...
Giles would be very pleased to do so...
And Warren, although a little startled, was for his part glad to oblige when she asked him to give her away...
***
The other was to be done the next day...but would be a strictly Summers' affair...Kept more or less in the background...
Only to spare the others more grief...
They'd had enough sorrow to last a lifetime...
However Spike and Angel had guessed what might be up and the Buffies found themselves rather anxious to have them come when they quietly asked about it...
Hank Summers deserved a decent memorial service...
***
Tara and Willow were continuing a gown hunt...
It was wending its way towards sunset and Willow was feeling increasingly restive...She couldn't find anything that suited...Let Tara decide, she was tired and ready to go home...
Tara noticed both her irritability and her lethargy...Willow decided it was best to show a happier face, found one gown and tried it in the dressing room...She wanted some privacy for what she needed to do...
Tara was sensing something wrong...And with her sensitivity...She wouldn't hurt Tara for the world...But she didn't want to be interfered with...Just something to dull her senses...
Just a mild, slightly sedative spell...
She might want to go for a walk alone tonight...In the cool fresh air...And Tara might get all...
So just something to keep her off her back...
***
Basey returned a bit grim from her apartment search...
Well, yes, prices were high...she told BR...But it was more the attitude of certain types towards a young black woman with a small child in tow...
She didn't expect rewards any more than any other Slayer...But..
.
Somehow, coming from a rather dully middle-class stable family in a quiet place like Craftsville she hadn't expected to be seen as just off the "mean streets of the ghetto"...
Oh, well...Still...Even if she had been...Well...
Buffy and Dawn wanted her to stay in any case...Besides they could use help with the mortgage and it would be more efficient for coordinating activities...
Which would likewise please BR...Knowing her sisters had extra help at close hand...While she was off with the hubs...
***
Willow and Tara returned with reasonable success from their hunt...Willow seemed much more animated, Giles noted...
She set to work with Wesley who thought he had a track on Dru...to Salt Lake City and a flight to New York...
Tara was a bit exhausted and even quieter than usual...
Though both were concerned to hear about Dru's little joke...
" 'The tie that binds is unbreakable'..." Willow read... And looked at Spike...
"She knows you're coming for her..."
"And is prepared to take me with her..." he finished for her...
"Not while I'm around..." Buffy Rebecca said grimly, joining them...
"Looks like it's become a daughter-in-law, mother-in-law thing..." Spike grinned at Willow...
"Where have my quiet bachelor days gone?..." he smiled at BR...
But he was worried...
Would he lose his new happiness before it had barely begun?...And yet...
William Walthrop had a duty to perform...To a lost and trapped young woman he'd never even met...Alive, at least...
***
Basey sat with Angel and Cordy for a bit...Although she was understandably nervous around vampires, he was after all, a little more of an outsider to the group...A common bond there...Although she was settling in quickly...
Besides she was fascinated by his story...And not a little by him...
Seeing that Basey had settled in with Angel, Buffy decided to spend a moment with her "stop-gap", Warren, who was still recovering from BR's request...
"So 'Dad'..." she teased... "Any advice you give to BR you should be sharing with me, you know..."
He smiled back...Nice to see her so much happier...
Really quite a lovely and sweet young woman underneath the implacable Slayer who'd once tortured him in order to find and destroy her robot double...
***
Basey's brother Leroy was not happy however...He kept staring at Willow...Who underneath a pose of contentment and interest in the goings-on was increasingly nervous...
She wanted a breath of fresh air...A long walk in the clear night outside...Why was the boy staring at her so?...
Basey and Angel noticed Leroy giving Willow the willies and Basey called to him...
He did not want to leave his post...And Willow now began to glare at him...
Basey went over to him...But Angel, watching from the table saw Willow's strange glare...
It was rather out of character...But she had been through a lot recently...
Willow wiped the anger away with an effort and was back to her usual self...
However, Tara being clearly exhausted...she felt it was time to head home...
From the table where Angel, Cordy, and Basey sat, Leroy quietly watched them leave...
"She's sick..." he turned to his sister... "Like you Basey..."
She apologized to Angel and Cordelia for her brother...He seen her at her worst during her time under Sentinus' thumb and was still frightened when he met new people, especially women...
"It must have been rough..." Cordelia started...
She nodded...
"I honestly believed I loved him for a while...But it was only his dream..."
"It took everything I had to destroy him... But the worst was...I think he actually came to care for me...He could have killed me at the end, but he hesitated..." she smiled a little at Angel...
"So I apologize if we both seem nervous around humanish vampires..."
Angel nodded...And smiled...
But his eyes were on the trail Willow and Tara had made in leaving...
***
Leto, vampire peacemaker and new leader of Sunnydale's undead, was sorely tried...
He desperately wanted to complete what he had begun with his old pal's granddaughter...He longed for companionship, especially that of one as sweet as gentle Willow...Someone fit to be at his side in the new era of peace and prosperity he had created...
But there was the rub...If he rushed, if the Slayers learned what he was up to...The peace and his new position of leadership would crumble into dust...And more than likely he himself along with it when they caught up with him...
He must proceed cautiously...He could see the night before they were very suspicious of him, although he and Willow had kept them from guessing the truth...
He decided to seek the advice of the most learned vampire he knew...His own sire, a "professional" in every sense of the word...With vast experience in dealing with humans and their world...
Phil, aka "The Voice" famed for his ability to acquire both knowledge and implements...And for his business acumen...
Who had forged numerous stable and profitable business relationships with humans, thanks to his legendary self-control...
Who had been one of the strongest initial boosters of the peace...
After all, violence is bad for business...
***
Phil was quite pleased to be consulted by his "son"...And proud of his boy's success...Although he himself preferred to operate in the shadows as befitted "the Voice"...
He agreed that caution was imperative...But he also agreed that to win the Slayer's dearest friend would be a major plus...In terms of information alone...Not to mention the additional leverage on the Slayer's emotions...If it could be done in a way that would not arouse her suspicions and wrath...
Leto had made an excellent start...Now he must be patient...Simply keep the young lady under his influence by the barest minimum...Never see her without heavily feeding first...And know the Slayer's (Slayers', Leto corrected, much to Phil's shock...Three Slayers?! in Sunnydale?...)
movements at all times...
And when the time was perfect...a quick transformation...done without any suspicion falling on him...
Followed by a hunt, a quest of noble proportions...Carried out by the peacemaker Leto anxious to assist the Slayers' dear friend, a poor girl trapped in a terrible predicament...Finding her, lost in a new and dark world...Saving her from performing what might have been unspeakable
acts...Winning new credit with the Slayers as their friend's protector...and restrainer...
A very profitable scenario...
Phil gave him some pointers on improving self-control...Deep breathing, heavy blood drinking beforehand, a good and vigorous work-out...leads to a cool head and a focused mind...
And promised him any assistance he might need...
***
Willow had been vaguely disappointed to reach home without a visit from...someone...Who?...
She couldn't quite put her finger on a name or face...But someone...
But as Tara was still groggy from her mild spell and went to sleep quickly, she decided to take a stroll in the night air...
With the hope of a meeting...
Which after a time was granted...
Leto was restrained and courteous...Taking and giving just enough to keep Willow "interested"...
Despite her strongly urging him on to complete the task...He comforted her with the assurance that they would be together...forever...quite soon enough...And pointed out the benefits of a slow process which she reluctantly accepted...
A meeting she had soon forgotten on returning home...Almost completely...
***
The Tie That Binds...Part XIII
It was a meeting held under "unusual" conditions...A room filled with guards bearing crossbows...and standing ready by blind-closed windows...
Dru had sought a "face-to-face" meeting with Sir Harold of Wolfram-Hart, Europe...
She wanted to discuss her maternal difficulties as well as the possibilities of her employment...
Sir Harold reluctantly agreed...If it were done in daylight...Dru alone...With Wolfram-Hart, America flat on its back, a powerful vampire like Drusilla could be a vital ally...And they had common enemies..Angelis, the Slayer,...and now William the Bloody....
Whom Sir Harold had encountered once...sixty years ago at Leningrad, when as liaison to Hitler's Death's Head SS Legion/Vampiral he had accompanied the force in an attack...Which had been shattered by the efforts of William the Bloody, posing as a newsman and a Soviet Slayer...
Even then William the Bloody had been an occasional renegade to the cause of true evil...Now he was likely to become as great a threat as the reformed Angelis...
Sir Harold had weighed the options of an alliance with Dru...One that would offer an opportunity for personal as well as corporate revenge...
Time and a long role as a mild-mannered English barrister had not mellowed him...
Sir Harold was indeed in magnificent shape for a man of over eighty...One of the fringe benefits of working for WH, access to all sorts of life-prolonging secrets...
To crown his career with the destruction of the Greatest Slayer of All Time and William the Bloody, famed vampire traitor...Yes, it was worth risking Dru's more unique forms of "memo"...
And in fact she seemed quite chastened by her recent defeats...Quite anxious to win his support and aid...
Hardly the psycho he'd been warned about...Still...
He sensed it was best to keep any meetings on a strictly professional basis...
***
Angel sought out Giles...And described what he had seen of Willow's and Leroy's behaviors...
And his own sensations...After all, no one better to sense a vampire's touch...
Willow had proven after all to be perhaps the most formidable member of the gang...In her own way
possibly more powerful than any of the Slayers themselves... If some enemy
had learned the full extent of Willow's abilities...
It seemed unlikely that it would be Darla...She was almost certainly still battling Willow's and Giles' restraints...Besides she would not wait in transforming Willow and would not hesitate to let them know exactly who had destroyed her...
Some new enemy or perhaps...a forgotten older one...
It made sense, Giles agreed...He seen more than ever in their last battle how dangerously powerful Willow's abilities had grown...And yet she remained so vulnerable...Yes, it might very well be...
And if it was true, they had to proceed with the utmost caution...As an enemy, with her knowledge of their weaknesses and her ever-increasing powers, Willow might prove the most formidable they'd ever encountered...
And if Buffy found out...In her present fragile condition...Even poor Buffy Rebecca would be shattered...
Buffy would be destroyed...
He sighed...Too soon, too soon back to the old fight...All of them were so exhausted...If only it would turn out to be a mistake, overcaution on Angel's part...But he was not going to take any chances...
And there was help at hand...A new Slayer who understood all about thrall and its forms...Who could assist Angel in watching Willow...Until they were sure and could learn the source of the evil threatening her...
Ms. Granger had her first assignment...
***
Before they all left the store, Cordelia had a vision...
Buffy Rebecca...unconscious?...dead?.. on a vast field of grasses, near a high cliff looking out to sea...
Spike standing beside her...throwing his daylight ring off into a nearby field...And collapsing...
The Walthrops...Defeated...At Dru's hands, perhaps?...
She told Wesley in private...
He begged her to keep silent about it for now...Yes, they should tell Giles and later, after the wedding, both the Walthrops if necessary...But after this terrible yet joyous month surely everyone deserved one bright, happy day...
Before the clouds closed in on them all again...
***
The Tie That Binds...Part XIV
There were no clouds on Buffy Rebecca's wedding day...
The brief service for Hank the day before had been a trial but the Summers' were comforted to know they had done something for Dad...
And comforted by the thought that he had proved himself, at the end, a true Summers...Even if his last effort to save them had failed...
Dawn was sure he was with Mom...wherever...
And while her sisters were not so sure they would be together...They were sure Mom would look after him...
And, thanks to BR's spirit time they could be sure...Both parents were out there...
Spike noted BR's and Buffy's faces...As haggard as the night he and BR had watched over Joyce's grave together...But both happy to have done what they could to let their Dad know he was not forgotten...
On the wedding morn, Angel was relieved to learn that Basey had confirmed his observations of the past two nights that Willow had not been further approached...by anything...
And now was at last a time for a little joy...
BR marched from the house in her gown to the tune Walthrop's mum had loved and that he had given to her..."I Know Where I'm Going..."
Actually, an Irish tune, an amused Angel pointed out to his "grandson"...
Always knew the lad had a touch of the blarney...
With her sisters at hand and Tara, Willow, Anya, and Basey in support...
And 'Dad' Warren on her arm...
Giles performed the reading of the ceremony in the Summers' back yard...
While both the Buffies watched over Angel and Spike like hawks...
Decked out in tuxes for the first time in...Well, ever...
Fortunately Spike's best man had been available to assist them in dressing...
But the Buffies would be happier when they were safely inside...
***
Spike gave BR a ring fashioned on the one his mother had worn...Walthrop's mother, Amelia, not Drusilla...as best as he could remember it to the jeweler...
A little Victorian but lovely...The second gift BR had received from her mother-in-law...Third if you counted the blushing groom...
Warren, as stand-in dad had arranged for the small hall where the reception was held...
***
Xander was on...
He'd discussed his speech at length with Anya...And briefly with Giles...
Both thought it was a good one...Still...
"Nobody had more doubts about this thing..." he nods to Spike and BR...who smiles at him...
"...than yours truly...After all,..." he indicates Spike who grins back... "This guy has been trying to kill us for the past few years...Though with pretty poor marksmanship..."
"But...I now think it will all work out...In fact, I know it will..."
He pauses...
"A certain lady we all know...sent us a message recently...And told us that her hold on William Walthrop was unbreakable..."
"Tough luck, Dru..." he smiles... "That tie is broken..."
"But there is an unbreakable tie that still does bind our friend Will and poor Drusilla, the human soul...Not the one her demon wanted to gloat about...Not one based on hate and suffering..."
"The tie that we all share...That comes to us through our three Slayers..." he nods at them and they nervously smile back...Why, Alexander Harris...
"The tie based on their love and compassion...Even for the most cursed...The reason we love them and will always be here for them..."
"That's the tie that will never be broken..."
"No matter what may happen to us in the future..."
"And that tie is the basis for the love our two friends share...And why I know that love will triumph..."
"So, God bless our two friends...And may they see the endless happy days they both have earned...The hard way..." he grins at Spike...
"To the tie that binds us..." he raises his glass...Angel and Wesley on their feet to cheer...
"Hear, hear..." calls Giles...Banging on his glass...
***
The two elder members of the group proved to be most proficient at dancing...Especially considering they were each over 100...
Although Giles was by no means far behind...Particularly with Basey as his partner...
Who was still fascinated by his charming accent...
Willow was in better spirits though more tired...But she enjoyed the fruits of "Operation Distraction" as she watched Buffy and Warren dancing...
Amazingly enough the "cybergenius" could do a mean waltz...
Courtesy of his eminent partner...who had thought it was high time to return some of his friend's favors...
***
While Dawn attempted to deal with the many dance requests thrown her way...
Buffy Rebecca taking a brief break, discussed the future with her sister and the rest of the gang periodically dropping in from the dance floor...
The Walthrops would of course return to Sunnydale...She and Spike thought the Crestwood-McGarvey area would be good for them...A little run-down, but with some fine old homes...And somewhat in need of the Slayer's attention...At least if the current peace broke down...
But she was a little down about...one thing... Not that she had anything to complain about... After being resurrected and all...Twice if you counted Buffy's as hers as well...
And of course...Being more or less immortal...it might have been difficult to face...the inevitable loss...
And who knew how Spike would have handled...Fatherhood?...
Of course, they could adopt... If he would agree and if well, they could adjust to the idea of outliving their children...
Spike...A father?...Buffy, Willow, Anya...somewhat shocked...It hadn't occurred...Well, ok it had occurred to Buffy...After all...
Still...to actually talk about it...
Wow...
But the "cybergeniuses" had a little surprise for their favorite girl...
Which Spike had been sitting on for a week...Nervous that BR would be utterly against any thought of children...raised by a vampire father...even a reformed vampire father able to go out in the daylight on occasion...
A new product, courtesy of their breakthroughs in bionetics...Which he had learned about while reviewing the company's line for his European excursion...
***
He'd only once seen BR shocked...When he told her he had his first job interview in over a century...At her birthplace, Xortox Labs...
And even then she'd been somewhat prepared...He had been working there as Warren's assistant already...Supposedly on his own grant...
This...she was definitely not prepared for...
***
All the gang gathered...
"It would only take a minor installation..." Warren explains... "You already have a blood synthesizer and bio-mass utilization unit..."
"And I...well...left room..." he adds, a little embarassed...
Of course they'd have to review the occult side of things with Giles... Spike told her...Make sure no demon could be passed on...But as for his...biology...All systems go...
And there was one small additional thing...One thing Warren couldn't generate...
Oh...right...Buffy thought...Oh!...
"Oh...you need an egg donor..." Anya says happily... "Buffy, isn't that great...You could be the donor..."
"Hey, what a great idea..." Dawn chimes in...No one had noticed her slipping into the conversation...
Dawn was quickly removed to the far corner of the hall by Xander...
Geesh, as if we weren't taught biology at school...she thought...
Egg donor?...me?...thinks Buffy...Me, the biological mother of Spike's?...
Sis?...thinks BR...The biological mother of our?...
"It doesn't have to be you..." Spike nervously puts in...
Oh, really...
"I'll have to think this one out..." both Buffies in stereo...
Still...
***
The Tie That Binds...Part XV
After the Buffies recovered from the shock of the "cybergeniuses" breakthrough news...The Walthrops left for Spike's...Now Spike's and BR's...
Although she would still occasionally need the biotank...Possibly once a month...Warren had told her...
Great...she thought...What if...
"I can break down the main components and ship them with you...Spike can set up a new one in Europe...Shouldn't be a major problem..." he reassured her...
Great...dragging that thing with me...forever...
Well...existence, happiness, love, resurrection, possibly motherhood...I can't ask too much of "Dad"...In fact...
"You know, Buffy will really need some companionship while we're away..." she looked at Warren...with an open-hearted wide-eyed Buffy stare...
***
Buffy asked Angel to take her back to the house...
She was feeling guilty...She'd been avoiding him a bit...
"So...that's what you look like in a tux...In the daylight..." she smiles at him...
"I couldn't have looked worse than Spike...Did you see him tremble all through the service?..." Angel grins back at her...
She laughs...Full and heartily...
First time in so long...At least I can still make her a little happier...he thinks...
"We hit him with that all afternoon...He got us back good though...When Buffy Rebecca and I heard the 'cyberboys' start talking about their ‘breakthrough’.."
"Is there no limit to what Science can do?..." Angel laughs...
"Your grandson...the Doctor..." she takes his hand...And turns a little serious... "Well...I guess it's been a little hard on you...Everything at once..."
"Nothing compared to what it's been like for you, Buffy..." he looks at her...
"It's been hell...Well now I know a little of what you go through every day..." she nods...And pauses...
"I've acquired...Some of BR's memories...During our merged time..." she looks sheepishly at him... "They've screwed me up...Just a little...So if I've seemed...distant..."
"It doesn't surprise me that you'd grow to feel something for old Spike...My grandson is a promising lad, after all..." he smiles again... "And you have a heart that can embrace any creature capable of returning affection... I should know..."
He always makes it easy for me...she thinks...And I give him so little...
"I won't let them...Crowd out what we've had..." she pauses...
"What matters to me is that you're happy, Buffy..." he looks at her... "If I could give you that...I wouldn't hesitate to fight...But...for now at least...I can't..."
"Besides...from what Warren told me about BR's nature...There must be a potential Buffy out there
for me too..." he grins again...
"There'll always be a Buffy right here who loves you..." she says, taking his hand... "Always..."
"That's why I keep coming back..." he nods... "But this is sounding like good-bye...And I've no intention of heading out just yet..."
"So...I can finally show you the Sunnydale sights..."
"It's what I live for...But..." he pauses...
"I'm thinking of sending Wes and Cordy back early...To cover for me..." he grins...
"Slavedriver..." Buffy teases...And kisses him... "I'm glad you came...And glad you'll be here for a while..."
"Well, Spike is not the only fellow ready to wait for a Buffy for all eternity..."
"Someday..." she smiles sadly at him...
"Someday..." he nods...
He left for Giles'...
He was more determined than ever to save Willow...
***
Basey had gone back with Giles to the store after sending her brother home with Dawn via Xander...
They had to discuss the Willow situation in private...She felt rather guilty...Her exam of Willow the night of what must have been her attack had turned up nothing...
But Giles reassured her...If not for her brother, even Angel would not have guessed...At least not until it was too late...Whoever was involved was obviously proceeding slowly and cautiously...
Angel joined them a few minutes later...He was now a guest of Giles in any case so there would be no suspicion aroused on Buffy's or BR's part by his coming over...
It was likely Willow's transformation pace would be moved up with the departure of the Walthrops...One less Slayer to worry about...
She would have to be watched 24/7 from now on...But it was also imperative that she not catch on...At least until Giles could prepare some powerful restraints on her...Possibly Tara could assist there but that also would call for caution...Her behavior the previous night suggested that Willow was already watching her and might learn what was up through her if they brought her in...
Giles could however give them a very general protective spell against witchcraft, supported by some amulets to ward off negative spells...
That might afford some protection if she caught on to their surveillance...
***
This...is ridiculous...thought Spike...
I've been with her before...There is no reason on Earth to be nervous...And yet...
The only other time was in a crypt...After her resurrection...
She wasn't exactly in a normal frame of mind...Now...This time...
The start of everyday life with Buffy Rebecca...
She burst in on his reverie...In her nightgown...Looking...utterly...
"Are you as nervous as I am?..." she grins at him...And takes his hand...
"Shattered with terror..." he admits...
"We'll be fine...in the end...I'm sure of it..." she laughs... "My first night in a real bed...I just realized it..."
"I...haven't done anything...to deserve this..." he chokes a little...
She looks at him calmly and clearly...And takes his hand again...
"William Walthrop has done nothing not to deserve this...As for his demon...It's never going to be here...Between us..."
He was crying...just a little...
"Poor Angel..." he says to her... "Poor fellow, he's the one...who really..."
"He has Buffy..." she looks at him... "He does... Even if he has to wait ...And he has his own road to take...You and I have each other..."
She grins... And hugs him...
"After all, I personally prefer blondes...and good immortal ones are hard to come by..."
Oh...the indescribable and absolute joy...
***
The Tie That Binds...Part XVI
Buffy Rebecca was up early the next morning...Her new hubs, not yet quite used to a day schedule was sleeping in...
She had plans anyway...To meet for breakfast with her sis...Just a quiet chance for them to be alone together before things got insane again...
Besides...Buffy wanted details...and Buffy Rebecca, being Buffy...wanted to share them...With the one person who would understand her completely...
Plus, she wanted to know Buffy's plans and the details of her talk with Angel...
She was, of course, careful to secure Spike's daylight ring before she left...And to double check the apartment windows...
No way was she taking any chances with her "cybergenius"...
***
Spike awoke a little while after she left...And was briefly terrified...
It was much too likely to have been a beautiful dream...
Fortunately, BR had anticipated his reaction and left a note reminding him of her plan to rendevous with her sis...
He was a little irritated for a moment to find she had hidden or taken his ring...Surely after more than a century of surviving countless foes...
Still, what a joy to know someone cared...Even if she viewed him as a somewhat incompetent clod...
Giles called...He knew the Buffies were meeting and thought Spike might like some breakfast company...Could he and Cordelia stop by?...They'd bring bagels...
They would be very welcome...
***
Cordelia told him of her vision, reluctantly...
He nodded...It made sense...And he knew Dru would make a powerful foe...
"It could be from the distant future, Spike..." Giles reassured him... "And in any case...I've learned, ever since the Master's little game not to trust completely in prophecy..." he nods to Cordy... "With all due respect to the accuracy Cordelia's visions have always shown..."
"And remember I saw Buffy's attack on Willow...And she survived it..." Cordy put in hopefully...
Spike couldn't help noticing Giles flinch a little when Cordelia mentioned Willow...He looked at Giles...Something else wrong?...
"But we want you to be as prepared as possible...And forewarned is forearmed..." Giles finished...
Spike thanked them...
"We know it will be dangerous...We'll take every precaution we can..."
"But thanks, Cordelia...An ounce of prevention, you know..."
Cordelia needed to use the facilities...And wanted to peek around Spike's place...
Spike took advantage of the moment alone...
"Giles...Is there something else?..."
Giles nodded and mouthed Willow's name...
No...thought Spike...Not so soon, and not poor Red...Powerful and dangerous poor Red...he corrected...
Cordy came back...Spike had a request...BR had meant for him to get a few things in case guests dropped by...But she'd forgotten to leave his ring...Would she possibly drop by the little store around the corner...Just a very short list...
She was happy to...But...
"You know guys, I'm not quite as brain dead as I may appear...If you need to talk you just have to ask..." she grinned as she went out...
"Our team is always full of surprises and unsuspected talents..." Giles smiled at him...
"Amen to that..." Spike grinned...
Now as to Willow's "situation"...
***
BR was very pleased to hear that Buffy was putting some distance between herself and the Spike memories she acquired from BR...And that she had gone a long way toward restoring her relationship with Angel...At least to the extent it could be a relationship...
And Buffy was sincerely happy to see BR's joy...And amused to hear of the newlyweds' nervousness...
Just like any other couple...
They would be diverging a little from now on, BR pointed out...She had the fixed relationship, a firm pattern to her life from now on...Just as she'd always known...
Of course, a firm pattern likely to have some incredible ups-and-downs...
Just one of the potential paths for Buffy...A wonderful one, but...
But...And she smiled at her sis...Buffy had the unfixed route...Wide open to all potentials...And as tough as it might seem now...There was something wonderful to be said for that, too...
Buffy nodded...
"But it will be good to know I will always have you to count on, sis..." she grinned...Taking BR's hand... "A little fixed reliability in this universe is a pretty valuable thing...And even Giles, Willow, and Xander can't be there for me forever..."
And to think I was out to destroy her without mercy only a few weeks ago...
***
Spike agreed that their plan was the right way to go...Nothing should be done to arouse Willow's reaction, sure to be a dangerous one...
And with Angel around he was sure Willow would be saved...But, perhaps he and BR should delay their departure?...
Giles thought not...To change plans now would almost certainly arouse Willow's suspicions...And Basey and Angel could keep her covered with a little help from himself and Xander if necessary...
Hmmn...Much as he loved and respected his "best man"...Still Giles was right...
But as to the nature of their enemy...
He agreed that Darla was unlikely for now...Dru, almost certainly not...
But what about the actual vampires who attacked Willow and Tara the night of the party?...One of the three had escaped?...And Leto had appeared out of nowhere...Supposedly to "help"?...
"Leto is a possibility of course..." Giles noted... "He knows Willow from his human days...But...his status as peacemaker would collapse if he were to have done anything like this...And he clearly enjoys his position..."
"And the third one...The one who escaped...Has Leto come up with anything on him?..."
"He gave us a possible name the other day, via the network...One Theodore...Who has seemed to be opposed to the peace from the start..." Giles was thoughtful...
"Then it sounds like he's a good place to start..."
"Yes, if we can catch up with him...And take him alive..." Giles looked at Spike...
"Well, BR and I have two days before we leave...Maybe Angel and I should make the rounds of Sunnydale haunts..." Spike grinned... Reviving the old days already...Wait until the Missus finds out...
"It might be worth a try...But Spike, remember...Both you and Angel are very well known here...You can't hope to pass as ordinary vampires...And I for one do not want to see Buffy Rebecca a widow before her honeymoon..." Giles regarded him carefully...
"We'll be on guard...With BR in close support I have no doubt..." Spike grinned at Giles...
"Don't worry...she can deal with this...Even if Buffy can't right now...Besides..."
"She'd kill me if I did it any other way..."
***
Theodore was indeed in hiding...Leto having stage managed his escape during the fight with the three Slayers while, much to their own surprise, Theodore's "pals", agents of Leto, had been sacrificed...
Theodore was the essential ingredient in Leto's plan after all...The vampire renegade who was subjecting poor gentle Willow to a fate worse than death...From which the noble Leto would attempt to rescue her...Alas, without success...
That is, if his scenario worked out...So far, so good...
Theodore, grateful for Leto's protection, had no idea of his status as a pawn and was quite willing now to follow his instructions...for his own safety, naturally...
Now it was merely necessary to bring Theodore and Willow together one last time...under the appropriate conditions...Once the Slayers had been reduced by one, plus the famed vampire traitor William the Bloody, now almost a Slayer himself...Off to their honeymoon, according to
what Willow had told him...
To make things that much easier...
And Willow was increasingly willing to cooperate...
Even anxious...For the beginning of her new...existence...
***
The gang had a full meeting at the airport to see Benedictus off on his way to Greece...
Good old Ben...They would miss him...Particularly a certain young Ms. Summers...Deep in the throes of hero-worship...
He grinned at Buffy Rebecca...Victor over his maniacal sister...Who was in fact well on her way to becoming a much happier person as a result of her efforts...If somewhat less glorious...
"I don't know if Glory would thank you if she could...But I sure do..." he said to her...
"You saved Dawn for us, Ben...More than thanks enough..." she took his hand...As did Buffy, coming over...
"I still can't quite get used to the two of you...But then...I guess both our families are 'interesting'..."
"Give me best to Dreg..." BR grinned... "A brave little guy even if he was on the wrong side..."
"He's happy...Has all he ever really wanted..." Ben smiled...
Dawn clung close by...And followed him down to the boarding area...With her sisters in close...
"Goodbye...Ms. Summers..." Ben said formally... With a twinkle... "Hope that trip to Greece comes off for you..."
Trip to Greece?...The Buffies wondered...
"Goodbye Ben...Please write..." Dawn hugged him...
These Summers girls...he thought...Well, he was after all immortal...And who knew but that someday... He looked at the nervous Buffies who were clearly thinking the same...
Well, we'll see...
He waved to them as he headed out to the plane...
All in all, the Buffies couldn't help thinking...Not the worst possible match-up for Dawn...Especially if she turns out to be an immortal herself...
Still...Glory...as a sister-in-law?...
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it...
Anyway...unless Warren makes up a Xander-bot...you really couldn't do much better than a benevolent god of mercy and healing...With a medical practice...
And Warren is emphatically out of that line of the business...
Unless of course an emergency ever requires...A little extra help...
***
The Tie That Binds...Part XVII
Buffy Rebecca was heart-broken to hear from Spike of Willow's danger...
But...grateful that the still recovering Buffy had been spared the terrible news...And even more grateful that he trusted her to handle the truth...
Even though he knew she would insist on playing at least a supporting role in the hunt for Theodore...
The basis for their lasting relationship...
***
Fortunately those not yet in the know about Willow would assume the Walthrops were "occupied"...And that Angel was assisting Basey on patrol to give Buffy a few more evenings solid rest...
There were two basic possibilities...Either Theodore was the cause of the problem, a relatively basic vamp attack, to be dealt with in the traditional manner....Or, he was a pawn in someone else's game...
In either case, the fact that they were known might actually help Spike and Angel in their efforts...By bringing the enemy openly out after them...Theodore or whoever...
BR promised to be "discreet" in backing them up...
"Discreet"...thought Spike...Yes, the Slayer wandering through every vamp den in Sunnydale...Nervously watching out for her new hubs and her old boyfriend...That ought to be "discreet"...
Still...to have somebody care...And not in a well-meaning "Sorry you got staked, Spike...We'll miss your rapid-fire repartee..." kind of way...
But he was equally nervous for her...She was a little too inclined to view herself as indestructible...And he could not get Cordelia's vision out of his mind...
Still, there should be no grassy fields or cliffs where they would be going...Tonight...
***
Sir Harold, head of Wolfram-Hart, Europe sent good tidings to his new partner, Drusilla...
Arrangements were in place to keep surveillance on the Walthrops from the moment they left Sunnydale...
They would never be out of sight of an agent of Wolfram-Hart... Even better he had secured the Montir pendant from what remained of WH, America for her use...
Allowing her the chance to approach the Slayer and her vampire undetected by their heightened sensibilities...But...
He was not entirely happy with Dru's rather vague plan...To capture the Slayer when she was alone, put her in thrall, and use her as an appropriate instrument against her boy...It smacked of the failures of the past, particularly Darla's...
Surely the situation called for a quick and neat assassination...Why take chances?...
But Dru had her heart set on having a close relationship with her new daughter-in-law...Not by any means a permanent one, like that which Darla had envisioned... in fact quite temporary...But close nonetheless...
Buffy would be on Dru's home ground now...Without the support of her friends...Save one...
Who would be kept suitably occupied until Buffy was properly prepared...
Drusilla had always set great store by her powers in hypnosis and thrall...At least for short periods...
And once Buffy was in her power, all she would need would be a few minutes, an hour...at most part of a day...
However the new, fear-shaken Dru was willing to be reasonable...Sir Harold's practical approach was a excellent back-up plan...
And for his part, Sir Harold did appreciate the beauty of Dru's scheme...William the Bloody destroyed by the source of his redemption...The Slayer dying with the agonizing knowledge she
had killed him...
Dru's mind had an exquisite beauty all its own...
***
Spike and Angel were discussing their plans for the evening at Spike's when Buffy and Xander dropped by...Bearing gifts...
Old photos, some keepsakes, a few extra furniture bits...which Buffy knew BR would appreciate having...
"Hi guys...Will, I've brought some stuff for BR and you from the house..." she greeted them...And kissed Angel, looking at them both...
Xander was struggling manfully with several boxes...But also watching them...
Spike was pleased to see Buffy looking so well...A little more rest and she would be back in form...And I'm back to Will again...A little less tension in our relationship won't hurt a bit...
He was also pleased to have to put off the current conversation for a bit and concentrate on happier matters...
They briefly discussed the pleasanter aspects of the upcoming honeymoon...But Spike noticed Xander watching him...and Angel for that matter...
A sudden burst of caution on Harris' part?...Commendable of course, but hardly...
Buffy noticed him looking at Xander...watching him...
She chuckled and kissed him...gently...
Wait a minute...
"Well?..." Buffy Rebecca says... "Human or robot?...Could you tell?..."
Angel was startled...But then he'd never thought about it...He actually couldn't tell...
"I've told Xander about Willow..." she explains... "Basey will need help watching Willow...And if Willow does realize she's there...Well, she loves Xander...It might restrain her..."
Xander nods...
She had thought about tonight's excursion as well...And there was a reason behind her little play-acting...Just give her a mo in the bathroom...
Both Angel and Spike were beginning to see...Ok, she could pass for human well enough to even fool a vampire...
But...
Rebecca Walthrop, brunette college student emerged from the bathroom...With a few more years added to her face, courtesy of a little practice and some manipulation of her facial musculature...A little advice from "Dad" had helped...
"What do you think?..."
Not bad...Great actually...A stranger could be fooled...But...
A human woman wandering around the local vamp dens...Who vaguely resembled the famed Slayer?...
"I just need one additional touch...If you would do the honors, sweetie..." she turns to Spike...
What?...
"A bite scar...I need a bite scar...You know, helpless human in thrall...Waiting in the den for her soon-to-be-sire...Happens all the time..." she smiles...
A perfect cover story...Well, a good enough one at least...
Even in this current peace-time there were bound to be a few hapless humans happily waiting to be finished off...And very few vampires would play with another fellow's food...
"Wait...I won't...Break anything?..." Spike was nervous...
"Only your teeth if you're not careful...And mind your chip...You've been frying your brain enough recently..." she glares a little at him...And turns to Angel...
"I would ask you, Angel...But this is kind of a couple's personal thing..." she grins...
She dragged Walthrop in tow to the bathroom...A little privacy for an intimate moment...
Xander looked at Angel...Angel looked at Xander...
Ummn...Anything to take their minds off what was going on...
A slight moan from...Spike...in the bathroom...
"Arghh!...Bloody Christ!..." they hear...
"Spike!...Watch it..." BR's voice drifts in to them...
"Sorry..." Spike again...
A slight moan...Now from Buffy Rebecca...
"Nice girl that Basey..." Xander says brightly...And loudly...
"Yes, indeed...First-rate Slayer..." Angel nods...
***
BR came out...Looking...A little dazed?...
They looked at each other again...
She grins at them...Clear-eyed again...And shows her new scar...
Masterful job...notes Angel...Spike always had a neat touch...
"Thrall enough for you?..." she grins...
Spike was a little worse for wear...Not so much the chip as feeling guilty...
She patted him gently...No harm done...And...
"I'm afraid I have no inclination to kneel at your feet, honey..." she smiles...
Fortunately for their upcoming battle with Dru...Warren's passion for accuracy had not extended quite that far...
But then he had never had much vamp experience before his friendship with Spike...
***
Consider it a trial run...Buffy Rebecca had comforted her hubs...
A chance for them to retest their mutual skills in the field before the major effort...
With Angel around, and the peace agreement in force as yet...there would be little danger...For either of them...
And after all, they were the Walthrops...the Summers-Walthrops now...The defeaters of the Goddess of Glory and Victory and the mighty Darla...
Facing a passel of frightened, cowed little vamps...
No problem...Willow was practically saved already...
He knew she was lying of course...And would be watching him every second, terrified...
Likewise the basis of their lasting relationship...
***
The Tie That Binds...Part XVIII
Angel, Xander, and Buffy Rebecca decided to give Walthrop a chance to recover from his efforts...They needed to collect a few things from Giles for Basey's and Xander's Willow surveillance anyway.
Impressed as he was by BR's ability to disguise herself and pleased that her robotic nature could indeed protect her against thrall, Angel, like her "Dr." Walthrop, was worried about her...
And took the opportunity to let her know his concerns...Which Xander was glad to reinforce...
She had after all been killed once...And anyone with a human soul, even a robot, was potentially in jeopardy of losing it...
"Don't underestimate whoever we're up against..." he cautions... "Not to mention Dru..."
No one knew Dru's potential like Angel...
She nods... "I'm not forgetting Dru has abilities I can't imagine...And, well... ‘Dad’ reminded me that even if I can't be turned...or be put in thrall...I can be hurt...killed...I could even be hypnotized..."
Now Xander was getting nervous...That was how Kendra died...
"And believe me, I don't want any of the above...For any of us...So..." she grins at them...Her dear fellas...So great to have them back with her...And to know they'd be around for Buf...If only Riley would get a move on...
"We're all going to be careful...And frankly I think we need to bring in more help..."
She looks at them...
"But guys...we don't have to make William any more nervous than he already is...Right?..."
They nod...
She is Buffy...thought Angel...No doubt about it...
Amazing what Science can accomplish...Shaking his head...These humans...
***
Xander left to take up his watch over Willow with Ms. Granger...Provided with extra protection by Giles' amulets...
The rest, Angel, Giles, and BR, were still uncertain about discussing things with Tara...Too dangerous if she was already being manipulated by Willow...And difficult to get her safely alone in any case...
But they agreed it was time to bring in Wesley and Cordelia...Who could provide backup for the Walthrops and Angel, particularly in the form of getaway transport...In case things suddenly got hairy...
And, since Buffy would need some company to keep her occupied...Warren and Anya were likewise included...
***
Willow threw a slight wrench into the works by heading over to Buffy's with Tara...
She thought Buf might be lonely with BR at Spike's and Basey and Angel on patrol...
And she was worried about Tara...Who still seemed lethargic at times...Delayed after effects of her exposure to Glory, perhaps?...
She wanted to discuss it with Buffy...Let her see and judge...Without upsetting her sweetie unnecessarily...
As for herself, she was feeling better, if a little run down... Though she had the odd feeling she had something to tell Buffy...Something important she couldn't quite remember...
"Where's Xander?..." she asked Anya, pleased to see she and Warren had come out as well to keep Buffy company...
"Oh...doing carpenter things...Sawing and nailing and...carpenter things...He may be by later..."
"Dedicated man..." Willow grinned...
Tara was a little pooped but began a conversation with Warren on his "breakthrough" in maternal cybernetics...Which was of considerable interest to Buffy...
***
There was no better place in Sunnydale to start than Willie's...
Where much to their surprise, Angel and Spike found themselves tolerably welcome...A few patrons turned their backs, most simply ignored them, while Willie the Snitch was all congeniality...
Peace had been very good for Willie...
And Leto, now the vampire power in town, had requested that the Slayer or any of her friends be treated with the greatest courtesy when visiting any haunts...
Which was enough for Willie to display his full charm...And to keep his "underground" clients in line...
But he had "nothing" for them when they requested any information on Theodore...Just that he was a loudmouth, the usual self-appointed Slayer-destroyer...
The twenty dropped causally on the table caught Willie's eye for a moment...Two more brought up a "friend", one Max who had known Theodore in happier days...
They made it clear that Theodore would be offered an amnesty...If he turned himself over at once...Information was all they wanted...At present...
Max agreed to let the word be spread...Not that he knew anything specific...But as a friend of the peace...
No one recognized the dazed-eyed brunette, of about thirty or so, who entered while Angel and Spike were quizzing Willie and his informant...
Just another happy meal, looking for her would-be sire...A little embarrassing, perhaps, given the peace and all...
***
"Well?..." Spike asked Angel on leaving...
They'd considered a call on Leto...But wanted to hold such a meeting in reserve...
"Let's wait a bit...See what Max does..."
Walthrop was happy enough to wait for his Missus to emerge in any case...
They took up a position in the nearest shadowy corner...
"Just like old times, eh boy..." Angel grinned at Spike...Who for his part could have foregone the good old days, thanks... He rather preferred the present...Or would when the Missus showed herself in one piece...
To Spike's intense relief, BR emerged a few moments later unscathed...
She kept up her dazed act, standing near the entrance...
Max emerged a bit later...looking distinctly nervous...
They followed discreetly...
***
Willow had begun the evening at Buffy's in good spirits but was growing tense and nervous as time wore on...
She had described Tara's symptoms to Buffy...Who agreed there might be good cause to have her checked out...
After all, it was several days before BR had shown the aftereffects of the electroshock that had shattered Glory...
But somehow Willow herself worried Buffy more...She seemed unusually irritable, especially around young Leroy and Dawn...And was rather curt with Anya...
Who for that matter did seem to be hovering a lot over Willow...
***
Xander and Basey reluctantly stayed near the house...Not much they could do with Willow in the Summers'...But at least she was inside and safe...
So far no signs of anything lurking around, trying to make contact...
Basey tried out her English accent on Xander... She had developed it watching the movie "Chicken Run"...
English accents were so classy...How'd hers compare with Giles'?...
Fascinating guy that Giles...By the way, did Xander happen to know if he was presently...
Hmmn...Xander thought...Brits are definitely in with Slayers this week...
***
Leto had almost instantly received word of Angel's and Spike's sleuthing...He was not especially disturbed...He had in fact counted on the Slayers or their friends becoming suspicious of Willow...And trying to locate good old Ted...
He just had to make sure events put Theodore and Willow together at the right moment...And allowed for his heroic rescue attempt...
Just a matter of stage-management and proper timing...With the Slayers' nearests and dearests in position as suitable eyewitnesses...
***
Max had headed for a relatively new vamp hangout, The Raven's Hair...
Rather easily catching up to her vamp boys, BR suggested they let her go in alone...She would be just the April equivalent of a poor soul in thrall, searching everywhere for her dear sire...Safer than letting Max and others see them inside...At least for the moment...
Spike reluctantly agreed...But only for a few minutes...Then...
"My Victorian gentleman..." she grinned at Angel... And promised to head back out in fifteen...
Angel wryly suggested they each cover an exit...If he knew Buffy and he did...BR would follow Max wherever he went...Without waiting a second for them...
Spike nodded...
***
The bartender, semi-demon, was nervous on seeing BR at the bar...A human woman wandering around...In thrall...Not good for promoting the peace process...Not likely to appeal to the boss' taste...
After all the boss was the founder of the peace movement...
He suggested the lady might like a cab...to the nearest hospital...
She was looking for a "friend"...BR told him...Someone she'd met a few towns over just a couple of nights ago...Who said he'd meet her again...in Sunnydale...Couldn't really remember his name...But his piercing eyes and...
The barkeep got the picture...Her "friend" was not likely to be here...Respectable, peace-loving place this...Really, the lady should rethink that cab...Maybe try a little nourishment...
She smiled wanly at him...And asked for a soda...
She'd wait...Just a bit, thank you...Maybe he'd show...
She noticed Max at a table...Cradling a glass...into which he surreptitiously poured the contents of one of Warren's blood packets...As befitting a staunch supporter of peace...
Speaking to someone, who was keeping rather to the darker side of the table...
The missing Theodore whom her supplemental memory identified despite the fact that she had only glimpsed him for a moment the night of Willow's attack...And had been seriously intoxicated at the time...
Too bad the damned thing wasn't allowed to kick in during her exams...
***
Willow had decided to call it a night...Rather early...But then, Tara was clearly pooped and she was worried about her...
Besides Anya and Warren could be trusted to keep Buffy company...
And she couldn't stay indoors any longer...With them all dropping by to look at her, asking her how she felt...Was she ok?...Enough already...
She just needed some air...
***
Max passed on Leto's good wishes to Theodore...All his problems with the Slayers would be ironed out...In fact, Leto was sure a simple apology at the right time would settle things...Not a thing to worry about...
He was called away by a phone call...
BR realized her "fifteen" was up...But she couldn't let Theodore just pass right through her fingers...
It might be the only chance for Willow...
***
Buffy expressed her concern about Willow to Anya and Warren...Didn't she seem?...
"Willow seems fine to me...For someone in her condition..." Anya helpfully replied...
Condition?...
"Oh...Powerful, dead-raising witch...She must be getting dozens of calling from the dead...And their relatives..." Anya quickly recovered the ball...
"Tara seems to be the one in trouble..." Warren tried his hand at "calming" Buffy's fears...
Trouble?...Ok, now what is going on?...
Buffy went into glare mode...Anya and Warren did their best to find other topics of conversation...
Never send a "cybergenius" and a recently rehumanized former demon to do a diplomat's work...
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