To see the Sun again

They argued about it for two months, but in the end, Spike won. They needed to know, to be one hundred percent certain, that Giles wasn’t still working with the Watcher’s Council. Buffy was sure, but Spike refused to let her call him or her mother until they had proof. Their safety depended on it, and, more importantly for both, Lisa’s safety too.

They agreed to have Buffy call Willow ; the witch would have to get the proof for them.

Buffy had to call 3 times their old dorm room before she found her friend there.

"Buffy ?! Oh my God is that really you ? "

"Yes Will, it’s me. Listen, I don’t have much time, and I have a huge favor to ask you. "

Willow listened, stunned, as Buffy explained to her what she needed.

After Buffy hung up, Willow realized she hadn’t even asked her where she was. Her short story had been so… weird. But then, weird was the norm for Sunnydale’s inhabitants.

She was staring at the phone, still trying to accept that it had indeed been Buffy she was talking to. She had been gone for so long that they had all started to believe that she had found her death at the hands, or fangs, of one of the creatures she was supposed to slay. Either that or she had fled town, and Willow had never thought one second that it had been the case. Not again.

She jumped as Tara’s hand pressed her shoulder. She had moved in with Willow several months after Buffy’s disappearance.

"Everything OK, sweetie ? "

"Yes, yes, Ok. I mean, really OK. Buffy is alive."

An uncertain smile graced the witch’s lips. "Why do you look so sad then ? "

"She asked me… to do something. She needs my help. Our help. "

Later in the afternoon, both witches, Xander and Anya were entering the mansion where Angel had taken residence again. He was surprised at their arrival, as they rarely came there, even more rarely before sunset. A quick look at their faces and he was sure something was different. Only one thing came to his mind. One name.

"Buffy ? "

They were all standing by the fireplace, Willow doing the talking.

"Yes Angel, it’s Buffy. "

His body hardened, waiting for the verbal blow he had been fearing since moving back to Sunnydale. The announce of her death.

"She called me today. She’s OK. "

The burden of a year of fear was suddenly lifted from his shoulders.

"Is she back ? Where..? "

"She can’t come back yet. She needs our help first. "

He listened as the redhead quickly explained the little that Buffy had told her. The other Scoobies apparently had already heard it all. His anger grew flaring hot until he could barely repress his demon.

"If he knew, I will kill him ! "

Surprisingly, no one protested.

Right after sundown, the Scoobies were invading Giles home. They had agreed that no harm was to be done to the ex-Watcher, as they were all certain that he couldn’t have known what was going on. He had been too distressed after Buffy disappeared. Still, the Slayer had asked their help, and they
felt they had to do as she asked them.

Without much trouble, Giles had been secured to a chair with a rope.

"Giles, we are really sorry to do this, but you’ll understand later that it was necessary. "

A flash of fear passed through the Watcher’s eyes, quickly suppressed.

"What is going on here ? Willow ? Xander ? Anya ? Tara ? Angel ? "

His eyes traveled from face to face as he called their names, finding nothing but determination, and some sort of reluctance.

The witches were soon one on his left, one on his right, their hands joined above his head. He recognized their incantation as they pronounced it together. A truth spell.

"What the hell are you doing ? "

It was Angel who spoke first, his voice so cold Giles wondered if Angelus was back in that familiar body. He had come to trust the vampire again. It had taken a long time, but Angel had earned himself every bit of trust possible, fighting Buffy’s fight with her ex-Watcher and friends. And now, this ?

"We need the truth, Giles. Do you know what happened to Buffy ? "

Surprise washed over him at the question, as the truth spell forced an answer from his mouth.

"No ! Of course I don’t ! "

Xander asked the next question. "Did you know what the Watcher’s council was planning ? "

" The council ?! I haven’t heard from them since I told them Buffy disappeared !"

At that point, Giles was too shocked to pay attention to what was happening around him. He didn’t notice the sighs of relief of Xander and Anya, didn’t hear Willow’s question. She repeated, and his eyes grew wide with anger.

"Did you help the Council in any way when or after they kidnapped Buffy? "

" No ! For God’s sake, no ! Buffy is like my daughter, I would never do anything to harm her ! "

As soon as he finished talking, the witches’ hands separated, causing the spell to fade, and he was soon unbound from his chair. Again, his eyes went from face to face, until they stopped on Willow.

"We’re sorry we had to put you through that, Giles, but Buffy said it was the only way to be sure. She told me to apologize to you for her. "

Giles stared at her for a second, his mouth moving soundlessly, tears coming to his eyes.

"Buffy ? She’s alive ? Where… "

"She will call back tonight. Here. I just need to do a little trick on the phone in case the council is keeping an eye on your phone calls. "

The ex-Watcher just closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Soon, tears were seeping below his closed eyelids. For more than a year, Buffy had been gone. He had convinced himself that a demon had killed her, hoped that she had not been turned by a vampire. Spike’s disappearance, at the same time, had worried him. Would they have killed each other ? With the chip, it was unlikely. Gone away together ? Even more unlikely. They hated each other.

The gang had talked about it, again and again, during long days and nights. But after a while, hope had disappeared. She wouldn’t have stayed away so long. Not if she was allright. So she wasn’t. It was that simple.

In silence, they waited. And when the phone rang, Giles was the quickest to reach it.

After Buffy had renewed her apologies and said her goodbyes, Giles went to the kitchen. He very badly needed a drink. Despite the quick and grim outline she had given him, he could not help feeling oddly comforted. His Slayer was back. Or almost.

His glass filled with scotch and ice, he returned to the armchair he had been tied to only a few moments before. The gang was waiting for him expectantly.

"So, G-man, what did she say ? "

"We heard you saying you’re going to London" Willow said quickly. "Is that where she is ? I want to come with you."

"Me too" Angel added.

"Me three ! "

Xander’s exclamation was followed by a punch from Anya. Before the two of them could get into one of their arguments, which usually ended with some kind of sexual blackmail, Giles cleared his voice.

"Yes, she’s in London. And yes, I think back up is a good idea. "

"Did she tell you what happened ? "

"She told me some of it. She seemed reluctant to talk about it on the phone. "

He peered into his glass, surprised to find only ice cubes in it.

"The Watchers’ Council kidnapped her. But I think you already know that. "

They all nodded, waiting impatiently for the rest.

"She wasn’t kidnapped alone. Spike was too. Which explains why he disappeared at the same time she did. "

He paused, noticing the surprise and confusion on the faces around him. Only Angel’s was strangely inexpressive.

"They were jailed for almost a year. Caged, she said. They managed to escape together recently. They’re hiding. They think the Council is looking for them still."

For a few seconds, everybody was quiet. Then they all started talking at the same time.

"Why would..? "

"Spike ? "

"When do we..? "

"Spike ?! "

He got to his feet, remembering what he had promised Buffy.

"I need to go. I have to tell Joyce. "

The Watcher had grown closer to Joyce during the last year. Not intimately so, but they had become friends. They had supported each other in the loss of the young woman who was, for both, a daughter. And now she was coming back in their lives.

Happy, Buffy put the phone down on the receiver. She joined Spike on the couch, where he was feeding Lisa a bottle of milk.

"The Watcher is clear" he said with a smile, only half asking.

She punched him lightly.

"I told you he had nothing to do with it. "

He shook his head, never taking his eyes of Lisa.

"You know we had to be sure. "

"Yeah, I know. "

Unconsciously, she leaned her cheek against his shoulder, watching the baby suckle.

"She’s so beautiful" she whispered.

"Just like her mom. "

She didn’t know what to reply, so she just kept quiet. Spike kept saying Lisa looked like her, but every time Buffy looked at her daughter’s eyes, she marveled at the blue that she found there. A clear, limpid blue, like a sky in the summer after a storm. She had seen that kind of blue only once before, when Spike had made love to her.

"So, what’s the plan ?" Spike asked, breaking the silence.

"Giles is coming here by the first plane. We plan. Then we attack. "

"Attack. That’s a word I like. "

The vampire was grinning, and Buffy wasn’t sure if it was caused by her words or by their daughter. She observed him as he cajoled the baby into sleep, singing a lullaby ever so softly. Since the birth, he surprised her at least a dozen times a day.

Spike, William the Bloody, killer of two Slayers, actually knew quite a few lullabies. He knew the correct way to hold a baby. He could stop Lisa’s tears faster than Buffy could say blood-sucking fiend. He was… incredible. And not just with the baby. He had been pampering Buffy, cooking for her delicious meals, preparing bubble baths for her to enjoy, ordering fresh flowers for her every few days.

Oh, they still argued. Verbal fights, about little nothings most of the time, which were battle of wits. But when before one of them would have walked away in anger, they now ended laughing together. It scared Buffy a little, that she was now so close to him. That she was even fond of him. Or was it more than fondness ? She didn’t know, and she didn’t really want to think about it. She knew he loved her. The last time he had voiced it had been after Lisa’s birth, but he had so many other ways to say it. She also knew he loved their daughter. No, not loved, he worshipped her. She suspected he was reporting on the baby a part of the love he was feeling for her mom.

Who said you need a soul to love ?

Peeking into the night through the curtains, Buffy was waiting for Giles. She was impatient to see him, having a hundred questions about the Council that she thought he could answer. He was the key to striking back and making sure their lives were not endangered any more.

A short instant ago, Lisa had been crying, and Spike had left Buffy in the living room to go check on her. Now all was silent.

Finally, she saw a taxi stop by on the other side of the street. Giles got out, but he wasn’t alone. Buffy rushed to the door and opened it before they reached it. Her mom ran to her and hugged her. Tears were flowing from her eyes, and Buffy felt her own eyes water.

"Mom, I missed you so much" she whispered.

Breaking the embrace, she pulled Joyce inside. Giles followed, and it was his turn to hug her. Then Xander and Willow gave her a group hug, laughing at the pleasure of seeing her. Their last companion was waiting just past the threshold.

"Invite me in please ? "

She stepped away from Giles, and smiled hesitantly at Angel.

"It’s not my house. Wait a second. "

She knew Spike well enough by now to know that inviting his Sire into his house without him agreeing first would only lead to trouble. She was going to call for him when he entered the living room. He greeted Joyce, taking her coat and luggage, motioned her to sit on the couch. He shared a brief handshake with Giles, nodded at Xander, smiled at Willow, all the while ostentatiously ignoring Angel standing just outside the door.

"Spike !" Buffy growled, annoyed at his game.

"Yes luv ? "

His innocent act melted when he took a look at her angry face.

"Bloody hell, Slayer, you never said he was coming here" he said accusingly.

"I didn’t know ! Now invite him in or I will ! "

Spike started walking away toward the kitchen, but he did pronounce an invitation, heavily loaded with colorful curses.

Angel stepped in and immediately hugged Buffy as all the others had done, but with more force and for a longer time. From the kitchen, Spike could see the whole scene. He had never thought Angel would be coming. Joyce, yes, he had imagined she would, as well as Red and even Xander. But not his big poof of a Sire. Groaning, he served himself a shot of Scotch. Half listening to Buffy’s abridged story of their adventures, he prepared hot chocolates for the ladies, and double shots of Scotch for the Watcher and the whelp. They were going to need it. The poof could die of thirst for all he cared.

He brought the beverages to the living room on a tray, which earned him surprised glances from the gang. He sat in an armchair with his own drink, ignoring both Buffy’s reproachful look and Angel menacing stare.

"Then we managed to escape two months ago and we’ve been hiding here" the Slayer was saying.

She had not said a word about the spell or Lisa, which left her story full of holes. The Watcher was quick to see that. Taking his glasses off, he started cleaning them with a handkerchief, while mumbling :

"This is truly unexpected from the Council. Both the kidnapping and the way they let you escape"

Spike arched an eyebrow. "They didn’t exactly let us escape, Watcher. Took them ten months to make a mistake, after all. "

Giles nodded absently, lost in his thoughts. Willow broke the silence, asking : "But why did they kidnap the Slayer and a Vampire ? Do you know what they wanted from you ? "

Joyce was sitting next to Buffy, holding her hand his both of hers. For some reason, she was eyeing Spike ; so was Angel. Buffy stirred a little, hesitant.

"Time to tell the last lil’ bit, Slayer" Spike told her gently, playing with words.

Leaving her with her mom, her Watcher / pseudo father, her ex-lover and her best friends, he went to get Lisa. He had heard the small noises that usually meant she was waking up. He didn’t really want to hear how Buffy was going to explain the rest of the story. She would probably insist on the spell thing. He liked to forget about that part, and pretend she had made love to him of her own will.

After a while, he came back to the living room with the baby. By the look of shock on all their faces, he could tell they knew. He carefully deposited his mewling bundle into Joyce’s arms.

"Joyce, please meet your granddaughter Lisa. "

He watched happily as a delighted smile wiped away her surprise.

"Oh my goodness" she whispered. "She is gorgeous. "

He noted that both the Watcher and the whelp had emptied their glasses, and that the poof looked like he could use one right now. Or a dozen. Chuckling, he went to fetch the bottle of Scotch. Angel caught on him in the kitchen, game face on.

"How did you dare touch her ?" he growled, looming over his Childe.

"Didn’t she tell you about the spell ?" Spike said, trying to sound bored.

Angel’s fist crashed into his jaw, and Spike caught himself to the table.

"Angel ! Stop ! "

Buffy grabbed the older Vampire’s arm before he could strike again. Spike straightened himself, ready for an exchange of words or punches, but Buffy’s eyes were pleading for him not to. So he just grabbed the bottle he had came for and returned to the living room. His smile half returned when he saw Joyce and Willow cooing at his daughter, while the Watcher contemplated her with a bemused look. Xander looked ready to faint. He poured the golden liquid, and Giles gave him a grateful look.

"So Joyce, tell me, what was Buffy like when she was a baby ? "

As soon as Spike had left them, Angel had turned toward Buffy, his face morphing back to human.

"You and Spike… "

He actually sounded hurt. Buffy felt anger and resentment seizing her.

"Which part of ‘we were under a spell’ didn’t you understand ? It happened once. And that was enough to create the most beautiful baby on this earth. "

He looked as if she had slapped him.

"And are you still under a spell ? Living with him here for two months when you could have gone home ? Do you have any idea what he is capable of ? "

He was holding her shoulders in a painful grip, and she freed herself, moving away from him.

"Staying hidden was the best solution. And yes I know what he is capable of. He can take care of her. He can take care of me. That’s what he’s been doing for two months. He was even doing it before we escaped. He was there when I needed him, Angel. He stayed… "

She stopped herself before saying that Angel himself had left her when she needed his presence. But he heard the unsaid words.

"I’m sorry" he whispered.

"Me too. I know why you left. I’ve gotten over it. But you can’t fall back into the boyfriend role like that. You refused that part, Angel. Deal with it as I did. "

They all agreed that it was time to call it a night, the Scoobies being exhausted both by their travel and the excess of emotions. Spike played the perfect host, showing his guests to their rooms. Buffy would share the master bedroom and its extra large bed with her mom and Willow, Giles and Xander were taking the second guestroom. He had planned to sleep in the nursery as usual, but that was leaving Angel to sleep on the sofa. Buffy did not say a word, but he saw the light in her eyes, that light that meant she would give him a hard time about it. Cursing, he just grabbed a pillow and a blanket before going down to the living room. Reduced to sleeping on his own couch while the poof had a bed to himself ! He was back to the nursery within a minute, still cursing, this time gently lifting the sleeping baby from her crib. He scowled at Angel, who watched him intently.

"You think I would hurt her ? "

"She’s mine ! You have proved before that you enjoy taking what is mine. So she’ll bloody sleep with me until you’re gone to whatever hell you came from !"

He stalked out of the room, only to bump into Buffy.

"Where are you going with her ?" she asked with a frown.

"Away from Peaches, that’s where. Where are you going ? "

"I was going to check on her actually. "

"Check on her or on him, Slayer ? "

"What do you mean ? "

"You bloody well know what I mean ! "

"No, I bloody don’t ! "

They realized that their discussion was being observed by Angel, Joyce and Giles, all three standing by the doors of their rooms. At the same instant they turned away from each other, Buffy going back to her room, Spike getting downstairs to his sofa.

Holding Lisa usually had a soothing effect on him, but that night he only found sleep as the sun was rising over London.

The next day, Spike was still grumpy as the Scoobies plus Angel elaborated their plan. It was in fact rather simple : an eye for an eye…

Through his old connections, Giles managed to obtain Quentin’s address. Several nights in a row, Angel went out to observe their prey. Xander was doing the day shift. Willow and Giles were researching some spells that they would use during their attack. Buffy, Joyce and Lisa were spending some quality time together, which left Spike alone and bored. He finally joined the Watcher and the Witch in their book fun, looking up nasty spells he might want to try on Angel.

After five days, they were ready. Quentin was pretty much untouchable during the day, protected in the Watchers HQ. He was home every evening by 7pm, all lights out by 9.30. He seemed to be living alone, except for an old maid who left the house at precisely 9pm every night.

"Either we get him just before he enters his house or I’m out of the game" Angel pointed out.

"Same thing here" Spike added gloomily.

Buffy looked thoughtfully at Angel, then at Spike. They were all sitting around the kitchen table, except for Joyce who was giving a bottle of milk to her granddaughter in the living room.

"Spike, I’d like you to stay here with Lisa and mom. "

His face closed instantly.

"No way, Slayer. I’m coming. I want… "

"You want to what ?" she interrupted, anger threatening to take over. "You can call them monsters for the way they treated us, but you still won’t be able to touch them. What will you do, growl at them ?"

He realized he was on the point of growling at her, and stopped himself.

She observed him, glad the gang was not stepping in. Anything they said would only make matters worse. She almost regretted her words, having not wished to sound so harsh, to hurt him or make him feel useless. Yet she thought that was just what she had done. She reached across the table and took his hand, trying to speak more calmly.

"If things turn bad… we cannot let them have both of us. We can’t leave Lisa alone. "

"If things turn bad, I can watch your back," he said quietly. "I did it before. "

A silent exchange passed between them. She felt his hand tightening around her fingers almost painfully, then he let it go.

He looked at the faces around the table, one after the other, gauging them. The whelp, the witch, the Watcher. His eyes finally stopped on Angel. Hate passed between the two vampires, but also understanding.

"If anything happens to her… "

He was talking mostly to Angel, but they all nodded, and the Watcher cleared his voice : "Now that this matter is settled… when ? "

"Tonight" Buffy said flatly. "There’s no point waiting any longer. You have all you need, Willow ? "

"Yes, yes, I have everything. "

"Let’s get some rest then, the night will be long. "

She left the table after giving a small smile to Spike. The humans followed her.

Angel remained, watching Spike, divided between curiosity and lingering anger. His Childe was staring at the sketches on the table, rough maps of the streets around Quentin’s house and the Watchers HQ.

"You love her" the older vampire said finally.

It was not a question ; he had known Spike for too long not to notice.

"None of your damn business" Spike snapped.

Undisturbed, Angel continued probing.

"Does she know ? "

Spike only grunted, and Angel replied to his own question.

"She knows. But she doesn’t love you back. "

This time, there was some hesitation in his voice.

"What are your intentions, Spike ? "

The Childe stood, intent on leaving, but he answered his Sire.

"I’ll do what you didn’t. I’m going to stick around. Fight along her, with her. Get all I can, even if it’s nothing more than a few smiles and a lot of arguing. I’ll take care of her and Lisa. They’re mine, Angel. Both of them. Don’t forget that. Ever. "