Always Wait For You – 7

The reappearance of the man we’ve been waiting for. Will they fall into each other’s arms? Sheeyah!

Chapter Seven behind the cut. (um, or it would be if I had made an actual, you know, cut…)

 

Chapter Seven

After a quick check with the slayer on night duty at the school, to be sure that they had received the same information that she had, Buffy said ‘good-night’ to Xander and Faith and watched them drive away. She took a quick circuit of the house, checking all doors and windows, and then made her way upstairs for a few hours of sleep.

Sleep, which didn’t come. Her mind was racing; grief for Angel and Nina, anxiety over what seemed to be the inevitable clash with Angelus and Drusilla, and fear-tinged excitement over seeing Spike again, warred for space in her brain and heart. As dawn began to show under the drapes in what she still thought of as “their” bedroom, Buffy gave up on sleep and tottered into the bathroom to throw cold water on her face.

By the time her sleep-deprived children stumbled into the kitchen, she was on her third cup of coffee and had breakfast waiting for them. There was a minimum of discussion, the night’s emotions and revelations having exhausted both mother and offspring. Any conversation was limited to practical things – what time they needed to be at school, who Buffy would need to speak to, to arrange for an out-of-town “cousin” to go to classes with one or the other of the Pratt children every day for a while.

Once Buffy had safely deposited Will and Joy at their private school and had made the necessary arrangements for a slayer to keep them company for a week or so, she made her way to the Slayer School for a war council. That there wasn’t going to be a war never crossed her mind. She knew that Angelus, in whatever incarnation he had returned, would want to destroy everything that had meant anything to him as a human. Nina’s death was more than proof of that. The former vampire had established a home and a life with his occasionally furry girlfriend; a life that didn’t include children, but was warm and rewarding all the same.

She walked into the building, greeting the slayers that she recognized by name, but not slowing until she reached the occult wing of the building. She stepped through Willow’s open door and was immediately embraced by her oldest friend.

“Oh, Buffy, I heard when I got in this morning. Are you all right? When do you expect him to show up?”

For a brief second, Buffy forgot that Willow wasn’t aware of Xander’s contact with Spike and she answered without thinking, “He told Xander he was on his way, so we’re thinking maybe by tonight or tomorrow. We really don’t know where he is…” Her voice trailed off as her brain caught up to her mouth and she took in Willow’s puzzled frown.

“Xander? What does Xander have to do with…” Willow studied Buffy’s red face, then smiled. “So,” she said, wearing her ‘aha!’ face. “You didn’t really stake him, huh? I knew you wouldn’t, but everybody said you did, so I—”

“Am I the only person in this city who thinks it was a secret that I didn’t slay my children’s father?” Buffy interrupted, her exasperation plain.

“No, no,” Willow soothed. “I didn’t know. I just thought you probably didn’t do it. I’m going to have a word with Xander, though,” she said, a less happy expression now in place. “Keeping something like that from me.” For just a moment, the wise, competent witch turned into an insecure girl. “Why did you tell him and not me?”

“I didn’t tell him, I didn’t tell anybody. They were friends, Will. You know that. Xander saw him somewhere and they – you know, I don’t know? I didn’t ask about it. I guess Spike kept in touch with him as a way of checking up on the kids…and me.” She shook her head, surprised at her own lack of intuition. “I didn’t know either – not until last night.”

“Oh.” Willow sounded somewhat mollified. “Well, that’s okay then. I guess it was a guy thing…So,” her tone changed, “what do we do now?”

“The first thing we do is you give me charms or something for the kids that will protect them from Dru’s thrall. Just in case. And, I guess you’d better strengthen the wards on this building – with it being a public place…”

“Already done,” Willow responded with satisfaction. “As soon as I heard, I put up new wards. And I’ll get busy on those charms right away.”

“Thanks, Will. I knew I could count on you.” The two old friends smiled at each other – soft smiles that held a wealth of shared sadness and the knowledge that they could survive whatever the Powers threw at them.

~~~~~

Buffy interrupted the day’s classes to call a meeting of all the slayers currently in residence at the school. She apologized to the disgruntled instructors, saying evenly, “This is more important right now than algebra.”

As soon as the large meeting room was full and everyone had quieted, she began without preamble. “Angelus and Drusilla, one half of the Scourge of Europe are currently en route from New York City to Cleveland. I can’t tell you when they will get here, or where they will strike, all I can tell you is that they will be coming here. My children will be their targets, in all likelihood, but anyone who gets in their way will be in danger. It’s also possible, given his history here as an instructor, that he will target the school and its students.”

She waited for the buzz of conversation to die down, then continued, “I have something else to tell you. I’m not proud of this – although not for the reasons you might think – but it was a decision I made several years ago at a time of great emotional stress and I’ve had to live with it.” She took a deep breath and let it out in a loud sigh.

“Most of you know that my husband, William Pratt, was killed in the process of saving me from a vampire attack. What some of you may not know is that those vampires didn’t just kill him – they turned him. Turned him back into what he was when I first met him – an unsouled, very powerful vampire. Contrary to what those of you who already knew that have been told, I did not stake him when he rose. He was the same vampire I feel in love with, the one who loved me when he had no soul and when he had the one he earned for me. He was my husband and the father of my children. And I sent him away because I feared for them. It was a stupid thing to do – but that’s my problem.”

She sent her cold gaze around the room, daring anyone to question her decisions – either the one to allow him to live, or the one that sent him away from his family.

“Now he’s coming back. Because now there really is something for my children to fear – and it isn’t their father. For those of you unfamiliar with Angleus and Dru – please check out the watcher’s diaries in the library. I’ll just say that Drusilla is insane – driven so by Angelus, who killed her entire family one-by-one before he turned her; and Angleus prides himself on his ability to torture his victims both mentally and physically. These are not your average vampires. And they are not fledglings. They are old and powerful and deadly. Drusilla has already killed one slayer…” She paused as Willow ran up and whispered in her ear. Her already cold expression hardened even further.

“Apparently Angelus can now claim the same thing. They just found Sarah’s body. It looks like he went to the slayer house before he went to his own home, and he killed one of the girls living there.” She hesitated, then said, “To give you some idea of what we’re up against…they found Sara’s body naked and staked to a wall in the common room.”

There was a collective gasp, then the gradual emergence of a deadly anger was readily visible as each slayer in the room, no matter how young, turned her shock and grief into a determination to be the one to exact revenge on Angelus. Buffy took in the grim faces staring at her and nodded. “Hold on to that anger. You will need it.”

She let the girls mutter among themselves for a few minutes; then called for quiet again. “I need a volunteer…” she was just able to get out before hands went into the air. She smiled proudly. “I need a volunteer who either is or can pass for an eighth or ninth-grader. Someone who can accompany Joy and Will around their school – just in case…”

As the older girls put their hands down, Buffy ran her eyes over all the remaining volunteers, pausing when she got to a pretty redhead whom she knew to be one of the better fighters in the current class. Unlike so many of the slayers, who were petite and delicate looking until they moved, Lucy was tall for her age and looked every bit the athlete that she was. Buffy nodded and pointed.

“Lucy? Do you feel like being a cousin of the Pratts’ for a while?”

“I’d be honored.” Lucy looked at the small woman facing her and asked somewhat timidly, “But, do you think I look like a member of your family?”

“There are a lot of redheads in families with blonds,” Willow put in quickly. “And you can just say that your father is much taller than your mother. That happens all the time.”

Buffy nodded. “And my mom was several inches taller than me; and so is my sister. Dawn is very tall. It’ll be fine.”

“Okay, then,” Lucy said. “When do I start?”

“How about you collect what you’ll need for the next couple of weeks and I’ll take you by the school and introduce you. You can start tomorrow morning.”

The meeting broke up after reminders to everyone that Drusilla had a very strong thrall and under no circumstances were the new slayers to go anywhere outside the school at night unless there were at least two, and preferably three of them. As they stared to file out of the room, Buffy raised her voice.

“Any of you who have met Angel, or seen pictures of him with us, please remember that you will be meeting Angelus – not Angel. If you get a chance to stake him, don’t hesitate.”

Willow shot her a startled look. “We’re not going to try to re-soul him?”

Buffy shrugged. “If we get a chance, sure, we’ll give it a shot. But it’s not worth a girl’s life. I don’t want any hesitation because the girls think we want to save him.”

***

Lucy settled into the Pratt household quickly, striking up a friendship with Joy and, although she pretended to be appalled, secretly enjoying the admiring looks that Will sent her way when he thought she wasn’t looking. Although he pretended to be offended when she accompanied him to his classes, he was basking in the looks the other boys sent their way and he preened accordingly.

By the time the weekend rolled around, with no sign of Angelus or Spike, Buffy was alternating between anxiety and fury.

Where the hell is he? Twenty-four hours my ass! I know what Angelus is doing – trying to throw me off my game by waiting – but what is Spike’s problem?

She tried to maintain a calm demeanor as she helped Joy get ready for her gymnastics meet on Saturday night. They had decided to go on with their lives as normally as possible, given that Buffy didn’t want to share with the public school or anyone else that she was expecting a kidnapping attempt from vampires. Instead of pulling Joy from the meet, a small contingent of slayers was attending – giving Joy, not only her own cheering section, but some very powerful bodyguards.

Buffy watched quietly from the sidelines, only paying attention when it was Joy’s turn on an apparatus. When other girls were performing, Buffy’s eyes were scanning the crowd, her slayer senses alert for any telltale tingles. She watched with a teacher’s interest as one of the young slayers allowed a very pale boy to lead her out of the gym and into a nearby hallway. She smiled when the girl came back alone a few minutes later, dusting her hands theatrically. Buffy caught her eye and gave her a quick thumbs-up, then left her to the congratulations of the other girls.

So, she missed it at first when the entire slayer contingent froze, their faces suddenly intent as they searched for the source of the new vampire tingles. The sudden silence brought Buffy’s eyes back to them and she was moving as soon as she realized what had silenced them. As she got closer, the signature of a powerful vampire had her torn between remaining where she could see her daughter and seeking the source of the signature.

The slayers were looking to her for guidance; not sure themselves if they should pursue the vampire or stay with Joy. Buffy quickly used a hand signal to divide them into two groups, signaling one group to follow her as she moved around the gym as inconspicuously as possible trying to hone in on the location of the vampire. When her senses told her that the vampire in question was above them, she tilted her head back and began to exam the upper rows of seats. She saw nothing there but enthusiastic parents and bored siblings. The other slayers followed her glance and suddenly one pointed.

“There!”

At the very top of the gymnasium was a row of dirty, barely noticeable windows; and just visible, peering through one of those hard-to-reach windows, was a man’s head. Buffy gestured quickly and the slayers ran to the exits as Buffy ran lightly up the stairs to the very top row. Ignoring the puzzled stares from those around her, she stood on the bleacher seat and went up on her toes until she was face to face with a startled vampire. Using her strength to push the long-unused lever, she opened the window.

“Wouldn’t you rather watch from in here?”

He cast an eye from where he was clinging to a ledge to the ground, gesturing at the line of girls standing below him. Signaling him to wait there, Buffy ran back down the bleacher steps and out the nearest exit. When she had joined the slayers now ranged along the wall below the windows, she waved at Spike to come down, warning the girls not to try to stake him. He dropped the last thirty feet, landing lightly in front of Buffy.

Forcing herself to be casual, she turned to the gathered slayers, several of whom were holding stakes, and said clearly, “Girls, this is Will and Joy’s father. He’s here to help us. Do not stake him. Please,” she added, her tone brooking no argument.

The girls who had taken the time to check out the school’s library pushed each other in an effort to get close enough to see the only other remaining member of the notorious Scourge of Europe. The only vampire to have killed two slayers and fallen in love with a third. They were mildly disappointed to see only what appeared to be a medium sized man; although, the way he’d descended from his perch on the roof was proof that there was more there than was readily visible at first glance.

“Shouldn’t you be inside takin’ care of my girl?” he challenged them, sparking a mass shrinking away from him before they remembered that he was not in charge. When Buffy nodded, they moved back into the building, sending lingering glances over their shoulders at the two people now standing rigidly in the light cast by the parking lot flood lights.

Buffy waited until the last of the girls had re-entered the gym before she said, unable to keep the accusatory tone out of her voice, “I thought you were leaving right away.”

He stiffened even more, replying tersely, “Did. Got held up.”

Conversation apparently exhausted, they turned and began to walk towards the door to the building. Buffy led him away from the chattering slayers, knowing that word of who he was would be passed on before they could get there for introductions. Instead, she walked to the far end of the room and climbed silently to an empty area of the bleachers. He sat down beside her, keeping a careful distance between them and immediately fixed his eyes on the actions on the floor.

He watched in silence as Joy took her turn on the balance beam, smiling along with Buffy when their daughter demonstrated an almost unnatural balance and strength.

“Is she…?”

“We don’t think so. She doesn’t have a lot of slayer senses or anything. She’s just stronger and better coordinated than most girls her age. Both kids are, actually. They seem normal, just…more…”

He nodded, never taking his eyes off his daughter. In spite of her being a teenager now, he’d had no trouble picking her out from the other adolescent gymnasts, and he stared at her as though afraid she could vanish from his sight at any second.

“Where’s Will?” The abrupt question came when Joy was no longer performing, and he had time to look around at the audience.

“He hates meets. He’s with Faith at the slayer school – it’s movie night or something like that.”

“He’s passing up a chance to be surrounded by pretty girls in leotards to watch a movie?”

His tone indicated serious reservations about whose child the boy could be, and Buffy laughed softly.

“I think the specific pretty girl he’s interested in wanted to watch a movie tonight,” she said dryly.

“Oh, well, that’s alright, then,” Spike mumbled. “Good to know he’s got his priorities straight.”

Except for the few seconds when Buffy appeared in the window, they had yet to make eye contact. Spike kept his gaze resolutely focused on Joy; and Buffy, after indulging in a few minutes of staring at his face, had followed his example. To anyone watching they would appear to be two long-married parents who were totally focused on their child’s performance. The tension quivering between them would have been unnoticed by anyone not aware that they had not seen each other for close to seven years.

When the meet ended, they waited where they were while the gym emptied out, only descending the bleachers when Joy was surrounded by her traveling bodyguards. They walked up to the group and waited for them to finish congratulating Joy on her second-place finish. As the slayers parted to allow Buffy and Spike to approach, Joy’s eyes flew to the man with the same cheekbones that she saw in her mirror every morning.

“Joy, honey, this is—“

“Daddy,” she breathed.

“How are you, darlin’,” he said, almost shyly. “Besides bein’ all grown up and beautiful?”

“Daddy,” she repeated, her feet moving her slightly closer. “Daddy!”

With her last, louder, shout, she threw herself at him, confident that he would catch her and reveling in having her father’s strong arms around her once again. Spike kept his head buried in her hair in an attempt to hide his tears from the curious girls still gathered around them. Buffy’s own eyes prickled uncomfortably as she tried not to be jealous of her daughter’s easy assumption that she we would be welcome in her father’s arms.

As the clean-up crews began clearing their throats and pointedly working around their area, Buffy finally herded the slayers to the door, trusting that Spike and Joy would follow them. She watched the girls climb into the school vans and waved as they rolled away, leaving just Buffy and Lucy standing beside the SUV hybrid that had replaced their old car.

Joy approached, clinging to her father’s right hand; his other hand carried her gym bag.

“We’re going by the slayer school aren’t we? To get Will?”

“I don’t know…” Buffy began. “Faith and Xander said they would bring him home.”

“Mom! He’s going to want to come home now. Not later! When those girls get back and tell him…”

“Okay, okay. You’re right. We’ll go get him. Get in everybody.”

While Joy and Lucy climbed into the back seat, Buffy and Spike stood awkwardly beside the car. Finally, she held out the keys, asking softly, “Do you want to drive?”

“It’s your car, Buffy. I’ve got my own transportation. I’ll just meet you there.”

His voice was light and controlled, giving no indication of his feelings, and she didn’t know how to react.

Is he still mad at me? Of course he is, you idiot! Why wouldn’t he be? It’s not like you asked him to come back to you. He’s just here to see the kids and protect them from Angelus and Dru. This has nothing to do with becoming a family again. Or with going back to being your husband. Get over yourself.

“Oh.” Her voice was small and meek. “Okay. Sure. You know where it is, right?”

“Think I remember,” he said gently. “Just go on, Buffy. I’ll be right behind you.”

 

Originally posted at http://seasonal-spuffy.livejournal.com/222223.html