Uncertain Identity
Written for a challenge with these requirements:
1. The story must take place well into the future.
2. It must be at least partially if not fully narrated by Buffy And Angel's teenage/grown daughter.
3. The daughter must be named Pearl.
4. It is your prerogative as to whether or not Buffy & Angel are dead by this point.
5. You CANNOT make the story Pearl telling her daughter of the amazing love her parents shared. That's my version and it's my challenge so I'm making the rules .
6. The fic MUST begin with the line "My parents shared a love like no other." You take it from there.
7. Smut is optional but appreciated.
Uncertain Identity
"My parents shared a love like no other," Pearl started, lying through her teeth. It wasn't that far from the truth, but she had no way of knowing, they had not been in her life, "Them... um, they were happy... until, they got deported... yeah, um... they got deported, but since I was born here I'm a citizen and..."
Her classmates looked at her doubtfully. The one with the black hair retorted, in perfect cordelia-esque mode, "Oh, poor Pearl, you're such a bad liar, why do you even try? Maybe it's because the truth is too awful... we all know you live in a group home." The rest of the teenagers laughed, finding something funny in Pearl's pain. Teenagers were cruel that way.
Pearl bit her lip to keep from crying, the psychological pain was harsh, but she wouldn't allow the others to see her cry. Never. Thankfully, the bell to end the last period of the day rang shortly after.
Pearl hurried to her locker, while the tears started streaming down her face. She hated this place, and couldn't wait to leave Sunnydale for someplace better, someplace more merciful.
Grabbing a history textbook, she hurried out to the bus. The bus ride home was quiet. No one talked to her, or even sat near her. It was like that every day. She didn't care too much, the fact of the matter was that she knew she was different from everyone else, even though she didn't know how.
After getting off the bus, she pounded into the old Victorian house that served as a group home to teenagers who weren't lucky enough to have found foster parents yet. That was everyone's wish, everyone who entered that home, but it rarely happened.
Most of them were there until they became adult enough to move out. Pearl had decided a long time ago that the day she turned eighteen she was leaving, going to Los Angeles or some other big city. The door slammed behind her, as Pearl entered the foyer.
"Someone had a bad day." Ricky, another teen, taunted.
"Can it Ricky!" The blond replied, ready to split his head in two if he said any more.
"Ok, ok" He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Geez!"
Pearl sighed and threw her book bag down on the living room chair, which served partly as a place to store coats and school bags. "Is anyone else home?"
The brown-haired boy shook his head, "Nope, just me and AnnaLee."
Pearl smiled, "You know your girlfriend isn't allowed here when no ones home."
"Yes, I know." Ricky smiled with guilty pleasure, "But think of the possibilities."
Pearl shook a finger at Ricky, teasing, "You're a naughty boy."
He laughed, "Well, I was... until you came home." He grabbed a paper off the counter, "Oh, I think you might have gotten lucky." He gave her the note one of their group home counselors had written.
She took the note, and read it quietly, "Oh, my god! Ricky!" She threw her arms around his neck, "Someone actually wants to adopt me!"
His face beamed for her. "Congratulations, kid."
Pearl looked at her clothes, a nice pair of jeans and a red v-neck sweater. Tonight was the night, she was going to meet the guy who wanted to adopt her. She brushed her long blond hair, glancing in the mirror. Every time she looked into a mirror, she wondered if she looked anything like her parents. A pang of guilt hit her, would this adoptive parent just be a replacement for people she couldn't replace?
There was a knock at the door, giving her no more time to prepare for, hopefully, a life changing moment. "I'll be right out." She hollered.
"They're waiting for you." Ricky told her, peaking his head into the room.
"Ok, ok.." She sighed happily and frustrated at the same time. "How do I look?"
He shrugged, "Like you always do."
"Thanks alot, wise-ass."
Pearl met up with her counselor at the bottom of the staircase. The older lady looked as excited as Pearl felt. She buzzed around the teenager, making sure she looked presentable. "You do realized that this is entirely up to you?
This gentleman looked at your papers and decided that you were the one he wanted to adopt, but if you don't want to go with him, it's perfectly acceptable."
Pearl nodded, anxiously.
The older lady took the teen's hand, leading her to the living room door. They entered the living room, and the counselor made introductions quickly. "Pearl, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. William Spike."
The blond haired man stood up and shook her hand. He spoke with a Cockney accent, "'Ello Pearl."
"Well, I'll leave you two to get aquatinted," The counselor said after a few minutes and quickly left the room, stopping once at the door to look back at the two. She loved playing matchmaker to lost souls, uniting a parent and a child.
Pearl looked at the older gentleman from the middle of the room where she was still standing, unsure of herself. "Geez, what do you say at a time like this?" She wondered idly out loud.
"I knew your mum, Luv." Spike started from his position on the sofa, "You look like her."
She stood in shock and disbelief. Her eyes searched him for any clue of a lie, but he seemed honest. Then her brain focused on the word 'knew', the possibility that they were dead had occurred to her before, but it was too bad to think about. Finally she asked, "You knew her?"
He nodded effortlessly, "That's what I said." Pulling out a picture from the front pocket of his black jeans he handed it to the teen. "Thought you might want to see this."
She sat next to him, hopeful and yet a bit wary. The person in the picture was not much older than Pearl, and not much different looking either. In fact, they looked identical, well, despite the fact that Pearl had longer hair. But the faces were the same, with twin noses, and eyes. There was no doubt that they were related. "Oh my god, I can't believe this." She breathed.
"Buffy Summers." Spike said, with a voice full of old memories. It had been over sixteen years since he'd seen the slayer, she had been only twenty-two. Too young, and yet quite aged, as far as slayers go. "Um, that was her name."
"Buffy Summers." Pearl committed the name to memory. It was one of the pieces of the puzzle she had been searching for. "...What about my father?"
A vision of Angel dying flashed through Spike's head, the pain on the other vampire's face just before... "Angel."
Pearl looked at Spike, reminding him again of Buffy. It was almost scary how much of Buffy was captured in Pearl's features, giving a sense of immortality to the slayer. "Do you happen to have a picture of him, too?" She questioned.
"Sorry, ducks," He shook his pale head. How could he explain the aversion cameras took to vampires?
"Oh, well," Pearl returned to gazing at the picture. "At least I have this."
He arched one of his black eyebrows casually, "Care to have dinner tomorrow? We should talk."
"Sure!" She hugged him. "I'd love to!"
Surprised with the girl's sudden emotion, he uncertainly returned the hug. "Good."
That night had passed slowly, and the next afternoon even slower. Pearl was too excited for dinner. She wanted to hear everything this new stranger had to tell her about her parents. So many answers were starting to fall into place. She clasped the picture of her mother for the umpteenth time that day, staring at the familiar yet distant face. "Angel and Buffy Summers," She said to no one in particular, "I hope they were in love."
There was a knock on her bedroom door. From her position on her bed she looked up to see her counselor come in. "Pearl, Mr. Spike is down stairs waiting for you."
Pearl smiled, grabbing her coat from her floor.
"Have fun." Her counselor called after Pearl, as the teenager hurried out of the room.
"So, what were they like?" Pearl asked eagerly after she ordered her food.
"Buffy" Spike shrugged, "Nice girl, stubborn, head strong, good fighter."
Pearl looked confused at the last description. "Good fighter?"
Ignoring her for lack of a reply, Spike continued, "Angel... Brooding, dark, lonely sort of chap."
"Hmm..." Pearl was lost in thought for a minute, "Were they in love."
"Incessantly... that got bloody well annoying," Spike smirked. "Just joshing, but honestly, they were a good match. Too much like Romeo and Juliet, for my likes though."
"Do you know why they gave me up?" Pearl asked the difficult question.
Spike knew all too well. The slayer and her vampire had died at the hands of a demon, leaving no one to care for their daughter. "They were killed... in a car accident." He lied, badly, it wasn't characteristic of him to lie, he was more of a direct type of person.
"Oh." Pearl looked saddened by the fact that she would never get a chance to meet her parents.
The waitress arrived shortly after, bringing the two orders out. Pearl had gotten a salad, while Spike has ordered a steak. He didn't need the food to survive; it wasn't in his usual diet, but just this once he decided to try doing things the normal human way.
"Thank you for the dinner, Mr. Spike." The small blond teenager said as they walked back to the group home. The streets were dark tonight, and slightly dangerous since it was Sunnydale. But Spike was prepared should anything happen. And something was just about to.
"Spike, man, haven't seen you around lately," Someone said from behind the duo.
"Damn," Spike said under his breath as he started to morph into game face mode.
"Who's that?" The teen asked, looking back towards the voice. Her eyes caught a glimpse something she had never seen before. The creature had fangs, sharp ugly fangs and a wrinkly face. It didn't look human.
"Pearl, stay behind me," Spike told her cautiously. He felt a fight coming on. The teen had no time to react, before the two vampires started brawling in the street. Spike soon had the upper hand, as he punching the other vamp into a store window, shattering glass, and sending the other vampire flying.
"What's going on?" Pearl asked as she looked to Spike for answers. "Oh my God!" She screamed as she started to run away. He pursued her, needed a chance to explain. She didn't want to hear it, and just gave him a quick, "Get away from me!"
"Would you hold on a second!" Spike held Pearl by her shoulders, restraining her. His game face was still on and it was terrifying the frightened teenager.
"What are you!?" Her combative voice wanted answers, an explanation, and an excuse.
"A demon." The other vampire smirked, joining them again. "A vampire."
That was all Pearl needed before she completely lost it. "Get away from me!" She started kicking Spike in the shins.
"Ow! Damn it!" He let her go, surprised with the hereditary strength.
Pearl started running away as fast as she could before pausing. She hesitated for a moment, just far enough away to be safe, trying to figure out what had just happened. Searching Mr. Spike's face for humanity, but then she continued bolting.
The other vampire laughed, punching Spike in the face, knocking him out. Running after Pearl. He shouted back, "Looks like your girl just became dinner Spike."
Pearl ran into the park, which was a bad rookie mistake. It was late and vampires liked the park at night, it was their first choice restaurant. She stumbled onto the ground as her foot twisted on a broken tree branch.
"You didn't have to run off like that." An evil voice laughed. Pearl looked behind her, the vampire from the Bronze was right behind her.
"Oh, I'm sorry is there a proper way to run away from a demon?" Pearl replied. The demon yanked her up by the back of her shirt, causing pain her neck. Unknown to her, the pain was about to get a lot worse, if the vampire won this fight.
He got ready for the kill, but decided to mentally torture his victim first, "Did you know that Spike killed your parents?" She said nothing. "He enjoyed it too. Did a good job on them." The vampire laughed.
Pearl started crying. "Don't talk about them like that."
"But it's the truth," his grasp on her neck became tighter. He opened his fanged mouth, ready to drink. Suddenly, the two of them got knocked to the ground by a third person. A third vampire. Spike.
"Get out of here!" Pearl heard Spike shout as she caught her breath. As soon as she could stand up, she started getting home as quickly as possible. Behind her she could hear the sounds of a fight, but she was only focused on getting home safely.
Spike punched the wooden wall of his darkened mansion out of frustration. He had wanted to make amends with Buffy's daughter; he had even gone through the trouble of forging adoption papers and ID, and still his past had caught up with him.
He pulled his hand out of the newly made hole that was left in the wood. A satisfied smile spread across his lips as he thought of the dust the vamp from the night before had left. A fitting end to the one whom had destroyed Spike's last chance at redemption.
Spike's eyes traveled from the wall to the nearby fireplace. A bunch of old books and journals sat on top of it. A thought started to emerge in Spike's head, "Parties not over yet," he drawled.
That night, Pearl was watching television, trying to escape the horrifying evening she had spent running away from and almost getting killed by a vampire. Enough time had been spent pondering the existence of vampires she decided; there were other problems besides that. Including the fact that Spike, a man she had trusted, was one, and he, according to another demon had been the one who murdered her parents.
The picture Spike had given her, the one of her mother; lay in her hands. Pearl wished the person in the photo could talk to her, tell her everything would turn out all right. She was in desperate need of answers.
An hour before, Pearl's group home counselor had told her that the adoption papers had been faked and there were no records of a William Spike from anywhere in America or Britain. Pearl's last hope of being adopted had been dashed away. It wasn't fair, yet it was so ironic.
Ricky entered the room somberly, which was totally uncharacteristic of him, but he had noticed the pain Pearl was going through. They were like best buds, maybe even closer, and he didn't want to upset her. On any given day he would have relished teasing her, but not today.
"That creep from yesterday was at the door, so I sent him away," Ricky passed her a leather journal, "He gave me this to give to you."
Pearl took it hesitantly and opened to the first page. As much as she hated Spike at the moment, the book might explain some of the question she had away. Inside was a note,
"One girl in all the world is chosen
every generation to fight against the evil,
vampires like me, the slayers, as they're called,
are mentored and guided by a watcher. That one
girl was your mother, Buffy Summers. This is her
watcher's journal. You saw the evil of the
world last night, now read about the good.
I can't bring her back for you, but I can give
you the truth about her past."
Pearl placed the note of the coffee table and began reading the journal as Ricky left the room, giving her some privacy.
Scrawled on the first page was someone's writing, "This new slayer appears shallow and unresponsive to her duties as a slayer, the welfare of the world is at stake..." And as Pearl read, the entries came to a very different thesis. The watcher had held his slayer in the highest regards after seeing her defeat monster after monster.
Pearl read on earnestly, learning who her mother had been. There was a bond forming. A link to the past. Following her mother's journey from high school and cheerleader tryouts she had missed for her slayer duties to her friends, Willow and Xander, and the prom, and graduation. Pearl felt so proud of the woman who would later become her mother. She read about Angel and how he had been a vampire with a soul. Buffy had loved him really had really had, as Pearl earlier commented, "A love like no other," A slayer and a vampire in love, it was so ironic.
Angel had moved to Los Angeles following Buffy's graduation; trying to break up a love that could bring either true happiness or pure hell.
Buffy had tried to move on, continuously fighting the scourge of the undead, and dating a man involved with a secret government vampire cover up. But she had become increasingly depressed, as the Scooby Gang split apart. Oz had never returned after leaving college to deal with some 'werewolf' issues he had faced, but a werewolf fang had been sent to Buffy, a 'present' from a werewolf hunter.
Fearing the worst, Willow had left Sunnydale, to find Oz either alive or dead, but not before performing a soul restoration spell on Spike. Apparently he had been helpful to the Scooby Gang for a few years and it was a present from the witch to the vampire.
A few uneventful months passed, until one night when Buffy's friend Xander had gotten caught in the park one night, without a weapon and no slayer around to save him. She had been too late to rescue him, and that caused her extreme grief.
Angel had returned from LA, after running into Willow, who had turned him into a fully-fledged human using her increasing powers. He came to Sunnydale to comfort Buffy and ended up getting her pregnant.
Around this time, Spike went evil again, striking out at the few remaining members of the Scooby Gang. Riley had been the first to go.
Buffy finally gave birth to Pearl, but that day after Buffy and Angel had put their wonderful gift to sleep and watched her peacefully, Spike had found them. It had been too easy, since he knew Buffy was staying at the hospital. As Pearl lay sleeping peacefully in the hospital nursery, Spike had slashed the slayer's throat and driven a knife into Angel's heart.
Giles had performed the restoration ritual on Spike again, giving him back his soul, and enough guilt to last forever. It was the only thing Giles could do to get his revenge, short of slaying the vampire himself, but in the watcher's weakening old age, it was safer to seek vengeance the Gypsy way. It was more satisfying in a way, knowing how much guilt the vampire would feel for the rest of his unlife.
The last words in the journal stated, "The girl whom I did not give enough credit became legendary in Slayer history and in my heart."
Pearl closed the book and started crying. Crying for the brave mother she would never know, the pain Buffy had gone through, and how Pearl had misjudged Spike. He was on the good side now, like Angel had been. She had to find him.
That night, Pearl slipped out of her room quietly, trying not to wake anyone. The watcher's journal had stated that Spike's old mansion had been located in the outskirts of town on Crawford Street. It was the only clue she had that would help locate him.
Taking careful, timid footsteps over the threshold of the stone house, Pearl found a new determination in herself. The interior was full of old statues and unkempt gardens. The walls were made out of granite and the furniture was cast iron. To make for easier vampire living, the windows were all covered up. An eerie silence surrounded the place.
The mansion was deserted, much to Pearl's dismay, but she kept on to the living room. Three of the walls were granite like the garden room before, but one was nice mahogany wood, that was slightly damaged. A couch occupied the middle of the floor alongside the couch was two thin tables on which were some lamps. A huge fireplace stood against the far wall.
Pearl looked on top of the fireplace and found some books, 'The Call of the Wild', some ancient texts written in languages she did not understand, and a few notebooks with old notes.
Emerged in the mystery she was trying to unravel, Pearl did not notice someone else had entered the room, she only noticed cold hands gripping her throat tightly, and then deep black emptiness.
Pain jolted Pearl back into conciousness. Blood trickled down her neck from two puncture wounds as a dark haired lady moved away from her, standing up. Pearl tried to scream bet her mouth was gagged and her hands were tied behind her.
"You taste of memories, dear one," The lady's voice was lilting, "Memories can be ever so hurtful," She danced in place, pale skin moving to music unheard by the human ear. The black empire dress the woman wore dragged slightly on the ground. "Your mum stole my Spike from me," A startled cry escaped the lady's lips as she sat down in a chair in a fetal position.
Pearl studied the room, frantically, trying to figure out where she was. The lady stood again, after acknowledging the teenager's questioning glance. She spun in circles in the middle of the room, waving her arms around like a child, "This is where the seed was planted but only rot remains. The plants all withered and died," She smiled, "but I'll plant more, and me and my pet will have armies to march against the painful light."
She stood above Pearl, cradling a little doll now. The doll was gagged and looked quite ragged.
"Your death will come, sweet child, but not now. There's work to do and," She stopped short, listening to something only she could hear, "Hush! The stars are singing to me." A small smile graced the lady's features, "I can go out to play now." Still carrying the little doll the female vampire left the living room and presumably the mansion.
Pearl let out a sigh, she had never been so fearful for her life. Whoever that had been was quite insane and not human, even with the limited experience she had with vampires, Pearl knew the combination of those attributes could be deadly.
Minutes passed, followed by hours. The female vampire had returned only once, to finish killing a man who had been in his early twenties when he had still been alive. Pearl has watched in terror as the whole scene played out. Then the lady had left again.
Hunger and sleeplessness was taking its toll on Pearl, but she didn't dare respond to either. A stumbling of footsteps alarmed her; the blond teenager became very quiet, holding her breath, trying to blend into the shadows so the vampire lady wouldn't notice her. To Pearl's happy surprise it wasn't the lady this time. Pearl tried to call out but it came out, "Fbpike."
The white haired vampire knelt down beside Pearl, taking off the gag and untying her hands. Pearl thrust her arms around Spike's neck, elated and relived to see a familiar and helpful face.
Drusilla took that moment to arrive back in the mansion, "Ah!" She looked physically wounded, "My Spike, you reek of humanity."
Spike looked at Pearl, "Stay here." And so she did, hiding in the corner of the mansion.
Meanwhile Spike stood and faced his old girlfriend. "'Ello Pet."
Drusilla backed away, appalled, "You have a soul. Your demon is sleeping."
Spike took a few steps forward, having to step over a human meal Drusilla had left lying on the floor, "Decided to try the 'ol soul having routine." He shrugged, "I dunno' it always got Angel the girls."
Drusilla whimpered, "But we were going to be a family, the stars told me so." She became suddenly angry, "The slayer changed you, you never would have been so," her voice emphasized the next word with disgust, "pure... without her. She took you from me, why won't you come back? We can be a family, remember pain, remember blood, the chaos--"
Spike cut her off, annoyed, "I remember the chaos demon, and if memory serves, that's why we don't do the wacky anymore. You left me Dru."
Drusilla stamped her foot, as Spike neared her. Uncoiling her fingernails she slashed him across his face. Blood dripped down his cheek and she licked it off. Then she simply left the mansion, her old life in her wake. This was the first encounter with the soulful Spike; it wasn't something she planned on repeating, but his blood would always run through her veins.
"Come now," Spike held out a hand to Pearl, "Let's get out of this rat trap."
Spike's black DeSoto stopped in the front of an abandoned factory. The sunrise was nearing and he needed to find shelter. This was one of the places vamps could hide out.
Pearl and him left the car and entered the building soundlessly. Pearl found a chair and sat down, tired from the tense night. She was the first to break the silence, "Thank you, for everything." She paused, yawning. "I'm not sure if I wanted to know this much, but now that I do I'm kind of grateful.
He nodded, understanding.
"I read the watcher's journal, but it left off the ending. I mean, what happened next? What did you do? And what happened to Giles? Did Willow ever come back to Sunnydale? Is there a new slayer? A new watcher?" By the time she finished the long list of questions, she was out of breath.
Spike laughed, "Uh, le'see, I did some traveling," He ran a hand through his bleach blond hair, "Went about being all tourist-y; living, well sort of, off of cow's blood. Tried the whole 'repent for my sins' deal. Met up with Willow and her kin in Massachusetts few years back. Giles taught her how to be a watcher, before he died. She's a watcher now, training some flighty brunette."
Pearl was glad there was still someone fighting the good fight, "From what I heard about her, Willow is probably a great watcher." She yawned again.
Spike noticed how fatigued she was, "Get some sleep. Uh, there's a bed in there." He pointed to a small room that had been made into a bedroom.
"Yeah," She nodded sleepy, "That's probably a good idea." She walked across the main room to the bedroom door. "Could I still live with you? I mean, leave the group home and do the whole 'adoption' thing?"
He shook his head, somberly, "They wouldn't let me."
"But besides that... would you?"
Nodding, he answered, "Of course, ducks."
Disappearing behind the bedroom door, she grinned as the first thoughts of a plan started to form in her mind.
The next night, Spike walked Pearl back home. He told her he was leaving Sunnydale before the morning. She didn't tell him of her plan, but she was determined to leave with him.
With a duffel bag full of clothes and her backpack full of keepsakes she wanted to keep with her, Pearl opened her bedroom window and started to sneak out. She was not coming back, and that left a weird feeling in her. A chapter of her life was closing forever.
"Pearl," Ricky entered the room unexpectedly.
"Ah!" Pearl almost fell off the roof, but caught her balance just in time.
"What are you doing?" Ricky asked curiously, not accusing just wondering. He walked to the opened window.
"Leaving." Her meek voice replied.
"Leaving?" The teenage boy asked, "Like forever? Running away?"
"Yeah, sort of," She shrugged and realized how much she was going to miss him. For a moment it looked like Ricky would go tell someone, but Pearl's eyes pleaded with him.
"I won't tell anyone," He said finally, with softness in his voice. Pausing, he tried to think of something to say, a final word, "I love you."
Pearl kissed him airily on the cheek, "Yeah, me too." She broke away from him, as her eyes started to cry. Carefully, she let herself drop from the roof onto a small bush. The landing was a good one for her, but not for the plant that got squished. Running out to the middle of the deserted street, she looked back toward her bedroom window, and waved back to Ricky. He gave her a small wave back. Then she turned and left everything behind.
People change. Especially when they get rid of evil demons that have been messing with their heads. So, I don't blame Spike. He was under the influence of something else. I trust him, maybe even more so now that I know the truth. He saved my life, and he deserves the benefit of the doubt. I left the group home, not legally, but that's another matter. I convinced Spike to let me leave with him, though, at first, he was reluctant to be involved with my running away.. For now we're leaving Sunnydale. I got my wish, I suppose. I know my parents, two wonderful people who brought me into this world; a slayer and a vampire, sort of poetic, but really tragic in the end. I know who I am, and where I came from. But where I'm going remains a mystery. At least, with Spike, I have found a sort of belonging. A father... well, sort of. An ally of my future. And a way out, a way out from both Sunnydale and my uncertain identity.
Pearl closed her diary and glanced at Spike, at last her heart was at home. Her blue eyes returned to the highway, as the sound of the tires slowly hypnotized her into slumber.
-The End-
So many people have asked for a sequel to this, I might just try one in the future. Stay tuned.
Written for a challenge with these requirements:
1. The story must take place well into the future.
2. It must be at least partially if not fully narrated by Buffy And Angel's teenage/grown daughter.
3. The daughter must be named Pearl.
4. It is your prerogative as to whether or not Buffy & Angel are dead by this point.
5. You CANNOT make the story Pearl telling her daughter of the amazing love her parents shared. That's my version and it's my challenge so I'm making the rules .
6. The fic MUST begin with the line "My parents shared a love like no other." You take it from there.
7. Smut is optional but appreciated.
Uncertain Identity
"My parents shared a love like no other," Pearl started, lying through her teeth. It wasn't that far from the truth, but she had no way of knowing, they had not been in her life, "Them... um, they were happy... until, they got deported... yeah, um... they got deported, but since I was born here I'm a citizen and..."
Her classmates looked at her doubtfully. The one with the black hair retorted, in perfect cordelia-esque mode, "Oh, poor Pearl, you're such a bad liar, why do you even try? Maybe it's because the truth is too awful... we all know you live in a group home." The rest of the teenagers laughed, finding something funny in Pearl's pain. Teenagers were cruel that way.
Pearl bit her lip to keep from crying, the psychological pain was harsh, but she wouldn't allow the others to see her cry. Never. Thankfully, the bell to end the last period of the day rang shortly after.
Pearl hurried to her locker, while the tears started streaming down her face. She hated this place, and couldn't wait to leave Sunnydale for someplace better, someplace more merciful.
Grabbing a history textbook, she hurried out to the bus. The bus ride home was quiet. No one talked to her, or even sat near her. It was like that every day. She didn't care too much, the fact of the matter was that she knew she was different from everyone else, even though she didn't know how.
After getting off the bus, she pounded into the old Victorian house that served as a group home to teenagers who weren't lucky enough to have found foster parents yet. That was everyone's wish, everyone who entered that home, but it rarely happened.
Most of them were there until they became adult enough to move out. Pearl had decided a long time ago that the day she turned eighteen she was leaving, going to Los Angeles or some other big city. The door slammed behind her, as Pearl entered the foyer.
"Someone had a bad day." Ricky, another teen, taunted.
"Can it Ricky!" The blond replied, ready to split his head in two if he said any more.
"Ok, ok" He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Geez!"
Pearl sighed and threw her book bag down on the living room chair, which served partly as a place to store coats and school bags. "Is anyone else home?"
The brown-haired boy shook his head, "Nope, just me and AnnaLee."
Pearl smiled, "You know your girlfriend isn't allowed here when no ones home."
"Yes, I know." Ricky smiled with guilty pleasure, "But think of the possibilities."
Pearl shook a finger at Ricky, teasing, "You're a naughty boy."
He laughed, "Well, I was... until you came home." He grabbed a paper off the counter, "Oh, I think you might have gotten lucky." He gave her the note one of their group home counselors had written.
She took the note, and read it quietly, "Oh, my god! Ricky!" She threw her arms around his neck, "Someone actually wants to adopt me!"
His face beamed for her. "Congratulations, kid."
Pearl looked at her clothes, a nice pair of jeans and a red v-neck sweater. Tonight was the night, she was going to meet the guy who wanted to adopt her. She brushed her long blond hair, glancing in the mirror. Every time she looked into a mirror, she wondered if she looked anything like her parents. A pang of guilt hit her, would this adoptive parent just be a replacement for people she couldn't replace?
There was a knock at the door, giving her no more time to prepare for, hopefully, a life changing moment. "I'll be right out." She hollered.
"They're waiting for you." Ricky told her, peaking his head into the room.
"Ok, ok.." She sighed happily and frustrated at the same time. "How do I look?"
He shrugged, "Like you always do."
"Thanks alot, wise-ass."
Pearl met up with her counselor at the bottom of the staircase. The older lady looked as excited as Pearl felt. She buzzed around the teenager, making sure she looked presentable. "You do realized that this is entirely up to you?
This gentleman looked at your papers and decided that you were the one he wanted to adopt, but if you don't want to go with him, it's perfectly acceptable."
Pearl nodded, anxiously.
The older lady took the teen's hand, leading her to the living room door. They entered the living room, and the counselor made introductions quickly. "Pearl, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. William Spike."
The blond haired man stood up and shook her hand. He spoke with a Cockney accent, "'Ello Pearl."
"Well, I'll leave you two to get aquatinted," The counselor said after a few minutes and quickly left the room, stopping once at the door to look back at the two. She loved playing matchmaker to lost souls, uniting a parent and a child.
Pearl looked at the older gentleman from the middle of the room where she was still standing, unsure of herself. "Geez, what do you say at a time like this?" She wondered idly out loud.
"I knew your mum, Luv." Spike started from his position on the sofa, "You look like her."
She stood in shock and disbelief. Her eyes searched him for any clue of a lie, but he seemed honest. Then her brain focused on the word 'knew', the possibility that they were dead had occurred to her before, but it was too bad to think about. Finally she asked, "You knew her?"
He nodded effortlessly, "That's what I said." Pulling out a picture from the front pocket of his black jeans he handed it to the teen. "Thought you might want to see this."
She sat next to him, hopeful and yet a bit wary. The person in the picture was not much older than Pearl, and not much different looking either. In fact, they looked identical, well, despite the fact that Pearl had longer hair. But the faces were the same, with twin noses, and eyes. There was no doubt that they were related. "Oh my god, I can't believe this." She breathed.
"Buffy Summers." Spike said, with a voice full of old memories. It had been over sixteen years since he'd seen the slayer, she had been only twenty-two. Too young, and yet quite aged, as far as slayers go. "Um, that was her name."
"Buffy Summers." Pearl committed the name to memory. It was one of the pieces of the puzzle she had been searching for. "...What about my father?"
A vision of Angel dying flashed through Spike's head, the pain on the other vampire's face just before... "Angel."
Pearl looked at Spike, reminding him again of Buffy. It was almost scary how much of Buffy was captured in Pearl's features, giving a sense of immortality to the slayer. "Do you happen to have a picture of him, too?" She questioned.
"Sorry, ducks," He shook his pale head. How could he explain the aversion cameras took to vampires?
"Oh, well," Pearl returned to gazing at the picture. "At least I have this."
He arched one of his black eyebrows casually, "Care to have dinner tomorrow? We should talk."
"Sure!" She hugged him. "I'd love to!"
Surprised with the girl's sudden emotion, he uncertainly returned the hug. "Good."
That night had passed slowly, and the next afternoon even slower. Pearl was too excited for dinner. She wanted to hear everything this new stranger had to tell her about her parents. So many answers were starting to fall into place. She clasped the picture of her mother for the umpteenth time that day, staring at the familiar yet distant face. "Angel and Buffy Summers," She said to no one in particular, "I hope they were in love."
There was a knock on her bedroom door. From her position on her bed she looked up to see her counselor come in. "Pearl, Mr. Spike is down stairs waiting for you."
Pearl smiled, grabbing her coat from her floor.
"Have fun." Her counselor called after Pearl, as the teenager hurried out of the room.
"So, what were they like?" Pearl asked eagerly after she ordered her food.
"Buffy" Spike shrugged, "Nice girl, stubborn, head strong, good fighter."
Pearl looked confused at the last description. "Good fighter?"
Ignoring her for lack of a reply, Spike continued, "Angel... Brooding, dark, lonely sort of chap."
"Hmm..." Pearl was lost in thought for a minute, "Were they in love."
"Incessantly... that got bloody well annoying," Spike smirked. "Just joshing, but honestly, they were a good match. Too much like Romeo and Juliet, for my likes though."
"Do you know why they gave me up?" Pearl asked the difficult question.
Spike knew all too well. The slayer and her vampire had died at the hands of a demon, leaving no one to care for their daughter. "They were killed... in a car accident." He lied, badly, it wasn't characteristic of him to lie, he was more of a direct type of person.
"Oh." Pearl looked saddened by the fact that she would never get a chance to meet her parents.
The waitress arrived shortly after, bringing the two orders out. Pearl had gotten a salad, while Spike has ordered a steak. He didn't need the food to survive; it wasn't in his usual diet, but just this once he decided to try doing things the normal human way.
"Thank you for the dinner, Mr. Spike." The small blond teenager said as they walked back to the group home. The streets were dark tonight, and slightly dangerous since it was Sunnydale. But Spike was prepared should anything happen. And something was just about to.
"Spike, man, haven't seen you around lately," Someone said from behind the duo.
"Damn," Spike said under his breath as he started to morph into game face mode.
"Who's that?" The teen asked, looking back towards the voice. Her eyes caught a glimpse something she had never seen before. The creature had fangs, sharp ugly fangs and a wrinkly face. It didn't look human.
"Pearl, stay behind me," Spike told her cautiously. He felt a fight coming on. The teen had no time to react, before the two vampires started brawling in the street. Spike soon had the upper hand, as he punching the other vamp into a store window, shattering glass, and sending the other vampire flying.
"What's going on?" Pearl asked as she looked to Spike for answers. "Oh my God!" She screamed as she started to run away. He pursued her, needed a chance to explain. She didn't want to hear it, and just gave him a quick, "Get away from me!"
"Would you hold on a second!" Spike held Pearl by her shoulders, restraining her. His game face was still on and it was terrifying the frightened teenager.
"What are you!?" Her combative voice wanted answers, an explanation, and an excuse.
"A demon." The other vampire smirked, joining them again. "A vampire."
That was all Pearl needed before she completely lost it. "Get away from me!" She started kicking Spike in the shins.
"Ow! Damn it!" He let her go, surprised with the hereditary strength.
Pearl started running away as fast as she could before pausing. She hesitated for a moment, just far enough away to be safe, trying to figure out what had just happened. Searching Mr. Spike's face for humanity, but then she continued bolting.
The other vampire laughed, punching Spike in the face, knocking him out. Running after Pearl. He shouted back, "Looks like your girl just became dinner Spike."
Pearl ran into the park, which was a bad rookie mistake. It was late and vampires liked the park at night, it was their first choice restaurant. She stumbled onto the ground as her foot twisted on a broken tree branch.
"You didn't have to run off like that." An evil voice laughed. Pearl looked behind her, the vampire from the Bronze was right behind her.
"Oh, I'm sorry is there a proper way to run away from a demon?" Pearl replied. The demon yanked her up by the back of her shirt, causing pain her neck. Unknown to her, the pain was about to get a lot worse, if the vampire won this fight.
He got ready for the kill, but decided to mentally torture his victim first, "Did you know that Spike killed your parents?" She said nothing. "He enjoyed it too. Did a good job on them." The vampire laughed.
Pearl started crying. "Don't talk about them like that."
"But it's the truth," his grasp on her neck became tighter. He opened his fanged mouth, ready to drink. Suddenly, the two of them got knocked to the ground by a third person. A third vampire. Spike.
"Get out of here!" Pearl heard Spike shout as she caught her breath. As soon as she could stand up, she started getting home as quickly as possible. Behind her she could hear the sounds of a fight, but she was only focused on getting home safely.
Spike punched the wooden wall of his darkened mansion out of frustration. He had wanted to make amends with Buffy's daughter; he had even gone through the trouble of forging adoption papers and ID, and still his past had caught up with him.
He pulled his hand out of the newly made hole that was left in the wood. A satisfied smile spread across his lips as he thought of the dust the vamp from the night before had left. A fitting end to the one whom had destroyed Spike's last chance at redemption.
Spike's eyes traveled from the wall to the nearby fireplace. A bunch of old books and journals sat on top of it. A thought started to emerge in Spike's head, "Parties not over yet," he drawled.
That night, Pearl was watching television, trying to escape the horrifying evening she had spent running away from and almost getting killed by a vampire. Enough time had been spent pondering the existence of vampires she decided; there were other problems besides that. Including the fact that Spike, a man she had trusted, was one, and he, according to another demon had been the one who murdered her parents.
The picture Spike had given her, the one of her mother; lay in her hands. Pearl wished the person in the photo could talk to her, tell her everything would turn out all right. She was in desperate need of answers.
An hour before, Pearl's group home counselor had told her that the adoption papers had been faked and there were no records of a William Spike from anywhere in America or Britain. Pearl's last hope of being adopted had been dashed away. It wasn't fair, yet it was so ironic.
Ricky entered the room somberly, which was totally uncharacteristic of him, but he had noticed the pain Pearl was going through. They were like best buds, maybe even closer, and he didn't want to upset her. On any given day he would have relished teasing her, but not today.
"That creep from yesterday was at the door, so I sent him away," Ricky passed her a leather journal, "He gave me this to give to you."
Pearl took it hesitantly and opened to the first page. As much as she hated Spike at the moment, the book might explain some of the question she had away. Inside was a note,
"One girl in all the world is chosen
every generation to fight against the evil,
vampires like me, the slayers, as they're called,
are mentored and guided by a watcher. That one
girl was your mother, Buffy Summers. This is her
watcher's journal. You saw the evil of the
world last night, now read about the good.
I can't bring her back for you, but I can give
you the truth about her past."
Pearl placed the note of the coffee table and began reading the journal as Ricky left the room, giving her some privacy.
Scrawled on the first page was someone's writing, "This new slayer appears shallow and unresponsive to her duties as a slayer, the welfare of the world is at stake..." And as Pearl read, the entries came to a very different thesis. The watcher had held his slayer in the highest regards after seeing her defeat monster after monster.
Pearl read on earnestly, learning who her mother had been. There was a bond forming. A link to the past. Following her mother's journey from high school and cheerleader tryouts she had missed for her slayer duties to her friends, Willow and Xander, and the prom, and graduation. Pearl felt so proud of the woman who would later become her mother. She read about Angel and how he had been a vampire with a soul. Buffy had loved him really had really had, as Pearl earlier commented, "A love like no other," A slayer and a vampire in love, it was so ironic.
Angel had moved to Los Angeles following Buffy's graduation; trying to break up a love that could bring either true happiness or pure hell.
Buffy had tried to move on, continuously fighting the scourge of the undead, and dating a man involved with a secret government vampire cover up. But she had become increasingly depressed, as the Scooby Gang split apart. Oz had never returned after leaving college to deal with some 'werewolf' issues he had faced, but a werewolf fang had been sent to Buffy, a 'present' from a werewolf hunter.
Fearing the worst, Willow had left Sunnydale, to find Oz either alive or dead, but not before performing a soul restoration spell on Spike. Apparently he had been helpful to the Scooby Gang for a few years and it was a present from the witch to the vampire.
A few uneventful months passed, until one night when Buffy's friend Xander had gotten caught in the park one night, without a weapon and no slayer around to save him. She had been too late to rescue him, and that caused her extreme grief.
Angel had returned from LA, after running into Willow, who had turned him into a fully-fledged human using her increasing powers. He came to Sunnydale to comfort Buffy and ended up getting her pregnant.
Around this time, Spike went evil again, striking out at the few remaining members of the Scooby Gang. Riley had been the first to go.
Buffy finally gave birth to Pearl, but that day after Buffy and Angel had put their wonderful gift to sleep and watched her peacefully, Spike had found them. It had been too easy, since he knew Buffy was staying at the hospital. As Pearl lay sleeping peacefully in the hospital nursery, Spike had slashed the slayer's throat and driven a knife into Angel's heart.
Giles had performed the restoration ritual on Spike again, giving him back his soul, and enough guilt to last forever. It was the only thing Giles could do to get his revenge, short of slaying the vampire himself, but in the watcher's weakening old age, it was safer to seek vengeance the Gypsy way. It was more satisfying in a way, knowing how much guilt the vampire would feel for the rest of his unlife.
The last words in the journal stated, "The girl whom I did not give enough credit became legendary in Slayer history and in my heart."
Pearl closed the book and started crying. Crying for the brave mother she would never know, the pain Buffy had gone through, and how Pearl had misjudged Spike. He was on the good side now, like Angel had been. She had to find him.
That night, Pearl slipped out of her room quietly, trying not to wake anyone. The watcher's journal had stated that Spike's old mansion had been located in the outskirts of town on Crawford Street. It was the only clue she had that would help locate him.
Taking careful, timid footsteps over the threshold of the stone house, Pearl found a new determination in herself. The interior was full of old statues and unkempt gardens. The walls were made out of granite and the furniture was cast iron. To make for easier vampire living, the windows were all covered up. An eerie silence surrounded the place.
The mansion was deserted, much to Pearl's dismay, but she kept on to the living room. Three of the walls were granite like the garden room before, but one was nice mahogany wood, that was slightly damaged. A couch occupied the middle of the floor alongside the couch was two thin tables on which were some lamps. A huge fireplace stood against the far wall.
Pearl looked on top of the fireplace and found some books, 'The Call of the Wild', some ancient texts written in languages she did not understand, and a few notebooks with old notes.
Emerged in the mystery she was trying to unravel, Pearl did not notice someone else had entered the room, she only noticed cold hands gripping her throat tightly, and then deep black emptiness.
Pain jolted Pearl back into conciousness. Blood trickled down her neck from two puncture wounds as a dark haired lady moved away from her, standing up. Pearl tried to scream bet her mouth was gagged and her hands were tied behind her.
"You taste of memories, dear one," The lady's voice was lilting, "Memories can be ever so hurtful," She danced in place, pale skin moving to music unheard by the human ear. The black empire dress the woman wore dragged slightly on the ground. "Your mum stole my Spike from me," A startled cry escaped the lady's lips as she sat down in a chair in a fetal position.
Pearl studied the room, frantically, trying to figure out where she was. The lady stood again, after acknowledging the teenager's questioning glance. She spun in circles in the middle of the room, waving her arms around like a child, "This is where the seed was planted but only rot remains. The plants all withered and died," She smiled, "but I'll plant more, and me and my pet will have armies to march against the painful light."
She stood above Pearl, cradling a little doll now. The doll was gagged and looked quite ragged.
"Your death will come, sweet child, but not now. There's work to do and," She stopped short, listening to something only she could hear, "Hush! The stars are singing to me." A small smile graced the lady's features, "I can go out to play now." Still carrying the little doll the female vampire left the living room and presumably the mansion.
Pearl let out a sigh, she had never been so fearful for her life. Whoever that had been was quite insane and not human, even with the limited experience she had with vampires, Pearl knew the combination of those attributes could be deadly.
Minutes passed, followed by hours. The female vampire had returned only once, to finish killing a man who had been in his early twenties when he had still been alive. Pearl has watched in terror as the whole scene played out. Then the lady had left again.
Hunger and sleeplessness was taking its toll on Pearl, but she didn't dare respond to either. A stumbling of footsteps alarmed her; the blond teenager became very quiet, holding her breath, trying to blend into the shadows so the vampire lady wouldn't notice her. To Pearl's happy surprise it wasn't the lady this time. Pearl tried to call out but it came out, "Fbpike."
The white haired vampire knelt down beside Pearl, taking off the gag and untying her hands. Pearl thrust her arms around Spike's neck, elated and relived to see a familiar and helpful face.
Drusilla took that moment to arrive back in the mansion, "Ah!" She looked physically wounded, "My Spike, you reek of humanity."
Spike looked at Pearl, "Stay here." And so she did, hiding in the corner of the mansion.
Meanwhile Spike stood and faced his old girlfriend. "'Ello Pet."
Drusilla backed away, appalled, "You have a soul. Your demon is sleeping."
Spike took a few steps forward, having to step over a human meal Drusilla had left lying on the floor, "Decided to try the 'ol soul having routine." He shrugged, "I dunno' it always got Angel the girls."
Drusilla whimpered, "But we were going to be a family, the stars told me so." She became suddenly angry, "The slayer changed you, you never would have been so," her voice emphasized the next word with disgust, "pure... without her. She took you from me, why won't you come back? We can be a family, remember pain, remember blood, the chaos--"
Spike cut her off, annoyed, "I remember the chaos demon, and if memory serves, that's why we don't do the wacky anymore. You left me Dru."
Drusilla stamped her foot, as Spike neared her. Uncoiling her fingernails she slashed him across his face. Blood dripped down his cheek and she licked it off. Then she simply left the mansion, her old life in her wake. This was the first encounter with the soulful Spike; it wasn't something she planned on repeating, but his blood would always run through her veins.
"Come now," Spike held out a hand to Pearl, "Let's get out of this rat trap."
Spike's black DeSoto stopped in the front of an abandoned factory. The sunrise was nearing and he needed to find shelter. This was one of the places vamps could hide out.
Pearl and him left the car and entered the building soundlessly. Pearl found a chair and sat down, tired from the tense night. She was the first to break the silence, "Thank you, for everything." She paused, yawning. "I'm not sure if I wanted to know this much, but now that I do I'm kind of grateful.
He nodded, understanding.
"I read the watcher's journal, but it left off the ending. I mean, what happened next? What did you do? And what happened to Giles? Did Willow ever come back to Sunnydale? Is there a new slayer? A new watcher?" By the time she finished the long list of questions, she was out of breath.
Spike laughed, "Uh, le'see, I did some traveling," He ran a hand through his bleach blond hair, "Went about being all tourist-y; living, well sort of, off of cow's blood. Tried the whole 'repent for my sins' deal. Met up with Willow and her kin in Massachusetts few years back. Giles taught her how to be a watcher, before he died. She's a watcher now, training some flighty brunette."
Pearl was glad there was still someone fighting the good fight, "From what I heard about her, Willow is probably a great watcher." She yawned again.
Spike noticed how fatigued she was, "Get some sleep. Uh, there's a bed in there." He pointed to a small room that had been made into a bedroom.
"Yeah," She nodded sleepy, "That's probably a good idea." She walked across the main room to the bedroom door. "Could I still live with you? I mean, leave the group home and do the whole 'adoption' thing?"
He shook his head, somberly, "They wouldn't let me."
"But besides that... would you?"
Nodding, he answered, "Of course, ducks."
Disappearing behind the bedroom door, she grinned as the first thoughts of a plan started to form in her mind.
The next night, Spike walked Pearl back home. He told her he was leaving Sunnydale before the morning. She didn't tell him of her plan, but she was determined to leave with him.
With a duffel bag full of clothes and her backpack full of keepsakes she wanted to keep with her, Pearl opened her bedroom window and started to sneak out. She was not coming back, and that left a weird feeling in her. A chapter of her life was closing forever.
"Pearl," Ricky entered the room unexpectedly.
"Ah!" Pearl almost fell off the roof, but caught her balance just in time.
"What are you doing?" Ricky asked curiously, not accusing just wondering. He walked to the opened window.
"Leaving." Her meek voice replied.
"Leaving?" The teenage boy asked, "Like forever? Running away?"
"Yeah, sort of," She shrugged and realized how much she was going to miss him. For a moment it looked like Ricky would go tell someone, but Pearl's eyes pleaded with him.
"I won't tell anyone," He said finally, with softness in his voice. Pausing, he tried to think of something to say, a final word, "I love you."
Pearl kissed him airily on the cheek, "Yeah, me too." She broke away from him, as her eyes started to cry. Carefully, she let herself drop from the roof onto a small bush. The landing was a good one for her, but not for the plant that got squished. Running out to the middle of the deserted street, she looked back toward her bedroom window, and waved back to Ricky. He gave her a small wave back. Then she turned and left everything behind.
People change. Especially when they get rid of evil demons that have been messing with their heads. So, I don't blame Spike. He was under the influence of something else. I trust him, maybe even more so now that I know the truth. He saved my life, and he deserves the benefit of the doubt. I left the group home, not legally, but that's another matter. I convinced Spike to let me leave with him, though, at first, he was reluctant to be involved with my running away.. For now we're leaving Sunnydale. I got my wish, I suppose. I know my parents, two wonderful people who brought me into this world; a slayer and a vampire, sort of poetic, but really tragic in the end. I know who I am, and where I came from. But where I'm going remains a mystery. At least, with Spike, I have found a sort of belonging. A father... well, sort of. An ally of my future. And a way out, a way out from both Sunnydale and my uncertain identity.
Pearl closed her diary and glanced at Spike, at last her heart was at home. Her blue eyes returned to the highway, as the sound of the tires slowly hypnotized her into slumber.
-The End-
So many people have asked for a sequel to this, I might just try one in the future. Stay tuned.