Problem Childe (1-5/?)
By: Evil Willow
Email: lcaspell@yahoo.com
Series: This is story three in the New Lives, Destined Loves series.
Story one in this series was "The End. Story Two in this Series
was "New Beginnings."
Distribution: Vamps N Slayers Archive:
www.crosswinds.net/~evilwillow/index.html If anyone who already any
of my other fics wants this too, go ahead, just keep my name on it.
If you want this and you don't have my other fics, just email me and
ask. I always say yes.
Spoilers: Uh....mostly for the first two fics in this series. As for
the shows, The End took up after Superstar (4th season) BtVS and
Eternity (mid s1) Angel. So I guess general spoilers to those
episodes, but it's really my own world at this point.
Rating: PG-13 (Language/Violence)
Disclaimer: They are most definitely not mine. I'm just borrowing
them, to have a little fun. The characters of BtVS and AtS are owned
by Joss Whedon, the WB, and whoever else is responsible for ruining
these shows. *sigh*
Category: Story/Romance/Angst/Humor/Adventure
Keywords: Alternate Timeline, two major character deaths
Main couples: Buffy/Angel, Drusilla/Spike, Cordelia/Doyle.
Minor Couples: Willow/Oz, Anya/Xander
Summary: This story takes place three weeks after the end of New
Beginnings. Doyle and Charlotte have gone to London at the request of
the Watcher's Council. The rest of the gang are starting to put their
lives back together. They have been lulled into a false sense of
security, thinking Spike has finally decided to leave Sunnydale
alone. Little do they know....
Thanks goes to: Dru, for demanding this fic, and for always letting
me know when I piss her off with my cliffhangers. ;-) Also to Shirl
and Ally for being such great feedbackers on this series.
*********
Part One
Sunnydale
Saturday morning
8 am
Buffy looked around, she couldn't pinpoint the source of the
scratching claws in the dark. She screamed but nobody came to help
her. She ran, but there was no way out. Finally, everything stopped
for a moment, and she saw a shadowy form approaching. "Please help
me," she begged.
Then the figure got closer and she realized it was hopeless.
"Angelus," she whispered.
"NOOOO!" Buffy screamed and sat up. She jumped when she felt an arm
come around her waist, and swatted at it, trying to back away.
"Buffy," Angel grabbed her arms, and tried to catch her eyes. "It's
okay, it's just me," he said soothingly. Buffy looked at him for a
moment, and then recognition hit and she slumped against him, crying.
Angel held her and let her cry. He sighed sadly, wishing there was
someway to make the nightmares stop. It had been three weeks since
she was attacked by the curse from the Warlocks, and she still had
nightmares at least every other night.
"It's okay, Baby," he said, one hand stroking her hair, another
rubbing her back.. "It was just a dream. You're safe."
She looked up at him, finally, and tried to smile. "Sorry," she
said, "what a wake-up call."
He reached up to brush the tears from her face, and smiled, "You
_never_ need to apologize for needing me. You've been through so much
lately, Buffy. So much that I caused..."
"Don't you dare do that!" Buffy said forcefully. "If Xander, of all
people, can finally accept that you were not Angelus, don't you think
it's time you did the same?"
"It's not that easy," Angel shook his head, and shrugged. "I'm trying
though. I think I'm getting better, aren't I?"
Buffy smiled, and kissed him for the first time that day. "You
definitely brood much less," she agreed. "Now that things have
started to go right in our lives."
"Everything's going to stay right, if I have anything to say about
it," Angel replied.
Buffy smiled, and said, "Waking up with you is definitely one of
those things I would classify as right." She looked around the
bedroom of their house. The place was technically Angel's, but she'd
come to think of as hers too. She and Cordelia had helped him pick it
out a week earlier. He'd been living in a motel room in Sunnydale,
after he'd returned to L.A. briefly to close down the office in L.A.
When he'd returned to live in Sunnydale permanently, he hadn't wanted
to return to the mansion, and Buffy hadn't argued. A fresh start was
what they needed, and the mansion wouldn't help them find that.
She got out of bed then, opening the curtains. She smiled at the
view, it was a lot of the reason she had fallen in love with the
place. It was lakefront property, and the bedroom window looked over
the lake. She felt arms snake around her waist, and craned her head
up to allow Angel better access to kiss her. She turned without
breaking the kiss, and wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling
against his mouth as she felt his heartbeat against her chest speed
up.
Angel broke the kiss and raised an eyebrow, "What are you grinning
about?" he asked.
"Feeling and hearing your heartbeat is another one of those things
that is right," Buffy said, and laid her head against his chest
listening to the sound.
"I don't think I've gotten used to it myself," Angel replied.
"And looking at you in direct sunlight, and not worrying about a
happiness clause, and actually getting to grow old with you, and--"
Angel chuckled and put his hand under her chin, tilting it up to
capture her lips in another kiss. "Were you always this talkative
before, and I just never noticed?" he teased.
"Hey," she frowned. "I have all kinds of things to be happy about.
I'm just trying to brush that nasty nightmare away by reminding
myself of them."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Angel asked, a concerned expression
on his face.
"No," Buffy shook her head, and added, "I'm hungry."
"Changing the subject, are we?" Angel smiled. "Okay, my girl's
hungry, I make her breakfast." He took her hand and led her into the
kitchen.
*******
Sunnydale Airport
10 am
Xander, Oz, and Willow had driven Cordelia to the airport. The day of
her flight to London to move in with Doyle and Charlotte had finally
arrived. "I can't believe these last three weeks went so fast,"
Cordelia said, checking her carry-on bag for the hundredth time. "I
can't believe I'm going to see Doyle again in a few hours!" she
smiled at the thought.
The first call was heard for Cordelia's flight, and she turned to
Willow, "Thank you for letting me stay with you."
"I loved having you," Willow replied with a smile. "It's not like I
hang out with Buffy that much anymore, what with her living with
Angel. So it was great to have you stay with me, because then I
wasn't so lonely, with my parents being off on that Cruise. Oh, but I
don't want you to think that I was using you as a
Buffysubstituteoranythingbecause--"
"Will!" Xander cut off his friend's rambling. "Breathe."
"Oh," she smiled. "Sorry. Rambling again. I always do that, and I
wish I could break myself of the habit, but sometimes my mind goes
faster than my mouth can keepupwithandthen..." she trailed off as
Cordelia and Xander burst out laughing. "Willow's just going to shut
up now," she finished with a frown.
"Don't do that," Oz replied, putting an arm around Willow's
waist. "Because if neither of us spoke, everyone would think we were
both mutes."
"I am _so_ glad we're friends now," Cordelia said and hugged
Willow. "And I don't think you were using me as a Buffy substitute.
If I ever thought that I would have let you know."
"Very loudly," Xander supplied with a grin.
Cordelia threw him a look, and said, "Don't start, Mister. You're the
reason for my not giving Willow a chance in the first place."
"Oh. Yeah. I think _I_ should shut up, if anyone should," Xander
shrugged.
Cordelia smiled, and hugged him quickly too. "No, you don't have to
do that," she said. "I'm glad _we_ sorted things out, too. Anya
seems..." Cordelia frowned, trying to think of something polite to
say.
Xander chuckled, and said, "Yes she is. She's an acquired taste," he
shrugged.
The final call for boarding was heard then, and Cordelia said, "Well,
I guess that's me." She hugged Willow and Xander again, and said, "I
guess Angel didn't make it with all the traffic," with a frown.
"You really think I'd let my favorite business partner leave the
country without saying goodbye?" Cordelia heard Angel's voice behind
her and jumped.
"You're not supposed to be so good at sneaking up on people now that
you're alive!" she yelled hitting him on the arm, but her smile
softened the words.
"I'll try to remember that," Angel smiled. "You take care of
yourself," Angel said, and they hugged quickly.
"I will," Cordelia said.
"I mean it, Cordelia," Angel said, obviously worried. "Spike's still
there."
"Or the Council Special Forces have found him and dusted him,"
Cordelia argued. "Doyle said there haven't been any signs of him for
three weeks. No news is good news, right?" Cordelia then turned to
Buffy, "Keep him from brooding, okay? He likes to do the 'beating
himself up over the past' thing way too much."
"I agree," Buffy said with a smile. The two hugged, and Buffy
whispered, "And thank you for helping me bring him back."
Cordelia winked at her, and gathered up her bags as she saw the last
of the travelers boarding the plane. "Well, I don't want to be late,
so bye everyone!" She blew them all a kiss and walked to the plane.
********
London, England
Saturday, 9 pm
"Fuck," Spike gasped as he and Brianna dove into a warehouse.
*Nothing like running from the Watcher's Council Special Forces for
three bloody weeks.*
"I really, really want to stake you," Brianna muttered as she watched
out the window. Ten Watcher's Council commandos ran past and down the
street and she sighed with relief. "I've lost ALL of my fledglings,
even my favorite childe," she said, then turning on Spike angrily.
Spike dodged Brianna's fist as it attempted to make contact with his
face. This was the way the last three weeks had gone. But Spike
couldn't blame her. The little blonde chit Brianna was referring to
had been beautiful, and had given her life for her Sire. He sighed as
he watched Brianna's shoulders slump, and she fell to her knees,
sobbing.
Spike and Brianna had gotten what Spike had wanted out of the coffin
buried under the main hall of the Watcher's Council. It hadn't been
easy, it had taken several hours and twenty dead Watchers. Then the
girl, Brianna's favorite Childe Annaliese, had entered the room,
warning them that most of the fledglings were dead. She'd then told
them she'd seen a truck filled with more Special Forces guys
approaching down the road toward the compound. The Watchers, as they
were dying, must have sounded the alarm.
Spike, Brianna, and Analiese had exited the compound. Spike had
slipped the ring on his finger, just in case. Which was a smart move,
because an arrow had hit him in the chest, square in the
heart. "FUCK!" Spike yelled, and ripped the arrow out. "Dammit that
still bloody hurts!" he yelled. Brianna and Analiese looked at him in
amazement, and then Analiese had dived at Brianna, knocking her to
the ground before dissolving into dust. The arrow which had hit
Analiese, meant for Brianna, fell to the ground by Spike's feet.
Brianna had looked up at Spike in horror, before he dragged her into
the trees to find their car.
Spike shook himself back to reality, and knelt down next to Brianna.
She was still sobbing, face in her hands. "Bri, I'm--"
"Go to hell!" she screamed, backhanding him. She looked at him
tearfully. "She's dead, they're all dead. WHY???!!! So you can get
that ring? Well, FUCK YOU, SPIKE, AND YOUR STUPID RING!" She dove at
him, knocking him to the ground, and started clawing at and punching
his face alternately. Being a hundred years older than her, Spike
overpowered her quickly. He flipped her over, pinning her to the
ground.
"Get a grip," he growled. "I'm sorry they're dead, but I never lied
to you about the costs involved with this. And your reward will make
up for it." He very slowly let go of her wrists, and when she didn't
move to attack him, got up off her.
"I doubt that," Brianna said, shaking her head.
"How's five million sound?" Spike asked with a grin.
Brianna stared at him in shock. "American or British?"
"American, of course," Spike replied.
"How?"
"I've had accountants and stock brokers over that past two hundred
years who have assisted me in investing very wisely," Spike
answered. "One thing the Poof taught me that was of use" he added
under his breath. "Now are you ready to go home?" he asked.
"I was ready three weeks ago," Brianna nodded. "But how are we going
to--"
"The last stop we had to make, I contacted a few of my fledglings
here in London," Spike said. "They've arranged for a boat to take us
back to France in a few hours."
"It's about bloody time," Brianna said, standing and wiping the tears
from her eyes.
"Come on, then," Spike said, and led her out into the night.
End part One
*************
By: Evil Willow
Email: lcaspell@yahoo.com
Series: This is story three in the New Lives, Destined Loves series.
Story one in this series was "The End. Story Two in this Series
was "New Beginnings."
Distribution: Vamps N Slayers Archive:
www.crosswinds.net/~evilwillow/index.html If anyone who already any
of my other fics wants this too, go ahead, just keep my name on it.
If you want this and you don't have my other fics, just email me and
ask. I always say yes.
Spoilers: Uh....mostly for the first two fics in this series. As for
the shows, The End took up after Superstar (4th season) BtVS and
Eternity (mid s1) Angel. So I guess general spoilers to those
episodes, but it's really my own world at this point.
Rating: PG-13 (Language/Violence)
Disclaimer: They are most definitely not mine. I'm just borrowing
them, to have a little fun. The characters of BtVS and AtS are owned
by Joss Whedon, the WB, and whoever else is responsible for ruining
these shows. *sigh*
Category: Story/Romance/Angst/Humor/Adventure
Keywords: Alternate Timeline, two major character deaths
Main couples: Buffy/Angel, Drusilla/Spike, Cordelia/Doyle.
Minor Couples: Willow/Oz, Anya/Xander
Summary: This story takes place three weeks after the end of New
Beginnings. Doyle and Charlotte have gone to London at the request of
the Watcher's Council. The rest of the gang are starting to put their
lives back together. They have been lulled into a false sense of
security, thinking Spike has finally decided to leave Sunnydale
alone. Little do they know....
Thanks goes to: Dru, for demanding this fic, and for always letting
me know when I piss her off with my cliffhangers. ;-) Also to Shirl
and Ally for being such great feedbackers on this series.
*********
Part One
Sunnydale
Saturday morning
8 am
Buffy looked around, she couldn't pinpoint the source of the
scratching claws in the dark. She screamed but nobody came to help
her. She ran, but there was no way out. Finally, everything stopped
for a moment, and she saw a shadowy form approaching. "Please help
me," she begged.
Then the figure got closer and she realized it was hopeless.
"Angelus," she whispered.
"NOOOO!" Buffy screamed and sat up. She jumped when she felt an arm
come around her waist, and swatted at it, trying to back away.
"Buffy," Angel grabbed her arms, and tried to catch her eyes. "It's
okay, it's just me," he said soothingly. Buffy looked at him for a
moment, and then recognition hit and she slumped against him, crying.
Angel held her and let her cry. He sighed sadly, wishing there was
someway to make the nightmares stop. It had been three weeks since
she was attacked by the curse from the Warlocks, and she still had
nightmares at least every other night.
"It's okay, Baby," he said, one hand stroking her hair, another
rubbing her back.. "It was just a dream. You're safe."
She looked up at him, finally, and tried to smile. "Sorry," she
said, "what a wake-up call."
He reached up to brush the tears from her face, and smiled, "You
_never_ need to apologize for needing me. You've been through so much
lately, Buffy. So much that I caused..."
"Don't you dare do that!" Buffy said forcefully. "If Xander, of all
people, can finally accept that you were not Angelus, don't you think
it's time you did the same?"
"It's not that easy," Angel shook his head, and shrugged. "I'm trying
though. I think I'm getting better, aren't I?"
Buffy smiled, and kissed him for the first time that day. "You
definitely brood much less," she agreed. "Now that things have
started to go right in our lives."
"Everything's going to stay right, if I have anything to say about
it," Angel replied.
Buffy smiled, and said, "Waking up with you is definitely one of
those things I would classify as right." She looked around the
bedroom of their house. The place was technically Angel's, but she'd
come to think of as hers too. She and Cordelia had helped him pick it
out a week earlier. He'd been living in a motel room in Sunnydale,
after he'd returned to L.A. briefly to close down the office in L.A.
When he'd returned to live in Sunnydale permanently, he hadn't wanted
to return to the mansion, and Buffy hadn't argued. A fresh start was
what they needed, and the mansion wouldn't help them find that.
She got out of bed then, opening the curtains. She smiled at the
view, it was a lot of the reason she had fallen in love with the
place. It was lakefront property, and the bedroom window looked over
the lake. She felt arms snake around her waist, and craned her head
up to allow Angel better access to kiss her. She turned without
breaking the kiss, and wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling
against his mouth as she felt his heartbeat against her chest speed
up.
Angel broke the kiss and raised an eyebrow, "What are you grinning
about?" he asked.
"Feeling and hearing your heartbeat is another one of those things
that is right," Buffy said, and laid her head against his chest
listening to the sound.
"I don't think I've gotten used to it myself," Angel replied.
"And looking at you in direct sunlight, and not worrying about a
happiness clause, and actually getting to grow old with you, and--"
Angel chuckled and put his hand under her chin, tilting it up to
capture her lips in another kiss. "Were you always this talkative
before, and I just never noticed?" he teased.
"Hey," she frowned. "I have all kinds of things to be happy about.
I'm just trying to brush that nasty nightmare away by reminding
myself of them."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Angel asked, a concerned expression
on his face.
"No," Buffy shook her head, and added, "I'm hungry."
"Changing the subject, are we?" Angel smiled. "Okay, my girl's
hungry, I make her breakfast." He took her hand and led her into the
kitchen.
*******
Sunnydale Airport
10 am
Xander, Oz, and Willow had driven Cordelia to the airport. The day of
her flight to London to move in with Doyle and Charlotte had finally
arrived. "I can't believe these last three weeks went so fast,"
Cordelia said, checking her carry-on bag for the hundredth time. "I
can't believe I'm going to see Doyle again in a few hours!" she
smiled at the thought.
The first call was heard for Cordelia's flight, and she turned to
Willow, "Thank you for letting me stay with you."
"I loved having you," Willow replied with a smile. "It's not like I
hang out with Buffy that much anymore, what with her living with
Angel. So it was great to have you stay with me, because then I
wasn't so lonely, with my parents being off on that Cruise. Oh, but I
don't want you to think that I was using you as a
Buffysubstituteoranythingbecause--"
"Will!" Xander cut off his friend's rambling. "Breathe."
"Oh," she smiled. "Sorry. Rambling again. I always do that, and I
wish I could break myself of the habit, but sometimes my mind goes
faster than my mouth can keepupwithandthen..." she trailed off as
Cordelia and Xander burst out laughing. "Willow's just going to shut
up now," she finished with a frown.
"Don't do that," Oz replied, putting an arm around Willow's
waist. "Because if neither of us spoke, everyone would think we were
both mutes."
"I am _so_ glad we're friends now," Cordelia said and hugged
Willow. "And I don't think you were using me as a Buffy substitute.
If I ever thought that I would have let you know."
"Very loudly," Xander supplied with a grin.
Cordelia threw him a look, and said, "Don't start, Mister. You're the
reason for my not giving Willow a chance in the first place."
"Oh. Yeah. I think _I_ should shut up, if anyone should," Xander
shrugged.
Cordelia smiled, and hugged him quickly too. "No, you don't have to
do that," she said. "I'm glad _we_ sorted things out, too. Anya
seems..." Cordelia frowned, trying to think of something polite to
say.
Xander chuckled, and said, "Yes she is. She's an acquired taste," he
shrugged.
The final call for boarding was heard then, and Cordelia said, "Well,
I guess that's me." She hugged Willow and Xander again, and said, "I
guess Angel didn't make it with all the traffic," with a frown.
"You really think I'd let my favorite business partner leave the
country without saying goodbye?" Cordelia heard Angel's voice behind
her and jumped.
"You're not supposed to be so good at sneaking up on people now that
you're alive!" she yelled hitting him on the arm, but her smile
softened the words.
"I'll try to remember that," Angel smiled. "You take care of
yourself," Angel said, and they hugged quickly.
"I will," Cordelia said.
"I mean it, Cordelia," Angel said, obviously worried. "Spike's still
there."
"Or the Council Special Forces have found him and dusted him,"
Cordelia argued. "Doyle said there haven't been any signs of him for
three weeks. No news is good news, right?" Cordelia then turned to
Buffy, "Keep him from brooding, okay? He likes to do the 'beating
himself up over the past' thing way too much."
"I agree," Buffy said with a smile. The two hugged, and Buffy
whispered, "And thank you for helping me bring him back."
Cordelia winked at her, and gathered up her bags as she saw the last
of the travelers boarding the plane. "Well, I don't want to be late,
so bye everyone!" She blew them all a kiss and walked to the plane.
********
London, England
Saturday, 9 pm
"Fuck," Spike gasped as he and Brianna dove into a warehouse.
*Nothing like running from the Watcher's Council Special Forces for
three bloody weeks.*
"I really, really want to stake you," Brianna muttered as she watched
out the window. Ten Watcher's Council commandos ran past and down the
street and she sighed with relief. "I've lost ALL of my fledglings,
even my favorite childe," she said, then turning on Spike angrily.
Spike dodged Brianna's fist as it attempted to make contact with his
face. This was the way the last three weeks had gone. But Spike
couldn't blame her. The little blonde chit Brianna was referring to
had been beautiful, and had given her life for her Sire. He sighed as
he watched Brianna's shoulders slump, and she fell to her knees,
sobbing.
Spike and Brianna had gotten what Spike had wanted out of the coffin
buried under the main hall of the Watcher's Council. It hadn't been
easy, it had taken several hours and twenty dead Watchers. Then the
girl, Brianna's favorite Childe Annaliese, had entered the room,
warning them that most of the fledglings were dead. She'd then told
them she'd seen a truck filled with more Special Forces guys
approaching down the road toward the compound. The Watchers, as they
were dying, must have sounded the alarm.
Spike, Brianna, and Analiese had exited the compound. Spike had
slipped the ring on his finger, just in case. Which was a smart move,
because an arrow had hit him in the chest, square in the
heart. "FUCK!" Spike yelled, and ripped the arrow out. "Dammit that
still bloody hurts!" he yelled. Brianna and Analiese looked at him in
amazement, and then Analiese had dived at Brianna, knocking her to
the ground before dissolving into dust. The arrow which had hit
Analiese, meant for Brianna, fell to the ground by Spike's feet.
Brianna had looked up at Spike in horror, before he dragged her into
the trees to find their car.
Spike shook himself back to reality, and knelt down next to Brianna.
She was still sobbing, face in her hands. "Bri, I'm--"
"Go to hell!" she screamed, backhanding him. She looked at him
tearfully. "She's dead, they're all dead. WHY???!!! So you can get
that ring? Well, FUCK YOU, SPIKE, AND YOUR STUPID RING!" She dove at
him, knocking him to the ground, and started clawing at and punching
his face alternately. Being a hundred years older than her, Spike
overpowered her quickly. He flipped her over, pinning her to the
ground.
"Get a grip," he growled. "I'm sorry they're dead, but I never lied
to you about the costs involved with this. And your reward will make
up for it." He very slowly let go of her wrists, and when she didn't
move to attack him, got up off her.
"I doubt that," Brianna said, shaking her head.
"How's five million sound?" Spike asked with a grin.
Brianna stared at him in shock. "American or British?"
"American, of course," Spike replied.
"How?"
"I've had accountants and stock brokers over that past two hundred
years who have assisted me in investing very wisely," Spike
answered. "One thing the Poof taught me that was of use" he added
under his breath. "Now are you ready to go home?" he asked.
"I was ready three weeks ago," Brianna nodded. "But how are we going
to--"
"The last stop we had to make, I contacted a few of my fledglings
here in London," Spike said. "They've arranged for a boat to take us
back to France in a few hours."
"It's about bloody time," Brianna said, standing and wiping the tears
from her eyes.
"Come on, then," Spike said, and led her out into the night.
End part One
*************