Ok, so here's with the whole disclaimer deal, I do not own Buffy and Inc. no matter how much that I wish I did. I do own Hope, so if you want to use her, or any of my ideas, please ask (I read my reviews everyday so you can post your request there.)
"Angel, DUCK!" Buffy shouted, followed by a stake being driven into yet another vampire's heart.
"Thanks Buffy. Think that's all of them?" Angel inquired as he picked himself up off the ground.
"The fledglings never seem to end. But, I think we've dealt with all the vamps in this cemetery. Let's move on to the Bronze, I think Willow, Tara, and Xander said they were going to hang there for a bit tonight." Buffy and Angel started out of the cemetery and down the sidewalk.
They hadn't gone far when Angel's vampire hearing and Buffy's Slayer senses detected a demon fight in the park.
"Well, so much for the Bronze." Angel stated as the two made their way toward the distinct sound of fighting.
Near the center of the park, Angel and Buffy stopped short at the sight of a girl surrounded by five Amorra demons, which were notorious for their fighting abilities.
It wasn't the sight that met their eyes so much as the sounds that reached their ears. The girl could easily be heard yelling insults at the demons as she slowly reached for something in her belt.
Buffy and Angel watched carefully, waiting for the right moment to attack.
It came when the girl abruptly stopped shouting, instead hurling herself toward the nearest demon. The other four Amorra demons were caught off guard when Buffy and Angel flew from the nearby bushes.
Buffy and Angel worked their way through two demons while the girl fought through two of her own. As the fifth demon began to run away, the girl hurled her dagger straight to his heart.
Buffy gaped as the Amorra demon fell to the ground, dead. "What did you do that for? He was running away!"
The girl turned her glare from the now-dead demon to Buffy and Angel. "You obviously haven't had to deal with many Amorra demons, have you? If you had, you would know that this type of Amorra demon lives in large groups of thirty or more individuals. If I had allowed this one to live, he could have come back with up to a hundred of his buddies. I don't know about you, but that would not have been at the top of my list of things to do." The girl then turned on her heel and made her silent way out of the park.
"A thank you would have been nice! Does she totally lack in manners or what!? I mean, come on! We just saved her life! I'm going to the Bronze. See you later Angel." Buffy kissed his cheek, missing the thoughtful expression on his face.
"I'm not so sure that Hope would have had any problem. In fact, I'm pretty sure she could have gotten rid of them faster than we did by helping her." Angel spoke the statement in a cryptic way. Buffy, however, was already well out of the park.
His statement did not go unnoticed, though. Stepping from his shadowy hiding place, Spike responded, "I know for a fact that she could have killed them all faster than you two. How you doin' Angel?" Spike looked almost concerned at his grandsire's silence and blank face.
Angel seemed to ignore Spike's question, responding with one of his own, "What happened to her in England?"
Spike hesitated until he heard Angel's low growl of impatience, "Pourchaince's creature caught us outside of London. She managed to take an arm and a lot of hair before he killed her. I don't think the Powers That Be like the Council's decision to kill her, they made her the Dark Slayer."
Angel's eyes became tinged with gold as he let out a growl of anger and frustration, "What, they haven't done enough to her yet? As if the fact that her own sisters can't remember her isn't bad enough!" Here Angel punctuated his anger by punching a nearby tree relentlessly as Spike watched silently, his expression one of distress. "The least they could do is make it so her own family remembers her!"
"Liam Angelus! The Powers That Be are willing to grant your… request, but be wary of how you act and speak toward them in the future! Or Hope might find herself with a new Watcher and you in a little bag." Spike and Angel were surprised by the sudden appearance of a woman they knew to be a representative of the Powers That Be.
"There are, however, a few conditions. First, Buffy and Dawn Summers will not simply be given their memories, which could create an unwanted amount of havoc. Second, you will not be allowed to introduce her as Hope Summers, you may present her as Hope Alexandra or simply Hope. Lastly, neither of you will be able to interfere in whatever way she decides to go about this. If you fail to obey any or all of these rules, you will be stripped of your rights and titles faster than we'd bother to dust you."
Just as the woman began to fade, she whispered, "For Hope's sake, I hope they remember her." She gave a sad smile and disappeared entirely.
"So, you want to be the one to tell her? I've had to deal with her temper for the past two years, I believe it's your turn." Spike said with a mocking smile. Angel nodded and indicated for Spike to lead the way. Both vampires walked down the street in companionable silence.
"So, how was England before Pourchaince's creature found you?" Angel asked nonchalantly. "It was all right. Some of the old haunts were full of idiot fledglings with no master vampire around. Those were some of the easiest massacres I've made in well over a century. We had a lot of fun in Ireland. Speaking of, Coreson is still around. He gave me a phone number to give to you, said he'd return whatever it was you lent him." Here Spike stopped and opened the door to a very nice house just outside of one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries. "I 'bought' this house from a vamp, right before I dusted him. Come on in."
The two vampires were welcomed by the sound of workout music filtering through a door leading to the basement. Accompanying the music was the soft thud of a fist or foot making contact with a punching bag.
The two hadn't taken three steps before the music was abruptly cut off. Neither of them could make out any sounds at all. The basement door swung open soundlessly, revealing Hope carrying a water bottle and covered in a glistening layer of sweat.
"I was wondering how long it would be before Spike brought you. Undoubtedly you've heard about my lovely incident outside of London." Hope's voice was heavy with sarcasm and bitterness. "It hurt, you know. To see Buffy and have her not recognize me…"
Her voice trailed off as she noticed the look that passed between Spike and Angel, "What is it? What do you know that I don't?"
Her eyes watched as the two traded another glance, "Well, Hope, after you left…" Angel proceeded to tell her everything that the representative of the Powers That Be had said.
When he had finished, Hope sat down hard on a nearby chair. Her face was blank; her eyes open in total shock and disbelief. "They're really going to do this for me? They're really going to give me the chance to have my family?"
Spike gave an affirming nod, "Love, we'll have to be very careful about how we do this. It might take a very long time."
"I don't care if it takes five, even ten years! I miss my family, Spike. You and Angel, and Cordy and Gunn and Wesley and Fred are great, but you're not family, you're not flesh and blood." She looked at her Watcher, catching the shadow of a smile before it was replaced by a questioning look.
"So, Hope, how do you want to do this?" Angel and Spike watched her carefully.
They were rewarded by her trademark grin, so much like Buffy's own, "I've been wanting to go to the Bronze…"
"Buffy and her group of friends are supposed to be there now. You feel up to a bit of dancing, love?"
Angel watched as a mischievous grin made it's way slowly across her face. "I do not want to know what dancing had to do with anything in England! The thought alone scares me, adding you two to that thought makes me feel as if my heart would stop, if it weren't already dead."
Spike chuckled while Hope laughed outright, "Let me get changed and we're gone!"
The trio made their way into the Bronze, all of them laughing at something Spike had said. The entire group looked stunning. Angel was wearing all black with his black leather duster. Spike wore a blue, silk button-up shirt over his trademark black jeans and duster. Hope was decked in a dark green, velvet shirt with sleeves that widened from elbows to where they stopped at her wrists. She wore this over a knee-length black, leather skirt. Over her arm was yet another black, leather duster.
None of them was in the least bit uncomfortable with the stares they were receiving, admiring, envious and some outright rude.
They managed to find a table in the corner where they could watch and be watched without being in the thick of things.
"They're over there, at the table almost under the stairs." Angel said when he noticed Hope's searching the room. She took a deep, calming breath and gave Angel a grateful smile.
"Do you want to go over there now, love? Or do you want to stare at them the entire night?" Hope was startled out of her thoughts as Spike nudged her gently.
"Um, now, if you wouldn't mind terribly. I'd like to get it over with as soon as possible." Hope's face had lost much of its color, leaving her pale under her light brushing of make-up.
" All right, let's go!" Angel stood on one side of Hope as Spike walked on the other. They slowly approached the table occupied by the Slayer and Slayerettes.
"Angel! I thought you were going home!" Buffy cast a curious glance over Hope and an angry one over Spike.
"I got sidetracked by a couple of old friends." Here he gestured toward Hope and Spike, "I'd like you to meet Hope Alexandra. I think you already know Spike."
A/N: So, did you like the first chap? I know that the sis thing has been done, but come on, I think it's pretty original, don't you? PLZ, R&R, no flames! J