You Can't Make Me
Disclaimer: Still only owning Chuck, Cindy and the bunny and I'm not too sure about the bunny.
Summary: Catching up on everyone else.
Reviews: Yes please. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!
A/N: If you're looking for an action fic you might want to cruise through the first few chapters of this one, this is primarily a character driven fic (as is most of my work) but there will be some action later on.
Rebel Goddess: Sweetie, please go read chapter three again to discover what happened to the duster.
Kudos and many thanks to WayWard Childe for his invaluable help with this bit of insanity.
Everyone: Go read 'Blood Knights in Gotham' it's been nominated for a fist-full of awards at the Lost In Spike awards site. Yay!
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Watcher's Council…
Without losing his place in the report he was reading, Rupert Giles automatically dodged the teenage girl barreling down the hall of the newly rebuilt Watcher's Council. It had taken a year but they had finally gotten everything up and running smoothly. With Willow as head of the Magic Department, Buffy as head of Slayer training and Andrew as head of Research, all departments were off to successful starts. Andrew had been the most surprising asset in that he lived to research. The former member of the 'Nerd Herd' had really found his niche in the newly restored Council library.
It had taken Buffy a while to recover from Spike's death and Angel's unexpected move to his new position as CEO of the largest and most evil law firm in several dimensions but she had settled nicely into her role as head Slayer. Her grief had matured her into a quieter and more focused young woman. Giles was very proud of her and told her often. It had taken her some time to forgive him of his misguided attempt to kill Spike but they had moved past the hurt into a more understanding level of their relationship. Now they were more like colleagues than Watcher and Slayer. It helped that they had ceased to keep secrets from each other.
Xander had supervised the construction of the Council building and was now on a much needed vacation in the Caribbean. He was enjoying a cruise with the young lady he'd met while attending classes at the nearby university. Giles had been pleasantly surprised when the male Scooby had decided to pursue a degree in engineering and had enrolled in classes not long after they had all relocated. He could no longer do the hands-on construction so he had decided he wanted to design buildings. The new Council building had been Xander's first attempt at it and Giles was ecstatic with the result. The older man had been worried about Xander after everything that had happened, especially with Anya, but the resiliency of youth had once again let time heal the wounds and allowed all of them to resume living again.
With a small start, Giles realized he'd reached his destination, Willow's office. He knocked lightly on the door and smiled when he heard her summons.
"Come in, Giles." Her laughing voice floated through the panel.
He opened the door, not surprised to see the others had already gathered in the witch's office. "I assume you've seen this report?" He held up the sheaf of papers he'd been reading.
The redhead nodded, her pretty face sobering. She'd grown into her power since the spell activating the slayers. It had turned out that the spell had primarily affected the potentials who were participating in the battle against the First. Younger girls who had not yet been identified as potentials had been discovered to have been given some advanced physical abilities but they were a long way from being actual slayers. The theory had developed that they would realize their full slayer capabilities when they reached their mid-teens. Willow worked with the coven to identify and keep an eye on all the girls who'd been affected.
"We don't know what happened yet but we're checking it out." She told him, referring to the witches in the coven the Council kept on retainer.
Andrew glanced over his copy of the paper and looked up, attempting to be more grown up than he actually was. He had changed a lot from the hesitant young man who'd hero-worshipped Spike, but glimpses of that prior personality still peeked through. "Did you notice that it was on the Anniversary?"
They could all hear the capital letter on the word 'Anniversary'. It had been a difficult date for all of them, which was one of the reasons that Giles had encouraged Xander to go on the cruise. It was days like today that he wished Buffy had joined Xander, but the senior Slayer had been adamant in her refusal.
Buffy had been listening quietly, her face was pale and solemn. "What do you think happened?" She asked Giles. Her copy of the report hung loosely in her grasp. It had been hard over the past year but she'd finally moved on. She had meant what she'd told Spike as he was dying but had come to realize that her love for him didn't have the depth he would have needed if he'd survived. She'd mourned him but her heart had not been as broken as it could have been. Reluctantly, she'd realized that he'd been right in his denial. She was happy in her new job and had started seeing a young Watcher-in-training.
Right now Buffy was grateful that her sister was still in school for the day. Dawn had been heartbroken over Spike's death. It had taken her a long time to stop crying and feeling guilty over not making up with him before the final battle. The teenager was now making good grades in high school and would be graduating in the next year. She wanted to attend the Watcher's Academy but Buffy and Giles wanted her to go to regular university first. The younger Summers girl had shown an affinity for demonic languages that Giles privately felt was comparable to Spike's.
"I truly don't know. I've been considering sending someone out to investigate it but after the initial burst of magic, there hasn't been any further activity at the site." Giles answered her, cleaning his glasses.
"Oh! Let me! Please? I'll do a good job. I promise." Andrew almost bounced in his chair, barely restraining himself while he pleaded his case.
Giles smiled at him kindly. "I haven't decided yet who will go. But I'll keep you in mind."
A muffled squeak was all that escaped Andrew as he started making silent plans on what he needed to pack.
Los Angeles Branch of Wolfram & Hart…
Angel looked up from a file folder as Wesley tapped on the open door leading into his office. "There was a huge magical disturbance at the Sunnydale crater night before last. On the anniversary of the Hell Mouth closing of all days." Wesley began as he entered the office.
"I have a report on that in front of me." Angel said. "Do we know what caused it?"
Fred came in with Gunn and Lorne. "I sent a team out to the crater but they didn't find anything." The slender brunette physicist consulted a clipboard clenched in one delicate fist as she spoke. She sat on the arm of the chair Wesley had claimed and smiled down at him.
They had suffered a few close calls in the year since they had taken over their respective departments in the huge law firm. Angel had been adamant that they could make a difference from within the firm. So far they had but it had been very hard going. Fred had lost her best lab assistant because he'd attempted to have a God-King take over Fred's body. Wes and Gunn had caught onto Knox's scheme when the man had tried to trick Gunn into signing the customs forms for the sarcophagus. Wesley's cold fury at Knox's deception had stunned them all. He'd shown a scary side of his personality previously unsuspected by his colleagues. Fred had begun to look at the tall, handsome Englishman with new appreciation. Gunn's own guilt over his near-miss had alienated him from the rest of the team for several months until Lorne had gotten fed up. The peaceful Pylean had taken them all out and gotten them drunk before encouraging them all to air their grievances. They had come out of it closer and stronger than before.
Angel had made the largest adjustment of the entire AI team. He'd given up his son to provide him a better life than he'd had before. The whole group had made the decision together to move to Wolfram and Hart. All of them committed to making sure Connor was protected from anyone looking to do him harm. Angel had become more withdrawn over the last few months as the struggle to combat evil from within proved more difficult than he'd first realized. He focused on the report from the crater. He had a plan, a desperate one. He just hoped his friends would be willing to go along with it.
Not noticing Angel's distraction, the others went over the report but no conclusions could be made. Wesley made a mental note to contact Mr. Giles to see if they had any idea what had happened. Angel was unaware that Wes kept in touch with the elder Brit. The new Watcher's Council had officially cut off ties with Angel Investigations but Wesley had arranged to replace the library that had been destroyed in the explosion that had decimated the ancient institute. He cleared his throat as the discussion lagged.
"I think that Fred and I should visit the site. We might be able to uncover more clues than her initial team." He suggested. Fred rewarded him with a brilliant smile causing his heart to thump. He still couldn't believe she cared for him.
Lorne was watching them with a paternal gleam in his red eyes. Gunn just looked resigned. He'd missed his chance with the lovely scientist and regretted it but was happy she'd found someone who would take good care of her.
Angel looked up, startled at both the throat clearing and the sudden acceleration of Wesley's heartbeat. He smiled when he realized the cause of Wesley's pulse rate, Fred was beaming at the former watcher and the Brit in return was basking in the glow of her smile. "Okay, take Lorne and Gunn with you. If you find anything, let me know. I'll join you. I'm kinda interested in seeing it."
A husky note entered Angel's voice as he thought about the crater that contained Spike's remains. Buffy had told him how his youngest childe had met his final death. He'd had Wesley reinvestigate the Shanshu prophecy to make sure the Bleached Menace wouldn't make a living, breathing return. Comfortable in the thought that Spike would not be returning to plague him, Angel allowed himself to feel some small measure of grief over the loss.
The dark vampire listened distractedly as his team made plans on when and where to meet before leaving for the crater. The next time he looked up from the file, he was startled to realize they had all left.
Macy's Gar and Grill…
Cindy brought Spike another beer, his third for the evening. She could tell that he wasn't there for the purpose of getting drunk. He'd thoroughly enjoyed his Blooming Onion but was taking his time with his beer. He'd responded minimally to her conversational gambits, not unfriendly just not outgoing. The few times he'd looked up at her, she'd seen the quiet rage that lurked in the sapphire depths. He seemed lost in thought and unaware of her occasional scrutiny. There had been a few of the regular female customers who'd looked as if they wanted to approach the handsome stranger but the aura surrounding him discouraged their interest.
Spike glanced up at Cindy when she placed the mug on the table. "Thanks, Pet."
She smiled at the term. "So you're from around here, then?" She teased.
He grinned. "Yup, born and bred." He affected a truly bad American accent.
She laughed. "I can tell. England then, huh?"
"You caught me. I grew up in London." He admitted. "A long time ago." He added almost inaudibly.
"You're what? Twenty-five?" Cindy ran her sparkling brown gaze down his lean form.
Spike snorted. "I'm a lot older than I look, Luv."
"Riiiight." She drew the word out disbelievingly but with a smile. "You do realize that you've been the topic of discussion all over the bar tonight?"
He frowned. "Really? Why?" He gazed around in bewilderment. Several of the ladies in attendance perked up when his puzzled blue eyes scanned the room.
She shook her head. "You really don't know? Don't you ever look in a mirror?"
A chuckle answered her question. "Not for a very long time." He replied enigmatically.
A man at a nearby table waved at Cindy and she gifted Spike with another beaming smile before moving over to take the new order. The blond vampire watched the petite waitress sashay across the floor. That was the only word he could think of that described the way she walked. It was an intensely feminine walk but seemed to be completely guileless. He liked the way her long curling hair was pulled up into a ponytail but still managed to hang down to the middle of her back. The color of all that hair reminded him of Dawn's, a rich mahogany color. Her sparkling brown eyes held only mischief and Spike realized he liked being able to talk to a woman who didn't seem to have any expectations. He liked the way she dressed as well; her jeans fit well but didn't look painted on the way other women seemed to like. The t-shirt she wore bore the logo of the bar and merely hinted at her curves without clinging. The forest green of the shirt looked rich against her creamy skin and dark coloring. Instead of the ridiculous high heels he'd gotten used to seeing on the slayer, she wore green and white running shoes with lights that flashed in the heels when they touched the floor. He smiled at the sight. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties, younger than her friend Chuck, who was easily into his forties. Spike wondered briefly just what type of friendship the two enjoyed but decided he really wasn't that curious.
A familiar tingle crawled up Spike's back. He sat up, suddenly alert. There was a demon in the bar somewhere. His hostile blue gaze swept the patrons, searching. This instinctive sense for demons had infuriated Angelus on more than one occasion as the elder vampire didn't seem to have that capability. Everyone in attendance seemed to be completely human but Spike's senses had never lied to him before so he slowly scrutinized everyone who'd come into the bar in the last few minutes. He would have known if the demon had been there earlier. A smirk crossed his handsome face when he saw what appeared to be a badly dressed young man in his early twenties. The demon's choice of attire offended Spike's sense of style and the hat perched on top of his head was immediately termed a crime against humanity as far as the vampire was concerned. Spike watched covertly, amused as the demon tried to unobtrusively approach the secluded table.
Spike looked at the eye-blinding shirt the demon was wearing, deciding that whoever it was had raided Xander Harris's wardrobe.
"Might as well sit down." Spike grinned maliciously when the demon jumped.
"Damn, don't do that!" The New York accent grated on Spike's ears.
"Do what?" The vampire asked. "Let you know that I know you're there? I don't know what you are but if you're peaceful, I'd advise you to move on. I'm not much for demon fighting any more so just be on your way and I'll let you go." Spike finished his beer and dug out his wallet to pay his tab.
The demon put his hand over Spike's earning himself a low warning growl. He raised both hands in surrender. "Easy. My name is Whistler. I'm just a messenger. They sent me."
A flash of gold shot through the sapphire of Spike's eyes. "Then go back and tell them to leave me alone." He snapped.
"Can't do that, man." The newcomer shook his head. "You're needed."
"Bollocks. It wasn't my choice to come back. It was forced on me. I'm not playin any more and you can't make me." Spike snarled. Bitterness and hatred laced every word.
Cindy noticed her favorite customer's agitation and wandered back over. "Spike? Is every thing all right? Do you need me to send Dan over?" She asked, referring to the bouncer who guarded the front door and checked IDs of teenagers who tried to sneak in with fake cards.
"No, Pet. I was just leaving. You've been a treat and I'll be back. Thanks, Kitten." Spike smiled at her and, ignoring the sputtering demon still sitting at the table, left the bar.