A.N. The couples are Liz/Spike, Wesley/Fred, Buffy/Angel, Cordy/Gunn, Alex/Serena, Kyle/Tess, Maria/Darren, and slight Michael/Isabel (they are just dating not really seeing each exclusively).

Chapter 9

February 17, 2005

Liz watched the sun set from the Crashdown windows, its been fifty minutes since everyone left and the only movement she made was to check on Lucas and come back down to the restaurant to sit in one of the booths, just remembering her parents. The cash register would ring taking the money of a satisfied and loyal customer, her mother scurrying about in the back trying to make due with one more jar of ketchup till the end of the week.

Then her father would exit his office, hold her mother close and within moments she would be calm again. Dad had that special talent of keeping the family on track and never letting things get to him. Liz chuckles shallowly, well that wasn't exactly true he'd get fairly uptight when it came to her and Max dating, couldn't really blame him, Max wasn't for her, it just took her moving to realize that.

A drop of moisture falls on her arm, glancing down she raises her hand to her arm and runs it over the drop, she lifts her hand up to her face, and her face was dripping with tears. Now that's she's started she can't seem to stop, doing the only thing she could do; Liz curled up in the booth and let the tears out.

Never once did she notice the sun fall completely so darkness had its turn, nor did she hear the chime of the Crashdown doors opening repeatedly, all she felt were arms and hands. Strong capable sinewy arms holding her close, comforting friendly hands stroking her hair and a deep seductive voice whispering soothing words to her. But it wasn't so much the words that eased her tears it was his voice; he could make everything all right in her world with just his voice.

He rumbles more words to her before picking her up with ease. Gently he carries her upstairs into what he hopes is the upper apartment she told him about. Always cautious when carrying his precious cargo he sniffs out any possible intruders before proceeding into the silent home. Quietly he makes his way into her room; her scent is everyone even after five years of being away.

He enters the room and sees Lucas laying under the covers snuggled against his mother's pillows. Smiling the vampire carefully lies Liz down on the bed next to Luke, shrugging off his coat he tosses it over a desk chair, kicks off his shoes and rests on the bed next to his wife easing her body closer to his. There he waits for her to calm and come back to him.

"Poor Liz, I hope Spike can bring her out of her trance before we have to leave for the funeral. She can't miss their funeral, it would just break her even more." Fred sits on the barstool next to Wesley across from the booth Spike and the AI team found Liz curled up on moments ago. She glances at her watch; her Uncle and Aunt's funeral will be starting in two hours.

Although she loved her Aunt and Uncle and missed them she doesn't feel a loss in her life at them being gone, she never really knew them; her strongest emotion through all this was concern for Liz. "She won't miss their funeral Fred, Spike wouldn't let that happen, he loves her too much." Angel assures her.

"Will Buffy be able to make it to the funeral?" Wesley questions Angel, he knows she wanted to be there for Liz but she was in England dealing with a Potential issue that Giles needed her help on. Dawn was in Rome with Xander and Willow picking up another batch of Potentials that was going to be brought back to England.

Angel shrugs his shoulders. "Doubtful, she said she'd try but the earliest she'll probably be able to get in is tomorrow night sometime." He wished Giles hadn't called her to England, Buffy's pregnant with his children, twins, one boy and one girl, and he couldn't stand being apart from his mate and children.

"Do you think they'll be there?" Cordelia asks, after a year of Liz living at the hotel she began to warm up to the brunette and the two had in the years that followed become very close friends. The last thing Cordy wanted was for those people, Max, Maria, Isabel, Michael, Tess, and Kyle to cause any problems for her on her day of mourning.

"I don't know. For Liz sake I hope not, if they're at the funeral, there's no telling what could happen." Fred lets Cordelia know. "They hurt her enough while she was here, she doesn't need to be hurt anymore. Plus, I have a feeling that if they are there it won't be pleasant."

Stirring awake in Spike's arms Liz slowly opens her eyes. Staring down at her with his piercing blue eyes was Spike rubbing her upper arm with his thumb. "Hello luv, sleep well?" He nuzzles her forehead with his nose taking great pleasure in her quiet giggle.

"Of course, I always sleep better with you holding me." Sweeping her eyes up she stares up at him her gaze falling on his mouth. She almost moans as he bites his lower lip, not able to resist she pulls him into a deep kiss reveling at his lips against hers.

From her left side she can feel Lucas moving around, breaking the kiss she turns slightly so she can see him, he notices his parent's are awake and crawls onto his knees. "Daddy." He leaps over Liz and into his father's arms hugging him close. "I missed you Daddy. How come you couldn't ride with us?" Luke understood that he couldn't go out in sunlight, but Mom's car has tinted windows so he wouldn't go poof.

"Well, I had things to take care of before I came here." Spike holds both of his loves in his arms, his wife and his son, it didn't matter to him that Lucas wasn't his blood, he was Liz's blood which meant Luke was his too.

Lucas squirms in Spike's embrace, "Gotta pee." Chuckling his daddy lets him down as he runs to the bathroom.

Caressing Liz's cheek, Spike asks in his deep rumbling voice, "What is it?" She has a look of extreme worry and terror. The only time she's had that expression was when Lucas was two years old and a demon that had a certain taste for children came charging toward him. Liz, even with a huge gash in her stomach, broken arm, gaping head wound and various cuts and bruises rushed the demon tackling it down to the ground keeping it away from Luke till he, Angel and the others arrived.

"Please don't leave my side tonight." Liz whispers into his chest.

"Of course not pet, but what brought this on? Did you see something?" His voice soothes some of her nerves.

Liz shakes her head, "No, but something is going to happen. With ithem/i coming I don't know what's going to happen, but it won't be anything good."

"Wait those wankers are coming to your parent's funeral? Bloody hell why?"

"As much as they hurt me I do have to admit that they cared for my parent's and it would be petty to not let them pay their respects." Liz admits.

"Be bloody petty, they are your parent's you can be as petty as you want." Spike tells her but knows that Liz could never be that way. No matter what he tells her she'll do what she wants and letting the people that hurt her but cared for her parent's be at the funeral was what she was going to do.

Lucas re-enters the room and jumps back into Spike's arms, after getting Luke settled in his arms Spike glances at the digital clock Liz had plugged in. "The others are downstairs pet, do you want to talk to them before we all leave?"

Liz nods, "Yea," swinging her legs over to the other side of the bed she stands up her pulling up her falling leather pants, she hates falling asleep in her leather it's always uncomfortable when she wakes up. She wasn't going to change for the funeral; the second after the service was over she was on patrol duty and she couldn't exactly kick ass in a dress, well she could but she'd be flashing her red thong underwear to everyone.

Angel and Spike offered to take over for her for as long as she needed, but she needed to keep busy, nothing else could keep her mind off her parent's death better than slaying the big bad evil. It was a huge shock when she found out that she wasn't just an alien hybrid but a Potential Slayer as well, when Faith died the Slayer power went to her.

"Do you want to go see Uncle Angel and Uncle Wesley kiddo?" Liz asks Lucas.

"Yea," Spike lets him down on the ground and off he runs to the stairs taking them slowly till he reaches the bottom and again he runs out to the Crashdown, his scream of joy can be heard even from upstairs.

"Uncle Angel, shouldn't it be more like Aunt Angel?"

"Be nice mister." Liz admonishes her husband as they leave the apartment to the Crashdown Café eating area.

TBC