Author's note: Another update! I'm actually impressed with myself! Hopefully everyone enjoys this one! Hopefully none of you expected my little twist. If you've read Joss Whedon's Fray...you'll get what I'm referring to at the end...or...what I'm gear up to!

Cordelia had been about to go into Anya's room when she heard William speaking.

"...I know she could never hurt you. Whatever happened tonight I know she never wants anything bad to happen to you. Hey...Peaches got throttled by her because he made you cry...for her to hit her precious Angel...I know she love you."

Cordelia slowly entered the room, trying to keep the light of the hall from entering and disturbing Anya.

"Hey...is she still sleeping?" Cordelia asked a little anxious.

Getting Anya to sleep was a hard task, but she knew that Anya was usually a light sleeper.

"Out like a light." Spike answered.

"Speaking of light," Cordelia began, "what was that earlier?" Cordelia slowly walked over and placed the stuffed toy in the crib near Anya's head.

Spike shook his head.

"No clue."

Cordelia walked over to William and ran her hands over his back.

"I don't know what 'append tonight...but I swear I've never been more scared in my whole unlife...well...um...you know what I mean."

Cordelia suppressed her laugh.

"Yeah...same here." Cordelia said as her hands began to brush the back of Spike's hair.

Spike finally turned from staring at little Anya in her crib to look at Cordelia.

"Are you alright pet? Know we were a bit out of it before, didn't really ask you earlier." Spike said as he stared into Cordelia's eyes.

Cordelia messed with his blondish brown hair as she stared back into his eyes.

"Kinda..." Cordelia grimaced as she saw the image of Angel staring at her from the backyard.

"Hey..." Spike said in a worried tone as he grasped Cordelia's hips and brought her closer so he can hug her, "tell me. Whatever it is we can fix it." Kissing her belly as he looked up into her eyes, Cordelia knew she was indeed in love with this man.

And the thoughts and feelings from earlier surfaced.

"I just can't believe they're back in our lives."

Letting out a huge sigh Cordelia climbed into his lap and caressed his face. If was an effort to try and still be close to William after the feelings Angel evoked in her.

Spike also sighed at the contact.

The last few months had been a blessing with this woman. He had found something with her that he never thought he could ever have.

All because of three words that he had always longed to hear.

And Cordelia had given him those words. Freely. Without condition and without hesitation.

But he knew that it wasn't as strong as what she felt for him.

He knew that was what was making her distraught.

Looking up into her eyes he said words that everyone would have put money on...that he would never say. Surprisingly though, he said them to this woman when she became like this, when he knew in his heart it was what she really wanted.

"I wish I could be him for you."

Her eyes brightened for one second and then dulled the next.

Swooping down she kissed him with an emotion he couldn't fathom was for him.

Catching both of there breaths with there heads touching Cordelia whispered the words that made him all too aware just how far they had to go to move on.

"And I wish I could be her for you."

He wouldn't allow himself to cry, even though he could hear the tears in her voice.

Cordelia couldn't help but look into his eyes and realize just how messed up they both were. How so different yet how similar they both were.

She knew this man better than anyone in the world. Knew what he was, knew what he had been, and she even knew the man he was becoming.

"I love you William."

Spike closed his eyes and shivered all over at those words.

"And I love you." He whispered the words. So use to having his heart smashed into small peices that the words were hard to even say.

Cordelia watched his beautiful blue eyes open and couldn't help but kiss him once more.

The image of him all those years ago still haunting her.

It scared her to know that the person holding her could have died. That after having been given the gift of humanity he had been on the threshold of death.

"I'm not one for disturbing people about to get freaky..." Faith's voice made Cordelia and Spike pull apart.

"She's lying. She'll disturb anyone whenever she feels like it." Robin said as he leaned against the door frame next to Faith with a smirk on his face.

Faith smiled at Robin for his jibe, but turned back to stare at a pissed offed Cordelia.

"Get out!" Cordelia said with an annoyed look on her face, causing Spike to let a shit eating grin spread across his face.

"Calm down there Cordy...they're just doing what I was going to." Gunn said as he entered from the hallway just to stop at the sight before him.

"Damn I thought you had better taste than him." Gunn said with a shake of his head and a grimace on his face.

Both Cordelia and Spike rolled there eyes at Gunn.

"What do you want Charles?" Cordelia asked as she remained exactly where she was.

"Just thought you should know that whatever that light was that destroyed everything...well...it took all of them out."

Cordelia and Spike just stared at him, obviously having come to this conclusion themselves.

"I don't mean just here. I just got a call from a friend saying that the vampires that they were trying to take down, a few blocks away from us, went poof right in front of them." Gunn explained.

Cordelia scrunched her brows.

"Did they see a bright light like us?" Robin asked from behind Gunn.

Gunn turned and then addressed Cordelia and Spike.

"No. Just said one second they were there...the next they weren't."

"Is this the reason you wanted us to be here?" Connor asked from the doorway.

"No...um...it was nothin' like that...but...sort of..." Spike tried to explain. He had forgotten that just about everyone he knew had been there.

"Is Buffy still here?" Spike asked softly as he looked away from everyone.

"No...she left. Willow and Xander kind of followed her out not long after." Robin informed him. Robin had watched the whole scene from the edge of the stairs. Unlike the others he knew why he was there. And unlike the others he knew immediately why Spike had picked him.

Forgiveness hadn't been given, probably never would, but Spike had done something that showed he was indeed just a man now. A man that couldn't make up for the sins that he committed, but he could give something that meant the world to him.

"Is there any other documents that me and Faith have to sign?" Robin asked.

Spike shook his head. "No."

Gunn tilted his head with a furrowed brow. "What's goin' on?"

Cordelia got off of Spike's lap as Spike stood. Both glancing at Anya as she continued to sleep and suck on the pacifier that Spike had placed in her mouth, and then motioned for everyone to leave the room.

Slowly everyone exited, leaving Anya alone in her nursery.

Of course that was when the little one would stir.

Slowly Anya woke to the dark and empty room.

She wasn't afraid.

Pushing herself up she stood up in her crib and looked around her.

Realizing where she was she turned and spotted her new toy at the top of her bed.

Reaching for her toy she held the little pig in her hold and stared at the toy.

That's when the woman appeared again.

The serene smile on the woman's face making Anya herself smile with the pacifier still in her little mouth.

She knew who the lady was.

"You were such a good girl Anya."

Anya snuggled her toy closer as she continued to smile.

"I see Aunt Dawnie brought you Mr. Gordo."

"Mama." Anya said as she clutched the toy that much closer.

The woman's smile dropped to one of astonishment.

"That's right. You're such a smart little girl Anya. That was Mama's."

Anya suddenly moved to the end of the crib. Placing her toy down right beside her, she reached over and grabbed a small silver frame. With such intelligence the little girl looked down at her toy and then at the frame. Holding the frame in one hand she grabbed her toy with the other and made her way back to the woman.

Anya sat down in front of the nice woman and placed her toy next to her and turned the frame in her hand and placed it on her lap.

The woman smiled and looked down at the picture in Anya's lap.

"Mama." The little girl said again as she pointed to the picture of Buffy surrounded by her two best friends.

The woman smiled.

"That's right."

The little girl nodded.

Anya then proceeded to name the other people in the photo.

"Ant Wiow...Unc Zan."

"That's right."

It was then that a new voice sounded.

"Oh isn't this sweet."

Anya watched as the nice glowing woman's smile went away. The woman turned and faced where the voice had come from.

"Did you really think that light show would keep me away? Come on. A bit theatrical, but it lacked in style."

The glowing woman moved to block Anya's view of who was talking.

"We won't let you hurt her." The once serene woman said.

The being smiled.

"Now why would I want to do that?"

"We want you to all be guardians of Anya if anything should happen to us." Spike said the words and stared into Robin's eyes as he did so.

"Wait...what?" Gunn asked in confusion.

"William and I decided that if something were to happen to both of us that we wanted people that she knew to take care of her. You know? That's what people that care about each other do?" Cordelia explained to the group of people.

Connor shifted with a questioning stare at Spike.

"You want me to take care of Anya?" Connor asked with a raised brow.

"No...but yah. But Robin and Faith are goin' to be first in line. If an' when they decide or can't take care of 'er, you all are next in line." Spike said as he turned his stare from Connor to the rest in the group.

Oddly what disturbed them was Oz coming into the house holding little Kelden's hand.

"Hi uncle Spike." Kelden said with a little wave.

Everyone smiled at the little boy he really didn't look much like his dad, but his silent nature and calmness showed everyone that he was indeed just like his father.

"Sorry. I ran home to see if he was ok. He wanted to come back with me." Oz explained in his usual laid back way.

"S'ok." Spike shrugged. "Anya's sleepin' Kelden...but you can play with her toys if you'd like."

"Ok." Kelden said.

"There's glass everywhere buddy," Oz said as his son looked up at him, " so be careful."

"Ok dad." With that Kelden carefully walked into the family room away from the huge mess and began to play with the toys there.

"Spike here was just telling us about him leaving Anya to us if something were to happen to him." Gunn told Oz.

Oz shrugged his shoulders. "I know."

"I told Oz before everyone. I needed to know that at least one of you would be willing to take Anya and protect her." Spike elaborated on Oz's answer.

"Point is that we all wanted you to know in case anything happened. And lets face it. When it comes to our particular group...trouble tend to find us. Even if were on a different planet." Cordelia said this with a smirk towards Spike.

Spike of course smiled. "I was on the moon, not a different planet."

Illyria wasn't paying attention to what was being said, since the fight she had felt a presence in the house.

Something older than her.

Power.

Evil.

Focusing her senses was difficult since the entire house seemed to be encompassed with the presence.

Still she said nothing.

Of course no one noticed. All of them were discussing trivial things and not the least bit in tune with there surroundings.

It was only a matter of time before something else happened.

"Buffy...are you ok? I mean...I know your not ok. But, we're still here for you. I know it's kinda hard to take everything in, I mean all with the...'There's my little girl,' 'Need to save her from evil.' Then the whole...Spike...and Cordelia thing...and the whole major fight thingy." Willow couldn't help but babble as she tried to squash down a whole bunch of guilt.

Guilt that not Xander or Buffy knew about. The hardest thing was trying to keep her secret which had really changed her whole life.

Spike becoming human had changed her life.

There's was no way that she could make up for her big secret. She just had to wait for the right moment.

The moment was not now though.

This moment was for Buffy realizing that not only was Cordelia help raising her child, but that Cordelia was IN Spike's life.

She herself had tried to wrap her brain around it.

But in a way she understood.

Understood in a way more than the others could.

Not saying anything was going to kill her.

"Will...it's...I just can't talk about it right now." Buffy said as they were walking Buffy back to the car.

"Buffy...we know what you saw had to shock you. I mean...we've known..." Xander had begun to say, but Buffy whipped around quickly at the words.

"How long?" Buffy asked with a angry note in her voice and eyes that could freeze a vampire.

"Um...well...we've known..." Xander was struggling to answer. He didn't want to tell Buffy the full truth. That they had known about Cordelia being with Spike since the beginning of this particular bump in there lives.

More like the bump of Buffy's belly that had turned there world upside down.

"How long Xander?!" Buffy was becoming angrier at the idea that it could have been like this for a long period of time. That Spike could have been with...

"Since before Anya was born." Dawn answered for Xander. Knowing exactly how the news would be handled.

Buffy's eye's nearly popped out of her head.

They never expected her explosion.

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T ANY OF YOU TELL ME!" Buffy's scream caused them all to jump.

"We didn't exactly think you wanted to know what the vampire that raped you was living with another woman!" Dawn's automatic sibling injustice kicking in.

Buffy's heart dropped as the word 'raped' came out of Dawn's mouth.

Dear god that's what they had thought.

All this time and they had thought that Spike had...

Buffy wanted to cry.

Wanted to tell them the truth in that moment, but the shame and disgust at herself prevented her from doing so.

Angel suddenly was behind Xander.

"What's going on? I heard you yelling from a block away." Angel said with a curious expression.

Buffy hadn't realized that she was crying until Willow spoke.

"Oh...Buffy. We...we didn't mean to make you upset. It's the opposite of what we wanted." Willow said as she walked up to her friend and hugged her.

All Buffy could do was burrow into Willow's shoulder and close her eyes.

Dawn couldn't help but feel sorry for her sister.

Her daughter was being raised by Cordelia, and the vampire -now man- had raped her was making himself a little family.

You couldn't get much worse.

Willow knew that Spike hadn't raped her.

She couldn't tell the others though. They would never believe her or even worse...ask how she knew that Spike hadn't.

So Willow did the best friend thing.

Kept her mouth closed and comforted her friend.

What shocked her was what Buffy whispered, or what she thought Buffy whispered.

"He's in love with her."

Anya recognized the voice that was talking to the glowing lady.

"Leave. Before you force us to do it ourselves."

The evil being smiled.

"I'd love to see you try. After all...me and the big guy have a deal."

The serene faced woman didn't budge.

"She's not part of the deal."

The evil being slowly began to walk towards the two.

"The seal was opened. And with it the promise that was made is called due. There's nothing..."

"She's just a baby." The glowing woman said.

"No she isn't. But then again without me she wouldn't be here. She belongs to me."

The glowing woman took a step forward.

"She belongs to William and Buffy."

The being smiled widely.

"What did they use to call you...Tara? Right?"

Tara didn't move...didn't budge from where she was.

"You have no idea what I am. No idea what I'm capable of. I can not be killed. Your friends were fools to think they could do anything but run."

Tara stared at the face of The First. A face she knew well...a face that had been her heart.

It was Willow's face.

The First's smile became wider.

"And now I'm going to show them what real power is."

Author's Note: I better get reviews after this chapter! Come one guys! SHOW ME LOVE! REVIEW! P.S. Time travel will happen in the next chapter! Get Ready!