Disconnect

Author: Joy

Email: Julianna@ziplip.com

A/N: Sorry this is short. The next section is already written but the following chapter really needs to be redone. Anyway… Enjoy!

A/N2: REVIEW!

Spike sat on his marriage bed as Gabriella puttered around talking to Joy who was playing on the floor. He had flashes of Will and Dawn in his head. He heard words…parts of conversations. He wasn't used to the streaming video he suddenly got for a few moments.

Gabriella eyed him for a minute. Seeing the lines of stress on her husband's face she turned to her daughter and said, "Joy, go down to see Wesley okay?"

"Yes mummy," the child answered scurrying from the room.

"What's wrong luv?" Ella whispered stroking her husband's hair.

He groaned leaning into the comforting strokes. "This whole shared mind thing is very distracting…" Spike sighed, "How do I make it up to him? I've hurt him so much over such a long period of time…"

"What did you see? What did you hear?" she whispered.

"Will and Dawn were kissing and he pulled away. He wanted to be a gentleman. Dawn sort of teased him about it. He said in all seriousness he was raised to be a gentleman and he would be. Then… Then he said, 'I can't be like Spike…I just can't. It would kill me.'" Spike closed his eyes in pain.

Gabriella held him close. "He said it would kill him to be like me, Ella. I can't fix that… He's so afraid of being like me…" She kissed Spike's forehead and laid them both down on the bed bringing him into her arms more fully. "Brie…Along time ago you told me that every deed affected every other person on the earth…good or bad. I would do something and insist I was only hurting myself. I was wrong. The last few years…I've done some good but I have done a lot of things that have messed Will up… He's seventeen years old and afraid to French kiss a girl…because of me."

Ella sighed, "Spike, Will has had me and Charlie to help him sort things out along the way. Yeah, there are things that have left a mark…but Spike you can't change them. All you can do now is tell him and show him that you do believe you made mistakes…" She smiled at her husband and said, "It really isn't a bad thing that he is cautious in his physical relationship with his girlfriend…your Nibblet."

Spike sat silently in Gabriella's arms. "You know he is mad at me, not you, right?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

She shook her head, "Spike, Will looks at our getting married last night as taking away his choice again." He stared at her. "We went to you for help without his knowledge. He had to face you when he didn't want to. I made you apart of our family without his input… He knew it was going to happen, he just thought it would be later…or at least he hoped it would. His anger is at me for the decisions I made without him not at you. Will may act angry toward you but that's just because it's easier to blame you than to blame me."

"I shouldn't have pushed," Spike muttered with a slight pout.

"You didn't… It was a joint decision."

The couple lay comfortably with Gabriella's back against the headboard and Spike leaning against her chest on his back. She ran her fingers through his hair until he started to purr comfortably. A soft knock came through the door. "Yes," Gabriella called.

"Mum?" Will answered coming in slowly. He physically stiffened at the relaxed posture of his parents.

Spike got up quickly, "I'll let you two talk." Gabriella's brow wrinkled.

Will held up his hand. "You can stay if you want…She's just going to tell you what I said so…" the teen grumbled.

They stood in the same posture shoulders slumped, looking down, thumbs hooked in the back of their jeans, shuffling their feet back and forth. Gabriella started to laugh. In an instant both heads popped up looking at her questioning. "You…you're mirroring each other. Exactly… It's amazing. I always wondered if you would do this and look you're doing it."

Will smiled and came to sit at the side of the bed, "Yeah well when I was talking to Dawn I said something…snippy I guess…She said I was channeling Spike. She then asked if I could also channel Elvis." He chuckled so did Gabriella.

Spike just stood there unsure what to do. He kind of smiled. "I could call Dawn…"

Will rolled his eyes and stood before his father, "Just stay okay… Has he always been this jumpy or is it something I inspire?"

"At moments…I think it's mainly his soul that is making him jumpy though," Ella answered. "Oh come here Spike." She waved him over. He slowly sat down, not getting snuggly with Gabriella much to her dismay.

"Okay… I'm sorry I lost my temper… This is just weird for me. I thought I would have more time to adjust… It's not just that though." He turned to his mother and said, "It was always the two of us. Now I realize as a kid if you suggested something I generally just agreed cause you were my mum, but at least I felt a part… And then we added Charlie and I guess I still was a part. I mean I had no say over the fact that you married Charlie but ya know I learned to love him so… he was a good dad…"

Gabriella's face contorted, "What?"

"What?" Will asked back.

"Are you saying you didn't want Charlie as your dad?" she asked slowly.

"In the long run yeah it was great… I got to have the great father-son moments. I had stupid rafting trips, football watching, and someone to go to other then me mum when I started liking girls… He was a wonderful dad. But if you're asking if at the age of nine…well almost ten I wanted him as my father the answer is no. I wanted my dad," he pointed to his head…not to Spike. Ella stared at her son confused.

"I had a father out there somewhere. I always assumed one day we would travel somewhere and there he would be. And he would love us and want us and be there…like now… I knew he loved you. He would wish he still had you near… I just kept hoping the next town would be the one. But when Charlie came that dream died. I had a new dad…and I did love him. But he wasn't my dad."

Will and Gabriella stared at one another for a long time. Spike tried to breath normally. His son wanted him…his son had always wanted him. One town more…one more day… Why couldn't it have happened? He stood from the bed and walked into the bathroom. He stared into a blank mirror breathing deeply. It felt like his chest might explode. So many things should have been different. So many things he wanted to take back. It was overwhelming how much they all had lost…

Druscilla… The mirror was broken in front of him and shards of glass were embedded in his knuckles. Will did take after him. Rage bubbled in the back of his throat and he tore from the room. Spike glided past Gabriella as she went to check on him after the crash.

A scream rose from the lobby. It would not happen again!

Druscilla stood in the middle of the room having Fred in a trance holding a knife to her own wrists. Spike glared cruising down the stairs while Gabriella and Will came to the balcony. The occupants of the hotel stood motionless. Gunn was terrified for his girl as was Wesley. Angel and Lorn had arrived as the scream came up while Buffy was explaining the reasons why a wooden stake worked on vampires while plastic ones didn't to Joy.

"Princess has come home, Spike. Daddy has been calling…so angry…he was awake…my daddy was awake," her singsong voice covered the room in a blanket.

Spike kept coming grabbing the stake from Buffy's hands. No one would stop him. Druscilla finally saw her former rival standing above. "What is she doing here?" she snarled. Will and she locked eyes. "A boy… Bint had a boy."

With one hand Spike pushed Fred from Druscilla's grasp sending her sprawled out on the floor and the knife spinning in circles. Gunn gathered Fred in his arms quickly kissing her head as she wept with fear. Spike stood before his insane ex. "Your mind isn't clouded with the slayer," Druscilla whispered confused by the turn of events.

"No Dru… Didn't the stars tell you? My mind is clouded with my wife!" he announced showing off his mark. A general confused gasped raised from the occupants of the hotel for no other reason then surprise.

Everyone stood dazed as they watched the unthinkable. Spike was raising the stake to dust his sire. Druscilla knew her life was about to end and called out desperately, "I know where the naughty boy is."

Spike paused. He looked between Gabriella and Angel. They could handle it. He wanted this over. He wanted her dead. "We can find him without you," Spike growled.

Druscilla attempted to play mind games with Spike only to find Gabriella was already there to combat her. "No dice, Dru. I was always better… I always had his heart. Get out of my husband's head," the blond vampire sneered at the brunette.

Spike slammed Dru against the closest wall he could find. "You took everything from me… You took away my love. You took away my child. For what? So you could have me for another few years before you and daddy started at it again?" Angel winced at the words, as did Buffy. Neither one wanted to be reminded of those old times of despair and pain.

"I have missed years Druscilla and I can't get them back." Hatred laced Spike's eyes, "I never thought I could ever hate you so much that there would be no place of love in my heart for you… You were my sire, my lover, and my partner. You would think I could muster some feeling for you but all that's left is hate…I'm not going to let you hurt my family again."

Eyes wide with fear, Druscilla pled to her sire, "Angel… He's going to kill me."

Angel closed his eyes and said, "You'll finally be at peace Dru. No more pain. Your soul will be free."

Her eyes rested back on her childe. While her head was turned Spike had placed the stake over her heart. "Bye Dru…Rest well Princess."

"Sp…" no other sound came out of her voice as she turned to dust. Spike dropped the stake in his hand and backed away from the ash. He never raised his eyes. He just walked back up the stairs silently, moved past his wife and son, shutting the door softly behind him.

Silence reigned in the lobby. No one knew what to say. Only Angel could truly appreciate the sacrifice Spike was willing to make for his love. He too had killed his sire… for Buffy. He may not have loved Darla anymore but she was his family.

"Lorn?" Angel whispered to his friend. The host looked up. "Could you please collect Druscilla's ashes? Spike will want to dispose of them."

Silently he moved up the stairs to Gabriella who stared hard at her sire, as did her son. "Let me check on him. I'll be his punching bag, okay?"

"We'll go in together," she said solemnly.

Will stopped Angelus mid-motion giving him a warning glare. "My family… Just remember I'm older and larger than my sister. I can make it hurt worse." The older vampire nodded as he moved to the door.

Will came down the stairs gathering his sister in his arms snuggling her close. Buffy watched the siblings pull into one another and longed for home. She wanted Dawn's arms right about now… It was stupid. There was no real reason for her to be upset. She knew she would never have Spike back but still. He had killed Druscilla for the love of Gabriella. Spike was married. He had done it. She rose and went to the phone. Dawn would listen.

TBC…