Prodigal Son -- part 13A of The Island of Galleno (Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss.)

by Isabelle

Rating: R (for cursing, mild nudity, adult situations and violence)

Disclaimers: BTVS belong to Joss Whedon, ME, and UPN they are being used for entertainment, I don't own them. The Count of Monte Cristo belongs to Alexandre Dumas--Spike's journey was taken from the idea of the book and is used in the skeleton of the Series. Song lyrics belong to The Wallflowers, "Some Flowers are Born Dead"

Summary: The moment that Spike finally has Buffy he is vamp-napped by Riley and a new officer, Jack Marshall and sent to the Island of Galleno off the Moroccan coast where all the leftovers of the Initiative are being placed. Buffy frantically looks for Spike but gets news that he was 'accidentally killed' by Jack, who decides to make Sunnydale his residence. The whole thing is Spike trying to get back to Sunnydale and Buffy thinking he's dead. It's filled with exotic places, tons of Original Characters, mysticism, enchantment, magic and love. It takes him years to find out who he is before he can find the one he loves.

Spoilers: Set after Normal Again, Season 6

Feedback: bih80reviews@yahoo.com

Archiving: Carnal Sins, DeathMarkedLove, and Only Time--all others please ask.

A/N: And he's back in the States... of course you don't actually think that I'd give them each other that easily. *eg*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We didn't make it We did not pull through
You shouldn't blame me I don't blame you
Now what else did you think that I would do?
Ooooh as if it wasn't hard enough

He stood in front of the house for what seemed like days. Months. Maybe years. He could've sworn he saw the sun come up and down on the house, watching as the shadows played on the windows, on the trees, on the front steps.

He sighed and walked a few steps to ring the doorbell--fully expecting Lil'Bit to come bouncing down the steps.

A three year old answered the door.

Jet-black hair and blue eyes stared up at him. "Hello." she greeted, smiling up at him.

Spike crouched down to her level and studied her. She didn't look like the whelp's unless Tara and Willow adopted...

"And who are you?" Spike asked her.

She smirked at him. "You rang my doorbell."

Spike chuckled. "It's yours, then?"

She nodded. "I know who you are. I saw you in my dreams."

Spike froze and stared at her.

"I'm going to marry William," she smiled.

"William?..."

"Aileen, who's there?"

Spike looked up to see the mother, same raven haired beauty. "How can I help you?" she asked.

"I..." he looked back at Aileen and gaped at her. She smiled innocently at him. "I... an old friend used to live here."

The mother smiled. "I'm Donna," she stretched her hand. "We moved in a few years back...Miss Summers married and sold the house to us."

Spike gulped. So 'bit had married then?

She smiled. "They moved to L.A...not sure where, sorry."

Spike nodded. "Right, no worries... I'll find 'er."

"She's a sweet girl... been through a lot, especially since the baby--"

"Baby?" Spike choked.

"Yes... so young but she seemed to be pulling from it, especially from the help of her friends." Donna went on. Spike crumbled inside.

God help the idiot who had done this to Dawn.

"Well.. thank you for the information, Ma'am." he gave her a small bow and winked at Aileen who blushed and him from behind her mother's skirts.

"And you are?" she asked him.

Spike paused for a moment. "Lord Zeru Perling."

Donna's brow's shot to her hairline and back down and picked up her daughter as they watched Spike walk away. "He looks like William," Aileen commented.

Her mother groaned. "I've told you to stop telling such stories, young lady..." The scolding could be heard as she closed the front door and went inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm so tired of waking up feeling bad
You haven't been the kind of place I have
Could it hurt you now to let this pass?
oooooh as if it wasn't hard enough
You want to make it so much harder

"Did you call the Mayor's wife?" Jack asked Buffy as he passed the room, rolling his shoulders to relax himself.

Buffy nodded. "I did--nice stuffy old lady."

"Buffy!" Jack glared at her.

"I'm sorry... it's just that her nose seemed higher when I told her that I didn't attend an Ivy League school." She pouted.

Jack passed right by her and kissed her head, in a hard, hurriedly type of way. "That's nice, honey."

She watched as he walked out into the hall and began his press conference. Her shoulders slumped. "Thanks for listening." She murmured to herself.

The press was buzzing, asking him one hundred and one questions.

"Mrs. Marshall?"

Buffy turned her head to see their maid, Theresa, holding a crying William. "He wouldn't stay with the new nanny," Señora."

Buffy nodded and took William into her arms. He was five already but he looked like he was four. Small body frame thin and short, plus he had a type of baby face.

"Mommy!"

She cradled him to her chest and murmured soothing words. "It's all right, my love, mom's here."

"No more dreams, mom--the old man said so," William smiled at her.

Theresa looked at the blond couple awry. "Thank you, Theresa--I'll take care of him now." Buffy told her, to get the woman out of the office.

The older woman nodded and left swiftly leaving the scent of rosemary behind her.

"So, no more dreams?" She asked, pushing his glasses up his small nose. He grinned and shook his head.

"The old man said so, he said everything was going to be ok."

Buffy sighed. "Well talk about that more when your grandpa Giles comes, okay William?" He nodded happily. "How's school today?"

William frowned.

Buffy frowned. "Are they still making fun of you in school?"

He nodded sadly. "They call me a geek..." he said quietly. "But I don't mean to be one..."

Buffy sat him up and stared at him determined. She could clearly see Spike as a little boy in him. All shy and intellectual. "You're not a geek, you hear me? Don't let anyone put you down... you're very special--more special than you or I can imagine, you know that, don't you?"

He nodded slowly and leaned in to her embrace. "I hate school."

Buffy grinned. "Well... at least I know somewhere you resemble me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now in another world I could learn to forget
But 'til then I'm here making room for new regrets
Now some flowers they never bloom
And some flowers just bloom dead

It was 8:45PM when the black long limousine pulled up in the old L.A. street. It smelled like carnage in the air--like many bad things where to come and many had already passed.

It was raining, not the strong torrential rain but the smooth small pebbles of night-kissed water kissing the city streets with it's silent murmur.

One man got out from the front passenger seat with an umbrella. He was dressed in a sharp black suit and perfectly trimmed beard.

He walked to the very end of the long limousine and opened the door.

A younger man in his late twenties stepped out, with a fine Armani suit, pressed and made to fit. His inside shirt was black silk and it was unbuttoned in the top--as if he hated the feel of the material against his pale skin. His hair was slicked back and natural blond, curling slightly behind his ears. He smirked at he looked up at the building from underneath the large umbrella.

"You sure this is a good idea, Zeru?" the man holding the umbrella asked the blond man.

He smirked. "Oh I think peaches would just love to hear from me."

Together they walked up the slippery steps and the servant knocked on the door.

Seconds later the door was answered by a young thin woman with glasses perched crookedly on her nose. She smiled, innocent was the word to describe her.

"Hey there! Clients, right? Come on in," she grinned.

The blond man smiled back at her. "Not clients, pet.. here seeking Angel... an old friend."

Her smiled disappeared and she grew apprehensive, placing herself behind the door. "Umm...friends, of the good kind?"

The blond chuckled. "Too late for that don't you think, luv--you already invited me in."

The girl clearly gulped and paled.

"But don't worry--had my dinner already and the rest of my people are humans." he smiled.

"Oh..." she looked like she was torn between being polite and letting him in or getting Angel first.

"You have my word that I won't lay a hand on any human... I'm sure Peaches can defend himself."

"Ok... I'll let him know you're here." she said, then moved out of the way, watching them warily.

"Thank you, so kind." he smiled.

"Who shall I tell him is here?" she asked, pushing her glasses back.

The man looked around a bit, smiling at the hotel--as if in approval while his servant wiped the small droplets of rain that had fallen on his silk suit. "Tell him it's his old pal Spike."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The way you make me feel I could collapse
An epidemic I cannot outlast
How could you feel used when I feel trapped?
ooooh as if it wasn't hard enough

"Spike??!!" Angel looked at Fred in shock.

"I though he was dead... that's what Buffy said, right?" Cordy asked, coming up behind and placing her chin on his shoulder. But he was completely tense--not one muscle moving.

"Are you okay?" he asked Fred.

She nodded. "He seems very nice and... refined... his servant--"

"His servant?" Angel gaped at her.

"Yes... he came in a limo..."

"Son of a bitch," Angel roared and grabbed one of the hanging swords from the training room. Connor watched his father warily.

"Is he something to kill?" he asked him.

Angel looked at his twenty-four year old son and nodded. "Vampire--the worst kind."

Connor grinned and grabbed another one of the sword, both of them clanking swords together as they walked out of the room.

Cordy watched them dreamily. "I never get tired of seeing them do that... Angel being extremely fine and Connor being simply adorable."

"He's 24, Cordelia and do you ever stop ogling at your husband?"

Cordy smiled at her and shook her head. "Nope."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Angel and Connor made it downstairs all of Spike's followers had assembled themselves throughout the lobby, looking around and guarding the vampire against any possible threat.

The threat came rather quickly as both Angel and Connor attacked Spike, swinging their swords dangerously. Before the sword could touch one hair of Spike's head another sword came from Lugo who was alert and prepared and saved Spike just in time. Angel froze when a sharp arrow was pointed at his back--Connor froze when he saw his father's life was on the line and glared at the men.

"Peaches, is that the way to treat family?" Spike chuckled. "All hostile and what not?" The younger vampire walked around Angel relishing how his grandsire fumed at being threatened in his own home.

"Noone threatens the Zeru," Lugo hissed at Angel.

Angel studied the young man before him--he was younger than Connor. "We can all die here... including you." he said to Spike.

Angel hissed then stopped as he felt a sharp arrow being pointed in his back by Talsi. "Don't speak that way to Zeru." Talsi smiled at the vampire. "I have no quarrel in wasting you... friend."

Connor tensed, his entire body stilling. "Leave him be." He growled, his sharp eyes scanning the room, calculating how they would get out of this.

Spike walked up to the young man who was much taller than himself. "And what have we here?" He studied him as Connor glared at him. Spike gaped when he smelled him... he smelled like... family. He started laughing. "Peaches, you horny bastard!"

Connor was about to jump to fight but Angel help up his hand to his child. "You're not welcome here, Spike"

"That's not the impression I got from your lovely door girl... never got her name..." He took a seat in the arm chair and crossed his legs.

"Who the hell died and made you the godfather?"

Spike turned to see Cordelia walking towards them in a flowing red flower dress that hugged her body at all the right curves her short blonde hair pinning her for the perfect example of L.A. Style.

"Cordelia Chase, my, my, my--don't you just get lovelier every year... dare I say! Have you been working out, pet?" Spike leered at her.

Spike was jumping inside as he heard Angel growl at him. "Don't speak that way to my wife."

"Wife?" Spike's smile faltered. The his jaw set, pissed as can be. "Ain't that a picture perfect family. My father the vampire and my mother the cheerleader... it's like a bad 80's horror film." he looked at Cordelia. "The hair even goes wid'it."

"Ok, ex-bleacho guy, where have you been for the past few years? Who are the fanatics? Why the heck do they keep calling you Zeru and where the heck did you buy those Pakini shoes?" Cordilia strode up to him as she talked.

Spike looked up at her innocently. "I've been held captive on a solitary island for the first four years, then I traveled the world, in adventures, treasure hunting, princess fucking--you know the drill. These 'fanatics' are my followers--out of their free will, they'll place their life on the line for what they believe, I suggest you don't place them in that position--I'd have to kill you then. They keep calling me Zeru cause I'm some type of Messiah for their people or what not--hell--I can't keep up with all the prophesies flying 'bout... seems like you had your share of ancient talk. And the shoes were bought in Italy, nice little place--I would've brought you something had I known you were still the same size." He pointed at Connor.

Angel digested the information and saw the sincerity in Spike's eyes behind their twinkle of mirth.

"Imprisoned where?" He asked as he brought down his sword. "We thought you were dead... dusted... in Sunnydale, that's what Willow told us." he sighed. "Buffy took it hard, they say."

Spike's features hardened and he looked away, studying his nails. "Yeah well... I came back to make sure the nibblet was ok and taken care of."

"Dawn?" Cordy asked.

"Yeah..."

"She's in college, UCLA... biology major, right Connor?" Cordy looked at the younger man.

Connor glared at the vampire. "Yes."

"Great--just needed for you to point me in the right direction... promised the lovely lady," he pointed at Fred who was almost hiding behind a pillar. "That I wouldn't hurt anyone, so... I'll be on my way."

Spike's men placed down their swords, guns and crossbows, they filed behind Spike like a protecting blanket.

"You didn't tell me where you were at all this time," Angel told the younger vampire.

Spike turned to look at him. "It's in the past, Peaches... leave it be."

"You should've at least told her something... she would've appreciated it," Cordy told him softly.

Spike took his overcoat from Lugo and slid into it, letting the fine silk cover him. "Yeah...well it doesn't matter now... she died before I got off the island..."

"Died?" Angel cried.

"What island?" Cordy said at the same time.

"We saw Buffy last night... on the six o clock news, when did this happen?" Angel roared.

Spike gaped at him. "You saw..."

"Last night, her husband is doing a big campaign in the downtown area, trying to win votes."

All eyes focused on Spike. He stared at Cordelia, then at Angel... then he didn't know what to do. "She's..."

"Alive... and she's married... and has a kid."

And just as my conscience starts to clear
I drag the river and you're still there
The way I bring you down could not compare
ooooh as if it wasn't hard enough
You want to make it so much harder

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TBC in Part B (soon I promise)