Prodigal Son -- part 13B 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: I had to split it in two because each part had a different theme--in Spike's persona and would flow better if split, plus a lot has to happen before they see each other. *bg*

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PART B

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
But some flowers just bloom dead
Now some flowers they never bloom
And some flowers just bloom dead

If you've ever hit a glass ball with a hammer and listened to the sound of the shattering glass, then see the pieces fall to the groun like droplets of perfection, shattered, shattered on the floor. Making puddles of delight, showing visions for what they are.

He felt like running and like singing and like shouting and like killing something.

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

He heard those words over and over in his head, until he tasted them in his mouth.

"Buffy's alive... married..." he gulped. "And has a kid?" He knew now what heat felt like after one hundred and twenty years of not feeling it--heat was coursing throughout his arms and neck and hair and eyes it was a dreadful feeling--he idly wondered if he would spontaneously combust--that thought didn't seem bad anything to get away from the real truth--that tiny part of him that cursed himself for believing some demon's words.

Of course she wasn't dead! She was too hard to kill! Demon bragging--that's all it was...and all these years...but now...

"When did she..."

"Marry?" Angel asked.

Spike swallowed and nodded.

"About five months after William...." the older vampire's eyes went wide. "Oh..." Realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

Buffy wasn't upset cause he had become a good friend, she was upset because... "She loved you."

Spike looked down to the floor. "I thought she did..."

"Jeez what a soap opera!" Everyone turned to look at Lorne who was in his bathrobe with a Martini in one hand as he watched them all from above. "Oh no, please continue, gorgeous."

Spike glared at him. "I need to get out of 'ere."

"I'll get the car, Zeru," Lugo said quickly and two men were already going to fetch the car.

"No...I want to be by myself." Everyone looked at Spike as the vampire slumped his shoulders and let his overcoat drop, like a warrior loosing his last battle, he walked in-between all the creatures in the room, his head bowed and went out the door.

Cordelia sighed and looked at the men left in the lobby. "I'll be a good hostess and offer you drinks?" Some of them nodded in thanks. "Follow me." Both her and Lorne played host.

On her way out she stopped by her husband's side. "Go after him--don't let him do anything stupid."

Angel nodded and handed Connor his sword.

"Why didn't we kill him?" his son asked, glancing over at the door that the vampire had gone out.

Angel sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Remember the shades of gray we talked about?"

Connor nodded.

"This is one of them... Spike's is... well aside form being a son of a bitch he's some of the few family I have left. Dru and Darla are both dead... he's all that I have of my past."

Connor clenched his jaw. "He doesn't go near Dawn."

Angel smiled. Dawn and Connor had been best friends for over two years--nothing came between them. Although Cordelia had tried her best to play the matchmaker they were only interested in being each other's protectors.

"I doubt he wants to harm her... he was once her protector."

Connor glanced at his father and reluctantly nodded, taking the swords to return them to their proper place.

Angel was grabbing his coat from the hanger when he noticed that Lugo was still standing by the door, keeping watch.

"Zeru said not to follow him," he told the vampire.

Angel nodded. "I know, but I have a right to not listen to him."

"You're his maker?" he asked.

"No... but I'm the closest he's got."

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

"Grandpa Giles!" William cried happily as they greeted the old man in the airport.

Giles laughed and grabbed William as he threw himself on him. "You've grown!"

Buffy smiled at them, taking Giles' handbag from him.

William pulled back gave Giles a peck in the cheek. "Missed you!"

Giles smiled at the boy and pushed the little boy's glasses back. "You've got glasses!"

William frowned. "I needed them... I didn't want them but Mom said I had to get them."

Giles looked at Buffy for the first time.

She was a woman now, all grown, raising children and attending political meetings. "Buffy..."

Buffy didn't let him finish and leaned into his embrace. "I missed you," she whispered. Her watcher was not as young as he had been when he had first arrived in Sunnydale. His hair was almost entirely gray and he had more fine lines--his head was almost completely bald and he looked... shorter. But he was still Giles, he smelled like Giles and he sounded like Giles.

Giles held her close, along with her child who seemed to pick up on people's mood...reminded the old watcher of his *gulp* father.

Buffy pulled back and smiled and she whiped her stray tears. William instantly wiggled out of Giles' grasp and stood in front of his mom looking up at her. "Why are you crying?"

Buffy smiled down at her inquisitive son. "Cause mommy's happy," she looked at Giles who also had stray tears joining his Crow's feet.

"Very well, let's get my bags then, shall you help me out, William?" The boy was still not convinced about his mom and he gave her knees a hug then joined Giles in search for his luggage.

Giles sighed as he leaned back into the sofa, cup of tea in one hand. "Brilliant chair you have here."

Buffy laughed and took William into her lap, pushing up his glasses as they had traveled to the tip of this perky nose. "I think it's cause he jumps on it daily."

William smirked and Giles' guts twisted as he reminded him of Spike.

"So William... how is school?"

The little boy's mouth twisted and he hid face in Buffy neck. She sighed. "Pre-K is not as fabulous and basic colored as they made it out to be."

Giles studied the little boy. "Won't you tell grandpa about it?"

William shook his head in Buffy's neck.

"He's extremely smart... I think that's why they don't like him."

Giles nodded. "You want me to tell you a story, then?"

William peeked at Giles, one bright blue eye studying him. "They teased me at school too... I bet you they even teased Spike."

At the mention of Spike's name William sat up and looked at Giles, directly. "Spike's cool--they wouldn't tease him."

Buffy smiled at him, knowing full well what Spike was like before he was turned.

"Ahhh, but he was... and look what he became!"

William's face lit up with a smile. "I want to be like Spike," he announced, making Giles spill his tea and Buffy's mouth hang open.

The way I sleep this bed just can't be made
I pull the covers up around my head
Now when I think of me
I think of somebody else instead
As if it wasn't hard enough
You're gonna make it so much harder

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

He felt like one large big piece of numb material, dressed in a too fine suit and walking hollowly in the streets. He could hear the echoes of a thousand heartbeats all-drumming along like one big parade.

Thump thump

Coming, coming for him--so close and near yet so unreachable.

He hated everything at that moment and he wondered if he laid in one of these alleys the night would swallow him whole and he would never be heard of again.

Because this pain, this pain was killing him. More than her death, more than his departure, more than anything. He felt dead.

Floating log on a river of perversion. Alone, desolate and cold. Even this thick suit didn't save him. Nothing could save him now--he was a gonner, a 'short timer', Charlie being shot down... like a dog, like a miserable creature that begged his death, like an animal being put to sleep.

That's what he was... that's how he felt.

All colors blended together and he wondered if he had a sudden case of male-color blindness. It felt good--this numbing pain. Like anesthesia.

He stretched out his arms, hoping more would be injected directly into his veins.

Closing his eyes he just walked, arms stretched... god he wanted it all to stop--to end. He was tired of running around in circles. Where everything was lies, lies, lies.

He cared not how long he walked like an out stretched Christ, on his road to Calvary. Suddenly he was hit, from the side. Impacted by another human body, flying, flying in the air until they crashed into a pile on the street.

Suddenly the pain of a broken rib made it self known and he groaned, opening his eyes to glare at who was the cause of his pain.

Of course--why had he wondered.

"Get the hell off me, you poof!"

Angel glared down at the younger vampire and got off him.

"You almost killed someone out there!" Spike looked to were he was pointed and saw that his 'via dolorosa' was actually 9PM, L.A. traffic. Close enough.

"I don't care!" Spike spat back.

Angel punched him.

Spike punched him back.

And then they were fighting--all fists and fangs, backs against the wall not knowing who was going to win.

Angel was larger and stronger, but was surprised at how much Spike had improved since the last time he fought with him.

A few minutes... or was it hours later both were panting, bleeding and broken as they stood opposite of each other, resting their backs against the alley walls.

"I hate you," Spike growled at him.

"Same here," Angel responded then his cell phone rang. He winced and he stood up to take it out of his coat pocket.

"Hello?"

"Are both of you done? Dinner is ready," Cordy was heard through the device.

Spike arched his brow at his grandsire as he said goodbye and hung up the phone. "Has you a bit on the whipped and battered side has she not?"

Angel glared at him. "You don't speak about Cordy... or look at her."

Spike chuckled. "Keep your Dockers on--I'm not going to take the chit away from you..." he looked down at the ground. "I don't care any more."

Angel stared at Spike for a while, watching how utter loss was shown across his face. "When Willow told me you had fallen in love with Buffy... back when she died, after the whole Glory thing....I wanted to go out there and kill you for lying to her and disillusioning yourself... but when I saw you taking care of Dawn from far away I knew you meant it...so I let you be."

They locked eyes and Spike finally looked away, not understanding why Angel was telling him this.

"I'm not going to say she loved you..."

"She told me she did," Spike rasped then sniffed. "Bloody bitch lied."

Angel looked down at the floor again. "Buffy doesn't lie."

Spike chuckled, darkly. "I hate to be the one to destroy the altar but... she does lie, she lied to herself, to her friends and to me.... I've never lied to her... or anyone."

Angel glared at him.

"Ok, maybe some but never her... at first I respected her too much to do so and then I loved her too much." Spike snickered. "Bloody fool I was..."

"Won't you at least talk to her?"

Spike pushed himself off the wall and turned his back on him. "No."

Angel sighed. "Why not?"

Spike took a deep breath and let it out. "I couldn't do it... all this time she's been dead to me... and if she thinks I died it's best to leave it at that... let her think I died. Let her live happily ever after with her husband and kid... let her live the normal life you wanted for her... the one I told her she'd never have."

"She's not the Slayer anymore," Angel told him quietly.

Spike turned to face him. "How did that happen?"

Angel shrugged and tucked the cell phone in his pocket. "Wesley has this long explanation for it but all I know she's no longer the Slayer... no Slayer strength, stamina or duties."

Spike looked down at the ground for a moment and nodded. "You see... I no longer belong in her life."

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

"I wish Spike was here... I've wished it many times," she whispered.

Giles chewed on the arm of his glasses as he watched her.

"I'm sorry, Buffy."

She shrugged. "It's nothing that can't be altered..." she took a deep breath and looked at Giles. "God... it's been six years and I still miss him."

"He's the father of your child, he'll never leave you now," Giles said.

Buffy smiled and looked at her watcher, she had missed talking to him so much. "Every time I look at William... it's like I see him all over again... I'm surprised Xander or Anya haven't noticed."

Giles grumbled. "She's too busy making money and he's too busy being himself."

"When did we get like this... where did we go wrong?" She asked, a bit confused and looking very much like a lost girl.

"You didn't go wrong... as one grows older one forms their own lives, it doesn't mean you love them less or think of them less... it's all part of growing up, Buffy--it happens to everyone."

Buffy smiled. "Things were so simple back then... sometimes I miss it."

Giles nodded. "Me too."

Buffy sighed as Giles took a sip from his cup.

"Did you find anything about William?" she asked, taking the empty cup from him.

He stood up and followed her to the kitchen. "Not about him..."

She turned to look at him, glass still in hand. "About whom then?"

"We found," he wiped his glasses. "Something, after looking through various ancient text of various different cultures--"

"Giles!" Buffy scolded him desperately. "You found?"

"There's a prophesy, Buffy... about a vampire... a vampire named William."

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

Cordelia's head snapped up as they entered the hotel. Bloody, beaten and tired.

"Oh my god what did you do to him?" she scolded at her husband.

Angel gaped at her.

"He started it, the bully." Spike said innocently.

Angle growled at him. "I hate you."

"Stop it--we have some blood in the fridge that can be warmed up, Angel be a host and go get it for him." Cordelia said, taking Spike's arm and making him sit down. "Anything I can do to make you more comfy?"

Spike studied the cheerleader. "I'm not giving you half my kingdom."

Cordy looked innocent for a moment then sighed. "Fine, mister--no warm blood for you."

"You can do me something... and I'll be a generous customer."

She stopped in her tracks and looked at him. "What can we do for you... as long as it doesn't involve the killing of innocent humans..."

"Not innocent...I need you to find all the information on a certain soldier that attacked me that night... I need to find who was responsible for ruining my life."

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

Dawn Summers grinned at her classmate as she joked about the new pot-bellied professor.

"And then he hands me the papers and tells me, 'gee, Miss Nelli perhaps you should write a book on your theories," Kristen laughed as she told Dawn her experience with the professor from Hell.

Dawn laughed at her friend's face. "I hate him--I so hate him, but the class is almost over--thank god for these short summer sessions."

"I know--imagine a full semester of this crap!"

They both grimaced and walked on through the campus.

From about fifteen feet, sitting inconspicuously sat Lugo, watching the brunette. She had short wavy hair and wore jeans and sneakers, with a UCLA sweat shirt on.

She was beautiful... curved in all the right places and bright and shinny when she laughed. And her eyes....

Lugo sighed as he watched the girl.

She was... god, he could stare at her forever, the young man thought. He shook himself off and stood up, walking behind her at a good distance.

They stopped to check out the shoes in a store window and Lugo made a note of the shoes Dawn wanted but stated she was broke and hated asking 'Jack' for money... he was a bit disappointed.... until she mentioned that Jack was not her boyfriend and indeed Buffy's husband.

Jack... Zeru would not like that name, he would say that it was 'poofy' or whatever that meant.

They laughed as two guys passed them by and their necks craned as they checked them out, but the real beauty was Dawn.

...Dawn....

After following her for a while the other girl bid her goodbyes and Dawn continued through campus alone, oblivious to anyone following her.

Lugo knew he should stop, walk away and tell Zeru she was okay... but there was something in the way she walked that had him following her, following her around a corner. He walked faster as not to loose her.

Once around the cornoer he didn't see her and cursed himself for not being faster.

Before he could finish his 'damn' he was hit in the middle of his back with a large stick.

He crumbled forward and moaned.

He was hit again then he was kicked sharply and flipped over on to his back.

Through hooded eyes he looked up to see Dawn standing with the bat in her hand.

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

"I'm not saying he's alive, Buffy... in fact I doubt it, I think William's dream simply mean that he's meeting his father's prophetic essence in his dreams... no more. And somehow Spike is going to be William's supernatural guide to whatever the Powers have planned for him--that is all... Spike is dead, Buffy--it's time to accept that." Giles explained to the blonde before him and watched sadly as she deflated.

"I thought that maybe this meant..."

He shook his head and wrapped his larger hands over her tightly clasped ones. "No... I'm sorry... but you're son--the son of you love is destined for something large--big--"

"I mean you had to hear him, the things he said, the things he saw--"

Her eyes pleaded as Giles sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Buffy... it doesn't mean that Spike is alive... it simply means that all that he was continues to live in William, and you.... that's all of him that is left."

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

"Spike is here," Wesley stated rather flatly as he walked into his office and saw the vampire leaning over Cordelia looking at the computer screen while Fred furiously typed next to him on her laptop.

Cordy looked up and smiled at him. "Oh hi, Wes!" Then went back to her typing.

Wesley's mouth opened and closed again.

"Spike is here," he stated again. "Like in William the Bloody."

Spike looked up from the screen and smirked at him. "Heard of me, have you?"

Wesley gulped and saw Fred as his next meal. "Fred... Cordelia... walk away from him slowly... where's Angel?"

Angel chose that moment to bump into Wesley. "Oh, sorry, Wes--didn't see you there." He strode into the room and looked at the same place Spike was looking at. "Found anything?"

"Okay... what's going on here?"

Fred looked up from her PC and smiled at her boyfriend. "Spike's our new client... our new high paying client."

"When did this happen?" he looked at Angel. "And what happened to you?"

Angel sipped some blood from this mug. "Spike beat me up."

Wesley arched his brow. "Oh... a bonding thing I presume?"

"God no!" Spike cried, indignantly. "Nothing like that."

"Oh... nice... anyone up for explaining... I though you were dead." Wesley was still beyond confused.

"It's a long story," Cordelia said not taking her sight from the screen.

Everyone remained quiet, doing their work as Wesley stared at them still confused.

"Is anyone going to explain it? I'm still the boss!"

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

"Who are you?" she demanded from on top of him, bat still in hand obviously not afraid to use it.

The young man blinked up at her. "Lugo...Ricardo Lugo."

Dawn was breathing hard but she backed up. "Why are you following me?" she demanded, her curls falling around her face.

"I..." Lugo tried to come up with a good reason.

She kicked him hard in the ribs, he grabbed her foot and pulled her down, his strong arms grabbing the bat and tossing it aside. "Stop that!"

She screamed, trying to get away from him. "Let go of me! Help!"

He clamped his hand over her mouth but she bit his flesh hard and he winced, pulling away. "Stop it! I mean no harm!"

She slapped him and wriggled out of his grasp. "Let me go!"

He grabbed her hips and plopped her down on his lap, holding her upper arms and keeping her there. She tried to struggle but he was far stronger than she was.

"Listen to me, please!"

She took the one second to look at him... really look at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. "I mean no harm..."

"Then why be all creepy about it... why follow me and stalk me, then hurt me?" she demanded, small tears slipping from her eyes.

He admired her bravery--she had seen many nasty things in her life. "I'm going to let you go...please don't run--I mean no--"

"You mean no harm, I heard you the first time, kind of hard to believe with the bruising of my arms," she hissed, sniffling back in fright.

Instantly he let her go... but she didn't move, just sat there on his lap breathing in and out.

"I didn't mean to frighten you..."

"Why are you following me?" she demanded, her eyes sparkling.

"I was sent to protect you," he said, smiling a bit.

She stared at him. He was in his early twenties--like her, tall, maybe taller than her and he was a soft cocoa color, hazel eyes that shined in the night, his jaw was strong and set with a thin layer of scruffy beard. Ok--she would admit he was gorgeous.

"Who sent you?"

He smiled shyly at her. "I'm not to tell."

She snapped out of her daze and quickly got off him, and started walking away.

"Wait, Dawn!"

She froze and turned to look at him. "How do you know my name?"

"I was told your name... I thought you were younger." he said softly, his voice almost calming.

"Ok--freaky, I'm having a Sarah Connor moment... are you from the future?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"A Sarah who?" he asked confused.

"Oh my god, are you from the past?" she asked him.

"What? No! I'm from now... not here--I'm from Spain... and Morocco and many other places," he said.

She took a deep breath and looked at him. "I have to go."

"I know," he answered.

She nodded and started walking away then stopped and turned to look at him. "Will I see you again?"

But he wasn't there. She looked around confused and sighed. "Great! Now I'm having Buffy moments."

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

"Ok, I think I found something," Fred said, excitedly.

It had been over three days of research, of tons of coffee and caffeine charged blood and nothing had come up. "I think I got into this ghost site that it's completely restricted...there are project files."

"Try looking for Galleno," Spike told her.

She looked through all the choices and shook her head. "Nothing."

Spike sighed. "Island?"

"Nope."

"Slayer?"

"No." Fred shaked her head.

Spike grinned. "Pulpo Azul."

"...mmmm.... yes." Fred smiled. "Blue octopus, what is it?"

"It was the security system perimeter around the island what prevented us from escaping." He explained.

"This is truly fascinating..." Wesley whispered as he read over Fred's shoulder.

"Yeah--a real threat." Spike huffed. "Should write on your notes all about it."

"Perhaps one day I will," Wesley snipped back.

"I have everything here, head of operations, hostiles, days, times, transmissions—you name it!" Fred typed away.

Spike leaned in. "I need you to find who was in operations on March 20th."

They waited while Fred went through a few folders then her face lit up.

"I have it! Hostile: William the Blood otherwise known as Spike. Has been stabilized with a restraining with a permanent implant that could only be turned off but not removed without causing severe brain damage—"

"Can we skip this part? Get to the part with the soldiers," Spike hissed.

"Right… agents on duty…they have pictures, are those okay?" she asked him tentatively.

"I can recognize that face anywhere," Spike murmured and Fred nodded, clicking on one of the seven agents that were there that night.

Spike shook his head. "Nope, next one."

The next one opened and it wasn't him either. On the fourth attempt Spike froze and Cordelia gasped. "That's him—that's the bastard."

"Jack Marshalls?" Angel asked him. "Click on his record, Fred."

The girl did as asked.

"Holy shit.,. he was the one who authorized the destruction of the island." Spike spit bitterly.

"Yeah, and he's also Buffy's husband."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

TBC…

(I know you guys want them to meet—I can guarantee that next chapter the meeting will finally take place.)