Part 11: Who Are You?
The estate in Madrid made the one in Germany look like a nice little country cottage. It was warmer here then in the other country, with no snow that she had slowly learned to loath over the past few months. At first, she had enjoyed the white powered, feeling like a child as she watched it cover the ground and the city. After about two months of seeing nothing but it, she had grown weary of the weather and was glad to see the green that Spain had to offer.
The slayer had never been so relieved in her whole life then when Rosemary, who had been with them since Germany, had told her it was the first day of spring. Buffy had packed up her then four month old daughter and taken her out for a day in the sun, though the child sleep most of it. She could already tell that she was going to be a night owl, just like her parents.
Becket's home was roughly the size of Sunnydale itself. Catherine explained that this was where they raised their Thoroughbreds and those Spanish horses Buffy read about that did tricks, but she could remember the name of. The place was well guarded, like a fort, and no one from the city ever seemed to venture out this way unless they were lost.
Much to her surprise, or not, Spike took very good care of his daughter and was very protective of her. When he had explained to her what Becket had said about Dylan being some sort of 'angel', she had been worried of what the rich man might do. But he had sworn that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, and, so far, he kept that promise fiercely. He might be chipped, but Buffy felt sorry for any person who tried to hurt Dylan. They would not only have one pissed off slayer to deal with, but one very dedicated vampire who would probably push away all thoughts of the chip if it came down to saving his child.
Buffy was glad he was so dedicated to her. Her own father had never made much time for her or Dawn when they were younger and, the only time she could remember seeing him was when he was leaving for a trip and had to come by the house to get his stuff. That, or when him and her mother were fighting about something or another. To be honest, she missed him a little, but she was dying inside to go home to her mother and sister and the other Scoobies. But she was protecting Dylan, and her safety was what matter.
Seems like someone should remind Catherine of that.
A few nights ago, she had told Buffy and Spike that her father would be holding a party to celebrate the being of the racing season. Needless to say, the two were stunned at such an idea of exposing them like that, but Catherine had explained that it would be even more exposure if they did not hold the gala. Her father was known for this party, and, if he did not hold it, there would be questions as to why. She had tried to reassure them that the party would be heavily guarded and that no one without an invitation would be allowed in, nor any that did not pass a security check. Still, Buffy was uneasy about this.
What if they unknowing invited one of Lang's men? What if someone recognized them? What if...? There really were too many what if questions.
It wasn't so much as that she didn't want to meet with other people, she was about to go crazy if she didn't, but it was just so dangerous right now. Of course, another nagging voice told her that these were people who raised horses for a living and probably never went anywhere near a demon or vampire. Not to their knowledge anyway. In fact, if she said anything about it, they'd probably look at her like she had sprung another head.
Rosemary had dropped off a dress that Becket had bought for her to wear at the party, and she was now standing in front of the mirror seeing how she looked. It was a long, black dress that dipped down low in the front, and even farther in the back. Two small straps held the dress together on her shoulders, as a long split came up the side and stopped just below the hip. Buffy smiled as she looked at her herself from side to side, then from behind.
"Well, looks like Mommy got her figure back, hu?" she said to the baby, who giggled and clapped in agreement. "Oh, you find that funny, do you?"
She bent in close to the baby, gently scratching her stomach, tickling her. Dylan began to laugh even more, especially at the goofy face her mother was making at her as she assaulted her stomach.
Though the open window, she could see the sky turning into cool royal blues and black as the horizon burned orange when the sun had finally set. Coming through the forest cover road that led up the house, she could see a steady line of cars coming towards them as one of the stablemen ran one of Beckets finest horses along the fence to show it off. The party was being held in the back south lawn, which was now set up to look like the President was coming for a visit. A live band was already playing softly, and she could pick up the tune that drifted in on the wind.
"Are you ready to go, Buffy?" Catherine said as she walked in the room with Rosemary close behind who would be watching Dylan that night.
"As I'll ever be, I guess," the blonde sighed as she joined the dark hair beauty and the plump woman went to taking care of the child.
"Do not worry, Ms. Summers," Rosemary said as she bounced Dylan in her arms. "Have a good time tonight."
"Thanks, Rosemary," she said.
Buffy had long given up trying to the get her to call her by her first name. She was a very proper servant woman, who was only married to doctor but didn't feel like she had raised in status any from it, and called all the people who lived in the house by Mr., Mrs., or Ms. Even Spike got to be Mr. Spike whenever Rosemary was around.
Buffy followed Catherine through the east wings halls that she had finally grown accustom to after awhile. For the longest time, it would only take Buffy a simple wrong step to get her lost, but she somehow always found her way to the kitchen. Catherine told her that nearly hall or stair well eventually leads there, so that had helped, but she so wished they would have just put in one of those 'You are here' maps every so often.
It was completely dark by the time they reached the others, who were already mingling and laughing about some boring thing. Upon seeing them descend the brick stair way that lead to the party, a large, well dressed man came up to Catherine, sized her hands, and gave her two quick pecks on the checks.
"Why, Catherine Becket, look how lovely you've become," he said, and Buffy realized that this was an American by his accent.
"Thank you, Mr. Thomas." She turned and pulled Buffy forward for a proper introduction. "Mr. Thomas, I would like you to meet Buffy Summers."
"How do you do," she said politely, remembering what her mother had always taught her.
"Buffy and I were roommates at UCLA a few years ago. She and her husband are here visiting my father and myself for the summer," Catherine continued quickly, remembering the cover story they had came up with earlier.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Summers," he said kindly. "So, I take it you're American?"
"Yes, sir," she answered. "I'm actually from LA."
"Ah. So, what you think of Spain?"
"It's a lot nicer then some of the places I've been," she admitted. Of course, I haven't seen much of it besides the ranch, she added silently.
"I'm glad," he said, ending his small talk with her and turning back to Catherine. "So, where is your father?"
"Who knows? You know him, he'll probably have to make some grand entrance."
Mr. Thomas laughed politely, then said, "Yes. I believe he will. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Summers." He started to walk away when a thought crossed his mind. "Summers? You wouldn't happen to be related to a Joyce Summers would you?"
Buffy was stunned for a moment. She hadn't heard anyone say her mothers name in almost a year and a half. She was surprised at how many emotions it could bring by simply mentioning it.
Fighting to control her voice, she said, "Who?"
"Joyce Summers," he repeated. "Lovely woman. She sold me a painting a few months back. Gave me a great deal. Then, if you are Mrs. Summers, I suppose she might be related to your husband."
Buffy let out a sad sigh. "No, she is not related to Sp-William." Except for her granddaughter, she added silently.
"Oh. Well, forget I asked then."
Any joy she might have got out of the party left with that conversation and mention of her mother. She missed her so bad it literally hurt. Catherine gave her concerned look, but, before she could ask, Buffy took off for a dark section of the lawn. She just needed to be alone at that moment.
******
Spike walked through the hall, grumbling to himself. He had been living there for four bleeding months, and still got lost. When Buffy had raised the idea of those maps, he had laughed along with Catherine and Becket, but now that didn't seem like such a bad idea. Well, he would just have to make his way to the kitchen and find his way from there.
The faint muttering echoed down the hall, and he was relieved when he recognized Becket was its owner. He came to the door that it was coming from, but stopped before he opened it. There was something there with him, something, not human. Spike growled lowly in his throat. So the little prick did sell them out.
"It will be difficult to get him to leave," Becket said the demon that was with him. "He is very protective of them."
"You want to see how protective?" Spike asked coldly as he stepped into the room.
Becket stood up strait behind the desk, surprised to see him there. The demon, however, rose slowly and showed no fear at the very angry vampire that stood in the doorway.
"Spike, this is not what you think," he tried to defend lamely.
"Oh, I think it is," he said as he vamped out.
Becket took a step back, probably never actually seeing a game face before this one. The demon simply shook his head as he gave a small laugh.
"I can see what you mean," he said with a British accent much like Spikes. "He is protective, if not a bit short tempered." The demon came closer to him, unafraid. "It is true what he says. I am not here to harm the child or her mother. I am here to help you protect them."
Spike slipped out of his game face, unsure how to take anyone who claimed that they wanted help them. "Where were you people a year ago when me and the slayer were on the run? Couldn't help us then?"
"We did not know of you then," the demon said. "We do now."
He went back and sat in the chair that he had been in moments before, but Becket remained standing.
"It's true, Spike," he told him, starting to relax a little. "Please, sit."
Reluctantly, he did as he was asked to do, and Becket finally took his own set.
"Four months ago, I made you a promise that I would help you with your 'Lang' problem, as I called it. Well, here it is. I figure that you can pretty much take care of your own, and are very willing to do it, if tonight is any indication. What I am about to offer will help you take care of your um...family, in case any thing should happen to mine." He leaned forward onto the desk. "You see, Spike, the only thing I see that is keeping you from being able to protect them they way you feel they should be is because of your chip and its incapacity to work on humans, who happen to be the enemy at this time. Kin'tel," he nodded to the demon set beside the vampire, "knows a demon in Uganda that can take care of that for you."
"What are you sayin'?" he asked, not believing what he was hearing.
"This demon can take the chip out," Becket stated slowly.
******
Buffy started slowly back to the party, the grass already starting to dampen as the night wore on. Most of the people's laughter could be heard from where she stood, but she still didn't feel like join in on it. She was just so tired of running and hiding, even from her own family. Why couldn't they just go home?
She moved through the crowd until she discovered Catherine, standing in the middle of a large circle of men, all who seemed to be admiring her...wit. The young woman was laughing at some joke or another when Buffy approached. Seeing the dark look on her face, she excused herself from the group, and joined her new friend.
"What is it?" she asked, her slight Spanish accent bleeding through terribly.
"I'm sorry," Buffy said shaking her head. "But I'm really not in the party mood. I think I'll just go back and check in on Dylan."
"Are you sure, Buffy? The night is still young."
"Yeah, I am. Please tell your father I'm sorry I missed him tonight."
Catherine nodded her head, as Buffy headed back into the house. She was somewhere else as her brain went on auto pilot and lead her back to her room. Well, she thought with a sigh, at least I didn't get lost.
"Rosemary," she called as she opened the door. "I'm back."
"I sent her on already, pet," Spike answered.
She looked over through the French doors that lead from her room into the nursery. Spike was standing over the crib, looking over at the child that laid fast asleep inside. Somewhere inside of her, she felt something say that she should be annoyed that he just came up in here without her permission, it was her room after all, but she pushed it aside. After all, she didn't have soul right to her daughter...their daughter.
She walked over and stood at the end of the crib, looking in at the angelic child. Dylan was the only thing now a days that made her really feel happy anymore. When she was around her, she didn't think about Sunnydale or her family because this child was her family. In away, she was thankful to Spike for that.
"Take it you didn't enjoy the party, then," he said, studying the look on her face.
"Not so much the party," she said sadly. At his confusion, she went on. "I meet a guy who knows mom."
"Really? He knows Joyce?"
"Yup," she said going out of the nursery back into her room. He followed, unconsciously turning off the light and pulling the door to so not to disturb Dylan. "Called her by name and everything. Said she was a sweet woman or something like that."
"Yes, well, I suppose if someone was complementin' my mum I would be upset about it too," he said sarcastically, still not understanding her down mood.
That would have normally earned him a glare at the very least, but she didn't have the energy for a fight that night. "It's not that. It's just...that was the first time I've heard anyone beside me or you even say her name. I couldn't even tell him that was my mother. You have no idea how bad I wanted to."
He began to understand. She was lonely and homesick. Unlike him, she hadn't been use to leaving everything you know and love behind without a second thought. He had learned that years ago when he first became a vampire. It had been so long, he had actually forgotten how hard it could be.
"Come now, love," he said. "You'll see her again."
"When, Spike?" she said suddenly directing all her anger at him. "When? When they finally get sick of chasing us? When-when I'm too old to have kids and they finally leave me alone? When I die? When?!"
He was surprised at the on slough, then frowned. "I don't know."
"See, that just it. No one does. I might as well face it. It's going to be me, you, and Dylan for the rest of our lives," she said as she flopped down on the edge of the bed.
"And that's really so bad?"
"Yes! No. I don't know," she said as her face fell into her hands. "I don't know anything anymore."
He came and sat beside her, and placed his hand between her bare shoulder blades. It reminded her of the time she had been sitting on her back porch when her mom told her that she was sick. That had been the night she had told him that he was beneath her. He had been beneath her alright. That was how she got that child in the other room that was sleeping.
Before she realized it, she had leaned into him and placed her arms around his waist as her head laid on his shoulder. Something said that this should feel off, but she didn't care at that moment.
"Promise me something," she said looking ahead.
"Anything, pet."
"No matter what, you'll never abandon Dylan like my dad did me."
"Done," he said and she could see him smiling at her insecurity of it. "Besides, any man that would abandon you is a bloody fool if you ask me."
She rose up out of the embraced and looked at him, as if for the first time. It looked like she was searching for something, trying to see into his soul like he was able to do so easily with her. He coward under the gaze, not liking where it was sure to led. Her face soften as she gave up the search for whatever it was she was looking for.
"Thank you," she said as she went back to the embrace she had just pulled away from. "You know, if you nice like that more often you wouldn't get hit in the nose so much."
He chuckled, half from relief that she did not see what he had been trying to fight and keep from her for over a year, half from the humor. "I'll remember that next time."
******
She was standing on the south lawn, just beyond the forest that surrounded the estate. It was cold there, and dark and the whole manner had an eerie glow to it.
"Buffy!" a young woman's voice called from inside the woods. "Buffy! Come see what I've found!"
She followed a well worn path through the forest, which gradually turned into the streets of Sunnydale on a busy afternoon. There were more people there then she knew lived in the town, but it felt right as she pushed through to find the owner of the voice. Standing in the middle of the side walk, was a teenage girl, who looked Dawn's age. The people moved around her, almost forming a protective circle that Buffy quickly entered.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You don't see him?" she asked, confused.
Buffy shook her head.
"There is a wolf among the people," she said turning around and looking at the crowd. "A wolf in sheep clothing. You must be weary of it. They threaten us all."
"Who?"
"Not who you think," she said as she turned back to face her. The girls' eyes became wide as she focused in something behind the slayer. Buffy turned quickly, in time to see a large pair of teeth coming at her.
The slayer sat up in her bed, sweet dripping down her face as her breathing deepen in small gasps. From the nursery, Dylan was balling like she had never heard before, and her mother quickly made her way to the obviously frighten child. She scooped her up into her arms, and began to sway to try and calm her.
It was then that she noticed she still had on the gown from the night before. She must have fallen asleep in it. The last she had remembered from the night before was talking with Spike, about her desire to see her mother, about him swearing to never leave Dylan. When she had confided in him about her father abandoning her, she had not expected the response he gave. She didn't know what she expected him to say, but that surely wasn't it.
For a moment, she had almost thought that he...loved her. That was something that a person would say if they loved someone else. Then she remembered that this was Spike she was thinking about. He didn't really love, he couldn't, being soulless and all. But she had seen him with Dylan. He did love her. And sometimes, she caught him looking at her the same way. Did he? Could he?
She shook her head and carried Dylan back into her room as the child sobs slowly lessened.
"You have a bad dream like Mom?" Buffy asked as she walked to the window, so the two could watch the sunrise in a few minutes. She kissed the child on the top of the head, and then said, "It's okay. Those nasty dreams can't hurt you." I hope, she added silently.
The suns first rays had not come yet, but the sky was starting to grow warm from impending event. She was going to watch this, but noticed something going on in the front entrance. Dylan was quiet by now, pulling and eating her mothers' hair who had been very interested in the events unfolding below her.
One of Becket's cars was pulled out front, running as one of the servants placed a bag in the trunk. Becket and Catherine were waiting beside the open door, and shot to attention as a man came from inside the house. Buffy instantly recognized Spike, though he didn't have on his black duster, just his red shirt and black jeans. He went to Becket, took his hand and said something to him, which the older man nodded his head in agreement to. He then went to Catherine, took both her hands, and kissed her on the cheek. For a moment, Buffy felt a pang of jealousy, but she was too scared of what was going on before to worry about that. When he was getting into the car, she turned from the window, still clinging Dylan to her, and ran for the entrance.
He promised! He swore he wouldn't leave! He swore!!
She reached the main foyer just as Catherine and Becket were coming back inside, the black car that held Spike long gone from out front. The two were speaking softly to one another as she hurried up to them, adjusting her grip on Dylan.
"Where is he?" she demanded coolly. "Where's he going?"
Catherine looked to her father, searching for the answer. Becket raised his hands, reminding Buffy of how her grandfather use to do when he had news, usually not the good kind, and it was a way for him to keep whoever it was calm.
"Buffy," he said gently. "Perhaps you should step into my office."
She turned away from him sharply as Dylan began to cry, frighten by her mothers mood and action.
"Where did he go?" she bit through her teeth, wanting a strait answer and wanting it right then.
Becket let out a sigh and then said, "Africa."
The stunned blonde blinked. "Africa? As in Lion King, Tarzan Africa?"
"Yes."
"Why would he go there? And why didn't he tell me?"
The man paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to put this. That made Buffy even more uncomfortable. When people had to think of ways to put things, it never turned out to be a good thing. Seeing her father flounder, Catherine decided to take a stab.
"Buffy, you trust Spike, yes?"
Now it was Buffy's turn to pause. Did she trust him? The answer was clear to her. She had trusted him since before they got off that island. At first, it was for necessity. After that, it was because he earned it. Never once in the past year had she even seen him consider leaving her behind, and there were so many times he could have. He could have left her in that hospital back in Prague and saved his own sorry hid, but he didn't. In fact, from what Catherine had told her of the incident, he had actually lead them away from her. So did she trust him?
"Yes," she stated, making it sound like a simple word, but knowing it wasn't.
"Then trust him now," she told her as only a friend could. Catherine approached her, and placed her hand on Buffy shoulder, opposite from Dylan that had claimed and was still whimpering onto her mothers new, and now wrinkled, dress. "Do not worry. He will return."
"But...why did he leave?" she asked softly.
If it were possible, she would swear that Catherine's face became kinder. "That is for him to tell upon his return. Now come," she said as she started to lead her back into the home. "Let's get you changed, and join Father for breakfast."
******