TITLE: A Change In Destiny: Part VI: Changes Tonight

AUTHOR: Wicked Angel

RATING: PG-13 cos that's what the rest of the story is so why change things now?

DISCALIMER: None of this is mine blah, blah, blah!

AUTHORS NOTES: Sorry it has taken me so long to update the story but I'm a busy lady, anyway I'm gonna complete this one just another 2 chapters! I've started work on another story so hopefully I'll have that posted soon too!

SUMMARY: It's the day of the big battle and things are going from bad to worse but there is some happiness as the gang make some important changes!

FEEDBACK: Would be lovely, please, please, please it's what keeps the chapters-a-comin!

"Right so we're agreed she shouldn't be involved?" Spike looked over the table at Angel

They were both brooding over a warm mug of blood; Angel took a sip and looked back at Spike

"Well sure I agree but that's one thing it's another thing to convince her" Angel reasoned

Spike nodded "Well we're just gonna have too".

At this point Buffy stepped out the elevator, she had just awoken and was still drowsy looking. She walked over to the two brooding vampires and bent down planting a gentle kiss on Spikes cheek, he responded by planting a kiss upon her stomach

"Sleep well baby?" Spike smiled up at her

"Yeah – not too bad, I'm still in shock – I mean a baby, and the thought of human Spike and human Angel. Well to say the least it's a lot to take in"

"Yeah we know" Angel looked over at the ever so happy couple "But we have something we want to discuss with you and Cordy"

"Oh yeah and what would that be then" Cordelia walked in from the kitchen with her coffee and one for Buffy too "Don't worry Buff I gave you decaf because of the little one" she couldn't stop smiling at her newfound friend, then she leaned down and kissed Angel "Morning"

Angel's only response being "mmmm… it is isn't it"

"Well I'm not gonna ask if you two slept well last night" Spike grinned but received a slap on the chest from Buffy

"What???…" Spike acted the innocent

They all laughed, but were interupted by Wes and Gunn stepping out the elevator

"Morning everyone" Wesley looked at all the beaming faces in the room

"You guys are all far to cheery considering you're gonna be fighting for your future tonight!" Gunn looked around him

"Way to be supportive Gunn!" Cordelia snapped at him

"Alright, calm down, I was just saying" Gunn said defensively

"Well don't" there was an awkward silence

"Anyway Angel what was it you two wanted discuss with me and Buffy?" Cordelia broke in

"Oh yeah I forgot all about that" Buffy nodded.

Angel and Spike looked over at one another, and Angel began "Right can we all sit down? We have to discuss tonight and the battle with Poena and that's what involves you two"

They all looked intrigued and gathered round the table, Spike looked at Buffy "Right you have to understand we want to do this for your own sake" he then turned and looked at Cordelia "and yours too Cordelia"

The two girls looked confused "Well are you gonna tell us or what – Angel? What is it?" Cordelia stood up and stared at him

"Well you see, the thing is, Spike and I have been talking and think that it would be a better idea if, well if you and Buffy didn't come to the warehouse tonight – it's gonna be really dangerous. And it's not just that Buffy has the baby to think about and Cordelia you don't have enough fighting experience and I know they'll try and get to me using you, so we thought it would be better if we went alone- because really – it's our battle" Angel stared at the table

Spike looked up at Buffy confirming his approval of the plan but soon turned away as he noticed her face growing a deep shade of crimson, he also noticed Cordelia's eyes; they had narrowed to slits.

"How dare you! This is not just your battle! In fact it's more my battle than it is yours!" Buffy stood up and marched round the room "Oh sorry – I'm wrong" she slapped her fore head with the heel of her hand "Duh – I'm forgetting you're the gifted, the chosen ones – the VAMPIRE slayers – oh gee wiz wait a minute I made a mistake that would be ME!" her voice was dripping with sarcasm

Gunn couldn't help but laugh 'damn she's funny when she's pissed off' he giggled but received growls from everyone "Sorry – my bad"

They all turned away getting back to the problem at hand

"Buffy – it's for your own good!" Spike tried to take her hand

"Don't touch me – how could you?" she growled, "I'm pregnant not disabled and I'm not even showing yet!"

"But Buff?" he pleaded

"Don't you 'but Buff' me Blondie!" she shouted

At this point across the room Cordelia was screaming at Angel

"Oh I'm sorry if you feel you have to carry me Angel – maybe I should just stay at home from now on and I don't know… paint my toenails!"

"English man what's goin on?" Gunn looked at the two battling couples

"I have no idea and I'm not getting involved – lets go get some breakfast," Wesley added as he and Gunn sneaked out unnoticed

3 Hours Later

"Right so it's settled we are ALL going to the battle tonight?" Buffy and Cordelia nodded at one another as the two vampires mumbled unenthusiastically

"Good" they were both happier but still nervous "Can we eat now?" Buffy asked her tummy rumbling

"Sure I'll go make something" Angel headed towards the kitchen still unhappy about it all, he loved Cordy and didn't anything to happen to her or to Buffy or his new nephew or niece

Meanwhile Buffy, Spike and Cordy sat at the table "So what are we supposed to do for the rest of the day? It's not even 11am yet?" Buffy was feeling restless

"Well you two should go to the warehouse, check the surrounding areas for accessibility and we could perhaps set a trap and Angel and I can make last minute preparations, gather the weapons etc" Spike squeezed his lovers hand and placed his other on her stomach "It's all gonna be okay – I won't anyone or anything hurt you or my baby" he looked deep in her eyes and a lonely tear streamed down her cheek

"I know" she nodded and placing her hand on the back of his neck kissed his forehead

"And that goes for you too Vision Girl – Angel and I won't let anything happen to our girls" Cordelia nodded in understanding

Angel strolled back in the room and with two plates, "Right – Buffy - Eggs – scrambled on lightly toasted bread. Cordelia – Eggs - poached, with toasted granary bread and two cups of camomile tea – thought it would settle you're stomachs. Spike, blood… and its… well it's just blood"

"Thanks honey" smiled up at him

"Mmm thanks" Buffy added, "can you excuse me I don't feel to ……" and she sprinted for the bathroom

"Morning sickness… it'll pass – I hope" Spike grinned

Later on that afternoon the girls had headed to the old warehouse – it was dingy and dark with easy access by sewer or on foot. Many of the windows had been broken and sunlight streamed through the cracks and shone on the dark floor

"Eww this place gives me the creeps" Cordelia's skin was crawling

"I knew its groce" well I better go sharpen my stakes "Come on Cordy"

"Cool the faster I get outta here the better" the girls headed out the basement exit, this took them back outside onto the main road.

The sun was shining and they could feel it beating down on their backs "Imagine this time tomorrow we could be walking through the park with Angel and Spike, we could have a picnic in the sun" Cordelia felt all tingly thinking about it

"Mmmm… I hope so" Buffy smiled rubbing her tummy, she turned to Cordelia "I know me and you never got on in the past but…"

"Let's not dwell on the past it's the present that's important now and well you're my friend now… you're my best friend now" Cordelia touched Buffy's stomach "and I'll always be there for you and the baby" she smiled

"Well that's what I meant to ask you" Buffy looked at Cordelia "You've helped me so much and I wanted to know if you and Angel would be godparents"

"Oh my god I'd love to! I'd be thrilled" she hugged Buffy "But what about Willow and Xander?"

"Don't worry about that, they'll understand and anyway I can see me and Spike having a few more kids"

"Oh I'm so honoured and Angel will be thrilled too" She was smiling from ear to ear "Come on let's go home and tell them the good news

The girls headed through the park, Buffy went to an ice cream stand and Cordelia called Angel on her cell phone asking if they needed anything when suddenly Cordelia collapsed, she was shaking. Buffy saw this and dropped her ice cream and quickly ran to be at her side. She sat behind her resting her head on her lap, Angel was panicking her could hear her and could hear all the commotion so he started to shout down the phone for Buffy hoping she would hear him and pick it up – as luck had it she did

"Look Angel I'm not sure but I think she's having a vision… but it's worse than it was last night" Buffy's voice was shaky

"It's okay just get her home" Angel spoke calmly "We'll know more then"

Buffy had waited until she had woken and hailed a cab to take them back to the Hyperion. Cordelia looked shaken and had hardly spoke a word all the way there

"You okay?" Buffy asked concerned as they paid the cab driver

"Yeah I just need some Advil and then I can tell Angel our good news" she put on a fake smile "He's gonna be a god daddy!"

"Okay if you're sure" Buffy supported her friend as they entered the reception

Angel, Advil in hand, was waiting in the reception

"Cordy, are you okay?" Angel lurched forward pulling her into a hug "Was it a vision?"

"Yeah – but it was just the same one as I got last night" Cordelia turned away and looked at Buffy who was standing in the corner with Spike smiling and whispering in his ear, he was smiling at her too, a look of sheer love spread across both their faces. Buffy was telling Spike about her plans for godparents and he was nodding in approval.

"Cordy is there something wrong?" Angel asked, "You look distracted – what's wrong?"

"Well, you see, it was the vision…" Cordy was stopped by Buffy

"Ok Cordelia do you wanna tell Angel the good news?" Buffy was grinning

"What good news?" Angel looked at them "Well?"

"Right I'll tell him! Angel, Buffy and Spike want us to be godparents!" Cordelia hugged her friend again a tear in her eye not knowing if she would even get the chance

"Really – that's great!" Angel was smiling "I'm honoured"

"Sure thing Peaches" Spike shook Angels hand

"Look what time is it?" Buffy looked around

"It's 2pm luv" Spike looked at his wrist "You wanna go for a lie down?"

"Yeah I think I will but wake me before 4pm so I can start preparing" she looked at her friends "So what time we heading over at?"

"Angel thought about it for a while "I'd probably say about 7:30-8pm"

"Yup sounds like a plan" Spike nodded in agreement

"Right okay" she leaned over and kissed Spike "Remember wake me"

"I will ducks"

After Buffy left Spike, Angel and Cordelia headed upstairs. They all sat round the table in the sitting room in silence until Cordelia burst into tears

"Cordy! What's wrong?" Angel was by her side

"It's tonight – I'm scared" she was trembling but tried to regain her composure "Right I'm gonna tell you guys something but you gotta promise not to freak out"

"Right okay I promise" Angel nodded

"Yeah" Spike agreed "scouts honour"

Cordelia had to grin, "You didn't go to scouts!"

"I could have but anyway – get on with it"

"Right the vision I had earlier wasn't the same as the one I had last night – it was about the battle – tonight – it was about Buffy" Cordelia's eyes began to water as she remember what she saw

"What do you mean… what happens… is she ok… what about the baby?" Spike started to ramble

"Look Spike stop panicking! The reason I get visions is so I can prevent them from happening" Cordelia tried to speak calmly and shuts her eyes reliving the vision

"We are all in the warehouse, battling. Angel and I are in a corner with two big guys they've got long staff weapons and they're hitting us with them really hard… Angel you're on you knees and he's hitting you on the back with it. Then I run up behind him after escaping from the other one and stake him he goes to dust but you're still on the floor when this big one comes and grabs me from behind and throws me against a wall. He's about to bite me when you intervene and stick the staff right through him. Then we turn around and Spike is impailing one of them with a metal rod and Buffy looks quite comfortable battling one of the minions when suddenly Poena just jumps down from one of the beams that are suspended from the ceiling. Buffy stakes the minion and I'm battling a female vampire she kicks my stomach and I go flying. Spike – you and Angel are battling with Poena and the vampire from that I saw in BlackOut. Buffy is standing when another one comes behind her and grabs her pulling her arms behind her back but she pulls him towards a wall and pushes herself up it and flips over staking him in the back. Suddenly Poena breaks away leaving the two of you battling about 3 of his minions and heads towards Buffy he has a deep hoarse voice 'always wanted to kill a slayer' he grins and she laughs telling him he'll never get the chance. They start to fight, Buffy does well but he's so big and powerful, we all try to help but can't escape from our own fights and then she runs towards him but he just grabs her…" Cordelia began to sob

"Tell us Cordy so we can stop it" Spike was going mad, he had so many emotions rolling around inside him

"Right" she tried to compose herself "well she runs towards him, by this time they are only 2 or 3 vamps left Poena and a couple of minions the other two…"

"Horry and Disficare?" Angel asked

"Yeah they're dead – anyway Angel you have just killed one and so has Spike and you turn to see where everyone is and we all see Buffy, she's on the other side of the room, and has just started to run towards him but he grabs her and throws her over his head toward some of the disused machinery and she… she lands on a machine with massive jagged poles that look like they used to move up and down and one goes right through her back… Spike you run up to Poena, he has his back to you and ram a stake right through his heart… you go talk to Buffy cos she is still conscious and you tell her how much you love her and she tells you too but… I'm sorry Spike she dies!"

Angel, Cordelia and Spike were all sitting with lumps in there throats

"No, no, no, no it will not happen that way – she is not going to die with a spike rammed through her no way that was what I used to do it represents the old, evil me and my Buffy will not die that way – she will not die! Angel we can prevent this can't we?" He looked to Angel who nodded

"Course we can – that's what we do for a living Spike" Angel smiled at Spike reassuringly

"Look guys that vision left me really drained I have to go to bed for an hour" Cordelia kissed Angel on the head and went into her room.

Alone the men were silent. They were thinking, thinking hard. Spike broke the silence.

"Angel, do you have that diamond studded old metal jewellery box that Angelus stole from the Lord and Lady of Sussex?" Spike looked hopeful

"Umm, yeah I think so, I think it's in the safe with all the other stuff but that jewellery box is empty Spike – why do you want it?" Angel was unsure

"Well do you remember when we went to Paris and you stole those two rings from Maxwell – remember he stole them from the museum – they were diamonds one was encrusted with emeralds and the other with sapphires. Remember Maxwell stole them from the museum they were the Queens or something?" Spike was persistent in trying to jog his memory and he looked eager

"Um yeah I think I remember! But Drake stole those rings from Angelus and then Angelus killed him" Angel added

"Ahh – well you see Drake didn't steal them… I did… I just thought they were the two most beautiful pieces of jewellery I had ever seen and I wanted them, I didn't want you giving them to Darla. So I stole them," Spike confessed

"So wait a minute you didn't want me to have them in case I gave them to Darla but you would have given them to Dru?" Angel was confused "And what does this have to do with the jewellery box?"

"No! I would never have given them to Dru she couldn't appreciate fine items such as those; I just wanted to have them. I don't know why. Anyway after I stole them from you and framed Drake I figured the last place you would look was in one of your own jewellery boxes so I hid them in one of the secret compartments. Then you and me had one of our fights and you went of with the jewellery box and I haven't seen the rings since."

"Right so you want to see them now?" Angel was confused

"Yes and if you don't mind I would like to have one of them" Spike asked

"Umm… okay but what for?" Angel was a bit slow in catching on

"I want to give it to Buffy… a kind of engagement ring – well after tonight we'll be human and she is having my baby and I love her… so why not marry her?" Spike announced proudly

Angel was a bit taken aback "Oh right… ok, Spike that's… that's a really good idea!" Angel was happy for him; in fact he was so happy he decided that the other ring belonged on Cordelia's finger. Pleased with their decision they went upstairs to the safe and found the jewellery box and Spike pulled out two of the most beautiful rings that ever graced a girl's finger. Each was platinum with a large beautiful diamond and one had sapphires encrusted around the band and the other emeralds they were beautiful.

"We gonna do this Peaches?" Spike looked at Angel

"We sure are William, we sure are!" Angel smiled and they headed downstairs "and we will save Buffy tonight, I know we will!"

It was 4pm, time to wake the girls. Angel and Spike had went and changed and woke the girls up – they told them to get changed and meet them at the reception. The girls did as they were told and headed towards the reception the walked down the old fashioned stairs from opposite sides but met each other in the middle and descended towards the lobby. As they approached they heard voices and then they saw them… Spike and Angel standing in the lobby, they stared up at Cordy and Buffy and as they got to near the bottom of the stairs Spike got down on one knee and looked up at Buffy

"Spike what are you doing?" she looked down at him and she stopped where she was standing

"Buffy I love you! You are the most important thing in my life, you and the little one. I never knew I could feel like this. Every day I'm with you I love you more and more. I want to give you everything I can, you deserve it all. You make my dark world so much brighter – you are the sunshine I have waited so long to see. You make everything worthwhile. My existence doesn't seem so pointless now I'm with you. You are the most amazing person I have ever met and well I'm really old so I've met a lot of people! I will love you until the end of time. It's here in my life you are gonna stay so Miss Elizabeth Anne Summers will you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?" Spike looked up at Buffy

Buffy couldn't believe it the tears were streaming down her cheeks, that was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to her "Oh Spike of course I will!" Buffy ran down the stairs and straight into Spike's arms.

Throughout the whole speech Cordelia had stood just next to Buffy her hands over her mouth – she was crying too – she was so happy for Buffy and all those things Spike said were so beautiful. All she could do was stare at the happy couple, and then all of a sudden they were staring at her smiling. Spike winked and Buffy laughed and kissed Spike then they turned their heads towards the bottom of the stairs

"Ahem…" Angel cleared his throat and Cordelia turned round, good he finally got her attention

"Oh God, Angel…."

"Cordy… shhh" Angel put his fingers to his mouth signalling her to listen

"Cordelia Chase… I am an old, old man and I have never met anyone who has changed so dramatically in such a short period of time. You have went from being well 'Queen C' to being the most wonderful, selfless, beautiful and funniest person I have ever met. You can always surprise me and I love that about you. You are so important to me, you are my hero; you pulled me back from the brink and saved me. Loving you has been the most amazing experience of my life and every day I discover that I love you a little more and I couldn't survive without you. I would do anything for you and you make me want to be alive, I want to be with you always and nothing will keep us apart. Cordelia you have been my best friend and you always will be my best friend but you are now my lover and I want you to be my wife because I will always love you so Cordelia Chase will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Cordelia couldn't see Angel to run to him she was too blinded by the tears running down her face – this was a dream come true "Oh Angel of course I will" Angel ran up and grabbed her, he took her by the waste swinging her round before planting her feet on the ground and kissing her.

"Spike you got my ring?" Angel asked

"Sure do, only if you got mine though?" Spike laughed

Spike passed Angel a little black velvet pouch; Angel emptied the contents into his hand and then slipped the emerald studded diamond ring on Cordy's finger

Cordelia gasped, "Oh my God that is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! Thank you Angel!" She reached up and began to kiss him slowly and tenderly he could feel her tears on his own skin

"Ahem…" Spike was trying to get Angel's attention

"Oh sorry Spike your ring!" Angel smiled and reached in his pocket and pulled out a small red velvet bag that contained a ring identical to Cordelia's only hers was studded with sapphires

"Oh Spike luv – its beautiful! Thank you – I love you so much" Buffy reached up and kissed her new fiancé

"Me too ducks, me too"

With two happy couples smooching, in comes Wesley and Gunn

"Erm, excuse me aren't you guys gonna decide your fates in about an hour or something I don't think standing out here trying to get to 1st base is gonna help?" Gunn looked them all up and down

"Yes I tend to agree with Gunn you should be getting prepared" Wesley said in a serious tone

"Sorry but we were busy getting engaged book boy!" Spike held up Buffy's hand to his face and then Cordelia held up hers

"Oh well… congratulations, but will you please get a move on!" Wesley tried to be stern but couldn't and hugged and congratulated Angel and Cordy and then turned to Buffy

"Well my Slayer I tried to be your watcher and failed miserably – but wait till the watchers council hear this one – the slayer is marrying William The Bloody! I'd love to see their faces – congratulations Buffy, you too Spike. Now lets go folks you have to leave in about 50 minutes! Chop chop"

And with that the newly engaged couples, Wesley and Gunn headed upstairs. Angel, Cordy, Buffy and Spike had to gather together their equipment get changed and devise a plan of action – whatever happens tonight their lives will NEVER be the same again!

To be continued…..