It's my first BtVS and AtS story

It's my first BtVS and AtS story. I hope you like it.

Title : Reborn

Author : Marie-J

Email: francoise.perichaud@libertysurf.fr (Please, feedback needed)

Fandom: BtVS and AtS, maybe crossover later with Highlander….

WIP (I don't know if I will have a lot of time to write it in the near future….)

Character death, Mpreg, angst, romance (later maybe Angel/Methos)

Disclaimers: the characters are not mine, sad, isn't it.

Archive: if you want it, take it (just tell me)

Summary: Spike dies but is reborn. Who is the happy father, if not his Sire, Angel…

Rating: for now, PG.

*******

 Spike could not feel anything but the pain. He had already lost all his strength and knew that for him, the end would come soon. And he was alone, with no one to comfort him as he lived his last minutes. No one to squeeze gently his hand and reassure him.

Of course, he was the Big Bad Vampire, as he liked to tell everyone, and most of all, to himself. A powerful Master Vampire. Someone whose name was feared both by humans and demons, even with that damn bloody chip in his head. And he needed absolutely no one, didn't he? He was proud and tried to repeat it with every second, as he felt his life leaving him.

The Scoobies had once more rejected him, and Buffy had once more made fun of him, killing him more effectively than the bastard who had been his murderer, only three hours ago. After an ordinary patrol, along with these selfish mortals whose life he had once more saved, the local new Master Vampire's minions had trapped him. Such a pitiful youngster, awfully and so commonly named Michael Smith, could not lead the local community when a legend such as William the Bloody, Angelus' Childe, was in the city, defying him by working for the Slayer and killing his minions every single night. He had let his elder no chance, as the coward had somehow found out about the poison the Mayor has previously used against Angel. While his minions had attacked him all at once and where one by one changed into dust, Mike had thrown a poisoned knife in Spike's back before stepping back in the shadows.

A burning sensation had travelled and settled all over Spike's body as he fell hardly on the ground. His blood seemed to boil in his cold heart and brain as fever overwhelmed him. His nerves all at once were bringing to his head a huge and excruciating wall of pain threatening his consciousness. Weakness and pain was his whole world now. And all hope had been wipped away pretty quickly and harshly by his so-called allies.

The Scooby gang, who had witnessed everything but done nothing to help him, had then come forward. Amusement and joy could be seen on their face. Spike did not need to read their mind to understand that they were overjoyed by the thought of his coming death, he who had been their greatest enemy before he had been forced to help them. They had never really accepted him among them, no matter the number of times when he had saved their life. He was never a sentient being to them, only a disturbance they were happy to finally get rid of. He could still hear their cold analysis of the situation, when his despair had really settled in his broken and lonely heart. 

"Spike, lazy pig, get up! We don't have the whole night!" was the first words he heard from Buffy since the attack. Very comforting indeed!

To weak already to even utter a reply, Spike shivered and the only sound that crossed his lips was a very painful and pitiful moan. It was the enough to prove to them that his condition was quite serious. He felt in a blur that he was moved, turned on his stomach and the dagger brutally being removed from his back. Apparently, the situation was not something new to them, as he vaguely heard them discuss the diagnosis coldly in front of him.

"Poison, I would say. The same that was used on Angel" came the voice of the ex-Watcher. "I do not think that we even can try to save him, as we all know it would cost us so dearly"

"You're right, G-Man", exclaimed Xander, "I was already unhappy when we saved Dead Boy's life. I don't even want to consider it for Dead Boy Junior"

"No way he can have my blood,» proclaimed Buffy who remembered the time when she had compelled her ex-lover to drink her blood in order to stop the poison that was killing him. "This neutered dog can die for all I care,» she added in a happy tone.

"Yes, let's leave him here. Nothing we can do except let him suffer here for all the crimes he have committed." Came the very judgmental reply from the little Red Head. "Come on. We are bronzing tonight, you remember?" She added forgetting already the dying man at her feet as she had promised Tara to join her at the Club and was already late for their date.  

And so they went away, with a last ironical and cruel "Bye Spike, Have fun in hell!" from the Slayer.

And so his death sentence had come to him. Still conscious, but too weak to even stake himself in order to end his suffering, he was waiting for the poison to kill him or for the sun to turn him into dust, depending which one would come first. The only thing left to him was thinking about his life, or better, his unlife. The irony of his condition as a feared but neutered Master Vampire, killed by his own kind and rejected by the one responsible for this attack downed on him painfully. His awful loneliness since his Dark Goddess had abandoned him was excruciating. And most of all his fear to die alone, with no one caring for him and reassuring him in his last hour was overwhelming.

Once, he remembered, his Sire, Angelus, who had claimed him as a son, and given him the title of favoured childe, had promised him, when he had been badly hurt by a slayer, that whatever happened, he would never be alone, he would be by his side, watching over him till the end. This thought brought back to him his conflicting feelings he had towards Angel. Feelings that were now melting in an only thing: regret.  From the moment the older vampire had created him, his sire had been very loving and protective, treating him as a son, his real and favoured heir. He had been his sire, his teacher, his father, his master, his guide, his friend, and his killing buddy. As a young vampire, Spike had had the most loving and protective sire a childe could hope ever having.

But then, the Day had come. This fateful day when gipsies had stolen his father from him. This night, when a souled vampire, who pretended to care for him despite all, had come to him, young William had not seen that need in his sire eyes. He had only been repulsed by the unnatural creature and had rejected him definitely. He had not understood. In order to forget his sorrow, he had come to love Drusilla, his Dark Goddess, and had become a notorious Master Vampire. He had proven that he did not need his sire anymore, his sire who was dead to him. When, coming in Sunnydale, Spike had met Angel for the first time in a century, it had been very hard on him and he had once more rejected him. He had seen his sire helping his enemy against him, and it hurt badly. He had however not seen that whatever he had done to his sire, Angel had not once really tried to kill him, even when he had tortured him, twice in two years. He had not seen the weary look his sire had whenever he had to side along his lover against his childe, his son. But now, at his last hour, Spike understood all that and longed to have Angel, his real and caring sire, with him, holding his hand before he died, as he had promised a long time ago. To feel warm once more in his father's love and secured in his arms. If only…

At this same moment, when he finally realised what he had lost, his last wish was granted to Spike. Angel, who had secretly been in Sunnydale in order to kill a dangerous demon who had escaped from Los Angeles a few days earlier, had finally found and slain the Chaos Demon in a dark crypt at the other side of the cemetery. He was going to get back to his car when he had heard a strange sound, like a soft and painful sob, from the East. Stepping closer carefully, he froze at the sight that laid before him. A slim and blond haired figure he immediately recognised as his dear childe's was shivering on the ground, nearly unconscious but visibly in such a great pain that Angel heart broke instantly, soul and demon both crying inward for Spike. He instinctively knew the despair at the thought of loosing his dear son and fell to the ground, on his knees, beside his dying childe.

A quick examination revealed the gravity of the situation to the sorrowful Sire. His Childe would soon be no more. And he did not know what to do to make things better for Spike. Once, he had promised him to comfort him and watch over him till the end. And Fate had allowed him to fulfil this heart-breaking oath. Coming even nearer to Spike, Angel gently lifted his upper body and cradled him against his chest, stroking gently his pale face and hair, murmuring comforting words in his childe's ear hoping against reason that Spike would hear him and come back, if only for a mere second. Enough to tell him goodbye… "No, my childe, come back to me. I'll protect you, don't worry. I'll always be there for you. I promised you that, remember ? Childe, come back to me….."

A last hope, a last thought crossed his mind. Blood ritual could bring back the most ill vampires. It had worked for Drusilla, why not on William. He could not even imagine not trying it, even if in his mind, he knew that his favoured Childe was already to far away. He was so pale, so weak already. Such a sorrowful scene. Anyway, he had to do something, anything. In his panic, Angel had to remember the gestures, the words. He had the faith that, even if it was not entirely successful, the process would give a few more minutes with his beloved son. Better than nothing.

Still cradling his Childe's agonising body, Angel briefly and very gently bit into Spike's wrist and swallowed a little mouthful of his blood, beginning the sharing. He then quickly bit his own wrist and presented his blooded arm on his Childe's mouth. Instinctively, Spike began swallowing the precious and powerful nectar, the most delicious and nourishing thing he had ever had, his Sire's blood. Words fell shakily from Angel mouth, continuing the ritual as he was hardly remembering reading a rare spell book many years ago "Natus es a sanguine meo, natus eris ex corpore meo. Amor victor morsque vincta est" (You were born by my blood, you will be born from my body. Love wins and death loses). He did not know the exact effects of the spell, but knew its goal was to give back a dying favoured childe his life thanks to his sire help, blood and love. "Please, let it work, please…"were his next words, just before he looked down to his Childe's face, to see it for the last time.

Spike, awake for one second, thanks to the century old powerful blood he had just drunk, fixed loving eyes on Angel, telling him in his last murmured word all his pain, regret and affection "Sire…" And with a smile on his face, happy at least that his wish had been granted, that he had made his peace with his Sire and with himself, he closed his eyes and went absolutely still in Angel's arms. One second later, his body dissolved into dust as a very anguished cry raised from his grieving sire's chest. "Noooooooo !"

 Mentally shocked and emotionally painfully exhausted, rocking himself back and forth, Angel was not aware of the light that suddenly surrounded him for a whole minute. Lost in his grief and pain, he did not know that a spark of life, or unlife for that matter, had impregnated him. His beloved Childe he had just lost was back, growing slowly in him, waiting to be reborn from his Sire, his true Father now.  

******* end part 1, part 2 soon I hope.

*******

Part 2

In that moment Angel could feel his heart breaking. Memories were flowing back into his mind, each one bringing up the joy of the proud sire and the sorrow of the grieving father. He had lost his favoured childe, the one being he had considered as his beloved son from the first time he had seen him. Back then William had been a mere human, a young poet who was in great need of protection and self-confidence. He seemed quite weak physically, but was strong mentally. He was innocent, passionate and believed in his dreams, however foolish they seemed. It did not matter what the stupid lads of the pubs of London told him, he went on and on. Brave, beautiful, smart, and sensitive: Angelus had suddenly understood that William would be a perfect childe, son, heir and friend. He could protect him, teach him in his ways, and make William the perfect companion.

And the father like relationship and love between them had been so extraordinarily pure and complete that when he had been cursed, his soul had not rejected it as evil or as the sign of his crimes. He had never stopped loving him, always been protective towards him, even when he was rejected time after time by Spike. What he had had was so great, so rich, so overwhelming! And now… he could not even cry over a body, as William's nature had prevented it, changing his dead body into an awful dust heap, that was soon gone with the wind.

It was as if the world had stopped and was crying with him for this immense loss. The rain had started pouring from the sky, leaving Angel's face a path of mystic tears. The wind seemed to lament for this heart breaking death, telling its sympathy to the father, for the loss of his dear son. The nature around Angel grieved with him. Both the soul and the demon shared the same anguish, the same sorrow, and the same pain. They were united in this sad event as they had never been before. He was constantly shifting from human face to game face, unable to control the strength of his feelings. Angel had lost a son, Angelus had lost a childe. And the pain was unbearable, almost physical. His chest was hurting with suppressed sobs, his eyes, changing from chocolate to an angry yellow, could not see anything through the wall of tears. Time seemed to have stopped at that fateful moment.

Angel, in his despair, did not know if anything could give him enough hope and reasons to go on living. He had no one left. He had been driven farther and farther from the girl he thought he loved more than his own life. Buffy now appeared as she really was, a selfish little brat, unable to get past her own little desires and wishes. No, he had no one who would love and understand him or most of all try to comfort him and make the pain go away. Of course, he still had a Duty, as a chosen Warrior for the Powers that Be. But right now, he could not see why he should worry for the world when the world had stolen his precious childe away from him.

What was left for him to live for? He didn't know, because he could not see past the moment when his heart had been ripped from his chest, in this cemetery where everything had ended. For all that it all mattered, Angel could wait here for the sun and hope to meet his childe in death once again. He had seen in this last second, when Spike's eyes had suddenly opened, that love had taken the place of the contempt, that his childe had finally understood and had been ready to rejoin his dear sire once more. And then all had been blown away by death. Maybe if he died too…

Those extremely black thoughts were interrupted by voices he recognised somewhere near him, behind the wall of the cemetery, in the street. He would not have shown any attention to the disturbance if he had not heard the name of his late childe. Angel forced himself to listen, hoping to finally learn what had happened so he could do the only thing he had left to do: avenge his favoured childe murder. His demon was pulling at his chains to get enough freedom to accomplish this final goal. And the soul was most willing to let that happen.

 "Four hours dancing and drinking at the Bronze. That, my friends, is what I call life !" drunkenly exclaimed Xander, before lowering his voice to a joyous whisper and asking Buffy and Willow confidentially, "Four hours, do you think that he is dead now? Do you think that Spike is finally history?"

 "Oh yeah! And if not, the sun will finish him! Don't worry, we didn't celebrate his death for nothing! Wow, what a good night!" happily replied the Slayer.

 "Yes, and we'll have to thank the new master, Mike something, you know, for poisoning Spike. Such a good idea!" added Willow, in a not so shy voice tainted by laughter.

 "You're so right, Wills! I could not stand him anymore. I swear, he was so irritating. He stole my radio after all! And Giles who did not want us to kill him right away, humph…," Xander said enthusiastically before assuming a British accent in order to do a personification of the ex-watcher in lecture mode. "The chip implanted in his brain by the initiative will prevent him from harming any human. So, well… we should be safe. And his new need to feed, as he will not be able to hunt anymore, will convince him, along with some kind of monetary gratifications, to work for us. It will relieve you from a lot of stress, you know, Buffy…." Xander then loosed his seriousness and burst into laughing mixed with sarcasm, "Yeah, you're right, G-Man, now, we will be safe!"

 "We could not have said better, Alexander Lavelle Harris!" Buffy and Willow both said solemnly, before joining him in his drunken laugh.

With these last words, oblivious in their joy to the angry and sorrowful growls that echoed behind the wall of the cemetery, the Scoobies went away, to where Angel could no longer hear them. During this exchange, it had been hard for Angel to stop Angelus going out and giving these spoiled children, these selfish, cruel, stupid kids the harsh lesson they deserved. Torture them, kill them… what a temptation. But now, for the pasts sake, he would not harm them. He would not even confront them. He would just ignore them forever. They could cry for his help, for his comfort, for his friendship, for his love, even, but he would do absolutely nothing, as they had done nothing for his dying son. He would abandon them to whatever might happen, and leave this fateful little town and never come back to them.

Angel had not understood everything, but that was really enough to make up his mind definitely about them. His childe had been hurt, injured, incapacitated for who knows how long. And they had tortured him even further, starving him, threatening him. Hell, they had not even told him, his sire, for Christ sake ! He would have done something, anything for him, cured him, or at least try, protected him. How his childe must have suffered mentally and physically from this situation ! And worst, if they had not killed him, they had left him to die alone ! To suffer alone ! But what were they ? Monsters ? His childe had always been afraid to be alone. He had always craved for love and companionship. Why else would have he stayed so long with his crazy sister ? And worst, with that awful stupid bitch, Harmony ? And then, when he must have been forced to seek their company and protection, the Scoobies had done that to him, to His Childe !

Oh, no, he would not reap their throats open and avenge his childe's abandonment in their blood. They had left him, and he would definitely leave them! And he would rejoice the day they were killed, hopefully painfully. If Angel did not let Angelus have his ways with the Scoobies, he definitely agreed to let his demon loose in order to avenge the murder of William the Bloody, favoured childe of Angelus, the Scourge of Europe, the most feared Vampire of all times. This little coward who pretended to be a Master Vampire and dared to poison his elders would finally understand the right way to treat his enemies. Angelus would teach this vampire, Mike, (what a jerk name, that was), and all his clan! Such a pity that this Mike would not be there, after the lesson!

With that last decision, Angel left the cemetery to accomplish the last mission he would ever have in Sunnydale.

******end part 2