Title: Father forgive them
Author: Joy
Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
The couple strode out to the lobby to see Father Gabriel standing before them with a smile. "That was fast Father… The elders gave their verdict already?" Spike said smoothly. William whispered in Spike's head, 'He's a priest…Give him the benefit of the doubt.' Spike replied, 'Yeah…there are a lot of sexually abused kids in this world that would disagree.'
"I did not make it to the meeting. Something was off here… I thought you could use my services," the Father eyed him.
"Father…Where are you from?" Spike asked simply.
"Romania… Why?"
"How would you know something was off here? You mentioned to Willow the claim. You shouldn't know that if you're a wolf?" Spike said in a low voice. "Only another vampire should be able to 'feel' a claim."
The Father had dead eyes for a moment knowing he had given himself away rather stupidly. He was not playing with a group of amateurs. He chose to remain silent.
"I think," Spike continued, "you're from the 'old country' if you will. I think you are more interested in our small dhampire then our Ulrich." The vampire sniffed a bit, "I think you are one of those few… one of the original dhampires that were wolf and vampire mixed. You were the ones that taught shape shifting to the likes of Dracula. I smelled the other wolf but I didn't pick up on you… How careless of me?" he practically snarled in that intense low whisper. "How close am I?" he glared.
"Close enough," the thick accent became thicker. His descended teeth shown as he spoke.
"You know you cannot have the boy and you cannot have the baby so what are you here for?" Spike growled drawing Cordelia and Angel's sensitive ears.
"Your Hope," Gabriel growled back. "She is meant to be… I will insure the claim stays in place. I can appease your soul," he mocked.
"What man of God or devil are you Gabriel?"
"Genesis 6:2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose… The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown."
"What kind of answer is that?" Buffy asked.
Gabriel turned to her, "You know of dhampires and shape-shifter and demons…but you know very little of your lineage as a slayer. You are creating something that when it is born it will be the first of its kind… unique, special. And with training, not of the Council's variety, far more…effective…then you can imagine."
"You want to provide said training?" Spike scoffed.
"I want to survive…I want my kind to survive. She will kill anything in her path that is not pure blooded once the Council gets her…and they will. They can make up for all their failures with Buffy with the child she bares," Gabriel spoke solemnly.
"You know this how?" Buffy countered.
"You think this is a secret… You honestly believe that this is a singular prophecy. When your slayer died and rose the first time she attracted attention from our world. And when she slept with the vampire," he pointed to Angel, "the demon world shook. Not for what he became but for fear of what they would create… That, dear slayer, is the real reason no one stopped your tryst…and have not stopped you this time. You are destined to bare a child by a vampire lover and your dear Council knows it."
The sardonic smile crept across his mouth, "In every generation there is a chosen one… and in every generation a vampire that is more human then vampire is pushed toward the slayer to fulfill the prophecy. With every slayer that dies in battle and does not rise they have to begin again. You were everything they hoped for."
Spike considered him, "So the sire that killed the other slayer that was pregnant had reason to fear only if she came back somehow… So the Council keeps the pregnancy thing under wraps from both the slayer and the vampire they send so they won't worry about taking precautions…and now they've done it… Why did you tell us to tell the Council?"
"Honestly?" Father Gabriel asked. Spike nodded. "I figured when the Council made an attempt to take the child you would be more likely to let me to train her… If we can get her to use the gifts she has from the shadows of her nature at an early age she won't be so likely to slaughter countless dhampires, shape-shifters and demons that are not violent."
"You thought this all through before you entered the door… Was Phillip just a prop?" Buffy said with bile in her throat.
"No…I really didn't know he had betrayed the clan. Though it did help things along in your trust of me."
"Why be so forthcoming now?" Angel asked joining the group.
"You know what I say is true…It is laced in the tales of the slayers of old. I still want the child alive and safe. I just want her to be more discriminating then the Council… and I will not steal her," Gabriel responded.
"How do we know that?" Spike stared the man down.
"Taking the child would mean death in all parts of the world. In Romania she would be the safest since the dhampire population is still revered, but I would not make it there before we both would be killed." He smiled darkly, "Do not fool yourselves…The dark will come for the child to kill it, but those the child could protect in our world would stand with you… Your Xex was created to insure her birth. I'm here to insure her mind is not raped by the Council."
"You want to teach her to shift," Spike observed.
"Yes…and the bite and to enthrall. With those skills she should be safe for centuries."
"Spike can't do those things and she is his child. Why could she?" Angel remarked.
Gabriel considered him a moment, "You lied to them vampire…" He sighed when Spike's face-hardened. "You may not wish your love to know but it is time to tell… You are more talented then you sire or lover knows."
Buffy looked at him carefully. William picked at Spike's conscience, 'Tell her or I will!' Spike gritted his teeth. "Somehow the 'seventh of seven' stuff does boost my abilities."
"Which abilities?" Angel ground out.
"The bite and the thrall," Spike looked down.
"What do you mean by the bite?" Buffy asked. He looked at her hard then deeper in her eyes. "Oh… Ooohhh… Okay I guess I knew that…I just didn't know that's what that was."
"I don't need to hear this," Angel snarled as he got angrier. "I never saw you use the thrall on anyone."
"You liked to torture and maim. I liked to fight. I got off on it, still do… I wouldn't if I just got into my enemies' minds… Dru knew I could. She taught me to harness it while you weren't looking or were gone," Spike answered.
Gabriel began again, "As for the shifting that just requires practice and concentration, something our dear slayer has instilled in her. The child will be born disciplined… Besides it is easier to teach a child then an adult."
Spike looked at Buffy and she looked back. "Check his story with Wesley," Angel stated gruffly. "I'll go interrupt Dawn and Wolf so this wedding / claiming can get underway."
They watched him head to the stairs. "Thanks Angel," Buffy said with a confused look. "What was that about?"
"He can't do the bite thing," Spike said simply.
"You don't know that," Buffy answered.
"Yeah I do pet…" he said open-endedly.
"Still not an image I'm comfortable with," she responded.
Father Gabriel was left standing as the couple crossed to Wesley. "In those debunked watcher journals does it mention a prophecy aimed specifically at the slayer?" Spike asked.
"I have a few more books to attend to," he answered.
"Willow…Xander…Guys…" Buffy yelled.
"What's up Buffster?" Xander asked.
"Everybody get a watcher journal…look for anything on a slayer prophecy. You find one bring it over," Spike instructed.
"No specifics being given at this time?" Wesley asked.
"Not yet… Have to find it first, then we'll compare notes," Spike stated firmly glaring at the priest.
"We're awake and dressed and weren't having sex so whatever needs to happen let it happen now so I can go back to sleep," Dawn gripped coming down the stairs.
Angel was practically dragging Wolf by the nape of the neck like a cub. "Growls and shows teeth when woken up to fast," the vampire explained.
"You didn't tell them why you were waking them up?" Buffy asked.
Angel sort of tossed Wolf a bit toward Buffy, "That's your job!"
Buffy walked up to the annoyed vampire and took him aside. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"He tried to bite me…I don't like that," Angel responded.
"No…I mean you're just being hostile."
Angel ground his teeth; "I don't want to think that Whistler, who was supposedly sent by the Powers that Be, was actually sent by the Council, to bring me to you to get you pregnant… Just not the best thought especially since he still shows up occasionally."
"No reason to get rough with Wolf…but I understand better. Look I think Whistler brought you to see me but I don't think he knew anything would happen with us…" Buffy said. "At least that's what he told me."
"Right… Us was just a coincidence," Angel replied sarcastically.
"Maybe… It's more likely the Council had some influence over the Initiative in getting Spike chipped," Buffy contended. "He is the one I was supposed to be with!" she said folding her arms.
"Are you just trying to be cruel or has this whole situation turned you into a bitch, cause I really have no desire to hear how much of a mistake I was again? If you want to play it that way believe me I can make this conversation painful for you too!" he stared angrily into her eyes.
Spike walked up to the angry ex's and pulled Buffy away. "Go research," he said in a deep commanding tone. She walked away completely pissed but willing to not have the situation explode. Spike turned to Angel, "Punching bag or do you need a semi live body to bang on?"
Angel let out his unneeded breath, "Both!"
"Fair enough… Armory?"
"Yeah!" The vampires adjourned down the stairs to the training section of the hotel.
When they got to the bottom of the stairs Angel swiftly punched Spike in the jaw. "Hey now… I said nothing of surprise attacks," Spike said quickly defending himself. Angel took another swing at him. "Mate… What's up?" Angel said nothing and kept attacking Spike who just kept blocking.
"Fight back!" Angel finally hissed.
"Why? I have no beef with you… This is for you, not me," Spike said in William's voice.
"Damn it! I don't need him right now. I need my childe…that took my lover…" he groaned out between kicks and punches, "that claimed her… and created a child with her." The last words were an animalistic growl.
Spike had gotten closer to the punching bag attempting to draw Angel's fire to the bag. On a particularly hard swing Angel shouted, "How could they do that to me?" and his hand connected with the bag breaking the skin. "I hate myself for what I did…while I was him… And they set it up!" he heaved the words and air into and out of his lungs as he sunk to the floor.
Sitting down beside his sire Spike sighed, "You can't change the past… That other crap you just said about Buffy isn't it… You know that, right?"
"It's part of it… I hated Riley," Angel said shaking his head.
"That makes two of us," Spike smirked at him.
Angel laughed, "But you… I left so she could have normal…but I hated her with Normal. I really want to hate you worse then him…I hate the fact that Dawn was right about so many things. I hate that I couldn't love her the way she needed to be loved. And I can't help being jealous…She was my sunshine."
Spike gave Angel a sideways glance, "And that is why you loved her. But you didn't love her, Angel. You wanted her to dance in the sun and not be part of the darkness, but she is and she always will be. Riley couldn't take the part of her that was the Slayer and really neither could you. You both wanted to save her from that part of herself. But Angel it is a part of her…I don't try to divide Buffy from the Slayer."
"And that is why I can't kill you nor would I really try…" Angel sighed.
"Look at what you have. You have a woman who loves you despite the insecurities she harbors toward Buffy, which you aren't doing a whole hell of a lot to alleviate. She is a great mom to your baby boy. You have a company where you work directly for the Powers that Be rather then dealing with the monsters that drift in and out of the Hellmouth. You have friends who care about you… Angel you have a life here. Sunnydale held much more pain for you then happiness. And please don't deny that even as much as you loved Buffy that when you think about it now there isn't a dull ache in your chest that is almost too much to bare," William said softly.
Angel swallowed and nodded eyes cast down. "I just don't know if I can watch you marry her…that was my most human dream. Losing that… I know what I have here is the best I can hope for and far more then I deserve."
Spike got a small smile, "You have new dreams…I know you do. And they all involve the seer and your son. To me that seems much more human and more realistic… You don't lose the human side of yourself if I marry Buffy. That is just a lie the Angelus is telling you to get you to fight me or Buffy."
"Why have you become insightful?"
"I watch too much TV."
Buffy felt two arms slide around her belly that had yet to show evidence that there was a child growing there. "Come here," Spike said tugging her back to him. He placed a small kiss on the inside of her neck and whispered, "Time to make you mine forever." She turned around in his arms stunned to be greeted with Spike's demon vestige and bright yellow eyes. She was terrified as he bit down violently on her neck and drank deeply.
TBC…