Ladybard chapter 14, by Slayergirl.
If you're only reading for the spuffyness, now would be a good time to quit! Spike and Buffy do pop in and out of the rest of the story, but from now on it deals mainly with the other characters left in Sunnydale (and guests), in particular the Ladybard herself and the fulfilment of the prophecy.
Also, if you already think it's too mushy and sentimental – well, apart from some violence (and a little questionable language) later on, it stays just as mushy. What can I say? I'm in a mushy mood. If it's not for you – fine! But… I wanted to write this, I want it to be the way it is. And it's mushy.
You have been warned!
If, on the other hand, you decide to carry on reading – I hope you enjoy it!
Slayergirl.
*** *** *** ***
The dark-haired girl lashed out at the punch-bag, a determined look on her face. Her trainer nodded approvingly. "You're doing well, Stella. Almost as good as your mother. Maybe you should try training with real vampires!"
"Like she did?" Stella laughed. "Well, Uncle Angel's coming to visit, maybe I should ask him!"
Giles smiled at her. "Good idea. Er – is Connor coming?"
To his gratification, Stella blushed. "Um – I don't know… haven't asked Auntie Dawn…"
He hid another smile. Stella was very like Buffy, apart from having dark hair. She obviously took her colouring from her father. Buffy would have been pleased to note, also, that she had her father's nose and high cheekbones. 'All in all,' thought Giles, 'she's a beautiful girl. Buffy and Spike would be proud of her.'
Of course, she also had their strength – slayer strength melded with vampire strength. And Giles had trained her to slayer standards, even though she hadn't been called. 'Sunnydale needs a slayer,' he thought. 'Now they've got a super-slayer.' The demon community was even more petrified of Stella than they had been of her mother and father.
Connor seemed to be unusually strong, as well. Giles enjoyed taking over his training when he came to visit, as he had never entirely got rid of his prejudice against Wesley. 'Competent with a capital 'in',' he thought dryly.
"Giles?"
"Sorry, Stella. Just – thinking."
"About my mom?"
He nodded. "And your father. And how proud they'd be of you."
She sighed. "I wish I could remember them. I've got some pictures that Auntie Dawn took, and some she drew. But it's not the same." She hugged Giles. "You and Auntie Dawn – you're like my parents. Always there, always supportive. I don't know what I'd do without you!"
"Well, well," said Giles bashfully. "Do you want a lift home? I'd like to talk to Angel."
"Sure." She picked up her bag, then turned and smiled at him. His breath caught in his throat; her smile was so like Buffy's. "Cookie?"
"Er – no, no, thank you."
Dawn made Giles a cup of tea as Stella ran and showered. "How's it going?" she asked.
"Good. She's nimble on her feet, resourceful, cunning, quick- thinking… and, might I say, well brought up!"
Dawn laughed. "I'm flattered! But I meant, with you. Do you have a life apart from Stella's?"
The question stung him, mostly because he knew it was fair. He was so wrapped up in his new charge, he did nothing else. But it beat brooding over losing Buffy. That had shaken him more than anything in the world. He loved her, truly. She was the daughter he never had, and he loved her. And he still missed her, years down the line. She'd been the centre of his life, and not even her daughter, so like her in many ways, could replace her in his heart.
"Training takes it out of you," he muttered. "I don't have much energy for other things. I'm not as young as I was. And I've no idea what she'll have to face."
"None of us is getting any younger, Giles," said Dawn softly. It still stunned him to think that Dawn, a woman in her thirties, who had begged him for sweets as a child, was in reality thousands of years old.
He grinned boyishly all of a sudden. "You should know!"
She laughed. "And here, unless I am much mistaken, is someone else who knows." She opened the door and was immediately swept up into a bear hug. "Hello, Angel!"
"Hi! How's my little Dawn?"
"Little! I'm thousands of years older than you!" she teased.
"Still about half my size, though, so you still count as being little!"
She cuffed him playfully. "Come on in… Connor, hi!"
She left Giles talking to them and ran upstairs. "Stella? Uncle Angel and Connor are here."
She heard a desperate squawk and put her head round the door. "Can't find my hairbrush! God, I look a mess!" she said, obviously flustered.
Dawn laughed. "You're sitting on your hairbrush, love. And you look as delightful as ever."
Stella blushed. "Really, do I look okay?"
"You look lovely! Anyone would think the president had come to visit! It's only Angel and Connor."
"Well, yes, but, well, don't want to look a fright!" she stammered nervously.
Dawn sat beside her. "Out with it. You like Connor, don't you?" Nobody had told either Connor or Stella about the prophecy.
"Uh – well, that is, I…" she looked helplessly at her aunt. "I don't know. I mean, I do, but…"
"Scary, huh?" Stella nodded. Dawn patted her hand. "Well. Remember, I'm right behind you. He's a nice guy. And at least he's human…"
"Well, yes, of course… oh!"
Dawn smiled. "Yes, both his parents were vampires, and you father also was. And Buffy dated Angel for quite some time! It might run in the family…"
Stella looked at her curiously. "Did you ever have a crush on either of them?"
Dawn flushed slightly, but her eyes twinkled. "Yes, both of them. I think it's a younger sister thing."
"You had a crush on Angel? Does he know?"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "You tell Angel about that, and I'll tell Connor about you!"
Stella smiled. "Okay, won't tell a soul. Or anything without a soul, either."
They went downstairs just as Giles was leaving. Stella and Connor went to see him off. Unbeknownst to them, Dawn and Angel watched them from the window.
"Well?"
"He was very excited to be coming – and I don't think it's entirely due to your excellent hospitality or Giles' training," he grinned.
"She admitted she likes him."
"Just as well."
"Mm. They make a pretty pair," she said, blissfully unaware that she and Angel, framed by the window, also made a stunning couple.
TBC…
If you're only reading for the spuffyness, now would be a good time to quit! Spike and Buffy do pop in and out of the rest of the story, but from now on it deals mainly with the other characters left in Sunnydale (and guests), in particular the Ladybard herself and the fulfilment of the prophecy.
Also, if you already think it's too mushy and sentimental – well, apart from some violence (and a little questionable language) later on, it stays just as mushy. What can I say? I'm in a mushy mood. If it's not for you – fine! But… I wanted to write this, I want it to be the way it is. And it's mushy.
You have been warned!
If, on the other hand, you decide to carry on reading – I hope you enjoy it!
Slayergirl.
*** *** *** ***
The dark-haired girl lashed out at the punch-bag, a determined look on her face. Her trainer nodded approvingly. "You're doing well, Stella. Almost as good as your mother. Maybe you should try training with real vampires!"
"Like she did?" Stella laughed. "Well, Uncle Angel's coming to visit, maybe I should ask him!"
Giles smiled at her. "Good idea. Er – is Connor coming?"
To his gratification, Stella blushed. "Um – I don't know… haven't asked Auntie Dawn…"
He hid another smile. Stella was very like Buffy, apart from having dark hair. She obviously took her colouring from her father. Buffy would have been pleased to note, also, that she had her father's nose and high cheekbones. 'All in all,' thought Giles, 'she's a beautiful girl. Buffy and Spike would be proud of her.'
Of course, she also had their strength – slayer strength melded with vampire strength. And Giles had trained her to slayer standards, even though she hadn't been called. 'Sunnydale needs a slayer,' he thought. 'Now they've got a super-slayer.' The demon community was even more petrified of Stella than they had been of her mother and father.
Connor seemed to be unusually strong, as well. Giles enjoyed taking over his training when he came to visit, as he had never entirely got rid of his prejudice against Wesley. 'Competent with a capital 'in',' he thought dryly.
"Giles?"
"Sorry, Stella. Just – thinking."
"About my mom?"
He nodded. "And your father. And how proud they'd be of you."
She sighed. "I wish I could remember them. I've got some pictures that Auntie Dawn took, and some she drew. But it's not the same." She hugged Giles. "You and Auntie Dawn – you're like my parents. Always there, always supportive. I don't know what I'd do without you!"
"Well, well," said Giles bashfully. "Do you want a lift home? I'd like to talk to Angel."
"Sure." She picked up her bag, then turned and smiled at him. His breath caught in his throat; her smile was so like Buffy's. "Cookie?"
"Er – no, no, thank you."
Dawn made Giles a cup of tea as Stella ran and showered. "How's it going?" she asked.
"Good. She's nimble on her feet, resourceful, cunning, quick- thinking… and, might I say, well brought up!"
Dawn laughed. "I'm flattered! But I meant, with you. Do you have a life apart from Stella's?"
The question stung him, mostly because he knew it was fair. He was so wrapped up in his new charge, he did nothing else. But it beat brooding over losing Buffy. That had shaken him more than anything in the world. He loved her, truly. She was the daughter he never had, and he loved her. And he still missed her, years down the line. She'd been the centre of his life, and not even her daughter, so like her in many ways, could replace her in his heart.
"Training takes it out of you," he muttered. "I don't have much energy for other things. I'm not as young as I was. And I've no idea what she'll have to face."
"None of us is getting any younger, Giles," said Dawn softly. It still stunned him to think that Dawn, a woman in her thirties, who had begged him for sweets as a child, was in reality thousands of years old.
He grinned boyishly all of a sudden. "You should know!"
She laughed. "And here, unless I am much mistaken, is someone else who knows." She opened the door and was immediately swept up into a bear hug. "Hello, Angel!"
"Hi! How's my little Dawn?"
"Little! I'm thousands of years older than you!" she teased.
"Still about half my size, though, so you still count as being little!"
She cuffed him playfully. "Come on in… Connor, hi!"
She left Giles talking to them and ran upstairs. "Stella? Uncle Angel and Connor are here."
She heard a desperate squawk and put her head round the door. "Can't find my hairbrush! God, I look a mess!" she said, obviously flustered.
Dawn laughed. "You're sitting on your hairbrush, love. And you look as delightful as ever."
Stella blushed. "Really, do I look okay?"
"You look lovely! Anyone would think the president had come to visit! It's only Angel and Connor."
"Well, yes, but, well, don't want to look a fright!" she stammered nervously.
Dawn sat beside her. "Out with it. You like Connor, don't you?" Nobody had told either Connor or Stella about the prophecy.
"Uh – well, that is, I…" she looked helplessly at her aunt. "I don't know. I mean, I do, but…"
"Scary, huh?" Stella nodded. Dawn patted her hand. "Well. Remember, I'm right behind you. He's a nice guy. And at least he's human…"
"Well, yes, of course… oh!"
Dawn smiled. "Yes, both his parents were vampires, and you father also was. And Buffy dated Angel for quite some time! It might run in the family…"
Stella looked at her curiously. "Did you ever have a crush on either of them?"
Dawn flushed slightly, but her eyes twinkled. "Yes, both of them. I think it's a younger sister thing."
"You had a crush on Angel? Does he know?"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "You tell Angel about that, and I'll tell Connor about you!"
Stella smiled. "Okay, won't tell a soul. Or anything without a soul, either."
They went downstairs just as Giles was leaving. Stella and Connor went to see him off. Unbeknownst to them, Dawn and Angel watched them from the window.
"Well?"
"He was very excited to be coming – and I don't think it's entirely due to your excellent hospitality or Giles' training," he grinned.
"She admitted she likes him."
"Just as well."
"Mm. They make a pretty pair," she said, blissfully unaware that she and Angel, framed by the window, also made a stunning couple.
TBC…