Daddy's Girl - Chapter 2
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Several months had passed since the day Amy was born. She didn't want to but they needed the money so Buffy had gone back to work at the school, popping home at lunch everyday. Sometimes she'd come in quietly, sneak up on Spike as he sat in the living room with Amy on his knee laughing gently as she giggled at the teddy in his hand; or she'd find him laid on the bed singing softly, Amy in his arms.
With every day that passed Amy grew. Silky soft skin and golden hair. A smile that was contagious. She'd got her dad's eyes, two shining blue pools that sparkled when she was happy. Such a happy baby, but then what could you expect with parents that loved her like they did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a storm that night. Rain pounded on the windows and a strong wind howled violently outside. Spike lay on the sofa, Buffy in his arms and Amy in hers. Amy couldn't sleep, didn't like the noise, so they'd settled down in front of a roaring fire and romantic movie, a cosy little night in like a proper family. It was nice.
The living room clock had just struck nine when the 'phone rang. Buffy picked up the cordless from the side of the sofa and answered it with a yawn. Spike just looked at her; her happy smile seemed to leave her face within seconds. She slid out of his arms, handing him the baby and beginning to pace the room frantically. It didn't look good as she hung up the 'phone and dropped her head into her hands; he knew it was serious.
"He knows" Buffy sighed. "Angel, he knows."
Spike raised and eyebrow slightly confused. "Knows what pet?" he asked, rocking Amy again.
"Everything, they've translated the rest of the texts. He says we should go up there so he can tell us all the information. It doesn't sound good."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next evening they arrived at the Hyperion. Fred greeted them, introducing herself before calling the others over. Spike and Lorne hit it off straight away but neither Spike nor Buffy seemed too sure about Gunn. Angel had told Buffy all about the Wesley situation over the summer; she could understand why he wasn't there to greet them even if he had been a vital part of the research. She didn't want to ask about Cordelia either but she could sense there was something going on. It seemed rude to bring it up right now.
Soon enough Angel drifted down the stairs. He looked tired, his eyes dark and his whole body somewhat smaller. He walked over to them, silently hugging Buffy and then hugging Spike too, causing him to stumble a little. "She's beautiful." he said taking Amy from Buffy's arms and holding her playfully, much to Spikes displeasure. "I'll show you to your room" he said motioning for them to follow him.
"Big place you've got here Peaches" Spike smiled, trying to lighten the uneasy atmosphere between them.
"Yeah it's alright" Angel replied.
As he led them into a large red room he hoped they wouldn't mention Cordy or Connor, not yet. He wasn't ready to dig everything up, the wound was still fresh and for now it hurt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fred and Lorne had spent the best part of that day preparing a meal for the guests so everyone gathered around the large dining room table to eat, giving everyone a change to get to know each other a little better.
Angel had gone quiet after a while. Buffy could sense that something was wrong, it was time. He led the quests into the office and placed a large book in front of them, the book that had told the Scoobies about Spike's soul before he'd even got it. She recognised it immediately.
"Go on then" Buffy said, looking down at the open pages of text on the table.
"There's no easy way to say this Buffy" the vampire sighed. "It's an apocalypse.again."
Spike gripped Buffy's hand, "Well I might have known" she sighed. "Same old same old in Sunnydale."
Angel scowled, "Its not something you and your little Scooby gang can sort out this time Buffy" he said harshly. "This is us; me, Spike, Connor and Amy, we're the players."
Spike and Buffy just looked at him blankly as he sank into his chair. "It was all meant to happen, mapped out for when the day arrives, my soul, Spike's soul, two vampires fathering human children. They were prophesied, but now we know why."
Spike was growing impatient now, none of this made sense. "And.?" he growled.
"Okay, okay" Angel snapped back. "The four of us, it's up to us to stop some portal pulling the world into another dimension. According to the text that Wesley finally managed to translate we are known as 'The Four'. 'The Warrior' which is Connor, 'The Hero' that's me. And 'The Brave' that's you and Amy, Spike. When it begins, whenever that is, there will be four challenges, one for each of us. They're not going to be easy and they will all relate to each other. If we all succeed the world will be safe, well for the time being anyway. If just one of us fails, it's all over."
"So how will we know when these challenges start" Spike asked "Someone going to blow a horn or something?"
Angel scowled at his inappropriate attempt at humour. "We'll just know Spike, okay, we'll just know."
The family left the hotel a few days later not much wiser than when they'd arrived. They couldn't prepare for this, couldn't train, couldn't plan, they didn't even know if they would have to fight or not. All they know was their seven-month-old baby was a major part in saving the world. Neither one could deny they were scared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weeks passed slowly and painfully, everyone growing impatient, waiting for the time to come.
"It's started Buffy" Angel blurted out as Buffy answered the 'phone. He sat in the chair beside Connor's bed as Cordy and Fred tended his wounds and watched over him. Conner had been jumped earlier that morning by several huge demons, he'd fought hard, fast, strong and managed eventually to kill them all. As he prepared to plunge the dagger into the flesh of the last and by far the largest of the demons he was handed an amulet, the trinity with a large blue stone in the centre. He passed out not long after that. Downstairs Wesley, Gunn and Lorne searched through heavy books and diaries. Angel's challenge was next.
By mid-day Wesley had found the answer. He matched the black and white picture on the last page of a diary to the amulet that laid before him on the table. "It's a key" he told Angel, and he pulled out the largest and sharpest weapons from the cabinet. "It'll take you where you need to go. I guess you'll find out what you have to do when you get there."
Angel braced himself as Wesley and Lorne cast the spell that would activate the key. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could he found himself hurtling through the air. He closed his eyes as he hit the floor, not in the Hyperion as he had expected but on a cold stone floor of a dark underground room. Before him a passage, the entrance guarded by a large demon, much bigger than him but not too scary looking. He killed it quite easily; maybe he wasn't expected to bring a weapon. That was too easy. Now he knew why. The long narrow passage, walls solid fire, ceiling and floor a marble of crucifixes and a steady rain of holy water falling around him. This was where the hero part would come in, he guessed. He clenched his teeth and growled as he ran into the tunnel. Flames licked his skin and the holy water stung his face and hands. He carried on running, gasping, burning, and aching until finally he burst out of the other end and fell to the ground panting heavily. He rubbed his face, which was marked and blistered, and looked down at his feet, which were badly burned. He hoped that it was over.
Before him an ageing man sat tied to a chair, his head hung but sharp bottle green eyes still looking out from under thick white hair. "We have to go" he demanded, his voice husky and deep. Quickly Angel broke the chains that held him and helped him steadily to his feet. As Angel broke the amulet the pair fell back onto the floor into the Hyperion. "To Sunnydale" the man cried before anyone could speak "NOW!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Sunnydale the sky was purple and filled with the sound of thunder. A glittering blue portal hovered a few feet above Buffy's front lawn, its centre black and filled with amazing heat. Buffy and Spike battled with the demons that fell endlessly from it, one by one on the grass, while Willow, Xander and Anya flicked desperately through spell books in the doorway. They were tiring now; it had been this way for hours, since Angel had succeeded. Spike was sure this was his challenge, but what did he have to do?
Angel's car screeched to a halt a few metres away and both passengers jumped out. "You'll get nowhere like that!" the man smiled, flicking one hand gently causing the portal, the noise, the demons, everything but them, to stop.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" Spike enquired whilst wiping a small stream of blood from his lip and sighing heavily.
"I'm here to guide you in your task Spike" he replied, no emotion showing on his face.
He walked over and took Amy from Willow and handed her to Spike.
"My task" Spike said desperately. "Tell me, what? What do I have to do?"
"The baby, she's the only thing that's going to close that portal." Again no emotion showed on his face. He just looked at Spike, not breaking eye contact. "Your task, if you are strong, brave, you will let her go. Her task, if she is pure, totally innocent she will pass through into the next dimension, thus closing the portal."
Spike's whole body jerked and began to shake; he couldn't take it in. "What, no, you can't, she."
"It's okay Spike, she'll be okay there, royalty in fact, she won't know any different Spike, believe me."
Spike looked back at his friends, at Angel, at Buffy. They all stood silently, shocked and scared. Buffy fell towards him her whole body shaking. "It's the only way?" she asked, her eyes flooded with tears and her voice trembling.
The man nodded. "When the spell wears off you won't have long. Say your goodbyes now, Buffy."
She did what she had to do, Spike just looked on, numb. With a roar the portal came to life again and Buffy handed Amy back over to Spike before falling into Willow's arms behind him.
Spike stepped forward, the noise, the demons, the whole world a blur. The demons that once fought him stood silently watching the ultimate sacrifice. He felt his whole body tremble violently as he looked down at his daughter, as she smiled, unfazed by the events unfolding around her. He would never forget those eyes. That grin. Tears rolled steadily down his face as he felt his heart shatter and the pieces pierce everything inside him; he was bleeding. Everything he ever wanted, ever needed, owned. He loved her more than anything, she made him feel alive again, now he'd lost her. As the portal turned from silver to blue to red and then black he kissed her cheek gentl., "Daddy will always love you princess" he sobbed, his voice breaking as he spoke. "Always" he cried letting her slip away gently into the darkness, feeling her skin as it left his hands, watching until she'd totally disappeared.
Purple sky faded to the usual evening blue, leaving seven stunned figures standing motionless in the garden. Spike's legs gave way and he fell to the floor crying hysterically and gripping Amy's blanket tightly. Within seconds Buffy was by his side holding him tightly. They cried together.
No one knew what to say, what to do. Buffy spent most of the night with Anya and Willow in the bathroom crying and being sick then crying some more. Spike sat on the bed surrounded by Amy's things, smelling her, feeling her, imagining her.
They didn't talk, didn't move, didn't eat for days, just ached that ache that comes when your body has no more tears left to cry, no more heart left to break again. Just loneliness and a sense of regret.
How could they come back from this? Where did things go from here?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike sat in the darkness on a bench in the back garden; her name echoed in his head. This time last week his daughter had saved the world. Somewhere deep inside, beyond the pain, he was happy, proud. He could never tell anyone what her first word was, he couldn't boast about how well she was doing at school or how beautiful she looked on her wedding day. But he could tell them that she was the reason they were still alive. For the first time in that week he smiled.
Buffy must have felt it as well because she was smiling too as she placed her head gently on his shoulder and linked her fingers with his. They looked up at the stars together and Buffy smiled again. "She's watching us you know Spike, our little princess, somewhere she's watching us."
Another tear rolled painfully down Spike's cheek. "I know."
The pair sat silently holding each other, not sure what to say now or what to do. "Will we be okay?" he asked softly.
"For Amy" She replied kissing him gently on the lips for a few seconds, somehow making everything seem all right again.
"For Amy."
To Be Continued
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Several months had passed since the day Amy was born. She didn't want to but they needed the money so Buffy had gone back to work at the school, popping home at lunch everyday. Sometimes she'd come in quietly, sneak up on Spike as he sat in the living room with Amy on his knee laughing gently as she giggled at the teddy in his hand; or she'd find him laid on the bed singing softly, Amy in his arms.
With every day that passed Amy grew. Silky soft skin and golden hair. A smile that was contagious. She'd got her dad's eyes, two shining blue pools that sparkled when she was happy. Such a happy baby, but then what could you expect with parents that loved her like they did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a storm that night. Rain pounded on the windows and a strong wind howled violently outside. Spike lay on the sofa, Buffy in his arms and Amy in hers. Amy couldn't sleep, didn't like the noise, so they'd settled down in front of a roaring fire and romantic movie, a cosy little night in like a proper family. It was nice.
The living room clock had just struck nine when the 'phone rang. Buffy picked up the cordless from the side of the sofa and answered it with a yawn. Spike just looked at her; her happy smile seemed to leave her face within seconds. She slid out of his arms, handing him the baby and beginning to pace the room frantically. It didn't look good as she hung up the 'phone and dropped her head into her hands; he knew it was serious.
"He knows" Buffy sighed. "Angel, he knows."
Spike raised and eyebrow slightly confused. "Knows what pet?" he asked, rocking Amy again.
"Everything, they've translated the rest of the texts. He says we should go up there so he can tell us all the information. It doesn't sound good."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next evening they arrived at the Hyperion. Fred greeted them, introducing herself before calling the others over. Spike and Lorne hit it off straight away but neither Spike nor Buffy seemed too sure about Gunn. Angel had told Buffy all about the Wesley situation over the summer; she could understand why he wasn't there to greet them even if he had been a vital part of the research. She didn't want to ask about Cordelia either but she could sense there was something going on. It seemed rude to bring it up right now.
Soon enough Angel drifted down the stairs. He looked tired, his eyes dark and his whole body somewhat smaller. He walked over to them, silently hugging Buffy and then hugging Spike too, causing him to stumble a little. "She's beautiful." he said taking Amy from Buffy's arms and holding her playfully, much to Spikes displeasure. "I'll show you to your room" he said motioning for them to follow him.
"Big place you've got here Peaches" Spike smiled, trying to lighten the uneasy atmosphere between them.
"Yeah it's alright" Angel replied.
As he led them into a large red room he hoped they wouldn't mention Cordy or Connor, not yet. He wasn't ready to dig everything up, the wound was still fresh and for now it hurt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fred and Lorne had spent the best part of that day preparing a meal for the guests so everyone gathered around the large dining room table to eat, giving everyone a change to get to know each other a little better.
Angel had gone quiet after a while. Buffy could sense that something was wrong, it was time. He led the quests into the office and placed a large book in front of them, the book that had told the Scoobies about Spike's soul before he'd even got it. She recognised it immediately.
"Go on then" Buffy said, looking down at the open pages of text on the table.
"There's no easy way to say this Buffy" the vampire sighed. "It's an apocalypse.again."
Spike gripped Buffy's hand, "Well I might have known" she sighed. "Same old same old in Sunnydale."
Angel scowled, "Its not something you and your little Scooby gang can sort out this time Buffy" he said harshly. "This is us; me, Spike, Connor and Amy, we're the players."
Spike and Buffy just looked at him blankly as he sank into his chair. "It was all meant to happen, mapped out for when the day arrives, my soul, Spike's soul, two vampires fathering human children. They were prophesied, but now we know why."
Spike was growing impatient now, none of this made sense. "And.?" he growled.
"Okay, okay" Angel snapped back. "The four of us, it's up to us to stop some portal pulling the world into another dimension. According to the text that Wesley finally managed to translate we are known as 'The Four'. 'The Warrior' which is Connor, 'The Hero' that's me. And 'The Brave' that's you and Amy, Spike. When it begins, whenever that is, there will be four challenges, one for each of us. They're not going to be easy and they will all relate to each other. If we all succeed the world will be safe, well for the time being anyway. If just one of us fails, it's all over."
"So how will we know when these challenges start" Spike asked "Someone going to blow a horn or something?"
Angel scowled at his inappropriate attempt at humour. "We'll just know Spike, okay, we'll just know."
The family left the hotel a few days later not much wiser than when they'd arrived. They couldn't prepare for this, couldn't train, couldn't plan, they didn't even know if they would have to fight or not. All they know was their seven-month-old baby was a major part in saving the world. Neither one could deny they were scared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weeks passed slowly and painfully, everyone growing impatient, waiting for the time to come.
"It's started Buffy" Angel blurted out as Buffy answered the 'phone. He sat in the chair beside Connor's bed as Cordy and Fred tended his wounds and watched over him. Conner had been jumped earlier that morning by several huge demons, he'd fought hard, fast, strong and managed eventually to kill them all. As he prepared to plunge the dagger into the flesh of the last and by far the largest of the demons he was handed an amulet, the trinity with a large blue stone in the centre. He passed out not long after that. Downstairs Wesley, Gunn and Lorne searched through heavy books and diaries. Angel's challenge was next.
By mid-day Wesley had found the answer. He matched the black and white picture on the last page of a diary to the amulet that laid before him on the table. "It's a key" he told Angel, and he pulled out the largest and sharpest weapons from the cabinet. "It'll take you where you need to go. I guess you'll find out what you have to do when you get there."
Angel braced himself as Wesley and Lorne cast the spell that would activate the key. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could he found himself hurtling through the air. He closed his eyes as he hit the floor, not in the Hyperion as he had expected but on a cold stone floor of a dark underground room. Before him a passage, the entrance guarded by a large demon, much bigger than him but not too scary looking. He killed it quite easily; maybe he wasn't expected to bring a weapon. That was too easy. Now he knew why. The long narrow passage, walls solid fire, ceiling and floor a marble of crucifixes and a steady rain of holy water falling around him. This was where the hero part would come in, he guessed. He clenched his teeth and growled as he ran into the tunnel. Flames licked his skin and the holy water stung his face and hands. He carried on running, gasping, burning, and aching until finally he burst out of the other end and fell to the ground panting heavily. He rubbed his face, which was marked and blistered, and looked down at his feet, which were badly burned. He hoped that it was over.
Before him an ageing man sat tied to a chair, his head hung but sharp bottle green eyes still looking out from under thick white hair. "We have to go" he demanded, his voice husky and deep. Quickly Angel broke the chains that held him and helped him steadily to his feet. As Angel broke the amulet the pair fell back onto the floor into the Hyperion. "To Sunnydale" the man cried before anyone could speak "NOW!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Sunnydale the sky was purple and filled with the sound of thunder. A glittering blue portal hovered a few feet above Buffy's front lawn, its centre black and filled with amazing heat. Buffy and Spike battled with the demons that fell endlessly from it, one by one on the grass, while Willow, Xander and Anya flicked desperately through spell books in the doorway. They were tiring now; it had been this way for hours, since Angel had succeeded. Spike was sure this was his challenge, but what did he have to do?
Angel's car screeched to a halt a few metres away and both passengers jumped out. "You'll get nowhere like that!" the man smiled, flicking one hand gently causing the portal, the noise, the demons, everything but them, to stop.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" Spike enquired whilst wiping a small stream of blood from his lip and sighing heavily.
"I'm here to guide you in your task Spike" he replied, no emotion showing on his face.
He walked over and took Amy from Willow and handed her to Spike.
"My task" Spike said desperately. "Tell me, what? What do I have to do?"
"The baby, she's the only thing that's going to close that portal." Again no emotion showed on his face. He just looked at Spike, not breaking eye contact. "Your task, if you are strong, brave, you will let her go. Her task, if she is pure, totally innocent she will pass through into the next dimension, thus closing the portal."
Spike's whole body jerked and began to shake; he couldn't take it in. "What, no, you can't, she."
"It's okay Spike, she'll be okay there, royalty in fact, she won't know any different Spike, believe me."
Spike looked back at his friends, at Angel, at Buffy. They all stood silently, shocked and scared. Buffy fell towards him her whole body shaking. "It's the only way?" she asked, her eyes flooded with tears and her voice trembling.
The man nodded. "When the spell wears off you won't have long. Say your goodbyes now, Buffy."
She did what she had to do, Spike just looked on, numb. With a roar the portal came to life again and Buffy handed Amy back over to Spike before falling into Willow's arms behind him.
Spike stepped forward, the noise, the demons, the whole world a blur. The demons that once fought him stood silently watching the ultimate sacrifice. He felt his whole body tremble violently as he looked down at his daughter, as she smiled, unfazed by the events unfolding around her. He would never forget those eyes. That grin. Tears rolled steadily down his face as he felt his heart shatter and the pieces pierce everything inside him; he was bleeding. Everything he ever wanted, ever needed, owned. He loved her more than anything, she made him feel alive again, now he'd lost her. As the portal turned from silver to blue to red and then black he kissed her cheek gentl., "Daddy will always love you princess" he sobbed, his voice breaking as he spoke. "Always" he cried letting her slip away gently into the darkness, feeling her skin as it left his hands, watching until she'd totally disappeared.
Purple sky faded to the usual evening blue, leaving seven stunned figures standing motionless in the garden. Spike's legs gave way and he fell to the floor crying hysterically and gripping Amy's blanket tightly. Within seconds Buffy was by his side holding him tightly. They cried together.
No one knew what to say, what to do. Buffy spent most of the night with Anya and Willow in the bathroom crying and being sick then crying some more. Spike sat on the bed surrounded by Amy's things, smelling her, feeling her, imagining her.
They didn't talk, didn't move, didn't eat for days, just ached that ache that comes when your body has no more tears left to cry, no more heart left to break again. Just loneliness and a sense of regret.
How could they come back from this? Where did things go from here?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike sat in the darkness on a bench in the back garden; her name echoed in his head. This time last week his daughter had saved the world. Somewhere deep inside, beyond the pain, he was happy, proud. He could never tell anyone what her first word was, he couldn't boast about how well she was doing at school or how beautiful she looked on her wedding day. But he could tell them that she was the reason they were still alive. For the first time in that week he smiled.
Buffy must have felt it as well because she was smiling too as she placed her head gently on his shoulder and linked her fingers with his. They looked up at the stars together and Buffy smiled again. "She's watching us you know Spike, our little princess, somewhere she's watching us."
Another tear rolled painfully down Spike's cheek. "I know."
The pair sat silently holding each other, not sure what to say now or what to do. "Will we be okay?" he asked softly.
"For Amy" She replied kissing him gently on the lips for a few seconds, somehow making everything seem all right again.
"For Amy."
To Be Continued
