Chapter 9

The terrified scream flooded the vampire's ears and he froze in place, halting his frantic hacking of the brush in his path. Concentrating, he followed the chilling sound. He raced after it, hanging onto its last echoes until he found himself in a familiar clearing.

The little hut was mere yards away from him- yards which he cleared in a matter of seconds thanks to his preternatural speed. He was inside the hut before Rebecca could utter the squeal building in her throat as Enuji pressed the tip of the blade into her chest.

Spike's eyes went to the glistening dagger and the single drop of blood that coated the tip. A feral roar echoed through the hut and Enuji whipped around to face the vampire.

A whimpered "Daddy," was all it took to throw Spike over the edge and he was on the demon in a second. It wasn't even a fight. It was a massacre. Enuji didn't have time to react before his belly was sliced open, spilling gray entrails onto the cold, hard floor. An angry, agonized cry emanated from the dying creature as he fell to the floor amongst his viscera.

When the demon lay completely motionless, Spike gathered Rebecca in his arms. "Are you all right, puppet?" he asked gently as he freed her from her restraints. The little girl nodded and allowed her father to hold her for a few minutes before wiggling to be put down. When she was set on her feet she looked purposefully at her mother.

"Bloody hell…" Spike took in the sight of the bruised and battered Katerina. He took two, hesitant steps toward her before falling to his knees with the weight of his guilt. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You saved our daughter." She glanced up at the shackles uncomfortably suspending her. "I don't know where the key is…"

"Don't need a key." Within a second, the chains were broken and Katerina fell limply into the vampire's waiting arms. "Let's get you out of here."

*****

Katerina watched her reflection in the mirror on the other side of the room. It would never change. Granted, the cuts and bruises would heal but the smooth, youthful planes of her face would never whither and wrinkle with age. Most people would kill for this gift. Many had. But she didn't want it.

The vial of potion had been given to her with the intent of keeping her alive just as long as necessary. But that last dose was too much. It was enough to keep her alive forever.

Her eyes fell on the little girl playing on the floor only a few feet away. Now she would have to watch her precious child grow old and die. Katerina wished she could spit the potion back up.

She fingered the white gauze around her hand as Spike entered the room.

"Don't bloody pick at the bandages, woman," he ordered, swatting at Katerina's hand.

"It itches."

"Then let it itch. I don't fancy redoing all of this." He gestured to the literally dozens of white bandages covering her body. "You pick these off and I'll just let you bleed to death."

Katerina shifted uncomfortably on Spike's fold-out bed. "Actually…I should tell you something…"

*****

"Immortal? Like…forever immortal?" Willow asked.

"Is there another kind?" Spike shot. He ran a hand through his hair. He honestly didn't know what to make of the news he'd just been given.

Willow obviously didn't either. "Wow…that's…wow. What are you gonna do?"

"What do you mean what am I gonna do? I'm already immortal. I don't see how I have to do anything."

"What I mean is…are you two gonna…you know? Get…'back together' or something?"

Spike sighed. "Don't know if she'll have me."

"Well…you're Rebecca's father. I mean, she's gotten used to having her dad around now and," Willow smiled. "I think you've gotten used to having your daughter around."

"Yea…I guess I have. Bloody hell I've gone as soft as Angel." Willow laughed. "I'm not going to let Rebecca go, though. If Kat wants to take her somewhere…I'll fight it. We're…oh sod it…we're a family now. As mussed up as it is, it's still a family. I want to see the puppet grow up. I want to be there for it."

"What about Katerina? Don't you want to be there for her a little bit, too?"

Spike was thoughtful. "Of course. I never should've left her in the first place. But things aren't so simple. She won't just take me back with open arms."

"Don't be so sure of that," Willow said with a secret smile. She looked past the vampire's shoulder and he turned to see what she was staring at. Katerina was in the doorway, leaning against the frame with tears in her eyes.

Spike rose to his feet, turning to stare at her. "Pet?"

"We're a family," she whispered and in two steps was in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and held her close to him.

There came the patter of little feet on the floor and Spike felt a tiny hand tugging on his shirt. "Daddy?"

"Yea, puppet?"

"Are we staying with you now?" Rebecca asked.

"Yea. You are. Both of you."

"OK. I'm glad." And with that she trotted off, disappearing up the stairs.

"We have a very odd daughter," Katerina observed.

Suddenly there was a loud cry from upstairs and Dawn's voice called down, "Your little spawn bit me again!"

Spike shook his head. "Very odd."

THE END.

A.N. Well there you go. The end. Finally. I apologize for taking so long with the last chapter. I've been working on an original fiction and have been really engulfed in it and then I reread some of yall's reviews and felt guilty for not updating so here you go. I hope you enjoyed the story and I'm thinking about a sequel when I finish the other stuff I'm working on. What do you think?