Foreword: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and/or David Greenwalt. Also, I think I've gone crazy, because this is not something that I normally write. Anyway. This takes place in Buffy's seventh season, and Angel's fourth, (except for where Cordelia comes back and Angel's in love with her, because I don't like her) and I'm thinking that there really aren't too many spoilers. Old characters will be returning. Lots of Slayer/Vampire-with-a-soul action (and as far as I know, that doesn't extend to just Buffy and Angel).
The Darkest Hour Before Dawn
Fifteen
They walked in almost complete darkness, the faint silvery ribbon of the road stretched out before them, only the sounds of their breathing and the spirits who called the Ghost Roads home to accompany them. That, and the pounding heartbeat in their ears.
"How long?" Connor asked.
"Who knows?" Buffy replied. She was tired. Tired of walking, tired of not knowing whether they would ever get out.
"There's got to be a light at the end of the tunnel, love," Spike said. "Always is."
"That was really upbeat for you, Spike, Been practicing?" Buffy asked.
Spike opened his mouth to say something, but a misty shape appeared in front of them, in their path, wavering and forming into a solid shape, more solid than Lucy had been, more solid than any ghost they'd seen thus far.
"Connor," the ghost said, reaching out a hand for him. Connor stepped back, and the ghost withdrew her hand, a tear trickling down her cheek. The tear seemed to be made of diamonds, trickling down a cheek carved of marble.
Buffy recognized the ghost as a vamp she'd dusted when she'd first come to Sunnydale. The ghost's blonde hair shimmered around her face, blue eyes glowing like sapphires. She wore a red shirt and a white skirt, which Buffy thought odd, since none of the ghosts on the roads were solid or had any color on them.
"Connor," the ghost repeated, her voice whispery, breathy, but solid. "Don't you… you don't know me?" She sounded as though she might cry.
"No," Connor said bluntly.
"It's me. Darla. Your mother," The ghost said, the diamond tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
"My mother killed herself," Connor said. "She didn't care about me."
"I had to, Connor. I had to die so that you could live!" Darla cried. "What have they told you? Did they tell you it was raining that night? That my vampire body was killing you, and Holtz blew up Caritas, because he couldn't fight within?"
"You killed yourself!" Connor yelled. "You never even waited to see me!"
"You would have DIED before you were born!" Darla screamed. "My body would have killed you, Connor. And if it hadn't, I would have ripped open your tiny little throat and drained your blood. Is that what you want to hear?"
"I want the truth," Connor said.
Buffy stared in fascination at the crying ghost, and Angel's son. Faith watched, Spike's arm around her waist, holding her back.
"That is the truth, whether you want to believe it or not. I staked myself. For you." Darla said.
"Connor, she's telling the truth," Buffy said.
"How do you know?" Connor snapped, rounding on Buffy.
"She's crying. She's screaming at you and trying to get it through your brain that she wouldn't have done it if she hadn't had to. That, and I met her once. She loved being a vampire, Connor. She wasn't going to stake herself unless she had a really good reason." Buffy explained.
Connor sulked.
"Thank you," Darla said. "Even though you tried to kill me once."
"Vampire meets Vampire Slayer. You do the math." Buffy said.
"He's a vampire.," Darla said, moving toward Spike. "So good to see you. Give Grandmummy a kiss?"
"Sod off, Darla." Spike said. "I've got a soul now, just like Angel." He paused. "Well, not just like Angel."
Darla sighed. "What is this world coming to. All my descendants, reinsouled. Oh well."
Darla's image flickered, and the look on her face changed. She looked startled, frightened.
"You have to leave the Ghost Roads," She told them.
"We don't know HOW," Buffy said.
"Lucy!" Darla cried. A dark spot began in the center of her chest, and grew outward. "Lucy, we have to get them out of here!"
The ghost of the Slayer Lucy Hanover appeared, pale and transparent, next to the spark of color that was Darla. Lucy drew symbols in the air with her transparent fingers, and her lips spoke a soft spell in Latin.
"Why didn't you do that before?" Spike almost snarled. Faith reached out and gripped his hand, reaching out for Buffy. The blonde Slayer wrapped her fingers around Faith's, then grabbed Connor's arm. Spike jerked them forward, through the portal.
The world went blank, and all feeling disappeared. Faith began to panic again, until she felt the faint sensation of Buffy squeezing her hand. She opened her eyes, and saw nothing.
Then there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and they were standing in the moonlight among the ruins of Angel's mansion in Sunnydale.
"What happened here?" Buffy whispered.
"Oh my God."
Buffy whipped around, her hair flying in her face. Darla stood on top of what was left of the stairs. She was glowing in the moonlight
"I'm alive." Darla said.