Chapter 2
**********
Spike's head snapped back from Drusilla's whisper. Her full meaning hitting him as the mad vampiress began laughing as she backed away from Spike. Buffy took a step forward to pursue Drusilla, but Spikes hand was still holding her arm. Buffy looked up at Spike with a very angry and confused expression.
"Lets go." Spike commanded as he turned back the way they had come. He hadn't taken but a few steps before Buffy caught his arm and spun him around to face her.
"What the hell was that?" Buffy demanded. "You heard her, she's after the kids. We have to find her and dust her. Or have you forgotten that we do that?"
"I haven't forgotten a damn, bloody, thing." Spike said through his clenched jaw. "You think I want her coming after my kids? We need to get back, and we need to get back now. No telling what bloody scheme she's cooked up." He said as he turned back toward the house, almost running now. His mind was running even faster. He mentally checked off who would be at the house to help if something happened. Dru's minions couldn't come in uninvited, but that didn't mean some other kind of demon couldn't. Had they done an uninvite spell for Dru? What about what Dru had said, could it be true? Could she be his? It had to be a trick. Something she had cooked up to mess with his brain.
Spike burst through the front door with Buffy close on his heels. He quickly glanced around. Everything seemed all right. No signs of struggle. The girls still in the great room were all calm but looking very frightened of him at the moment.
"Where's the twins?" Spike asked glancing around the room.
"Upstairs in bed, what's wrong?" One of the girls answered.
Spike dashed to the stairs and took them three at a time. He heard Buffy call after him, but he had to see for himself that they were all right. He burst through the door and into the twins room. He stilled his movements and reached out with his senses. Heartbeats, breathing, all normal and easy. They were sleeping.
As Buffy made her way into the room behind him, Spike let out a sigh of air he didn't realize he had been holding. She cautiously placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes to make sure he was all right now. Evidently seeing what she needed to, she quickly made her way to the beds and tucked in each child, placing a kiss on each tiny sleeping head. She returned to Spike and pulled him through the adjoining door into their room. He moved automatically, letting her take him as his mind kept moving at it's breakneck speed.
Buffy sat Spike on the edge of the bed and knelt before him, taking his hands into hers. Buffy had rarely, if ever, seen Spike like this before. There had certainly been moments over the last few years that each of them had known fear. For each other, the girls, the twins, but she couldn't recall Spike looking quite so...lost. Not since the time she had gone into his mind when she had been pregnant and just come out of her coma.
"Spike, what's wrong? What did Drusilla say?" Buffy asked looking up into his face.
There was a long pause before he answered.
" I need to go to LA." He said quietly.
"LA? What's in LA. Spike tell me what is going on?!" Buffy asked more urgently.
"Angel. I think it's time he and I had a talk." Spike answered a little chillingly.
Buffy stood up. She was getting more than a little angry that Spike wasn't telling her what Drusilla had said. "Then pick up the phone and call him, 'cause you aren't going to scare me half to death and then take off and leave me for God knows how long with a crazy vampire on the loose!" Buffy's tone had grown louder until at the last it was practically a shout. Spike looked up at her with a somewhat pensive look on his face.
"It isn't the sort of thing you discuss over the phone pet." He said. "But you're right. Can't leave you and the tots here with Dru running about."
"Then it's settled. We'll all go. We'll make a day of it. You can chat with Angel, and me and the twins will go see Dawn at the University." Buffy cheerfully said as she began changing for bed. "Haven't had a vacation since, well forever, it'll be nice." Buffy looked at Spike for confirmation, but he still seemed lost to his own thoughts.
"Daddy?" A small voice said from the joining doorway.
Spike shot up like a rocket and crossed the room to the little girl. "Hey, what is it mite?" He asked, kneeling down to the child's level. "Another dream?" The girl shook her head negatively, "I heard mummy. Is she mad?" The girl asked shyly.
"No, your mum's not mad. I'm just real good at making mummy frustrated." Spike said with a half grin as he scooped up the child. He took her back to her bed and covered her up. He placed a kiss on the girls forehead, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at her. He watched her as she feel back to sleep, taking in every aspect of her little person.
And he knew. How could they not have seen it? William was every bit the spitting image of Spike. Even the plump little toddler cheeks couldn't hide the cut of his cheekbones, the blue eyes that held a sparkle of mischief, the light brown hair that held an unruly curl on his forehead. Bella was completely opposite. She would be a dark beauty. And that face.....they would go to LA tomorrow night and get this sussed out once and for all. Tonight, he would go back to his waiting wife and they would be the little family a while longer.
**********
Spike spent the whole day playing with the twins. He had called in one of the watchers to take the girls training for the day. Buffy had packed up the car for the trip and spent the rest of the day making arrangements for the girls and for Giles to stay at the mansion while they went to LA. She also called and informed Angel that they were coming and would need a place to stay.
Spike kept thinking to himself that this was the last time his family would be like this. He had never deluded himself into thinking that they would ever have a normal family, but he had hoped they would have this happiness a little longer. If that silly prophesy was to be believed, Bella would go on to be a slayer and William a warrior. Those thoughts alone were enough to send chills through him.
As soon as the sun set, they started out for LA. The twins singing loudly and off key and Buffy led them through every childhood song she could think of to keep them entertained during the drive to LA. Before they had gotten very far the children had fallen asleep and the rest of the drive went by fairly quickly.
As they entered the hotel each carrying a sleeping child, Wesley greeted them. "Buffy, Spike, glad you made it all right. I trust everything is OK? Angel made sure your room is ready." Wesley took the bag from Spike and walked ahead of them to their room. Angel kept a room in the hotel open for them, as they were frequently here on slayer or watcher business. Spike and Buffy each put their sleeping child on the bed and the Spike turned to address the watcher.
"Wes," Spike began, "Peaches hanging about?"
"Yes, he and Connor are down stairs demonstrating some swordsmanship to the students." Wesley said with a small grin, "though I feel it's a bit more on the competition side than a demonstration."
"I wouldn't doubt you there, mate." Spike said as he gave Wesley's shoulder a tap, and then headed off down the hall. Wesley cocked an eyebrow in Buffy's direction, after watching Spike head downstairs.
"Don't ask." Buffy started, " I don't even know, he's not sharing at the moment." Buffy offered Wes a small smile and set about making the room ready for the night.
**********
Spike could hear the metal clashing, and the guttural sounds of the two men fighting from down the hall. He also heard Angel's usual diatribe extolling the virtues of proper handling of the weapon. Spike carefully edged into the room as Connor and Angel continued to battle, each seemingly matched to the other.
Angels back was to Spike, and Spike easily slipped up to the weapons case and selected a broadsword that was resting there. Signaling to Connor not to out him, he made his way up behind Angel. Spike pulled the sword back and made a sweep to bring it down straight at Angels head, as Connor continued a relentless charge. Suddenly Angels sword popped back behind him, effectively blocking Spikes move.
"Nice of you to join us Spike." Angel said, without even turning around. Spike could almost hear Angels cocky grin, "Eyes kiddoes, it's all in the eyes." Angel addressed the class. With that Angel gave a nod to Connor and he stepped out of the match. As Angel dropped his shoulder he spun around bringing the sword around in a move toward Spikes midsection, but Spike easily blocked the blade. "So, to what do I owe this honor Spike? Did you just miss me?" Angel baited as he thrust again coming close enough to Spike's ear that he could hear the metal sing past him.
"Funny you should ask Angel." Spike said as he countered with his own spin and sliced, just missing Angels left arm. "Seems an old friend of ours decided to look me up. You remember Drusilla. Said I should come see the great brooding one. Something about secrets we needed to know." Spike continued at each one continued their fierce competition.
"Sorry to disappoint Spike, but I don't have any secrets for you." Angel replied as his blade caught Spike across the chest just nicking the skin.
"No?"Spike said as he brought his own blade around. "I heard you had a whole day that was secret." Spike coolly said as his blade and Angels blade met just to the right of Angels head. Spike saw the flicker in Angels eye and his slight flinch, though Angel actually said nothing. So he had guessed right. Spike brought his blade down and carried it back to the weapons case.
Angel glanced a Connor and motioned toward the door. Connor took the obvious hint and cleared the students out of the room, leaving only Angel and Spike.
"Let me guess. Some disaster happens. You and Buffy had a round or two in the sack. You kept your sodding soul somehow and for whatever reason you wiped everyone's memory clean and went on like nothing happened." Spike said looking over his shoulder at Angel.
Angel looked at Spike for a moment before turning away.
"Yeah, I thought it might be something like that." Spike said in a cold voice.
Angel didn't speak for a moment. Finally he asked quietly, "Does Buffy know?"
"Not yet. Figured I'd get the story from you first." Spike said as he leaned against the door.
"Dru is just yankin' your chain Spike, it happened a long time ago. It doesn't matter now." Angel stated as he put away his own sword.
"Of coarse it matters, it changes everything." Spike shouted, visibly trying to calm himself. "You should have told us. When Buffy got pregnant and you heard the prophesy, YOU should have TOLD us."
Angel gave a confused look to Spike. "OK Spike, I didn't follow you around that last curve. What does this have to do with the prophesy and Buffy's pregnancy?" Angel asked.
Spike could barely see through his angry haze.
"Because you stupid, sodding, git. Bella is YOUR daughter."
**********
Spike's head snapped back from Drusilla's whisper. Her full meaning hitting him as the mad vampiress began laughing as she backed away from Spike. Buffy took a step forward to pursue Drusilla, but Spikes hand was still holding her arm. Buffy looked up at Spike with a very angry and confused expression.
"Lets go." Spike commanded as he turned back the way they had come. He hadn't taken but a few steps before Buffy caught his arm and spun him around to face her.
"What the hell was that?" Buffy demanded. "You heard her, she's after the kids. We have to find her and dust her. Or have you forgotten that we do that?"
"I haven't forgotten a damn, bloody, thing." Spike said through his clenched jaw. "You think I want her coming after my kids? We need to get back, and we need to get back now. No telling what bloody scheme she's cooked up." He said as he turned back toward the house, almost running now. His mind was running even faster. He mentally checked off who would be at the house to help if something happened. Dru's minions couldn't come in uninvited, but that didn't mean some other kind of demon couldn't. Had they done an uninvite spell for Dru? What about what Dru had said, could it be true? Could she be his? It had to be a trick. Something she had cooked up to mess with his brain.
Spike burst through the front door with Buffy close on his heels. He quickly glanced around. Everything seemed all right. No signs of struggle. The girls still in the great room were all calm but looking very frightened of him at the moment.
"Where's the twins?" Spike asked glancing around the room.
"Upstairs in bed, what's wrong?" One of the girls answered.
Spike dashed to the stairs and took them three at a time. He heard Buffy call after him, but he had to see for himself that they were all right. He burst through the door and into the twins room. He stilled his movements and reached out with his senses. Heartbeats, breathing, all normal and easy. They were sleeping.
As Buffy made her way into the room behind him, Spike let out a sigh of air he didn't realize he had been holding. She cautiously placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes to make sure he was all right now. Evidently seeing what she needed to, she quickly made her way to the beds and tucked in each child, placing a kiss on each tiny sleeping head. She returned to Spike and pulled him through the adjoining door into their room. He moved automatically, letting her take him as his mind kept moving at it's breakneck speed.
Buffy sat Spike on the edge of the bed and knelt before him, taking his hands into hers. Buffy had rarely, if ever, seen Spike like this before. There had certainly been moments over the last few years that each of them had known fear. For each other, the girls, the twins, but she couldn't recall Spike looking quite so...lost. Not since the time she had gone into his mind when she had been pregnant and just come out of her coma.
"Spike, what's wrong? What did Drusilla say?" Buffy asked looking up into his face.
There was a long pause before he answered.
" I need to go to LA." He said quietly.
"LA? What's in LA. Spike tell me what is going on?!" Buffy asked more urgently.
"Angel. I think it's time he and I had a talk." Spike answered a little chillingly.
Buffy stood up. She was getting more than a little angry that Spike wasn't telling her what Drusilla had said. "Then pick up the phone and call him, 'cause you aren't going to scare me half to death and then take off and leave me for God knows how long with a crazy vampire on the loose!" Buffy's tone had grown louder until at the last it was practically a shout. Spike looked up at her with a somewhat pensive look on his face.
"It isn't the sort of thing you discuss over the phone pet." He said. "But you're right. Can't leave you and the tots here with Dru running about."
"Then it's settled. We'll all go. We'll make a day of it. You can chat with Angel, and me and the twins will go see Dawn at the University." Buffy cheerfully said as she began changing for bed. "Haven't had a vacation since, well forever, it'll be nice." Buffy looked at Spike for confirmation, but he still seemed lost to his own thoughts.
"Daddy?" A small voice said from the joining doorway.
Spike shot up like a rocket and crossed the room to the little girl. "Hey, what is it mite?" He asked, kneeling down to the child's level. "Another dream?" The girl shook her head negatively, "I heard mummy. Is she mad?" The girl asked shyly.
"No, your mum's not mad. I'm just real good at making mummy frustrated." Spike said with a half grin as he scooped up the child. He took her back to her bed and covered her up. He placed a kiss on the girls forehead, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at her. He watched her as she feel back to sleep, taking in every aspect of her little person.
And he knew. How could they not have seen it? William was every bit the spitting image of Spike. Even the plump little toddler cheeks couldn't hide the cut of his cheekbones, the blue eyes that held a sparkle of mischief, the light brown hair that held an unruly curl on his forehead. Bella was completely opposite. She would be a dark beauty. And that face.....they would go to LA tomorrow night and get this sussed out once and for all. Tonight, he would go back to his waiting wife and they would be the little family a while longer.
**********
Spike spent the whole day playing with the twins. He had called in one of the watchers to take the girls training for the day. Buffy had packed up the car for the trip and spent the rest of the day making arrangements for the girls and for Giles to stay at the mansion while they went to LA. She also called and informed Angel that they were coming and would need a place to stay.
Spike kept thinking to himself that this was the last time his family would be like this. He had never deluded himself into thinking that they would ever have a normal family, but he had hoped they would have this happiness a little longer. If that silly prophesy was to be believed, Bella would go on to be a slayer and William a warrior. Those thoughts alone were enough to send chills through him.
As soon as the sun set, they started out for LA. The twins singing loudly and off key and Buffy led them through every childhood song she could think of to keep them entertained during the drive to LA. Before they had gotten very far the children had fallen asleep and the rest of the drive went by fairly quickly.
As they entered the hotel each carrying a sleeping child, Wesley greeted them. "Buffy, Spike, glad you made it all right. I trust everything is OK? Angel made sure your room is ready." Wesley took the bag from Spike and walked ahead of them to their room. Angel kept a room in the hotel open for them, as they were frequently here on slayer or watcher business. Spike and Buffy each put their sleeping child on the bed and the Spike turned to address the watcher.
"Wes," Spike began, "Peaches hanging about?"
"Yes, he and Connor are down stairs demonstrating some swordsmanship to the students." Wesley said with a small grin, "though I feel it's a bit more on the competition side than a demonstration."
"I wouldn't doubt you there, mate." Spike said as he gave Wesley's shoulder a tap, and then headed off down the hall. Wesley cocked an eyebrow in Buffy's direction, after watching Spike head downstairs.
"Don't ask." Buffy started, " I don't even know, he's not sharing at the moment." Buffy offered Wes a small smile and set about making the room ready for the night.
**********
Spike could hear the metal clashing, and the guttural sounds of the two men fighting from down the hall. He also heard Angel's usual diatribe extolling the virtues of proper handling of the weapon. Spike carefully edged into the room as Connor and Angel continued to battle, each seemingly matched to the other.
Angels back was to Spike, and Spike easily slipped up to the weapons case and selected a broadsword that was resting there. Signaling to Connor not to out him, he made his way up behind Angel. Spike pulled the sword back and made a sweep to bring it down straight at Angels head, as Connor continued a relentless charge. Suddenly Angels sword popped back behind him, effectively blocking Spikes move.
"Nice of you to join us Spike." Angel said, without even turning around. Spike could almost hear Angels cocky grin, "Eyes kiddoes, it's all in the eyes." Angel addressed the class. With that Angel gave a nod to Connor and he stepped out of the match. As Angel dropped his shoulder he spun around bringing the sword around in a move toward Spikes midsection, but Spike easily blocked the blade. "So, to what do I owe this honor Spike? Did you just miss me?" Angel baited as he thrust again coming close enough to Spike's ear that he could hear the metal sing past him.
"Funny you should ask Angel." Spike said as he countered with his own spin and sliced, just missing Angels left arm. "Seems an old friend of ours decided to look me up. You remember Drusilla. Said I should come see the great brooding one. Something about secrets we needed to know." Spike continued at each one continued their fierce competition.
"Sorry to disappoint Spike, but I don't have any secrets for you." Angel replied as his blade caught Spike across the chest just nicking the skin.
"No?"Spike said as he brought his own blade around. "I heard you had a whole day that was secret." Spike coolly said as his blade and Angels blade met just to the right of Angels head. Spike saw the flicker in Angels eye and his slight flinch, though Angel actually said nothing. So he had guessed right. Spike brought his blade down and carried it back to the weapons case.
Angel glanced a Connor and motioned toward the door. Connor took the obvious hint and cleared the students out of the room, leaving only Angel and Spike.
"Let me guess. Some disaster happens. You and Buffy had a round or two in the sack. You kept your sodding soul somehow and for whatever reason you wiped everyone's memory clean and went on like nothing happened." Spike said looking over his shoulder at Angel.
Angel looked at Spike for a moment before turning away.
"Yeah, I thought it might be something like that." Spike said in a cold voice.
Angel didn't speak for a moment. Finally he asked quietly, "Does Buffy know?"
"Not yet. Figured I'd get the story from you first." Spike said as he leaned against the door.
"Dru is just yankin' your chain Spike, it happened a long time ago. It doesn't matter now." Angel stated as he put away his own sword.
"Of coarse it matters, it changes everything." Spike shouted, visibly trying to calm himself. "You should have told us. When Buffy got pregnant and you heard the prophesy, YOU should have TOLD us."
Angel gave a confused look to Spike. "OK Spike, I didn't follow you around that last curve. What does this have to do with the prophesy and Buffy's pregnancy?" Angel asked.
Spike could barely see through his angry haze.
"Because you stupid, sodding, git. Bella is YOUR daughter."