A/N : I'm guessing some people got bored when this got less focused on the Spuffy. Oh well, for those that are still reading, there will be Spuffy goodness to end this fic and the end is very close. Just one more chapter and an epilogue after this chapter here. Thank to supergirl212, courtney, SpIkEs AnGeL, Rachel, SweetBitter, AraelMoonChild for the reviews. Here's a long-ish chapter for you...to quote SpIkEs AnGeL - will they ever make it to the wedding?
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 17 - Stronger Than That
It had been early afternoon when Wesley had showed up on the doorstep of 1630 Revello Drive, several hours later he sat, watching and listening, as Buffy explained to a man Wes had thought might be his father, and the man's real son, where their fiancé and mother respectively had gone and why.
"So Mum thinks Dad's some kind of bastard and she's flitted off somewhere in a state?" Spike summed up afterwards, looking thoroughly frustrated.
"Pretty much" Buffy shrugged her shoulders, looking a little guilty "I'm sorry Giles, truly I am" she said as he stood up and paced in a similar fashion to his son.
"William, will you please refrain from such language, you're not helping" he snapped as the bleach blond continued to curse under his breath "It's not your fault, Buffy" he continued, turning to the Slayer "not really"
"No, I do believe it's my fault" said Wesley sadly, looking down at his feet and feeling highly embarrassed.
"No, no, it's no-ones fault" Giles assured him "just an unfortunate mis-understanding" he suddenly had a thought and turned to his actual son "erm, she has a telephone, Spike do you know the number, I confess I hardly ever call it"
"Er, yeah, just a sec" Spike patted his pockets trying to locate his cellphone. Pulling it out he speed-dialled his mothers number and handed the phone to Giles.
"Jessica?" he said as he heard her voice on the other end of the line "It's Rupert, please I need to...hello? hello?" there was a click and beep and a distinct lack of reply causing Giles to look strangely at the phone in his hand, shaking it about as if that might help. Rolling his eyes, Spike took the phone from his father.
"She's cut you off" he announced, before dialling again and exclaiming "and now she's turned the bleedin' phone off completely!"
"It's getting dark outside" Giles muttered "Whatever possessed her to run out like that?"
"I think she was kinda upset over finding out you might have another son" Cordelia threw in, unhelpful as ever with her obvious comments.
"But I haven't got another son!" Giles shouted, uncharacteristically angry "How could she think I would do that to someone, leave them pregnant and alone without so much as a goodbye"
"Well, er..." Spike looked at his father, not really sure whether he should point out the situation that had occurred around his birth.
"Oh, that was different" Giles frowned, the main focus of his mind being Jessica, where she might be and what awful things might be happening to her.
"Look, whatever happened or didn't happen, we need to find her" Doyle pointed out, not liking the fact that his uncle was getting so upset, or that his future aunt might be in some kind of danger.
"He's right" Spike nodded, looking to Buffy "I mean I know Mum's a little more aware than some about things that do more than just bump in the night, but I don't like the thought of her out there alone"
Buffy was about to answer when Wesley jumped in with both feet, shocking the whole room.
"Indeed, with vampires and demons on the loose as they are in this town, I suppose it is rather fortunate that you're the Slayer" he commented, making Buffy's mouth drop open.
"Was there like a national announcement or something?"
"Oh no, of course not" the Englishman assured her "I simply stumbled across the information whilst researching my fath...Mr Giles" he corrected himself, catching the older man's attention and making him feel a little bad for the man who'd turned out to be the son of such a hateful person as Ethan Rayne.
"I am sorry that things didn't work out how you planned them Wesley" he told him, the younger man just shook his head.
"It's quite alright, I shall survive" he said, extending a hand to him "It's been a pleasure to meet you Mr Giles, all of you in fact, and I hope everything works out between you and your future wife"
Giles smiled as he shook his hand, but his frown soon returned to his face.
"Thankyou, but I'm starting to wonder if I shall have a wedding at all"
"Don't stress Giles, we'll find her" Cordelia said with more confidence than she really felt. Having grown up on the hellmouth, and as best friend to the Slayer, she was only too aware of the dangers of Sunnydale, especially in the dark of night.
"Yes, we will find her" Buffy promised, taking charge "Doyle, Cordelia, get Wesley to a hotel in town, I don't want anything hell-mouthy getting him on the way there" the pair nodded as they helped their latest acquaintance to pick up his bags and headed for the door "Giles you go back to your place in case she calls or comes home" she told her Watcher, who followed the others out of the door "I'll make a sweep of the town" Buffy completed, pulling on her jacket and reaching for her stake. As she turned she found Spike standing right behind her, jacket on and ready to leave "Spike, I think you should stay with your Dad" she told him, but he shook his head.
"No bloody way, I am coming with you to look for her" off her unconvinced look, he explained "I can't sit around and wait Buffy, Dad can handle that but it'll drive me crazy"
"Okay" the Slayer sighed, holding her stake in one hand and taking her boyfriends hand with the other "just stay focused"
They walked in silence, eyes and ears open at all times, not just for signs of Jessica but also for demon activity. As they passed the first of Sunnydale's cemeteries two vampires emerged. They were only young and didn't last long against the Slayer and her well trained boyfriend. As the dust cleared around them, Spike sighed.
"God today's getting bleedin' worse" he complained "First I get trussed up in some nancy boy suit, then I've magically got a brother, next thing you know I haven't but I've got a devastated father and a missing mother instead" he stormed passed Buffy and headed through the cemetery gates, his girlfriend hurrying after him and grabbing his arm.
"Don't worry, Spike" she tried to calm him down "We will find her and it'll all work out, I swear"
"How can you be so sure?" he stopped walking as he seemed finally willing to pay attention and calm down a bit.
"Cos your parents love each other" she assured him "and nothing is stronger than that"
Of course he knew it wasn't just his parents love she was talking about, she meant them too. They were stronger together than apart, that's the way real love was.
"You're right, pet" he nodded, leaning down to kiss her but their lips never quite met as a scream pierced the silence of the graveyard. They both had a good idea about who had made that sound and in a flash they were running amongst the tombstones and mausoleums, feet pounding on the grass.
Buffy, being the Slayer, had a speed advantage and reached Jessica and the vampire before Spike did. It was just a fledging and it wasn't even out of it's grave yet, but the shock of it appearing from the ground, teeth bared and hungry had obviously given Jessica an understandable fright. She was cowering behind a tombstone as the vamp seemed to be having trouble getting itself out of the dirt. Buffy staked it just as Spike arrived and he immediately ran to his mother and helped her up.
"Seeing that..." she said, swallowing hard "never gets any less weird, or scary"
"You okay Mum?" Spike checked and she nodded as he sat her down on the headstone.
"It didn't touch me" she assured him as Buffy walked over, coughing up a lungful of demon dust.
"I didn't just mean the vamp" the bleach blond pointed out and Jessica looked away. She knew that, but she wasn't sure what to say about her situation with his father.
"Jessica, I know it's really none of my business" said Buffy, clearly going to voice an opinion anyway, despite the fact she was just saying that she had no right "but please come back with us and talk to Giles"
"Buffy, sweetheart" the older woman smiled "I know you want to help but, it's not as simple as that" she said sadly, studying the grass. She didn't want the kids to see her crying over this.
"Mum, please" Spike begged, kneeling on the floor in front of her, trying to see her face "You know what I'm like, you know I don't do the forgiving and forgetting thing easily and you also know that I only want good things for you" she nodded that it was true and he continued "You mean the world to me, and that's why you have to believe me when I tell you that Dad loves you and he is one of those good things that I want for you"
Buffy suddenly felt very spare-part-ish, as there was a real mother-son moment going on, but she was glad she was there to see it. Spike was so sweet sometimes and if anyone could fix what had happened between Giles and Jessica it would be him, she was sure.
"Maybe he was once" she heard his mother sigh "but now..."
"Nothing's changed" Spike interrupted, as he was prone to do "That silly git you met is not my brother" he promised her "He's just a bloke who got his wires crossed. Some louse back in the day knocked up some girl from Oxford and blamed it on my old man"
Jessica smiled at her son, partly relieved to hear that Giles was innocent of his crime so to speak, and also because she wondered, how could her son be so sweet one moment and butchering the English language so horribly the next. She didn't have the strength to comment on that now, it didn't matter.
"Everything's different now" she thought aloud, despite the fact she hadn't gained a step-son today, what had happened made her realise something "we were apart so long" she explained "we had to start over and this just showed me how little I really know about him now"
Spike looked pleadingly at Buffy for help, knowing he was fighting a losing battle in trying to get his mother to see sense. All he wanted was for his parents to be happy together, and he couldn't see a reason why they shouldn't be.
The Slayer went at this problem the only way she knew how - jump in with both feet, consequences be damned.
"Jessica" she got the other woman's attention "when I first met Spike, my God he drove me crazy" he admitted, making the bleach blond frown.
"Thanks a lot, luv" he said grumpily, making Buffy smile.
"But the point is" she continued, glancing between the young man and his mother "a lot of the crazy-drivey-ness was because I knew I was in love with him. I barely knew him as a person but I saw something in him and I was lucky cos he saw something in me too" she explained "We were in love from practically the first time we met, and look how happy we are now"
Jessica smiled genuinely at the two young people before her, they were so right for each other, she had no doubt about that at all.
"I know honey" she nodded "and I'm so happy for both of you" she assured them, though neither she nor Spike were seeing what this had to do with the upcoming wedding.
"Well, we were happy knowing you and Giles were getting married" Buffy continued "Now it looks uncertain, and it shouldn't because deep down I know you love him too much to just walk away" she looked from Jessica to Spike as she added "just like I know I could never walk away from Spike. We'll be in love forever"
"Too right, pet" her boyfriend smiled, wrapping an arm around her and giving her a squeeze. Now he saw the point to what she was saying. It wasn't about knowing everything about a person, it was about loving someone no matter what, and nothing was stronger than that.
They were both surprised to hear light laughter coming from Jessica and they turned to see her wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands.
"I've been stupid, haven't I?" she realised "Running away like a kid, not waiting for an explanation, and here you two are..." she mused "I'm having serious doubts about which one of us is the teenager" she told Spike with a fake-worried expression.
"You're not stupid Mum" he smiled "just upset, but it's not too late y'know"
Standing up and straightening herself out, Jessica smiled too.
"Take me home kids" she said "I need to see Rupert"
"So the wedding is still on?" Buffy said excitedly, hoping this meant it was all fixed like she and Spike so desperately wanted it to be.
"If he still wants me" Jessica promised, looking decidedly worried that he might not after her distrust of him.
"I know that he does" Buffy grinned, reaching to hug her boyfriend's mother. She'd got to know Jessica pretty well since her and Giles had got back together. She couldn't have wished for a nicer person for her father-figure, she realised, as the three walked back to Revello Drive.
"Spike?" Giles called, hurrying into the hallway as he heard the front door. He was so pleased to find Jessica there with his son and Buffy "Oh I was so worried" he smiled at the sight of them "Jessica, you have to let me explain" he rambled "that boy..."
"Is not your son" his fiancée interrupted "I know, and I should have waited for an explanation, it was ridiculous" she admitted "It's just, I love you so much, the thought that something might come between us..." she trailed off, feeling upset all over again just from thinking about the possibility.
"Nothing ever will, I promise" Giles assured her, taking her in his arms "I have no secrets from you. I love you" he assured her, the pair of them quite clearly forgetting about Spike and Buffy who could see what was going to happen next from a mile back! They edged out of the door again, just as the disturbing parental snogging occurred.
"Thanks for helping me find my, Mum" Spike said as they stood on the porch, though somewhat disgusted by the sight of his mother and father kissing like that, he was pleased they were back together like they should be.
"All part of my duty as a Slayer and a girlfriend" the blonde smiled, earning herself a kiss which she thoroughly enjoyed.
"What you said really helped y'know" Spike told her, his arms still holding onto her "Made me think too" he smiled mischievously "You really loved me from the first day we met?" Buffy giggled at that.
"Well, I didn't realise it at the time" she told him "but, yeah, I think I did" she smirked in a similar fashion to the way he always did when she added "there's no way you could have annoyed me so much if I didn't love you"
Spike rolled his eyes at that, but didn't argue, then suddenly Buffy had a thought.
"How about you?" she asked him.
"How about me, what?" he shook his head slightly, not understand her question.
"When did you realise you were in love with me?" she asked almost shyly, looking down. He lifted her chin with his fingers, looking straight into her eyes.
"First time I laid eyes on you luv" he said sincerely "never any doubt in my mind that you were the one for me"
The kiss they shared then went on for some time til neither of them could stand the lack of oxygen anymore. Buffy stepped away from him, knowing if she didn't go now she wouldn't want to go at all, and it was getting late.
"I should get home" she told him "Mum and Dawnie will be home soon and wondering where I am" he nodded as she descended the steps the turned back to speak again "besides we have a wedding to go to, in less than thirty six hours" she counted as she glanced at her watch "some of us need our beauty sleep...I'll let you get that" she giggled as she hurried to her own front door.
He was smiling when he called a threat over to her.
"You'll pay for that, Slayer" he promised, but she just laughed as she let herself into the house.
"I'll look forward to it"
To Be Continued...
