Hey to anyone that's reading this fic and also reads my other uncompleted fic 'changes' I just want to say that I should be updating shortly. I kind of lost my muse for that story, but hopefully I should find it soon and update it after like 2 months of nothing. Sorry!

Just reminding you that in this fic I am ignoring the initiative storyline. I'm also pretending that all that stuff with Oz and Veruca didn't happen so he's with Willow still.

Hope you like this chapter and review loads because I love getting reviews!

As usual, thanks to:

Manticore-gurl071134

Tiger Tiger2

Charmedfanatic3000

Miz

Draco-FutureBF

Becks89 – lol u r amusing and thanks for the update, another one would be appreciated soon. When are we gonna see Sirius?

Alexandra the half-wolf – I can't believe you hate Angel! Just don't read Changes ok? You may hate me after that…..

Chapter 22 – Recognition

The moment Buffy entered her home; she was hugged by her mother. Buffy let her hold onto her for at least a minute before she gently disentangled herself.
 "I missed you honey," Joyce said, her eyes glistening with tears. Buffy's eyes were a little watery too.

 "I missed you too," she said, smiling softly. "But I'm home for Christmas. Xander said you had food? We're starving!"
 "Of course, of course," Joyce said, gesturing towards the dining room. "Hello Sirius, good to see you again." Joyce kissed Sirius' cheek much to his surprise and pleasure. "Go on through dear." Sirius followed the others into the dining room where the table was set for them all to have dinner. A variety of steaming dishes covered the table.

With all her friends and family sat around the table, Buffy didn't think she could feel happier. They all helped themselves to the feast Joyce had prepared and for a while there was silence as they ate without talking.

 "So what's been happening in Sunnydale?" Buffy said, once she had staved off the strongest hunger pangs.

"Not much," Xander said. "Oz and Wills are off at college, doing the college thing. I've been working as a carpenter, pretty cool. Cordy left."

 "Yeah she's in LA with Angle," Buffy said lightly, helping herself to more potatoes. Xander raised an eyebrow.
 "Ran into him in LA," Buffy explained. "Small world, huh? It got all tense for a while, Sirius and him aren't ever gonna be best buddies."
 "But why would he and Sirius have issues?" Willow asked, brow furrowed. "I mean it's not as if you two are…." She trailed off as realisation dawned on her. Buffy glanced quickly at Sirius and he gave her a reassuring smile.

 "Yeah, well we are," Buffy said brightly, finishing Willow's sentence and beginning to work her way through her potatoes calmly.
 "Right," Giles said awkwardly. There was silence for a few moments.
"Um, is something wrong?" Buffy said, breaking the silence. "Willow?" 

 "Nothing," Willow stammered. "Nothings wrong. I'm happy for you." Buffy beamed at her and Willow grinned back.

 "As am I," Xander said with a mouthful of potato spraying over the table cloth. He swallowed quickly. Buffy smiled at him too and looked expectantly at Joyce.
 "I'm happy too," Joyce said tentatively. "But isn't he; aren't you a little old for Buffy?" she said, addressing Sirius.
 "Mom!" Buffy admonished. Sirius grinned.
 "No, its fine Buffy," he said reassuringly. "It's understandable that you're concerned, but I only have the best intentions and I care about Buffy a lot. I promise you that I will never let her get hurt, I'll protect her with my own life if necessary." Joyce nodded.
 "Only the best for my girl," she said briskly and Buffy blushed in embarrassment.

 "And I'm happy too," Giles announced. "I case you wanted my opinion."

 "Really did," Buffy said gratefully. "Now can we talk about anything else, please?" They all laughed and any awkwardness that had existed disappeared.

A few hours later, Buffy kissed Sirius goodbye before he left with Giles to go to his home where he was to stay for the duration of their visit. Buffy then wandered into the lounge where Willow, Xander and Oz sat. They were staying over for Buffy's first night back.
 "So are you guys really okay with me being with him?" Buffy asked nervously. "I mean really really, now it's just us."

 "You know me," Xander said throwing his arm around Buffy. "As long as it's not dead boy, I'm good." Buffy swatted him on the arm but still smiled.
 "Yup me too," Oz said. "I mean he's about two hundred and twenty years younger than your last boyfriend so he can't be that old."

 "Good, glad," Buffy said. "Now let's talk about you guys. What's been happening?"

Buffy found that she really missed Sirius after the day without him and she couldn't wait to see him when he and Giles came over the next morning.
 "God I missed you," she exclaimed, hugging him tightly, and then kissing him. He grinned at her.
 "Missed you too," he replied, kissing her.

 "Good," Buffy said brightly. "Then you won't mind doing the bonding thing with my mom today? I just want her to be okay properly about us." Sirius eyes widened but he nodded.
 "You'll be there too right?" he said nervously.

"Of course," Buffy said chuckling at his nerves. "She wants to show us the gallery and everything she's been doing this morning, then in the afternoon we're gonna go to the UC Sunnydale campus to hang with Wills and Oz and then in the evening I'm gonna go patrolling if you wanna come."

 "Sounds good," he said.

The morning passed quicker than Sirius had anticipated, he got on well with Joyce, and he saw a lot of Buffy in her. Then they headed to the campus. Willow had told them that the semester was finished, so there were only a couple of students on the campus; the rest had gone home for Christmas. Buffy and Sirius crossed the sunny quad hand in hand, heading towards Xander, Anya, Oz and Willow who were sitting under a tree.

 "Hey guys," Buffy said. "And Anya."

 "Hello Buffy," Anya said pleasantly. "You left Sunnydale for a while to go to England. They drink tea there. And eat those crumpet things."
 "Right," Buffy said uncertainly.
 "We've been dating," Xander filled in quickly.
 "Right," Buffy said uncertainly.
 "Xander gives me good orgasms," Anya said matter-of-factly and Buffy and Sirius were both taken aback.

"That's Anya," Willow said, glancing at the former demon.

 "Right," Sirius said uncertainly.
 "Hey, you're English," Anya said delightedly. "You look kind of familiar actually."

"Okay," Sirius said warily.
 "This is Sirius," Xander explained to Anya.
 "Not Sirius Black?" Anya said, expression suddenly darkening. "Buffy, slay him!"
 "Excuse me?" Buffy said in shock. "But I'm with him, I'm not gonna slay him!"
 "But he's evil!" Anya exclaimed, jumping up. She ran into Sirius, sending them both tumbling to the floor and began pulling his hair.
 "Quick Xander, get an axe or one of those stake things!" she cried, pulling at his hair while he tried to shift her weight off of him. Buffy began to laugh as she pulled Anya off Sirius.

 "But he's evil," Anya protested. "He betrayed Lily and James Potter. He's a death eater!" Sirius' face darkened, but Buffy was intrigued.

"Where did you hear that?" she asked Anya intently.
 "Well I was a vengeance demon for eleven hundred years," she said sniffily. "Of course I ran into a few scorned witches over my time. I knew I recognised you; you were in all the papers after you killed Peter Pettigrew. A friend of mine was thinking about going to see little Harry Potter in England, see if he was interested in some vengeance but she's sensitive to the cold, y'know?"

 "You're a vengeance demon and you're calling me evil?" Sirius scoffed.
 "Ex-vengeance demon," Anya corrected him. "I'm no longer part of the fold."
 "Look, Anya, Sirius isn't evil," Buffy told her and Anya raised an eyebrow sceptically. "He was framed by Pettigrew, long story. Point is that he really isn't evil. So you can't go telling people that you saw him."
 Anya looked to Xander and he nodded reassuringly.
 "Alright," Anya said reluctantly. "I'll believe you for now. Since you are a slayer and you protect the mortal world from evil. "

  "Okay then," said Willow jumping up. "Who wants to see my dorm room?"

After wandering round the UC Sunnydale campus all afternoon, Buffy and Sirius returned home before Buffy took Sirius on patrol with her. Giles had told her that there wasn't much dark activity in Sunnydale currently but she thought she might as well be of some use while she was at home.

She and Sirius took her usual route through the graveyard. She carried just a simple stake and had given Sirius the same to defend himself if need be. A knife hung from her belt.
 "So you regularly frequent graveyards?" Sirius asked playfully. "Explains a lot."
 "Hey," Buffy said, grabbing his hand. They walked hand in hand through the graveyard, circling the perimeter. On their second circuit of the graves, they were mid conversation when Buffy suddenly stiffened and held up a hand for Sirius to stop talking. Without any warning she ran off and Sirius, gazing after her in surprise for a moment, followed.

When he caught up with Buffy he saw her fighting a tall, heavily built vampire. A girl lay on the floor, her body twisted at an odd angle.

He watched Buffy for a second, saw that she was holding her own against the vampire which was significantly larger than her, and then knelt down next to the girl.
He felt sure that life didn't remain in her body and this was confirmed when he reached out and touched her icy arm, but he turned her over onto her back gently.
Her eyes were closed and the two holes in her necks were enough to tell him how she had died, but the first thing he saw was a strange symbol painted on her forehead.

It was painted in blood, he could tell that, it was dark red and he could smell it. The symbol was simply a triangle with a cross painted in it, like a crucifix, but the cross was upside down. Sirius stared at it for a moment, memorising it and wondering what it meant.

"Poor girl," he murmured.
 "What do you mean?" the girl said, not opening her eyes. Sirius jumped back in astonishment, and then moved forward again.

"You're alive?" he said and the girl opened her eyes to look up at him.

 "Well, not exactly," she said as she vamped out. Before Sirius could move, she leapt up and tackled him. For the second time that day he found himself lying on the ground being attacked by a strange girl, or vampire in this situation.
 "Come on," the girl said hungrily, trying escape the push of his arms and bite his neck. "It only hurts for a second." He kicked her off and jumped up quickly. She attacked him again, punching him hard and causing him to stagger back a few paces. He struck back though, punching her back and making her fall over a near gravestone. She fell to the ground but was up again soon, Sirius eyed her warily, looked to Buffy who was still deep in her fight, and then took a deep breath. He ran at the girl, rugby tackled her to the ground then punched her again before she could react. He fumbled with the stake that he held and she took the chance to kick him away, against a stone gravestone. Sirius felt waves of pain flow through his back, but it was nothing serious and he was up quickly. He pushed the girl, back against a statue and this time he didn't fumble, staking her quickly and watching with satisfaction as she turned to dust and crumbled before his eyes.
 He turned around and found that Buffy had been watching him fight.
 "Nice work," she said proudly. "Your technique needs a little work, but nice." She dusted off her hands, having just won her battle a few moments ago.

 "What about you?" Sirius said in amazement. "That bloke was twice the size of you, upwards and outwards! You must be incredibly strong."
 "Slayer strength," Buffy said with a shrug. "And it's easier when they're big, means they're slower." She picked up her stake from the ground, flipped it over in her hand and tucked it in her pocket. She reached out a hand for Sirius which he took and they began walking again.

 "Come on," she said, heading towards the exit. "I want to get to Giles' house; did you notice that symbol on their foreheads? Get him to check it out, do the research thing."

"It was painted on their foreheads in blood," Buffy said, showing Giles and the others the picture she drew of the symbol. "You recognise it." Giles looked at it closely, then darted to his bookshelf and pulled out a thick musty volume.
 "Watch Giles," Buffy said in a low voice to Sirius. "He's so funny when he goes into research mode, he get's all English. No offence." Giles pored over his dusty book.
 "Aha!" he said shortly and looked closer at the page.
 "Oh dear lord," he said, looking up at them, eyes wide with fear.

 "I knew you were gonna say that!" Buffy exclaimed happily. "I'm home!"

Long chapter but I've got some good ideas for where im going in the short term. Read and review, I really like reading them. I just looked at my stats on fan fiction and I'm on the author alert list of 58 people so if that's you and you don't review normally, then send me a review please!