A/N: THANKS TO THE TWO NICE PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED LAST CHAPTER.
HERE'S THE NEXT ONE. TOOK ME A WHILE BUT HEY, IM UPDATING NOW.
OH AND MICHELLE, I THINK THAT YOU READ THE WRONG UPDATE FOR THE LAST CHAPTER.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO REREAD THAT BECAUSE THIS CHAPTER PROBABLY WONT
MAKE SENSE TO YOU.
SORRY FOR THE SCREW UP.
ENJOY.
~*~
Angel walked back into the room, looking somewhat preoccupied as he slipped his
hands into his pockets. His gaze went instantly to Connor and Chayse who were
still sitting together.
The little girl seemed to be whispering and Connor looked far from
understanding.
Sighing, Angel walked towards them. This was after all his chance to talk to
his son, although only he knew that.
"Hey." He said as he pulled a chair up next to Connor and Chayse.
Connor nodded at him politely, shifted in his seat to get more comfortable and
mumbled a, "Hi."
"We haven't been introduced. I'm Angel." He said extending his hand.
Connor shook it firmly.
"Connor." He replied. "So, you own this
place. Pretty cool. I never knew lawyers were into
magic and all that crazy stuff." Connor declared as his eyes scanned the
rather busy room. He knew Angel was the big
man. Everyone looked at him for answers and instructions. He ran the place
like a king and the Lilah woman as his right hand.
Angel nodded. "I'm more like a private investigator. But, yeah cool."
Meanwhile, Chayse was staring up at him with interest, her small hands holding
onto Connor's shirt possessively.
"This is Chayse, by the way, but I bet you already knew that." Connor
introduced them and Chayse edged further away from Angel, her eyes never
leaving him.
Angel shrugged it off, although he was slightly insulted that the child had
attached herself to Connor but seems to dislike him. He was after all Connor's
father. Why should Chayse not like him?
The little girl titled her head at Angel, stared at his chest and frowned.
"You don't sparkle." She said, looking up at him with large, innocent
eyes.
Angel looked taken aback and so did Connor. "You can talk." Connor
whispered and Chayse nodded as she slipped off his lap. She hurriedly ran over
Dawn, startling Buffy who had returned to her sister's side.
Chayse climbed up on Dawn's bed and began shaking her. "Momma, wake
up." She whispered.
Buffy looked alarmed as she tried to pry the little girl from her sister.
Chayse sent her a warning glare.
Everyone in the room stopped whatever it was they were doing to look at Chayse.
"Is she okay?" Fred asked Wesley as they looked up from their
research. Wesley frowned slightly.
"It doesn't appear like she is." Wesley replied.
"Momma, time to wake up!" Chayse said as she continued to shake Dawn.
The youngest Summers girl jolted awake.
"What's wrong?" Dawn asked as she sat up hastily.
"The big man doesn't sparkle, Momma. Everybody sparkles and glows but him." She whispered as she quickly
glanced at Angel, her large eyes accusing. "And he smells funny."
Dawn frowned, glancing at Angel and chuckled suddenly as her arm went around
her little daughter. "That's because he's not human, Chayse. He's a
vampire. Remember what I taught you?" She asked in utter seriousness while
the whole room watched and listened.
Chayse nodded as she deliberated Dawn's words. "But he's a demon.
Demon. Demon. Demon."
Angel flinched at the words. Connor had called him exactly the same not to long
ago.
"Not all demons are evil, Chayse." Dawn replied firmly. "There
are good ones and in this dimension, there are as many good ones as there are
evil."
"But the Elders-"
"Were different. They were evil." Dawn continued, her expression
darkening at the mention of the Elders. "They hurt us."
Chayse nodded and although she wasn't thoroughly convinced she dropped the
subject, kissed Dawn and walked back to Connor. "Can I keep him
then?" She asked as she reached up and took Connor's hand.
Connor looked flattered and amused at the same time while Angel looked
somewhere in between shock and curiosity.
Buffy remained quietly, suddenly feeling too tired.
Fred smiled from where she was sitting, thinking how adorable the little
magical child was and Wesley chuckled slightly, finding it just as endearing.
"No, you can't keep him. He's not a pet." Dawn replied, trying to be
as serious as possible.
Chayse pouted petulantly and she opened her mouth to beg but Dawn was shaking
her head already. The little girl glanced at Buffy, as if willing the oldest
Summers woman to side with her.
Buffy shrugged, glad that at least her niece was asking her for back up.
"Once you're all recuperated, we'll buy you a bunny." Buffy declared
unsurely.
"Okay." Chayse relented. "What's a bunny?" She asked Connor
who went on to explain.
"Are you okay?" Buffy asked Dawn, pulling her hair
back behind her ear.
Dawn nodded with a sighed. "Good. I still feel groggy. Nothing seems real.
At least I can see and hear clearly now." She replied.
"Good. Do you need anything?" Buffy asked softly.
"Maybe food. I haven't eaten Earth food in
years." Dawn mumbled and Buffy frowned slightly.
Earth food? "You
make it sound like you were on mars or something." She whispered.
Dawn shrugged. "I might as well have been, except everything was dark and
reddish and very loud. That's why I'm having trouble seeing and hearing. It's
so bright here. I almost forgot." She sighed again as she ran her fingers
through her hair. "I need a shower." Dawn made a face and Buffy
smiled.
At least some signs of her little sister were showing up.
"I'm going to have the front desk order some food. Want anything
special?" Buffy asked, wondering exactly what dawn ate during her time in
the other dimension.
"Doesn't matter." Dawn mumbled.
"Alright. I'll order Chinese. You always loved
that stuff." She replied.
"Thanks."
"I'm going to Angel's office. I need to make a phone call. Giles must be
worried sick by now since he hasn't been updated." Buffy excused herself.
"Hey, Angel. You're looking broody." Dawn
said when she noticed him. Angel lips stretched into what one could consider as
almost a smile.
"Glad to have you back, Dawn. Buffy was worried to death about. We all
were." Angel declared casually.
"Let's just count her lucky that she wasn't where I was." She
retorted, sounding somewhat annoyed that Buffy's well
being was considered before her own.
Dawn was the one who spent
five years in a hell dimension. Five agonizing years.
She was the one who was tortured. She was the one who was forced
to have a magical child. Reminding herself how much she loved Chayse, despite
the circumstances of how the little girl was created, Dawn sighed sharply.
"So, Spike is human now." She declared, changing topics.
"Yeah." Angel muttered uncomfortably.
"How did you find out?" He asked. He hadn't heard anyone tell her about
what had happened to Spike.
"He smells human." She replied as she glanced at Chayse's direction.
The little girl and Connor seemed to be having a conversation.
Angel raised an eyebrow. "He smells
human?"
"Yeah. I can smell humans apart from demons. My senses got out of whack
when I was carrying Chayse." She explained.
"Oh. Dawn, I know that you've
just gotten back from hell but we need every information we can get about what
happened to you and the origin of Chayse. She's made of pure magic. She could
help us awaken Cordelia." Angel dared. He knew it would be simpler to lay
the truth out than trick her into helping them.
There was no need to infuriate two magical creatures who had unlimited and
great power.
"Only if you let us leave. I don't want to stay here, Angel. I feel imprisoned." Dawn replied as she
hopped off the bed. "I just got back from hell. In my time, it's been five
years. I need freedom."
Five years? The
vampire looked startled with the concept.
"I understand. You can stay at the Hyperion for as long as you
want."
She smiled at him. "You're a good person, Angel. Be careful with the power
that you've been given." She said as she walked past him to retrieve
Chayse.
Angel nodded, sinking her words into his mind and wondering exactly how much she knew.
************************************************************************
Buffy pushed the door to Angel's office open and she stepped inside to find
Spike sitting behind the desk, a scotch in hand.
"Sorry. I came to use the phone." She curtly said and Spike gestured
towards it.
"Feel free." He said as he rose from his seat to leave her.
"Spike?" Buffy called before he was entirely out of the room.
He glanced back, a somewhat pleased look in his eyes. "Yeah?"
"We have to talk sooner or later."
Spike nodded with a sigh. "When everything cools down." He relented.
"Okay." She whispered and then he left, closing the door to give her
some privacy.
Buffy smiled slightly as she walked around Angel's desk, sat down where Spike
had been and told the receptionist to order some Chinese food and have it brought
up in the hospital wing.
She was somewhat pleased that Spike had walked out on her for the second time
but this time not actually glaring, cursing and yelling.
She pressed Giles' number, hoping that Angel wouldn't mind the bills for the
phone call.
"Rupert Giles speaking." Came Giles' voice.
"Hi, Giles." She greeted somewhat cheerfully. Things were progressing
here in L.A. and Buffy had a
feeling it was going to get better.
"Buffy, I haven't heard a word from anyone. Are you alright?" He
asked and Buffy could almost see him frowning while cleaning his glasses.
"I'm as good as I can be. Dawn's awake but I need you to come to L.A.
Willow too." She replied as she absently tapped a pen against Angel's
desk.
"I was packing to go there. What's the matter?" He asked worriedly.
"Dawn has a daughter." Buffy announced hesitantly, her forehead
creasing into a frown.
"Oh dear." There was a long pause on Giles' end and Buffy had to
wonder if he was still there. "My flight is in two hours. I'll be there
are soon as possible."
"Okay, I'm calling Willow."
"Good. And Buffy?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm bringing someone with me." He declared grimly and Buffy had a
horrible feeling but she decided not to dwell on it, said goodbye to Giles and
called Willow.
************************************************************************
The move to the Hyperion had gone relatively smooth. Buffy was pleased that
Angel actually offered to let them stay there rather than have them stay in
another hotel where they had to pay for their room.
Spike had gone along with them, in case Dawn was too tired to walk.
Chayse and Connor went as well, since the little girl had to be where her
mother was and had decided that she definitely
was going to keep Connor.
The teenager didn't seem to mind at all.
Spike and Buffy on the other hand had to remind her and the teenager that
Connor was free to go when he needed or wanted to leave.
Lorne who was just on his way to Wolfram and Hart was glad that they had gotten
to the Hyperion before he could leave. Sometimes, traveling was a hassle
because people were too damn curious about why he was green and why he had
horns.
As usual, he would explain that it was a costume and he was entertainment for a
kid's party. The excuse often worked.
Grinning he walked over to meet the new houseguests. "So, this is our
little princess?" He asked out loud as greeted Chayse who seemed hesitant
to come close to him. "Do worry, kiddo, I don't eat little children."
He joked.
"Lorne, I'd be careful what you say. She's pretty powerful." Spike
whispered as he briskly walked past him.
Lorne nodded, still smiling. "Hey little princess, what's your name?"
Chayse glanced at Dawn who was already climbing up the stairs with Buffy. Dawn
gave her an ok. "Chayse." She replied as she clung closer to Connor.
"Pretty name. Welcome to the Hyperion, Chayse. I'm Lorne." He said as
he extended his hand to shake her small ones.
Chayse was unsure of the gesture, so instead she nodded. "You don't
sparkle. Like Angel." She told him.
"Momma's waiting Connor, let's go." She said as she ushered him up
the stairs.
For someone who was new to this dimension, she seemed relatively fine and well
at ease.
"What did she mean by I don't
sparkle?" Lorne asked Spike was now leaning against the front desk.
"I don't know." Spike shrugged.
"Strange kid." Lorne declared, twitching his
lips slightly.
Spike scoffed and let the comment slide.
************************************************************************
Buffy sighed the minute she reached the bottom steps. She was exhausted. Every
part of her body ached. She glanced at where Spike and Lorne were talking and
decided to join them.
"Am I interrupting something?" She asked and Lorne made a face to
tell her that she was being ridiculous.
"I'll let you two lovebirds alone. Maybe I'll go check on the kids."
He grinned and in an instant he was walking up the stairs and disappearing to
the second floor.
"So, how's Dawn?" Spike asked when an uncomfortable silence fell
between them.
"She's in the shower. Said something about her hair
being gross." Buffy replied with a soft chuckle. "We had to
tell Chayse that boys weren't allowed to go into shower with girls. And then we
had to explain what boys and girls were."
"She's really attached to that kid. I don't understand why." Spike
mused.
Buffy shrugged. "Maybe because she was his first contact in this
dimension."
"Maybe so. How are you holding up?" He asked as he wondered if she
got thinner within the last couple days.
Buffy sighed sharply. "I'm just glad she's home."
Spike frowned. "Thanks but that's not a good answer. You look awful."
She glared at him slightly. "That's for the ego boost." She drawled.
"When was the last time you slept?" He continued.
Buffy frowned, pouting slightly as she tried to recall when she last slept.
"That's not the point. Why do you even care?"
Spike groaned. "Here we go again." He mumbled.
"I heard that." She snapped at him as she scowled.
"Are we going to stop arguing? Tell me now so I can leave." He
declared icily.
"You're the one who started it!" She replied, her voice rising higher
as she became more agitated.
Spike scoffed, rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air. "Are we in
kindergarten again?"
"You never went to kindergarten, Spike." She replied knowingly as she
continued to glare at him.
"Yes, I did. It wasn't called kindergarten then. Oh, bloody hell! You're
insane!" He exclaimed in exasperation. "I give up. There's no point
in making an effort to talk to you. Why do you always have to be right?"
He asked.
"Because you're wrong." She replied assuredly, folding her arms in
front of her.
"Great intellectual answer." Spike drawled sarcastically. "I'm
leaving."
"You know, you can't walk away every time I'm in the room." She said
feeling somewhat hurt.
"Buffy, I really don't understand you. You say we have to talk but when we
get the chance, all you want to do is argue." Spike said, his expression
softening. As much as he wanted to sort things out with Buffy, he wasn't about
to go through a series of yelling fests with her just to actually get to the
point where they talk like civil human beings. "Pet, make up your
mind."
"Tell me why you kept your return a secret." She said.
"We've been through this." He replied. "Next question."
She frowned and thought of what to ask next. "Before you came back, where
were you?"
Spike's gaze grew distant. "I wasn't anywhere." He answered softly.
"It was like falling asleep for a long time and then finding myself here
in L.A. I guess the blokes up there-" He glanced
upwards. "Decided I had some unfinished business."
"Why did you-"
"It's my turn." He interrupted.
She looked at him questioning. "No one said you could ask me questions
just because I'm asking you some."
Spike muttered something and chuckled lowly. Sometimes he wondered if Buffy ever
acted difficult just to deliberately drive him off the edge. "I get to ask
you questions as well and if not, don't bother sticking around for my
answers."
Buffy groaned. "Fine." She grudgingly relented.
"After the Apocalypse, what happened to everyone?" He asked.
"Anya died." She sounded sad as she said it. "A lot of the
potentials too. After that we all kind of traveled around on a school bus until
we reached L.A. Angel helped us out.
Dawn and I moved to Florida. Faith, Wood, Xander
and Jonathan and also a couple potentials went to Cleveland."
"Cleveland?"
"Another hellmouth." She drawled.
"Great."
"Then Giles went back to England. Willow spent a month with
him there to work on her new magic. She went back to Cleveland but now she's in Florida on the way
here."
It seemed confusing as Spike thought about all the move that they had to make
ever since the supposedly end of the world came and went.
"I'm sorry about Anya." He said. He was going to miss the ex
vengeance demon.
Buffy nodded. "Me too."
Another uncomfortable silence fell between them. Buffy cleared her throat.
"I'm glad you're back."
"Good." He grinned. "Because I plan on sticking around."
She smiled, thankful that the tension had faded away. "Hey Spike, want to
spar?" She asked curiously. Buffy needed to release her tension and what
better way to do so than strenuous physical activity. She also was curious
about how strong Spike was now that he was human.
And Buffy was in no way going to suggest sex since it came second in her
options.
He raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't wait to get your hands on me, couldn't
you, love?" He teased as if knowing what the other option was and she sent
him a warning glare.
"I was just-" She began to protest but he interrupted.
"Go take a shower. Then we'll spar. I want to kick your ass when you smell
good." He grinned even wider. He knew full well that he was pushing her
buttons.
"I hate you." Buffy said through gritted teeth as she stomped to her
room.
"Just hurry up so I can beat your ass." Spike called, laughing her
annoyance.
He heard her groan angrily, and punch something. "You wish!" She
yelled back, although Spike could tell that she was amused despite her efforts
to hide it.
He grinned to himself.
It was definitely good to be back.
~*~
A/N: THERE YOU GO. IT WASN'T THE MUSHY MAKE UP SESSION THAT YOU GUYS WANTED TO
HAVE SPIKE AND BUFFY BUT IN MY OPINION THEY WON'T BE ALL MUSHY ANYWAY. I
PROMISE TO HAVE MORE FLUFFLY MOMENTS LATER.
I JUST HAD TO SET THE FOUNDATION ON THE RECCUPERATION OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. HEHE. I JUST USED BIG WORDS.
ANYWAY, THANKS FOR READING AND REVIEW PLEASE!!!!
