THE END IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created.
CHAPTER 14-IN THE MEANTIME, AND WORRY
No matter how hard she tried she couldn't remember when it had started. Most days she found herself wearing more and more of Spike's clothes. She would only wear his shirts and coats and things like that but on more than one occasion she had found herself unable to determine whether or not a shirt belonged to her or Spike. This time around Spike wasn't so picky with who wore his new duster, as Buffy used it whenever she went out to get some milk and the night was a bit chilly. Truth be told Spike would later let it slip that he let Buffy wear his duster a great deal because he simply loved how she looked wearing it. He had allowed Molly to wear the duster once to a party and she had come home with an ugly stain on it. The new slayer had been in tears when Buffy had found her and the two had spent the night doing everything they could to get the stain out. By morning's first light the stain was out and Spike was none the wiser, just one of the many secrets that Buffy and Molly began to share. It had been almost six months since that day in Sunnydale when Giles had laid out what they needed to do to get back home. He had told them about a sorceress named Noxon that would have more than enough power to send them all home. But the hard part had come in their attempts to find this Noxon. Giles had given them a place to start but after six months they had still found nothing about the mysterious sorceress.
True to his word Spike had mixed a rather potent cocktail of spell ingredients and in the end no one in Sunnydale remembered that the three had ever been there. Buffy's only memory's of that day was that everyone looked at her funny the entire day. Giles had taken more than three weeks trying to iron out exactly what had happened to his latest paycheck and in the end had given up and written it off to the hellmouth. Six months post Sunnydale had found the trio nestled in a small town on the outskirts of San Antonio Texas. It had taken Buffy and Molly three months of begging, pleading, and straining their eyes to make their best sad puppy dog eyes before Spike had finally relented. Their wish had been to see William the Bloody, the former scourge of Europe and killer of slayers, dressed up as a cowboy, complete with the spurs, chaps, and ten gallon hat. Molly had been sure to buy plenty of disposable cameras for the event and afterwards had enough pictures to fill up about half of the scrapbook that she was compiling of their adventures through the past. Her favorite had been of Spike's face after he had gotten bucked off by one angry bull during a charity rodeo. The organizers had at first been adamant about not letting Spike ride, saying that he'd get killed, but after some coaxing he had been allowed to ride. Spike ended up nearly winning the rodeo but his luck ran out with a bull aptly named, Angel.
By some strange stroke of luck Buffy had run across a developer that had just finished building a new apartment complex but was having trouble finding tenants. After some haggling Buffy had been able to secure the largest of the apartments at a reduced price since she had promised the developer that she, Spike, and Molly would stay there for over two years. The developer hadn't even blinked when Buffy handed over the first three months rent on top of the security deposit. Had he known where the money had come from he might had thought different. For the first few months after leaving Sunnydale Buffy and Molly had relied almost completely on Spike for money. Buffy had found a few odd jobs here and there but they didn't stay anywhere to long for her to garner anything but short term part time work. In most of those jobs her slayer strength had been the deciding factor. At first Buffy hadn't asked Spike where he got the money but when she finally did he went the extra mile and let her tag along. Buffy found out that Spike had been stealing from any demon and vampire that he could find that didn't know him. With the vampires he'd clean a nest out and take what money he could find, sometimes going the extra mile and not staking the vampires until he had knocked them out and searched through their pockets, before pawning off anything and everything that he found of value in the nest. Buffy had been initially angry at how Spike had gotten the money but in the end she had decided that it was only fair that after everything that vampires and other demons had taken from her that she take something back.
But now that they had finally found a place to settle down for the time being, while Spike sent out feelers in the demon and vampire communities for any word on Noxon, Buffy and Spike had been able to find full time jobs and get Molly into a good school using forged paperwork. That aspect had been helped when after only a few weeks Molly had begun pulling in better grades than most of the Scooby's. Buffy had gotten a job at the local self defense school, teaching and counseling battered women and others on how to protect them themselves and how to work through the traumatic times in their lives. Once again her slayer training had gotten her the job even when some of her forged paperwork looked a little suspect. Spike had landed almost every odd job that he could find, from bartending on weekends to performing small favors for some of the better off citizens of the area. Most of those small favors usually ended up being cleaning out a vampire nest or beheading a rather bothersome demon. And to pay for some items Spike had resorted to using his knowledge of the future to place a few bets here and there, always appearing as if he would only be guessing at the outcome of a particular game or fight. All that they had done had prepared them to live in the world of the past, thinking that they could handle anything. That was until the morning where a nervous Buffy looked down and saw two blue lines where there had only been one before. There was no doubt about it, Buffy the chosen one, was pregnant.
* * * * * *
"We really should get back to the hotel you know, they're probably worried about us," Wesley said with a slightly impatient frown on his face as he swept his gaze over the wall of weapons in front of him. After he had woken up from the effects of the spell and talked a bit with Faith about the old picture he had implored, in fact nearly begged her to let him show her something. She had been initially hesitant as of the millions of times that she'd heard that line before the formerly rogue slayer wasn't sure that she was ready to hear it from her ex-watcher, yet.
"Yeah…right…," Faith mumbled back softly, her voice filled with more than a fair amount of awe as she ran her fingers over the hilt of a sword that Wesley had become fond of using in the short time since taking charge of the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram and Hart along with Angel and the others.
"Faith…," Wesley said, this time a little louder, as he walked up to Faith and leaned up against the wall, being careful to position his body so that he wasn't to close to the business end of any of the weapons.
"Okay…but only if I get to…," Faith started to say with an unhappy pout on her face before her eyes lit up at the sight of a knife and sword combo that caught her eye.
"You look like a kid in a candy store…," Wesley said with a bored yawn and strangely happy smirk on his face before he looked down and noticed the state that his clothes were in.
"I feel like one with all of these beautiful swords, knives, and…," Faith started to reply with an ecstatic look on her face before she looked down and noticed the large green stain on the front of her shirt. "Ugh…I hate demons…," Faith muttered loudly with an angry scowl on her face as she turned back to Wesley.
"I'm not exactly sure what demon all of this blood…if this is indeed blood…comes from, but…," Wesley started to reply with a slightly absentminded frown on his face as he picked at the green stains on his own shirt.
"This is never going to come out…damn, I liked this top to," Faith cursed softly under her breath with an annoyed look on her face as she started to walk away from the wall of weapons.
"Maybe I should drop you off back at the Hyperion so that you can get cleaned up before I do the same at my flat…," Wesley mused with a serious frown on his face as he slipped his hands into his pockets and searched for his keys.
"Why don't we just save a trip and head over to your apartment and do everything there, that way I don't have to face that pack of vultures alone," Faith interjected with a frustrated frown on her face before she imitated Wesley and drove her hands into her pockets.
"Or you could always do that here Mr. Wyndam-Pryce and Ms…," A clean cut Wolfram and Hart associate started to say with an overly eager to please smile on his face before he got hung up on Faith's last name.
"What…," Faith asked with an impatient and slightly angry scowl on her face as she spun around on her heel and glared at the associate.
"We…have a small gym located on the premises, complete with a spacious locker room and…," The associate started to answer with a nervous and slightly scared look on his face as both Faith and Wesley turned their full attention his way.
"That's good to know…but I don't know about you but neither one of us has anything to change into after said showers…so thank you but…," Wesley said with a fake polite smile on his face as he lightly patted the associate on the shoulder.
"Yeah…what he said," Faith said with a bored look on her face before she wrinkled her face in disgust as she brought a small swath of her shirt up to her nose and took a sniff.
"Oh no, that's no problem, no problem at all, we also have a in house tailor that can create and repair clothing in not time flat…it's kind of must when you deal with the clientele that we do, demons seem to have an aversion to a nice suit and tie," The associate added with a scared and nervous smile on his face as he rushed to position himself in front of the door and to try to gain favor with the new boss.
"Gee I wonder why…I've only been here a few hours and I gotta say that I'm feeling a serious need to…," Faith said with a daring smirk on her face as she pulled her hands out of her pockets and tried to look as menacing as she could towards the associate.
"Faith…calm down…please…on second thought I think that we'll take your advice and get cleaned up here…if that tailor that you spoke of can work fast, I don't fancy walking about here in a bloody towel all day," Wesley started to say with an almost scolding look on his face and tone to his voice as he chided Faith before he turned back to the associate and shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes sir…of course sir…if you'll just follow me," The associate replied with a very nervous and scared stiff smile on his face as he opened the door and quickly left the room.
"Smooth Wes…real smooth…," Faith mumbled with a relieved chuckle before she winked at her former watcher and strode out of the room, leaving Wesley to only let out a short laugh of his own before following his former charge.
* * * * * *
Angel and the others had only been back for a few hours but already they had recounted their story at least three times. Angel had gotten so impatient that he had locked himself in the office and refused to come out, only allowing a shaky and nervous Cordelia entry after she had slipped upstairs and taken a shower to get cleaned up. Xander and Anya had disappeared into one of the open rooms on the third floor and after one look at the happy pair Giles had made sure that they weren't bothered. Robin and the new slayers had listened to every word of first Angel's story with interest before being reduced to listening to Andrew go on and on about how awesome and scary the Beast was all at the same time. Willow had furrowed her brows in worry and concern at the news of Riley's condition and made a mental note to venture out to the hospital to check up on her former friend.
"So this Riley Finn…he's part of a secret military group that fights the things that go bump in the night," Robin asked with an interested look on his face as he turned to Willow.
"Yeah…we met Riley and the rest of the Initiative…well some of them, back when we were all still in college, then he started dating Buffy and helping us out…," Willow started to say with an almost melancholy frown on her face before she brightened up a bit at the memories of how, early on, Riley had made Buffy.
"Before as I recall he let himself be drawn into the company of some very unsavory characters and left Buffy high and dry," Giles added with a rather stern and disapproving scowl on his face as he took his glasses off before rubbing his tired eyes.
"Uh…yeah…that to…," Willow mumbled with a sad pout on her face as she jutted out her bottom lip and stared at a blue pen on the counter.
"Which also allowed Spike to get close to her," Andrew piped up with a dreamy grin on his face before he tried to retreat inward upon himself at the scathing glares that he received after he stopped talking.
"Leave that bastard out of this…," Robin growled through a set jaw and gritted teeth as he tightly clenched one hand into a fist.
"Uh that wouldn't be the same bastard by any chance that sacrificed himself to save the world only to be brought back to save Buffy…," Andrew chimed in again, this time looking like he was getting away with something as he recounted Robin's words.
"Don't remind me…he should have stayed dead after what he did…," Robin grumbled with an unhappy scowl on his face before he stood up and walked around to the back of the counter.
"If that's what you think about his sacrifice then I shudder to imagine the devious methods of torture that you'd have planned for a couple of rogues like us," A healthier looking Wesley announced with a sneaky grin on his face as he walked in the door and slung an overly stuffed duffel bag over his shoulder and unbuttoned the middle few buttons of his ankle length duster.
"Wesley…," Fred exclaimed with a relieved and happy smile on her face as she threw an arm around Gunn and gave him a tight squeeze.
"Don't forget about me Slim…," Faith interjected with a slightly sheepish smirk on her face as she stepped out from behind Wesley and did her best to reposition an overly stuffed duffel bag of her own over her shoulder.
"Faith…," A relieved but irritated Robin said loudly as he walked up to Faith, glaring evilly as he rudely brushed past the ex watcher before stopping just in front of Faith. "What happened…," Robin asked with an impatient and very demanding frown on his face, once more taking on the guise of a principal.
"Relax man, Wes and I just had some drinks and played it safe and caught a Wolfram and Hart limo back to his office where we slept off one hell of a hangover," Faith replied with an impatient and slightly insulted frown on her face before she finished with one of her trademark smiles that Wesley couldn't help but copy.
"What are you smiling at pal…and where'd all of the fancy clothes and accessories come from," Robin asked at first getting into Wesley's face before he returned to glare down at Faith with his arms crossed and his principal scowl firmly in place.
"Me…just at the lack of trust that you seem to have in Faith…and…," Wesley answered with a restrained smug grin on his face before he was interrupted by Angel and Cordelia's entrance back into the lobby.
"Wesley…Faith…good you're back, I've got some good news and some bad news…," Angel started to say with a slight appreciative nod of his head before Cordelia broke in.
"Wesley…," Cordelia shouted with a happy and relieved smile on her face before she rushed forward and gave Wesley a tight hug, one that he returned. Everyone in the lobby stayed silent for a few seconds; however had anyone been looking at Faith they would have noticed the almost jealous scowl that quickly spread across her face before disappearing almost as quickly as it had arrived.
"Cordelia…I'm so glad that…but how…," Wesley managed to mumble out through the tears that the two old friends shed in their joy.
"It's a story for another time Wesley, what's important now is that we had another run in with the Beast and from it we've learned that apparently the Scourge are working as it's underlings, what do you know of them," Angel said with a gravely serious scowl on his face as he crossed his arms and leaned back a bit on his heels.
"Let's see…the Scourge…a race of demons that exhorts a xenophobic dogma in which any being that is not fully a demon is thought to be of a lesser quality, or impure, and that their methods are brutal in their extermination of those said beings," Wesley replied dryly with an ever increasing scowl of worry and concern on his face as Cordelia took a step back and politely nodded her head and smiled to Faith, an act which caught the formerly rogue slayer completely off guard.
"That'd be them all right…," Cordelia mumbled with a very unhappy and slightly queasy grimace on her face as she remembered the last time that she had been confronted by the Scourge. That time it had taken the death of a close friend, her heart ached as she thought of what the price would be this time around.
END OF CHAPTER 14