THE END IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created.
CHAPTER 16-MUG PROBLEMS AND A BIG HELP
To say that Joyce's arrival had barely changed Spike and Buffy's way of life would most likely have been the understatement of the millennia. The couple had expected the loss of sleep but since the pair both had the added slayer strength on their side the little spats that normally spring up between two people in their position at times would end up with the apartment, or at least part of it, completely trashed. Molly had finally resorted to spending the night with friends more and more, mostly just so that she could actually get a full nights sleep. Now that being said the happier times of being new and unexpected parents had come to, as both Molly and Buffy had made sure to buy enough film to capture everything about Joyce's life. Spike had stopped going out at night as much and after some forceful haggling he and Buffy had worked out a plan of how to take care of Joyce. Many a day Spike would wake up after a long night to find Buffy asleep in the rocking chair that he had picked out for her with a softly snoring Joyce in her arms. Early one of those mornings Spike was about to leave the room after seeing that sight when Buffy's soft voice interrupted him.
"Spike," Buffy whispered softly through a tired yawn as she blinked her eyes a bit to clear up her vision.
"Yes pet," Spike whispered back with the beginnings of a smile creeping up on the edges of his mouth as he stepped back into the room that they had designated at the nursery. The room wasn't very big, only having enough room for the essentials as the changing table, the baby bed, and enough room for a rocking chair by the window.
"Here…take Joyce," Buffy whispered back softly with a tired yawn as she sat up in the rocking chair and handed Joyce to Spike.
"Of course," Spike mumbled back softly with a tired yawn of his own as he took his little angel in his arms and walked over to the baby bed. Before laying her in the bed Spike leaned down and kissed his daughter softly on her forehead. Slowly and quietly Spike helped Buffy to stand up before the two left the room. They entered the kitchen to find Molly searching through one of the cupboards with a frustrated scowl on her face.
"Where is it…," Molly grumbled with an angry frown on her face as she closed one cupboard and turned a bit before opening the next one.
"What are you doing," Buffy asked with a confused frown on her face as she gathered her bathrobe tighter around her before tying it tight.
"I'm looking for my bloody cup…the one I always drink tea out of, I can't find it," Molly replied with an angry scowl on her face as she barely gave Spike and Buffy a glance before returning to her search through the cupboards. When the trio had found themselves stranded in Sunnydale of the past the young British brunette had been coy about her age. But after a few days she had admitted that she was only a few months from her sixteenth birthday. On that most special of days Spike and Buffy had thrown her a surprise sweet sixteenth birthday party, inviting all of her friends from school and otherwise along with hiring a local band for the occasion. They had been lucky enough to be able to use a local ballroom that had just undergone extensive renovation. Spike had secured it through his act of killing a rather nasty demon that had tried to kill the ballroom's owner. Buffy and Spike had mostly stayed in the background and served as chaperones for the night, which in the end turned out better than anyone had expected, serving as a night full of pictures that Molly would remember as one of the happiest night of her life. Ever since that night Molly had begun begging Buffy to take her driving every chance that she got. Buffy had been about ready to snap when Spike had politely agreed to help teach Molly how to drive. Buffy found out later that during many of those outings between the two Spike would have Molly drive past a house or warehouse, once they got over the short lived dilemma of which side of the road to drive on, anywhere that Spike wanted to stake out later. But apparently the former vampire had done something right during those sessions and by the time Joyce was born Molly had her own driver's license. Spike hadn't told Buffy yet but the night before Joyce was born he had undone a curse for the owner of a local car dealership and that his payment was that he could bring Molly down and let the new driver pick out any car on the lot that wasn't to expensive. When this fact was brought up Buffy had initially been against it but she had finally relented when Molly had found an after school job and was able to pay for her own gas and things like that.
"Have you looked in the sink yet Bit," Spike asked with a tired smile on his face as he leaned up against the counter, using the pet name that he had started using for Dawn but had then included Molly.
"Oi…of course Spike, I'm not a bloody wanker," Molly growled back with an angry scowl on her face as she closed the door to the cupboard that she had been searching through and stood up with her arms crossed.
"Okay, settle down you two, now Molly I moved your mug along with Spike and mine to the mug rack on the counter remember, I told you about it last week," Buffy said with an almost motherly tone to her voice as she stepped in between Spike and Molly.
"Oh yeah…I remember now…sorry," Molly mumbled back softly with an ever growing look of embarrassment on her face before she bowed her head and grabbed her mug off of the rack.
* * * * * *
"So what do we do now," Dawn asked with a concerned frown on her face as she first looked to Wesley and then to Angel.
"Well I'll call over to Wolfram and Hart and…," Wesley started to say with a slightly uncomfortable look on his face before Angel looked up with a very stern look on his face and interrupted.
"Now…we find Buffy and get her back before the Scourge shows up," Angel declared with a very serious frown on his face before he walked past Wesley into the office.
"Should we really be that scared about these Scourge guys, I mean with all of the potentials now slayers and the fact that they only go after those that are half demons…shouldn't we all be safe," Robin asked with a slightly confused frown on his face as his gaze settled firmly on how close Faith and Wesley were standing.
"Speak for yourself Denzel…I'm half demon…then of course there's Mr. Broodypants in there, we're probably number's one and two on their hit list," Cordelia replied with a worried and sarcastic frown on her face as she sat down next to Angel.
"And so that is why we must be constantly on guard, anything could happen," Giles added with a very serious frown on his face as he led a weary Gunn and Fred back into the lobby.
"Hey, we beat those bringers and those ubervamps…we can take these Scourge guys," Rhona piped up with an easily seen air of confidence on her face as she stepped out of the small herd of new slayers that had just come up out of the basement.
"You're no match for the Scourge…not yet, I'm the only one that can take them on with any chance of success, at least with Buffy gone…," Angel stated with a very certain scowl on his face as he glanced over at Rhona, who didn't look to happy at being disagreed with but didn't say anything.
"You're forgetting someone Angel, you're not the only one that can fight the Scourge, you forgot about Faith, and I'm not up to your caliber as a fighter I can take care of myself," Wesley interjected with a serious frown on his face as he looked first down at Faith, who cast him an appreciative look, before turning his gaze to Angel. Angel thought about Wesley's words for a few seconds as the lobby stood silent.
"You're right, Gunn I want you and Fred to take everyone over to Wolfram and Hart, put them in all of the board rooms if you have to, and make sure that they're well protected," Angel commanded with a very serious tone of voice as he stood up and looked around the room.
"Wait a minute…I can fight," Robin exclaimed with a defiant scowl on his face as he started to take a step towards Angel.
"Of course you can Robin, but you're in no shape to fight, at least not right now, besides I'm going to need help in coordinating things over at Wolfram and Hart," Giles said with a nervous shrug of his shoulders as he loudly cleared his throat. Robin looked about ready to continue his push to be included in the fighting but stopped and walked past Angel and entered the office, but not before saying his peace.
"Fine…I'll go, but tell me why Pryce gets to stay," Robin whispered softly as he neared Angel, whose countenance went stone cold. Angel waited until Robin was in the office before walking to the doorway and replying in a low enough voice so that only the former principal could hear.
"Because he's my best friend and I trust him…he can handle himself in a fight, and I know that he'd die to protect Cordy and Faith," Angel said softly to Robin before standing back up and shutting the office door behind him.
"That was tense…," Kennedy said with a nervous smile on her face before a cold glance from Angel silenced the new slayer.
"Aren't you sure that I shouldn't stay behind Angel…I mean with my magic I could help," Willow asked with a nervous and slightly scared look on her face as she looked to Angel.
"Thanks for the offer Willow, but the only ones staying here will be me, Cordelia, Wesley, and Faith," Angel replied with a serious but calm frown on his face before he walked over to Gunn. "If Lilah gives you any shit just tell her to come talk to me, I don't have time for her jealousies," Angel added with a frustrated frown on his face before Gunn nodded his head.
"Right…so what are you guys going to do in the meantime while the rest of us are roughing it over at Wolfram and Hart…checkers…," Gunn asked with a serious frown on his face before trying his best to lighten the mood a bit.
"Getting ready…if they want a fight then by hell we're going to give them one that they won't ever forget, I'm not going to lose another friend to those bastards," Angel answered with a barely restrained look of anger on his face before he walked past a very nervous Fred and ducked around the counter, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon.
"I'll call over to Wolfram and Hart and get a team over her to study the portal Angel, I'll make sure to have them bring along one of the…special…security details, that should at least buy us some time while we try to figure out how to get Buffy back," Wesley chimed in with a serious frown on his face as he began to dig his cell phone out of his pocket.
"But what about Spike…and Molly," Dawn asked with a slightly nervous and confused frown on her face as she turned in her seat and looked over towards Angel.
"They're probably wherever…I mean whenever Buffy is Dawn," Andrew said with an oddly confident smile on his face as he laid a comforting hand on Dawn's shoulder. Rather than jerk away Dawn didn't seem to mind the gesture.
"How do you figure," Giles asked with a confused frown on his face as he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and began to clean his glasses.
"I don't know much about those two…but what I do know is that they have the odd habit of always running into each other, no matter what's going on," Andrew replied with a meager smile and shrug of his shoulders before he looked down at Dawn, who gave him a meek smile back.
"Andrew's right…wherever Buffy is Spike and Molly are probably there also…as odd as that is…hey maybe we can get all three of them back at the same time ya know…," Willow added with an optimistic smile on her face as her outlook looked to be brightening up.
"Buffy is our main goal…Spike and Molly are secondary," Angel mumbled with a frustrated and slightly angry scowl on his face as he stood up from behind the counter, mace in hand.
* * * * * *
As Joyce's first birthday neared the information regarding the whereabouts of Noxon had begun to almost flood in. That change had been greatly helped by the sudden appearance of Whistler. Spike and Buffy had bumped into the scales evening demon while utilizing one of their free nights together letting Molly stay at home with Joyce. In effect the night had become one more of celebration for the two rather than as a relief. Against her initial concerns Buffy had caved in and agreed to go out with that night with Spike. The two had been in the middle of dinner when Buffy had looked down at her dessert and noticed the small box with roses on it. She had looked up at Spike with a confused look on her face only to see him staring back at her with an almost paralyzed with fear frown on his face, as if he expected her to stake him right then and there. With a trembling lower lip and faltering tone of voice he tried to explain but Buffy didn't fully understand what was going on until she opened the small rose covered box and instantly her breath was taken away. Inside the small box lay a small ring that consisted of a band of silver and one of gold intricately interwoven together with a small diamond surrounded by small emeralds and aquamarines.
Her eyes almost instantly filled with tears as she tried to force out the only question that her mind could think of at the moment. Spike had tried his best to downplay how much time and work he had put in trying to get the ring just right and how his hopes wouldn't be too badly hurt if she refused. But in the end he had stood up and picked up the box before getting down on one knee beside her. She had almost lost it when Spike, formerly known as William the Bloody and scourge of Europe, turned his gaze upward towards her, eyes filled with tears. She had only let him get out the beginnings of the question before she had suddenly been able to find her voice and nod her head before verbally uttering the right words. "Yes Spike…I will marry you."
With a nervous smile on his face and an obligatory sniffle Spike had slowly taken the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. As he started to stand up she pulled him close into the most blissful of kisses. When they had broken the kiss they were surprised to see their waiter standing near the table with a bottle of the houses best wine and a string quartet behind him. Buffy had tried her best to decline the generous offer but Spike had softly placed a finger on her lips and asked the string quartet if they knew a number that Buffy had never heard of. As the evident leader of the quartet had smiled and nodded his head Spike had pulled Buffy to her feet and soon the two were dancing slowly, almost to their own rhythm, out under the stars with a string quartet beautifully setting the mood. By the time that they had left the restaurant it was later than they had expected and were hurrying towards Spike's car to get back to Molly and Joyce when Buffy had bumped into Whistler. Spike had instantly leapt to Buffy's defense and probably would have decked Whistler had Buffy not spoken up.
"No Spike wait…Whistler…," Buffy shouted with a slight tone of panic to her face as she grabbed Spike's arm and pulled him back, leaving a thoroughly shocked and confused Whistler to stare back at the couple.
"Buffy…Spike…what are you…you shouldn't…you're not supposed to…," Whistler mumbled out with a thoroughly confused look on his face as he repositioned his hat and shuffled his feet.
"You know this wanker…," Spike whispered his question softly to Buffy under his breath as he kept a watchful eye on Whistler.
"We've met…," Buffy replied with a nervous frown on her face as Spike seemed to relax and adopt more of a staying in between Buffy and Whistler stance than a threatening one.
"Yeah…but that's not supposed to happen for a few more weeks…after you and Angel make with the smoochies and he becomes a creep again, complete with killing that pretty teacher…," Whistler said with a deep in thought frown on his face as he seemed to be mentally checking over how he knew things were supposed to go.
"The teacher…Peaches killed her years ago, right before he waited outside of your window to see your and Red's reaction…he went on and on about how beautiful your pain was…bloody wanker," Spike said with an unhappy scowl on his face as if he didn't like to remember the memory but then as he did certain parts prompted him to become angry.
"What…he was there…," Buffy asked, a completely aghast look on her face, as she startled to tremble a bit, causing Spike to deftly slip his coat off and put it around her slender shoulders, an act that he had done hundreds of times for Dru.
"Yeah…after he left the teacher in Rupert's bed he waited outside of your dining room window and watched the whole thing, had a pretty good laugh about that…he and Dru anyway…I just got angry and told him that we were supposed to kill you…not leave gag gifts in her friends beds…but Angel said that he had it all under control…of course that was right before Giles firebombed the place," Spike replied with a nervous frown on his face as he recounted the events of the past, making sure to keep an arm around Buffy as her spirits seemed to sink further and further with each word.
"Yep, that's how it's supposed to go down…but how did you…ah now I see…got sucked into one of those lightning filled time warps…so how long have you two been here…," Whistler agreed with still a slightly confused frown on his face before a light seemed to turn on in his head and he slowly started to nod his head.
"A little over a year…but it's more than just us…a potential slayer turned full fledged slayer named Molly and our daughter Joyce," Buffy answered with a nervous frown on her face as she swallowed hard and desperately clung to Spike.
"Well I can't help you get back…that's not my job, you'll have to go to Noxon for that, she should be around her somewhere…but she probably won't even see you unless you have the triumvirate of the legendary weapons, that and an innocent to serve as your herald…that teacher would have worked, except she's slated to die…," Whistler added with a apologetic frown on his face as he sheepishly started to look around to make sure that no one was listening to their conversation.
"Just our bloody luck…what do we do now," Spike exclaimed with a frustrated scowl on his face as had Buffy not been there he would have throttled the odd immortal demon.
"Well I could help you with the getting the innocent part…I could keep her soul in limbo until after the funeral…then resurrect her, but all of that good would have to be countered by something very bad…bad with a capital B…," Whistler said with a nervous shrug of his shoulders as he dropped his head a bit and tried his best to not look Buffy or Spike in the eye.
"But what about those weapons…I'm guessing that the scythe is one of those weapons, but it's in the future…how…," Buffy asked with an overwhelmed frown on her face as she leaned her head lightly on Spike's shoulder.
"Then all you have to do is get the other two legendary weapons and get the nice teacher on your side and you'll be all set, but you'll have to get the two weapons on your own, I can't help you there, all I can say is that you'd better get them and be in Sunnydale when I resurrect that teacher or else everything's going to go to hell…literally," Whistler said with a very nervous and scared wince on his face as he looked back and forth between Spike and Buffy.
"Come on…you have to give us more than that…," Spike growled with a defiant sneer on his face as Whistler was beginning to try his patience.
"Okay…fine…but don't tell anyone that you heard this from me…one weapon is in Cleveland…find a demon name Grabulac and he'll tell you how to obtain the second weapon, as for the other one well it's in sunny Hawaii…kind of the perfect place to protect it from everything and everyone except for a slayer huh…anyway find Hulauu and she'll point you in the right direction, but you must hurry," Whistler added with a very serious look on his face as he took his hat off and tried his best scared smile.
"Cleveland…Hawaii…how are we supposed to get there…the airfare alone…Whistler…," Buffy started to complain with a scared frown on her face before she looked up and suddenly found the annoying and immortal demon no longer there.
"Bloody hell…," Spike growled with an angry scowl on his face before a light rain began to fall.
END OF CHAPTER 16