Title: Chamomile
Part: 7/10 When You Love Me
Author: Jmaria
Rating: Pg-13
Disclaimers: Edgar, Cammi, and Kirkland Maltby? Mine. Everybody else are the results of Joss and J.K. brains
Spoilers: 5 (6ish) by 5 by 2(3ish) (A:ts)
Summary: Hello Lover. Edgar, don't do that! What is your malfunction? Back off before I beat you down.

A/N: Ok, I needed Connor in the last part. I need him in this part. A lot of stuff that happened in the series, I either speeded up or just jumped over. I know Connor was born in the middle of the season and I know that Wes betrayed Angel. NONE OF THAT HAPPENED IN MY STORY, However. I'm interpreting Connor as being sixteen. Also, there was none of that long drawn out, I was really in Heaven crap that she went through. She took off without telling any of them. She went to L.A. to find Cammi, hoping they hadn't gotten around to taking her girls yet, found Spike, and Connor fell through a portal, tore up from the floor up. On that little explanation, I bring you the next part.

7. When You Love Me

"Buffy's alive." Dawn murmured, tracing the letters over and over. It was from Charlie. He rattled on for all of three sentences before he said it plainly. Buffy's alive. She's in L.A.

"Bloody hell, it's true then? Buffy's alive?" Ron asked, rereading the letter that Dawn shared at the breakfast table.

"I - I guess so. She's - God, I -" Dawn tried to get it out, but it was stuck there, lodged deep in her throat.

"Merlin!" Hermione hissed under her breath. "This is just so unbelievable. How could someone bring a person back to life?"

"When I -"

"What?" Hermione turned to face Dawn, disbelief marring the girl's face. "You've done this before?"

"Yes - well, no. I tried to bring my mom back after she died - but I - I stopped the spell." She looked around to the very shocked group of teens gathered around her. "Obviously, I didn't finish the spell! Geez, I miss the twins. You guys are so damn jumpy!"

"Language, language Summers."

"Bite me, Zabini."

"That's Head Boy to you, Summers."

"And I repeat, BITE ME!" She pushed away from the table, hitting her knee on the bench in the process.

"Dawn, wait. Luna and I will come with you. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor have Potions today," Ginny said, chasing after the upset girl.

"Nonetheless, Gryffindor will be docked ten points," Blaise Zabini hissed in Dawn's direction.

"Bite Me, Zabini." She called back.

"Let's make that fifteen, Summers!"

"Oh, get a grip, Zabini." Ginny called.

"Twenty."

"And do let's dock Slytherin ten for harassing Gryffindor sixth years, shall we, Blaise?" Hermione said rising. "We've got Advanced Charms. As do you, Blaise."

"Lead the way, my dear Head Girl." Blaise sneered.

"This is certainly turning out to be a very interesting term, don't you agree, Ron?" Harry pushed himself away from the table.

"Bloody interesting year, if you ask me."

L.A.

Connor pushed himself up off the ground. They were all just staring at him. Justine had warned him that it would be hard. It had been a hard life in Quor-toth. He and Holtz and Justine had lived there. Justine had tricked Angel and his friends into believing she was on their side, then she somehow managed to drug Wesley and Lorne and kidnap him. Holtz had been killed when Connor was five. And Justine had died in the attack that had sent him back here, to Earth.

Justine had known some kind of guilt near the end. Seems that she and Lorne had had a heart to heart when she was trying to win their trust. As the bitter young woman grew older, she began to know some type of guilt. Seeing what this existence had done to her, Connor, and Holtz, she knew the young man would have had an easier life if she had never taken him from his father.

It was her dying wish that he would get to have that kind of life. A life where everyday wasn't a struggle to save your skin. And now he was home. Sixteen years later, and he was back where he belonged.

"Are you all gonna leave him to bleed, or are you gonna help him?" The short blonde woman asked, stepping forward extending her hand to him.

"How long have I been gone?" Connor asked.

"Well, that's just the million dollar question, isn't it?" The white-blond haired man asked.

"Fifteen days . . ." His father said mystified.

"Apparantly, it's a year for a day in Quor-toth." The short-haired brunette replied, making her way to the blonde's side. "Let me help. You've been all dead again, Buffy. I might be able to help make it easier."

Buffy let him go, giving the young boy who looked an awful lot like his father a soft smile. She kinda knew how he was feeling. Being somewhere different and coming back to a place, nearly nothing changing there. But you were different. She turned to Wesley.

"I need to find my sister and my daughter. It'd be really great if you'd give me the address."

"Buffy, I believe you should ask Mr. Giles -"

"I can't. Willow and all of them - they brought me back. Giles is in England. Where my daughter and sister are right now."

"Only Angel has the address, I'm afraid. And he'll be rather wrapped up in all of this -"

"How exactly did all of that happen?" Buffy demanded, still thrown that Angel and Darla had a kid who had been stolen.

"Inane prophecy. And Wolfram & Hart had something to do with that." Wesley removed his glasses.

"You're acting more like the Tweed man, again." Spike said, rolling his eyes.

"And we haven't staked you yet, why?" Wes demanded.

"I was helping you look for Peaches, Jr." Spike grinned.

"Wonderful. I can't wait much longer." Buffy said quietly. Spike's snapped his attention to her. "It'll be her first birthday. I can't miss that." Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Bloody hell. PEACHES!" Spike pulled her in for a hug. "We'll get to the Tea-bit and Nibblet too."

"What, brain-dead?" Angel yelled back.

"Pack up Junior, and take us to the bits." Spike yelled back.

"Since when does the Big Bad care about me?" Buffy smiled brokenly at him.

"Well, I meant to keep a promise . . . and I failed. But I told you Chamomile would be safe."

"You said Dawnie would be safe."

"Well, she was included."

"What if he won't give them back, Spike?"

"Then we'll take them by force, won't we Pet?"

The Burrow

Charlie was walking her back and forth. She'd been crying all morning. Howling her head off, actually. Molly swore it was just her cutting her teeth. But it was more than that. Something was wrong. He was sorely tempted to apparate to St. Mungo's to have a full check up done on his little girl. She sobbed into his shoulder.

"A man can deal with dragons trying to burn him to a crisp, but leave him with a baby and he loses his head." Tonks shook her head at him.

"Knock it off, Tonks."

"What's the matter, Charlie?"

"Buffy's alive." He sighed.

"What? How -" She gaped at him.

"I don't know. She - I received a letter saying she was alive. I - after what Dawn told me, there's no way she could be alive."

"Well, she is. Oh, Merlin -"

"She'll be coming for Cammi. What am I supposed to do, Tonks? Give her and Dawn back? I know that's what she'll want. Hell, if the roles were reversed, I would want them back."

"Oh, Charlie. . ." Tonks's eyes glistened at his expression.

And Cammi stopped crying right then. Her little gaze blurred and the baby disappeared from Charlie's arms.

Hogwarts

Dawn was busy trying to mix her potion. All of the summer tutoring lessons had only hit the tip of the iceberg. But at least she got to show up HIM. She'd had some sort of knack at getting the potions at least half-way right. And that just annoyed Snape.

It annoyed him even more when a little red-haired witch popped herself into the room. Directly on her aunt's lap. Dawn gave a gasp as the little baby clung onto her, she dropped the holly leaves on the counter top and tried to soothe the crying baby.

"Miss Summers, might I inquire as to why that creature is in my classroom?"

"Sorry, but I'm as clued out as you are, teach." Dawn said, rising to her feet. The class was nearly over anyway.

"Where do you think you are going, Miss Summers?"

"Duh, to talk to Professor Dumbledore before another stupid owl wings it's way in here, charging her with underage use of magic." Dawn rolled her eyes, as she pushed past the Ravenclaws, who were trying to make their way out of the dungeon.

"I cannot allow you to miss your other classes. Leave the child with me -"

"I so don't think so, bub. I'm taking her to Dumbledore. Gin can copy the notes for me, anyway."

The Burrow

Charlie paced around the room. The owl had arrived a moment later, from Professor Dumbledore. He sighed in relief. Tonks just watched him.

"Stay here, if a truck stops at the end of the lane, get whatever comes out of it."

"Charlie!"

"What? I have to go, Tonks. Cammie's apparated herself to -"

"Charlie, you have company." Tonks pointed to a car coming down the drive.

"Bloody hell."

The doors popped open, and a blond woman ran to the door. Charlie whipped it open and stared at the girl.

"Hi, Charlie," she said breathlessly.

"Buffy?"

Hogwarts

Dawn made her way to Gryffindor Tower, waiting with Cammi on her hip. She never heard the footsteps behind her. She did however, see the blur of yellow fur fly past her. There was a loud, ear-piercing scream. And it wasn't coming from Edgar.

She spun around and saw Edgar sink his teeth and claws into Malfoy's shoulder. He hit the ground like a ton of bricks. Dawn's eyes went wide. She stared in shock for a second before she went to the Slytherin's aid.

"Edgar, get off. Let go of him."

Touching, there will be no touching!

He not ugly doggie

"What?"

"Get your rat off of me!" Malfoy screamed.

"Shut up! Edgar, let go! He's not that bad, and I could have taken him anyway!"

Vile, vile Snake!

Eww. Slithers.

"Yes, he's a snake, but he's not that kind of snake, Edgar!"

"What the bloody hell are you going on about, Summers? Get your damn rat off of me!"

"I'm trying!" Dawn snapped.

She finally got Edgar to let go of Draco. She grabbed the mongoose by the scruff.

"Un-uh. You are so gonna explain this, you Kofi." She glared at him. "What do you want Malfoy?"

"Dumbledore sent me with this note."

"Yeah, because that's so believable. I would have gone with Snape if I were you," Dawn glared at him.

"Yeah, well the truth is always less believable." Malfoy was checking his shoulder.

"Come on, you cry baby. I'll take you to Madame Pomfrey. Come on, Edgar."

The Burrow

Buffy stared at Charlie. She almost felt a pang of jealousy when she saw Tonks enter the room. Until she remembered her. She'd met her and Charlie's brother back when she met him in Sunnydale, almost nineteen months ago. She looked up at Charlie and asked the only question she could.

"Where are the girls, Charlie?"

Angel had told her, repeatedly how he'd taken responsibility for raising the girls. All during the flight actually, when Angel and Spike had managed to sneak up from the cargo bay. Connor, Cordelia, and Buffy had been in the actual cabin.

Now, the two vampires, the seer, and the son were crowded around the kitchen table. And Buffy was staring at Charlie as if he'd done something wrong.

"How can that be the first thing on your mind?"

"It's my family -"

"And you've been dead Buffy! How could you have kept her from me? How could you lie to me about what you are?" Charlie snapped.

"Dawn told you . . ." Buffy's eyes widened. How could Dawnie have betrayed her secret?

"Damn right, Dawn told me. She told me . . ." But he trailed off. He remembered exactly why Dawn had told him. Because the twins had popped in unexpectedly.

"Why'd she tell you? Were you attacked by vampires, or demons?" Buffy demanded.

But then there were three sudden crackling pops as the twins and Percy returned.

"No, we're not demons." He groaned, putting a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "We're wizards."

A/N2: Part seven is done. Hopefully, I'll get part eight, nine and ten finished before Monday.