BtVS || Spuffy || BtVS || Spuffy || Keeping Up With the Scoobies || Spuffy || BtVS || Spuffy || BtVS
Title: Keeping Up With the Scoobies – The Long Way Home
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Joss Whedon. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: m/f, f/f, hurt/comfort, survivor's guilt, fluff, found family
Main Pairing: Spike/Buffy
Side Pairings: Tara/Willow, Xander/Renee, Robin/Faith, Connor/Dawn, Dowling/Dylan, Angel/Cordelia, Wesley/Fred, Gunn/Anne, Oz/Bay, Buffy/Satsu (briefly), Willow/Kennedy (briefly)
Buffy Characters: William 'Spike' Pratt, Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenberg, Alexander 'Xander' Harris, Andrew Wells, Tara Maclay, Renee, Faith Lehane, Robin Wood, Robert Dowling, Dylan Turner, Satsu, Kennedy, Daniel 'Oz' Osbourne, Bayarmaa 'Bay'
Angel Characters: Angel, Cordelia Chase, Connor Angel, Harmony Kendall, Winifred 'Fred' Burkle, Wesley Wyndam Pryce, Charles Gunn, Lorne, Anne Steele
Summary: Buffy shared her powers with all potential Slayers. But that was only the beginning. Now, she has to deal with all the new Slayers, with the aftermath of LA going to hell – and coming back. The world knows about the supernatural, there's no going back.
Keeping Up With the Scoobies
The Long Way Home
17. Artemis the Vampire Slayer (2)
The base was buzzing with noise, everyone talking about each other. Buffy paced impatiently.
"Okay, anyone with serious ideas that could be helpful, speak up. Everyone else, shut up."
Everything quieted down and everyone looked at her. Nobody spoke. That wasn't great. Buffy's eyes wandered over her people, in the end landing on Willow, who looked doubtful.
"Okay, so... I think I have an idea," Willow stood up, gaining everyone's attention. "I think... I think we might be able to argue child endangerment."
"I mean, I totally agree that it's dangerous to try and force her to live as a boy, but..." Lilah trailed off, her brows furrowed. "I mean, I don't think that the judges are gonna go for it."
"Oh, no. Not... exactly that," replied Willow. "It's going to be argued on account of her being a Slayer. I think I have a plan, I just need a couple of you guys for something..."
/break\
Buffy felt incredibly uncomfortable in the suit she had to wear. Looking professional and serious. But she was in the stands, giving testimony. She still couldn't entirely believe that they were doing this. Filing for custody of a minor. But... Artemis was miserable with her parents and what Willow had figured out as a solution wasn't a lie either.
"Child endangerment, that is preposterous!" the Kingsleys' lawyer jumped up.
"Actually," Buffy spoke up loudly, before clearing her throat. "It's not. I'm the original Slayer. When I came into my powers, I was just fifteen years old. Just like Artemis is now. But her parents are denying her identity and by doing so, they're also endangering her and those around her."
"Can you elaborate on that, Miss Summers?"
Buffy nodded at her lawyer. "Yes. Being a Slayer comes with heightened durability, stamina, healing speed and strength. When I first came into my powers, I accidentally broke someone's ribs, just by hugging them. Because my strength increased so much, I didn't know how to control it. By denying Artemis' identity and pretending that she's not a woman, not a Slayer... she will remain untrained. Her power will remain unchecked. That is directly endangering her and those around her, in a physical way. I'd like to... We've prepared a little demonstration."
They had made a tape, of the young Slayers. Lilah lifting a fridge with one hand, Noelani breaking a door by slapping it. Anything to show just how dangerous the Slayers' strength was. There were gasps all around. Many had never seen a Slayer perform such a thing before.
"Her parents can't even accept that Artemis is a girl, much less a Slayer. What Artemis needs is training and an environment fit for a Slayer to hone her skills and prevent her from harming herself or others by sheer accident."
That was the gamble they were going for and Buffy really hoped that it'd pay off.
/break\
Weeks after Artemis had first stood in front of this house, she was finally allowed to move in. Her whole body was buzzing with excitement, her most important things in a bag over her shoulder. They'd won. Buffy Anne Summers now had custody over her and Artemis would finally get to experience what it really meant to be a Slayer!
"Welcome home, Artemis," said Buffy in a soft voice, resting a hand on Artemis' shoulder. "Come."
Totally buzzing with excitement, Artemis let herself be led into the house. All the Slayers were lining up left and right once they were inside, welcoming Artemis.
"So... uhm... Where am I going to stay though?"
"I created a solution for that," Willow offered her a smile. "Bit of magic, inspired by... Andrew."
"Andrew?" Artemis frowned confused and turned toward the man in question.
Andrew looked utterly excited, jumping up and down a bit. "Bigger on the inside! TARDIS technology! Or, well, TARDIS magic, I suppose! It's awesome."
"Was I... supposed to understand that?" asked Artemis, turning toward Buffy.
"Oh, no. No, you don't..." Buffy shook her head. "Nerd-babble. But the nerd-babbling inspired Willow to a spell that makes the house larger once you're inside, while keeping shape and size on the outside. Meaning, there's a whole additional floor now."
"We finally have our own bedrooms," Carina chimed in, groaning. "Everyone. Also, bathrooms."
"Glorious, additional bathrooms," Tess fist-bumped the air.
Artemis stared with wide-eyes, even as she got led upstairs. There was another upstairs now, with more bedrooms. Including a bedroom just for her. Freedom. Training. Slayers. Now, she was going to get everything she wanted, had always wanted.
/break\
When Spike entered the bedroom, he found Buffy at her desk, a terrified look on her face. What kind of monster was she dealing with...? Approaching her from behind, Spike came to look over her shoulder. Paperwork. Right. Being responsible for a whole little human.
"School," Buffy turned to look up at Spike with a cute pout. "She has to go to school. Did you know there's this much paperwork involved in taking in a child?"
"Last time was easier, I'd gather," Spike hummed in agreement "When you... When it was about Dawnie, she kept the same residence, she kept going to the same school, all that..."
Buffy made a small noise. "Also, I am kind of freaking out about being responsible for a young human. Me. I can't. I'm not ready for this kind of thing, I can't."
Freaked out Buffy was something else. Spike furrowed his brows and rested both his hands on her shoulders. Massaging ever so slightly, while Buffy breathed through it.
"You did it before, with Dawnie. And you're taking care of all of these Slayerettes," Spike tried, voice soft and trying for soothing. "I'm sure you're gonna be just fine. And you're not alone. I got your back. And so do the Scoobies, darling."
Buffy heaved a sigh and leaned back, resting her head against his stomach. "You're right. You're totally right. I just can't help... worry, you know."
"I... actually do," Spike tilted his head, looking down into Buffy's face with a smile. "You know I helped out a lot with the niblet after... You know. Your death."
Buffy frowned up at him. She knew that. She just tried not to think about that. About Dawn having lost first Joyce and then Buffy... And Hank never... Buffy's stomach knotted up at the thought of Hank. The man had been such a huge disappointment after Buffy became the Slayer. Trying to... ignore it. Trying to make it go away by ignoring it. Huh. Guess that was why she'd gotten attached to Artemis so quickly, because she recognized a lot of her own struggles in the teen.
"I just want to... help her," whispered Buffy. "I hope I can do that. But this is different from anything I have ever done before. This isn't fighting monsters..."
"It's not," agreed Spike bemused. "But you're going to manage. You always do."
/break\
Tara smiled softly to herself as she watched Willow from a distance. Today was one of her classes. Willow had essentially taken over as head witch of San Francisco and she was so impressive at it. Part of it was that Willow taught classes for the very young and inexperienced. To avoid another Jonathan or Amy; isolated children or untrained children, misusing magic. By teaching them responsibility and giving them a sense of community with other young witches, Willow wanted to prevent such a thing from ever happening again. Including the risks of it all; her own magic addiction had taught her something horrifying that nobody had prepared her for. These children, the children in her care, would learn the joys and the risks and how to use it responsibly.
"And I think that concludes today's class. Be careful on your way home, okay?"
The teens ran out, whispering and giggling among themselves. Tara watched them leave and when she turned back toward Willow, she found the redhead staring back at her. That had always been it, hadn't it? Willow saw her. When Tara entered a room, she had Willow's attention in a manner Tara had never experienced before. Or after, for that matter. Even now, as a member of the Scoobies, with her own friendships to them, their attention paled in comparison to the way Willow would look at her. Smiling softly, Tara opened her arms for Willow.
"It's lively here, huh," Willow pecked Tara's lips. "I... never expected any of this."
"But you're doing good," Tara tilted her head. "The kids adore you. Respect you."
"That's part of what I never expected," Willow giggled a little. "Part of me... Part of me will always be that wallflower school girl who thought she couldn't do anything? Even now, even when I know how strong I am, sometimes, I have to think of who I used to be. And back then...? I thought I would work in some cubicle office job nine to five, Missus Willow Harris with like three kids, never having left Sunnydale and never planning on doing it either."
Tara's smile was small as she took Willow's hand. "And then you found yourself."
"No," Willow shook her head. "I found Buffy. And you. Both, in different ways, helped me find myself. I didn't do that on my own, I don't think I never would have."
It was hard to disagree with her, because Tara knew that she would not have found herself either without meeting Willow, meeting them all. So instead, Tara just leaned in and kissed her.
"He—ey," Artemis rounded the corner. "And I am totally interrupting a moment. Sorry."
"Not at all," Tara flushed, brushing her hair behind her ear. "What is it?"
"Grandpa Giles says that dinner is ready."
Willow raised both eyebrows, looking at Tara and at Artemis. "Did you just say 'grandpa Giles'?"
"Ye—eah?" Artemis frowned at her. "Spike says that's what I should call him since he's like practically my grandpa now, since Buffy is my legal guardian and he was kinda one for her?"
Both witches laughed softly as they looked at each other. The new teenager was going to be fun.
/break\
"Hey there, pipsqueak," Spike chuckled and walked up to Artemis. "Take it easy on him."
"Bu—ut... how?" Artemis looked up when Spike ruffled her hair. "He's like real bad at this."
Andrew made a miserable little noise next to her. "It's not me being bad at it, it's you being too good at it! You and your... Slayer-reflexes or whatever!"
Spike raised one eyebrow at Andrew. "Right. I'll just go upstairs and amend the list of Slayer powers to 'unbeatable at Super Mario'."
"I feel like you're not taking me seriously, Spike," complained Andrew. "I'm right."
Spike grunted and shoved Andrew a little. As long as Artemis was having fun and getting along with the others. Living here was an adjustment for anyone, but a teen who'd just left her family and home behind? With a last look at her, he headed out to the garden. Closely followed by her.
"He—ey," Artemis drawled, awkward. "Uh, I left uncle Andrew to lick his wounds..."
Spike chuckled to himself. Sitting down on the Hollywood swing and Artemis joined him. For a while, they watched the sunset quietly together. She'd been with them for nearly two weeks now. After a while, Buffy walked out to join the two, waving at them before sitting down with them.
"It's okay if you miss them, you know," whispered Buffy after a few moments.
"I don't," Artemis huffed stubbornly, crossing her arms. "What's there to miss? They couldn't even use my name! I'm better off without them. I'm happy here. Here is great."
"My father..." Buffy trailed off a little. "My father never accepted that I'm a Slayer, even before they knew a word for it. I killed a bunch of vampires in our gym and... got kicked out for it. My mom, even before I told her that I'm the Slayer, was always patient and understanding. But my father wasn't. I was a troubled problem child. He... He cut me out of his life, essentially. Got divorced from my mom, never to be seen again... Giles was more of a father to me than Hank. But that... that doesn't mean I don't love him. There were still good memories, when I was a little girl. Times where he was a good father. And... I'm sure you have those memories too."
Artemis glowered. "So what?"
"So... It's okay that you still love them," repeated Buffy with a small, sad smile. "Even if they hurt you, even if they abandoned you... That is not your fault. And You're allowed to have complex feelings about it. I just... I don't want you to be angry with yourself of to feel guilty for missing them, for still loving them. Because they are your parents and there were good parts. It's okay to miss those good parts, to cherish the good memories, and still cut them out of your life."
The look on Artemis' face softened, her eyes glassy. "I... Okay."
Buffy offered her a smile, patting her knee softly. Then she leaned back in her seat, relaxing some.
"You're a strong kid," Spike turned to look at Artemis. "You'll get through it. And if you gotta talk about it, or anything, you can come to us, okay?"
"...Thank you," Artemis wiggled her nose. "I guess it's just..."
She paused for a moment, trying to find the words. "I like the training. Specially with the other teens who just come for the weekend class. But seeing some of them get picked up by their parents, praised and stuff... it's... It makes me so angry."
"And that's okay too," Buffy assured her. "It's not good to swallow your anger. Work it out. Spar, kick, break something. Work through your feelings."
/break\
"This is so—o cool, Spike," Artemis grinned and whirled around in front of the mirror.
He'd done her make-up, all dark smokey-eyes. And she was wearing his leather coat. Not that she was going to wear it outside, he was definitely not going to lend this to anyone. It had been a gift from Buffy, after all. But maybe she could get one of her own.
"Glad you're having fun, pipsqueak," Spike chuckled to himself. "Guess you never really got to have fun with this kinda stuff, with your parents."
Artemis paused and turned toward him. "No. Not... really. I got stuff I could get away with, you know? But they would have totally freaked if I put on make-up."
"Heh, can relate to that," Spike smirked into the mirror. "Mom would have made three crosses."
Slowly did Artemis turn toward him, looking him up and down like she was seeing him properly for the first time. "You're like. Really old, right? Since you're a vampire. So it must have been even more super strict when you were my age."
"I recon," Spike nodded. "Never was as brave as you were though, kiddo. I conformed, when it came to clothes and physically expressing myself. It was my behavior that got me the name-calling. For me... it was becoming a vampire that allowed me to express myself."
"Yeah?" Artemis sat down cross-legged on the ground, looking up at him. "How come?"
"Power," Spike tilted his head. "I was always a weakling as a human, so I ducked and ignored it. But as a vampire? I had the strength to stand up to bullies. And I lost my soul – which, I gather, is more like an... inhibitor. It keeps you at bay. Without it, you're more... unhinged. I did a lot of bad things, a lot of things I'm trying to atone for. The one thing I don't regret is finding myself."
"You still go by Spike," Artemis blinked repeatedly. "Even though you're not a soulless vampire anymore. You could have gone back to your human name, unless... It's like your dead-name?"
"Not as extreme," Spike tilted his head. "But I am more Spike than William. Back when I became a vampire, I went by 'William the Bloody' for a long time. Until I came to express myself more. I guess I always had a bit of a complex relationship to gender? I'm a man, but not entirely. Not... just. Not really the way most interpret what it means to be a man. Ah, bullocks. Putting these things into words is hard. But yeah, I like Spike because as a name it's more... open."
"Not gendered," offered Artemis. "Huh. That's cool. But like your pronouns?"
"Nah, I never cared for that," Spike shrugged. "He's okay. Never flinched at 'it' either. Guess I wouldn't mind 'they' either, probably."
Artemis nodded, even as she looked at him with thoughtful eyes.
/break\
"Spike..." Buffy rolled over in their bed and poked his chest. "Are you awake, Spike?"
"...I wasn't until you decided to try and stake me with your finger, love."
Spike turned enough to glare at her, though it was half-hearted at best. It was dark outside and Spike had, quite frankly, gotten very used to the new rhythm of sleeping at night and being awake by day. Even quicker now that he actually could go out during the day.
"What is it, love?" asked Spike after a moment.
"Do you want children?"
Well, that woke a vamp right up. "Come again...?"
"I just. I've been rolling this around in my head, ever since I signed the papers to take Artemis in," Buffy sat up in the bed, combing her fingers through her hair. "I'm the Slayer. I never considered it before. I mean, before I was the Slayer, I was like fourteen and younger and totally did not even think about ever becoming a mom. And then I was the Slayer and... it... pretty much..."
"Wasn't an option for you," offered Spike.
"Exactly," Buffy sighed. "I know Nikki Wood did it. But... at what cost. And there was always the looming threat of death. That was just something I filed away as never gonna happen. But now..."
"Now that you share the burden with others," Spike also sat up, feeling even more awake now. "You... have been... thinking about it? Really?"
Buffy gave a hopeless shrug. "I don't know. I'm not saying I want a baby right now. I just... I've been thinking about it being a possibility, at one point. And then I thought about you. And me. Together. And that I have no idea how you even think about that. I'm sorry, I know it's a weird time and a weird thing to wake you in the middle of the night for it, but I couldn't shake it? I just want to know what you think, if you've ever... thought about it."
"As a human? Yes. A lot. Always seemed like a done deal. Find a nice lady, settle down, have a bunch of kids and carry on the Pratt legacy," Spike huffed at that thought. "As a vampire? Not at all. For one because of the... biology of it all... And then the whole no soul thing. There was no thought wasted on getting a baby or anything. But I guess... things have changed... I gotta admit, I've been thinking about it a lot since my stint in LA. Angel got a kid. And I... yeah."
"Exactly," Buffy heaved a sigh. "That ominous 'yeah'. That's exactly how I feel. Like, it's something I'm thinking about but I'm not sure yet. So..."
"So I guess we're on the same page there, Slayer," Spike smiled. "For now, we got the teen."
Buffy smiled at him, kissing him softly before settling back into bed. After a moment, Spike followed suit. Kids, huh. He genuinely hadn't thought about that before, not really.
Author's note: Please excuse my lack of knowledge about the early 2000s American laws regarding children's well-being. But I do I think that I made a solid enough case for child endangerment there? xD" NEXT chapter we're gonna focus more on the Scoobies' romantic lives again ;)
