Disclaimers: Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon own it all. I'm just doing this for fun, and hopefully entertainment
Reviews: Welcomed and appreciated
No, it's not over yet. Never intended this story to be so long, but once I finisha chapter the next one seems to write itself. Not sure yet where it's going or where it will end, so we'll find out together.
"Cordelia? Are you asleep?" Willow was restless and sleep would not come.
"Well, with you shifting every ten seconds, I'm not." She said without an ounce of sympathy. She was tired and when she was tired she was cranky.
"I can't sleep. I need the light on. I always sleep with a nightlight at home." She knew she sounded whiney, but she couldn't seem to help it.'
"You're a vampire Willow. Hello? Creature of the night? Remember? You can see really, really well in the dark." Cordelia was exhausted and was fastly losing her patience.
"I need the light on." It was a flat statement.
"Fine!" Cordelia huffed. She got up, turned the light on and grabbed her pillow and clothes. "I'll be in Xander's room. He sleeps with the lights out."
"How…how do you know?"
"Never mind. Just try to sleep. We'll be in the next room if you need us." With that she was in the hall. She padded over to Xander's door and opened it slowly, trying not to wake or scare him.
"Cordy? Is something wrong?" Wide awake, he was too emotionally spent to panic, but he'd try if she needed him to.
"No, we're okay. Willow can't sleep and I…please Xander. Can I stay with you?" She had held it together all evening, but she felt herself starting to unravel.
Xander saw the look on her face and quickly pulled back the covers. "Of course baby. Get in."
Cordelia dropped her clothes on the floor and fell into his arms. "You're so warm. I missed you. You feel so good Xander." She dug into his arms, pulling his shirt up to feel his skin.
The tears fell on his chest as he held her close. "It'll all be fine. We're fine." He rubbed her back, attempting to comfort her, but he wasn't sure how.
"It won't be fine Xander. Not for Buffy and not for Willow. They're vampires. They can't go to school, can't go into the daylight." She sobbed, all the pent up emotions of the last 12 hours releasing. "Vampires, they're vampires."
"But there're vampires with souls. It'll take some getting used to, for all of us, but we'll adjust." He continued to rub his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her.
Cordelia looked up at him. "It could've been us, Xander. It could be us. Every night there's a chance."
"Cordy, you can't think like that, not when you live in Sunnydale. We have to do our best to take each day as it comes and do our best to stay alive. Like, not walking in front of trucks. We should always look both ways and not walk in front of trucks."
He felt a small laugh escape her. "Xander, you freak." She looked up at him, her momentary light mood shifting to desperation. "Please, make love to me? I need you, I need to feel alive, I need your heat." She sat up and pulled her shirt over her head and looked into his eyes. "Do you want me?"
"Always." Xander quickly removed his clothes. He held Cordelia close, kissing her deeply while running his hands down her body to remove her panties. She gasped as his hands remained between her legs, arching her body into him.
"Wait." Xander pulled away from her and reached for the wallet in his jeans, from which he removed three condoms and laid them on the nightstand.
She smiled shyly, "I didn't even think…"
"I'll always protect you." He rolled back on top of her as she opened her legs to accommodate him.
"You feel so good." She rubbed her hands down his ribs, stopping to cup his backside.
"We're both gonna feel even better." He took her mouth in a searing kiss.
As his hands and fingers manipulated her, making her ready for him, she moaned deeply, "Yes."
Willow had gone downstairs and was channel surfing. Late night television sucked, she thought. She turned the box off and laid her head back, looking up at the ceiling.
How am I going to tell my parents? She asked herself. They would've been okay with my death, but this…they just won't get it. She sat up as she heard the front door open and looked up to see Spike walking in.
"I thought you were in bed." Willow put a strand of hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture, making Spike smile.
"Ah, no pet. Still have another hour or so 'til the sun comes up. Chatted with the second slayer and had a drink at Willie's. Bloody celebration there, now that Darla's dead. Ding dong and all." He sat on the couch across from her. "Can't sleep? Well, we are creatures of the night, you know? Catch our zs whilst the sun's up."
"Yeah, so Cordelia informed me."
He looked around. "So, where is the princess?"
"She went to Xander's room." Willow gave him a conspiratorial look. "I think the two of them are…you know…I think they took the big step." She would've blushed if she could.
"You been they shagged? Of course they have love. End of the world hijinks is a boy's best friend. Huge motivator of sex." He picked up the remote. "Sleepy yet?"
"So you really don't go to bed until the sun comes up? I mean, Angel and Buffy went to bed hours ago."
He graced her with a sexy smirk. "Who said they're sleeping. Besides, your time clock will change soon enough."
"Oh." Willow quickly looked away from Spike. "Guess I'll try to get some sleep. Should be rested before I drop this bomb on my folks." She stood to go. "I'll see you later?"
"Got no place else to be love. You can knock on my door anytime, we're family after all." He found an old movie and settled in to watch. "Hey, great movie this."
Jenny sat on the floor, next to Giles legs. The watcher, favoring his left side as he reached for his tea.
"Rupert, you really need to get some sleep." She got to his cup first and handed it to him.
"It all seems so unreal Jenny. All that I've been through with these children and to have it end like this. Buffy's first death was traumatic enough, now this, it's irreparable. How irresponsible was I to allow my slayer to bring her friends into this?" He shook his head. "It's my lack of responsibility that allowed Willow to be in this situation. That allowed my slayer to take up with a master vampire. To put all of them in so much danger."
"Do you really think you could've stopped Buffy? Or Angelus for that matter? They were destined Rupert. As for Willow, she could've easily been killed, turned, walking to her car. The fact that Buffy's been her protector may have kept her alive long enough for me to be able to put her soul back. We live in Sunnydale. We can't second guess the past Rupert. We need to move on. Those kids need you strong and sure."
He looked at her with fresh eyes, with admiration. "Yes, indeed. You are right. We'll have a lot to deal with, what with parents and school. It's easy enough for Buffy as she's emancipated. I'm sure Snyder will be delighted. But Willow's another story." Giles turned to Jenny, worry furrowed on his brow. She ran her hand over his forehead, trying to sooth it.
"I think the Rosenberg's have lived in Sunnydale long enough to know some of what goes on. They'll just need to be visually educated. Take Angel and Buffy, the three of them in vamp face should do the trick." She couldn't suppress the giggle that erupted with the thought of her last statement.
Giles looked at her in confusion. "You find this amusing?"
"Lighten up Rupert. The whole thing could've been a tragedy. But the world was saved from hell, the girls are mostly alive and the image of the Rosenberg's faces could be priceless."
He rolled his eyes and relaxed. "I'm getting too old for this. And if the council finds out I'll be lucky if I'm allowed to resign with my life."
Instead of going upstairs, Willow took a right turn and headed to the basement. Oz was sitting with his back against the wall, his head in his hands. And thankfully fully clothed, Willow thought.
He looked up as she entered. "Willow? Are you alright? What happened? I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you." She could see the anguish in his eyes.
She smiled, he was so cute and she'd never heard him use so many words at one time. "Well, there's good news and bad news. So, okay, good news first, we aren't in hell. Darla and Dru are dead and Acathla's still stone."
"And the bad news?" He still hadn't risen, not sure he could handle what she was about to say.
Willow sat on the floor, next to his cage, unable to look at him, she kept her eyes on her hands. "The bad news has a good and a bad part to it as well."
"Bad part first."
She finally looked up, tears threatening to spill at the corners of her eyes. She took a deep breathe, which felt really weird. "Both Buffy and I…we were turned. We're vampires."
Oz shot up to his feet and backed further away.
"No, no wait. It's okay, well sorta. Ms. Calendar, she re-souled me. She used the gypsy curse, only without the curse part. As for Buffy, well short version? 'Cause she's the slayer, she can't lose her soul, some sort of loop hole for turned slayers."
He came up to the bars. "God Will, I'm so sorry. How are you?"
She shrugged, "I'll let you out, you'll probably want to get to school."
"No big. I usually cut on Mondays, way boring."
She stood back to let Oz pass, but instead of walking by, he stopped in front of her. "Coffee would be good."
She smiled. "Kitchen. I'll make you some."
He smiled back. "Great."
"What time do you think it is?" Buffy was lying on her stomach, Angel's body blanketing most of hers.
"The sun's almost up. The time when we generally get to bed." He nuzzled the back of her neck then ran his tongue along her earlobe causing her to shiver.
"Mmm…feels good. How can you tell the sun's almost up when the curtains are drawn?"
"Our internal clock becomes very acute. You'll see." He shifted his weight and rolled her over to look into her eyes. "How are you?"
She stretched her arms over her head and then wrapped them around his neck. "Very relaxed, thank you very much."
He chuckled. "You're very welcome, but I mean how you are doing about all of it. The turning. Me being your sire. How do you feel about me, about us?" There was real concern in his voice and she reached out to touch his face, to reassure him.
"I love you. I don't know Angel. Not much I can do about the rest. It's done. I'm just glad you're my sire, not that bitch. Even if she is dead. I suppose the whole reality will sink in and I'll have a major panic attack. And then having to tell mom, so not looking forward to that. But the upside is, I do get to spend all eternity with you." She looked deeply at him. "How do you feel about that? It's quite a commitment."
Angel took her left hand in his and kissed her ringed finger. "I made that commitment the day before your birthday. Actually, I think I made that commitment the moment I saw you. The thought of losing you someday was always in the back of my mind, but I dealt. Now I won't have to."
"What do you think the council will do Angel? To Giles, to me?" There was a tinge of fear in her voice.
"We'll just have to make sure that there is no reason for them to ever do anything, to either of you." He hugged her close. "I meant what I said before Buff. I will decimate anything that attempts to come between us, anything or anyone that threatens you or us. And that means those council bastards."
"Okay." She snuggled into him, totally reassured by his confidence, trusting him completely. "Nap now."
Angelus looked down at the sleeping form in his arms. He knew what was coming and he would do anything it took to protect her. To protect his family. He was now the head of his clan, which now seemed to include quite an assortment of extended members, and he vowed to destroy any who tried to endanger them.