A/N: Finally, I update. I'm sorry all, but I should be finishing this story very soon. I have the spare time to do so. Barring unforseen difficulties, I will do so. This is a very evil chapter, very evil but it is as long as I can make it without ruining the ending to apologise for not updating in so long.

Disclaimer: I've cancelled all plans I had for the sequel to Progeny. I'll save you time now and say that no amount of begging, bargaining or threatening will get me to put it back on the To Do list. All of the ideas I had for that fic would work better as an original piece, because mostly it ignored the Jossverse. So in the near future, I may be working on an original piece which I hope you'd all be interested in reading. In all likelihood I'll simply move on to a new story that takes my fancy or finish some of my older ones.

XXXXX

Tired Old Story

"Katie, it's time for bed," Faith bellowed, stomping through the house in her search for the tiny blonde child.

"Katie doesn't want to go to bed," a tiny piping voice said from the dining room.

"Well, Katie doesn't have a choice tonight," Faith said through grit teeth.

"You're more right there than you realise," a deep, smooth baritone said behind Faith.

The Slayer spun, her fist already flying to hit the intruder, only to be thrown through the air landing with a crash on the dining room table.

The red scaled demon in a well-tailored suit raised a perfectly manicured hand. "Constrictum," he muttered, fingers dancing an arcane sigil in the air. "I'm afraid I'm here to kidnap the girl."

Faith struggled against her bonds wildly, her eyes widening when she saw a blonde shadow dart into a safer area.

The demon seemed to take this as a cue to talk.

"Really sorry about using such a cliché technique, but I'm kind of in a hurry so do be a dear and tell Buffy Summers - I'm sorry, but is that her real name? Not a nick name or anything? Dear God, what people do to their children. Anyway, be a love and let Buffy know that I'm perfectly happy to give the little girl back in exchange for her. Oh, and let William know that Jim has her at the train station, and if that doesn't ring any bells remind him of Prussia in the winter of 1902. Now, if you'll just come along, sweetheart. My, aren't you a feisty little thing. So much of your mother in you, although you seem to have your father's knack for picking the most inappropriate fights. Careful, dove. Don't want to hurt yourself with that axe so why don't you give that to me? Does your daddy know you're using his weapons? No? Well, we can keep that between us. I'll catch you later, Faith, because I'm quite sure you'll be along with the rescue party."

The demon, a scowling Katie caught roughly in one hand and the dainty axe Katie had tried to use to kneecap the Slayer earlier in the other, disappeared in a wink of purple light and Faith felt the spell holding her down evaporate instantly. Hurriedly pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and dialled Spike's number. This was bad.

XXX

Spike opened his mouth. "Buffy…"

The Slayer looked at him in wide-eyed entreaty. The vampire ran a hand through his hair before nervously reaching for a cigarette that wasn't there. Unsure what to do with his hands, he pushed them into the pockets of his duster.

"Buffy, I," he began before a ringing sound cut him off. With a look of relief on his face Spike fished out a mobile phone.

"Let it ring," Buffy pleaded. "I need to know."

"This'll be important," Spike said weakly, panicked. 'This is the emergency phone."

Buffy felt like tearing her hair out in frustration.

"Hello? What? When! Listen, call the others and let them know and we'll all meet there in ten minutes. No, no, tell Xander and Anya to watch the other kids as planned. I know, I know. Give Oz a ring, he might be able to help them and it won't hurt to have a werewolf there. Yeah, added protection. See you in five," Spike finished grimly, hanging up the phone.

Buffy looked at him questioningly.

"Katie's been kidnapped."

XXX

"I hardly think that's true," Jim's oddly smooth voice rebutted.

"It is," Katie asserted seriously. "You look silly in that suit."

"Do you even have any idea how rude that is?" Jim asked suddenly. "How would you like it if I said you look silly in what you're wearing?"

Katie rolled her eyes. "I'm in my pajammies," she replied scornfully. "They're not supposed to be pretty, they're supposed to be comfy."

Jim scowled at the little girl sitting imperiously on his favourite chair. Honestly, demon spawn these days had no respect for their elders. "This suit is very comfy."

Katie shook her head. "Only pajammies are s'posedta be comfy. Everything else is supposed to look pretty."

Jim opened his mouth to argue the point when one of the rattin demons entered and bowed obsequiously. "What do you want?" he snapped waspishly.

"Everything is ready, sir," it chittered.

Jim brightened for a moment. "Have you gotten the chairs set up?"

The thing stared blankly. "Chairs?"

Jim set his jaw in frustration. "Yes, chairs. As in, something I can sit in because I'm not standing while the Slayer and her delightful friends come to kill me. Oh, and get a stool for the girl, too," he added as an afterthought.

"Of course," it squeaked, before backing out of the room at speed.

"I swear, they are absolutely moronic," Jim muttered.

Katie nodded seriously. "They're pretty stupid, too."

Jim rolled his eyes but nodded. "Not to mention their hygiene is appalling."

Katie's brow furrowed delicately. Well, Jim considered after looking at the expression, delicately for the child of a vampire. "Does that mean they're smelly? 'cos Auntie Bit tolded me one time if you don't take lotsa baths when Daddy says that you get unfigenik and all smelly and you carry zillions of tiny monsters that try and make you sick but instead of eating you they make you all snotty and not pretty at all."

"Something like that," he said in a non-committal tone.

"They wear ugly clothes too," she said after a moments more consideration.

"That's their skin," Jim informed her dryly.

Katie wrinkled her nose. "Eww."

"Tell me about it," Jim muttered. He straightened a little when a thought occurred. "And my clothes are not ugly!"

XXX

The reptilian demon lounged in a makeshift throne in the centre of the platform. Katie was pouting on a small wooden stool, casting jealous glances at the throne and angry glares at the finely attired demon. Buffy stared around wildly, noting with some unease the number of suspicious shadows and potential hiding places. This was a surprisingly good place for an ambush and she didn't like it.

The demon brightened, his eyes shining in the dim light, when he noticed the group had entered. "Ah, the inestimable Miss Summers, I presume. And William, good to see you again, dear chap. You cannot be anyone but Rupert Giles and his lovely wife, Willow. It's an absolute joy to meet people of your standing in the demon world, I assure you. Faith, always a pleasure. Please put the crossbow away, this can be an entirely bloodless exchange. It would probably be better for all of you if it stayed bloodless.'

Spike took a threatening step towards the enemy, quivering with rage. "Give me back my daughter," he snarled.

The demon, Jim, blinked slowly. "Of course," he said slowly, before prodding the tiny blonde girl in the shoulder with one finely scaled digit. "Go on, get."

Katie poked her tongue out at her captor before sprinting across the cold concrete, her bare feet slapping loudly in the quiet, and leaping into her father's arms. Spike squeezed her tightly, murmuring into her hair, before dropping her with Giles who ushered her to the entrance of the station.

"Well, now we've gotten that regrettably annoying bit of our dealings out of the way," Jim said brightly, ignoring the five and a half death glares aimed at him.

"What do you want?" Spike interrupted rudely.

"William," Jim said in a disappointed tone. "William, how can you be so very rude? I know Angelus gave you a better education than that. Well, regardless, I'm here to kill Buffy."

Buffy started. "What?"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," Jim replied sincerely. "How rude of me. I haven't explained." He stood gracefully, dusting his suit as he did so. "I'm not really going to kill you, you see. You're already dead. Mrs Giles née Rosenberg's spell was poorly worded and the attempt slowly pieced your fragmented soul together by using the runoff from the Hellmouth. Oh, don't look so glum, the Hellmouth itself isn't bad - it's just power that shields something very bad. Unfortunately, this means that several of the more sensitive kind of demon live in excruciating agony. Agony so bad that they felt the need to call me."

Buffy shrugged with one shoulder. "Why would I care that a bunch of demons are getting hurt?"

Jim smiled enigmatically. "I think you should care much more than you seem to. Now, I'm not so vain as to think I'm invincible, or that I can't be beaten. It hasn't happened yet, though, and I'm always careful to make sure it doesn't happen. I don't lose, Ms Summers. Now, I'm sure you're sizing me up and trying to figure out how many of us you'll have to kill before we run off. It's a perfectly understandable sentiment, really, I'm just afraid that it wouldn't be advisable. There are thirty of my employers in the room right now, which are well within your power to contain. It's the ninety outside the door, preventing the escape of the… delightful child that you should be more concerned about."

Buffy stared in shock at the demon. Behind her back, Spike shot Willow a questioning look. She nodded slightly in response.

"Feel free to have a moment among yourselves to decide how you're going to act in this situation."

"Don't think that's necessary, mate," Spike snarled before dashing at the demon.

Jim sighed elegantly. "Honestly, you people never give up."

Five feet from the reptilian creature, Spike hit an invisible wall and was repelled backwards. Dozens of the short rattin demons scurried from their hiding places. A few bore crude weapons, chair legs and the like, but most only brandished their yellowed claws.

Buffy lashed out with a foot, clipping one of the foul creatures in the head, and she glanced behind her to see Giles ushering Katie to the back corner, well away from the door. Moments later, the promised ninety began pouring through the entrance, a tide of fur.

The Slayer pulled a stake out of her waistband before losing herself in the melee. Ducking, punching, kicking, the Slayer could hear the slight whir of the gears in her robotic body. The sound of fist on flesh, foot cracking bone, stake rending fur filled the air.

In a moment of reprieve, she scanned the terminal wildly. Spike and Giles were standing in front of Katie, the vampire yellow eyed and furious, the Watcher cold and efficient. Katie stared on with wide eyes. Faith was wielding a pair of knives to great effect, if the pile of mangy corpses she left in her wake were an indication. Willow stood in a field of emptiness, her eyes white and lips moving soundless as she stared right at the red demon at the other end of the platform. Beads of sweat poured down her face constantly.

Buffy darted between her opponents and sprinted towards Spike and his daughter before spinning to face another wave of reckless rattin demons. Teeth tore at her skin, never strongly but often leaving small scratches that would have slowed a human body. After what seemed an eternity, the creatures scattered, fleeing from the seemingly unbeatable foes.

Keeping one eye on the escaping demons, Buffy took inventory. Faith was leaning heavily against a wall, her face pale and her eyelids half closed but she nodded to Buffy she was fine. Willow still stood unharmed and ramrod straight opposite the demon. Giles was sitting down, tending a wound on his thigh but otherwise unharmed. Spike was bleeding from a dozen wounds she could see, several of them serious, but he moved as though he hadn't even begun yet and fury blazed in his eyes.

The demon started clapping. "Bravo, people. No casualties and you sent them scampering. Honestly, I'm impressed. A shame your witch isn't faring better," he said, sounding genuinely sad. "If things keep up she might make it out of my traps okay but who knows how sane she'll be when she does? A shame, really. I'd heard she had a wonderful mind. Now, Buffy, if you'll kindly let me-"

"Enough!" Spike snarled suddenly, darting forward, a blur. He closed most of the ground to the demon before it could even raise a hand, but once it did he was thrown backwards as though belted in the head with an iron bar.

"Don't you hurt my Daddy!" Katie screamed, hurling herself towards the demon at maximum velocity.

Buffy's fingers brushed the fabric of the girl's top as she streaked past. Katie's feet sounded obscenely loud as they slapped on the floor. Spike rose his head groggily. Buffy leapt after the child as fast as her body could take her. A shadow descended from the roof. The lone rattin demon landed in front of Katie, stopping her short. It's claws slid out silently. Spike leapt to his feet, hurtling towards his daughter and the demon. A spray of blood wetting the platform as the rattin swung its arm. Katie collapsing to the cold concrete.

With an inhuman roar, Spike slammed his fist into the rattin's head over and over again, reducing it to a bloody, torn mess. Buffy fell to her knees next to Katie, guilt and fear and numbness threatening to overcome her system. She stared blindly at the four clear lines on the girl's chest, welling with blood. She breathed in, a wet rattle.

"Spike," Buffy said urgently. "Katie!"

Dropping the corpse like it had never interested him, Spike picked up his daughter and cradled her in his arms, murmuring comfortingly to her. Tears filled his eyes as he gently stroked her hair and rocked her.

She coughed fluidly and her eyes opened and focussed on Spike. "Daddy's shouldn't cry," she said weakly, frowning faintly and raising a hand weakly to Spike's face before coughing again and falling unconscious.

XXX

A/N: Like I said, Evil. Evil, Evil, Evil. Capital E. There are two more chapters to come, although for some of you the story might end with the next chapter. I'll explain it more then, but for those of you who are happy with the way the story ends in the next chapter you might want to let that be the end for you. Of course, you're all free to read the epilogue that follows. And thus my glorious return to updating.