Author's note: So sorry, All! I had this chap done ages ago but i couldn't post it because Fan Fic wouldn't accept the file. Well, its all straightened out now. I'm so sorry this is late! This would be the end of those bloody confusing Amsterdam chapter names for a while. Who's great idea was it to name the chapters after the places they were anyway?

Oh and this one goes out to KatKot as usual because she PM'd me and made me feel special. Sorry i couldn't get to you earlier.

Chapter 21 – Sunnydale: Full Circle

Buffy was preparing to refuse point blank to EVER get into the junk heap that her mate liked to call a car. She mentioned it as they were going through customs, well, snapped at him about it really. She hadn't gotten much sleep on the plane Even if she was usually a good traveler. Her destination made her uneasy. Over the last seven years she had been all over the world, but she hadn't been back to California since she left.

She hadn't seen the slayer-ettes in years. She hadn't been the real hellmouth-protecting-vamp hating slayer in years.

"One foot in front of the other, pet." She heard Spike's voice rumble gently in her ear.

She turned towards him, he smirked at her, but she could see the worried glint in his blue eyes. He was carrying the oblivious, snoring Kittie in his arms, leaving her to push the trolley carrying their bags. He shifted allowing one arm to support his daughter's weight and then reached out for her.

"I just… I can't believe we're back here." She said lowly, abandoning the trolley for the time being and allowing herself to be hugged.

He nodded and Buffy could feel him tugging at the edge of her consciousness. He was trying to funnel away some of her dark feeling through their claim. She glared at him.

"Don't do that." She said.

"Jus tryin' to make it easier, pet." He said resting his chin on the crown of her head. "Always knew this day'd come."

Buffy smiled humorlessly.

"Yeah? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

He pulled away and flashed her his trademark smirk.

"We're assuming you'd even listen to me?"

She didn't even crack a smile, just sighed and looked down. Spike frowned.

"Buffy," he tilted her face upwards so that she would look at him. "Love, you are my heart, but you are so bloody stubborn sometimes. We left Sunnydale Seven Years ago but you and I both knew we would be back someday. For heaven's sake, pet, you left without saying goodbye to your mum."

Buffy's eyes filled with tears and Spike immediately felt like a git but he stood his ground. He knew she just needed to let it all out. All her apprehension and her frustration.

"My mom threw me out remember?" she said. "I was kicked out of school too and wanted by the cops and my friends would never have understood my devastation. They were too busy being relieved." She didn't have to remind him that he did understand her, didn't have to remind him of that day, that day when they had both been so devastated they never thought they would recover.

"Too right, pet," he said softly. "But the cops on the hellmouth probably don't focus too much on murders that can't be solved, you've finished with school and your mum, well she seems like the kind of lady who'd take you right back. She prolly never meant that rot in the first place."

Buffy looked uncertain so Spike pressed on.

"And besides, we're booking a suite at the Sheraton-we'll save the world and then we can snub our noses at the ungrateful sods of Sunnyhell and go back home"

Buffy smiled at that, Spike found himself smiling too, happy he could alleviate some of his mate's pain if only for a few moments.

"Sonja asked me if any Movie Stars lived out here," she said. "Can you believe it? She asked me to get her one of those 'star map' things. I kept trying to tell her that Sunnydale was two hours from LA. But she was all just go there and shoot em up-Reminded me that I'm a photographer and I need to go take photographs"

Spike snorted.

"I think it's safe to say that's one thing we won't be doing."

Buffy smiled grimly.

"Right," she said. "Any chance we could add like fifty hundred other things to that 'we are safe to say we won't be doing'-list?"

Spike cocked his head to one side, they had finished up with customs and were now heading outside. He held the door open for her, it was a courtesy Buffy had become so accustomed to that she barely noticed it anymore.

"Would this list include by chance seeing your old friends and your watcher?"

She looked down but said nothing. Spike sighed and focused instead on looking for their ride, squinting through the Californian Sunlight.

"wish i brought a pair of bloody Sunglasses." he said breaking the silence. "Forgotten just how bright that bloody thing can get. Just seems that much brighter here."

"Its California." Buffy reminded him. "It's like the sun capital of the world. California should so be called the Sunshine State, but Florida stole that title. I mean, just because they don't have anything but sun and old people they think they can mooch onto Cali's territory."

Spike the car he had arranged for to wait for them and turned back to Buffy.

"Looks like I hit a nerve there pet." He jerked his head in the direction of the car and Buffy followed smiling sheepishly.

"Had to visit Florida once to see my Grandparents." She said. "Other then the whole Disney-world thing it was disappointing."

"Yeah? never been."

"Seriously?"

"Old people and Beaches, slayer, not the most vampire-friendly place in the world."

"I thought you'd fit in with the geriatric crowd." Buffy retorted with a sly smile. "you've been a senior citzen for what, a hundred years now?"

Spike easily parried with a verbal retort of his own and they fell into the comfortable pattern. Once they got to the car, however, she froze. In front of her was a classic car, large and sleek and gleaming black with leather interiors.

"You got a new car?"

Spike smirked.

"Something like that." He said opening the back door and depositing Kittie on the seat, covering her with the Native American quilt he found rolled up back there. He then walked around the rear of the car to open the boot so Buffy could load their bags. They went through the motions of putting in their luggage and getting in the car in silence but once Spike got in behind the wheel Buffy turned to him a stricken expression on her face.

"What the hell are we doing here, Spike?"

Spike sighed as he pulled out of the air port and into the main High way.

"I though we've already had this conversation, pet."

Buffy nodded petulantly and then desperately searched for something to do, music was one thing she and Spike had barely ever agreed with so they kept the radio off unless they were listening to whatever Disney Soundtrack Kittie wanted to listen to.

"So, how did you arrange for this car?" she asked.

"Doyle." Spike replied by means of explanation. "Gave it to him when we left with the condition that we use it when we eventually came back. The Ol' Boy's still shackin' it up in LA, told me he'd drop it off as soon as Anya popped him back to California. He even left my old blanket in there, gave it a good washing of course."

Buffy looked at him strangely.

"So what you gave him a car and a blanket?" she asked incredulously. "That's kind of a strange combination, don't you thi-Spike! Is this the de Sotto?"

Spike tensed, knowing about his wife's mutual hate relationship with the de Sotto. T'was all his fault really for trying to teach her to drive in it before they left for Europe. It tended to stall more often than go and Buffy had point-blank refused to admit that it may have been her lack of driving prowess that had caused the problems. She had even gone so far as to mentione on the plane several times that she would never set foot in it again. He had just hoped Doyle had managed to refurbish the thing good and proper with some of the Amarra loot which he did. Now he has gone and opened his gob and she was scowling at him darkly.

"Now, Slayer," he said trying to placate her. "I just didn't think it was wise to go out and buy another car when we have a perfectly good one. Just sitting around."

"Spike, I swear to God-"

She was interrupted by Spike running the car straight through the 'welcome to Sunnydale' sign. The old car barely jarred as it smashed down the flimsy ply wood sign.

"Spike! You stupid Sod!" Buffy exclaimed she completely forgot to berate him about the car and instead looked over her shoulder immediately to check on Kittie. The little girl snored away completely oblivious to her surroundings. Kittie could sleep through an apocalypse. "You could have killed us!"

Spike laughed and shook his head.

"I've done that a hundred times, luv." He said with a grin. "First of all, Nothing was going to happen I;ve done this before remember? second, S'a tradition, and third, Do you think I would ever endanger my girls?"

Buffy shook her head and sighed in resignation as Spike backed up and pulled back onto main street like nothing had happened. It looked just the same as it had before they left. Strange how nothing had changed at all. There were a few more franchises and it seemed Sunnydale was now a two Starbuck'd town.

"Still," she said unable to let go of what Spike had done. Letting go would mean thinking about being back and those were bad thoughts. "This could be like an omen. Its a bad idea I know it already."

"Buffy, love-"

"Spike, I need to go to the bathroom."

With a sigh Spike pulled over and let Buffy run into the first store she could get into, telling himself that his wife was just panicked and she would feel better once they got to Revello and Joyce had fixed her a cuppa or whatever. She was back in a few moments and they were off again.

Unfortunately five minutes later, Buffy told him pull over.

"You can't bloody well need it again!"

Buffy shot him a dirty look and opened the car door, forcing Spike to stop the car.

"And you say I'm endangering Kittie." he exclaimed screeching on the breaks. "You are completely off your nutter, woman!"

"Nope." She replied. "Just off to the bathroom."

She turned on her heel and flounced away. She was back in the car before he knew it and they were on their way again for about three blocks.

"Bloody slayer." Spike muttered under his breath as she made him stop and shot off once again. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and rolled down the window intent to chain smoke his irritation away.

"Dad!"

Kit seemed to have finally woken up. Spike tured in his seat to meet with the bleary, sleepy blue eyes of his daughter. She stretched, shook her head and then glanced around with more alert eyes taking in all of her surroundings.

"Yes, Sweet bit?"

She stopped her evaluation and peered at him and then glared at the little white stick.

"Cigarette." She said pointedly.

Spike looked back at his daughter in astonishment but she held her ground. He groaned replaced the cigarette into the pack and slipped it back into his pocket.

"Bloody hell." He said frustrated. "Can't take much more of this."

In reply, the little girl just grinned.

"You're pleased with yourself."

"Uh huh!"

Spike was about to grumble about her being 'too much like her bloody mother' when he saw the slayer approaching the car looking no less axious than she had when she left it.

"Morning Mum!" Kittie greeted as Buffy entered the car and shut the door after her.

"Morning, Sweetie."

Kittie leaned over to kiss her mum on the cheek.

"It's very diff'rent here in America." She informed her mother with all the gravity of a wizened old sage.

Buffy smiled.

"How is it different, Kittie?"

The little girl shrugged.

"Just is." She said maintaining her serious posturing for only a second before grinning. "Is this far from Mickey's house?"

"Very far, Sweet bit." Spike replied casting a knowing glace at Buffy which she didn't return.

"So we can't go there?"

"Kittie, we were just at Euro Disney last month."

"But that was last month!"

"Spike, I need to go to the bath-"

Spike immediately stopped the car with a loud screech. He mentally thanked who ever was listening that traffic wasn't all that heavy in Sunnydale. Kittie complained loudly in Dutch from her seat in the back of the car, Spike barked for her to close her eyes and the pulled Buffy to him for a fierce but split second kiss. Then he pulled away enough to look her in the eye.

"Buffy, remember that you aren't doing this for you." He said seriously. "You are doing this for her." He pulled her to his for another quick kiss then pulled away again. "And no matter what happens with the Scoobies and your mum-look at me, love, you will always have a home to go back to. You will always have Sonja and Max and Annie and Doyle and Kittie." He grinned. "Course, I'm a given. Told you once told you a thousand times, my love, you are stuck with me. So stop your bloody whining. It. is. going. to. be. alright."

Buffy nodded and took a deep breath, made to speak, but Spike beat her to it.

"Sides," Spike continued, his face softening, he ran a gentle finger down her cheek. "Are you really honestly telling me you don't want to see your mum?" he glanced at Kittie sitting still and stiff as a board, eyes squeezed shut. "If it was the Bit, wouldn't you want to see her?"

Buffy looked from her Kit to Spike and then scowled.

"I hate it when you make sense." She allowed finally. She slumped in her seat and crossed her arms.

"Yeah." Spike said smugly. "Get used to it, love. We are going to Joyce's house, because there is np way you are just going to pop into Sunnydale and pop out without facing some old demons. The less fun kind. You'll feel better. I promise." He glanced over his shoulder at Kit. "Can open your eyes now, bit."

Kittie did and smiled at her mum knowing instinctively that she wasn't feeling too great at the moment.

"What if it all explodes, Spike?" Buffy asked. "All the badness just erupts."

"You can deal with the apocalypse, love; you've dealt with them before."

"I'm-I'm not talking about the world ending."

Spike spared her a smiled and then reached over to grab hold of her hand. He brought it up to his lips for a gentle kiss.

"I know, pet." He said. "neither was I."

There was silence in the car for a long moment before finally,

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Sweetling?"

"Can I go to the bathroom?"

(Author's note: For some reason, they won't let me use the lines. This was supposed to be a divider.)

Joyce Summers grunted and tugged at the string tied tight enough that her nails couldn't seem to unravel it.

She had just bought a new painting and she was as of yet unsure whether she wanted to sell it or not. She loved the colours and she was pretty sure it would look stunning… well, somewhere. Problem was it was quite large. She had driven from the dock where they had just shipped it in to her house on Revello very slowly. She had just strapped the painting wrapped in brown paper to the top of her car and she was nervous it would slide off.

Now she had to worry about picking in up and bringing it in. She mentally cursed her lack of Slayer strength and grace. Faith would have been able to pick it up and bring it into the house in mere seconds. probably mount it to. It was so useful to have a slayer in the house. And Faith had filled the void that Bu-she wasn't going to think about that. She had her girls, her daughter and the rough and tumble slayer she considered daughters. Dawn and Faith.

She finally managed to get it loose. It was awkward carrying the heavy canvas she needed to support it from under and on one of the sides and it completely obscured her vision. Well, it was a good thing she had walked this drive way so many times.

Slowly she made her way up to the door and then nearly fell on her face as she forgot about the steps leading up to the porch. She would have ruined the painting completely if a pair of capable strong hands hadn't steadied her. She thought for a second it was Faith, but these hands were large, masculine. Just then a British voice spoke from behind the wall the painting provided.

"Here, ma'am, Let me get that."

And just like that, her burden was lifted. Another, slightly familiar, slightly hysterical laughter tinkled.

"Ma'am?" it asked incredulously. "You called her ma'am."

And then the canvas was moved and Joyce got the shock of her life. Standing on the porch, right in front of the door was her eldest daughter. Her Long lost baby. Lost since the night she made the biggest mistake she had ever made in her life.

"B-buffy?"