DISCLAIMER: Whedon's characters, any recognizable dialogue, and the canon events of their storyline are not mine.

A/N:

Sincerest apologies for the extended wait. This whole year has been busy, but then this summer, an out-of-the-blue job offer had me packing up my house and moving to another city. In the past month, I've finally been finding time to write again.

Although some portions of canon are skipped over or are covered in other chapters (changing order of events), this chapter contains bits of #6.11 "Gone," #6.12 "Doublemeat Palace," #6.13 "Dead Things," #6.14 "Older and Far Away," and #6.17 "Normal Again."

Chapter 24 occurs in January 2002 in the Season 6 timeline.

CHAPTER 24

And now we welcome the new year

On New Year's Eve, the Hellmouth had managed to remain fairly quiet. The Scooby Gang had a little shindig to blow off some steam. Things had been crazy leading up to the holidays – everything that precipitated Willow's downward spiral and led to her departure, Dawn's hospital stay and recovery, the typical tensions of wedding planning (and the not-so-typical tensions that arise from mixing human family issues with the demon community). Just to name a few.

Christmas had been pleasant. Joyous, even. But by the time their New Year's celebration rolled around, a few of Buffy's inner circle decided to express their concern over recent events. Primarily, Giles voiced his displeasure that Buffy had gone away with Spike.

"I'm glad you had a nice little getaway. Goodness knows none of us get those very often. But, Buffy, you must understand that you can't just take off like that."

"I get it. Slayer, Hellmouth, responsibilities … yada, etcetera, and so on."

"Well, yes. But, no. I mean that you can't go away with Spike … by yourself. I realize that you trust him, but I'm not quite there yet. If he turned on you … or when you were sleeping … with no one there to help you … you can't be so reckless as to put yourself in a vulnerable position like that."

"If you're concerned about what he might do to me in my sleep, then you should be worried when I'm home … since he's been invited in again. And he …" Buffy's voice trailed off.

"And he … what?"

"He has spent the night." Seeing his face, she added, "Not a lot. Not all the time. A few nights. On the couch." As she said it, she felt mildly guilty for misleading him.

"Are you sure that's wise? I know that you've gotten close. And that you've been … going out. But I am concerned about …" Giles cleared his throat before saying, "the status of your relationship."

Buffy did not respond, but even so, Giles was uncomfortable enough with the look in her eyes that he felt the need to clean his glasses.

Spike had noticed Giles pulling Buffy off to the side to discuss something with her. Over the chattering and music, he couldn't make out everything that was said. But he could read her face pretty well.

When she returned to his side, he asked, "What was that about?"

"Giles is … concerned."

His only response was a raised eyebrow.

"About me spending so much time alone with you. Getting too comfortable, letting down my guard. Especially going away for two nights."

"Watcher still doesn't trust me, eh?

[

[

The Magic Box had been open for a few hours on New Year's Day for a sale. Everyone pitched in to clean up that night, and the store was open for normal business hours on January 2nd. Giles and Dawn were minding the store. Those who weren't working were gathered around the round table discussing wedding plans. More precisely, wedding arrangements that had yet to be thoroughly planned.

Anya could not seem to make up her mind on the bridesmaids' dresses. She was none too happy that Xander had chosen Willow to be his best man. It caused a dilemma – should Willow wear a tux or the same dress as the other girls? Xander suggested that they could ask Willow for her opinion, which would take one decision off their list. But Anya insisted that as the bride she would make the decision.

They thought they had the cake taken care of, but when the owner of the bakery caught wind of the fact that there would be demons at the wedding, he had returned their deposit.

The seating chart had been done, undone, and redone. It seemed it would have to be done again. Some of Xander's relatives – who he had assumed would not make the trip – had RSVP'd that they would be coming to the wedding. And there were still RSVPs arriving each day.

As the semi-happy couple went round and round on the unfinished details of their big day, Buffy and Spike quietly excused themselves from the table.

After closing the door of the training room behind her to give them some privacy, Buffy said, "With the wedding coming up … guess we should … I mean that … I was thinking … we could go together. My invitation said 'and guest.' I kind of assumed, but guess I should ask. What do you say … be my 'plus one' for the wedding?"

"Don't need to be your 'plus anything.' Got my own invite, thank you very much."

"You planning on being there … with someone?"

"Was planning on it, yeah. Hoping to spend a good part of the day with a beautiful woman in my arms."

Playing along, she asked, "You are talking about me, right?"

"Don't be daft. Of course, I'm talking about you. Do you see me spending time with anyone else?"

They spent several minutes snogging on the couch before Buffy interrupting the kissing to say, "Guess I need to figure out when to talk to Xander about the guy who's gonna show up. Not sure if I should tell him this far in advance. Maybe it would be better to wait 'til the last minute."

"You know him better than I do. Gonna leave that call up to you."

When they went back into the main part of the store, Giles was sorting through the mail. There was a promotional mailing from a new local business that had recently opened. He had just finished reading the printed information aloud and was about to throw it into the trash.

"Wait!" Anya exclaimed. "Did you say bakery?"

Grabbing the postcard from Giles as she took hold of Xander's hand, Anya headed for the door.

"Guess we're going to talk to a baker about our wedding cake," Xander said, as they flew through the front door.

[

A short while later, the engaged couple returned spouting information about the new bakery and the nice woman who owned it. She was a registered nurse who was continuing to work at the local hospital until her business took off – so the bakery was open limited hours.

Anya prattled on excitedly, "We hit it off immediately. She is aware of the fact that the town sits on a Hellmouth. And doesn't seem freaked out by that. But just to be on the safe side, we invited her to drop by here later … you know, to see how she handles weirdness. I don't want to lose another baker so close to the wedding."

Xander shrugged as he added, "Who knew you needed a litmus test for wedding cake bakers."

Meanwhile, Giles and Buffy were going over an adjusted version of her budget. The first paycheck from the Watcher's Council had been deposited into her bank account. Now that they knew the amount and frequency of the payments, Giles had a better idea of how to advise her. It was going to take a while to get the medical debt paid off and get current on the household bills. It would be great to get the house paid off, but with tuition and other upcoming expenses, she would have to settle for making the regular mortgage payment.

Giles did mention briefly that she might want to consider selling the house, perhaps buy something newer that would not require as much maintenance. She was thankful that he approached it gently. It was difficult for her to even think about the possibility of selling her home. Although it was not where she was raised, it was the last home she shared with her mother. It was there that her mother had finally come to understand her and her calling. They had finally gotten to know one another and built their relationship on a foundation of honesty.

However, his suggestion rolled around in her head. Not for the reason he suggested though. Buffy was thinking ahead to what was coming in the next year and a half. She found herself wondering if they should be looking for a place that would be a better base of operations than her house. She was definitely going to need to talk to Giles about the time travel visit soon.

As Giles was wrapping up the financial counseling session with Buffy, the bell on the front door rang. They hadn't had a customer in hours, so every head turned to see who had entered. Anya ran toward the woman, greeting her enthusiastically.

The bride-to-be turned to everyone. "This is Natalia Coleman. She—"

"Nat. Hello," the woman gave a friendly wave as Anya continued the introduction.

"She recently opened the bakery down the street while still working parttime in the ER at Sunnydale Memorial. Not only does she make delicious healthy – well, mildly healthy – baked goods, but she could be a handy person to have around after a fight."

Looking around the room, Nat hesitantly said, "At first glance, you don't strike me as the type of people who get into a lot of fights." Gesturing toward Spike, Nat added, "Well, okay … maybe him."

With an eyebrow raised, Spike acknowledged her comment, "You're not wrong."

After a short introductory chat, Giles offered to show her around the store, allowing them an opportunity to talk shop owner to shop owner. It was clear the moment Giles tried to speak to her that he was smitten.

Nat stayed much longer than she had intended. Realizing that she was running late for her shift at the hospital, she darted out without saying goodbye to the rest of the group.

When they asked Giles about his visit with her, all he revealed was that she had a strong spiritual sensitivity and was keenly aware of things going on in this town. She had apparently been looking for an excuse to come down to the Magic Box and introduce herself.

Buffy could practically hear the things that Giles left unsaid: she would be a valuable ally, and he could easily fall in love with her.

As the day was winding down, they were discussing things that were coming up on the calendar. Buffy and Tara were counting down to the beginning of the semester: 4 days. Anya and Xander were counting down to their wedding date: 45 days.

In the back of Buffy's mind were the events on the timeline that Spike had made from the cassette. There were so many things to do. She had been debating what to do next. Having made her decision, she went home to make a phone call.

Tara had some research she wanted to do. She had said she wasn't sure if she would find what she was looking for in the city or university libraries, but she decided to try there before special ordering anything. So, she planned to spend some time digging through dusty stacks of books.

Dawn was begging to go to her favorite place for ice cream. Buffy realized this was a perfect opportunity. She asked Spike if he would take Dawn to get her biweekly overdose of sugar in the form of a CMP (a.k.a. The Creamery's signature sundae named for its three toppings: chocolate syrup, marshmallow goo, and chopped peanuts).

When she told him that she just needed a little quiet time to herself, he wanted to believe her. However, he sensed that there was something else on her agenda. He kissed her on the forehead and told her, "Be glad to spend some time with Niblet."

[

Arriving at her empty home, Buffy sat down at the desk in the living room to make a phone call.

She dialed the phone slowly and then brought the receiver to her ear. As she listened to it ring, she prayed that no one else would answer the phone. She needed to talk to him, but she did not want to deal with anyone else at the moment.

Letting out a sigh when she heard his voice on the other end of the line, she said, "Hi. It's me. Got a minute to talk?"

She proceeded to explain that she actually needed to speak to him face to face and wondered if he had time to drive to Sunnydale.

He replied, "I'm kind of in the middle of something right now."

Hearing the definitive tone of his voice, she said, "Then I guess we're coming to you."

"Who's we?"

"Me. And Spike."

[

After getting off the phone, Buffy threw a few things into a bag – just in case. Then, she got herself something to eat while she waited for the others to get home. Tara arrived first which gave Buffy time to give her some sort of explanation. It wasn't anywhere near the complete truth, but she didn't press Buffy for more.

"It's no problem, Buffy. I'd be here anyway."

"I should be back tomorrow. It's possible I could be back before the sun rises, but you just never know."

"Well, you've got a cell phone now. If we need to get ahold of you, we can call."

"And I'll let you know when I'm on my way back."

Just then, Dawn bounded through the door with Spike two steps behind her.

The younger sister took one look at the older and asked, "What?"

"What what?"

"I can tell you were talking before we walked in. So spill."

Buffy glanced over Dawn's shoulder at Spike as she began. "I have to go talk to someone. I might be home before you wake up in the morning, but it could take longer than that. I was just letting Tara know and making sure that she would be around if you needed anything."

"Where are you going?" When Buffy didn't reply, Dawn whined, "Why is everything a secret? I'm not a kid anymore."

Tara interjected, "She didn't tell me either."

"Or me," Spike said evenly as he studied Buffy's face.

"Everyone will know … eventually. But not right now." Buffy walked toward the front door. Picking up her bag and car keys, she turned to Spike and said, "Let's get going."

His surprise was apparent by his tone and facial expression. "It sounded like you were going alone. Now it sounds like—"

"Get your butt in the car. I'll explain on the way."

[

Spike was glad she had invited him along. That is until he found out the purpose for the trip.

When they arrived at their destination, it was just before midnight. Although that might have been late for some people, she did not consider it late. Neither did most of her friends and allies.

Looking at the building, Spike said, "Well, with all those lights on, looks like we won't wake anyone when we knock on the front door."

Before they got out of the car, he pulled her in for a kiss. She didn't have the time or the patience for vampire possessiveness, but she didn't resist the kiss.

Resting her forehead against his, she asked, "Better now?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Then, let's get this over with."

Stepping through the main door of The Hyperion Hotel, Buffy and Spike stood on the landing taking in their surroundings.

Gunn was the first to see them. "Something we can do for you?"

Buffy answered, "Angel's expecting us."

Hearing a familiar voice, Wes came out of the office to confirm the identity of the visitor.

Seeing his face, Buffy said, "Hello, Wesley."

The former Watcher nodded in her direction. "Buffy. Spike."

Cordelia and Fred came into the lobby next.

Cordy couldn't hold back her surprise. "What are you doing here? And why the hell are you with him?"

Spike put his arm around Buffy's waist, his hand resting on her hip in a clear display of intimate familiarity. Wes and Cordy exchanged looks.

Predictably puzzled, Fred asked, "Anyone want to explain the subtext that I am clearly missing?"

Buffy focused on Wes as she stated, "We need to talk to Angel. When I called, he said he was in the middle of something and couldn't get away. So we came here."

With a raised eyebrow and his patented attitude, Spike added, "As she said … he's expecting us."

When none of them moved or replied, Buffy asked, "Where is he?"

"He's upstairs with the baby," Cordy said with just a trace of snark.

"Baby?!" Buffy and Spike responded simultaneously.

"He didn't tell you? Darla gave birth to their son."

While Buffy studied their faces and tried to make sense of what Cordy had just said, Spike stated the obvious: "That's impossible."

"That's what she said," Wes said with a slight chuckle. "Since you've come all this way, I'll take you up to see him."

Spike and Buffy followed him up the stairs. As they made their way down the corridor, Wes explained that they would need to stay in the hallway while he checked with Angel about having visitors in the room.

Having confirmed that Angel was expecting them and that the baby was awake, Wes opened the door and allowed them into the room.

"I'll be out in the hallway … just in case … I'm needed," Wes said before closing the door behind himself.

Buffy walked over to where Angel stood holding the newborn. Extending her fingers to the small hand reaching for her, she asked in a soft tone, "How did this happen?"

For the moment, Spike remained at a distance.

Angel proceeded to give a nearly clinical response, awkwardly trying to explain that being with Darla meant nothing. Then, he added that Darla had sacrificed herself during childbirth.

A tiny part of Buffy was jealous, but she also felt a measure of closure. She was moving on with her life. Angel should move on with his. She just hadn't expected fatherhood to be part of the package.

Reaching out to stroke the side of her face, Angel said, "This doesn't change anything between us." He knew that it would irritate Spike, but he wasn't prepared for Buffy's reaction.

"Yes, it does. And if it didn't, my … relationship with Spike certainly would."

"Your what?!"

Spike moved to stand behind Buffy, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her neck.

There was an immediate increase of tension in the room. Jealousy and possessiveness flashed in Angel's eyes just before he made the decision to put the baby in the bassinet.

Angel began yelling at Spike, which seemed to upset his son. Realizing that he was the reason the baby had started crying, he lowered his volume but continued to throw insults and threats at Spike.

At first, Spike just stood there with a smug smile on his face, but then he started to give as good as he got.

It didn't take long before Buffy had had enough. "That's it. The two of you … stop! We have something serious to discuss. Privately. Can we do that here? Or do you want to get someone to come babysit so we can go somewhere else?"

After Angel asked Wes to come in the room to sit with Connor, he led Buffy and Spike down the hall to another room. For the most part, Angel sat quietly as Spike and Buffy did a tag team retelling about future-Buffy visiting Spike. They showed him the timeline and played a portion of the cassette. It was much like when Spike had told Buffy, except she tried to be sensitive to how Angel might react.

When he finally spoke, Angel asked, "If you were gonna travel through time ... why him? And not me?"

"I can't answer that. I'm not the woman on that cassette. Yet. I only know what I hear in my voice. And I know that ... I wouldn't have gone to the trouble if I weren't in love with him. In the future."

Angel wanted to tell her that he had the chance to be human but gave it up. He wanted to tell her about the day they spent together. But without proof – and the fact that they couldn't really be together – he decided to hold his tongue.

Pacing the length of the room eventually calmed him down. Finally, he asked, "What do you need from me?"

"For now, just keep your eyes and ears open for anything that can help us. Also when Spike shows up here in a year and a half, help him. And … you can't tell anyone else about this right now."

"You haven't told the others? Not even Giles?"

"I just found out. I'm still trying to make sense of things. But I'll tell him. Soon." She paused before adding, "Really wish I could ask my future-self questions."

Angel asked if he could have a few minutes alone with Buffy. Spike was not at all happy about it, but he left the room and made his way down to the lobby.

"Is it a good idea for Angel to be alone with her?" Fred asked nobody in particular.

Spike was the only one to respond verbally. "From my perspective, no."

Up in the room, Angel whined his way through imploring Buffy to stay away from Spike.

"It's a little late for that."

Although Angel tried to persuade her with a kiss goodbye, when she left that room, they were allies and nothing more.

As she walked downstairs, Buffy thought about the kiss. It was nice. More than nice. She still cared about Angel. Loved him even. But she was not in love with him.

From the stairs, she saw Spike waiting for her in the lobby. She saw the look on his face. The concern about what might have happened while she was alone with Angel.

She walked directly to him and fell into his arms. He kissed the top of her head. He saw Angel watching from the second-floor walkway.

Stepping back from Spike, Buffy said to everyone within hearing distance, "We should get going."

"Not staying?" Cordy asked, not hiding how she felt about Buffy's presence.

"No. We've got stuff to deal with in Sunnydale. And you've got your hands full here." Buffy looked at Angel, who was now on the landing at the main door. "Thank you ... for making the time."

He nodded. "I'll let you know if I find anything."

Buffy gave a goodbye wave to the group and headed for the door. Spike was right behind her. Just before he stepped over the threshold, Angel grabbed his arm.

"You really love her?" Angel whispered.

Spike looked him in the eye and gave the tiniest of nods.

"You'd better ... otherwise, I'll ..." The older vampire let his unfinished threat hang in the air.

"Message received. But you'll have to get in line behind Dawn, Giles and the others."

Angel smiled at that.

[

During the drive home, Buffy laid into Spike about his display of jealousy. "We're together. But – think about the stuff we know is coming – I'm not always going to have the time to … reassure you when something or someone makes you … less than confident … about our status."

"What is our status ... exactly?"

"We're … together."

"Define 'together.'" When she did not reply immediately, he continued. "Look, you know I love you, that I'm in love with you."

He left space for her to say something, which she finally did.

"What I feel for you ... I'm not ready to say I'm in love with you. This … us … is more than … it's closer to … it's … the closest I've been … to real love. That's all I know for sure."

"So … 'together' it is." He smiled warmly, now understanding that the word 'together' meant something significant to her. That he was significant to her.

[

[

On the eve of the first day of classes, the Scooby gang decided to go to the Bronze to celebrate Buffy returning to school. Xander and Anya spend a fair amount of the evening babbling about wedding stuff. Tara listened to Dawn as she prattled on about some cute boy at school. That left Buffy on her own until Spike arrived.

Buffy wandered up to the balcony to do some people watching. Her friends and her sister were on the dance floor enjoying themselves. Although she had no desire to be down in the middle of the frenzy, it made her smile to see them having fun.

A few minutes later, she sensed Spike come up behind her. Reaching around her, he placed his hands on the railing on either side of her. Then, he leaned into her back.

"Hello, luv."

A sigh escaped Buffy's lips. "Hi."

As they stood there, they began moving – not exactly dancing, but swaying to the rhythm. It did not take long for both of them to become aroused. And found themselves wishing that they were alone somewhere.

Spike nuzzled her neck and said seductively, "We are the only ones up here right now."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Exactly what you're thinking."

"I'm … not sure … I'm ready for that."

He did not respond to that. He did, however, continue kissing her neck, caressing her hips and torso, and grinding gently against her behind.

She was aware that he was doing his best to persuade her. Maybe at some point, she would be open to more risqué displays of affection – like sex in public places. For now, this was about as far as she would let herself go.

[

[

Shortly after being readmitted to UC-Sunnydale, Buffy had a meeting with her advisor. They had both agreed that taking on a full load of classes was probably not the best idea right now. The classes she had intended to take were already filled to capacity by the time they met, but she managed to find a couple that she was interested in. Organizational Leadership (which could be useful in the near future) and History of Britain: 1815 to the Present (due to her recent obsession with the past – specifically William's past).

As soon as the semester began, Spike made a habit of waiting for Buffy outside her class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, which was listed on the schedule as 5:00 to 6:30 pm but usually let out late.

One evening at the end of class, Buffy gathered her things and was saying goodbye to her friend Sophie, who she had invited to her upcoming birthday party. As Buffy stepped out into the hallway, she spotted him. He was down the hall, leaning against the opposite wall – trying to look casual, but clearly waiting for her.

She noticed that a few girls had taken notice of him. She smiled at the fact that he was intentionally avoiding making eye contact with them and was staring directly at her. As she reached him, he pushed away from the wall.

Sophie passed behind Buffy saying, "See you later."

Spike followed Buffy's lead and nodded politely at the girl. "Making friends, I see."

"Yes. And you'll find this funny: she mentioned that she always sees you waiting for me. Well, actually, she asked, 'So who's the hot guy who's always waiting for you after class?' Then, she asked if you were my boyfriend."

"And you said?"

"I said no." Seeing his expression shift slightly, she added, "I just met the girl this semester. I might chat with her about class assignments, but I don't know her well enough to tell her anything about my life."

[

[

A couple of days before Buffy's birthday, her father showed up unexpectedly. He apologized for not being in contact. Neither Buffy nor Dawn was willing to forgive him as easily as he seemed to expect. However, Buffy was willing to accept the check he handed her to pay off all of her mom's hospital bills and a good portion of the mortgage on the house. He asked if he could stay for at least one night and spend some time with his girls. Buffy agreed to let him stay at the house and then said that she needed to run some errands.

The first thing she did was stop at the bank and deposit the check. Then, she went to the store to buy groceries. While she was shopping, she called Spike's cell phone to warn him that her father was in town.

Hank Summers and his daughters spent the early part of the evening preparing dinner together and eating their meal at the dining room table – like they were "normal" family. It was a creepy fake version of a Norman Rockwell painting.

It was had gotten dark while they were eating. Spike arrived just as they were finishing. He helped clear the table and got the dishes started. Hank was clearly uncomfortable with the role Spike held in his family. He made a few disparaging comments about Spike's appearance. Although Spike started out trying to be respectful, eventually Hank got under his skin and his annoyance was obvious.

Giving Buffy a kiss on the forehead, Spike whispered, "Think I'll go out on the porch for a bit. Have a smoke. Try to calm down … so I don't bite your father's head off."

From outside, Spike could hear an argument brewing between Buffy and her dad.

She had tried to keep her cool, but it didn't take long before she was yelling at her father. "At least he was here!"

"What does that mean?!"

"He was here when Mom was sick. And after she died. Even though he didn't have to, he helped when I needed it. You couldn't even be bothered returning phone calls … let alone showing up for the funeral. So don't you dare come in here and pass judgment on him. Or on me for dating him."

When Hank tried to make excuses, Dawn jumped into the conversation and backed up her sister.

Not long after that, their dad gathered his things and left. He had clearly worn out his welcome.

[

[

Buffy's birthday party was the next night. The guest list was the core Scooby Gang, with a few additional people. Spike invited Clem. Giles invited Natalia. Buffy invited Sophie. And Willow joined them via phone.

She loved and appreciated all her gifts, but she was particularly impressed with the wooden trunk that Xander had made and a drawing that Angel had delivered – it was of her in action. Spike was none too happy about the fact that Angel had sent anything at all, let alone something he had lovingly created for her.

Dawn gave her a thoughtful – and frugal – hand-written IOU for hours of housework over and above her normal chores.

Spike bought her a new leather jacket because he had noticed that her favorite one had gotten torn one night on patrol.

During the party, Anya talked nonstop about wedding plans which reminded Buffy that she needed to talk to Xander. She asked if he could spare a few minutes to talk to her. They went out on the front porch for a little privacy. Before Buffy could say anything, Xander started talking.

Gesturing toward the window, he pointed at Anya who he could hear even out on the porch. "Things are just moving too fast. I wish there was some way to slow things down. But there's not really anything I can do now."

"Funny you should … I mean it's a coincidence ... 'cause I wanted to tell you about a dream I had. It was about you. And it had all the hallmarks of a prophetic Slayer dream. So I thought I should tell you."

"Well, get on with the telling."

Buffy proceeded to tell him about the guy that would show up at his wedding seeking vengeance for what Anya had done to him. Xander seemed stunned by the information. Unsure what else to say, Buffy ended up rambling about an idea she had: maybe they could postpone the ceremony and use the wedding date for a shower instead. A trial run of getting the families together.

Xander seemed to handle the news well and simply said that he needed time to think.

[

[

The day after Buffy's party, there were some strange things afoot in Sunnydale. An unknown number of unknown criminals had stolen items from several locations. Footage from security cameras made it appear that the thieves were invisible – either that or cameras are unable to capture their image.

The police had found it strange that along with the valuables that had been taken, some less valuable things had gone missing in and around the places that had been robbed. Then, there was the odd occurrence of people getting injured walking into what they described as an invisible bench on a sidewalk. Others had tripped over what they said felt like a traffic cone. About 24 hours after these items had gone "missing," they began to reappear.

Later that week as Spike and Buffy watched the local news, they came to the same conclusion: that this crime spree could be connected to Warren and his cronies.

With an empty glass in her hand, Buffy stood up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. As she began talking, Spike followed her.

"It's time to talk to Giles. I've been putting it off and other things have distracted me. But it's time. We need to start going after Warren & Co. before they do anything bigger. And we need Giles – and the others – to help with this."

"No argument here, luv."

[

Cassette and handwritten timeline in hand, they left a few minutes later to go to Giles' apartment. Just as Buffy was about to launch into her adventure of future past, Anya burst through his door. She was rambling excitedly. Giles got her a glass of water while Buffy got her to calm down.

Even seated on the couch, Anya was a bundle of nervous energy, fidgeting with her hands until Giles gave her a glass to hold.

Finally, Buffy said, "Okay … try that again. What has you so upset?"

Anya looked at each face in the room and took a deep breath. "He's gone. Xander's gone. No one has seen him since early yesterday. And he was acting strangely before that."

"When did he start acting strange?" Buffy asked.

"After your party."

When she heard Anya's answer, Buffy knew that the conversation with Giles would have to be put on hold. Again.

Although she had thought that her talk with Xander had gone well, apparently … not so much. Buffy explained to Anya that she had talked to him the other night about a dream she'd had and he had gone to check something out. It was in the neighborhood of the truth – just low on details. She encouraged Anya to go home, get some rest, and let the others check on Xander's whereabouts.

After Anya left, Buffy explained to Giles about the conversation she'd had with Xander and they agreed that someone should go looking for him.

Spike volunteered, stating logically, "If Tara does a locator spell and can even get close, I should be able to track his scent."

[

[

By the next night, Spike was at the door of Xander's hotel room. They had a long man-to-vampire chat.

"I know Buffy intended it as a warning, but it got me thinking … I mean, I want to be with Anya. I'm a better person with her in my life, but it all got so complicated."

Spike sagely responded, "Well, don't you think you should be telling this to Anya instead of me?"

During the drive back to Sunnydale, both of them had a lot to think about. Xander's thoughts were occupied with what to say to Anya to make her understand what he was feeling. Spike was wondering how much longer they could wait before telling the Scoobies the truth about how Buffy knew what would be happening in the near future.

[

While Spike was away, Buffy and Giles had ample opportunity to talk. Buffy revealed her time travel visit to Giles – who was stunned, to say the least. At first, she just told him about Spike telling her about the event and showed him the timeline.

"How long have you known?"

"Since before Christmas"

"And you're just telling me now?!"

"I needed time to ... mull things over. And there's been a lot going on. Not really a good time to get into it."

"Yes. I guess you're right." He stared at Spike's handwriting on the paper. "You said there's a recording. I'd like to hear it for myself."

"Um … some of it is …private. And would probably make you uncomfortable."

"Be that as it may … I think I need to hear it all. I would like to fully understand why you felt the need to travel back. It will give me context for all this information."

Although Buffy had serious qualms about letting Giles hear the entire recording, she handed him a copy to put into his stereo. They sat for almost 90 minutes listening to the discussion between Spike and future-Buffy. During that time, Buffy squirmed in her seat several times, even left the room to get a drink of water in order to avoid being in the room at certain points. Giles cleaned his glasses several times.

When side B of the cassette was finished, Giles took a few silent moments to look over the timeline. Then, he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"First thing I'll say is that I understand why you needed some time to sit with this before sharing it. Second thing … I can't imagine trying to deal with all this without having some advance notice … but apparently, we did."

"It should be a little easier since we do know some of it in advance."

"One would hope." Giles went silent for a moment before continuing, "Hearing what you said on the cassette … looking at this timeline … I'm thinking of conversations with Spike during the months that you were gone … and how he has been with you since your return …" He trailed off without finishing his thought.

Finally, Buffy said, "You stopped in the middle of a …"

"Yes, I did at that. What I was trying to say is that I get it – or I'm beginning to, anyway – why you trust him and … what you have together. Don't get me wrong – it still makes me uncomfortable. It's just not natural for a Slayer to be romantically involved with a vampire." Again, Giles paused as he grappled with how to put his thoughts into words. "It's clear from the recording that future-you slept with Spike – in that timeline and during the visit from the future—"

"Caught that, did you?" Buffy interjected.

"Difficult to miss. As uncomfortable as it is for me to ask …"

Buffy could tell that he was having difficulty getting the question out, so she preemptively answered, "Yes."

She was thankful that he didn't ask anything further on that topic.

"All things considered, I guess this is an improvement."

"What do you mean?"

"After you spent the night with Angel, we were left to deal with Angelus. That Parker boy broke your heart and sent you off on a beer binge … which I hope you'll never repeat." He looked down as he said, "Things with Riley took a little longer to go awry, but his actions – and your reaction to his actions – were not exactly indicative of a healthy relationship."

"What are you getting at?"

"What I'm trying – though not very succinctly or eloquently – is that although I still have some reservations, I think Spike may be a better match for you than your previous boyfriends."

Genuinely surprised by his statement, Buffy stared at him for a few seconds before responding. "It means a lot for you to say that."

"It really is quite remarkable … the things your future self said that he had done ... but also what I have witnessed. His display of character … even when we made it clear to him that we didn't want him around. He was able to correct quite a few things before he told you about all this," he said as he gestured to the handwritten timeline on his coffee table.

Then, the conversation turned to the current crisis: Xander disappearing. Buffy told him that Spike wasn't going to mention to Xander how Buffy really got the information about the man who would show up at his wedding. They debated how soon to tell the other Scoobies about their knowledge of future events and decided to wait at least until after the wedding date.

They also discussed the crimes that had been in the news recently. Giles agreed that it could be Warren and his friends. By the time Buffy left Giles' apartment, they had the beginnings of a plan to go after The Trio. However, they had not decided how soon they would put that plan into action.

Giles had requested that she leave a copy of the timeline and cassette with him. He wanted to review it at least one more time, listening for subtleties in her tone of voice that might give him further insight.

He poured some Scotch into a glass and pressed play on the stereo.

He was a man who studied things, gave them considerable thought, and then – and only then – took action. This scenario would be no different. And yet, everything about this was different than anything he had previously encountered.

It was not unusual for him to recall the following Rilke quote as a new year began, but this year it seemed particularly apropos.

"And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us,

new, untouched, full of things that have never been,

full of work that has never been done,

full of tasks, claims, and demands;

and let us see that we learn to take it

without letting fall too much of what it has to bestow

upon those who demand of it necessary, serious, and great things."

A/N:

Wishing you and yours a lovely holiday season filled with enough joy, love, and hope to propel you into a wonderful new year!

The chapter title comes from the often-paraphrased version of the Rainer Maria Rilke quote at the end of this chapter.

Did you hear that all episodes of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly are now available on Facebook Watch?! Don't know about you, but I'll be binge-watching while I finish baking, wrapping presents, etc.

In case you're curious, this chapter's visit to L.A. occurs between Angel #3.12 "Provider" and Angel #3.13 "Waiting in the Wings" (between Connor's birth and when Cordy & Angel got up close and personal in the dressing room at the ballet).

Thanks for reading. Until next time …

~Jen

20 December 2018