Title: A Whitelighter's Priority
Author: rachelAbendstern
Summary: Bianca wants to take Chris back to the future...
Spoilers: Season 6 Charmed; I forgot to mention BtVS last chapter, 'The Gift'
Disclaimer: Neither Buffy nor Charmed is mine, and I don't make any money with it. Lily though belongs to me XP
13. Darkness Calls
So take my hand and come with me
We will change reality.
So take my hand and we will pray
They won't take you away!
Living the life Chris had led, there weren't many things that easily surprised him. Vampires, banshees, werewolves, fairies or nymphs, leprechauns or dwarves, all that didn't even faze him anymore. Growing up around witchcraft with three of the most powerful witches ever, being part-witch himself and having an angel for a father kind of made sure there really weren't many things left that he didn't believe possible. His time with the resistance had even made sure that he had learned to calculate the most impossible of situations into his plans and tactics.
So, no, Chris Perry Halliwell wasn't easily taken by surprise.
What did surprise him however was the visitor that waited for him in his rarely-used little room in the back of the P3. She was wearing her black spandex outfit again, sitting comfortably on a chair in the corner of the room. Her hair was a shade lighter than he remembered.
"Bianca?" He knew without a doubt that it was her. Glad as he was to see her again it didn't make sense, she wasn't supposed to be here. Approaching her cautiously, Chris got a funny feeling in his stomach; something must have gone wrong for her to have gone after him.
"I don't understand. What are you doing here?"
She had looked up at him as soon as he had entered the room. Now she rose out of her seat and met him halfway. To a casual watcher she might have looked calm and reserved as she moved with a predator's grace towards him. Having spent the last five years with her, Chris knew better than that however; she may have seemed calm on the outside but her eyes looked haunted.
"You have to come back with me, Chris!" Her composed words threw Chris in an emotional turmoil. Come back? She was the one who had convinced him to go through with this crazy mission in the first place! Why in hell did she want him to come back with her now? Unless...
"What? Why? What happened, Bianca?" He couldn't entirely keep the light tremor out of his voice. There was so much that could have gone wrong. Her presence didn't necessarily mean that...
"He found out about Lily! He took her as leverage..." Bianca's quiet, almost detached voice interrupted his internal rant – and made his worst nightmares come true.
The Phoenix wouldn't meet his eyes for a long moment but when she did, Chris was able to see the fierce determination that had fascinated him about her from the very beginning.
"I have to take you back to him. Otherwise he will keep Lily and raise her as his own and you know what that would mean."
Oh god! Lily was still young enough to be easily influenced by both sides and if Wyatt decided to raise her that would mean she would be turned evil, in the worst possible scenario she would even fight against her own parents! They couldn't let this happen!
"So what will you do now?" Chris asked his wife in a tone as calm as her own. He, too, had learned the art of suppressing his emotions in order to do what was necessary.
"I am to strip you of your powers. You and I both know that that will only take away your witch- and Whitelighter-powers; you will still have your elementals. We just have to hope that that will be enough to get her back unharmed."
His elemental powers? She couldn't be serious! They were far too unpredictable! Chris had thought he was busted the few times he hadn't been able to keep them in check around here. Fortunately, his family was as oblivious as ever; not even in the future had they known about this special power.
"My elementals?" he all but shrieked. "Bianca, you know I have never managed to control them!"
The crack in her posture was now for everyone to see as she exclaimed in desperation: "I know! But it's the only chance we've got!"
Chris knew she was right. His elemental powers were strong once he let them loose. The one thing he had learned about them was that his emotions were the key to this particular part of his heritage and one way or the other, Wyatt had always been able to stir intense emotions in him. The young man only hoped he could master them enough to get his two girls out of danger.
After the barest hint of hesitation, Chris told her firmly: "Go ahead then."
The pain was just like he remembered it from the first and last time she had ever tried to strip his powers. And just like last time, Bianca didn't get to finish the job. Although this time, it wasn't his survival instincts kicking in but his mother who chose that precise inconvenient moment to interrupt them. That figured...
Witnessing her Whitelighter seemingly attacked by a strange witch, Piper did what years of experience had taught her to do; with a quick flick of both her hands his wife exploded into millions of pieces. Had Chris not known that Bianca couldn't be destroyed that way, he would have probably freaked out; at any rate, it was creepy.
"Are you all right?" His mother's concerned voice broke through his mental cursing about their bad luck. Looking up at her from where he had slid down the wall the younger witch cursed again. Great. Now he had to lie to her about yet another thing.
"Yeah, I think so." He accepted the hand she held out to help him up while answering.
When he was standing upright, Piper eyed him inquiringly. "What happened? Who was she?"
But Chris barely heard her questions. Staring into space, disregarding the painful burning in his chest where Bianca had been unable to complete the stripping the youngest Halliwell wondered what the hell they were going to do now with the Charmed Ones involved.
"I don't know..."
666
The city lay in ruins all around them, the sad remnants of the once glorious Golden Gate Bridge and the destroyed skyscrapers and decaying buildings evidence of Wyatt's wrath – and power.
But Chris really couldn't care less at the moment.
"Will you marry me?"
They had been together for almost five years now, had a three and a half year old daughter they were both terribly proud of, but that was a subject that none of them had dared to broach up until now, despite his grandfather's constant nagging. Chris wasn't even sure why.
What he was sure of however was that he wanted their bonding to be official before he had to leave her. The preparations for his mission were still in the beginning, there was still time before he had to go. But if he couldn't take her with him he wanted this at least. It would make their relationship final somehow, mirroring the pledge they would be taking. 'Until death shall part us.'
Bianca must have had the same thoughts some time during the last weeks judging from her glowing smile. "You're asking me now? Here?"
They were sitting in a park, in 'their spot' , Bianca and he. It was a small flower garden that the two of them had discovered ages ago, when it had still been intact. It was veiled from the rest of the park by crumbling stone walls; even now it was beautiful, with all the evil surrounding it and although there was only one patch of flowers left. Chris smiled unconsciously, remembering how it had come to life. That patch had been the first hint of Lily's powers.
The first time they had taken the little girl with them it had been as bare as everything else around it. They had let her play for a while and when they had turned their attention back to their daughter, Lily had been sitting on a small carpet of flowers, smiling up at them and telling: "Look, mommy, daddy, what I made!" Chris supposed it was a variation of his own elemental powers.
"This is still our spot, Bianca." He answered her with a hint of sadness. "No matter what he's done to it. Marry me."
If possible, Bianca's smile grew even wider. "On one condition," She told him sternly. "You come back to me. Safely."
Smiling back at her, he answered her with a question: "Have I ever let you down before?"
666
"Is that the mark?" Phoebe heard her little sister ask.
Paige was leafing through the Book of Shadows, trying to find the demon or witch who had attacked Chris half an hour ago while their Whitelighter was pacing the attic.
They had all orbed up here as soon as Piper had informed them about what happened. Curiously enough, Chris was the only one who didn't want to find out more about the strange woman who very nearly had killed him – from what Piper had told them anyway – and that alone made the empath wonder. Normally, Chris was the first one to do the research when one of them had been attacked, even if the demon was already vanquished.
"No. It looked more like a bird." Piper answered her sister.
"A bird."
The younger woman snorted but before she could say anything more, Phoebe interrupted her.
"You know, maybe we should call Leo." Her brother-in-law would know what to do, he always did. Besides, she kind of missed having him around. Her suggestion however caused more of an uproar than she would have expected. Both Piper and Chris seemed to be equally scandalized by the mere idea to have Leo back in their lives.
"What? No, no way!" Phoebe just stared at them for a heartbeat at their unanimous protest. The two of them had sounded eerily alike for a moment there. Sharing a glance with her other sister she noticed the same surprise on her face but Paige just shrugged.
"Why not?" The half-breed then asked curiously, defending Phoebe's point. "I mean, he could know something we don't. He always does. Or is there something you're not telling us, Chris?"
"What?" Their Whitelighter just stared in confusion at his charge but Phoebe instantly understood what Paige was implying. After all, they had had a situation like that before.
"That's right, Chris," she piped up. "You're not keeping from us that Leo has been kidnapped again, are you?" To her surprise the young man looked almost offended at the accusation.
"No! He's perfectly fine up there!"
And again with the surprises, the empath swore she could hear contempt in his words, which was... not making sense, him being a Whitelighter himself and all.
"Then why not?" She asked him startled. "I mean, Piper I can understand in a way, but you? I know you and Leo don't get along too well but this is important after all."
Chris sighed, obviously trying to calm himself down – with slim to no effect. "Because we don't need him. We have been just fine without him. He hasn't shown up for almost three month by now, what makes you think he will change his opinion all of a sudden?"
What the hell was wrong with him? She knew Chris didn't like the Elder very much, but she had never seen him quite so angry at him before now. On one hand she was glad she couldn't sense anything from him because as angry as he seemed to be, she would have one hell of a migraine right about now. But then again Phoebe really wanted to know why he was so furious. It seemed to be more on their behalf than on his own.
"Because his family's been attacked!" She clarified, her own voice louder than she had intended.
"I'm not family, least of all to him." The young man told them harshly. At all of their pointed stares he insisted one more time: "I'm telling you I'm fine, don't sweat it!"
Hearing Piper's sigh, Phoebe turned around to her sister to see her rubbing her eyes tiredly with one hand. "He's right, we don't need him. Besides, what am I supposed to tell him about me being pregnant?"
Oh. Yeah, there was that. But... "Piper, you're not even showing yet. At least not obviously. Anyway, I think he has a right to know."
Before Piper could utter another word of objection however, the youngest Halliwell sister finally lost her temper and blustered: "Whatever! LEO!"
"Oh, bloody hell!"
Suddenly amused, Phoebe grinned at her Whitelighter. "You definitely hang around Spike too much!"
Her grin wavered though when she caught sight of Piper's sour expression. Her sister didn't say anything but her look told of future punishment for both her younger sisters.
666
Suppressing the urge to follow Chris' example and snort in derision, Phoebe stared incredulously at her brother-in-law. Had he really just asked them to meditate over their problems? And what was it about these robes? Could this get any more ridiculous?
"We... don't want to meditate, Leo." Paige told him firmly, wearing a look that clearly stated: 'What's his deal?' "Somebody attacked Chris."
They didn't get the response they were hoping for, though. The Elder just watched them, obviously waiting for more. "So?"
Sharing another incredulous look with her sister, Paige elaborated: "So, we want to find out who she was and we were hoping that maybe you could help us!"
Turning around to see Chris' reaction, Phoebe caught him with an indecipherable look on his face. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that Leo's indifference had hurt him. When the young man felt her stare he focused on her, mouthing with a shrug of his shoulders: 'I told you so.'
After some other ten or twenty minutes they had managed to get Wyatt's father back in touch with 'worldly' matters. He was their familiar protective, sceptical Whitelighter again. Shaking her head in exasperation, Phoebe thought wryly that he had to have been high on something. Constantly having his head up in the clouds couldn't be good for anyone.
"You sure she wasn't a Darklighter?" Leo asked Piper again.
After her previous reluctance to call him at all, she sure took his presence easy the empath observed as her older sister replied: "I'm sure"
"What else would be after a Whitelighter?" Phoebe asked confused. Watching her Whitelighter pace again, she wasn't able to shake off the feeling that Chris hadn't told them everything he knew.
"I don't know, that's what worries me." Leo confessed, equally confused.
Suddenly, Chris stopped with his pacing to face them, declaring in annoyance: "She's gone, Piper blew her away, what's the big deal?"
That boy was so stubborn not even Piper could compare to him! Didn't he understand that someone had tried to kill him?
"The big deal is someone tried to kill you Chris!"
She tried to make him see reason, but Chris would have none of it.
"Look at me! Not a scratch. Nothing!"
"You know, how did she get that close to you anyway if you didn't even who she was?"
Yeah, that was the Leo they all knew and loved, Phoebe silently snorted; not trusting Chris the small inch the younger Whitelighter was taller than him. But he did have a point. Her father believing in the young man or not, that wouldn't be the first time he had kept information from them.
A loose floorboard creaked when the younger man walked over it.
"You really oughta fix that, you know?" And that was so like Chris that the witch didn't know whether to cry or laugh in frustration. Weren't the two of them able to get by five minutes without jumping onto each other's throat?
"Come on, Chris, who's after you?" Apparently not...
"How the hell should I know?" The younger Whitelighter looked at Leo, his voice still calm but Phoebe could clearly see the challenge in his gleaming eyes. "It's not as if she had waited for me to interrogate her before she attacked!"
"You're lying." Leo stated flatly. God, their quarrelling wasn't helping them a bit. She almost regretted she ever suggested calling for Leo.
"Whatever." Chris was shaking his head in defeat, not even bothering to defend himself against the Elder's accusation. Phoebe almost felt sorry for him. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to go to bed sometime before dawn. Because this isn't getting us anywhere!"
Silence followed his departure. He was right and they all knew it. They wouldn't accomplish anything anymore tonight.
"He's not telling the truth." Leo repeated once Chris was out of hearing range.
"Leo, maybe there is nothing to tell." Curious, how defensive Paige had gotten over him in the course of the last months. In the beginning, Phoebe remembered, her youngest sister was the first one to accuse him of lying.
"Could you sense anything?"
Her head came up at Leo's question. He ought to know the answer to it by now though. "From Chris? No, I can never sense anything from him."
Piper, who had perched herself next to her on the armchair without Phoebe even noticing, asked her ex-husband curiously: "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that, if we figure out who she was, maybe we're able to figure out who Chris is."
Huh. That was worth a shot, she had to admit. But for now, she would take their peculiar Whitelighter's example and go to sleep.
666
Where the hell was he? He should be here by now, he knew how dangerous it was for him that she had been interrupted in stripping his powers. Damn his mother for walking in on them!
Bianca was waiting for Chris behind a statue in 'their spot', knowing he would show up sooner or later. She'd rather it would be sooner than later, for all of their sakes. The little garden was bathed in moonlight, glowing in all its unmarred beauty but the Phoenix didn't have eyes for it. Although her outward appearance seemed cool and collected, not giving anything away, she was shaking with fear inside. Fear for both her husband and their daughter.
She hadn't told Chris yet how Wyatt had even managed to get to Lily in the first place and if she could help it, she never would. Her little girl had spent the day at her great-grandfather's when Wyatt had decided to pay the old man a visit. Bianca didn't know why they had always considered Victor safe from Chris' older brother. He had no powers, Wyatt had never bothered him before but they should have known that there would come a time when the dark ruler remembered his mortal relative. She didn't want to tell her lover what had happened. Chris knew that Victor had slowly been dying all along; but to find out that his beloved grandfather had been killed by his own grandson... Victor had been the only relative Chris had left and he had adored the older man. Bianca was sure that knowledge would devastate him.
And above all that, Wyatt kept Lily hostage. Bianca wanted to scream in anger and desperation and hopelessness. Everything they had fought for! And now all that was jeopardized because Wyatt had found the one weakness, the one thing both Chris and Bianca would risk everything for to get her back to safety again.
Victor's death, Lily's kidnapping... In theory, all of that would be prevented if Chris succeeded in saving the baby self of his older brother, she knew that. But Bianca just wasn't prepared to take that risk; apparently neither was Chris.
The soft light and sound of orbing startled her out of her depressing thoughts and she came out from behind the statue to see the love of her life sitting on the bench in front of her, desperately holding onto the stone to keep from falling over. Finally! The use of his powers only made the effects worse.
"You really shouldn't try to orb anymore, you know?" Bianca told Chris calmly. He turned around to look at her and she continued. "It could kill you!"
"Gee, that was the hello I wanted to hear after not seeing you for eight friggin' months!" Chris' sardonic voice replied. She felt a smile tugging at her lips at his words. How could he still be joking? It was one of the things she loved about him and envied him for, his ability to spring back from any blow that had been aimed his way. But even Chris could only take so much.
Sitting down next to him, she took his face in her hands and kissed him lightly on his lips, taking a moment to just relish his presence before reality could reclaim its hold on her again. Leaning her forehead against his, she whispered: "Just let me finish what I started. You'll feel better soon, I promise."
The glow that surrounded her hand faded when she was finished and drew away from him.
"What now?" Chris looked at her inquiringly, already looking considerably better. "How are you gonna bring me back anyway? That spell's a one way door. It only goes backwards in time."
That was a good question; unfortunately one Bianca had the answer to. "He created another spell because of you. One that works both ways."
Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Chris mocked: "I'm touched."
"You should be."
Bianca tried to sound serious but she couldn't keep the smile from showing. It was good to hear his voice again. The past few months had been hell, always worrying if everything had planned out the way they had wanted it to, always worrying that there would come the day Lily wouldn't be safe any longer. Now that day had come and passed but just to have him back in her life again seemed to have lifted the weight that had settled on her shoulders ever since the day he had left.
"Let's go back to the attic." Chris suggested out of the blue.
"The attic? Why? I can cast the spell from anywhere." It was almost dawn. The attic would be too dangerous with all of the Charmed Ones in the house and Chris knew that!
"I'd rather have a back-up plan instead of hoping I can control my elementals." Chris explained reasonably. "You can prepare the spell while I'll look through the Book of Shadows for something that can help us. Preferably a spell to return my powers once we're in the future."
Wordlessly Bianca nodded in agreement, taking him by the hand and shimmering into the attic of the manor with him.
Around ten minutes later, Bianca was about to tell him that she was ready to cast the spell, a flawless triquetra drawn on the wooden wall in her back. But just like last time they were suddenly interrupted by the opening door. And just like last time, it was Piper, Chris' mother who did the interrupting.
They were only able to share one panicked look before the Charmed One loudly demanded to know: "What the hell is going on here?"
666
Chris froze when he heard his mother's furious shout. Could this day get any worse?
He had actually found a spell that looked as if it might work if he modified it a bit. Apparently, he wouldn't have the time to do that however since he could tell that Piper's voice had alarmed the other occupants of the house, including Leo.
"Hurry, Bianca!" He ordered his wife just before Paige and the Elder materialized in the attic next to an angry Halliwell matriarch while Phoebe ran up the stairs.
Cursing under his breath, Chris rushed over to were Bianca was standing, a now dangerous gleam in her eyes. Nothing would stand between her and her baby girl. They had to go if he wanted to prevent any possible bloodshed.
"That's her!" He heard his mother suddenly tell the others incredulously. "That's the demon that attacked him. But I blew her up!"
"She can reform," the young man informed them while grabbing Bianca's wrist to keep her from doing anything rash. "And she didn't attack me, she stripped my powers."
"What the hell are you up to, Chris?" Phoebe inquired, unlike her sister looking more bewildered than angry.
"Protecting my family!" He countered flatly, casting Leo a glare. "You should know what that's like!"
"Your family? You're saying you have demon relatives?" His father looked like he had been punched in the gut. Seemed like he really couldn't stand his lover in either timeline...
"He's saying that I'm his wife!" Bianca finally lost her temper. Stepping away from his grasp she approached the Charmed Ones and the Elder menacingly, talking all the while.
"Now, if you don't mind, my husband and I have to go back to the hell you had a part in creating and hope we will be able to save our daughter!"
Oh dear. Bianca really was furious. She had been the one to repeatedly tell him that he had to keep his secrets and now she had just told them more about him than he had ever let slip himself. In the end, he guessed it didn't matter though. It would have to take more than a small wonder that could help him escape from Wyatt's grasp one last time.
"We have to go, Chris!" Turning around again, Bianca pulled on his wrist to get him moving, but the sisters were not finished with them yet.
"Piper freeze them!" He heard Paige's rushed words in his back. No second after that he could feel his mother's powers wash over him and sighed. Yet another secret revealed...
"Uh..."
Piper's anger seemed to have vanished as she asked dryly: "Ok, I get why she didn't freeze but why didn't he freeze?"
Turning around, he could see his mother scratching her head in a tell-tale sign of bewilderment.
"Un-, unless he's a...?"
Phoebe didn't finish her sentence, so he did it for her. It didn't really matter anymore anyway.
"...I'm a witch, too? That's right, part witch, part Whitelighter, just like you Paige."
"You lied to us?" She accused him while her sisters and Leo just stared at Chris and his wife, knowing less than ever before what to think about their rogue Whitelighter.
"I had to. It was the only way I could get you to trust me."
"Trust you?" Phoebe sputtered in indignation. Ouch, that stung.
"Never mind. It doesn't matter anyway."
He turned around again but was stopped one more time by the eldest sister. "So that's it, you're just gonna leave?"
Of course he was, hadn't she been listening? It was his daughter's life that was at stake here. What would she have done if it was Wyatt?
Out loud he retorted: "I don't have a choice. It's true that I came here to help you protect Wyatt. But honestly? I would sell my soul if it kept my daughter safe."
"Let them go, Piper!" This completely unexpected assistance came from his youngest aunt.
When everyone focused their attention on her, looking at her as if they thought she had gone mad, Paige exclaimed: "Oh, come on! What would you do if it was Wyatt's life at stake out there? Piper? Leo?"
Paige was truly incredible, Chris decided. She even managed to make his parents feel guilty from the look on their faces.
"And you!" The witch suddenly rounded on him, the loose floorboard under her feet screeching in protest. "I don't care if you bring your whole damn family with you, but you will come back here to finish what you started! Because one thing's for sure, Spike will kill us if we let something happen to you!"
Despite everything, that statement brought a smile on his face. Knowing Spike, he would probably find a way to make them pay if Chris didn't manage to come back. And Chris would sorely miss all of the Scoobies, especially Spike and Dawn.
Casting a last glance at the four people who had been his family all this time ago, a thought crossed his mind. Maybe they were actually willing to help him for once, if only to get their hands on him to strangle Chris themselves for lying to them once again.
Ignoring Bianca's questioning gaze, the half-breed told the startled Elder: "Looks like you have to fix that floorboard without me, Leo!"
There had happened too much between him and his family in his life – which they didn't even know of, but yet... – that he could just ask them for help now. But if they really wanted to help him, they would find a way with help of this little message, they always did.
Taking his wife by the hand and facing the portal, he stated: "Let's go!"
With a wave of her hand the portal opened, glowing in a shimmering deep blue light, and without another backwards glance they stepped through it hand in hand.
Darkness awaited them on the other side. Not the kind they had departed from in the past, not the lack of light that was part of the natural order; but the darkness that came with hopelessness and fear and the threat the six demons posed, that were only waiting for an order to finish the two of them off.
That and a fearsome little voice he hadn't heard in way too long.
"Mommy! Daddy!"
The next thing he knew, there were small familiar arms around his neck when Lily had escaped her captors and shimmered into his arms.
Tbc
A/N: Here you go! I spent almost the whole weekend trying to make this as good as I could to make up for the lack of updates the previous two weeks :)
Hope you appreciate it ;)
Phew, the heat is killing me, that and the hay fever. I don't know how I will survive classes tomorrow...
So, now we have Lily in the picture. For everyone who couldn't wait to meet her, she will stay with us for a while ;)
The intro this time is from 'Animal Instinct' by the Cranberries. Terrific Irish band, let me tell you!
I know, I said I don't like reviews in the chapters themselves. I don't. But the server was so slow today that it would have taken me ages to respond to all of your revs separately and I still have to pay for the phone bill...
That being covered, let's move on to the reviews:
Talkin' of normality: Thanks! I did.
Night-Owl 123: Thank you! I think this was a bit sooner :)
YoshimiWolfspaw: Yes, I'm alive. Thank you! I'm sooner this time. Sorry for the next cliffie ;)
BlackNightWolf04: Thank you! Yeah, I think I write Spike mighty out of character, don't I? Oh well, this is fanfiction after all :)
DrewFullerFanLife: Happy to be back, thanx!
mewer44444: Soon enough? Lol
anianka: well, if you did read the story again you'll know by now that Piper is pregnant with Chris. And Bianca didn't exactly kick his butt, now did she? So, now you know where Lily was, hope you liked the chapter :)
Serene5: Why, thank you!
Alienangel19852003: Oh, I have a few things in store for you yet, I just hope you will like them. Anyway, thank you!
phoebe turner: Thanks! I did ;)
ennui deMorte: Damn, I knew that name sounded familiar! No, it's not the same Hammond, I think after what he knows he wouldn't be quite so antagonistic towards witches. Hope you liked the chapter, and yeah, Spike probably would kick her ass lol
Martina G: I did. Update, I mean. Writer's block really sucks, you know that? Glad you liked the chapter.
Sallywags: Thank you! Hope you liked it :)
rcaqua: I am alive :) Thanks!
redfox88: Well, Bianca didn't exactly attack Chris as we now know. Piper does know she's pregnant, she found out in chapter 11, I think. Sorry, if you want to know what happens to Bianca you have to read the next chapter. She's his wife by the way ;)
Karone Evertree: Well, it took me ages to write it, so that's fine ;) My vacation was nothing special, I didn't have the money to go anywhere :( Sorry, there'll be more Bianca in the next, but I think that's about it. Thank you :)
Hope master: Thank you :)
starra86: Holiday's always good! Thanks for the praise :) So, here's your update ;)
wickedwms: Thank you! You didn't have to wait that long this time, did you?
chattypandagurl: Yeah, I know that now... Drusilla being Spike's sire, I mean. I'll leave it like that though, this is fanfiction after all XP So, thank you! And if you find other mistakes, feel free to point them out to me, please :)
Lonnie: No, I think you're right. Like I said, I am not very happy with it either, but oh well. I hope this one is better again ;) I hope your nephew's fine, that sounded tough. My cousin's daughter is 10 months old now and we are all so happy that there hasn't been anything seriously wrong with her yet. God help us, when she gets her first cold ;)