AN: I am so sorry it's been so long since I updated! Things have been so insane with the move and everything here! I hope to be able to start writing and updating regularly again. Thank you to those who can and have been patient with me through all of this! Can't wait to see what you think!
Chapter Six: Surprises
He sits at a table almost in the dark in the back of the Bronze sipping a beer idly as he thinks over what just happened in the Summers home. Did he really just agree to give that piece of shit vampire a chance? He sighs, he knows that he did it for their sake and the hopes that it'll keep him from losing his best friends over his own prejudices. After all they'd accepted Anya hadn't they? They'd even stayed sort of friends now that she was a demon, again! But the logical part of his brain that knows this he's currently trying to drown in bitter tasting beer.
The words, speak of the devil, dance across his mind as out of the corner of his eyes he notices Anya making her way towards him. Though why on earth she'd even consider to do so is beyond him, after all she hates him now doesn't she? Though he can't honestly say, at least to himself, that he blames her considering he did leave her at the alter. He releases his grip on his beer, his hands moving to hold the side of his head as he hangs it further, assuming that though it looks as though she's headed his way he's just in the path she has to use to get to her newest client.
It's not until he hears her exasperated sigh and the annoying grate as she pulls the chair harshly across the hardwood floor before sitting down beside him without asking permission. Not that he'd ever voice being bothered by her presence. In truth he's made curious by it more than anything. After all, for someone who hates him so vividly she'd go back to being a demon why in the hell would she willingly sit down beside him? It's not until he's been staring at her for a couple of minutes that he realizes she's said anything at all. "Hm? What? Sorry..." He frowns feeling even worse for having missed whatever she'd said because he was too lost in the mere presence beside him to grasp her voice.
"I asked you how things were going with, Spike and Willow. Everyone all forgive and happy?" Anya repeats with an air of bitterness.
"We've forgiven, Willow yes, and all the girls seem to have forgiven, Spike." He still says the name with a tainted edge, giving away the fact he'd like nothing more than to go right over there and stake the bleached wonder into a big ol' pile of ash.
"You really expected something less? Their view of demons has become selective... Though I doubt I'll be forgiven any time soon... But I had to! What else am I supposed to do, Xander? I became human went through adolescence all over again, fell in love with you and looked forward to the proper married life only to have it blow up in my face; again! What else do any of you expect of me? The only thing I am suited for is vengeance! Though that's proving to be wrong also..." For all her desire to cut him out of her life, to even have the chance to take vengeance out on him, at the end of the day he's still her best friend in the entire world and all she wants to do is go back to how things were before it all turned to dust. Her pride now, and her broken heart, are the only things keeping her from telling him that as bluntly as she does everything else that passes through her head.
"I know... I know it's my fault you're a demon again, Anya. I'm sorry, more than you could ever imagine. I... Look, what happened between us was not your fault. I swear to you. You did everything right, you were going to be as wonderful as a wife as you were a girlfriend Ahn..." He starts to reach out, to touch his fingertips to her cheek wanting for all the world to take the pain from her features. But as soon as his hand lifts to do it he lowers it back to the table, though he purposely lets it rest less than an inch from hers on the table top.
"Then why, Xander? If I did nothing wrong and you care so damn much about me... Why wasn't it enough to marry me?"
"Do you remember the demon who came? The things he showed me... I know they were lies, I get that... But they might not have been once we were married. Who's to say I wouldn't have become my father? I don't really know what it means to be a good husband Ahn. I didn't have anyone to show me how... It would kill me if I ruined your life and destroyed who you are the way my father has done to my mother. You've seen them! I couldn't live with myself if I turned you into that..."
"You'd rather break my heart now and force me back to being a demon instead? How does that make any sense, Xander? I may not understand human ways very well, but it seems to me there were other options! Like talking to me! Don't you think we should have talked about this when you first started getting scared? I don't want to think we would have called off the wedding, but maybe we could have postponed it and got therapy or something. We could have done something! But I can't just be your girlfriend for the rest of my life, that isn't fair!"
"I know! I'm so sorry... Isn't there something we can do now, Anya? I miss you... I miss us... It kills me every second that you're not at home with me... Do you... do you still love me?"
"Of course I do, Xander! It's not like I could ever stop... That's what hurt so bad when you just walked away from me, from us, and never even tried talking to me! Don't you see that?"
"I know, I messed up. I screwed up badly... Ahn... I swear I'd do anything if you'd just give me a second chance... Please?" As he says the pleading word he slides from the chair he'd been occupying, sinking to the sticky wooden floor to his knees in front of her. Literally putting himself on his knees and begging for another chance. After all, if everyone else including an evil blood sucking fiend could have another chance, didn't he deserve one too?
"Xander..."
It's Friday night and for the moment things are actually quiet in Sunnydale, but this of course leaves the residents of 1630 Revello drive in a sense of unease. After over six years of living on the hell mouth they know that quiet times like these are not something to rejoice, they are simply a warning of bad things to come. They consider it the calm before the storm.
The sudden knock, or banging on the front door startles the three adults in the home out of their slumbers; being almost four in the morning after all. Buffy groans, glad that she'd allowed Dawn to spend the weekend with Janice, climbing out of bed for the door. When she reaches the hallway she's greeted by a half awake and slightly grumpy Willow, and a suddenly very alert Spike. She simply shrugs her shoulders to both of them before inclining her head towards the stairs, if they're all up they may as well all go find out who is going to have something thrown at them for disturbing them at such an inhumane hour.
Spike remains just to the side of the bottom of the stairs in the shadows of the barely lit foyer as Buffy and Willow open the door together, both women rubbing the sleep from their eyes and yawning. Buffy's the first to speak in grumpy sleep filled tones, "What do you want and why can't it wait until da-" She stops mid-sentence when the door opens to reveal a fairly large group of people standing on her front porch. "Angel?" She ignores the quiet growl from behind her when she says the name, but she hears Spike's retreating steps as he slips off to the basement to hopefully save them all a fight.
"Sorry it's so late, Buffy, can we come in?" Angel asks apologetically, nodding towards the group of people with him.
"Um, sure… Care to tell me why you're all here in the middle of the night? Other than the fact you can't exactly travel in the daytime." She says sheepishly as she ushers everyone in without actually paying a whole lot of attention yet as to who has come with him. The only one she instantly recognizes are Wesley and Cordelia.
Angel and Cordelia manage to usher in their team all the while managing to keep key members of the group hidden for the time being as Cordelia takes over. "Hey, Buffy, see here's the thing. I had a vision about you, Spike, and the apocalypse that I'm sure you're aware is coming. It happened shortly after Angel; here had that talk with Spike."
"Speaking of, Angel, where do you get off trying to convince him he's a danger to us here?" Buffy's hands curl against the curve of her hips as she narrows her eyes at him.
"Because, he is!" Angel's protest comes off sounding absolutely childish, even to his own ears as he cringes slightly.
"Anyway!" Cordelia all but shouts, trying to bring the attention back to her as she clears her throat and continues, "This thing, from beneath you it devours, it's big Buffy. I mean bigger than any of the apocalypses any of us have faced."
"Uh, are you sure about that? I've faced a god since you've been in LA, Cordy."
"This is still bigger. I'm not sure how big; I don't have a lot to go on yet. What I do know is you're going to need all the help you can get. You're going to need an army."
"An army? Just how am I supposed to get my hands on an army?"
"If I understood the vision the army will be coming to you. I had the vision to make sure that we were here. So everyone needs to put their personal issues aside, and I don't just mean the ones between you and Angel, Buffy."
"Then what do you mean?"
Cordelia looks to the group behind her and waves someone forward even as she speaks, "You and Faith are going to have to put your past aside. You two are the only active slayers and you'll both be needed in this, I guarantee it."
"Hey, B." Faith nods towards her, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her tight faded jeans while a typical halter top adorns her torso.
"Faith." Buffy acknowledges the dark haired slayer through slightly clenched teeth, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. She looks from Cordelia to Angel, "If it's so important for us to put our past aside then isn't it important Angel does the same with Spike?"
"It is, and he's supposed to." Now even Cordelia is glaring up at him for a moment before returning her attention to Buffy.
"Hey, Wil, would you please go start some coffee for everyone? I have a feeling this is going to be a long night. Oh, and tell Spike to come up please." Buffy sighs as she motions for everyone to move into the living room, taking a seat on the sofa and arching a brow at the unfamiliar faces of Gunn, Fred, Lorne, and Connor. "So who are the new players, Cordy?"
"This is, Fred, Gunn, Lorne, and Connor." She points to each in turn before going on to explain them a bit further. "Gunn and Fred are human, Lorne's an empath demon, and Connor's… Well, he's complicated." She worries her bottom lip between her teeth as she looks towards Angel now, silently indicating he needs to explain Connor's presence.
"Buffy, Connor's my son." Angel states simply, staring at his ex and waiting for her reaction.
"He's your… what? How is that even possible?" Buffy's eyes grow as wide as saucers, her hand instinctively reaching out as she feels Spike enter the room. The fact he's perched himself on the arm of the sofa beside her might well be the only thing that keeps her from going absolutely ballistic.
"It has to do with a prophecy, as most things in our lives do," Angel answers in a monotone.
" Who's his…" She lets the sentence trail off as she glances briefly towards Cordelia.
"I am not his mother." Cordelia rolls her eyes as she crosses her legs at the ankles, leaning forward to fill in the blank. "Darla is Connor's mother. "
"Didn't you dust that bird ages ago, Peaches?" Spike, taking this opportunity to put in his two cents, as he casually slings his arm across the back of the sofa behind Buffy.
"Okay, here's the short of it people; an evil law firm in L.A. brought Darla back to try and sway Angel over to their side by forcing him to sire her. That didn't pan out for them so they brought Dru to L.A. who of course did exactly what they wanted. He went and torched them; they ate a cellar full of lawyers, usual run of the mill mischief until Angel here had a particularly depressing night and ended up having a one night stand with her. Next thing we know, she shows up looking about ready to burst, just about everyone in L.A. was either after her or the kid or bowing down and worshiping them. Then some time bendy demon brought back Holtz," She pauses, quirking a brow at the shocked expression crossing the blond vampire's features. She had momentarily forgotten that he had been around for that. "Holtz was after Angelus, couldn't quite grasp the fact Angel isn't the same man, he found out about the baby. Next thing we know both Holtz and Wolfram and Hart were after Darla and the baby, she ends up giving birth; or rather, staking herself in an alley leaving a screaming infant in her ashes. Holtz ends up kidnapping Connor with the help of Wesley who thought he was doing the right thing getting the baby away from Angel, " She's forced to pause again at the bewildered expression on faces of the group. She rolls her eyes sighing deeply as she tries to quickly explain this as well. "There was a fake prophecy, not that he knew that then, stating the father would kill the son. So Wesley was trying to protect Connor and Angel by separating them, some bitch working with Holtz slit his throat and stole Connor. Wolfram and Hart got involved and the time bendy demon opened up a tear in the dimensional fabric to a place called Quortoth where Holtz, with Connor, jumped in. Eventually they break out and, well here we are. Is everyone up to speed now?" A look of total exasperation on her refined features as she slowly looks at each member of the group, finding everyone nodding in silent response she leans back in her seat finally seeming to relax a little. "Good, now, down to business. There's not just an apocalypse coming, this is the apocalypse. "
