A/N Part 3. Hope you enjoy

Too Old For You: part 3

Angel arrived a few minutes later, he glared furiously at Spike. "What are you doing here." He practically growled at Spike.

Aisling stepped in front of Angel, ignoring the indignant sound Spike made behind her as she did so. "We thought that standing directly over the Hellmouth might help my father to regain his strength," Aisling said easily.

"Besides." Spike stepped in, "When I heard that there was a chance that you might show up. I could hardly pass up the chance to see you." Spike said with a mocking smile before his expression darkened into a glare. "You and I are in need of some overdue conversations."

Angel rolled his eyes his arms crossed in front of his chest. "I don't have time for whatever perceived slight-"

Spike laughed mockingly cutting his Grandsire off, "It's not perceived, and you know it's not." Spike said with a half glance towards Aisling.

Giles coughed to redirect the attention. Everyone turned their attention to him.

"We were hoping you could tell us more about where Buffy found this bracelet." Giles said handing the jewelry to Angel."

Angel blinked and looked away from Aisling and Spike to get back to the task at hand. He looked at the necklace before turning back towards Giles. "She found the bracelet in the cemetery. Near the south wall."

"South Wall," Giles said as he turned to Willow. "What are you doing?"

Everyone turned to look at Willow who was staring out the window that Angel was standing in front of. She jolted back into consciousness. "Oh! Sorry. The reflection thing that you don't have. How do you, vampires, shave?"

Aisling and Spike shared a glance. "Camera attached to a TV," Spike said sounding amused at Willow's question.

"It's not perfect especially if the connections are a wee bit slow but…" Aisling shrugged.

Willow blinked before she shook her head and turned back to the situation at hand. "South wall. That's near the college and… the fraternity house!"

Aisling's eyes widened "Oh shit!"

"Ash," Spike said automatically then he frowned his brow furrowed and he stared at her in suspicious concern. "What's wrong with the fraternity?"

"Uh… it's a fraternity?" Aisling tried.

Willow nodded nervously.

"Could they be taking these girls?" Giles asked.

Willow and Aisling nod together.

"Let's get out there!" Angel said.

Spike stood as though to go with them, but he stood too quickly, and his head swam with dizziness. Aisling pulled him back down. "Shh." She said. "It will be ok." She turned back to the men. "Buffy."

Willow nodded eyes wide with fear.

"We don't know that it's concrete. Let's not disturb her until…"

"She's there!" Willow finished looking frantic and worried. "With Cordelia. They went to a party at the Zeta Kappa house."

Spike's eyes widened. "That why you're asking about frat parties Ash?"

Aisling face flushed scarlet. "Happy I didn't go?"

"Be happier if you'd told me that Buffy was going to go. Even without the sketchy things going down. The slayer should not have gone into there without knowing what she's gettin' herself into." Spike said, reaching out and pulling her close.

"She lied to me?" Giles asked sounding sad.

"Did she have a date?" Angel asked looking worried.

Aisling put a hand on Spike's shoulder. "Don't." She whispered as low as she could when it looked as though Spike was going to say something about Angel dating Buffy, they would have to worry about all of that later.

Aisling thought of the college boy Buffy had talked about but decided not to mention it. Before she could even decide what to say Willow spoke up.

"Well…" Willow started coming to Buffy's defense, "Well why do you think she went to that party? Because you gave her the brush-off!" Then she turned to Giles. "And you never let her do anything except work and patrol! And I know she's the Chosen One, but you're killing her with the pressure! I mean, she's sixteen going on forty!" She turned back to Angel. "And you! I mean you're gonna live forever! You don't have time for a cup of coffee!"

"Well said Willow," Aisling said amused.

Angel and Giles stare at her speechless.

Spike snorted, "That's a first," he said. "Angel bein' made speechless." He explained when everyone turned to stare at him.

Angel glared at his old protégé. "Shut up Spike." He snarled fist clenching.

Aisling rolled her eyes. "After everythin', you've done, he's allowed to be snarky.," She told Angel.

Angel glared at her, "I've done nothing to him."

Spike glared at Angel, "You stalked my daughter." Spike hissed. He wrapped his arm around his daughter and pulled her closer to him and more importantly further away from Angel. "After she told you to leave her alone." Given the slight lisping Aisling could tell that Spike had momentarily gone into his vamp face, but by the time she looked back his face had smoothed back into his human façade.

Angel had tensed for a moment when Spike had shown his game face, but before Angel could act Spike's face had returned to normal, "You couldn't expect me to do that when she had a vampire's scent all over her." Angel said rolling her eyes, "I thought you'd expect me to do my due diligence now that I have a soul."

"I expected you – souled you – to listen when someone tells you to stop." Spike hissed. "Or have you learned nothing in all your years Liam-"

"Oh, that's rich coming from a nancy-boy like you William-"

"At least I was a better human than-"

"Enough," Aisling said ending this before it could escalate into something worse. "Buffy, Cordelia, and some innocent girls are in danger. You can have this argument later – preferably in private away from prying ears."

"Quite right," Giles said putting his glasses back on, (Aisling hadn't realized he'd taken them off to clean.)

"We have to help Buffy." Willow hurried out of the library while Giles and Angel followed behind them. Aisling tried to move to follow them, but Spike held her back.

"Da'" Aisling sighed. "Let me go? Please?"

"I won't," Spike said. "It's dangerous."

"I've been through worse."

"That's not the win you think it is."

"What happened to that whole spiel of when someone says stop."

"Angel isn't you, Da'" Spike said. "And that was regarding his stalking, I'm doing my fatherly duty and just not allowing you to risk your life walking into a situation you know very little about.

As Aisling sat on the table, she could fight him on this, but with the way he was holding her it would be a fight, and with him being weak she'd likely hurt something to try to escape. "Is it helping at all?" She asked looking around the library. "Or was this idea stupid?"

"I feel a little stronger." Spike admitted, "But even if it didn't work that doesn't mean the idea was stupid.

Aisling sighed before she stood and pulled away from her father. He held her tightly for a moment. "Let go." She sighed. "I just want to look around." He hesitated for a minute before he released her, and she started looking around the library.

"What are you looking for?" Spike asked tilting her head like he always did when he was curious.

"Giles is a Watcher," Aisling said. "Maybe…" She trailed off.

Spike didn't need her to finish her sentence. "Why would a Watcher have information on how to heal a dying vampire?"

"To keep it off the hands of vampires who'd want to cure themselves of afflictions that are killing them."

Spike rolled his eyes. "If that was the case, he'd probably just burn it."

Aisling turned back and grinned., "Still. His desk is unlocked, and I know you're curious to see if any Watcher Diaries mention the 'Big Forehead.'

Spike rolled his eyes, though Aisling could tell that the idea amused him, "Ash."

"Hush." Aisling, "I'll put the books back exactly where I left them, he won't even know I was snooping."

Spike sighed and closed his eyes. "It doesn't change the fact that it's wrong Ash."

"Only if we get caught. I can't go save Buffy, I can at the very least look for ways to save you." Aisling said, turning back to the office.

"Ash-"

Aisling entered the office and started riffling through Giles' things.

Spike rolled his eyes, and she ignored him. "Seriously Ash, stop." He said jumping off the table. A wave of dizziness hit him. Bloody Hell, did he hate being weak. "We can just ask the librarian for help later." He said.

He heard Aisling pause in her searching, for one single hopeful second, he hoped that she'd listened and was on her way out.

But this was Aisling, if she could help, she would do anything, break any rules to do it.

She'd proven that in Prague.

He entered the room to see her reading a small book. Her form froze as she stared at the page.

He recognized the look, and he had a feeling he knew what was written on those pages.

He stepped forward and looked over her shoulder to read to confirm his hypothesis.

Spike and his sometimes paramour Drusilla toured Europe leaving very few in their wake.

Drusilla, though insane, was especially deadly given her ability to hypnotize her victims, making them see and believe anything she wanted.

Spike reached out and pulled the book out of her grip she barely noticed. "Hey."

She stared up at Spike, her eyes blank.

"I'm fine." She said. "It's… fine. It's not like it said anything I didn't already know."

Spike didn't believe that for a sing moment. "Ash."

Aisling turned away from Spike and looked back at the piles of books in the office. "It's whatever." She said a little more forcefully.

Spike sighed and pulled her out of the office and held her tightly. "You are safe." He whispered. "She won't hurt you. Not if I have anything to say about it."

Aisling took a deep shuttering breath, more to calm herself down than because she believed Spike's words. "I'm fine." She said. "It was years ago."

Spike shook his head "It wasn't, Ash," he said. "That's not how trauma works, you know that's not how trauma works. And even if it was believable that you were over it, that the nightmares and the flashbacks and-"

"I get it," Ash said.

Spike continued on as if he hadn't been interrupted "-Had stopped – and I know for a fact they haven't – She's here. She's in Sunnydale." Spike said. "It's going to cause a setback."

Aisling took a deep breath, "So you're saying-"

"Bring this up in therapy?" Spike asked. He nodded at her, "Yes."

Aisling rubbed her forehead. "Think Buffy will forgive me that I stayed with you?"

Spike huffed a laugh, "She's the slayer, Bit. No matter what danger she got herself into I'm sure she'll get herself out of it." His expression then turned dark. "Especially if the great forehead is goin' in after her."

"Da'" Aisling said, "I know you don't care for the way he treated me but-"

"I have a million reasons why I hate the Great Forehead. Half of which is how he treated you. The other half has to do with him being an egotistical prick. He treated everything and everyone like they belonged to him."

"Mmm," Aisling said. "And he slept with your girlfriend on more than one occasion."

Spike looked at her unimpressed.

"Hey look just because you're broken up with her now and couldn't care less who she shacks up with currently doesn't mean that you're feelings back then were invalid."

Spike stared at her unimpressed. "Did you bring up my love life in therapy too?"

Aisling grinned, "Maybe."

Spike groaned.

Spike eventually was able to coax Aisling away from Giles's office (after making sure she put everything exactly where she found it. Before they decided to head back home.)

"Think we can stop by the Zeta Kappa fraternity house?" Aisling said as she drove down the street. "Just… just to make sure everything's ok?"

Spike probably should have said no. No parent in their right mind would let their daughter head off to a place where there were kidnappings and black magic and possible demon-summonings happening. Still perhaps if they never went in the frat house…

"We're not going inside," Spike said. "Not after a panic attack, forget it."

"Oh, come on." Aisling sighed with a roll of her eyes. "I've fought vampires before. It'll be fine."

"Ash." Spike said with an annoyed sigh, "I can't rush in after you if something goes wrong. No."

"When are you going to trust that I'm not this fragile creature?" Aisling huffed. "I can handle myself. You taught me how to handle myself."

Spike sighed as she drove them down the road, it wasn't lost on him that Aisling could force the issue and drive by the fraternity house anyway. Though it wasn't really in her nature to kidnap her father and (technically) steal his car.

She did a lot of questionable things, but she did have respect for the man who raised her.

Even if it was at least partially undeserved.

"I just want to make sure they made it out alright," Aisling said.

"You can call them when we're at home."

Aisling huffed, "Da'" She said softly using the same tone she often did when she was young, and she felt Spike was being too stubborn. "Please?"

She'd been 8 when she realized that that tone was his Kryptonite. That hearing his baby girl sound upset and hurt and so very young because she wasn't getting what she wanted tore at his heartstrings and made everything that much harder to deal with.

Still, this was different than a little girl asking for extra ice cream. It was her asking him to wait outside the lair of evil humans and possibly also evil demons.

"Remember the last time we were careless around a Hellmouth?" Spike asked.

"I was 12," Aisling said. "I'm 16 now. It will be fine."

"You could be a million years old; it would still be too dangerous."

"Da'"

"No."

Aisling huffed. "You are being stupid."

Spike should his head. "No. You're being reckless for no reason. I taught you how to defend yourself so you could get out of sticky situations should something happen. Not so you could go looking for danger."

Aisling sighed, "It's not for no reason." She insisted. "How is this any different from the times you've gone charging in with no plan to save my life."

"I'm an adult," Spike said. "I'm your father. It's my job to protect you, and I say going into a fraternity house where there's probably dark magic happening is too dangerous for you."

"And it's not my duty to protect the people I care about?" Aisling said, "I seem to remember doing just fine when I saved your life back in July."

Spike rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't have had to." He said frustrated. "You should never have been put into the position of having to come after me." He said glaring out at the window then he said so softly Aisling was not entirely sure if she was even meant to hear what he said, "You should have just let me go."

Aisling's eyes widened. "How could you say that? How could you believe for a second that I would just leave you to your fate."

"Look at you!" Spike exploded, bones crunched in his face as, for a moment, his vampire face appeared. Aisling stared at his vamp face unimpressed. Spike glared at her for a moment then as though he realized what he had done he shook his head and his face smoothed back into his human façade. "You're still traumatized from Prague. Do you think I want you worse off?"

"Bad things happen." Aisling argued, "It shouldn't stop me from doing what's right!"

Spike shook his head. "You're too young to be makin' decisions like that."

"So's Buffy but no one seems to be taking the fact that she's sixteen as well, into account before they drag her into killing vampires and other horrid demons."

"That's different." But his insistence sounded weak even to Aisling's ears.

Aisling rolled her eyes, "Because she has superpowers?" she asked before she shook her head, "That's bull and you know it. She's the exact same age as me. Why should she get preferential treatment from every other adult in the know, while I, the one who's been trained by you since she was 8 is treated like a goddamned soap bubble."

"That's not fair Ash."

I glared at Spike. "It's completely fair."

"You're my girl." Spike said, "You are mine. You are my family. My child. My daughter. I put a lot of effort and love and care into making sure that you live and survive and have a decent childhood. Do you think I want to see you dead before your 18th birthday?"

"But's it's ok if Buffy's mother buries her daughter? A woman who has probably put just as much love and care and effort as you? If not more?" Aisling said furiously. "Screw you."

Spike flinched. "That's not what I-"

Aisling shook her head, "You want to know what I think? I think the reason you're so desperate to not consider Buffy a kid is to lessen the guilt you felt when you killed Xin Rong. Nikki was an adult when she died, early 20s minimum. But Xin? She was young. Probably still in her teens and you hate the thought that you fought and killed a girl that might have been as young as I am now."

Spike looked as though he'd been hit in the stomach. "Aisling-"

Aisling parked in front of the fraternity house and took that moment of shock to open her door and escape. "I'll be back soon." She hissed before slamming the door shut behind her and stomping off toward the fraternity house.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, no one really needed any help, not even Buffy or any of the girls who had very clearly been chained up given the chains lying on the floor. By the time she found her way to the creepy basement Buffy had already dealt with the problem.

"You didn't need my help," Aisling said staring at the dead snake-like demon. "Awesome."

"Disappointed?" Buffy asked as they made their way back upstairs.

Aisling shrugged; she wasn't eager to hash out her argument with her father. "Not really, my help or not it doesn't matter so long as it's dead. Sorry, I wasn't out earlier. It took a bit to convince my dad."

"No problem." Buffy said, "He's injured. Makes sense you would want to take a bit."

"Have him outside at the moment.,"

"How'd you hear what was going on in the frat house."

"Took your advice," Aisling said as they made their way to the frat house. "Decided to take Da' to the Library and see if it would help. Still weakened but..." Aisling thought back, "he did seem a bit more energetic so…" Aisling looked at Buffy. "I don't know." She raked her fingers through her curly black hair. "Maybe I'm just hoping he's better."

Buffy wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "I don't mind sharing my Scobey gang meeting place, so long as Spike has a soul and doesn't try to murder anyone."

"Buffy." Angel said, "He's Spike… I don't think-"

"He's a souled vampire who's badly injured, what possible problem do you have with him," Buffy asked Spike.

"Yes, Angel." Aisling said, "Tell Buffy the issue you have with Spike." She said her expression full of sarcasm.

Angel rolled his eyes, "He's a slayer killer." Angel said, "Can you understand my issue with Buffy being around someone like that?"

"Mmm." Aisling winced. "Yeah." She looked at Buffy. "Pre-soul. But…"

Buffy looked at Aisling her expression in an attempt at Nonchalance, though Aisling could see the concern that she tried to hide, "When was the last Slayer he killed?"

"70's," Aisling said. "Nikki Wood."

Giles looked thoughtfully at that but didn't say anything. "He does regret them." Aisling pleaded, "He really does, Honest."

Buffy looked mildly worried, "but he doesn't kill people anymore. No more human blood."

"Oh, he drinks human blood." Aisling said, "Just not from the vein and not from anyone… unwilling."

Buffy looked at Aisling confused. "What?"

Aisling looked at Buffy confused "The hospital sells expired donated blood." She said "And close to expired donated blood on delivery days. It gives them a little extra cash and decreases the amount of neck trauma wounds in the ER." Aisling tilted her head the same way Spike did when he was trying to figure something out. "Didn't you know that?"

"But…" Buffy started shaking her head. "What?"

Aisling looked at Angel. "You never told her?" Aisling shook her head. "It's… listen. Human blood makes vampires stronger and I'm not about to deprive my dad of human blood because you have a hang-up about vampires drinking blood – especially when he's sick."

"But human blood" Xander cut in looking a little nauseated. "Even donated that's a bit gross."

Aisling eyes flashed. "He's a vampire Xander. I'm not having him on the vampire of the equivalent of tofu and veggies when what he needs is steak." She blinked as she stared at him, she hadn't gotten a good look at him when she first entered the basement, but now that she did, she realized what she missed. "Umm… makeup?"

"Yeah, but the steak in this case is you." Xander said, "And the makeup is none of your business."

Aisling rolled her eyes. "No, it's not. Spike had a fit the last time he tasted my blood on his tongue."

Xander looked confused and shocked, "He bit you unknowingly?"

Aisling laughed, "Yeah. He was out of it immediately after Prague. Flipped out when he realized that I'd intentionally put my arm close to his mouth. Told me that if he'd been just a tad bit stronger, I could have died."

Willow's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull "You… fed your father?"

Aisling shrugged. "I got him into that mess the least I could do was try and get him out."

"That's dangerous." Angel said staring at me disappointed, "You shouldn't have done that."

"I'd be more willin' to listen to you, Angel." Aisling said, "If I didn't know for a fact that Spike's health and safety mean fuck all to you."

Angel hesitated for a moment, Aisling thought that he might feel some semblance of care for his grandchilde but then he shook his head, his expression harder. "He's dangerous, Ash."

"So is Drusilla, So are you." Aisling countered, "So is Buffy. What matters is what we do with that danger. And Spike since I met him has only ever used that danger to protect me."

"Pity he couldn't kill Drusilla," Angel said. "What does that tell you?"

"Pity you let Darla walk around for a hundred after you got your soul before finally putting a stake through her." Aisling countered crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Spike loved Drusilla for 100 years, you expect him to forget all that for me?" Aisling shook her head. "He broke every bone in her body and got me away. That's enough. It's more than enough."

Spike met Aisling just as they make it outside looking at his adopted daughter disappointed.

"You're grounded." He said stonily glaring down at her, "Until graduation at the very least."

"Da'"

"Spike-"

Spike turned to Angel hatred burning in his gaze "You don't get to talk to me about how I raise my child." Spike hissed his eyes flashing amber for a split second, "Not after the things you did to your vampiric offspring."

Buffy looked confused, "What is that supposed to-"

Aisling placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder and shook her head, "Don't ask. Not here. Not now." She said,

Buffy turned to Aisling, "Please?" Aisling asked. "Not here. Not now."

Buffy must have seen something on Aisling's face because she swallowed deeply and nodded. "Alright."

Spike and Angel argued for another moment or so before Spike turned to Aisling. "Let's go." He growled.

Xander tensed at the aggressive-sounding growl looking as though he was about to step in. "Listen-"

"Don't worry," Aisling said cheerily to Xander cutting him off before things could get worse. "When it comes to me, Spike is all bark no bite."

Aisling huffed as she made her way into their apartment. "You overreacted."

"You deliberately disobeyed me." Spike hissed. "I told you-"

"I'm not 8 years old anymore." Aisling said, "I'm not that broken little girl you had to rescue, I'm older now. I'm better now. Why can't you believe that I can handle myself."

"Handling yourself does not mean you walk headfirst into danger without any kind of backup," Spike said.

"Buffy was there, Angel was there, Xander and Willow were there."

"Cordelia was likely captured, Buffy is the Slayer, Angel… who the less said about him the better, and Xander and Willow are children, Aisling, they don't have any business getting into this either."

"Buffy's also a child," Aisling said refusing to budge on this topic. "She's 16 years old, she's my age and she's nearly died far more times in the years she's been called than I have in my entire life. And yes, I am including the year I was you're ex's 'dolly' and the fire that killed my parents." Aisling shook her head. "It's not fair that get to sit at home twiddling my thumbs when a friend of mine risks her life day in and day out."

"She's the slayer," Spike said but it sounded weak even to Aisling's ears.

"Bull," Aisling said. "She's, my age. She's a child. If I'm a child. If Xander and Willow are kids. Then Buffy is a kid too that's how that works.'

"Ash."

Aisling shook her head. "Screw this." She said. "I'm heading to bed." She said as she stormed off to her and slammed the door behind her.