Chapter Two: House Rules

Spike and Wesley waited until sunset. They took turns caring for baby Connor. Once the sun was down, Wesley gathered their things, and checked out of the motel room. Wesley got into the car and Spike sat next to him. Connor was in his car seat behind them. Spike sighed and turned to Wesley,

"You got a plan?" He asked.

Wesley shook his head. "We'll find a place to live." He paused. "I don't think it's right to raise Connor in a Crypt."

Spike shrugged and Wesley turned on the vehicle. He put the car in drive and took off. The three boys drove around Sunnydale until Wesley spotted a vacancy in an apartment building. He had emptied his entire bank account before he had left. Wesley was determined to get off the grid as much as possible. Wesley decided that it was best to put the apartment in Spike's name.

The landlord escorted the three boys to the available apartment and gave them the keys. Wesley took the keys and unlocked their new home. The landlord welcomed them to the building and walked away. Spike and Wesley entered their new home. It was a one bedroom apartment with utilities included. Wesley got Connor situated in the bedroom. He looked at Spike and said,

"We are going to need more supplies for Connor."

"I'll go out." Spike said. "I need more blood and smokes."

"No," Wesley said. "We will not have cigarettes around Connor."

"You can't change who I am." Spike said.

"No smoking." Wesley said.

"Whatever, I'm getting blood." Spike told him.

"Get supplies for Connor." Wesley said and handed him a list.

Spike rolled his eyes. "It's going to look way awkward but what the hell, I'll go."

Wesley handed Spike some cash and left the apartment. He closed the door behind him and made his way to the city. He went to the store, which was open for twenty-four hours. Spike purchased everything on the list, some human food, some alcohol, and a pack of smokes. There was no way he was going to quit cold turkey, but he wanted to quit for the kid. As much as Spike hated to admit it, but Wesley was right about smoking near Connor.

On the way home, Spike saw a lady walking in the opposite direction. He licked his lips. He wished that he could have some fresh blood. Ever since the Initiative put a chip in his head, he's been surviving on blood bags. Spike dropped the supplies off at home and obtained blood bags from the hospital. When he came home, Wesley was almost asleep on the couch. Spike put his blood bags in the fridge.

Inside the fridge looked really weird. There were blood bags on the left and baby formula on the right. In the middle was human food. Spike shook his head and closed the door. He looked up and saw that Wesley had closed his eyes. Connor began to cry. He closed the door behind him so he wouldn't wake up Wes. Spike walked over to baby Connor and picked him up.

"Shh," Spike said and tried to console him. "Work with me kid, I don't know what I'm doing here." Connor cried some more, but once Spike started to sway, he stopped crying. Spike smiled and said, "There we go little niblet."

Spike stayed with Connor until the baby fell asleep again. He placed him down on the nice comfy bed and walked into the living room. Wes had a few hours of sleep so Spike nudged him to wake him up. Wesley jumped up and looked up at Spike. Spike walked over to the chair and sat down.

"Damn mate, you sleep through everything." Spike told him.

"I'm awake." Wesley said and rubbed his eyes.

"Not that I care, but have you gotten any rest since you kidnapped the kid?" Spike asked.

Wesley shook his head. "I've been trying to stay alert since I took him." He explained. "He's got so many people that want him. He's got lawyers, Holtz, and Angel."

"Wait, the kid has lawyers? Who the hell is Holtz?" Spike asked.

Wesley looked at him and said, "Right, Holtz was before your time." He paused. "Daniel Holtz chased Darla and Angelus for centuries because they killed his family."

"Doesn't surprise me." Spike said and sighed. "Continue."

"The child that Angel and Darla produced is wanted by many people." Wesley told him. "Including Wolfram and Hart."

"What's Wolfram and Hart?" Spike asked.

"They are a lawyer community that works for evil." Wesley explained.

"Hm, how much do they pay I wonder?" Spike asked. "Maybe I could get a job there."

"Spike…" Wesley said, disappointed.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Just having some fun mate, lighten up." He said. "We got the kid safe and I doubt that anyone will come here."

Wesley sighed and nodded. "I guess that much is true."

"Go get some rest." Spike said. "It'll be daylight soon."

Wesley nodded again and walked into the bedroom. He was worried about Connor since the moment he left with them. Spike was right though, there was no way that anyone could find them. Angel would never suspect that Spike would have his son. For now, they were safe. So Wesley was going to take this rare opportunity and try to rest. Connor was still asleep.

Wesley got onto the bed and closed his eyes. His dreams were not comforting. He was back at the hospital and there were bandages on his neck. Angel took the pillow and tried to kill him-again, in his dreams. Wesley gasped and opened his eyes. Connor looked at Wesley and blinked. Wesley held Connor's hand and asked,

"Did I wake you?" Wes paused. "I'm sorry."

The sun shone through the window and got into Connor's eyes. Wesley picked up Connor and he made baby noises. Wes closed the blinds and the curtains. He walked out of the room with Connor in his arms and saw Spike asleep on the couch. Wesley nudged Spike and he stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake up. Then he nudged him again and Spike opened his eyes.

"What?" Spike asked with a little bit of annoyance.

"Spike, why don't you go to sleep?" Wesley asked him. "The bed is free."

Spike stretched and groaned. He yawned and stood up. "Fine, I'll go in the room." He mumbled and walked to the bedroom.

Spike opened the door and fell onto the bed. Wesley walked over to the bedroom door and closed it. It was an interesting night for everyone. They were all exhausted. Wesley warmed up some formula and gave it to Connor. They sat on the couch and Wesley turned on the television. It was basic cable, but he wanted the noise in the background. Connor fell asleep in Wesley's arms. Wes thought about what would happen if Holtz had gotten ahold of the child.

Wesley shook his head. There was no way that he was going to let anyone or anything hurt this child. Wesley carried Connor and placed him in the car seat. He picked up the car seat and set it on the couch. He watched some television and made some food for himself. Connor started to cry so Wesley burped him and changed him. He washed his hands and ate his food. Wes put Connor in the car seat on the couch and took care of him until Connor fell asleep.

Things were quiet now. Connor was asleep and so was Spike. Wesley grabbed his bag and tried to find a journal. He brought out the journal and dated the entry. He was going to write everything down. Wesley sat at the table and began to journal everything that he had witnessed. He had to get his emotions out and write about what happened in L.A. He was never going back. Wes was finished with Angel.


On the other side of things, Buffy's world changed fast. Her eyes were blurry, but she knew that this was not her body. Buffy shook her head and pressed her hand against her forehead. She opened her eyes and stared at her reflection. Her vision was a little bit more clear. This body had long, blonde hair that curled at the end and she had green eyes. Buffy shook her head and closed her eyes again. When she reopened them, her appearance was still the same.

She was still in this unknown body. Buffy pressed her hands on the sink and leaned forward. Vomit suddenly came out of her mouth and she puked in the sink. Buffy ignored the knocking at her door and turned on the water. She rinsed the puked down into the drain and washed her hands. Then she turned off the water.

"Megan?!" the female yelled through the door. "Megan, what's wrong?!"

This couldn't be happening, Buffy thought in a panic. She remembered being finished. She was completely finished. Why was she here? Buffy wondered. She closed her eyes and remembered what she did to protect Dawn. She sacrificed herself to protect Dawn. She was finished! It was done. She knew in her heart that it was done. It was so shiny… Buffy opened her eyes and stared at herself. She ignored the knocking at the door and stayed in the bathroom. She sat on the toilet seat and yelled,

"Stop it!" Buffy paused. "I am not coming out!"

"Sweetie, what's the matter?" the male said through the door. "We want to help."

"Well, you can't!" Buffy yelled.

"Come on Megan, stop this." the female said. "Let us help you!"

"My name isn't Megan!" Buffy screamed at the top of her lungs.

Outside the door were Megan's parents and they were very confused. Yesterday was a normal day. Megan went to school and the parents went to work. Yesterday was normal, but today was a different story. Megan's parents looked at each other and thought about what they should do. The woman looked at the door and leaned against it.

"Who are you then?" She asked through the door.

Buffy looked up and got off of the toilet seat. "I'm Buffy." She said, "Buffy Summers."

"Well hi Buffy, my name is Laura Winters." The woman said. "Jack Winters is with me."

"Why don't you come out and we can discuss this?" Jack asked.

Buffy wiped her nose with her hand and then washed her hands properly. She dried her hands and slowly unlocked the door. She wrapped her hand around the doorknob and cracked it open. Buffy looked at Jack and Laura through the crack of the door. Laura looked at her and said,

"We can figure this out."

Jack smiled at Buffy and nodded. Buffy opened the door even more and they took a step back. They held their hands up in defense and Buffy turned off the light to the bathroom. She opened the door fully now, trusting them. Once the door was fully opened, Buffy stepped out and looked at these people. They were both beautiful, like out of a magazine. Jack was tall with dark hair and green eyes. He had on a business suit, like he was ready for work.

Laura was tall with blonde hair and her blue eyes were mesmerizing. She had on a casual outfit with a nice blouse and a pair of jeans. Buffy hadn't really looked at them before when she was in the kitchen earlier, but she could see them now. Laura waved her arm and Buffy blinked. Laura tried to take a step closer to Buffy, but Buffy jumped and stepped back. Jack shook his head and said,

"Let's go sit down."

Buffy nodded and followed them into the dining room. Jack sat at the head of the table and Laura sat next to her husband. Buffy sat at the opposite head of the table and made herself comfortable. Jack looked at his watch and sighed. Buffy looked at both of them and put her face in her hands. She shook her head and said,

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry sweetie," Laura said. "We just want to know what's going on."

Buffy removed her hands from her face. "Well, I'm not Megan." Buffy told her. "I'm Buffy Summers from Sunnydale."

"Okay…" Laura said, surprised. "What do you do Buffy?"

Buffy sighed. "You won't believe me."

"Try us." Jack said. "Please."

"I'm The Slayer." Buffy said. "I fight all the evil in this world."

"The Slayer?" Laura asked. "I don't understand."

"In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is The Slayer." Buffy blurted out.

"So you fight demons?" Jack asked.

Buffy nodded. "I do." She said, "Well I did. It's all confusing."

"Tell me about it." Laura said.

Buffy rubbed her eyes. They were still blurry. "Well, I went to Sunnydale High School." she started to explain. "We lived on a Hellmouth."

"What's a Hellmouth?" Jack asked.

Buffy sighed heavily. "It's a portal between Earth and Hell." She explained. "When the Hellmouth opens, the demons will come to play."

Jack sat back in his chair and Laura was quiet. She fidgeted with her fingers while Jack was lost in thought. He sighed heavily and said,

"I think I believe you."

"I have no reason to make this up." Buffy told him. "I'm not your daughter."

Laura looked at her and said, "You look like my daughter."

"But I'm not." Buffy said. "I'm Buffy Summers."