CoF - Laure Alexander - TEAOW&S

Summary: Explanations. I don't want to give anything away in these summaries, so sorry they're so short.

AUTHOR: Laure Alexander
EMAIL: lara@sunflower.com
RATING: PG-13
PAIRINGS: Willow/Spike/Drusilla, Buffy/Angelus
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters on the show. Joss Whedon and the WB Network own them (for now). No copyright infringement intended, so please don't sue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Still leaning heavily against Spike, Willow unlocked the front door to her house and stepped inside, followed by Buffy. Slowly she turned to face the two left on the doorstep.

Angel's lips twitched into a slight smirk. "I already have an invite. I'm just being polite."

The five moved into the living room and took seats. After Drusilla's startling revelation about babies, they had decided they needed to talk first before they faced the whole group. There was too much that was still unknown. They had chosen to go to Willow's house because her parents were out of town as usual.

Spike sat in the middle of the couch with Willow curled up on one side of him and Drusilla on the other. Buffy and Angel took chairs, each of them looking uncomfortably at the other.

"Go on, Pet, tell us what you know," Spike encouraged as Buffy rolled her eyes again.

Placing her clasped hands primly in her lap, Drusilla began to recite. "The pretty lights told it all to me. We triggered the opening of the Hellmouth but then we stopped it, and we sealed it for all eternity as long as our progeny survive and renew the bond."

"It means, pretty Slayer, that if one of us dies without a child or grandchild, the Hellmouth will open and the world will fall to darkness."

"But, we have childer, daddy, and they know they are needed and they are returning to the fold. My Amelia, your Christian, Spike's grandchilde, Nick. If one of us dies, our part of the bond will jump to one of our progeny at random, though, obviously if you die, your part will not come to Spike or I. We are childer to you but only outside the bond. Your line will flow through Christian. Does he have childer of his own?"

She shrugged elegantly. "I just do. The pretty lights in the gemstone told me. It was all muddled at first, but after we sealed the Hellmouth it began to make sense. And your Slayer and our Willow must have human children of their own who will have more children and so on and so on. That is why you cannot turn Willow. If you do, she will die without progeny and the Hellmouth will open."

Angel's eyes narrowed. "You're not making this up just so I won't turn Willow, are you?"

"It makes sense, Angelus," Spike added. "The first part of the prophecy stated something along the lines of the world ending when a heart dies, and breaking of tradition."

"'To avert the end, tradition must break. Turning of backs for true love's sake,'" Drusilla chanted.

"Breaking the tradition of holding oath givers to their vows. Turning away from that for love of..." Spike gave them a puzzled look.

"The Earth," Willow said softly. "For what we have here, the life we've forged for ourselves, beyond any imagining. Three master vampires, one Slayer, one human. We're bound by love."

Buffy nodded. "Makes sense, though I'm not bound by any love to her," she pointed to Drusilla who snapped her teeth back at her.

"But, Spike loves her, and I love him and he loves Angel who loves you who loves me and back around again. Love can take many forms."

"Okay, I can accept that." Buffy turned to look at Angel who was regarding them all solemnly. "So, will this work? Can you convince your followers and the other denizens of Sunnydale that you're releasing Willow from her oath in order to save the world?"

He nodded slowly. "Since the majority of the underworld here doesn't want to open the Hellmouth and find themselves subjugated by the Old Ones, I think I can make it work. But, as soon as she has children..."

Angel nodded in agreement with his beautiful childe. "That she is. All right, that saves Willow."

A flood of relief went through Spike and he finally relaxed, cuddling Willow close.

"You didn't really want to turn me, did you." Willow gave her near-sire a knowing look. She had been right to hold on to hope.

"Last Spring? Sure. Once I realized how I truly felt about Buffy and how it would feel to lose her?" Angel shook his head. "This love crap is a big pain in the ass."

Giggling, Buffy rose from her chair to curl up on his lap. "You're still going to have to be punished for whipping her, you know."

"Um, before this devolves into something I really don't want to see," Willow interjected, "Could we get back to the part about me and Buffy having babies?"

"Oh, yeah," Buffy pulled back and stared down at Angel. "I don't think mom's going to approve of that."

"We're still in high school. No one's going to approve of that. And...vampires don't equal babies, so how...?"

"Sperm bank, luv. We'll get a nice hot bun in that oven as soon as you graduate." Willow's face fell and Spike gentled his expression. "It's all right, Willow. I'll be there for you the whole way and we'll have a lovely baby in the end."

"A life," Buffy added. "Not that I expected to have a long one, but kids really weren't in my plans."

"Yeah? What are you sacrificing, darling?" the Slayer asked her lover in a snippy voice.

Angel shot Willow a look of disbelief that slowly changed to one of lust, that he turned on the girl perched on his lap frowning at him. "Hm, that has possibilities. Your tits will get nice and full..."

Spike looked down at Willow, noting her apprehension. "I know you didn't want this so soon, luv, but we did hope to have children."

"No, it's okay. You're right; I do want kids. I just...well, with everything hanging over my head, I haven't given it much thought, but..." She gave him a quavery smile. "Once I'm done with school we'll do it."

"We'll be married first, Willow," he replied seriously. "Our child will be born in wedlock."

"That doesn't really matter," she protested, but tingled inside at the propriety coming out in her usually irreverent lover.

"It matters." He kissed her lovingly and she melted against him, sighing happily.

"Don't tempt me," Buffy grinned down at Angel. "You gonna marry me, too?" At the look of abject horror on his face, she laughed and kissed him. "Idiot."

Ignoring them, Willow glanced over at Drusilla. "Do you know why we now have pentagrams branded on our chests or why the emerald turned clear?"

"No, but we have time to find all that out. May I see it?" Willow lifted the chain over her head and passed the amulet to Drusilla who examined it, then turned it over. "This is in Vartoo, an obscure dialect, but easily translatable." She looked over at Buffy. "Your Watcher doesn't know Vartoo? Tsk."

"Perhaps I could teach him," Drusilla continued, her eyes taking on a dreamy quality. "He is very handsome."

"So, are we done here?" Setting Buffy on her feet, Angel quickly rose behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "We just saved the world and all that rot. I figure it's time to celebrate."

"And just what do you have in mind?" Buffy grinned up at him, then squealed as he rotated his pelvis, pressing his erection against her thinly covered back. "My mom's home, and I really don't want to go back to the mansion with your childer popping out of the woodwork, not until we have a chance to explain everything, so where?"

"You're probably right. Don't think they'd understand their Master dicking the Slayer."

"I...I don't hate him...much." She dropped her eyes, trying not to think about the events of earlier in the evening and the whipping she'd received at Angel's hands. Oddly enough, the memories didn't send panic flooding her, as if everything had happened in the distant past. Another aspect of the bond? That she wouldn't be terrified of Angel anymore?

Turning his attention to his sire, Spike stood, moving instinctively in front of Willow. "It's over now, right, sire? She's safe from being turned?"

Angel glanced down at Buffy and nearly groaned at the wistful look in her eyes. "I think I have my hands full right here...for now." Buffy's sudden smile sent his heart into his throat and he tenderly nuzzled her neck.

Shaking her head, the vampiress rose and straightened her gown. "No, this night belongs to the two of you. You need to renew your love for each other after so much fear and anguish."

Spike moved to give her a quick hug and peck on the cheek. "Thanks, luv. We'll see you tomorrow."

Drusilla headed to the front door, followed by Willow and Spike who were holding each other's hand in a sweet yet tight grip. Both were still a little stunned that things had worked out the way they had.

"I will go home and see that rooms are prepared. I believe we will have more company tomorrow. They will all come, not knowing why they are drawn home to us, bound by ties as strong as the one binding the five of us. We are family."

"It is all I ever wanted," Drusilla said with a smile as she sailed out the door.

Well, I hope it all made sense, wasn't too predictable or too weird, and works for everyone. For those who thought I'd turn Willow or Buffy, that was never in the cards, but I appreciate all the guesses and inspirational feedback! Way back when I wrote "Shot in the Dark" I knew I'd never let Angel win and turn Willow into a vampire, but I just had to figure out a way to keep them all alive and happy.

These authors spend lots of time to write these stories. If you took the time to read this PLEASE take the time to give them some feedback. Happy writers write more ;-)

Laure Alexander - lara@sunflower.com

Back to TEAOW&S

Continue - Next Story