Disclaimer: Joss owns the characters of BTVS. I am not making any money off of this fic. Please don't sue me. Beta'd by AtheneHahn

A/N: Written in answer to Redwolf50's Challenge 109. Challenge details at the end.

Paradox

by Jackofspikes


Chapter 22

 "In what way?" Joyce felt forced to ask, she was still not very happy about how the claim had come about. While she was delighted to have Spike in the family, the way her eldest had gone about it had left her less than impressed.

"Without the claim, this precious child would have been lost. The key within her would have reverted to its natural form and it would have taken the child with it," Wolfie gravely informed the group. "The monks tried to cover all contingencies, but a human made time device was not taken into consideration."

"I'm not a child and I have a name you know...it's Dawn," Dawn said belligerently. Being told that you were lucky not to have been reverted to a ball of green glow-y mist did not induce happy emotions.

"My apologises, Dawn. I meant no offence." Wolfie stood and bowed deeply to the emotional teenager in a display of respect.

Nodding her head regally, Dawn made a great show of accepting the gentle giant's apology. She proved to all that she was a normal teenager though when her attitude and mood suddenly changed. Teenage mood swings can be like watching a yoyo. "Did my absorbing the Key of this time stop or create a paradox?"

"The Powers told me that you already have an expert on paradoxes and time travel, so I wasn't given any information on the subject. You will usually find that if humans created it, it takes a human to understand it. What you will need to tell your expert though is something that he may not be aware of and the Powers felt that it will be important to any theories he may come up with. You must tell him that 'time is not linear'." Wolfie waited until Giles finished writing before making his final point. "As to the claim, if you're thinking of formalizing it, you might want to wait until you get the other Spike out of this one's body. The younger slayer is probably going to want Spike too and this young lady here doesn't strike me as the type of person who would be too happy sharing her significant other."

Spike was surprised that the general consensus seemed to be that he and Buffy were together, not that he was complaining, but the slayer was a slippery little morsel and as yet, he had been unable to pin her down for a chat so he was getting a mite confused at her attitude. Spike unintentionally pouted his confusion; he was totally unprepared for the reactions his pout received.

"Oooh pout-y," Dawn teased.

Buffy growled; a genuine rumble from the chest growl. Her mind was assaulted with images from a past/future Thanksgiving. Her slayer side felt threatened. Firm cool fingers grasped her chin and, using just a little pressure, encouraged her to turn her head until flashing green eyes found tranquil twin pools of blue. Her name was being repeated quietly, but insistently.

Buffy looked around the room, her eyes widened noticeably as her panic escalated. What the hell was happening to her? Turning her gaze back to Spike she slapped his arm...hard.

"OY! What was that for, Slayer?" Spike responded indignantly.

"'Cause it's your fault; what ever just happened here is your fault," she replied sharply, standing abruptly, clearly agitated.

"How the bleedin' hell do you work that out? You were the one just about to go postal on the Niblet!" Spike accused loudly, stabbing his finger at her as he stood to face her.

"Oh I sooo was not. You're overreacting as usual; I had it all under control." Why did he have to be so insistent that she not holiday in Egypt? It wasn't like she was hurting anyone...damn interfering vampire.

"Under control?" Spike snorted in derision. "You. Were. Growling."

"If she tries to say it was a sinus condition, she had them operated on when she was five," Dawn informed the vampire with a smirk. She was all for sisterly solidarity, but being an annoying little sister had its place in their relationship too.

"Are they always like this?" Wolfie asked Giles as he continued to grin at the two bickering blonds.

"No, not always," Giles chortled softly.

Suddenly Wolfie bolted straight up in his seat his eyes seemed to roll back in his head allowing only the whites to show. A feeling of deep peace flowed over the group; the knowledge that they were now in the presence of something pure, good and loving almost overwhelmed them. Tears of joy formed in their eyes as concerns and worries seem to lighten in their chests; Buffy and Spike fell to their knees in supplication. As the Glorious Presence seemed to fade from the room, each individual felt the gentle caress of It's passing.

"Apparently somebody from one of the other camps noticed some of the changes; they've sent Whistler here to tell Angel to fix it. You may not have too much time left before you have to deal with him." Wolfie seriously informed the group as a whole.

"Will I have to dust him?" Buffy's voice was small and filled with dread at the prospect. She knew her emotions toward Angel were changing with her memories, but she wasn't quite ready to let go.

"Sweetie, the choices you make will always be yours. Free will is very important to the Powers for Good. But it might make these decisions easier for you if you learn to use the slayer ability that the council didn't tell you about."

"Huh?"

~*~*~

Angel paced as well as he could in his small basement apartment. He was tired and he was cranky. First Giles still hadn't turned up at the library by the time Angel had been forced to leave with the approaching dawn. Damned slacker. Now Whistler and the Powers were turning him into their own personal detective. The inconsiderate natures of others could really put him in a bad mood. When the watcher had kept him waiting, Angel had been forced to forgo his nightly visit to watch over his beautiful sleeping Buffy and that really should be his first priority. Giles was going to get an earful over that little debacle.

The knock at his door interrupted his internal rant, furious he slammed open the door, ready to tear apart whoever it was that had disturbed him.

Buffy took an involuntary step back as the door was flung open. She mentally gasped at the vision before her. Praying that she could keep her composure, she tried desperately to remember the message she had come to give him. "Oh...er...hi Angel. I just wanted to...um...let you know that there's not gonna be a meeting at the library tomorrow night. Okay? So...um...bye." She darted away from the door before Angel could speak.

Lost in thought as he closed the door, Angel tried to work out why she had acted so strangely; like she didn't want to spend time with him or something. Knowing that that couldn't possibly be the case, he wondered if she had somehow been affected by whatever it was that Whistler had been talking about. He clearly had a lot to ponder. Sighing deeply, Angel resumed his pacing.

~*~*~

"Ability...there's another slayer ability now? Giles, you never said anything about any extras." As always, when new information was discovered, Buffy turned to her watcher. But before he had the opportunity to answer her accusation, she was again assaulted with memories, but these ones were accompanied with feelings of absolute horror.

Buffy turned white, her knees went weak; had Spike not been there to catch her she would have fallen to the ground. She closed her eyes tightly in an effort to stay the images that seemed to be cutting to her very core. She felt her chest tighten as she started to hyperventilate, 'Oh God, oh God, oh God', she mentally repeated over and over.

Spike gathered her into his arms and carefully lowered them both to the floors. Pulling Buffy onto his lap he slowly rocked the distraught girl, whispering nonsensical words of comfort as he rested his cheek on her head and rhythmically stroked her hair. He felt it more than saw it when both Joyce and Dawn joined him. Between them they enfolded Buffy within the comforting love and protection of family.

Slowly she began to calm. Wiping her face on his tee-shirt, she quietly whispered, "Sorry".

Spike didn't know if the apology was for breaking down or using his top as a handkerchief, he didn't care either way. He focused on the trembling girl in his arms as she snuggled further into his embrace. She hadn't leaned on him this much even when she was first pulled out of Heaven. She'd clearly had a terrible shock and he would bet his duster that it had something to do with Angel...well, maybe not his duster.

"You back with me, kitten?" Spike quietly asked Buffy.

Buffy had no intention of moving. She needed the connection that Spike was giving her. She felt safe in his arms and for the moment she desperately needed to feel safe. She didn't bother to question how it was that the arms of a soulless demon could make her feel safe. She didn't care what anyone else thought, not at this point in time. She needed him. She needed Spike. "Don't let me go," she whispered her fear.

"Never, luv; never," He whispered in response.


TBC~