A Love As Strong As Death

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Everyone knows that not all these characters are mine, and I'm not making money off the ones that are. So there.

Archive: Anywhere that already has my stuff. Anywhere else, ask and it shall be given to you.

Summary: Set after the end of Cast Me Not Away and its follow up stories. This sequel is longer and darker than the intervening short stories. It deals with family, children, immortality, life and death, and making amends. We will also be jumping around in time a bit, so look sharp.

A/N: I debated for a long time before writing this one, although the idea was there before I even finished CMNA. Some of you will believe that I have ruined the previous stories, which is fine. All I ask is that if you're unhappy with where this goes that you'll go back, re-read Cast Me Not Away through Silver Bells, and then you can flame me if you'd like. I'll calmly pull out the fire-extinguisher and ignore you, but that's alright. The themes have been there; I just hadn't quite managed to elaborate on them yet. (Oh, and before anyone screams Nika, Wesley, Spike and Buffy will survive. More than that I won't promise.)

Chapter 2: October 2014

Buffy breezed through the front door in a buoyant mood. Not only had she gotten all her errands run, but she had also stopped by the mall. Spike was going to be thrilled by what she'd found.

The Slayer had plans.

While it was difficult to maintain an active and fulfilling sex life with a child in the house, it was not impossible. Buffy often thought it was a good thing that her husband was possibly the most persistent person on the planet.

Oh, and Spike was creative too.

"Hey guys," she called out as she entered the kitchen. "I already ordered out. I hope pizza is okay." The silence that met Buffy's statement sent her radar humming. "Is something wrong with pizza?"

Spike met her eyes, his face uncharacteristically still. "I think we ought to talk upstairs, pet."

"I already know about it, Dad," Meg said, unhappy at being left out.

Spike shot Meg a look, reminding her that she was not supposed to know about any of this, and if she didn't want to get into trouble she'd butt out. "What does Meg know about?" Buffy demanded.

"Giles called," Spike said quietly. "I think we ought to go upstairs and chat this out, luv."

Buffy shook her head. "What does Meg know about?"

Spike gave his daughter a pointed look, and she started gathering her things. "I think I'll go to my room."

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Margaret Joyce," he replied.

The girl winced. Spike never used her full name unless he was really pissed off. She scampered.

"What's going on, Spike?" Buffy insisted as soon as they'd heard the bedroom door close upstairs. "What did Giles want, and why does Meg know?"

Spike sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table, hoping that Buffy would take the hint and join him. She didn't. "Meg listened in to our conversation, which is why she knows," he replied, answering her second question first. He hesitated, trying to figure out what the best method of delivering bad news would be. Quick seemed better. "Faith was killed."

Now Buffy did sit, the color leeching out of her face. "How?"

"Big bad in Cleveland tryin' to open the Hellmouth. The coven there is preventin' that, but both Faith an' her Watcher were killed tryin' to take him out." Spike sighed. "Giles wants us both on this one."

Buffy stood. "Well, of course we're going."

"Don't you remember what we agreed?" Spike objected, rising as well. "It's one or the other of us. If we both go an' it all goes to hell in a hand basket—"

The Slayer stood toe to toe. "He killed a Slayer, Spike. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

It was the wrong thing to say. They both knew it as soon as the words left Buffy's mouth. "You know damn well what it means to me," Spike snarled. "I'm sayin' let me go. I'll take Connor an' Angel. Between the three of us we'll take care of the problem."

"You can't protect me, Spike!" Buffy hissed, trying to keep her voice down so that Meg wouldn't hear. "I'm the Slayer now. This is my job."

Spike's hands clenched into fists before he could force himself to relax. "And you don't think the new Slayer couldn't use some advice? Wesley's goin' to be her Watcher. He could probably use a hand in getting her situated."

"He has Nika," Buffy replied. "Look, Spike, I get what you're saying, but I am the Slayer. This is my responsibility. I owe it to Faith."

Spike ran a hand through his hair distractedly. He understood. He really did. It was just that a vampire who had killed a Slayer as skilled and experienced as Faith was infinitely capable of killing another.

He couldn't stand the thought of losing her. "It's not goin' to be just us, then," Spike insisted. "We'll take Connor along, at least, preferably one or two more."

"I want Willow in on this," Buffy replied, realizing that he was capitulating. "I know there's a coven there, but I want our own backup."

"Good," Spike replied. "We'll wait for Giles to call then."

They stared at each other, not quite knowing what to say. Buffy wanted to mourn; she wanted to throw herself in Spike's arms and weep. She also knew that he was not happy with her insistence that she go to face this threat.

Spike, for his part, understood Buffy's need, but he was also scared that he was going to lose her. He thought she might be short-sighted for not seeing that sometimes duty to family came first, and there was a part of him that thought if the Slayer was going, he ought to be the one to stay behind for Meg's sake. At the same time, he refused to allow her to go into battle without him there to watch her back.

It seemed an impossible situation.

In the end, however, Spike didn't have a choice. Buffy would always come first. "I'm sorry, luv."

Those words were all the encouragement Buffy needed to wrap her arms around him, bury her face in his shoulder, and cry for her lost sister.

~~~~~

"I really wish Giles would have found someone else," Dawn muttered. "I hate this."

Connor wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He wasn't nearly as upset about their assignment as Dawn was. He and Dawn had been chosen for this job for very good reasons. Both their familiarity with the supernatural and their own life stories made them a natural choice to pick up the new Slayer.

Still, how were you supposed to tell a fourteen-year-old girl that she was going to be responsible for the fate of the world? In theory, anyway. Things had changed since Buffy was first chosen.

"It'll be fine," he soothed. "All we have to do is introduce the idea. Wesley's the one in charge of explaining everything."

Dawn made a face. "We're the ones who have to explain why she got Called," she pointed out. "Which means explaining that she's going to die early."

"There's nothing that says she has to die prematurely, Dawn," Connor reminded her. "Things have changed."

"I know," Dawn sighed. "She's so young, though, Connor."

Connor gave her a smile. "No younger than you were when you found out you were the Key."

"Yeah and I freaked out and cut myself to prove I was real," Dawn said wryly before she pushed the doorbell.

The woman who answered the door was probably in her fifties and smiled nervously. "Hi. Are you—"

"We're here to pick up Hannah," Dawn said. "I'm Dawn Summers, and this is my husband, Connor."

"Are you—"

Connor shook his head. "No, we're here to explain that. May we come in?"

She stood aside. "I'm Mrs. Collins. My husband had to work late tonight."

"Is Hannah here?" Dawn asked.

"Yes, she's just—"

"I'm here." The girl stepped out into the living room, her duffel bag already in hand. Her red hair was pulled back in a long ponytail, her thin frame enveloped in an oversized sweatshirt.

"Hi, Hannah. I'm Dawn, and this is Connor." Dawn gave the girl what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "How are you?"

"About like you'd expect," Hannah replied.

Mrs. Collins frowned. "Hannah!"

"It's okay," Connor said, eyeing her bag. "That all you've got?"

She shrugged. "This is it. I travel light."

"You're probably the only woman on the planet who does," Connor observed.

To everyone's surprise, Hannah grinned at him. "I'm special that way."

"Good to know it's possible," Connor replied. "Maybe you could give Dawn some pointers."

Dawn elbowed him. "I am not that bad. Have you seen my sister pack?"

Mrs. Collins broke into the rapport building. "Is Hannah going to be staying with you?" Her tone expressed her doubts that such a young couple was capable of handling a teenager.

"No, actually, we're just the relay team," Dawn said. Then, lying through her teeth, she added, "We work with an organization that specializes in placing older kids in permanent homes. The couple that Hannah will be living with has twin boys. They were happy to open their home to her."

Mrs. Collins' look turned disapproving. "Why couldn't they come pick Hannah up?"

"They just received news that a friend had been killed, otherwise I'm sure they would have," Connor said firmly. "Since they're friends of ours, they asked us to come."

"Well, I suppose that's alright then," Mrs. Collins said reluctantly.

Hannah just wanted to leave. The couple seemed pretty cool, and if they were friends of this family, then surely it wouldn't be too bad. "It's fine," she said. "Unless they can't take me right now or something."

"That's not a problem," Dawn assured her. "We just thought we'd go out to dinner and then head over there if that's alright with you."

Hannah shrugged. "Whatever. As long as I know what's going on."

Dawn and Connor watched with a sense of discomfort as Mrs. Collins awkwardly hugged Hannah goodbye. "You be good now," she admonished. "And give us a call if you ever need anything at all."

"Thanks," Hannah replied, obviously wanting to leave as quickly as possible. "For everything. You guys were really nice."

Dawn wasn't quite sure what to say to the girl to make her comfortable. It seemed strange to be picking up a kid only to drop her off with Wesley and Nika, knowing that she'd been moved around so much already. It didn't seem fair. Dawn's life had been known to suck on occasion, but she had always had someone who loved her.

"What do you like to eat?" Connor asked.

Hannah shrugged. "I'm not picky."

Dawn and Connor shared a look. "I think I want a steak," he said. "You up for that, Dawn?"

"Sounds good to me," she replied. "Hannah?"

Hannah tried to appear cool. She hadn't ever gone out for steak. "Uh, yeah. That would be alright."

~~~~~

Giles stood in the doorway watching as Wesley read the Reilgar prophecy out loud to his seven-year-old son. Even if Davey hadn't met him at the door, Giles would have known which of the boys was sitting on the Watcher's knee. Only Will could sit still for any length of time at all.

Giles smiled fondly. Both boys would both make phenomenal Watchers some day.

"Wesley."

Wesley glanced up, startled to see Giles standing there. "Giles! What are you doing here?" He suddenly went very still. "What's happened?"

"I think it's best that we speak alone," Giles replied, turning his gaze to the boy who was watching with wide eyes. "Hello, Will."

"Hello, Uncle Giles," Will replied formally. "How was your trip?"

Giles smiled. He and Davey really were nothing alike. Davey had greeted him with a raucous shout of welcome, shifting from one foot to the other in eager anticipation. Giles had the habit of bringing all the children something when he came to visit, and although Davey knew better than to ask, it had been obvious that he was waiting for it.

"My trip was fine," he replied. "Your mother has your gift."

Will cast a look back at Wesley, who nodded. Will rushed out, suddenly all child. "He gets more grown-up every time I see him," Giles commented.

"You're getting better at telling them apart," Wesley replied, on edge and knowing that Giles had bad news. The older man never showed up unannounced without very good reason.

Giles smiled, closing the door behind him. "There's only one of your boys who can sit still for more than five minutes at a time, Wesley."

"What brings you to L.A., Giles?" Wesley asked quietly. "I don't dare hope it was for pleasure."

"No." Giles sighed, sitting in the chair across from the desk. "It's Faith."

Wesley sat heavily. "Is she—?"

"Yes, and her Watcher." As usual, the glasses came off, and Giles started polishing the lenses. "I've already spoken to Spike who said he'd inform Buffy. They're going to handle the problem."

"Both of them?" Wesley asked, surprised. "You know that they rarely go out together on anything more than a routine patrol these days. They agreed."

"This will require both of them unless we want to lose more people," Giles said firmly. "Buffy will understand that even if Spike does not."

Wesley leapt to his friend's defense. "Spike understands, Giles, of that I am certain. But if this threat has already destroyed one Slayer, what's to say it won't destroy another?"

"Indeed," Giles murmured. "Which is why I am here."

Understanding dawned in Wesley's eyes. "You're not serious."

"You're the Council's first choice, Wesley. Other than myself, you are the one with the most experience." Giles gave him a wry, weary smile. "I believe I told you at your wedding that you would be the one appointed as Watcher to the next active Slayer."

"I'd thought you might change your mind," Wesley admitted. "Where is she now?"

"I believe she's with Dawn and Connor, actually," Giles replied. "When we received word about Faith, I started moving on her case as quickly as possible. Her background is something like Faith's, which is why I wanted to be able to talk to your wife as well."

Wesley didn't quite understand, and then his eyes widened. "She has no parents?"

"She's a ward of the state," Giles replied. "I've arranged for you and Nika to obtain permanent guardianship. I know this is sudden and unexpected, but she will need both of you, Wesley."

Wesley's mind went back to Faith. "Have you already held the funerals?"

"We've taken care of it," Giles assured him. "I am sorry, Wesley."

Wesley passed a hand over his face. "We'll have to talk to Danika, of course. Enid can see to the boys while we speak."

"I know this is a terrible inconvenience," Giles admitted. "We weren't sure which Potential would be activated, and now—"

"Now it's imperative that she begin her training immediately," Wesley supplied. "You're right, of course. It's a good thing that we bought a big house. We have that spare room."

Giles sighed. "Yes, I suppose it's a good thing for everyone concerned that you and Nika were planning on a large family."

A different kind of pain entered Wesley's eyes. "Yes, it was. I'll go get Nika."

Giles watched the younger man leave, having noted the new lines around Wesley's eyes and mouth. While the years had generally been kind to him and Nika, there had still been more heartache than he'd have liked to see. Now he was proposing to add one more burden.

It wasn't just Wesley's field experience, or his extensive training that the Council was interested in, however. The other man represented a rarity among active Watchers: he was part of a committed, caring relationship and had proven himself as a father. Giles had demonstrated that it could be a benefit for a Watcher to have a closer, possibly more paternal relationship with his Slayer. Faith's Watcher, Malcolm, had shown that a close relationship of a different sort was equally effective.

With this Slayer's background and youth, she would need a stable environment in which to train. Hannah was even younger than Buffy had been when she was Chosen. She was, in fact, one of the youngest Slayers in history. The last one Chosen before the age of fifteen had barely lasted a year, although she'd faced odds that would have challenged even Buffy.

The Council's decision had been unanimous. The new Slayer would benefit from not only from a stable home environment, but also close contact with two of the most notorious vampires in history, as well as the most successful Slayer on record.

Giles sighed, pulling off his glasses and rubbing tired eyes again. He glanced up as Nika entered the room, followed closely by Wesley. "What is this, Giles?" she asked. "Wesley said that there's been an emergency of some sort?"

"Faith was killed, along with her Watcher. Buffy and Spike have been asked to take care of the threat." Giles sighed. "And Wesley is getting the new Slayer."

Nika frowned, immediately reading the meaning behind his words. "I see. She is coming to stay with us?"

"She has nowhere else to go," Giles replied. He knew what he was doing. Nika was quite well known not only for her hospitality but also her maternal nature. She was a naturally welcoming woman, and one of the main reasons that Hannah would be living with Wesley, rather than having other arrangements made for her.

Nika pursed her lips. "I suppose she's coming tonight." She fixed Giles with a look. "This is terribly short notice, you know. If I were married to you, you'd be sleeping on the couch for a month."

"I do realize that," Giles said as ingratiatingly as possible. "There really wasn't any other way to let you know ahead of time."

"You couldn't have picked up the phone?" Nika demanded. "At least you could have called a few hours in advance. As it is, Nain and I will be rushing to get the girl's room ready for her. What did you say her name was?"

"Hannah," Giles replied. "Her name is Hannah."

Nika nodded. "She'll need to feel at home. I suppose I could let her help me decorate. That might help." Giles let out a relieved breath, which Nika caught easily. "Did you seriously think I would refuse to allow her to stay?" she asked, sitting down on the edge of the desk.

Wesley came to stand next to her, reaching for her hand instinctively. "I had no doubt that you would be most helpful," Giles replied, relaxing into his chair. "I wasn't sure how you would feel about having another child in your house, however. She's very young, Nika."

"All the more reason for her to feel at home, since she'll be staying for a while," Nika said. "I suppose I can be grateful that this is a once in a lifetime experience, and we won't be overrun with Slayers."

Wesley smiled at his wife fondly. "What's our next step, Giles? Do you know when she'll be here?"

"I would imagine in a few hours at most," Giles replied. "Connor and Dawn said they were going to take her to dinner to give me time to speak with you. Once they arrive, I'll need to call Buffy. This vampire will need to be stopped as soon as possible."

Wesley frowned, staring off into the middle distance. "They'll want to take Connor along with them," he said. "Angel might be of help as well. The more people they have with them, the safer everyone will be."

"I agree," Giles replied. "That will have to wait till later, however. Until then, I don't suppose I could get something to eat?" He looked over at Nika pleadingly. "I haven't had anything since yesterday morning, I believe."

Nika stood immediately. "How rude of me! Go on out to the dining room. I'm sure Nain will get you a plate." She watched him leave, and then turned to Wesley. "I take it you're just as surprised as I am."

"More so," he admitted. "This is—new."

"Then Slayers do not stay with their Watchers typically," Nika replied. "I had known that you might train your own Slayer someday, but I hadn't realized that she would be staying with us."

"Neither had I," Wesley confessed. "Love, I really am sorry. If I had known—"

"It's fine," Nika replied. "We've handled worse things. I hardly think a single girl will throw our lives into chaos, even if it will take some getting used to."

Wesley sighed, leaning his forehead against hers. "What makes anyone think that I'll do right by this girl when I buggered things up so badly with Faith?"

A smile tugged at Nika's lips. Wesley had come a long way from the man who had saved her life. Still, the one thing he was most afraid of was failure. "For the same reason you have done so well at being a husband and a father. It will be fine, cariad."

"Will it?" Wesley murmured. "I can't help but wonder if I'm ready for this." A rueful smile touched his lips. "And what are the twins going to say?"

Nika laughed. "I think they'll live. Now let's go eat."