An
Unaccomplished Fate
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: PG-15
Disclaimer: I don’t own most of these characters, and I’m not making any money off of the ones that are mine.
Summary: The sequel to Avocation and Under the Sun. Spike and Buffy’s relationship is on solid ground at last, but a new prophecy threatens everything they hold dear. The bonds of family and friendship will be tested, lives will be threatened, and the entire world will hang on the choice of one vampire.
A/N: Any resemblance to canon is pretty
much
accidental.
Chapter 26
“When I am glad I need your
eyes/To be
the stars of Paradise;/Your lips to be the seal of all/The joy life
grants, and
dreams recall;/Your hand, to lie my hands between/What time we walk the
garden
green./But most in grief I need your face/To lean to mine in the desert
place;/Your lips to mock the evil years,/To sweeten me my cup of
tears,/Your
eyes to shine, in cloud’s despite,/Your hands to hold mine through the
night.”
~E. Nesbit, “En Tout Cas”
Spike
kept his eyes on the road as Buffy answered the phone. “Hey, Willow.
How did it
go?”
He
could hear Willow’s side of the conversation clearly, enough to know
that
although the spells had gone off without a hitch, and they had the
information
they needed, Wesley hadn’t come through unscathed.
Not
that the news surprised him; Spike would have been a lot more surprised
if
Wesley had managed to get out of this situation without any new scars.
They’d
been drunk together, had fought together, had watched each other’s
backs. Spike
knew Wes, and he’d known what this
trip was likely to cost him. Unfortunately, there really hadn’t been
any other
choice.
Buffy
put the phone away and turned to Spike. “How much of that did you get?”
“All
of it,” he replied. “They haven’t seen Wes since then?”
“No,
but Willow didn’t sound too worried. What do you think?”
“I
think he’ll show up when he’s good and ready.”
“How
much do you know about what happened?”
“I
know some.” Spike hesitated, then asked, “You remember last year? The
haunted
house that came to life?”
“Yeah.”
“Do
you remember what Wesley’s fear was?”
Buffy
winced. “I really wasn’t paying attention.”
“He
thought he was locked in a closet.”
Spike
could tell when the light dawned because Buffy let out an “Oh!” and
winced.
“Poor Wes.”
“Exactly.”
Buffy
looked outside the window. “We almost there?”
“Yeah,
another fifteen minutes or so.”
“Do
you really think that Robert can help us?”
Spike
had wondered the same thing himself, and he wasn’t certain of the
answer. “I
think so, but it’s going to mean designating someone to get those at
risk to
Robert’s place. If they can make a clean getaway, Robert can keep them
safe.”
“And
who will that be?”
“I
don’t know. We’ll have to talk about that.” Spike paused. “It’s all
going to
hinge on whether we can fool Glory and the Council into believing that
nothing
has changed. I’d rather not end up advertising the identity of the Key.”
“I
guess that’s a decision we’ll have to make when we get to it.”
“Probably
so.” Spike reached for her hand, and intertwined his fingers with
Buffy’s in a
silent show of support. After several days of looking for a way to kill
Glory
without any results, he knew that they were both discouraged.
He
just hoped that Robert would be willing to help.
~~~~~
Wesley
walked the streets of London, feeling numb. He honestly had no idea
what he’d
expected when he’d asked his father that final question, but he’d hoped
that
most of his father’s disapproval had been a mask and not the truth.
That
hope had been dashed.
The
worst part for Wesley was knowing that in completely cutting ties with
his
father, he was also cutting ties with his mother. She had never been a
strong
presence in his life, but she’d smoothed his way when and where she
could.
But
she hadn’t protected him. The still, small voice reminded him of that
essential
truth. He had been locked in a closet for three days, and she hadn’t
let him
out. She had never gone against his father’s orders, even when it had
been
Wesley who paid.
And he
had paid far too often.
His
cell phone rang, and Wesley looked at the caller I.D., seeing Willow’s
number.
Hesitating for a moment, he put the phone back in his pocket. He had no
desire
to talk to anyone, not even Willow, right now. There were hours yet
before they
were scheduled to leave, and right now, he just wanted to keep walking.
~~~~~
Buffy
liked Robert; she had since the first time Spike had introduced them.
The
half-breed was unfailingly polite and helpful, and she knew that he
cared about
Spike. That was enough to make her like him.
She
was a little suspicious when Robert appeared to respond to a question
neither
of them had asked. “You were quite right,” he said, as they seated
themselves
in the study. “I checked on the dates as you asked.”
“What
dates?” Buffy asked suspiciously.
Robert
hesitated, looking at Spike, who shrugged. “After I met Tara, I got to
thinking. She reminded me a bit of someone, so I asked Robert to take a
look at
her. Birds of a feather, and all that.”
“You
guys are related?” Buffy asked.
Robert
responded tentatively. “There’s no proof.”
“But
it’s a possibility.” Buffy watched him closely, and she could see his
embarrassment. “Are you her father?”
Robert’s
eyes widened. “No!”
Spike’s
rich laughter filled the room. “Let’s just say that Robert’s clan has
itchy
feet.”
“So,
you know who her father is?”
Robert
shifted in his seat. “Perhaps. As I said, there is no proof.”
“Then
what does it matter?”
“I
know what she is,” Robert said simply. “And from what I understand, she
has no
other blood relatives who will claim her.”
“No
blood relations, but she does have family.” Spike smiled. “I asked
Robert to
check into it, on the off chance I was right. Tara can do as much or as
little
with that information as she likes.”
“What
about you?” Buffy challenged. “Now that you know, what will you do?”
Robert
smiled gently. “We are of the same clan. More than that, we each belong
to two
worlds. I will give her whatever aid she will accept.”
Buffy
took a deep breath. “Fair enough. We’ll pass the message along. I guess
we have
to ask you to do us a favor.”
“Anything,”
Robert said readily.
Spike’s
face was grim. “You don’t know what we’re going to ask of you.”
Robert
met Spike’s eyes fearlessly. “It doesn’t matter.”
Buffy
couldn’t help but admire his loyalty. “We need a safe haven for my mom,
my
little brother, and my sister.”
Robert
leaned back in his chair. “Two siblings? Spike told me that your mother
was
expecting a child, but two siblings?”
“My
half-sister is a teenager,” Buffy explained. “My dad had a kid outside
of
marriage. She just showed up on my doorstep one day.”
It was
so easy to tell the lie, perhaps because it wasn’t terribly far from
the truth.
From what her mother had told her, it could have easily happened just
the way
she’d said.
Robert
gave her a sharp look, as though he didn’t believe her, but he asked no
further
questions. “Of course.”
“We’re
up against a Hellgod.” Spike’s voice held a caution.
Robert
snorted. “You come up with the most interesting enemies, Spike. It
doesn’t
matter, however. I will be happy to provide sanctuary.”
“Thank
you.” Buffy let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “We
really
appreciate that. There’s no reason for anyone to connect you with us,
and we
thought—”
“They
would be safe here, if the worst was to happen.” Robert apparently
didn’t need
further information. “Please notify me if and when you require my
services.”
It was
a weight off of Buffy’s shoulders. “Thank you,” she said fervently.
“We’ll let
you know.”
“I’m
assuming that neither of you will be accompanying them.”
Spike
shook his head. “No. We’ll be sending a messenger.”
It
suddenly occurred to Buffy just who they would send.
~~~~~
Xander
knocked briefly on the Summers’ front door before entering. “Hello?”
“Hello,
Xander,” Joyce said, coming towards him from the direction of the
kitchen with
Thomas in her arms. “Buffy should be here any minute. She said that
they were
held up. Would you hold him?”
He
wasn’t given a chance to say no. Joyce deposited the infant in his arms
without
further discussion, and Xander—who had very little experience with
babies—tried not to panic. “Uh…”
“Just
walk with him?” Joyce asked, sounding harried. “I’m sorry to impose on
you, but
he’s hungry, and I need both hands right now.”
“Sure.”
Xander settled the baby more securely in the crook of his arm, walking
him back
and forth through the living room. Thomas, who had begun to fuss as
soon as
Joyce had handed him over, settled a bit. To Xander, however, it looked
as
though Thomas was still thinking about screaming.
“You
don’t want to scream at your Uncle Xander, do you?” he asked a little
desperately. “Because I get that enough from Anya.”
Thomas
screwed up his face to begin howling, and Xander bounced him a little
as he
walked, having remembered seeing Joyce do the same thing. That seemed
to help,
or at least to distract the baby enough so that he was no longer quite
so
unhappy.
After
what seemed like hours, and was likely only a few minutes, Joyce came
back into
the room with a bottle in her hand. “Thank you, Xander. I’m a little
frazzled
today.”
He was
a little afraid to ask, but good manners required it. “Is there
anything I can
do?”
“Not
right now.” She took the baby from him and began to feed him with
practiced
movements. Thomas immediately began sucking greedily. “How are you?”
“Good.”
Xander didn’t have much to add. His days weren’t terribly exciting,
filled as
they were with work and Anya and other daily chores. Although there was
the
occasional problem, compared to Hellgods and knights in not-so-shining
armor,
his struggles were terribly mundane.
“There
is something you could do for me,” Joyce said hopefully. “One of the
back steps
is a little loose, and I’m afraid someone is going to get hurt. Would
you mind
looking at it?”
“Let
me get my tools,” he replied cheerfully, not minding a bit. Maybe his
skill set
was mundane, but it was almost as useful as being able to kill demons,
or so he
frequently told himself.
Xander
had just finished nailing the loose step back in place and was checking
the
other steps for problems when Buffy came out the backdoor. “Thanks for
meeting
me here, Xander.”
“No
problem,” he replied cheerfully. “It’s been awhile.”
Buffy
sat down on the top step. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t
be.” He tucked the hammer into his tool belt and sat down next to her.
“Things
are busy right now. I get that.”
“I’m
glad you do.”
Xander
had known Buffy for a long time now, and he could see the worry in her
eyes,
the weariness in her posture. “Things okay between you and Spike?”
She
nodded. “Yeah. We’re good, Xan.”
“Then
what’s up? Because you look like the world is about to come crashing
down.”
“It
might.” Buffy was silent for a moment. “I need to ask you for a favor,
but it’s
huge, and I don’t want you to agree unless you’re sure you want to do
it.”
“That
sounds a little scary.”
“It
is.” Buffy stared at her jeans-clad legs. “We still have Glory to worry
about,
and we don’t know how to kill her yet, the Knights of Byzantium aren’t
going to
stop coming, and now it looks like the Council is sending a hit squad,
maybe to
try and kill us.”
Xander
couldn’t blame her for being worried. “What can I do, Buffy?”
She
gave him a grateful look. “We made arrangements for Mom, Dawn, and
Tommy to
stay at Robert’s if necessary, but someone has to get them there.”
“And
you want that someone to be me.”
“We
know we can trust you,” Buffy replied quietly. “And someone has to stay
to draw
fire.”
Xander
was all too aware of the implications rife in that statement. Drawing
fire from
any one of those sources would be scary, but all three at the same
time?
“Buffy—”
“We
don’t have a choice,” she interrupted, anticipating his objection.
“Trust me,
Xander, if I thought vacating Sunnydale for a few months would work,
I’d be the
first to book the tickets.”
“My
vote would be for Hawai’i.” Xander put an arm around her shoulders and
gave her
a tight squeeze. “Or maybe Mexico. I’ve heard it’s nice there.”
She
let out a little laugh and rested her forehead on his shoulder.
“Thanks.”
“You
tell me when, and give me directions, and I’ll take care of them,
Buffster,”
Xander promised. “It’s the least I can do.”
~~~~~
Willow had never been so
grateful to be back on the
Hellmouth. Granted, they still had a Hellgod to deal with, and Knights,
not to
mention the probable appearance of Council bad guys, but she had hoped
that
being home would cheer Wesley up.
She spotted Spike standing by
the baggage claim and waved.
He lifted a hand in return, his blue eyes giving each of them a
once-over.
Willow could see by the set of his mouth that he was just as worried
about
Wesley as she was, but he offered nothing more than the standard
greetings.
“Let’s get out of here before
we catch you up,” he said.
“Quinn and the others are meeting at our place tonight, and we’ll fill
everyone
in.” Spike took Tara and Willow’s bags, letting Wesley handle his own.
“And by
the way, Wes, Robert says hi.”
“When did you see him?” Wesley
asked.
“Couple of days ago.” His look
was sharp. “You’d have known
if you’d called.”
“Willow checked in.”
Willow thought that Wesley
sounded like a sulky boy, but she
just glanced over at Tara, who moved her shoulders in a subtle shrug.
“She did,” Spike replied
equably. “Oh, and Tara, think we’ve
got some news for you, too.”
“From Robert?”
“He confirmed something I
suspected. We can talk about it
later.”
It was the sort of comment
that normally would have made
Wesley’s ears perk up, but he was clearly lost in thought, trapped in
his own
misery. Willow sympathized, but she really wanted to shake him out of
it.
Spike raised an eyebrow and
met Willow’s eyes, and she shook
her head, silently letting him know that this was nothing new for
Wesley, at
least nothing new in the last few days.