Seas Between Us (Broad Have Roared)

Author: enigmaticblue <enigmaticblue@yahoo.com>

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Do I have to say it? They aren't mine. If they were, I'd be nicer than Joss.

Archive: Anywhere that already has my stuff. Anywhere else just ask.

Summary: Set in an alternate Angel S5, wherein Andrew tells Buffy that Spike's alive after Damage and she does something about it, upsetting the power structure while she's at it.

A/N: This story takes place after Bring Out Your Dead, and may make a little more sense if you read that one first. The thing to notice is that Lindsey does not enter into this story. I didn't want to deal with the boy since I'm mostly ignoring canon. Just so you aren't terribly surprised.

Chapter 17: What We'll Find

"I was born to laugh/I learned to laugh through my tears/I was born to love/I'm gonna learn to love without fear/Pour me a glass of wine/Talk deep into the night/Who knows what we'll find?...We've seen the landfill rainbow/We've seen the junkyard of love/Baby, that's no place for you and me." ~Over the Rhine, "Born"

"It's so not fair," Dawn pouted, laying on Buffy's bed, watching her sister finish getting dressed. It felt like old times—to be in her bedroom, gossiping over little things, just being together.

She'd missed this since Buffy had left Rome, and although it would only be a few weeks until Dawn came to join her in L.A. permanently, it still seemed like a long time. Especially since she was nearly missing Willow's visit entirely.

Buffy sighed, unable to disagree with her younger sister. "I know, Dawn, but we both know that it's for the best."

"Okay, but you have to promise that we're going to get together, all of us, after I'm done with school." Dawn used her best puppy-dog eyes. "You guys could even come pick me up in Rome."

Buffy thought about that for a minute. Exploring Rome with Spike for a few weeks could be fun. Besides, she wasn't entirely certain that he would want to stay if Angel ended up leaving Wolfram & Hart. Working with Angel full time was bound to end with one of them killing the other.

"We'll see," she finally said. "I'll discuss it with Willow while she's here, but you're going to have to work on Xander. It doesn't look like he's leaving Africa any time soon."

"He still misses Anya," Dawn said wisely. "I don't blame him."

Buffy's expression turned sad. "No, I don't either," she agreed softly, remembering her own months of mourning. Spike had come back, but there wouldn't be a similar miracle for Anya.

Dawn sighed. "I'm just glad that you and Spike are okay," she finally said. "It's only a few more weeks, I guess."

"Not that long at all." Buffy turned to look at her sister. "Do you want to come with me to pick Willow up?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. Is Spike coming?"

"Spike is with Connor, trying to explain how everything is going to get cleared up in a few hours."

Dawn snorted. "Good luck with that."

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked, surprised at Dawn's skeptical tone.

"Please, like any of this is going to make sense to him," she said. "I mean, he's basically going to find out that he's some sort of psycho-kid with superpowers. That's real comforting."

~~~~~

"So you're getting a witch to do this spell, which will make me safe again?" Connor asked, not sounding particularly sure about that plan. Spike couldn't exactly blame him; it sounded pretty far-fetched.

Wesley sighed. "No, but it will help you protect yourself."

"By giving me more super-powers?" Connor asked unhappily. "Isn't that what got me into this in the first place?"

"No. The spell will merely allow you to defend yourself using the skills that you already have," Wesley replied. "I believe I know who is responsible for the attack on you and your parents. We need someone who is skilled in magic in order to confront him, however."

"What about you?" Connor asked. "I thought—"

"Someone more powerful than I am," Wesley added belatedly.

Connor shook his head. "So who is this guy and what would he want from me?"

"His name is Vail, and he's a powerful magician." Wesley didn't bother telling the boy that Vail was the one who had performed the memory spell they were about to break. "I don't know what he wants from you." That much, at least, was true.

"So this lady is going to come and do a spell that will help me protect myself?" Connor asked, sounding incredulous. "What about my parents?"

"I think this thing is after you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Connor asked, leaping to his feet with the gawky grace of an adolescent. "I have to stay away from them for forever? If I never see them again, they'll be safe?"

"No," Spike answered quietly. "It's actually a bit more complicated than that."

Connor laughed. "I guess the next thing you're going to tell me is that they really aren't my parents." At the expressions on the men's faces, he stopped laughing. "You are. You—"

"It's true, Connor." Cordelia's voice came from the doorway where she'd appeared.

Connor whirled to face her. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I know who you are," Cordelia replied. "When Willow does the spell, you'll understand."

"But until then, I'm going to have to sit around like a good boy?" he demanded. "Look, I appreciate you all protecting me for the last few days, and letting me stay here, but I should get going."

Spike blocked his way, although his voice was gentle. "We can't let you leave, lad. There's someone after you. We think we know a little bit about why, but if he gets to you before Willow can do this spell, you could easily end up dead. If you don't believe anything else, believe this: none of us want to see you hurt."

The raw sincerity in Spike's eyes convinced Connor the vampire was telling the truth. Still, this whole thing was getting out of hand. He just wanted to protect his parents, go back to college, forget about all of this.

He was in over his head.

Connor was a little surprised when Cordelia reached out and cupped his cheek. It was a maternal gesture that suggested a close relationship—that they didn't have. She was practically a stranger, and she was looking at him the way his mom did sometimes when she was worried about him. "Connor, I promise that we're going to help you and your parents, whatever that takes."

"How long?" he asked.

"Give us 24 hours," Wesley replied. "Not much longer."

Connor took a deep breath. His parents weren't going anywhere any time soon. It would be at least a week before either of them were ready to leave the hospital. He had a day. After that, he'd start looking for some answers on his own.

Even though he had no idea where to start.

~~~~~

"Willow!" Buffy embraced her friend, laughing. "You look great!"

"So do you," Willow replied, meaning every word. "Spike definitely agrees with you."

The Slayer blushed furiously. "He does," she replied, a silly grin forming on her face. "Where's Kennedy? I would have thought she'd be with you."

Willow shrugged. "We broke up."

"I'm sorry?" Buffy said, Willow's casual tone making her unsure of whether or not condolences needed to be offered.

"It was nice while it lasted," Willow replied. "We had some good times, and we ended things amicably. It's fine."

"Good," Buffy replied. "Dawn's around here somewhere. She wanted junk food. Again."

"Same old Dawnie," Willow said fondly, waving as the girl made her way through the crowd. They hugged, chattering away quickly, filling each other in. "So what's up with this spell?" the witch finally asked, once they were about halfway to the hotel.

"It's to help Angel's son," Buffy replied. "He did this big memory-wipe spell, and we want to undo it."

"Who, Angel's son?"

"No, Angel," Buffy replied. "Actually, it was a magician who did the spell, but Angel requested it. Now, something is after Connor—Angel's son—and we need everyone to have their memories back."

Willow frowned. "I'm willing to do the spell, Buffy, but this is big mojo, and it could have really nasty consequences. If the memories were gone, they were probably gone for a reason."

"There was a good reason," Buffy admitted. "Connor was going a little crazy. We're hoping that Spike and I can control him if he goes off the deep end again."

Willow whistled under her breath. "That's pretty serious stuff, Buffy."

"I know, Wills. You know I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't think it was the best thing."

"I do," Willow replied. "Okay, I want to talk with Connor and Wesley both. If everything goes well, we can get this done tonight."

"Maybe I should stay with him," Dawn suggested from the back seat. She'd been quiet for most of the discussion, listening raptly.

Buffy frowned. "Dawn, I don't think—"

"I know what it's like to find out your whole life is a fake, Buffy."

That much was true, Buffy had to admit. "Okay, but I want you to be careful," she insisted. "Connor's a really nice guy right now, but from Cordelia's stories, that wasn't always the case."

"Like I haven't dealt with psycho superheroes before," was Dawn's rather biting response.

~~~~~

Connor wasn't sure what he'd expected a witch to look like, but he was pretty sure it wasn't like the perky redhead that came in with Buffy. She hugged everyone and then gave him a quick smile. "Okay," she said. "Let's get to work. I'm thinking that time might be of the essence here."

No one tried to insist that he leave, so Connor listened to the ensuing discussion, growing increasingly more bewildered. He knew that Angel was the CEO of Wolfram & Hart, but he didn't understand why he played such a large role in this situation. They kept talking about calling people named Gunn and Lorne, but he wasn't sure who they were at all.

Fred left at some point to make a couple of phone calls, and Connor found himself tuning out the discussion. "Connor?"

Willow was looking at him. "Oh, sorry. Yeah?"

"Is this what you want?" she asked.

Connor looked around the room. They were all looking at him as though they really cared. In fact, that's how they'd been treating him for the last few days—as if they really were concerned for his welfare. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't understand any of this." His eyes locked on Cordelia. "Is this the right thing?"

"I think it is, Connor," Cordelia said softly.

Wesley was nodding as well, and Dawn was giving him a sympathetic look that suggested she knew what he was going through, although he didn't see how she could.

"The truth might hurt, but once you know you can deal," Buffy said. "It's the not knowing that's gotten you in trouble up to now."

Connor frowned. "If this happens—if you do this spell—I'll be able to protect my parents?"

"I believe so," Wesley said firmly.

"Then let's do it," he said, with no hesitation. "That's all I really want."

~~~~~

Buffy leaned back against Spike, who was rubbing his hands up and down her arms in a comforting gesture. They were watching Willow get ready to do the spell. Lorne and Gunn were on their way over. It had seemed best if they were there for it, although it would work at a distance.

"I hate this," Buffy muttered.

Spike pulled her just a little bit closer. "Hate what?"

"Waiting," she replied. "I hate the waiting. Where are Wes and Fred?"

"Talking." Spike grimaced. "I think Wesley's a little nervous about how this spell is going to affect Fred's feelings for him."

Buffy shook her head. "Wes is a worrywart," she said affectionately. "Fred's in love with him."

"He's chalkin' that up to this spell," Spike said. "I don't blame him. There are days when I'm pretty damn sure this is all a fluke."

"There is no fluke," Buffy said fiercely. "We fought long and hard to get here."

They both fell silent, watching as Fred came out of the office, followed by Wesley. An awkwardness seemed to hang between them, and both the Slayer and Spike winced in sympathy, knowing how they felt.

Lorne and Gunn came through the hotel doors moments later, looking a little nervous. "So when is this party getting started?" Gunn asked.

"Fifteen minutes," Willow said, sounding fairly cheeful. After all, she was just undoing what had been done. In a situation like this, it took a whole lot less power to put things back the way they were than it did to create a new reality.

Lorne sighed. "Well, I for one will feel much better knowing what I've been missing."

Connor was staring nervously at the spell preparations. "Does this stuff actually work?"

"Yep," Willow replied. "I haven't had a spell go wonky in ages." She looked up quickly, seeing the alarm that her reply brought to Connor's face. "I have a really good success rate with spells. Just ask Buffy."

Connor shot the Slayer a look. "She's right," Buffy replied. "Willow is the best."

"It's all about control," Willow assured him. "And I've been working really hard on that the last few years."

An uneasy silence hung over the hotel lobby after that as they all watched as the witch finished her preparations. "All done," Willow finally said. "Connor, I need you to sit here," she explained, pointing to the center of the design she'd chalked on the floor. "Don't smudge the lines, please." She waited until he was sitting cross-legged. "Okay. Any big flashing lights go off, don't be alarmed."

With that less-than-reassuring statement, Willow began to chant. Connor kept on looking nervous, and Dawn came over to stand next to Buffy and Spike. "So do you think he'll be okay after this?"

"I have no idea, Dawn," Buffy said. "There's definitely going to be some adjustment."

"He'll be fine." Spike was watching him.

Dawn looked over. "How do you know?"

"Because he won't be alone. That makes all the difference in the world," Spike replied.

The chanting seemed to go on forever as all eyes remained on Willow and Connor. As promised, there was suddenly a flash of light as the last words of a dead language were shouted out in ringing tones.

Lorne had been right. The acoustics in the lobby were great.

Nothing happened for the longest time. Silence reigned. Suddenly, Wesley turned and stalked towards the office, slamming the door behind him. Fred stared after him for a moment before turning and walking out the front door.

Gunn and Lorne looked at each other. "Oh, man," Gunn finally said.

"Yeah," Lorne agreed softly. "I can see why Angel would want to wipe those memories."

Connor still hadn't moved, hadn't spoken. Finally, he rose, a grace in his movements that hadn't been there before. Spike and Buffy both recognized the difference. He was moving like a dancer—like a fighter.

Like he'd been born to it.

Connor looked Willow in the eye. "Thank you."

Willow watched him carefully, finally seeing whatever it was that she had been looking for. "You're welcome."

The boy looked at Cordelia. "We should probably talk."

"Yeah," Cordy agreed softly. "That's probably a good idea."

The rest of the group watched as they climbed the stairs. "Why is it that I suddenly have a really bad feeling about this?" Dawn asked no one in particular.

"It's probably the same feeling the rest of us have," Spike said, giving Buffy's arms a final squeeze as he released her. The Slayer watched as he headed towards the office where Wesley had shut himself up.

Gunn shook his head. "I should go," he said reluctantly. "I need to talk to Angel."

Lorne nodded. "What do you have in the kitchen, sweetheart?" he asked Buffy.

"Everything you need," she replied, knowing his fondness for a stiff Seabreeze.

Willow, Buffy, and Dawn were left to stare at each other, feeling removed from everything that had just occurred. "Let's go get something to eat," Buffy suggested. "I have a feeling that it's going to be a while before it all gets sorted out."