Family Ties
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic
No pairing as yet but options are kept open in case the story or the reader takes me in that direction - any suggestions welcome be they het or slash (but no Spike /Angel because that wouldn’t work in this fic or Dawn/Spike because she‘s too young)
Summary: When Angel returns to the hell mouth, and Buffy, to stay, Spike’s unlife goes from bad to worse. But he’s declared the scoobies to be his family, even if they didn’t know it, and Spike protects his family. When the whole, expanded, team travel to England to prevent a possibly apocalyptic event the Scoobs get a lesson in love and loyalty that they never expected and William’s family get to meet their favourite black sheep.
A/N A long summary I know but I do tend to waffle:D This story is kind of based on a challenge but I can’t remember where I saw it. It wanted Spike’s family to support him and teach Buffy a lesson or something like that. Anyway that’s where I got the idea from.
A/N2 I reserve the right to muck about with Canon something rotten and reinstate characters at my whim so consider this totally AU even though some events did occur - like Glory. But no Wolfram & Hart etc. Also no Gunn or Connor. Please note that although Spike isn’t perfect you’d be hard pressed to tell from my depiction….I refuse to apologise…..Sorry. ( I’m not really, but I am polite:D)
Warning: Angel bashing ahoy! Also mentions of past abuse, maybe non con m/m. Lots of smarm; lots of angst.
Disclaimer: J.W. is all powerful and owns the universe - well BTVS anyway. I on the other hand…don’t.
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Okay people it’s now officially a Spuffy fic - the love for the spuffiness is stronger than any other - and who am I to argue. However it will not be the focus of the fic. This is a fic about family not just romance and there are many kinds of love in a family. That’s what I want out of this, for lonely and lost people to find their spiritual home. It’s still not Angel friendly though. lol. Please note that this chapter deals mostly with Tara’s cure and some sibling type bonding.
Now where were we? Ah yes……
Spike knew that this would work and that it would involve magic - he hated magic. But he also knew that like Tara he was a natural and as much as he hated to admit it his research over the years had led him to the inescapable conclusion that it was his Wiccan aspect that had made him the not quite so demonic demon that he was today.
A human, when turned, left behind any latent qualities or strong traits that were associated with their human selves. Those traits were, in turn, harnessed by the demon if it so chose. Liam, when he was human, was a cruel and cunning wastrel; the demon multiplied those qualities into sadism and so Angelus was born whereas it was Darla’s whoring and amoral nature that were twisted to create the animalistic seductress that had attracted Liam. Dru - poor ducks, was pure in her goodness and total in her Angelus induced insanity by the time he turned her; when coupled with her psychic abilities a stunningly pure girl with the ‘sight’ became a stunningly cruel vampire with a ‘gift’ that rewarded her with an eternity of ‘seeing’ without understanding. And Spike knew that somehow it was his natural connection to the Earth Goddess and its accompanying abilities which had lain dormant during his human years that had somehow prevented the total destruction of William when the demon infected him at his turning.
He remembered how William had begun by cowering away in the back of his mind; the gentle poet and scholar refusing to acknowledge what his body was doing with the demon in control, while the demon refused to acknowledge that it had failed to totally eradicate the previous occupant of its new home, yet was ready and willing to blame the supposedly non existent Victorian for those momentary lapses in its ruthlessness. Of course the demon didn’t hesitate to grab those of William’s qualities that it deemed useful but why it hadn’t twisted the high level of intelligence or the vivid imagination like other demons did with their victim’s abilities was a question even the demon itself couldn’t answer. Spike, the self acknowledged offspring of the two and piggy in the middle, firmly suspected the wiccan link.
Of course it hadn’t done him much good in the long run since, despite him being smarter than either Angelus or Darla the sadistic attentions and greater physical strength of his Grand and Great Grandsire and their dominant position in the vampiric hierarchy had kept him from rebelling. That, and the need that both the demon and William seemed to share, the need to be needed; the desire to be loved and wanted; to not be abandoned. Angelus’s own twisted need to dominate and possess William, defined by the frequent torture and the rape, had been too much for the young Victorian, who had given over his influence on their mutual personification, Spike, enabling the demon to control and mould him into the vicious killing machine that he needed to be in order to thrive in their world. Even then, though, the demon couldn’t totally repress that other side of them, the caring, loving aspect coming through in his care and love for Drusilla. Later when the two had reconciled the feelings would turn to others before leaving him bereft once again.
Love’s bitch indeed.
It had been the chip that had changed everything once again. Unable to function in the human world yet physically incapable of surviving in the demonic one Spike’s demon had called on the long dormant William to help them. A truce was formed. William finally was able to peek out from his hiding place and once again the man in the middle had begun to change without the aid or encumbrance of a soul. Spike sometimes wondered if it was his ability to separate, redefine and then recombine his two sides that made his continued existence possible. He would have been dust many times over if it were not for his ability to adapt. He knew that he didn’t have a ‘split personality’ per se, but he had the guts at least to acknowledge that the two halves of him were in many ways one and the same and shared responsibility for his actions. William may not have instigated violence but it was his insight and intellect that kept them ‘alive’. Not like Peaches, who blamed everything from attempting to end the world through to killing Red’s fish on Angelus. If Angel hadn’t have had some influence the demon wouldn’t even have known that the bird had any flipping fish.
Spike forced himself to calm down. It was no wonder that he was agitated; this was probably only the second or third time that this ritual had ever been attempted and there was no point in letting the others know that neither of the other tries had been successful. But it was for family, so it was worth the risk. Family was everything. The demon had even helped to protect his human family after he was turned. His mum had been the tragic exception and even the demon had been shocked at how that had turned out. It reinforced his Wicca theory - his mum was a staunch Methodist.
B*T*V*S
“Gone! How on earth can she be gone?…..Well what about Willow?….Figures. Have you contacted Giles yet?….Huh, that’s odd. I can’t imagine him condoning Willow taking Tara from the hospital….Well of course she should still be there, what if our research comes up with a last minute cure…..It’s possible Angel, it might not be likely but it is possible…Alright, I’ll talk to you later. By the way how is Buffy faring?…Well it’s early days yet I suppose…A spell? I’m not sure that would be a good idea Angel” Wesley held the phone away from his ear as Angel upped his volume as he listed all the reasons why he thought that spelling Buffy back to normal would be a good idea. After the diatribe he gave the one reason needed to put the vampire off his proposed course of action. “And what if it doesn’t work and you lose her all together, or if it works and you lose her because she decides that she doesn’t need you anymore?….That’s what I thought. Now I will do some research into where Willow and Giles may have taken Tara, and why. Meet me at the Magic Box in about two hours.” Wesley put the receiver down and pinched the bridge of his nose to release the tension that dealing with the Champion of the Powers That Be always brought. All his research had indicated that Angel was going to be very important in the future. There had been some mentions in the books of prophecy about a Trinity saving the world and since Angel was a Champion and part of the Holy Trinity was a holy spirit which could be seen as an angelic figure it didn’t seem like a good idea to antagonize the difficult vampire.
B*T*V*S
Xander Harris was shocked. He stared into his scotch and saw nothing but amber…the colour of a vampire’s eyes! He threw the glass against the wall of his very empty feeling apartment. It gave him a small satisfaction. He just wished that it was the peroxide vermin that he had thrown into the wall. It had all been his fault. Giving Anya funny ideas. What the hell had given her the right to call him immature, and prejudiced. He’d taken her on hadn’t he; after all how many people would offer to marry an ex demon. He’d thought that at last she had been learning what it was like to be human and that it was preferable to being a monster. Then Saint Spike comes along and tries to fool her that you can be a monster AND be one of the good guys. All he’d done was wait on a semi human glowy Key for a few months. She may seem to be Buffy’s sister but why couldn’t anyone see that not only wasn’t she human but that it had been her fault that Buffy had died…again? Even Giles, practically the only other fully human person he knew besides Buffy, well if you ignored her Slayer bit and his worshipping of demons in his youth; even he had started falling for dead boy junior’s lies. And now Spike wasn’t even here and he’d still broken up his first real relationship. He had to find a way to get her to come back; he would apologize for slapping her…it had just been the shock of her announcement, she had to see that. But once he had gotten rid of the vampire vermin she would see how much better being human was. And her threat to give D’Hoffryn a chant was only that…she wouldn’t really do it…would she?
B*T*V*S
Doyle explained his ‘gift’ to the friendly demon as he pulled a stray tabby kitten from under the table and tried to put it back in the basket. He would ask the demon to keep them for him but the guy looked a little too peckish for his liking.
“So what did you see? I’m presuming that it’s not good, ‘cause needing help doesn’t indicate good.”
Doyle noted that Clem babbled rather like Willow but the floppy eared demon had been right.
“Something’s going down in England Clem, and we’re going to need to leave town for a while. Do you know anyone who could be asked, or paid to hold down the fort till we get back. Would be kind of nice to have a Sunnydale to come back to if you get my meaning?”
“Well I’m not the fighting type but I think I can round up some bored demons. Been a bit quiet round here lately and believe it or not a lot of ‘the brothers’ want to see it stay that way.” Clem thought for a few moments as Doyle poked little paws, seeking freedom, back into the safety of the wicker carrier.
“You know that Spike comes from England, he might be able to help you over there.”
Doyle smiled a bright, knowing smile, “We’re going to be counting on it.”
B*T*V*S
Giles and Willow stood back and watched Spike pace. If it was this traumatic for the young vampire to contemplate what sort of anguish was actually performing the ritual going to cause.
“Giles…?”
Giles understood the question behind the hesitant and tailed off comment. “I know of no other way Willow. If I did….” Unable to finish he just shrugged helplessly. Willow nodded her acknowledgment.
They both jumped as Spike suddenly stopped his pacing and straightened up. His face when he turned toward them was one of serenity and resolve. Giles noted with astonishment that while his face portrayed its human aspect his eyes glowed purest amber. According to the Council a partial change was not possible. The animalistic nature of the vampire being too simplistic for such control. He mentally chalked another point up to their vampire…and a middle finger to Quentin Travers.
Willow let out a sigh of relief at the look of determination on Spike’s face. She hadn’t wanted him to have to do this and she didn’t doubt that he would keep his word but it was still good to see that Tara would at least stand a chance now. If anyone could come through for her it was Spike. She only wished that Buffy could be here. To see how brave and loyal Spike truly was and to see how unfavourably Angel fared in comparison. If this failed and she lost Tara and Spike she would never forgive the so-called ensouled vampire; and if it worked and brought Tara back to her she would still never forgive Angel; this time for drawing out her suffering when it was in his power to stop it and possibly causing his Grandchild suffering due to his cowardice.
Spike looked down at the summoning circle and deliberately erased it with his foot. “Don’t think it’d be polite to try and trap a Goddess do you?”
Giles and Willow hadn’t considered the implied insult and nodded their understanding. Without further ado Spike lit the candles that indicated the four points of North South East and West, muttering an invocation as he did so. He then stood at the end of the bed and brought his demon forth.
Giles itched to bring out his notebook as the demon chanted in a tongue that he didn’t recognize. It was obviously a demonic language but that was Wesley’s field not his. He felt the air begin to charge with electricity and glancing at Willow he could see that she was feeling the effect too.
As suddenly as it had appeared the demon vanished and what could only be William, from the precise and elegant tones, took up the chant, this time in a language that both of them recognized. Gaelic. Giles gave a start of surprise; he had assumed that, like most magic, the language used would be Latin, but it made sense that a Celtic ritual would use a Celtic tongue. They listened respectfully to the call for aid.
‘Blessed Gaia, Blessed Mother, Blessed be.
I am unworthy
I am damned
I am thrice cursed, but I beseech ye hear my petition.
My demon has called on you, I call on you, we call on you
Give your aid to your child, Tara.
Assist your unworthy son to heal your precious daughter.
Take of my pain in sacrifice to your perfection.
As you will it, so mote it be’
The air was now filled with a myriad of sounds smells and lights. Gentle breezes carried the cry of a newborn baby and the song of a mother’s joy. Birdsong of the dawn mingled with the sounds of the night. Bright rainbows formed and faded while a light as bright as the sun bathed them all in its warmth.
Giles and Willow gasped at the overwhelming assault on their senses. It was beautiful in its perfection and perfect in its beauty.
Spike fell to his knees and began to scream.
Giles tried to cry out to the stricken vampire and both he and Willow attempted to move to his aid but they were frozen in place. They could only watch as Spike morphed in and out of his demon visage, his cries anguished and his face streaked with tears yet still as determined as when he had begun. It was as though he were burning in the light of the sun yet there were no flames, just unrelenting pain. Even dust would be preferable was a fleeting thought before his determination and his love for Tara kicked in again. He stopped fighting the pain and gave into it, knowing that for once his suffering was for a purpose rather than someone else’s pleasure. He could feel the sorrow of the Goddess as she accepted his sacrifice; She did not want him to suffer either but they both knew that it had to be; it was all that his demon could give and she accepted it which was all that mattered.
As the screams quietened into whimpers which tore even deeper at the witch and the watcher’s hearts the bright pseudo sun faded and began to coalesce into a female figure. Giles had been in the presence of practically every type of creature in his time from demon to hellgod but nothing he had ever experienced had prepared him for the sheer power and ….holiness was the only word he could think of, of the embodiment of The Goddess herself. If he was feeling overwhelmed, humbled and unworthy in her company then he could only imagine what Spike must be going through. He would look to see how the vampire was coping, the whimpers having faded into a kitten-like mewling, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the old yet young, motherly yet maidenly woman who stood before him. He did the only thing that he could do. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head in deference.
Willow felt like she had come home; she felt the motherly love that her own had been unable to provide; she felt warm and comforted …..she also felt shame and guilt at her indiscriminate use of her magical gifts and unworthy of being in the presence of her Goddess. She too knelt, wanting to clasp her hands to her ears to block out the sounds of Spike’s, now exhausted, cries and, conversely, offer herself up for his suffering because he didn’t deserve this. She did neither, trusting that Gaia would not let a creature suffer unnecessarily and because this was Tara’s only chance and she admitted that she was too selfish to put the vampire before her love. Her guilt increased tenfold but the Goddess smiled serenely at her and she knew only peace.
‘He does not suffer in vain My Child’
The voice in her head sounded like crystal chimes on a warm summer breeze. She sighed her thanks and watched along with Giles as The Goddess moved across to the bed. They watched as she placed her pale hand on Tara’s brow and recited her blessing . Tara remained asleep but her colour had improved and she seemed to breathe a little easier. Both witnesses held their breath as Gaia approached a kneeling Spike.
Spike, unable to hold himself up any more, had slumped forward until he was almost curled into a ball. He could feel her power coming closer. It was almost more than he could withstand. He pictured gentle Tara in his mind and it was as though she knelt beside him. He could feel her blessed warmth.
Then just as suddenly she was gone and he knew that the raw power of the Goddess was kneeling beside him. He wanted to thank her for that moment with Tara but his throat was too hoarse from screaming and his brain couldn’t string together the words.
“Hush Child. Your sacrifice is accepted…you are worthy….your demon is worthy….William, you are worthy.”
Spike looked up in astonishment. He had expected the Goddess to acknowledge William and even to address his demon but that he, the bastard child of the two, would also be found worthy was….was…
Bloody amazing!
Gaia smiled as she stood, her hand capturing the vampire’s cool one as she pulled him up with her. She had never had a vampire child before. Some had called on her in the past but their motives had not been pure and she had found them wanting. But this most unusual of men was as a brother to her daughters and as a son to her. And his demon had allowed her William, her lost child, to return. He would be rewarded.
The Goddess released her hold on the witnesses and they moved forward slowly, staring in awe at the sight of Gaia, herself, standing before them. While it was not unheard of for The Great Goddess to answer petitions She would normally send a familiar spirit to speak her words, a loved one lost or a minor deity. But to come herself, in the form of The Mother, beautiful and somehow the embodiment of everything one would associate with motherhood was the rarest of compliments.
Gaia looked down on her supplicants with love and more than a little amusement. They had called on her for a purpose, a noble purpose, yet they stood before her like startled rabbits. Humans were, indeed, her favourite creations!
“Ask.” she reminded them gently.
With a mental shake Giles recovered first and tapped Spike on the shoulder. He winced at the flinch; the vampire was obviously still in a lot of pain.
“W…..What?! Oh, yeah, right….sorry.” Spike nodded his thanks to the Watcher for bringing him back to the moment and addressed the figure before him, fresh tears forming at the look of gentle encouragement She bestowed on him.
“Great Goddess, we … that is I….come before you to beg your….um…intercession? Nah, that’s not it…. See, what it is…” Spike glared at the watcher as he snorted inelegantly; let him try to think when he’s being smiled at like that! He turned to the serene smile once again and noted with equal parts dismay and joy the amusement in the green…or was that grey? eyes. He took a deep breath and with a muttered ‘Oh bugger’ he tried again.
“Gaia, Tara is too precious to lose. The world needs her…we need her and I can save her but she needs your protection from turning when I do….please let us save her.”
The part of the Goddess that was The Maiden wanted to giggle childishly at the handsome young man getting his words in a twist; the part of Her that was The Wise Crone wanted to give him an indulgent slap to the head and mutter about the youth of today while the part of Her that stood before him wanted to, for some inexplicable reason, make him a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows and wipe away his tears. Instead she gave him and his companions the one thing they really wanted.
“I will grant my protection. Proceed Child.”
Willow couldn’t believe it. They now had real hope. She clasped Giles' hand and he gripped hers tightly in return. This was beyond his wildest hopes…and he would never forget the sacrifice the vampire had made; he couldn’t have not known how the demon’s reaction to the holy presence would affect him or even if he would survive it. At one time he would have shrugged off his feelings as wrong but now he didn’t mind admitting it. He was proud of his fellow Brit…man and demon alike. He took a sharp breath as the Goddess turned her smile on him in approval and felt like he had somehow passed a test he didn’t know he was taking.
Tearing himself free of the mesmerizing deity’s gaze Spike stepped up to the bed and sat on its edge. He noticed that the hand he lifted from the bedcovers was much warmer than it had been earlier. She had receded from the precipice but the poison had still to be dealt with. He lifted the hand to his lips and took a deep breath before bringing his demon forth. He was surprised that there was no accompanying bloodlust and was grateful that his demon had kept it at bay; it would have been somehow distasteful to his senses.
Willow and Giles watched as the gothic scene played out before them. With the mode of dress and the four poster bed it could have been a scene culled straight out of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Giles gave a mental chuckle at the thought of Dracula being so self sacrificing. He’d turned out to be a bit of a vain git - nice line in brides though, added his inner Ripper with a smirk. Remembering suddenly that the Goddess could probably read his mind Giles dismissed any further reminiscences and focussed his full attention at the scene before him.
Both humans were used to seeing vampires bite their prey but they were not used to seeing how gently and delicately a bite could actually be administered. They both recalled the terrible wound left on Buffy’s neck after she had persuaded Angel to bite her to save him from his own poisoning incident. The memory triggered twin bursts of anger that the older vampire was willing to take but not to give back the chance of life. The feeling faded, for now, as Spike lifted his head away and placed the hand with the neatly closed bite mark back on top of the quilt. He stepped away from the bed….and promptly dropped in a dead faint.
Willow raised her eyes to the Goddess in horror and Giles began to move forward and then stopped to await Her permission. Gaia smiled her serene smile and indicated to the lifeless vampire.
“All is well. His body prepares its cure. Go to him while he sleeps; it will take but moments.”
True to her word Spike remained unconscious for a little over five minutes. He didn’t seem to be suffering unduly but his body twitched involuntarily from time to time. As he began to come round his eyes opened to reveal amber sparkles flecking the normal intense blue. He looked to the concerned faces of his friends and with a mock grimace addressed Willow.
“Your bird’s blood has got a kick like The Slayer’s infamous eggnog.” Both humans winced at the slight miscalculation alcohol wise that Buffy had made when determined to recreate the Christmas spirit…the year before her death…her second death. The hangovers had practically lasted into the new year.
“Child?”
“Sorry ….um…Your Holiness.” Spike pulled himself to his feet as he addressed The Goddess, not that he was entirely sure what to call her. The Lady didn’t seem too bothered though. “I’m ready Ma’am.”
Whatever Willow and Giles expected it certainly wasn’t the simple, rather clinical procedure that actually took place. Of course if they had thought about it they would have realised that Tara was never going to bite Spike back, for one thing her teeth were on the blunt side and there was the coma to take into account. For one moment Willow had the mental picture of Spike cutting her lover and dripping his own blood into the wound; that gave her stomach a turn. Both of them were relieved, then, when Spike produced a hypodermic needle and a tourniquet. They watched as he drew up a syringe full of his antibody carrying blood and moved back to the recumbent figure.
Gais placed her hand on the brow of her daughter once again and a scent of roses and honeysuckle filled the air as Spike performed the simple act of injecting his blood into Tara’s vein. There was a moment of anguish for the watching humans as Tara’s back arched off the bed and she seemed to stop breathing but neither the Goddess nor the vampire seemed perturbed and they could see from the rise and fall of her chest that the lack of breath was an illusion.
Spike stepped away from Tara once again and dropped the syringe to the floor. It had worked; he could feel it…..he could feel her! It was as though he could feel the blood rushing through her veins and the inhalation of the life giving oxygen. He looked in alarm toward the Goddess. She looked back reassuringly.
“It will fade Child, although the connection will remain.”
Connection? Wondered Giles, and by her expression Willow did too, what connection? Giles sighed and added it to the mental list of questions to be asked; asking while a Goddess was talking did not, however, seem quite the done thing.
Spike returned to the others with a wan but genuine smile. Giles frowned, seeing that the vampire was on the verge of collapse but he remembered how his touch had caused pain earlier and was loathe to risk the same happening again. His look, however, conveyed his concern and Spike nodded his ability to go on. Willow wondered if they even realised that they did that unspoken talking thing.
A sudden movement from the bed had them all moving forward hopefully.
Tara could smell roses; she loved the smell of country garden flowers but there weren’t any roses growing near the library were there? And why was she asleep? She knew that she must be asleep because she was most certainly dreaming, and it was quite the oddest dream she had ever had. Her Goddess stood before her offering her benediction while smiling down on her …wishful thinking, she decided. And what were those sounds? Crying! That sounded like Willow….and Giles!? … Why on earth was he crying? Purring! Now that was really odd, and what was even odder was that it appeared to be coming from Spike yet she could hear it ‘inside’ her head. Her dream self couldn’t see the vampire though. Perhaps it might help if she were to wake up and open her eyes?
That was when she realised that she WAS awake and her eyes were already open.
Then all at once her memories returned; Willow and Giles began to babble and….Oh My Goddess! Tara stared with awe at the figure before her with the perfect silver aura. She bowed her head immediately in devotion to her Goddess. Giles and Willow calmed, realising that Tara was having the same reaction they had just experienced. Spike stood back in the shadows, not wanting to ruin the moment for any of them.
Gaia tipped the blonde girl’s head back up gently, her smile as gentle and reassuring as ever and placed her hand on her daughter’s head.
“My Child, my Brigid…do you pledge your allegiance to me?”
“Y…yes, M…Mother…willingly.” Tara drank in the warmth of the touch and the feelings of love and approval. She still wasn’t sure what had happened but she had faith in her goddess and her friends.
“You are my daughter, you are the spirit of Brigid; I rejoice in your return to us.”
Gaia turned and placed her hand on Willow’s head. “My Child, my Ceridwen…do you pledge your allegiance to me?”
Willow felt unworthy of the honour but the little she had to offer she offered joyously.
“Yes Mother, willingly.”
“You are my daughter, you are the spirit of Ceridwen. Do not fear your power child, learn to harness it and listen to those wiser and with experience.”
Willow nodded wordlessly. She moved to Tara and sitting on the bed pulled her healed lover into her arms. Giles stood aside and for the first time Tara saw a figure standing in the shadows.
“Come forth Child, you are missed by your sisters.”
Tara gasped at her first sight of the elegantly dressed vampire and Willow gave her a squeeze and a smile. Neither of them understood what the Goddess had meant by calling them Spike’s sisters but it felt somehow right, as though they were very close to something profound.
Gaia stepped forward to meet the suddenly timid vampire. The others felt the air tingle with power and they held their collective breath as she laid her hand on the platinum curls. Spike shuddered but held his position.
“William Tennyson do you pledge your allegiance to me?” William felt his demon and Spike stand back; the decision was his and his alone. He had no doubts.
“Willingly Mother.” Giles gasped, though whether it was the William part of Spike pledging himself to a Goddess of light or the significance of his surname William wasn’t sure.
The gasp became universal as the Goddess proceeded to ask a question none had thought possible.
“Demon of the Line of Aurelius, do you pledge allegiance to me, Goddess Mother of the Earth, Gaia?”
The tension was palpable and they were aware that even Gaia couldn’t predict the outcome.
The demon came forth, a look of fierce pride and childlike awe vying for control in the amber eyes.
“Willingly, my Goddess Queen. Leader of the Eternal Hunt” The Goddess’s form flickered for a moment into that of Diana the Huntress in acknowledgement of his pledge.
Giles and the girls breathed a little easier and Giles shook his head in wonderment yet again.
“Spike, Master of the Line of Aurelius, do you pledge allegiance to me?”
Tears were now flowing unashamedly down his cheeks as Spike felt the pure love of a mother for the first time in over a hundred years. His William was rejoicing and his demon was roaring as he spoke the words
“Willingly Mother.”
Gaia led Spike to the others and looked lovingly into his blue, gold flecked eyes.
“You are my son, you are the spirit of Cernunnos, Lord of the Hunt. You are my Child yet you only see the beauty that is my night. It befits your status that you see the beauty in all of my creation; from this moment on you will walk in the day as well as the night. Your sacrifice has born fruit in the health of my daughter, your sister, and your reward is thus. As I will it.”
Spike sat down on the bed, hard; the shock of her gift not yet sunk in amid the shock of it all. Willow and Tara positively squealed with glee and hugged him close, crying and laughing.
Gaia had one last task to perform before she left her charges. Not only were they important to her as a mother they were destined to be important to the world and they needed to be protected.
“Rupert Giles, Watcher of Slayers, you are not of my children yet I ask you to grant me a boon.”
The group on the bed in a mini puppy pile straightened and listened avidly.
“O…Of course Your Holiness, whatever is within my power.” Giles was astonished at her approach and humbled that she felt him worthy of helping her.
“My Children, my Trinity, are very precious to me, yet they are still so very young” she heard the mental protest from the 130 year old vampire and smiled. “Yes Spike of Aurelius, even you.” She turned a more serious gaze back to the Watcher. “They need someone to be their mentor, their advocate and their teacher. Will you take on that task? Will you teach Willow how to best use her magic?; will you ensure that Tara’s wisdom be heard among those who think that they know better? And will you teach others the true worth of Spike and listen to his heart even though it no longer beats?”
“I will…most willingly.”
And with a nod of acknowledgement and a scent of roses the Goddess was gone.
Giles knew that he had taken on quite a task, one that could pit him against the Council and even his friends but looking at the three young people he didn’t have a moment’s regret. He grinned happily at the sight of Willow and Spike either side of a healthy though tired looking Tara. Part of him was already preparing the research he would be needing to do, on Spike‘s promised new ability; the Celtic figures associated with the three before him and The Trinity that would prove to be so important. His grin slipped, though, as Spike’s exhaustion caught up with him and he passed out in Tara’s arms.
Deciding that none of them were going anywhere for a while Willow and Giles pulled the quilt up over the vampire and a sleepy Tara and, with Willow resuming her place by Tara’s side Giles took the nearby couch and they all slept.
TBC
A/N Hope that that wasn’t too boring for you. For those interested in that sort of thing the deities associated with the three are as follows ( taken from The Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom)
Brigid - Associated with healing and poetic energy.
Ceridwen - Associated with the Cauldron of inspiration
Cernunnos - The horned one of the wild forest (like the lord of the Hunt- stag horns not devil!)
Next chapter sees the guys coming together - was going to be this
one but my fingers hurt:D