Replacement by sus

Author: sus
Summary: They were meant to be. The council thought they knew better than The Powers, as well as her friends. An enemy from the future changes the past.
Author's Note:
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Violence, Adult Language, Sexual Situations


Chapter 34: Replacement

Angel kept on coming to the library at dusk, to help Giles research, wishing he would find something that would reveal that he was the one. Something he could take and show Buffy and say: see, I’m the one.

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Buffy had spent her days with Spike, and straightened her house while he slept.

One visit at her mother's in that time, was all the time she wanted to spend away from Spike.

She was scared he would run away when he heard about the prophecy, it wasn’t like he loved her in this time line. With time she became quieter, started watching him sleep, touched him, whenever she got the chance.

Today was the first time she had left the house. Merrick had gotten a call from Giles, who informed him that they had translated an important part of the book. The group was gathered in the library, they would like Buffy to join them to speak about their findings.

Spike had noticed the change in her. He felt her watching him all the time. Always touching when she spoke to him. He knew she expected him to run as far away as he could get, when she had told her story. He guessed that to be the reason why she postponed telling him her life's story, claiming he wasn’t well enough for it. His heart hurt for her, Spike wished he could assure her he would stay, but he didn’t dare.

He started to ponder what could be that bad, that he would leave the woman he was starting to love. He sat up straight. Starting to love? That was fast, but that was him, love's bitch. He thought back to the night he raised from his grave as a vampire. He loved Dru with everything in him, would do anything for her.

He lay down with a dreamy look on his face. The feelings he had for Buffy already surpassed those he had for Dru, in the earlier days. Cecily wasn’t even in the picture. He was saddened when he thought about what he had thought as love in his human days. He had been blinded by her beauty, nothing more.

Spike knew he still loved Dru, he suspected he always would, on some level. She was his sire and he would always be grateful to her. She had brought him to this time and place, where he for the first time ever felt loved. They hadn’t even kissed, not really. That little peck on the lips days ago weren’t the kind of kisses he wanted.

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Buffy had left Spike alone in her house for the first time ever. She knew it wouldn’t be long before she had to talk, he was almost healed.

Sleep wasn’t something she had gotten last night, when she had started to doze off, the dreams of her life without Spike had woken her repeatedly.

The lack of sleep had been a good reason to use, when she asked Merrick to drive her to the meeting, Giles had asked for. On the way to the school they drove around the Gallery, to pick up Joyce for moral support.

They walked into the school together, Buffy a step ahead of the others. Merrick to her right, Joyce to the left. Buffy pushed both doors to the library open at the same time, Joyce and Merrick each caught a door before it hit them.

They were all there except Cordelia, she didn’t want to show herself in public with wires in her mouth. On top of that she couldn’t defend herself, her best weapon was useless. She couldn’t speak.

Angel was standing on the top of the stairs as a king, looking over his kingdom. Xander, Willow and Oz were sitting at the table. Xander as far away from the couple as he could get, neither looking at each other. Xander looked disappointed, and his lips were pressed together to a thin line in disdain. He seemed to switch from one mood to the other, he couldn’t settle on one.

Giles was standing behind the counter, looked up when they entered. "Thank you for coming, Buffy."

Buffy nodded to Giles in greeting, before she sat down at the table. Merrick and Joyce joined her, sitting down with Buffy between them. Buffy had a hard time keeping her features straight-faced, it was sweet how they were showing their support, the three of them against the others in the room.

Giles stepped over to the table and pulled out a chair. "First off, I must say it wasn’t my idea to ask you to join us. They didn’t believe me when I told them you know the content of the book."

Buffy looked around at the people in the room. First those at the table, then Angel up on the stairs, she turned back to the table where the majority was. "Giles is right, I know the book by heart."

"You can’t know the book," Xander said agitated, "you said you weren’t getting together with the evil dead."

"Why did you lie to us?" Willow chimed in, "I thought we were your friends."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Buffy clenched her hands in tight fists under the table, not wanting to show them they got to her.

"You told us your other half wasn’t a vampire." Angel stepped down a step. "You claimed I weren’t the one, but the book says it’s a demon." He pointed accusing at the book in front of Giles. "How can you claim to have read the book, when you can’t get the facts of the book right. What has happened to you, that turned you into a liar?" he asked with loathing coating his voice. "You are not the type of person I want to be put in connection with."

"That would suit me just fine, Angel." She pulled her lip up, showing her teeth. Buffy looked around at each of them, they all looked at her like something the cat had hauled in, except Giles and Oz.

Oz rarely showed emotions.

"Are you of the same opinion as them?" Buffy asked bluntly, eyes wide, waiting for Giles to answer.

"No." Giles sighed. "I tried to convince them that you probably have a good explanation. Over the time that has passed since you have taken over this body, I have seen that I have to learn to trust you, for everyone's good." A sad apologizing smile emerged on his face.

A soft smile and a nod was Buffy’s answer to Giles. Giles nodded back, they understood each other.

"So you think that I’m a liar!" Buffy leaned relaxed back in the chair. "I didn’t lie. I have never lied to you. I said Angel isn’t the one, that’s true. I never said anything about my other half not being a demon." She smiled sweetly and looked around at the gaping faces.

Giles’ only reaction was to take off his glasses.

Then they started what they always did when she didn’t do as they expected. They hurt her with words. Yelled at her, told her she was wrong, they knew better.

Spit landed on the table not far from her, from Xander, when he leaned over the table to scream into her face.

After Willow had told her she couldn’t be with an evil demon, Willow started wringing her hands, nodded at everything Xander said. He kept on repeating himself, as if she would do as he told her to, if he said it enough times.

Angel claimed he was the one. There wasn’t anyone else who would be with a slayer, or a former one as she claimed she was, it was not done. The demons out there were evil, their only thought was for the next kill. Anyone else than him would kill her. He walked closer, stopped close by Joyce, as if his presence could get her to see reason.

Buffy looked at them with tears in her eyes, that threatened to fall at any moment. Merrick placed a hand on her shoulder, shook it to get her attention. He smiled encouragingly to her as he took one of her hands in his two.

Joyce looked around angry. "How dare you speak to my daughter like that?" she asked as she placed an arm around Buffy’s shoulders and the other rubbed her upper arm.

"You have to understand...." Angel didn’t get any longer. Joyce had gotten up and smacked him on his cheek, hard enough to leave a red hand print.

Angel was fuming. On instinct, he pulled his arm back to retaliate. Almost meeting with Joyce’s chin, it was stopped by a little hand wrapped around his. Buffy’s other hand met with Angel’s chin, not even a second later. Angel seemed to fly, landed on the stairs, banged his head down on the edge of the top step. He looked dazed up, meeting furious green eyes, belonging to an ex-slayer.

"Nobody touches my mother!" She turned around and walked away. "Giles, I’m sorry but I think it’s best we leave." She found a small card she pressed into Giles’ hand. "For your eyes only."

Giles looked at it shortly. "Thank you, Buffy." He beamed and placed it in his wallet.

In the car Joyce asked what she gave Giles.

"A card with my address and phone number," Buffy answered with a smile, "he deserved it today."

Arriving at Joyce’s house. Joyce invited Buffy and Merrick to dinner.

"Sorry, mom, I have a chat I can’t avoid any longer. Another day?" Buffy and Merrick exchanged a meaningful glance, before Merrick accepted her invite.

Out of the car, he turned around and bent down to talk with her. "Call me if you need me, I’ll have the phone close by."

"Thank you, Merrick, cross your fingers for me." With a final nod she drove of.

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At the school Xander and Angel were for the first time in agreement, this couldn’t happen. The book must have it wrong, or it was incorrectly translated. They worked together finding the books Willow told them could help them translate, or understand the book. Willow didn’t want to believe Buffy was destined to be with a demon, it was only soul mates that were destined to be together, and demons didn’t have a soul or did they.

Willow watched Giles doing nothing, he continued what he did when Buffy arrived. He wasn’t panicking, why wasn’t he? She walked up to Giles, who was standing behind his counter. "Why are you so calm?"

He looked up, a soft smile was in place. "It is as it should be," he stated.

"What’s wrong with you? Slayer good, demon evil," Willow asked a bit shrill, that made Xander and Angel pay attention to them.

"What’s the matter, Will?" Xander joined them at the counter, Angel didn’t bother, with his vamp hearing, he could hear them from where he was.

"Giles claims, it is as it should be."

Xander leaned over the counter. "You can’t be serious. Buffy can’t be with a demon. There are a lot of human guys out there. She should have the chance of a normal family."

Angel came out of the stacks carrying a pile of books. "It can’t be right, Giles." He placed the books on the table. "As much as I hate it, Xander is right. Buffy doesn't seem to want to fulfill the prophecy, then she should at least have a normal life if she isn’t the slayer anymore."

The others voiced their agreement.

Giles walked over to the table, place his book upon it. "That’s where you're wrong. Buffy isn’t normal, she’ll never be normal."

"I know she can’t be completely normal with the slayer strength and vamp senses, but she can control those powers, fit in." Angel sat down, started to look through the books.

"Not what I'm talking about." Giles looked at the gang, all seated at the table. "Buffy is immortal."

They looked up, mouth standing open.

"A normal human can’t make her pregnant, she’ll probably never get children if she doesn't want to adopt." Giles thought of what his granny used to say: you could hear a pin drop.