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Daylight	By : addielogan Category: AtS/BtVS Crossovers > Het - Male/Female > Buffy/Spike(William) > Buffy/Spike(William) Views: 9360 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) or Angel, the Series (AtS); nor any of the characters from them. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
Cordelia sat with Buffy and Spike
on the couch in the center of the Hyperion's lobby as they looked at her with
hopeful eyes, as if waiting for her to answer all their questions. It was a
different experience from what she'd known with either of them before,
especially Buffy. The few times Cordelia had seen Buffy since she'd left
Sunnydale, she'd still been the same stuck-up cheerleader in the Slayer's eyes,
not the woman she'd become in LA. But now Buffy was looking at her differently,
as if she were someone who could have something important to say.
It made Cordy realize how much
Buffy must've changed as well in the past five years. Cordelia had never really
cared for her in the past, even using her as a scapegoat for all her problems. However,
when she looked at Buffy now, she saw a tired young woman who'd known too much
suffering in her few years.
Cordelia could certainly relate to
that�
She let out a deep breath, deciding
on how much and what to tell them. In her recent time back in the Higher
Realms, she'd learned much, seen numerous possible paths and outcomes for the
future. Nevertheless, she'd also learned in the years since she'd become a Seer
that nothing not yet done was set in stone. It was why prophecies were so often
cryptic, much like horoscopes. You bettered your chances of getting something
right if you made it vague and open to multiple interpretations.
Making up her mind about how much
to divulge, Cordelia began to speak. "How the Shanshu Prophecy would be
fulfilled has been up in the air for a while now. There wasn't supposed to be
two vampires with souls. The PTB had planned on one vampire going from warrior
of darkness to Champion."
"And what, I threw a spanner
in the works by making myself all soul-having?" Spike asked.
"Actually no," Cordy
replied. "That was Angel. His soul was never really supposed to be
returned to him in the first place. That was just a fluke brought on by a gypsy
curse. The vampire with a soul has been prophesized for thousands of years, and
it was always believed that that vampire would actively choose the path of
good, make a decision to be more than he was. But then Angel was cursed, and
some of the Higher Beings started to suspect that they'd been wrong about that.
So Angel was set on the path towards being a Champion."
"Wait," Buffy
interjected, a frown creasing her face. "They're Higher Beings. Shouldn't
they just know things? I mean, how
could a Higher Being be wrong?"
"Buffy, I'm a Higher Being," Cordelia said with a small smile.
"Oh. How did that happen?"
"It's a long story and not
really relevant here. The point is, well, two ensouled vampires running around
mucked things up quite a bit, especially since the idea of being granted life
through what is spoken of in Shanshu Prophecy came to both of your attention. The
PTB were divided on the issue, trying to decide which one of you was the true
prophesized vampire Champion, and therefore deserving of some kind of reward. It
was close for a while, especially since Angel has had the soul for so much
longer.
"But then he slipped. He could
tell everyone�even himself�that his intentions when he became CEO of Wolfram
and Hart were completely noble, but the Powers That Be knew better. I asked
them to let me go to him, to warn him about where his path was leading him, but
that turned out to do more harm than good. Instead of taking what I showed him
as the warning it was meant to be, he took it as the go-ahead to do something
that knocked him out of the running for true Champion status, quite possibly
permanently. And well, while you can't really 'sign away' a prophecy if it's truly
about you, Angel attempting to do just that was the last little push in Spike's
direction that the PTB needed. To turn his back on a possible reward like that,
well, it offended them to say the least. So the decision was made, and Spike's
back among the living. Only they took a few liberties with that, since they
didn't want to lose a fighter. After all, the Shanshu Prophecy just promised
life. It never promised full humanity."
Cordelia stopped then, and the first
question that came out of Spike's mouth surprised Buffy, particularly in the
way she noted genuine concern in his voice. "What's going to happen to
Angel now?"
"I'm not sure," Cordelia
replied. "The Powers are angry. They've given Angel chance after chance,
and he keeps blowing it�this time in a big way. And, well, I've seen many
possible paths for him, and several of them are very dark. Even with his soul
anchored, Angel's more than capable of slipping. I've seen it more times than I
like to think about." Cordelia shivered, remembering all the times she'd
seen the darker side of the ensouled version of the vampire with blinding
clarity. "He�he wants to do good, but it gets too
hard for him, and he just gives up. Takes the easier road,
the one without as much struggling. I don't know how well I can keep him
in check, but I have to try. The PTB wanted to let him be dust, and seeing
where he could go, I wonder if maybe that would be best, but I�I just couldn't.
He's Angel,
and I�" Cordelia trailed off then, tears springing to her eyes.
Buffy reached over, placing a
comforting hand on Cordy's leg. "I know. And I don't think you made the
wrong choice fighting for him. You love him. I can see that. I can also see
that he feels the same way about you. Angel, he's�he's a difficult man to love,
but he won't let you down."
Cordy blinked, surprised to hear
that from Buffy of all people. "But I�he let you down."
The smile Buffy gave in response to
that managed to be both sad and accepting. "He did. But he never looked at
me the way he looks at you." Buffy closed her eyes for a moment, preparing
to say what she'd known for a while but had never had the strength to admit
quite the way she was about to. "What Angel and I had could never last. We
just didn't have that kind of relationship. It didn't grow strong through
overcoming obstacles together. It anything, we came out of every trial weaker,
not stronger. It was a relationship based on idealizations that could only come
crashing down around us. Angel could never�" She glanced back at Spike,
giving him a small grin. "Angel could never look at both the best and the worst
of me and still tell me I'm the one."
Cordelia observed the subtle
interaction of the two blondes in front of her, and realized that not all of
what Buffy had just said had been completely meant for her. She smiled
inwardly, knowing that they were on their right path together, whether they realized
it or not. "Thank you, Buffy," she said, smiling warmly at the Slayer
for what could be the first time ever in the eight years she'd known her.
"That means a lot, coming from you."
Buffy returned the smile, noting to
herself that she didn't feel a hint of jealousy at the idea of Angel being with
Cordelia now. It seemed right, in a way that her teenaged, Juliet-wannabe self
hadn't been able to see. If anyone could keep Angel in line, it was Cordelia
Chase. "I wish you two the best of luck. And hey, now that the soul's
locked in place, plenty of happiness, too."
Cordelia chuckled. "Thanks,
Buffy." She sat up a little straighter, wiping the tears away from her
eyes. "So is there anything else you want to know about the Shanshu
Prophecy?"
"Just a guarantee that this is
from the Powers That Be and not some cruel trick that's going to make things go
all wonky as soon as I get comfortable," Spike said.
"I can promise you that much. The
Powers consider the Shanshu Prophecy now fulfilled,
and you the ensouled vampire in question. It's up to you to decide what you're
going to do now that you've got yourself a beating heart," Cordy answered.
"But they kept me
strong," Spike replied. "They obviously want me to keep
fighting."
"And you don't? Would have
preferred them to return you exactly to your human self, William the
Bloody?"
The twinkle in Cordelia's eyes told
Spike that she somehow knew exactly
where that particular moniker of his came from, and he fought the urge to
blush. "Well, um, I suppose you have a point there."
"They kept you a fighter
because that's what you are," Cordy explained. "Nowadays, you're
fighting the good fight, but that's still a part of you. You wouldn't be able
to go into quiet retirement and live a 'normal' life anymore than Buffy here would, despite what she loves to tell herself. You're
a Champion because of who you are, not because of a label given to you by the
Powers. It's in your blood�no pun intended. Letting you retain your vampiric
abilities is just going to make that a little easier for you."
Spike merely nodded his assent,
knowing Cordelia was right. Maybe it was the soul trying to atone for the sins
that threatened to choke it, or maybe it was something else about him entirely,
but he wouldn't be able to turn his back when he knew what was out there,
waiting to prey on the innocent.
"So is that all then?"
Cordelia asked. "Not to rush you guys out of here, but I have a cranky
vampire upstairs that needs some attention�"
"We're fine," Spike said.
"Thank you, Cordelia. Go see to Peaches. Sure the old grandsire could use himself a hug right now." He ended his sentence with a
smirk, as if trying to convince the two women that he really wasn't in the
least bit worried about Angel.
"All right then,"
Cordelia replied, getting to her feet. Before she walked away, she looked down
at Buffy and Spike and spoke again, deciding one more thing needed to be said. "Both
of you know what's in your hearts. You need to let go of what used to be,
because what can be is beautiful." She smiled at them one more time before
ascending the stairs to Angel.
Silence filled the lobby for a long
moment as Spike and Buffy looked at each other. Finally, Spike broke the gaze
and spoke first. "I suppose we should get back to my apartment, let Giles and
Red know what Cordelia said."
"Yeah," Buffy replied,
trying to mask her disappointment that that was all Spike
had to say. She started to walk off, but Spike went after her, taking hold of
her hand and spinning her around to face him.
"We're still talking about
what you said out there, Buffy. Now just isn't the time or the place."
Buffy gave the hand linked with
hers a gentle squeeze. "I know. And I meant it. We just�need time to sit
down and figure out what we want to do. Even with love, nothing's ever
simple."
"I know." Spike chuckled,
though the sound held little amusement. "Believe me, I know."
They walked out the Hyperion, still
hand in hand.

***
*** ***
Giles and Willow were in the living
room when Spike and Buffy returned. "Did you find anything regarding the
Prophecy?" Giles asked almost as soon as they were through the door.
"The cuts and bruises on Spike
don't mean we ran into any serious trouble, and he'll be fine in a day or two,
thanks for asking," Buffy replied, giving the Watcher a disapproving look
eerily similar to the ones he used to give her.
"Oh. I�I didn't see those,"
Giles said, beginning to fidget.
"They're not bad," Spike
said with a shrug. "Angel just threw a little fit."
Willow's eyes widened. "Angel
hit you?"
"Well, yeah. He does that a
lot," Spike replied. "I've had enough time to get used to it."
He added with a grin, "But the look on his face when he realized I still
had my strength was enough to make this little tussle worth it."
Buffy rolled her eyes at that.
"You are so pathetic."
"Oh come on, Slayer. You can't
tell me that wasn't at least a little bit funny."
"I was a bit too worried about
your well-being to be laughing, dear,"
Buffy said, trying to retain a stern look on her face.
"Since when do you care about
that?"
"Hey! I care! I totally care!
How many times have I saved that cute ass of yours, mister?"
Spike smirked. "Okay, good point.
And it is rather cute, isn't it?"
A slow, almost predatory smile
crept across Buffy's lips. "Very."
Willow's cough pulled Buffy and
Spike back to the present moment, and they both turned quickly to look at Giles
and Willow. "Oh. Right. The Shanshu
Prophecy," Spike said, deciding to hold off on any analyzing of how easily
he and Buffy slipped into flirty banter. "Angel was too busy playing Jake LaMotta to be too forthcoming with information, but
Cordelia was there, and she says the Powers That Be did it."
Giles frowned. "Cordelia?
Chase? How would she know? And isn't
she�dead?"
"She was," Buffy said.
"Guess she can join the 'I was dead and now I'm not' club now, too."
"That's a club? Can I join,
too?" Spike teased.
Buffy giggled. "Sure. You can
be vice-president."
"And I suppose you're
president, little miss bossy?"
Buffy put her hands on her hips.
"Well, yeah. I was deadest."
"What? I was dead for one
hundred and twenty four years!"
"Yeah, well, I rotted."
Spike's nose wrinkled. "Okay,
you win that."
"Can we possibly discuss the
subject at hand, please?" Giles asked.
"Sorry," Buffy muttered,
noting the annoyance on her Watcher's face. Did he still have a problem with
the idea of her and Spike? "Turns out Cordelia's
a Higher Being now. She had info direct from the Powers."
Willow snorted. "Well, she
always thought she was one. Might as well make it
official."
"So then this transformation
of Spike's is genuine?" Giles asked.
"Looks like it, Rupes," Spike replied. "I've got myself a life to
live now."
"And will this life�be with
Buffy?"
Buffy and Spike exchanged a glance
at Giles's question. "We haven't talked about that yet," Buffy said
after a moment.
"Then just let me say, well,
I'm not sure if it means anything anymore, but if the two of you were to decide
that that was what you wished to do, well, I�" Giles took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "You would have my
blessing."
It took only a second for Buffy to
run to him, wrapping her arms around him in a crushing hug. "Buffy�lungs�they
need to work."
Buffy pulled back, her arms falling
to her sides. "Sorry, Giles. Just�that did mean a
lot, hearing you say that."
"I was wrong before, Buffy.
What I said�what I did. I wasn't looking at the situation rationally, too
blinded by past events that had nothing to do with Spike at all. I betrayed you
in one of the worst ways possible, and I don't even know how to being to
apologize for that."
"This is a start," Buffy
said softly, the tears that were forming making it hard for her to speak.
"I am sorry. For everything I
did to hurt you then."
"I know. And things were�difficult
then. Everything was so dark, so muddled. But maybe we can move past that
now?"
"I'd like to very much."
Giles pulled Buffy back into another hug, feeling as if a weight had been
lifted from him.
"You know, I'm feeling sorta
beat after all that magic and research and stuff, and I bet Giles has wicked jet
lag. How about we go find a hotel where we can crash?" Willow said after
Giles and Buffy had broken apart again.
"I'm�" Giles stopped as
he glanced between Spike and Buffy and realized what Willow was doing. "Right. Jet lag." He
forced a yawn. "Horrible, horrible jet lag. We'll leave now and give you a
ring later then?"
"All right," Buffy said
with a nod. "You guys be careful out there."
"We will be," Willow
said, already moving to gather up her and Giles's things.
It wasn't long before the witch and
the Watcher had said their good-byes, leaving Spike and Buffy alone in the
apartment. They stood in front of each other, a space separating them that
neither seemed able to breech.
"So�" Spike said, for
once at a loss for words.
"So," Buffy replied, and
the silence returned. When the awkward stillness became too much, she blurted
out quickly, "Let me do something about your cuts."
Spike frowned. "Do they really
look that bad?"
"No!" She grinned then,
feeling her heart lighten again. "They're sexy wounds, I swear."
Spike shook his head as he
remembered the last time she'd used that phrase. "Are they now?"
"Uh huh. But you're not dead anymore, so they might
get infected, and that wouldn't be sexy. That would be all oozy and ick."
"Oh. Well, in that case, by
all means, do something about them."
"All right. Go sit down on the couch, and Nurse Buffy
will get to work."
Spike leered at that. "Does
Nurse Buffy have a tight white dress?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Pig."
"Your
point?"
She lightly slapped his arm.
"Go sit. You have anything first aid kit like?"
"Under the
sink in the bathroom."
Buffy went then to get it, and
Spike went to the couch, sitting down. The events of the day started to hit him,
and he didn't know if he should be happy or very, very afraid.
If he didn't know any better, he'd
swear he had Buffy's love and the blessing of the closest thing she had to a parent
these days�

***
*** ***
Sorry for the delay in chapters. My
life hasn't really been conducive to fanfic writing as of late, and I'm doing
the best I can with posting. I know you'd like the chapters to be closer
together, and I'd love to be able to give you that, but I can't. Please try to
be understanding and don't tell me I need to update faster next time. I would
if I could, believe me. However, I have no plans to stop writing, and will
finish this and all my stories as time permits.
Also, I wanted to point out that
this story is the beginning of a sort of post-Chosen/NFA universe I'm in the
process of putting together. Some of these stories will be primarily Spuffy,
while some will deal with other characters from the series. If you're
interested in seeing which fics these are and where to find them, the link to
the ones currently in progress is here: http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/addielogan/post_chosen.html
I will be adding more fics as I get them started.
And, as always, please review. It's
all we fanfic authors get�
- 12
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- 14
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