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No such thing as coincidences	By : All4Spike Category: AtS/BtVS Crossovers > Threesomes/Moresomes > Angel(us)/Buffy/Spike(William) > Angel(us)/Buffy/Spike(William) Views: 6097 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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As consciousness returned, Spike gradually became aware of the fact there was someone in the room with him. He didn’t feel threatened though, so he stretched lazily, enjoying the sensation of the crisp sheets sliding over his skin. Sheets? Skin? Where was he? Spike opened one eye and took in a section of bed and wall. Yes, he was still in the same hotel room he’d gone to sleep in, but while he clearly remembered collapsing on top of the made bed fully clothed, he was now naked, tucked in under the covers. “What the…?” he muttered, opening both eyes and turning towards where he could hear the sound of breathing.

The green demon regarded him quizzically from his seat in the chair by the window. “We were wondering how much longer you were going to sleep, you must have been really tired! The sun has just gone down, so Angel asked me to check on you, he figured you might be stirring and ready for some more blood about now. How about having a shower and joining us downstairs?”

“Lorne isn’t it? What’s the time?”

“About six, time for all good vampires to rise and shine”

Spike sat up and looked around the room. His leather duster was draped over the back of a chair, but of the rest of his clothes, and his boots, there was no sign. “My clothes? I’m not going to be prancing around the place naked!”

“Fred’s doing a bit of laundry for you. You were smelling a bit ripe you know, even to human senses.” Lorne gestured to a small pile of clothing on the chest. “I think those should fit you well enough until it’s done”.

Lorne handed him a towel and showed him where the nearest bathroom was before disappearing again, and after a satisfying scrub down, Spike returned to his room, towel draped around his hips, to see what they’d chosen for him to wear. Slightly faded blue denims that fit perfectly, and a choice between a plain white V neck T shirt and a bright red one. “Red? Me? Don’t think so!” he muttered as he drew the white one over his head and tucked it into the jeans. He saw his favourite soft leather belt neatly coiled on the seat of the chair next to his coat, and threaded it through the loops. He found he still needed to fasten it a couple of notches tighter than usual. “Have to feed myself up a bit” he thought aloud with a rueful smile “Never live it down if the Slayer thinks I’ve been pining for her!”

He gave the coat a long look, and then reluctantly decided it didn’t really go with the new outfit, and so after he’d taken his lighter from its customary pocket and stowed in his jeans, it stayed where it was as he left the room. “Need a comb and something to make this bloody hair sit down…” he grumbled to himself, running his fingers through his damp curls as he padded barefoot down to the lobby.

Fred was sitting at the computer behind the reception desk, trying to work with Connor cradled in the crook of one arm. “Oh Hi Spike, take Connor for me would you? He’s just waking up for his feed. I need to finish this, it’ll just take me a couple of minutes, and then I’ll get you some blood and his bottle.”

“Come to Uncle Spike then…” Spike murmured as he accepted the baby, who was stirring and beginning to fret. He sat on the red sofa and studied the boy in his arms. Darla? A mother? She’d really staked herself to give this undeniably human child a chance to live? It didn’t sound like the Darla he remembered at all. He began to growl softly down at the infant, who giggled back at him. “Love’s a funny thing” he chuckled, “I’ve always said so.”

A few minutes later he exchanged the child for a mug of blood, and sat watching Fred as she fed Connor. “So where is everyone then?”

“Angel and Charles just went out on a job, there’s some demon being naughty and is in need of a smack down. Wesley’s out hunting up a book he needs, and Lorne is seeing one of his clients upstairs.”

“Clients? What does he do then? Sing at them?” Spike asked. He had been hearing the faint sound of someone singing in a far corner of the hotel for a few minutes, but he had thought that it was a radio.

“Oh, didn’t Angel tell you? Lorne is an anagogic demon, he can read your aura and sense your destiny if you have one. He helps people plan their futures and realise their potential. You have to sing for him though. It seems when you sing you somehow show the real you in away you don’t when you speak. At least I think that’s what he meant.”

Spike finished his blood and stood up. “Is it OK if I give Dawn a call now? I did promise to ring after school, she’ll be beginning to think I’ve forgotten.”

“Fred looked rather embarrassed “Er… Spike? That was yesterday you know… you have been asleep over 24 hours. She rang last night and Angel explained to her that you were exhausted and needed to rest, he wouldn’t disturb you except for an emergency. She’ll be ringing back sometime this evening. Mr Giles wanted to speak to you again too, but he said it could wait.”

Spike sat down again suddenly. Angel was being considerate of him? There was something seriously creepy about that. “Well I can’t just sit here, anything I can do to help around here?”

“Well both Charles and Wesley will be hungry when they get in, and I haven’t ordered our usual take-out yet. If you get the menu off the desk I’ll tell you what we usually have, and you can call for us.”

“You always have take-outs? Hasn’t this place got a kitchen then?”

“Well none of us is really any good in the kitchen, I did try once when I first came back, but the boys asked me not to try again…” Fred admitted, rather shamefaced.

“You’ve got nothing in then? How much would you usually spend? Perhaps if you gave me the cash I could do a bit of shopping, and you could all have real food for once?”
Fred looked at him strangely “You can cook too?”

“I ate a chef once, I think something stuck…” He winked at her.

She pointed to a small pile of cash sitting on the reception desk. “That was for the delivery guy, see what you can do with it then.”

“Any preferences? Any allergies or special diets I should know about?”

“No Spike, you’ve got free rein. Surprise us. There’s a little Korean Deli around the corner, they should have something suitable.”

Spike thoroughly enjoyed himself for the next couple of hours. He bought a couple of chickens, some steak, lots of fresh vegetables, rice, spices, a few bottles of inexpensive wine and some baking ingredients, and allowed himself to add one packet of cigarettes to the list as cook’s perks. Returning to the hotel laden with bags, he found the kitchen, and rummaged about in the cabinets to see what sort of equipment he had to work with.

He set to work, taking his time, remembering not to use as much spice as he would have preferred. He knew human taste buds were more sensitive. Didn’t want them all burning up and gasping for water. He whistled and hummed happily as he worked.

At one point, just as everything started to come together, he sensed someone behind him, and he turned to find the big black bloke standing watching him from the doorway. “Gunn, right? It’ll be about twenty minutes. Where do you folks eat? I haven’t seen a dining room. This isn’t going to be a ‘chopsticks in takeout containers sitting on the sofa’ job, we’ll need a proper table, plates, cutlery, wine glasses, the works. Got a table and chairs hiding somewhere?”

Gunn nodded, speechless, and disappeared again.

A few minutes later Spike yelled for people to come to help carry the big serving dishes upstairs, where he found that the round sofa had been pushed to one side, and the lobby was now dominated by a long table surrounded by chairs. As he had asked, the table was fully set, and after placing the dishes in the empty space down the centre everyone looked at Spike, as if asking what to do next.

“Hang on a minute, forgot something” he said, “Gunn, Wesley, come with me.”
He led them back down to the kitchen, gave them each a couple of bottles of wine to carry, stuck the corkscrew in his pocket, and grabbed a huge covered plate off the counter. “Off we go then.”

He put the huge plate on the reception desk, then got everyone seated, insisting Angel took the chair at the head of the table. “I know you don’t eat Peaches, but you’ve got to sit down with us. You’ll just have to watch us eat, and have a glass of wine to be sociable.” He handed Angel the corkscrew, and pointed to the line of wine bottles on the table.

He walked around the table taking the covers off the steaming dishes, then took the chair at the foot of the table. “Tuck in folks, I hope there’s enough for all, I didn’t know what quantities to use for humans, I can never work out much they’re likely to eat”
There wasn’t much talking for the next few minutes, just a lot of exclamations and a lot of funny looks directed at Spike, who was eating with the rest of them.

“Are you sure you’re a vampire?” Asked Wesley eventually, “I thought vampires didn’t eat human food?”

“I don’t have to Wes, don’t need the nourishment, don’t get the craving for food the way I do for blood, but I still enjoy eating. Ask Rupert, he was always complaining I was eating him out of house and home when I was staying with him.” He sipped at the wine in his glass “Hmm... not bad this, bit young though.”

Angel commented, “Spike has always been a little bit different from your usual vampire, Wes. He’s incredibly irritating, apart from anything else.”

Spike smirked, “I do try Peaches, I’m so glad you noticed.” He suddenly felt uncomfortable, put his knife and fork down and went very still. He closed his eyes and stretched his vampire senses out as far as he could. He opened his eyes again and looked down the length of the table at Angel. “Oh bollocks.”

“What’s up?” Asked Angel

“It’s time to face the music, the Slayer’s coming.” Spike sighed, “She’ll be here in a few minutes. Clear the decks and batten down the hatches for Hurricane Slayer. I wonder which bits of me will get broken this time.”

“How on earth do you know Buffy’s coming Spike? Did she call?”

“I can sense her of course. You mean you can’t Angel? She’s the Slayer for God’s sake! Can’t you feel her getting closer and closer all the time? She’s humming in my blood! She’s tingling on my skin, she’s making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!”

Angel regarded him with astonishment. “I can usually sense her when she’s close by as a sort of cool flush on my skin, but there’s no humming blood, no tingling. How far away can you detect her?”

“She’s about half a mile away now, getting closer all the time though.” Spike stood up, closed his eyes again and slowly turned on the spot. “She’s coming from that direction” he pointed. “How come I can feel her so strongly and you can’t? I thought all vampires could feel her the way I do. Don’t all of us have the same Slayer sense then? I’ve never compared notes with anyone else before.”

“She’s nearly here… two minutes…” Spike walked over and stood facing the street door, checking there was open space behind him, he wouldn’t want to land in the food when she hit him… as he knew she would. “Dessert’s over there,” he pointed at the big covered plate “Enjoy... save me some for when I come round…”

There were a few comments and questions from behind him, but they had all sort of faded out, all he could think of now was his Slayer. Then she was there, standing glaring down at him.

“Spike,” She said quietly.

“Slayer,” He replied nervously.

She came slowly down the steps, ignoring everyone else, as he was.

“Not the nose again… please,” he pleaded.

“OK then,” she agreed.

He was carefully watching her little fist clenching, trying to prepare himself, wondering which part of him she was going to be aiming at, and how hard the blow would be… so he was taken completely by surprise when her foot made contact with his ribcage.

He was flying! Why had nobody told him he could fly? What a marvellous sensation! “Aaaaaargh!” Landing wasn’t as much fun however.

Spike sat up groggily, tentatively prodding his chest, three more broken ribs. Oh well, it could have been much worse. He opened his eyes. She was standing over him smiling. Such a glorious, dangerous smile. “Feel better now Pet?” He asked. No answer. Oh dear.
She extended her hand to help him up. He grasped it and was tugged into an upright position. “Hungry love? I cooked for Angel’s team, but I think I might have made enough for all the Scoobies too… I always get the quantities wrong…”

The dangerous smile turned to an expression of bewilderment. “You cooked?”

He gently grasped her shoulders and turned her to face the amused expressions of their attentive audience, which he saw now included Xander Harris. Oh good, she hadn’t driven herself here then. He had no qualms about her facing vampires, demons, Hellgods or random Apocalypses, but she was quite unprepared to tackle Los Angeles traffic. He nodded to Harris, who returned the greeting in kind. “Anya back home minding the store?” Spike asked, and he received another nod in reply.

“More chairs around anywhere Gunn?” Spike seated Buffy in his former place, shoving his plate out of the way and presenting her with a clean one. “Help yourself Pet, you’re too skinny, you haven’t been eating properly.”

She looked back up at him, taking in his reduced frame. “Pot. Kettle. Black.” Then she smiled along the table and said, “Hi Angel, hope you don’t mind the Sunnydale invasion, we’ve just come to reclaim what’s ours.”

“Ours?” Thought Spike. “Me?” Something lurched inside him, and he felt suddenly warm.
As everyone started moving around to make more room at the table for the extra chairs Gunn was bringing in, the street door swung open again, and a gangly figure threw itself at him, long hair flying.

“Spike!” Dawn shrieked, and he only just managed not to land on his butt again by grabbing her around the waist and swinging her around in a circle as her arms went around his neck.

“Niblet” he gasped, “Knew you’d end up blabbing. I figured you’d hold out a bit longer than this though.” He kissed her lightly on the top of her head and held her away from him slightly, so he could look into her face. “Okay?”

“I didn’t blab!” she protested. “You said I should tell Willow, so I did. She told Anya to reassure her you’d be back for the wedding, and of course Anya told Xander. It was Xander who told Buffy!”

A soft voice behind him said “Hello Spike.”

He turned and saw Willow and Tara, holding hands and smiling sweetly at him. Oh good, they were back together, or at least heading that way. “Ladies,” he nodded, “care to join us too? No need to ask Harris of course…”

Xander had the grace to look sheepish, around the large mouthful he was chewing. “This is good” he remarked “Full of surprises today aren’t you Spike?” He gestured with his fork at Spike’s unusual appearance. “What happened to the black-on-black look?”

“Someone stole all my clothes for washing,” Spike complained, “Ruined my image she has,” glaring accusingly at Fred who was giggling like mad, but still feeding her pretty face. That girl really did put away an amazing amount of food for one so skinny!

“Really?” Buffy asked raising a quizzical eyebrow at him, “However did she manage to get you out of them?”

“Don’t ask me Pet,” Spike smirked at her. “I went to sleep in clothes, and woke up in skin. Someone’s nicked my boots too.”

“The boots had no soles left Spike, they are being fixed. As for your clothes, I went to your room last night at sunset to see if you wanted more blood, and to remind you to call Dawn. I discovered that an earthquake wouldn’t have woken you. As you were becoming increasingly fragrant I thought I’d do something about it.” Angel was unrepentant.

“Poof.” Accused Spike.

“Idiot.” Angel responded.

For a while there were just sounds of eating and drinking, quiet requests to pass things up and down the table, small talk. Spike didn’t need to eat any more. He sat back away from the table, contentedly watching his people enjoying his cooking, checking they were all right. His Slayer was far too thin. She’d clearly been working too hard at that ghastly fast food place, and had probably been patrolling every night on top of that. He caught a faint whiff of that revolting grease smell every time she moved. Now that he had time to look properly he saw that Dawn had shadows under her eyes. She’d probably had more nightmares. He realised guiltily that he should have let her know he was going to be away for a while. Harris was the same as always, perhaps he’d become a bit heavier? Spike reasoned he had developed a nervous appetite as the day of the wedding approached. Tara was herself, sweet, warm and gentle, her shy crooked smile making everyone feel better. Willow though, she didn’t look too good at all. She was pale and jumpy, just picking at her food, withdrawal wasn’t going that smoothly then. He caught Angel regarding him with a puzzled frown, and grinned cheekily back.

Something the Slayer had just said brought his attention back to the conversation around the table. She knew Wesley? He had been a Watcher? Oh, he had been sent to Sunnydale to take over from Rupert when he’d been fired, and to train Faith, the other Slayer. He evidently hadn’t stayed long, as when Faith had gone rogue and Buffy had declared her independence from the Council he had gone off on his own, and ended up here on Angel’s team.

Spike wondered if Rupert knew Wesley was here. Was it possible he could help with figuring out this new prophecy? Sodding prophecies. It seemed that both groups were embroiled in them at the moment, the one about Angel and his son, and the one about Dawn, the Slayer and himself. Did Rupert really mean for him to tell the Slayer and the Little Bit about it? Not now obviously, somewhere more quiet and private... later…
Spike noticed Angel’s expression as he was explaining to Buffy why Cordelia wasn’t there, that she was away on holiday with her boyfriend, a warrior champion who had come from another dimension to find her… oh dear, the old boy had got it bad, and once more for a woman he couldn’t have! Spike tucked that piece of information away in case it came in handy later.

At last all the plates were empty, although not all of the serving dishes were, and even Harris and the Slayer had decided they’d had enough. Fred and Gunn started gathering up the debris, and Spike got up to bring the huge covered plate over. “I didn’t know you were coming when I made this, Pet, happy coincidence eh?” He placed it on the table in front of his Slayer and whipped the cover off with a flourish. The biggest chocolate cake in the world was exposed to view. It had thick dark chocolate frosting on top, and there were chocolate chips and black cherries scattered all over it. He handed her a fork and smirked wickedly. “Do you think you might be able to leave enough for the rest of us to have a few crumbs each?”

Oh dear… if looks could stake… but he couldn’t help bursting out laughing. Everyone else around the table joined in, and she looked around at them with a slightly offended expression. Spike wondered uneasily if he had gone too far, but then she spluttered and gave in to the general hilarity. With relief he took on the task of passing plates around as she cut slices for everyone, leaving a large section still on the big plate.

Everyone was still stuffing their faces with cake when Spike heard Connor beginning to stir upstairs. He glanced over to Angel to see if he had heard too, which he clearly had. Spike gestured a question, should the Slayer be told? Angel gave a resigned nod. Spike gestured that Angel should do the explaining, while he went up to fetch the child, and received another nod in reply.

As he approached the stairs Buffy realised he was leaving the room “Where are you sneaking off to then Spike?” She asked suspiciously.

“Angel will explain luv, I’ll just be a few minutes.”

He quickly left the scene of the uncomfortable confrontation that was bound to follow, and made his way up towards the source of the discontented baby noises. He followed the sound to Angel’s room, and upon entering he found that Connor had kicked all his covers off, and there was a distinctly unpleasant smell emanating from his nether regions. “Oh bugger.” There was no way he was going back downstairs to ask for someone else to come and change a nappy, he didn’t want to walk into the middle of the drama that would be unfolding. He wanted to wait until the situation was completely explained and she’d had a chance to calm down again before presenting the evidence to his Slayer.

Spike examined the room. There was a sort of table that was clearly set out in preparation for nappy changing, there was baby cream and powder and other toiletries, but no squares of linen. Hmmm… what was that huge packet? Upon examination of the illustrations on the plastic wrapping, Spike discovered that nappies now came ready made, and you used them once before throwing them away. He studied the cartoon strip instructions, and figured he might as well have a go.

Crooning softly to soothe the child, and trying very hard to suppress his sense of smell, he lifted Connor from the crib, holding him at arms length, and gently laid him on his back on the changing mat. Investigating his clothing he discovered the all-in-one suit had poppers down the inside of the legs and unfastened them. Then he pushed the fabric out of the way, freeing the flailing legs. He found the adhesive strips shown on the nappy package and undid them. He reared back as the smell became even more pungent. “Bloody Hell Junior, what have they been feeding you?” Quickly removing the soiled nappy and folding it in on itself to reduce the unpleasantness Spike tossed it into the waiting bin, and grabbed a wad of tissues to wipe the mess off Connor’s bottom. The dirty tissues landed in the bin on top of the nappy. He dipped one finger into the pot of cream and smoothed it over the child’s skin, then took a new nappy out of the package. He unfolded it and checked the drawings again to make sure he was holding it the right way around. After sliding it under the baby’s back he tried to control the wriggling legs long enough to get it wrapped around the fat little belly and fastened properly. Eventually he was satisfied it wasn’t going to slide straight off, and he tackled fastening the poppers on the suit again.

His hands now smelt revolting. He put Connor safely back in the crib for a moment and went over to the sink and had a thorough wash. He then asked seriously “Well now Angel Junior, do you think Uncle Spike’s taken long enough for the fighting to die down? Shall we go and show you off to the Slayer and her pals?” The baby looked back up at him cheerfully, now he had a clean comfortable bottom he was ready for anything.

Spike gathered him up in his arms, grabbed the pale blue stuffed animal from the foot of the crib, and started back downstairs. Everything was very quiet. He paused at the top of the final flight down to the lobby, and looked over the balcony. Tara, Willow and Dawn were finishing clearing the table, while Gunn and Harris were tidying the chairs away. Angel and the Slayer were nowhere to be seen. He sent out his vampire sense, and discovered they were outside the doors that led from the opposite side of the lobby from the street door. In the garden? Safe to come down then. He descended the last few stairs, and was immediately mobbed by a pack of women. So… not so safe then. “Hey! Hands off! We can’t have you giving Junior here all your germs!”

He shouldered past them all and went to sit on the sofa, arranging himself and the baby so that everyone could get a good view of the infant, who was gazing about curiously. There were choruses of Ooooohs and Aaaaahs and lots of baby talk and finger wiggling, but young Connor took it all in his stride. Fred appeared with a bottle, but instead of taking the baby as Spike had expected, she just handed it to him and went back to the table to collect a few more glasses. He offered the teat to Connor who took it and lay back in ecstasy, sucking strongly.

Angel had obviously heard the commotion, as he and Buffy now appeared in the doorway from the garden. Spike looked up at them anxiously. She’d clearly been crying, and he wasn’t looking very happy either. This changed as the pair took in the tableau before them. Spike sitting in state feeding Connor, surrounded by a hovering audience of young women, all desperate to get their hands on the infant for a cuddle.

“Well would you look at that.” Angel smirked at him “In the last couple of days we’ve discovered Spike the pathetic drunk who forgets to feed, Spike the hero, Spike the teacher, Spike the university graduate, Spike the cook/housekeeper, and now we’ve got Spike the nursemaid! Have you any more surprises in store for us?” He approached closer, and his nostrils flared “You changed his nappy too? What is the world coming to?”
Spike defended himself “What did you expect you great lummox? He’s family! I’m not going to leave him all uncomfortable and miserable when I can do something about it! Besides, you really wouldn’t have wanted me to bring him down as he was, he’d have stunk the house out!”

He transferred his attention to his Slayer’s face. Now she was wearing a soft dreamy smile, and was shaking her head slowly. “Oh Spike, what am I going to do with you?”
Spike just managed to prevent himself from saying aloud exactly what he’d like her to do with him, and contented himself with tilting his head to the side and running his eyes up and down her body while running his tongue over his teeth and raising one eyebrow suggestively.

Their eyes met, and Buffy immediately knew exactly what he was thinking and began to flush and turn away awkwardly, but then she paused, frowned and did a classic double take. “Did you say university graduate Angel? Spike? Are you kidding?”

“It appears so Buffy” Angel nodded “He let it slip yesterday in a phone conversation with Giles. It seems our William was a bit of a scholar before he became Spike.”

“Spike was talking with Giles? Why?” Buffy asked, confused.

“It seems Giles needed his help with a bit of research he was doing. First time for everything I suppose.”

“Right, you two can stop talking about me as if I’m not here now,” protested Spike. “Slayer, there’s something you need to know. I was going to leave it until the morning, but since Angel’s team has already heard all about it anyway, I might as well tell you now. It’s going to affect the Scoobies as well as you and Dawnie, so you might as well all gather round, and I’ll try to explain what Giles has discovered. Slayer, you’re going to want to be sitting down pet.” He said to Dawn “You too Niblet. Where’s Harris gone?”

Buffy and Dawn sat either side of him on the sofa, he suspected mainly to get a better view of young Connor, and Xander was located helping Fred with the washing up and brought back up to the lobby. He laughed when he saw Spike’s current occupation, but was quickly persuaded to sit down quietly with the others gathered around ready to hear the news.
He turned to his right, “Dawn pet, remember the night when the Hellions appeared? That night?” He emphasised meaningfully. She nodded. “Do you remember telling me I didn’t need to stay with you as you weren’t in danger any more as you weren’t The Key any more, or if you were you no longer opened anything?” She nodded again. “Seems you were wrong, love. The Watcher has just found a prophecy about you. It says you should still have the power to open transdimensional portals. Open them where and when you please, to any dimension you please. To control them.”

Dawn exclaimed “Holy crap!” then sat staring at him, mouth agape, while Buffy started protesting loudly.

“Just a minute Slayer, that’s not all. There’s a lot more, let me finish before you explode… please? It seems the prophecy also mentions you. You are named ‘The Holder of the Key’ it’s your job to stand with her as she creates the portals, and keep her safe. Now here’s the thing. It seems I’m tangled up in this bloody prophecy too. Giles says I’m described as ‘The Protector of the Key’. I still don’t understand why he thinks I’m the one, but he seemed very certain. The three of us are supposed to work together as a team to make this thing work. He hasn’t deciphered the finer points yet, and we haven’t been able to figure out how it’s supposed to work on a continuing basis, except that Dawn’s blood still opens the portal, but then you shouldn’t jump in to close it Slayer, it looks as if it should be me who does that, after drinking your blood. That way your blood still acts to close the thing, but it isn’t in your body at the time, it’s in mine instead, leaving you behind with Dawnie to keep her safe. Giles is still researching the method Dawn should use to open and control the portals, and also how I am supposed to be able to close the things repeatedly without being destroyed or getting stranded for centuries in assorted Demon dimensions. The thing is, you needed to know now that Dawn’s still The Key, because if word gets out into the Demon community, every Big Bad with a plan involving crossing between dimensions is going to be after her, well all three of us really. We’ve got to get some sort of defence strategy in place. Right, I think that about covers it, you can explode now Pet.”

Spike sat back, removed the now empty bottle from Connor’s mouth, and hoisted him up onto his shoulder. He started purring at him as he had before, soothing him in preparation for the yelling he now expected to begin. It didn’t.

He glanced to his left where the Slayer was sitting slumped, and saw a single tear slowly make its way down her right cheek. Oh bugger, tears were much worse than yelling, they meant she was really upset! Without thinking, he took his left hand from Connor’s back and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her face gently into his shoulder and kissing the top of her head. She resisted for a second, then clutched at him and dissolved into heartrending sobs.

Desperately he looked up for assistance, and saw Tara reaching for the baby, Spike relinquished his hold to her, and immediately had another terrified crying girl clamped to his other shoulder. As he whispered what he hoped were comforting words to his Summers girls, the Scoobies began drifting across the lobby away from them, clearly uncomfortable with the strong emotional reaction from their usually pragmatic Slayer. Tara and Willow joined Lorne behind the reception desk, and they concentrated very hard on playing with Connor, while Xander went to stand by Angel Wesley and Gunn. Spike could hear them over the sound of tears, discussing the practical possibilities of defending the Hotel against Demon attack if it became necessary, and examining the weapons in the cabinet.

Spike caught Angel’s eye briefly, but he didn’t receive the angry jealous glare he had expected, instead Angel gave him a smile and little nod. What on earth was going on? First Angel refuses to wake him until he’s slept himself out, then he gets his boots fixed, and now he’s allowing him to comfort The Slayer and Dawn instead of jumping in to do it himself. This was all getting downright unsettling.

After a few minutes the tears began to subside on both sides of him, and Spike realised that on top of being scared and upset, both of his charges were exhausted. “They need to sleep Angel. They can have my room, OK? Help me upstairs with them would you?”

Angel swept Dawn up, freeing Spike’s right arm so he could lift Buffy, and they made their way upstairs together. Spike laid his Slayer gently onto the bed he had vacated earlier that evening, slipped one stake out from its usual position tucked into the waistband of her trousers and the other out of her sleeve, and then slipped her boots off, while Angel settled Dawn on the other side. They pulled the covers up over the two girls, and began to leave the room. When Buffy stirred and began to speak Spike quickly padded back over to her, leant down, and whispered “It’s OK to be the worried big sister tonight Buffy love, you’re knackered. You’re both safe here, just sleep now. You can go back to being the Slayer and start giving us all orders in the morning.” He gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her face and kissed her on the forehead, then taking his leather coat from the chair he rejoined Angel in the doorway. As the door closed they saw Buffy turn and cuddle up to Dawn’s back, placing a protective arm over her sleeping sister.

Angel took two steps towards the head of the stairs, and then paused. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you address Buffy by name since you arrived Spike, you call her ‘Slayer’ most of the time, except when you’re using one of those stupid pet names of yours. Why is that?”

Spike took a moment to answer. “I suppose I feel her name is too… intimate for public use. If I call her Buffy, I’m speaking privately, to the girl inside the woman, the part of her that can get vulnerable and upset and worried, the part that’s not the Slayer. When I’m discussing her with someone else, or we’re patrolling and fighting demons, or talking about Slayer business, it just doesn’t feel right using the ‘girl’ name, she’s so much more than that. It would feel… disrespectful. Does that make sense Angel? I’ve never really thought about it before.”

Angel looked at Spike for a moment, opened his mouth to speak, then shook his head slightly as if to shake off an unwelcome thought, and continued walking along the passage in silence.

Returning to the lobby the two vampires found the last traces of the meal had been cleared away, and the furniture was back in its usual positions once more. The rest of the Scoobies were hanging around looking a bit lost, so Angel asked Fred to sort out rooms for them and they all got settled in for the night.

A few minutes later, Spike watched Fred saying an affectionate goodnight to Gunn as he left for his apartment, and also caught Wesley’s expression as he watched them. “Oh dear,” he thought, “another love triangle, poor Wes.” Then Wes left, and after Fred and Lorne had gone off to their rooms, at last only the two vampires remained, Angel was sitting behind the desk reading a book, and Spike was lolling on the sofa.

Spike began to feel very uncomfortable as the silence drew out between them, theirs had never been an easy relationship, and after the events of the past few years it was even worse. He finally summoned up the nerve to speak. “So Angel, how did the Slayer take the news about young Connor then? I saw she’d been crying.”

“If Buffy wants to tell you about it she will, Spike.”

“But that's just the thing, she won’t. She doesn’t speak to me about personal stuff, not any more. That would mean she’d have to accept that I’m a real person rather than a ‘thing’. It’s just that I’m the one who tends to be in the firing line when she gets upset or angry, so I’d like to be prepared.”

“Well,” Angel sighed, “the main reason I left was the fact that she could never have a normal life with me, no sex, no children. Now comes the bombshell that I have got a child, and as far as she can see she will never be able to because of the Slayer thing, so naturally she was upset. Then of course there was the simple fact that I’d clearly had sex with someone and risked losing my soul again, and what’s more it was someone who wasn’t her, and what’s worse it was Darla of all people! Darla who tried to kill her more than once… Her reaction was ‘not of the good’ as she would say.”

“Did you tell her about the fact that you’d fallen for Cordelia too? No, you didn’t did you? I’d have heard the yelling and things breaking from upstairs…”

“How did you…?”

“This is me Angel. I know you far too well for you to be able to hide that sort of thing from me. Why do you keep falling for women you can’t have? Although if you’re where I got it from that might explain a lot.” He stopped to think for a couple of minutes then, “Talking about unattainable women, did you know that Wesley’s head over heels in love with Fred, who only has eyes for Gunn?” Spike continued, “I thought you should know because it’s bound to cause a certain amount of tension in the workplace.”

“How do you find these things out Spike?” Angel asked, “I haven’t heard any of them talking about any of this.”

“I watch people Angel. It’s easy when you’re an outsider, nobody pays you any attention so you get to see things they don’t realise they’re showing. You could do the same thing, it’s just that as you’re always so concentrated on your poor tortured soul and perfecting your brooding skills you don’t look around you as much as you should. Besides, it would mean you’d have to give up being the centre of attention all the time.”

Angel spluttered and fumed for a few minutes, but didn’t put a reply into words.
Once more the silence stretched out, and once more Spike couldn’t relax in it. “So tell me about this team of yours then Peaches, you’ve got a very odd mix of people here, what’s the story?”

Angel explained to Spike how Wesley, Gunn, Lorne and Fred each in turn came to be included in the team. He then went on to relate how Doyle had died, passing on the visions from the Powers That Be to Cordelia, who had recently accepted some demon characteristics so she could continue to receive the visions without coming to harm.

“That doesn’t sound like the Cordelia I remember from Sunnydale, Angel,” Spike reflected, “she must have done some serious growing up recently. Good for her. Although… they have all grown up haven’t they? Isn’t it amazing how quickly that happens? You forget that, because as vampires we never alter much, but humans? They never stop changing and growing.”

“You’ve certainly changed, Spike,” Angel growled, “but then you always did let yourself be led around by a woman, it was a weakness before when you tried to be what Drusilla wanted, and it’s still a weakness now that it’s Buffy you’re trying to please. Nothing good can come of it, why don’t you just move on?”

“I tried to Angel, I really did.” Spike sighed.

Another long silence descended, and Spike began to fidget. “So… I’ve been wondering, how come you didn’t throw me out when I first got here Angel?” Spike asked at last. “Why did you let me sleep so long instead of waking me for those phone calls? You sent my boots to be fixed, and then you didn’t sweep the Slayer up out of my arms when she got upset… you let me hold her. I’m getting seriously freaked out about all this considerate treatment, it isn’t like you at all!”

“I have my reasons Spike. That’s all you need to know.” Angel replied impatiently. “Can’t you ever stop talking? I’m used to having this quiet time alone to read when they’ve all gone to sleep.”

“So lend us a book then, I’m bored, I’ve got nothing to do. If I was back home I’d be patrolling with the Slayer, or out hitting the bars and playing kitten poker,” Spike whined.

“So why don’t you go out then? I’m sure you could find a few handy demons to beat you up if you tried hard enough.” Angel suggested sarcastically.

“That’s why,” Spike said, as he jumped up from the sofa and started towards the stairs. “I knew one of them would be having nightmares after they found out about the Portal Prophecy, I just wasn’t sure which it would be.”

Angel put down his book and followed Spike up the stairs towards the source of the terrified whimpering they could both hear.

Spike paused at the closed door, and whispered, “It’s Dawn, she thinks she’s up on that terrible tower again, this is usually how it starts.”

He opened the door quietly, and saw that Buffy had now turned away from her sister and curled up into a tight ball, and Dawn was rocking her head from side to side, gasping “it needs the blood… it has to have the blood…”

Spike silently crossed the bedroom floor to crouch beside Dawn. He took one of her hands in his, and with the other smoothed her hair away from her sweaty forehead. He whispered, “Dawnie precious, it’s all right, it’s all over, you’re quite safe now, wake up love, look Buffy’s here, you’re here, don’t be scared now, Spike’s looking after you.”

As he spoke Dawn’s desperate movements slowed and stopped, and eventually she opened her eyes and looked at Spike. “You’re here… oh Spike… you came... it was that dream again… the portal was opening and Buffy wouldn’t let me jump…”

“I know pet, look, Buffy’s here beside you, she’s quite safe, you’re safe, there’s nothing to worry about now, settle down, I won’t let anyone hurt you I promise, go back to sleep now.”

“Stay until I’m asleep please? Sing our song for me?” Dawn pleaded.

“Of course sweetheart, relax now, close your eyes,” and Spike started singing very softly as he gently stroked her hair,

“Early one morning just as the sun was rising,
I heard a maiden sing in the valley below.

O, don’t deceive me, O, never leave me,
How could you use a poor maiden so?”

It was the old folksong his mother had loved so much, the one that he had sung to Dawn through so many nightmares over the course of the previous summer that it had become their special song.

“Remember the vows that you made to your Mary,
Remember the bower where you vowed to be true,

O, don’t deceive me, O, never leave me,
How could you use a poor maiden so?

As he sang, Dawn’s breathing calmed and slowed, and she began to relax back into sleep. At the same time Buffy sighed and shifted her position, so she was once more loosely spooned around her sister’s back, a small smile playing upon her lips.

Thus sang the poor maiden her sorrows bewailing,
Thus sang the poor maid in the valley below.

O, don’t deceive me, O, never leave me,
How could you use a poor maiden so?”

Spike waited a few moments after the song was finished, just to check that Dawn was fully asleep, then he stood and straightened the covers over the sisters before joining Angel in the doorway. “She should be all right now, the dream doesn’t often come twice in the same night.”

As they closed the door, Tara appeared next to them. “Dawn’s tower nightmare again?” she asked Spike.

“Yes luv,” he answered quietly, “only to be expected under the circumstances.”

“You sang to her? She loves that. She always prefers it when you get to her before I do so she can hear her song. And of course you nearly always have got to her before me, I suppose that’s a benefit of vampire super-hearing.” She hugged Spike gratefully.

“Go back to bed luv, Dawnie should be fine now, you need your rest too.” Spike kissed her on her forehead, and with an arm draped around her shoulders gently steered her back towards her room.

When the door had closed behind her Spike turned to Angel and said, “It’s a crying shame she’s gay, that young woman should have a dozen children, she’d make a wonderful mother. Although I suppose with modern science being what it is, it’s not impossible.”

As they made their way back downstairs Angel paused and looked back at Spike. “You really do care for them don’t you? It isn’t just Buffy, it’s all of them.”

As they continued downstairs Spike said, “You know how Drusilla always insisted that the four of us were a family? Darla and you, Dru and me? Well these people have come to feel like family to me. It started with Buffy of course, and then Joyce, her mum. She was always nice to me, bringing out the hot chocolate with little marshmallows for me… she only bought them because she knew I liked them, you know? She never treated me with anything but respect, as if I wasn’t a monster. She wasn’t the slightest bit scared of me, she was a real lady. I miss her. Then there was Dawn. I know she wasn’t really there most of the time, she’s so new, but the memories the monks gave me of her are of a cheerful little sister always nosying into Buffy’s Slayer business, and standing there completely unafraid, quizzing me on vampire lore. Then last year, she was so very courageous, and was quite willing to jump into that portal when she knew what it was doing to the world. Just as good and noble as her sister. Then Willow and Tara, and Harris and Anya sort of got caught up in there too… with Giles as the father figure… one big dysfunctional family, with me sitting out on the edge.”

The two vampires went around checking that all the doors were locked, making the hotel secure, prepared themselves mugs of blood, and then Angel allowed Spike to borrow a book from his collection. They settled down in companionable silence to wait for the morning.
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No such thing as coincidences