By Heather Martin

*You can lie to others. You can lie to yourself. But you can’t lie to your dreams .*

Spoilers- Grave

Disclaimer- Joss owns all the characters from Buffy TVS. The soul mate principle idea was taken from L.J. Smith’s book series called Night World.

Distribution- Sure, just ask

Summary- Anyone know what dissociative fugue amnesia is? Well, Spike develops such a case after his sudden shiny soul, along with the unexpected return of humanity. He just can’t cope, so he pretends to be somebody he‘s not. As for Buffy, she lies to herself that Spike’s absence hasn’t effected her. But at night, she cannot keep him out of her dreams. What will happen to these two lost souls? Will they ever find their way? And will it be together?

This occurs after Grave. The time between episodes are unclear. Pretend that everything after ‘As You Were ‘only spanned a couple weeks. If you think about it, that makes sense. Seeing Red, Villians, 2 to Go, and Grave all happened in a couple days.

Chapter 26

The contractions were one upon the next now. Buffy could hardly think. She squatted in a corner. Medora was watching the whole thing, but the slayer had no time to care. She was too busy dealing with the pain.

“I think it is just about time to push,” the witch declared.

“Bite me!” Buffy growled.

“Hmmm.”

Things were a blur then. A sudden rush came over Buffy. She began to push. She tried to do the Lamaze breathing she learned, but she soon gave up. She let instinct take over. She could sense the baby coming. It wouldn’t be long now.

And then Spike was there. And things cleared for a moment.

“Buffy? Pet?”

“Sp-Spike?”

“It’s me, luv. Cleo helped me get here. She used the soulmate link.”

He brushed her sweaty hair off her face. Their eyes met then and Buffy drowned. She was drowning in Spike.

“The soulmate link shouldn’t be able to surpass your own dimension!” Medora stated. “I couldn’t feel my Wyatt after he left me!”

Spike snapped his head to the side. “Well, ours is stronger!”

Buffy grunted as she pushed some more.

“Ahhh!”

Spike took her hand. “Buffy? You can’t be having the baby now. It isn’t time. You have another week to go.”

“She. . . Used . . . M-magic,” Buffy managed to get out.

Spike stood up. He faced Medora and growled. “If you’ve harmed my daughter in any. . . “

“Relax, mortal,” Medora said. She sounded as if she thought she were a god. “I would not harm your child. I want your child. She will be a tool. A tool for darkness.”

“Over my dead body!”

Medora grinned. “That would be fun. But I know something even more fun. I think I’ll use you as well. Wouldn’t you like to play daddy for your own baby.”

Blackness swirled around Spike and Buffy. It wanted to engulf them.

“We can be together, you and I. Mated. Not soulmates, mind you, but mated just the same. We can raise your little girl together. Aren’t there times when you wish you could go back to the night? Wasn’t it more fun being a vampire?”

Spike could feel the power tugging at him. He suddenly knew what was going on. The magic wanted to tear at him. Tear him away from Buffy. It was hate.

Flashes of himself draining Buffy dry filled his head. He saw himself tasting the blood of the slayer. Bagging his third conquest. Fantasies, he realized. Fantasies when he was a vampire without a soul. Without a chip.

Spike heard Buffy yell. It snapped him out of the visions. He knelt by her side and took her hand. He squeezed hard.

The power fought against their grasp. It was hard to hang on.

“Hang on, baby,” Spike told Buffy. “Just hang on.”

Buffy met his gaze. “I’ll never let go.” She smiled a little. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He bent down and kissed Buffy on the lips.

Everything ended at that moment. And everything began.

Buffy let out one tremendous howl as she pushed. A tiny body slithered out of her, making its way into the world. Their world. Not Medora’s.

Somehow they had ended up home.

Things happened fast. Spike cut the umbilical chord. A baby’s cry surrounded them. Spike passed Buffy a squirming, sweet little girl. Mother and daughter stared into each other’s eyes. Green hit blue.

And Buffy knew. She could see it in her daughter’s face.

“Hello, Elena,” Buffy whispered.

********************************

A little while later, the new family met up with their friends. Buffy and baby Elena went to the hospital. Both were in excellent condition.

A full day later Giles arrived.

“Giles!” Buffy exclaimed.

She gave her watcher a big hug. They clung to each other longer than necessary.

“This is such a surprise! Did you come to see Eleana?”

“That, yes. Yes, of course. But also because of this.” He held up a dusty, old book.

“What’s that?”

“Answers. I discovered the prophecy you told me about. The one Wesley found. This one is more descriptive, however. It tells about the Child of Light’s parents.”

Buffy smiled. “I’m in there?”

“Yes. Spike as well. It talks about Angel and Darla too. Someday Angel will become human? Did you know that Buffy?”

She shook her head. Joy spread over her. “No, I didn’t.”

The middle-aged man opened the book. He scanned the words. “It talks about your conquest over Medora. About how the pair will give birth to love, and triumph over hate. It says that you were able to defeat the magic because love is far greater than hate.”

“She was wrong,” Buffy said with a laugh.

Giles lifed his head. “Wrong?”

Buffy fell into a laughing fit. “Medora seemed to be wrong about everything. She thought Spike and I were the Children of Light. She thought soulmate links couldn’t reach different dimensions. And, she thought hate and love were on the same par with each other. She was just wrong about almost everything.”

Giles closed his book. He met her eyes with warmth.

She smiled. “Want to see your granddaughter?”

That left Giles speechless. He followed the mother in silence.

She led him into the living room. Spike sat on the couch, holding Elena. The baby was bundled in a cozy pink blanket. She was sleeping peacefully.

Spike shifted his attention over to Buffy and Giles.

“Rupert? Are you wanting to hold her?”

Giles received the baby and looked down at her with awe. “Dear lord.” He had never seen anything so beautiful.

“She’s remarkable,” Giles announced.

The baby awoke. She gaped up at Giles with clear blue orbs. And he was bathed in love. He knew then what this creature was. What Buffy and Spike had created.

Pure love.

___________________________________________

The End.

Yep, Yay! I finished it!