And Make a Lost World Thy Home: Chapter Thirteen

[jesterladyfic]

Chapter Thirteen

Everything was a bit of a blur after Spike destroyed the amulet. They exited through the eerily empty Wolfram and Hart building.

“Guess they told everyone to take a sick day,” said Logan.

Veronica put her hand in his and inspected the cut on his neck.

“That doesn’t look too bad,” she said.

“I’m a heavy bleeder,” he said. “You know that.”

“I do,” she said wryly.

They had to support Mac, Wesley, and Tara, who were barely able to walk. Tara still hadn’t said anything and Veronica suspected that even though the main energy boost had come from Mac’s harnessing of online magic, Tara had borne the brunt of the work of the actual spellcasting and spell-sustaining. The three of them amazed her.

Once outside of Wolfram and Hart, Cordelia put two fingers in her mouth and whistled.

A cab pulled up to the curb and Cordelia unceremoniously pushed Tara, Wesley, Mac, and Spike inside, giving the driver the Hyperion address.

“What?” she said, after everyone looked at her. “The vampires won’t still be at the hotel after what just happened and I’ll charge it as an evil-fighting expense.”

“You are an interesting woman,” said Buffy finally, turning to walk.

“I grow on people,” said Cordelia, linking her arm in Angel’s and following.

Veronica couldn’t help but agree. She walked fast to catch up with them.

“That was some light show in there,” she said. “Actually, back at the hotel was better.”

“I used up most of my flash there,” said Cordelia, shrugging. “But it’s not like I could cure the Senior Partners of evil anyway. They’re happier evil, anyway, I think.”

“We probably owe you our lives,” said Logan. “I mean, once they took Spike, if you hadn’t driven the darkness back…”

“We’d all be vampire munchies, yadda yadda,” said Cordelia. “It’s my gift and I use it.” She nudged Veronica with her elbow. “Somebody else has been using her gifts.”

Veronica smiled, feeling a strange kinship with the woman beside her.

“It is a gift,” she said, feeling it fully. “I can’t predict the lottery or the weather, but I can…know things. Definitely something a PI would find valuable.”

“All it took was a little apocalypse,” said Cordelia. She delinked her arm from Angel’s and slowed down a bit, shoving Logan a bit ahead of them, quelling their confusion with a look. “Something tells me not our last, but I guess you can handle that, right?”

“I can handle a lot more than I thought I could,” said Veronica, arching an eyebrow.

“We all can,” said Cordelia. “Here’s a tip from me to you, beamed straight into my head from the Powers.”

“A vision?” Veronica queried.

“Yup.” Cordelia nodded. “I saw you working at your office, Logan picking you up after work.” She paused like there was more, but then didn’t continue.

“What do you think it means?” asked Veronica.

“That the future is up to you to create,” said Cordelia. “Duh.”

“Any other advice?” asked Veronica, rolling her eyes.

“You got this,” said Cordelia after a minute. “But I’m only a phone call away if something’s too big for your head.”

“I…appreciate that,” said Veronica, a strange new affection blooming inside of her. There was really nothing to connect them apart from a shared vision of the future, but somehow that was enough to make Cordelia reach out and Veronica was grateful. “I’ll put you on speed dial.”

“Life goal met,” said Cordelia sarcastically, but not meanly. Veronica could tell that knowing the difference between the two was probably an important part of being Cordelia's friend.

There wasn’t too much to do once they got back to the Hyperion, the vampires indeed having dispersed. Cordelia immediately set about transporting a very weak Wesley home and badgering Angel to get patched up.

Everyone who needed it received immediate medical care. Tara and Mac were suffering from sheer exhaustion. Out of all of them Spike had been wounded the most but after guzzling three bags of blood he appeared to be swiftly on the mend, if still tired and cranky. Logan was limping, Veronica had discovered a new strain on her wrist, and Buffy had multiple cuts and bruises, so they made the decision they should stay for another day or so before making the trip back to Neptune.

There were leftovers they ate in a post-apocalypse haze, but other than Mac and Tara who had both fallen asleep, everyone else appeared to be too wired up to sleep.

Angel had disappeared and Cordelia wasn’t back from taking care of Wesley, so Buffy, Logan, and Veronica went out into the garden.

Veronica sat down on the bench and leaned against Logan’s arm. She was very tired, but the idea of sleep didn’t really appeal. What she wanted was to be here, with these people, resting in the knowledge that they were safe.

***

Spike leaned up against the wall and watched Buffy, Veronica, and Logan. They were all clearly about to drop, but no one made any mention of going to bed. He smiled slightly, feeling a bit settled inside. He’d missed this, or at least some part of him had known he would miss it. It still felt like yesterday to him that they were all sitting around 1630 Revello Drive complaining about the sudden influx of teenage girls, but now here they all were, five years later, successful and happy people.

He was proud his sacrifice had made that happen, but he was even happier that he got to be here now with them. The lingering questions and lack of surety about who he was had severely lessened when he’d destroyed the amulet. It wasn’t that the amulet itself was holding any kind of power over him, but he felt closure now that he hadn’t felt before. He was ready to be a souled vampire, free to take on the world and to be in love, aware of the guilt of his past but not about to let it ruin his future.

The Powers had given him a gift, a chance to be resurrected with his friends and family instead of burning up again in a ritual that would have destroyed his original sacrifice. He’d take it, but he wasn’t about to open up any kind of detective agency or take up drawing. He wasn’t that kind of man, before or after the soul.

He sauntered toward Buffy and slung an arm around her shoulder.

“Witches are resting comfortably, moved them to their rooms.”

“That was very sweet,” said Veronica. “Especially since they nearly collapsed saving your ass.”

“Wouldn’t have needed to have my ass saved if someone hadn’t dreamt me back to life there, Private Eye,” he said.

She laughed and shook her head.

“Not even going to dignify that one.”

There was a vibrating sound and Buffy guiltily pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.

“It’s Dawn,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of sisterly explaining to do.”

“Hopefully she’ll go easy on you,” said Logan.

Buffy shot him a look and then walked away, sticking her phone to her ear.

“Hi, Dawn, sorry, listen…”

Spike watched her go fondly and then turned to the other two.

“When I talked to the Bit, she was good,” he said. “Everyone’s moved on to great bloody heights, it would seem.”

“Yeah,” said Veronica, “I don’t know about that. Life…moves on though. Sometimes it lets you stop and have something catch up,” she finished, gesturing toward him.

“Would be nice not to have to run,” said Spike. “It’s a lot to catch up to. The whelp and Demon Girl got a new rugrat, the Bit’s finishing up college, and the two of you are hitched.”

“Yeah,” said Logan. “We’re very responsible grownups.”

“Bully for you,” said Spike. “Now I just gotta figure out where to go from here.”

“Somehow I think it will involve a certain Slayer,” said Logan.

“Bloody right,” said Spike. “Cause she still loves me.” He said it proudly.

“She did all right for herself,” said Veronica. “She’s always strong, but you know…there’s just something about having the right fit.” She glanced at Logan. “That’s partly how I knew in the circle that Buffy could reach you. I remembered her bringing you back to yourself when you came out of the amulet, but I also knew if it were me in there with the amulet around my neck, Logan could pull me out just by being with me.”

“I’m blushing all over,” Logan said, dropping a kiss on her shoulder.

“Wish I could have been at your wedding,” said Spike suddenly. “Stupid for me to have worn a bloody tux for Xander, but not even get to see yours.”

“Well,” said Logan, pulling his phone out of his pocket and flipping through some of the pictures. “You can see some of it here.” Spike took the phone and couldn’t make heads or tails out of moving through the photos. Logan laughed and took the phone back. “How about we just show you the video when we go back home?”

“All right,” said Spike. “I’m glad you could suss life out together, is all.”

“So are we,” said Veronica. “We’ve got more sussing out to do, I’m sure.”

“Merry old life,” said Spike.

Buffy wandered back into their circle, shoving her phone in her pocket and scooting down next to Spike.

“Sorry about that. Dawn was very insistent on getting all battle details and telling me question by question her triumphs on her tests. It made me flashback to high school.”

“Parent night?” asked Spike.

She smiled at him and then frowned.

“You upset my mother.”

“Well, she hit me with an axe!” he said.

“Old patterns never die,” said Logan.

“Got that right,” said Spike grumpily. “Now we can do that till we’re blue in the face,” he said. “No more amulet, no more Spike hunting.”

“Unless they’re out for revenge,” said Veronica. “I mean, it’s not like we destroyed Wolfram and Hart. That was a retreat, not a rout.”

“Wolfram and Hart is my problem,” said Angel, melting out of the shadows. “They won’t be bothering you anymore.”

“What makes you so sure?” asked Buffy.

“I might have paid Lilah a little visit,” he said sheepishly. “Besides, it will take them a while to regroup and this particular bunch doesn’t stray too far from LA.”

“Keep all the bloody fun to yourself as per usual,” said Spike.

“Sure, I’ll engage the evil lawyers so you can go off and be happy in your life, William,” said Angel. “You’re welcome.”

“We’ll all just be a little more careful from now on,” said Veronica. “But their main objective was destroyed and I showed Cordelia how to keep tabs with the surveillance we put up. With that and her visions I’m sure you’ll be one step ahead of them.”

“We’ll keep you posted,” said Angel. He paused and then nodded at her. “It was a good plan.”

“Thank you,” said Veronica, rather graciously, Spike thought.

A slight snore interrupted then and Spike saw that Logan had fallen asleep. Not a bad idea - he could do with some kip himself.

“All votes for bed?” asked Buffy.

“Aye,” said Veronica, then shuddered. “Sorry, I don’t do pirate talk…ever.”

Spike chuckled and then they all headed up to bed. He wanted to talk to Buffy or snog her senseless, but he was wearing down pretty fast and he could tell she was exhausted. Luckily, they had the rest of their lives for such things and he gladly dropped into bed beside her, falling asleep almost immediately.

In the morning, there were the usual goodbyes to make.

Wesley came by with a newly arrived Fred and Gunn to tell them goodbye. Buffy hugged him warmly.

“Thank you for your help,” she said.

Wesley blushed and nodded stiffly. He was a bit more animated while saying goodbye to Mac and Tara and Spike decided he would have to tease them all about becoming a magic crime fighting team. Doing magic like that did tend to bond people, he gathered.

Cordelia hugged them all and said something in Veronica’s ear Spike didn’t catch but Veronica looked pleased.

Angel shook Veronica’s hand and mentioned something about working together again and Spike rolled his eyes.

“Just admit she’s a better detective than you, Gramps,” he said.

“Spike,” Angel said, looking him in the eye. Spike froze a little bit because there was so much behind that name, the memory and guilt of a lifetime. It all flashed between them, too much to even put into thought, but a little bit more of Spike as he was now seemed to fall into place and he doubted he’d be going insane again any time soon. Unless he had to stay around Angel for much longer. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

Spike grinned.

“Anywhere but here.”

He couldn’t help it; he pulled Buffy closer and walked out of the hotel. Buffy simply huffed a little and walked with him.

They walked to Logan’s car and Spike found himself wishing he could be the one driving them home. He hoped his DeSoto was okay. He was going to have to track it down now, having lent it to Clem in the evacuation of Sunnydale before the final battle.

“You ready to go home?” asked Buffy.

He nodded.

“Lead the way, love.”

***

It was a long drive home. Logan put on some mellow music and tried his best not to fall asleep, but at this point that was pretty much all he wanted to do. He wasn’t even the one who had done very much. His part in this apocalypse had been relegated to snarky comments and a little bit of fighting, which he was honestly just fine with. Veronica had been the lynch pin that held it all together, Spike had overcome a powerful artifact, and Buffy had killed so many things he couldn’t even keep track of them all.

So he drove them home and kept himself from yawning too much, just thankful it appeared to be over. Veronica was snuggled up against the window, snoozing, and he glanced over at her whenever he thought he could get away with it. She’d spent the first portion of the ride on the phone with her dad and doing simultaneous texting with Wallace, but she’d fallen asleep now and he couldn’t think of anyone who deserved rest more.

There was a moment when he pulled in the drive and then Mac pulled up behind him when they all got out and stared at each other for a while in the usual post-apocalypse stupor.

“I really have to get home,” Tara finally said. “I have people in my care.”

“Just make sure you take care of you,” said Logan seriously.

“I’m not really that self-sacrificing,” said Tara, giving him a quick hug. “I promise, I’m on my way home to bed.”

“I gotta run as well,” said Mac. “I take any more vacation and I won’t have a job.”

“You know perfectly well Mars Investigation is always open to helping poor wayward technopagans in need,” said Veronica.

“Yeah, well, not sure you can afford me,” said Mac, who spent so much time doing pro-bono work for Veronica, Logan was fairly sure they could never repay her as it was.

“Get home,” said Veronica.

Tara turned to Buffy and hugged her.

“You’re not leaving just yet?” she asked.

Buffy smiled without any anxiety or doubt as far as Logan could make out.

“Naw, Veronica and Logan aren’t kicking me out yet, and we have got some planning to do.” She squeezed Spike’s hand and he winked at her.

“Then I will make sure we have some real time together before you leave,” said Tara. She hugged Spike next and there were tears in her eyes. “I think it’s only just coming home to me that you’re really back,” she said.

“Never get rid of me, Glinda,” said Spike, hugging her tightly. “Back for good.”

“Then all is well,” said Tara. “I can’t wait to talk more.”

“Me too,” he said.

Once the girls had left, they toted in the luggage they hadn’t really used and the weapons they had and stood around in the hall for a moment.

“I literally have no idea what to do next,” said Buffy. “I am idea-less, bereft of the slightest bit of inspiration.”

“Join the club,” said Logan. “I am however going to take Veronica into our bedroom and the two of you can do whatever you like. Food’s in the kitchen, laundry’s down the hall, car’s in the driveway, bed’s in your bedroom. We’ll see you in a few days.”

“Not literally,” said Veronica, before Logan dragged her down the hallway and into their bedroom and closed and locked the door. She sat on the bed and primly crossed her legs. “Just what exactly do you think you’re doing, Echolls?”

“Whatever the hell we want,” he said. He walked over to her, bent down, and kissed her lips. “You and I are finally finally alone and free from the good fight.”

She leaned back and pulled him down with her and he spent a few moments kissing his wife before rolling to the side and tucking her against him, his chin against the top of her head.

“That does sound like a very good idea,” she said after a moment or two. “In fact, I have an idea or two of my own.”

“Are they actually ideas from my head that you plucked out?” he inquired without any real intensity.

“It doesn’t work like that, silly,” said Veronica, playing with his jacket lapel. “I can’t read your thoughts, but perhaps I might know your decisions.”

“What did I just decide to do?” he asked.

“Ask me that question,” she said, smirking at him.

He kissed her again and lost himself for a moment or two.

“Does it feel all right?” he asked. “You were pretty amazing out there, my little psychic.”

“I am quite frequently,” she said. “I’ve just added a new skill to my repertoire.”

“And a beautiful little repertoire it is,” he said.

“I think there’s still room for improvement,” she said. “I mean, from what Cordelia told me I’m pretty sure I’m on my own, the Powers aren’t manipulating anything in my head or sending me on missions or anything like that. It’s just that when I really need to now, I can figure things out or know when they happen. I’ll have to do some more research and experiment.”

“I see days as a guinea pig in my near future,” said Logan, teasingly. “Do you think it’s catching?”

She play-bit at his throat and he laughed.

“Does it bother you?” she asked. “I mean, I was the most aggressive investigator before this.”

“I trust you have the good sense not to root out things that aren’t there,” said Logan.

“That’s a dangerous play,” she said.

“I’m a gambler, always have been,” he said. “But if this keeps you safer, lets you dodge the danger you court, then I’m all for it.”

“I thought you’d get around to that angle, you big worrier,” said Veronica.

“Like a little old maid,” said Logan. “I’m proud of you and I’m with you all the way, Mars.”

“You’d better be, I have a binding marriage certificate that says so,” said Veronica.

Logan kissed her again and then let his mind wander. He was content, not even planning on bringing up the kids sales pitch. Veronica had told him what she wanted and he’d seen the evidence of her gift in LA. If he was going to be even slightly the husband he’d promised to be to her and the man he’d promised himself he’d be, then he could afford to wait.

Just having her, having Spike back in their lives, seeing Buffy so ecstatic, saving the world, knowing he had everything he needed, he could wait a bit for everything he wanted. Until then, there were the moments like this and he wouldn’t trade all the kids in the world for them.

***

Buffy stared after Logan and Veronica with a bemused look on her face. When she looked back at Spike he was smirking at her.

“What are you looking at?” she asked.

“The Slayer in all her glory,” he said.

She laughed and led the way down to what was their bedroom for the moment.

“I’m not the only Slayer anymore,” she said. She stopped and then frowned for a second. “You missed that, didn’t you?”

“Guess I did,” he said, looking slightly confused.

“No,” she said, “I mean, I am not the only Slayer anymore. For five years I haven’t had that burden. But you’ve been dead and you haven’t seen the world the way it is now. You died for that world and you don’t even know what you did for me.”

“Getting a bit lost here, love.”

Buffy couldn’t believe the ridiculous and inane epiphany she’d just had.

“Spike, I’m free,” she said. “The day I watched Sunnydale sink into the ground I was free and I could go anywhere and do anything. I was grieving and I spent a long time figuring out who I was and what I wanted, but I’ve been content. The only thing I was missing was someone to share it with.”

“That’s a cliché line,” he said.

“Isn’t it great?” said Buffy. “I get to be cliché. I don’t have to save the world, unless I want to. I can call in back up from forty different countries. I’m semi-retired. I have a trust fund courtesy of our current host. I…have been so focused since you got back on how I’d lost you that I forgot about what I gained when I did.”

“Right…”

“Not that losing you was good,” she hastened to say. “No, losing you was of the bad, the baddest, totally bad. But it showed me who I could be and I am that person and now…now I get to have that and you. Who’s getting it all made up to her? This gal in these boots, that’s who.”

Spike watched her with wariness and amusement in his eyes.

“Never seen you so free, love,” he said. “It’s a bit barmy really.”

“So what do you want?” she asked. “I mean, I get it, I know exactly what to do and who to do it with, but you’ve got a lot of catching up to do. What’s next?”

“I want what I’ve always wanted, Buffy,” he said. “I wanna be with you.”

“Done,” she said, catching a hold of his hand and yanking him toward her. “But what else?”

“Wanna see the Bit,” he admitted, running his hand over her arm.

“On the next plane,” she said. “What else?”

“Wouldn’t mind catching up with the rest of the gang,” he said somewhat reluctantly.

“Xander will be thrilled,” she said, stepping even closer. “And?”

“Dunno,” he said. “It’s been go and go since I got back, this ruddy soul mucking with my head. Still gonna take some time to suss everything out. You with me until I do?”

“Till my dying day,” she said. “Again.”

“You say that too often,” he said.

She shrugged.

“A girl dies a couple of times, she stops sweating it. How about you? You’re on death number two yourself.”

“Guess so,” he said, raising his hand to touch her hair almost unconsciously. “It’s a bit rough in here. Think I’m finally one man though; doubt I’ll go starkers and get sectioned any time soon.”

“Which man?” she asked.

“Which one do you want?” he asked, not in an insecure way, but curiously.

She smiled.

“Whichever man you are is the one I want,” she said. “I fell in love with the demon, but I’ve seen who the man can become and they’re really not that different.”

“Poor William,” said Spike, but he grinned and captured her lips. “So does this mean you want me to live with you in Cleveland of all hellholes?”

“Hmm,” she said. “Sure, but I’ve been thinking. I know an overzealous Slayer who’s ripe for command and I’m thinking it’s time you revisit the world with a brand new perspective.”

“It takes a lot of cattle boats and redeye flights when you go globetrotting with me, pet,” he warned, his smile showing how much he actually liked the idea.

“I’ll take you any way I can,” she said. “I’m never letting you go again.”

“Don’t want to be let go of,” he said, kissing her.

She had had a whole speech planned about how he could finally find himself while revisiting everything he’d seen before, meeting old friends, fighting the good fight, and learning about the soul, but she quickly discovered anew that with Spike, words were often unnecessary. They could say a thousand things to each other with just a look. So often they’d been on the wrong page, but before he’d died, and now that he’d come back, they were falling into the synchronicity that she’d longed for and loved and missed.

It was a little bit like coming home, finding her renewed purpose in equality and strength and respect and partnership. She’d survived without him, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t choose him every time if she could.

He kissed her until she wanted to tear his clothes off and saw no reason to not follow through on that desire. Feeling him so close again, that familiarity of his body and touch, perhaps tempered with a bit more gentleness and respect and consideration, she didn’t mind the difference; she was too lost in the miracle to notice anything but the benefits.

He gave her back his life, something he’d offered time and time again and she was completely confident in her choice to take it and keep it safe. The fears that had risen once she’d known Spike was coming back were laid to rest completely and she focused on showing him how much she loved him in all the ways she knew how.