Chapter 2

Connor’s POV

Connor approached where Andrew, Xander, and Willow were speaking with his father where he overheard Angel alluding to the fact that Buffy would pick Angel because he was human.

Wow! What an ego!

“Poor deluded Daddy," Connor scoffed in a singsong voice. "You really are stupid, Father."

"Connor? What are you doing here?"

Angel seemed surprised to see his son at the funeral. Not that Connor cared anymore. It had been too many years since Angel had cared about anything except getting into Buffy’s pants again. Connor wasn’t even sure his father had loved the lead Slayer in the first place.

“I've been a Council consultant for years, Father. You'd know that if you hadn't cut yourself off from me." Connor nodded his greeting to Andrew, Willow, and Xander. He liked his colleagues. "Andrew recruited me just after your big fight with Wolfram and Hart."

"Best consultant we have," Andrew said with pride.

Connor nodded in agreement. “Damned straight.” He turned his head towards where Buffy was standing next to the minister and Alexis. “I need to go give my condolences.”

Without waiting for a response, Connor crossed the room. Andrew, Willow, and Xander understood the animosity he still held for his father’s high handed ways. It was true that Angel wasn’t the killer that he’d been when Holtz was around, but there were other flaws that ran too deeply to be ignored.

“Buffy, this is a terrible loss for the Council,” Connor said, taking his sister-in-law’s hand. “Rupert will be missed a lot.”

“Thank-you, Connor,” Buffy replied while Connor leaned in to kiss her cheek. “What was Angel talking about over there? Willow and Xander don’t look at all happy.”

“No, they don’t.” Connor hid a grimace. “He’s badmouthing Spike, like usual.”

Buffy glanced past Connor. “Dawn’s here.”

“Let me go greet my wife.” Connor left Buffy to her business with the minister and Alexis. He crossed the room to greet Dawn.

Connor put his arm around Dawn’s waist before he dropped a kiss on her lips. Then, he whispered in her ear. “I think he did something to cause Spike to think he didn’t have a chance with you.”

Post NFA, Just after Connor joined the Council.

Connor sat across the table from Angel in a dingy Los Angeles diner. He waited for Angel to speak, but he knew whatever his father wanted, he was against. Angel’s obsession with Buffy Summers had reached new heights.

“Son, I want you to join the Council as my spy,” Angel said.

“Nope, don’t think so, Pops.” Connor shook his head. He knew that Angel hated to be called Pops.

Angel growled, but it was a weak human growl rather than a frightening growl of a master vampire. “You will do as I say! I’m your father, and don’t call me Pops.”

“Yes, you are. I’ll give you that, but you’re gone off the rails, Pops.”

“They know where Buffy is, and they won’t tell me!” Angel pounded the table, making the dishes rattle. “I didn’t do all that I’ve done to be thwarted.”

That didn’t sound at all good to Connor. “What exactly did you do, Pops?”

Angel leaned forward, and he hissed, “What I had to do! Spike didn’t do anything to deserve Buffy! Not like I have!”

After a futile conversation with Angel, Connor returned to his new job at the Council where he warned Buffy about Angel’s ongoing obsession with her whereabouts. He knew for a fact that this prompted the Slayer to move again. This time, she sent her sister back to headquarters where Connor met the young woman.

The rest, as they say, was history. They were married within six months of their first date, on a little beach on a tropical island with Buffy as their only witness.

“You mean beside the whole turning human thing?” Dawn asked.

Connor nodded. “Yeah, more than that. I’m thinking some kind of magic spell. It’s what he alluded to back when he asked me to be his spy.”

“That would explain a lot,” Willow interjected into the conversation as Andrew, Xander, and she came up to the group.

It was clear that they had also abandoned Angel. The ex-vampire was clearly distracted by something. After Angel sat down in a chair, Xander’s daughter sat down beside him.

Xander started towards them, clearly wanting to make sure that his daughter wasn’t tainted by Angel.

“Don’t.” Connor grabbed Xander’s arm. “Issy is channeling Drusilla.”

Xander shuddered. “I hate when she does that. Why does Drusilla have to talk to my daughter?”

“Maybe she remembers how she felt about you after you did that spell where all the ladies chased you,” Buffy teased. She gave Xander a sad smile as they remembered Giles’ reaction how Jenny Calendar reacted to Xander.

“Yeah, good times.”

“You’ll have to tell me later,” Connor replied. He hadn’t heard about that little adventure.

At that point, Buffy paused by the group to greet her sister before the preacher waved her away. After she left the group, Connor turned to Willow. “Angel did something. I don’t know what it was, but my gut says that he is behind why Spike hasn’t tried to contact Buffy.”

Andrew grinned. “Don’t worry about it, guys. I’ve got it covered.”

“You found Spike?” Willow exclaimed, her voice filled with surprise.

“Yep. After the funeral, I’ve arranged for Buffy to take a mini vacation.” Andrew’s grin turned to a smirk. “My boyfriend has arranged for Spike to take a vacation to the same place.”

“Boyfriend? I didn’t know you had a boyfriend?” Dawn said. “When did this happen?”

“I met him while searching for Spike. He’s a half demon named Groo.”

Willow gave Andrew a considering look. “Didn’t he used to date Cordelia?”

Before Andrew could elaborate, the minister announced that the funeral was about to start. Everyone took their seat. Issy flounced away from Angel, and she joined her father.

“Angel’s being a bad boy, Daddy. He needs a spanking.” Issy turned to look towards the former vampire. “I guess it’ll be up to the Powers That Be. The Inevitable is here for him.”

Xander looked clueless. “The Inevitable? What’s that?”

“What comes for all of us,” Issy replied, turning to her father. “Except, Aunt Buffy. She’s been there, done that.”

The little girl started to hum the old Kansas song, ‘Dust in the Wind’.

In light of Issy’s odd words, Connor kept his eye on Angel who appeared to be talking to himself. He didn’t know what his father was planning, but it couldn’t be anything good. Angel had been a pain in the ass for the past two decades; not only for Buffy but for the council too.

Polly Farina, the Slayer assigned to Las Vegas for the last seven years, turned to speak to Angel. She looked like she was about to smack Angel a good one, but the former vampire never noticed while he continued to talk to thin air.

The minister and Buffy finished their eulogies for Giles. Connor noticed that Angel turned around in surprise before he slumped over the chair in front of him. Connor was confused for a moment before he jumped to his feet to rush over to Angel.

Connor checked Angel’s pulse. It was non-existent. Then, he laid his father down on the floor while he yelled, “Someone call an ambulance.”

Connor started to do CPR on Angel. Someone joined him on their knees. Connor vaguely realized it was Andrew. It seemed like it took forever for the paramedics to arrive. Connor watched in a daze as Angel was loaded into the back of the ambulance.

Buffy stood next to Connor, watching the ambulance leave. “It’s weird,” she said in a soft voice. “Angel’s dead, and I don’t feel a damned thing. Anything I felt for him, he killed with his over zealous pursuit of me.”

“Me too.” Connor nodded. “Me too.”

“Andrew mentioned a sunny filled vacation he has planned for me. I think I’ll be taking it. I need to adjust to life without Giles,” Buffy replied. “You and Dawn hold down the fort for a few weeks?”

“No problem, Buffy.”

“Thanks.” Buffy turned away.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Spike’s POV

Spike looked out at the bright sunshine. Why on earth had Groo sent him to Hawaii? The half demon knew that as a vampire, Spike had a teeny-tiny sun allergy.

Idiot.

True, Groo had booked several night time activities. Was Spike really expected to enjoy a meteor shower and catamaran ride, or a tour of the tide pools after dark? What about a romantic moonlit horseback ride? Not only had it been decades since Spike had ridden a horse, he didn’t have a romantic partner.

A luau? Really, Groo?

Last but not least, a massage and mud bath.

“Groo is off his bleedin’ rocker,” Spike grumbled. He strolled over to the bed, and he flopped down on it.

Time to wait for the sun to go down, he thought as he dozed off.

When Spike woke, he showered and drank some of the provided blood. As he left his room, a very familiar, very powerful feeling made him shiver.

Somewhere in the hotel was a very powerful Slayer.

Why a Slayer was at the all demon hotel, Spike had no idea.

“Just bloody great,” Spike muttered. Then, he shrugged. It shouldn’t be too hard to avoid a Slayer. After all, he’d been avoiding the best Slayer of all time for the past two and a half decades.

As he walked towards the elevator, Spike looked over the timetable of events that Andrew and Groo had scheduled for him. Why on earth did they think he wanted to for a moonlit horse ride or to check out tide pools?

Spike strolled into the lobby where the desk clerk spied him.

“Mr. Jamison,” the clerk called out. “Your ride is ready at the front of the hotel to take you to the catamaran dock. “

On the ride to the dock, Spike considered ditching the itinerary laid out by the travel agency. However, he’d never hear the end of it from Groo. Spike resigned himself to just going with the flow for the vacation. Maybe when it was over he’d do something really stupid like contacting Buffy to let her finally stake him.

He was just so tired.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Once Spike was out on the water, under the stars, he marginally relaxed. He doubted that even if the Slayer he’d felt was on the same outing as him that she wouldn’t be able to feel him due to the other demons. The demon that paddled the catamaran was a very human looking Uixa demon. Spike leaned back to watch the meteor shower.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful,” a female voice drifted over the water. “I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve forgotten how beautiful the night sky can be.”

Spike jolted and sat up. “Buffy,” he whispered.

“Spike?!”

There was a splash.

Then, a sleek, wet head appeared in the water next to his boat.

“It is you! Where have you been hiding all these years?”

It was a good thing Spike had such excellent eyesight or he would have missed the disgruntled look on his Slayer’s face. He was unsure what to say that wouldn’t get him in trouble.

“I know what Angel did.” Buffy offered. “I know about the spell he used against you.”

“Spell?”

“To keep us apart. It should be broken now that he’s dead.” Buffy kept a firm grip on the edge of the catamaran.

Spike’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Angelus is dead? How’d that happen?”

“He had a heart attack at Giles’ funeral.”

“Hey, Millie, the meteor show is a bit of a bust,” the demon paddling Spike’s boat called out over the water. “I’m taking them back to shore.”

“No problem, Billie,” Millie called back. “There’s only about twenty more minutes before the shower is over anyway.”

Billie turned back to speak to Spike. “Pull her up into the catamaran.”

Spike reached out to Buffy, and she grabbed his hand. It only took a few seconds for him to have the Slayer in the boat and positioned in front of him. His heart lurched when she leaned back against him.

The ride back to shore was surprisingly quiet. Neither Spike nor Buffy wanted to air their business in public since demons tended to be the worst gossips ever. Once they arrived back at Spike’s room at the hotel, it was a different story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike turned around to look at Buffy, who stood just inside the hotel room. Before he could tell her how good she looked, she started to speak.

“It wasn’t me with the Immortal that time in Rome,” Buffy blurted out. “It was a decoy.”

“After all this time, that’s what is on your mind, Slayer?”

Buffy shrugged. “Angel harped on it a lot, even after everyone explained to him that it wasn’t me. I never could figure out why. It was like he was stuck in one gear or something.”

“His one gear was getting you.” Spike plopped down in an armchair, and he gestured at the one across from it for Buffy to sit in. Now that they were alone together, he didn’t know what to do with himself. Oh well, there was things that needed to be hammered out between the two of them.

“Yeah, I know.” Buffy sat down in the indicated chair with her hands in her lap. “So, where do we go from here?”

“How about we go on an old fashioned date?” Spike replied. “Next up on my itinerary is a moonlit horseback ride.”

Buffy looked surprised. “What? Me too. How weird is that? After that, I’m scheduled for a massage and mud bath.”

“Yeah,” Spike grimaced. “Then the tide pools at night and a luau.”

“Huh, I wonder … Andrew made this whole trip possible for me along with his new boyfriend.”

“Groo and his new boyfriend scheduled mine,” Spike said.

They looked at each other in surprise, before they both burst out laughing. “Groo and Andrew are dating,” they said as one.

“Good for Andrew,” Buffy replied, leaning back. “He needs someone to take care of.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The moonlit horse ride was romantic. Spike and Buffy held hands, not wanting to rush their found again relationship.

The massage and mud bath was therapeutic. To the dismay of the masseuse Spike and Buffy got in a mud fight while giggling like children. It was the most fun they’d had together outside of patrolling.

The tide pools after dark with their glowing sea creatures was iridescent. Spike stared at Buffy in rapt attention while she oohed and ahhed over the water animals.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Spike and Buffy watched the hula dancers perform for the luau attendees. When the music quieted and the dancers exited the stage, Buffy turned to Spike. Before she could talk, Spike spoke.

“I’ve had a great time this week, Slayer,” Spike replied. “You’re going to be living in London when you take over the Council, and I …” He trailed off when Buffy covered his mouth with her fingers.

“I’m not taking over the Council. Dawn is. I’m living whereever you are.” Buffy smiled. “Can we just be kissing now?”

Spike’s return smile was as bright as the sunrise. He leaned in, and their lips met for the first time in over two and half decades. It was perfect.

The End