Human Delusions

Chapter 1
New Council of Watchers
London, England

A small, pale girl with short mouse-brown hair trembled internally while sitting in the high backed chair and cast furtive looks around the room. She could see curious girls from the landing of the second story looking down on her and whispering but she ignored that. She could even ignore the searching, calculating looks of the people that called themselves watchers around her. She didn’t really care. So she was a slayer, whatever that meant. At the moment only one thought was paramount on her mind.

Two weeks ago she’d been in Los Angeles, just going about her business, returning home after a long day of moving boxes and crates at her job when all hell had broken loose. Literally. Some kind of opening in the sky and hundreds of demons had poured down onto the streets of LA. People around her had turned to run screaming from these things but not she. Instinct alone had called her to fight them. She grabbed the sword off the nearest dead thing and had started slashing to save herself.

But she’d been without any kind of training her whole life and she’d been easily overpowered. Then bam, the demons suddenly go flying off of her and skidding down the street. With large eyes she’d looked to the left to see the most gorgeous being she’d ever seen walking with deadly determination down the alleyway and toward the portal thing.

He glowed as if he were empowered from within, his hair as white as could be and it was his eyes that ensnared her and frightened her. He was in full vamp mode, fangs and bumpies but his eyes promised death and destruction. She’d fled, tail tucked firmly between her legs and had gotten the hell out of there.

A hand waved a cup in front of her and quietly she accepted it, frowning down at the contents and pushing thoughts of LA firmly from her mind, “It’s just cocoa. My mom and best friend made it all the time for me when I was younger.”

Glancing up at the beautiful girl with long, dark blond hair, “Your mom‘s your best friend?”

The girl smiled sadly, sitting down and ignoring the watcher people shuffling and murmuring in the background, “Kinda, but its not what I meant. My mom made cocoa for me before she died. And my best friend learned it from her and kept up the tradition when he was taking care of me.”

She took a sip, smiling just a little, “It’s really good.”

The girl nodded a little, “Thanks.” Her lower lip trembled just a little, “It’s the only thing I have of him, really. Just a dumb recipe after everything-...” She shook her head a little, her emotions contained, “Anyway-...”

Getting the feeling that this best friend was no longer living, “I’m sorry he died, or whatever happened. I’m Linda.”

Nodding, seemingly collecting her composure, “Dawn. And thanks. It’s been a year but...I still really miss him-...”

“I don’t care, Giles! You had no right to keep this shit quiet! You know bloody well if those fuckers had gotten out all hell would have broken loose. Literally!”

Dawn rolled her eyes at Linda, both of them warily watching the double doors to the library as the discussion quieted a little, “And cue my sister who’s landed in potty mouth world.”

Linda smiled a little crookedly, “New?”

Shaking her head a bit, “Not so much. She’s always had a temper...it got worse after he died.”

“Your best friend?” Dawn nodded mutely, studying her fingers as a stroller was quietly pushed in from a side door. Linda’s eyes lit up to spot the quiet pair of twins resting, “Oh, they’re so cute! They look just like you.”

“Yeah....I’ve been told that...”

The girl pushing them glanced down at Dawn, “Should I go-?”

Dawn shook her head, reaching for the small boy, “Nope. I got ‘em.” She picked the little one up and cradled him, big blue eyes blinking open to stare at her, “Hey there, little one. You ready to go on a big plane ride?”

He giggled at her, showing a dimple and Dawn sighed softly with a forlorn look, stroking a finger over his soft cheek, “Hey, Dawnster?”

Dawn glanced to her left at the hesitant brunette and she gave him a small smile, “Hi, Xander.”

The brunette looked relieved and shoved his hands in his pockets for half a minute before thrusting a picture at her with a sigh, “This is from me and Willow. It’s...you know...” After Sunnydale the Summers had pretty much gone their separate ways from the rest of the Scoobies. They barely kept in touch with one another. He sighed softly, “Even if Buffy never talks to us again, we want you to know we’re not going to forget. Not what he did or anything. We each have a copy, so we’ll remember the real hero even if everyone else forgets...”

She calmly put the baby back in his stroller, flipping the picture over and eyes widening in shock before shooting a look at him, “S-Spike?”

He scratched the back of his head with a shrug, “I don’t know how she did it. I’m not sure I want to know. But it does really look like him, doesn’t it?”

Lower lip trembling, finger carefully touching the picture. If it wasn’t him it was a very skillful replica, the vampire staring into the lense with piercing blue eyes, hands shoved in his trademark black leather duster, “It really does.” Her features smoothed over, “We can’t show this to Buffy.”

He shrugged a bit, “Why not? Maybe it will cheer her up.”

She reached for her bag and slid the picture inside, “Xander, we don’t talk about Spike for a reason. Her seeing his picture would just send her jumping over the edge. You have no idea how close she was to dying that night.”

Xander rubbed his face, flashes of that awful night filling his mind. That Sunday was scorched in his memory for the rest of his life, not two weeks after Sunnydale disappeared forever, “Okay.”

Linda had been silently watching the byplay between these two, “Your best friend was your sister’s
boyfriend?”

Xander flinched and Dawn shook her head grimly, giving the brunette a warning look. Her expression softened when she realized it wasn’t a flinch of disgust, “No. For lack of a better word he was her mate. He was everything. There wasn’t any mysterious ceremony or anything but when Spike died...a part of her died with him. And after she...well, she tried to get herself killed until she realized..look-...”

The doors slammed open, a brassed off slayer storming out and Xander was quick to duck into the shadows. Buffy would not want to see him talking to her sister, “Dawn we are so leaving.”

Dawn nodded mutely, rising to her feet and squeezing Linda’s shoulder, “Take care. I’m sure you’ll make a great slayer.” She gave Xander a silent look of gratitude but stayed quiet about his presence. Buffy huffed to herself, not paying attention to anyone as she smoothed down blankets and adjusted the sun guards on the strollers, smiling a little when the babies cooed at her in delight.

She stood up, Dawn standing behind her and she sent her sister a quiet smile, moving behind the strollers to push them out. Giles silently stood a few feet back, unmoving and watching his slayer leave. He took off his glasses to clean them, the years of regret and disappointment etched into his face before gesturing to the waiting girl, “Come in please, Miss McClean. We shall discuss your new schedule.” Linda glanced to where Dawn and her sister had left before squaring her shoulders and walking into the library.

***

Wakeeny, Kansas

The music pulsed through the small club, the inhabitants writhing on the dance floor to the beat but the man at the bar ignored them all in favor of his drink. He’d stopped at the nearest bar, just to top off his tank. No sense in getting drunk when sunrise would be in a few hours. The women here were attractive but all too human and he was done with humans, “Buy me a drink, stranger.”

Blue eyes flickered from the drink in his hands to a set of confident golden eyes, “Why?”

He was clearly mystified and she just smirked at him with a shrug and sat down on the bar stool next to him. She couldn’t have been more than twenty-five, with thick waves of wild caramel colored hair framing her face and hanging off her athletic build. Gorgeous creature, “Because it’s no fun to drink alone.”

Muttering to himself even as he signaled for another and pointing to her, “Do it all the time.”

A shot of jack daniels clunked on the bar and with a graceful shrug she tossed it back easily, “A fine specimen of vamp like you? I’m shocked.”

He gave her a double take and carefully leaned back, hand slipping into his pocket even as he tested the air either for vampire or something else. Nope, she wasn’t a vamp from that strong heartbeat, “You a slayer or something?”

She tossed her head back and laughed, eyes sparkling of mirth and secrecy, “No silly creature, I’m something else.” She turned on the stool to regard him easily, drinking in his body before grinning. She greatly approved and a bit of hope crept into her voice, “You’re a master vamp, aren’t you?”

He regarded her uneasily. It’s not that he couldn’t appreciate a beautiful woman like her finding him attractive. After the last few years he’d been having he’d soak it up. But the confidence of her gaze and the ease of her demeanor said quite clearly that she was older and more powerful than she looked. Frowning, “Killed a couple of slayers if that’s what you mean.”

He knew she wasn’t with the Council the second she shrugged, “Someone had to. But you were sired to be a childe is what I’m referring. And you’re more than fifty, out on your own...”

Narrowing his eyes and sighing through his nose and tensing, “Yeah, I’m my own vamp.”

She nudged his shoulder lightly with her finger, playful, “Relax, vampire, I’m not trying to see if I can rob you or something. But I haven’t met many vamps around here that weren’t still wet behind the ears and I wouldn’t waste my time with someone less than twenty.”

He tilted his head and studied her, perplexed, “You’re bloody serious? You a thrill seeker or something? Want me to turn you?”

Snorting, signaling for another shot, “Please...you can’t turn a wolf.” And her eyes flashed bright gold in that instant, a predatory look taking over before it faded.

Taking a sip of his shot and letting his hand slip out of his pocket empty, “Werewolf, huh?” He glanced around the bar but couldn’t sense any others, “So what about you, then? Out on your own?”

She smirked and shook her head playfully, “Nah, my pack is around town.”

Pursing his lips, finishing off the shot and signaling another, “Why hunt for vamps then? Why not settle yourself down with a wolf and raise a cub or something?” He knew a bit about werewolves, especially the ones with a pack of their own. Big into the families, their entire point to living from what he’d heard. Sex and the full moon cycle went hand in hand but they would only ever have one partner for bearing and raising cubs.

Shrugging, sipping her second helping this time, “A personal preference. Wolves don’t do it for me. Humans are alright but I’d be too afraid of turning them. Besides, who says I’m looking for a mate?”

A ghost of a smile flittered across his face, “Cause you’re a wolf. You mate for life from what I hear and it is your life’s pursuit.”

Raising an eyebrow, crossing her legs, “And you don’t.”

Shrugging, “Not a trait we’re known for.”

Her eyes searched his, disappointment in their depths, “Are you known for it?”

Pursing his lips before sighing softly in depreciation. Yeah, he was known for it. He was a soft touch with too big a heart and too small of a brain, “Unfortunately.” Her eyes lit up with renewed interest. Curious was all he could think. She had said she wasn’t looking for a mate, then why had she been almost disappointed at the thought that he wouldn’t be her only, assuming he was even interested. Which he was but not necessarily for a mate. It occurred to him she was testing him out, “You live here or something?”

She waved her hand in a scoffing motion, “Here? Please. This town’s merely a stopping point.”

Shrugging, “Then why hunt for a mate here?”

Smirking, “Cause people who come here are going somewhere, usually with nowhere in mind. And I happen to be in town for a few days so I thought why not? My pack rests up, then we continue on our merry way, with or without new company.”

Signaling for another, “And a vamp can just join your pack. Just like that?”

“Why not? We’re not prejudiced like that. As long as you don’t feed to kill us or others the more the merrier. Besides, the larger the pack, the more we’re protected from poachers and those slayer bitches. We’ve had more than a bit of a problem with them lately. I’ve had to kill three in the last year just to keep us safe.”

Spike choked on his drink, sputtering, “Three??” He was known as the Slayer of Slayers for just killing two and this wolf had already killed three. The last thing he wanted was getting tangled up in a war with the slayers. As far as everyone knew, he was dead. He wanted it kept that way.

She gave him a perplexed look, “Sure. Those girls are everywhere now and the watchers don’t tolerate us. And they won’t listen to us or reason, perfect little fighting automatons. It’s them or us.”

Slapping down a twenty, climbing to his feet and making quick strides for the exit, “Well, a pleasure. See you around, wolf.”

“It’s Kat, actually.”

He paused for a moment before turning back around, seeing her leaning almost dejectedly against the bar and toying with the glass. A shiver raced up his spine, seeing himself in her back in Sunnydale after Buffy would turn him down flat. A niggle of something toyed at the back of his mind. He’d never been much of a prophecy kind of guy. Or fate either. But he was getting that feeling that this wolf was supposed to be in his life. Plus there was the fact that whether or not he feared being discovered or a war with the watchers or a certain slayer finding him, it was the fact that William the Bloody ran from nothing. And perhaps he wasn’t Spike anymore. But deep down he would always be William, “Kat, is it?” She looked up almost hopeful and he felt himself give her a small smile, “What say we go out wandering for a bit?”

She smiled back and slipped off the stool, leaning against him just a bit as they walked out, “What’s your name, vamp?”

He started to say, then changed his mind and said firmly, “William.”