He unlocked the door and as he crossed the threshold of the deserted room, his furniture re–appeared. No one came to his door day or night; everyone believed he´d left after his Slayers final funeral. He stood in the centre of the room and wept silently for his lost Slayer, his tears cleaning tracks in the dust caking his handsome features. A thought could make him weep, that´s why he avoided the daylight with its sunny haired tanned teenagers. They reminded him of one he would never see again.

Buffy…

"Hey Giles!" He looked up from his stock report and smiled at Buffy. Bethany, Dawn´s daughter held her hand on her maiden trip from her stroller. Giles immediately came round the counter and crouched down to the toddlers level. Buffy let go of her niece´s hand and watched bright eyed as she tottered toward Giles, who sneakily shuffled forward a little to help her. At last, his arms were full of drooling powdered baby enfolded in a tender embrace.

Buffy wiped a tear away and levelled a camera to her eye to take his picture. Giles glanced up a moment after the flash. "Really, Buffy, how many photo´s do you need?" He cooed at Bethany and play bit her fingers; again he was blinded. He scowled.

His Slayer, hand on hip, stared him down. "My niece, my Watcher…my flip–book" She pronounced every consonant so he would understand. "Now smile… that´s an order."

Giles shook his head and giggled. "Let´s go tickle Aunty Buffy, shall we?" He got to his feet in time to see Dawn come in with more bags of baby things. Swift as an eagle Buffy slapped the camera into Dawn´s hand like a sprinter´s baton and raced to Giles´ side. Dawn fumbled with the controls for a second…

"Quick take the picture, take the picture!" Buffy squealed as she snuggled in close to the Watcher. Bethany looked up at Giles as he and Buffy looked at each other, one excited, one enquiring, then all at once understanding. Bethany twisted her head this way and that. The Watcher touched his Slayer´s fingers and each breathed the same breath. They gazed at each other and knew every pain and triumph in their souls and in turn wept and rejoiced.

Dawn held her breath. This moment would never come again in her lifetime. The moment two souls meet and embrace again. She depressed the shutter as Buffy and Giles slid their eyes toward her in amazement. Dawn sighed and placed the camera on the table, she came to them and took Bethany from Giles´ arms.

"I´ll see you tomorrow, Buffy…" She strapped Bethany into her stroller and flipped the shop open sign to closed on her way out.

Giles tucked the towel round his waist and walked out of his shower, past the framed photograph of him, Buffy and Bethany that Dawn had taken so long ago.

He ate his meal from the saucepan in the kitchen; just meat and vegetables heated up; he didn´t bother much with ceremony nowadays. He ran water into the empty pan and went to bed as the first rays of light sparkled the dust in the living room.

He slept as the dead and re–lived his part in Buffy´s death.

They had married in the autumn and by Christmas Buffy was expecting. Everyone was thrilled, even Travers´ successor sent a gift for Buffy´s baby shower. It was an idyllic time. Spike became the protector of Buffy´s bump and no one teased him for it. They wouldn´t dare! No one needed a Watcher pissed off at them.

It happened one evening when Spike and Giles were watching Buffy battle with washing the kitchen floor. "Do you think we should help?" Spike asked taking another swig of his beer.

Giles shook his head violently. "Ooh, no, it´s nesting instinct, you put a foot in that kitchen she´d lop it off!" Giles gazed at his wife as her hips swayed to and fro hypnotically.

The smell of ozone and the sound of the crack of doom heralded the emergence of a monstrous demon onto their astral plane. A swipe of its terrifying claw sent Buffy crashing through the kitchen wall to land in the Living room at Giles´ feet. He blinked as the beast ripped open time itself and slid through another portal on its way home. Buffy had been in its way. He sank to his knees and whispered her name, spoke, shouted and finally screamed her name to rouse her. He hardly felt Spike´s fingers prising him away from her as the medics took her vital signs.

Giles´ eyes pleaded with them; Spike sat back on his haunches and hung his head. As the medics pronounced her dead, Giles couldn´t say anything. He shook as he gazed at his wife.

Spike raised his head and stared at the Slayer´s belly. "The baby… I hear its heart Rupert."

The medics crowded round once more and eventually a child emerged from Buffy´s body.

Spike stood away from the scene his arms hugging his upper body and staring at the wall whilst his nostrils flared with the scent of Slayer´s blood. He closed his amber eyes and felt his fangs lengthen.

The door closed on the devastated room.

Giles knelt on the blood soaked rug clutching his young son. The boy looked up at him with wise eyes.

"Spike…" Rupert whispered.

The Vampire left his refuge and peered over the Watcher´s shoulder at the child. He stood no nearer than the breadth of the bloodstain. "Well, isn´t he a poppet?" Rupert glanced up at him with a quizzical smile, "Me and Dru, used to call um… Sorry" He cleared his throat. "Congratulations, Rupert, mate." He left the house and its scent of blood, birth and death in a blur of black leather.

Giles began to rock himself and the baby whilst kneeling in the circle of blood and murmuring softly, "Sorry, I should´ve told you come out, should´ve made you come out of the kitchen…"

In the stillness of sunset, a dark slight figure drifted toward his bed. She smiled at his nakedness and licked her polished lips. Her talons stroked down his chest and she stooped to lick…

She gasped as the sharpened stake threatened to puncture her chest and human fingers tightened on her slender wrist. Her eyes gleamed in the darkness and met his in recognition.

"Hello poppet…"

"Drusilla-"

End of part two.

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