Face in the Window (sequel to 4:46 – September 6, Again?)

Category: Willow/Graham

Author: Jesmin

Email: notsil314@juno.com

Rating: R

Summary: Cordelia has a visitor that may have a connection to Willow and Graham.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Fox, WB and Mutant Enemy all own Buffy (plus UPN) and company (that includes Angel). Methos is owned by Rysher and Davis-Panzer.

Spoilers: Up to the end of season four. The rest is my own universe.

Distribution: Bit Me Please, TE, and my site.

Status: finished (sequel is slowly in the works)

Part One

"Miss Rosenberg. Miss Rosenberg!!"

Willow’s head flew up as a thick anthropology book landed on the desk next to hers. Wiping a small trail of drool from the corner of her mouth, her tired eyes met those of her professor, Dr. Adam Pierson. An expression of embarrassment and then horror filled her face as she realized she had fallen asleep in Dr. Pierson’s class – Dr. Pierson who was now the head of UC – Sunnydale’s Anthropolgy Department. He was also her newly appointed advisor. "Oh, I am so, gosh, uhm, I don’t know, uh, lack of sleep and…"

Sitting her book back in front of her, Dr. Pierson remarked in his strangely accented voice, "If you are going to take changing majors seriously, then I suggest you try staying awake during class."

Straightening up in her seat and getting her stuff to put up, she remarked, "I know, and I am so sorry. I promise never to fall asleep. I am a really good student, really, but there is this project I have been working on, and it has been taking up a lot of my time."

Before Dr. Pierson could reply, Graham stuck his head into the room. "Willow, you ready to head over to the shop?"

As she finished gathering her things and adding another, "sorry," she started towards the door. Dr. Pierson interrupted her as she neared it, "Uh, Ms. Rosenberg, just so you know, the class is meeting at the mission site Saturday, and I will need you to write an essay on how the Shumesh culture mirrors that of other ancient cultures in their beliefs to make up for the time you spent sleeping today."

Turning red as Graham raised an eyebrow, she nodded, "Okay."

As they walked out of the classroom, Adam Pierson remarked to himself as he watched the two leave in an embrace, "Special project? Is that what they are calling it these days?"

Graham looked down at Willow in the hallway, "Did you really fall asleep during class?"

Willow lowered her eyes. "There was major droollage." Stopping, she looked up at him with fear in her eyes, "Do you think that he thinks that I think that I can get away with this because I’m dating someone in the History Master’s Program?"

Graham stifled a laugh, "It probably never crossed his mind."

"Good." As they walked down the hall hand in hand, she looked back up at him and asked, "Do you think we can talk Professor Kyle into letting up on the training today? I am so tired."

Sighing, he pulled her closer. "I know I would love to take a break from it, but I don’t know about resting."

"You are so bad," she remarked as she softly punched him in the arm.

Whispering in her ear, he replied, "I can’t help that you bring out those qualities in me."

**LA**

Cordelia Chase threw her keys aside as she walked into her apartment. Running her hands through her hair, she remarked to thin air, "Dennis, I’m home." Slowly walking to the kitchen, she rummaged through the cabinets, grabbing a bag of microwave popcorn. She removed the hard, crinkly sounding wrapper and then unfolded it. Sticking it in the microwave, with the ‘This Side Up’ sign showing, she flattened it out a little more and then closed the microwave door on it. Softly pushing the popcorn button, she started the process and then headed for her bedroom.

Sighing loudly, Cordelia fell onto her bed and lied down, studying the ceiling above her. Closing her eyes, she listened at the quiet sounds of her apartment. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes as the microwave beeped in the kitchen. Sitting up, she leaned over and untied her shoes. In a ‘Mister Rogers" fashion, she removed them and tossed them to her side.

Slowly pushing herself up, she unbuttoned her shirt and threw it to the side into a clothes hamper. Her skirt shortly followed and then she headed over to the dresser. Pulling out a sports bra and baggy pajama bottoms, she closed the drawers and then quickly dressed into something more comfortable.

Making her way through the bedroom and then across the hall to the bathroom, she stopped to stare into her mirror. Her eyes seemed so tired after a long day of working at Angel Investigations. Sighing again, she opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out some foaming facial cleaner and an old hair clip. Maneuvering her hair into twist, she clipped it up and then worked on removing her make up.

Cordelia trudged out of the bathroom and then started back to the kitchen, where her popcorn was sitting on the counter in a bowl and an opened can of soda, cool from being in the refrigerator, was patiently waiting for her. Smiling, she picked up the bowl and the can of soda . "Thanks Dennis."

Walking into the living room, she placed the objects onto the coffee table in front the couch and then stood up. As her eyes glanced to the large window behind her couch, she screeched, jumped backwards and covered her mouth. There, in the window, a young woman was staring in at her. She had bright blue, bloodshot eyes. Her wild, red hair framed her pale face. Cordelia was for sure she was staring at death.

Part Two

"Cordelia!" Angel and Wesley, followed by Gunn, broke into Cordelia’s apartment to see her staring at her large living room window. Her eyes were wide, with something affixed to horror and fascination. Looking at her and then the blank window, Angel asked, "Cordelia, what is it?"

"Can’t you see her? She is just standing there, staring at me."

Wesley shook his head as he stood beside her and looked over at the empty window. "Cordelia, there is no one there."

Stealing a quick glance at him and giving him a dirty look, she remarked, "Right, Cordy’s just going crazy after a long day at work - is that what it is Wesley?"

Gunn chuckled from where he was standing. "No, he is simply saying no one is there."

As Cordelia started to growl, Angel asked, "What does she want, Cordelia?"

"I don’t know. She is just staring."

"What does she look like?" asked Gunn. As everyone turned to him, he remarked, "Hey, some strange, invisible woman staring in windows, I’m just a little curious as to what she looks like."

Cordelia nodded and turned back to the window. "She is tall and thin, wearing an off-white gown. Her hair is dark red and looks to be naturally curly. It is also very unkempt right now. She is very pale and her eyes are a bright blue, but very blood shot." Tilting her head to the side, she remarked, "But there is something strange with her eyes. It is like they aren’t what they are suppose to be."

"Have you tried to communicate with her?" asked Wesley.

"I talk and she just stares."

"What about doing some of that vision mojo-whatever?" suggested Gunn.

"I can’t just force visions, plus, duh, major headache. Why would I want that?" Stopping, she looked over at the window where the woman had raised her palm to the glass and looked expectantly at her.

"What is it?" asked Angel.

Slowly walking to the window, Cordelia remarked, "Actually, Gunn may have something there." As Angel walked up behind her, Cordelia lifted her hand and rested her palm on the opposite side of the window from where the woman stood.

**Vision Flashes**

Eyes that sparkled a color somewhat between green and blue looked up as her father walked into the kitchen where she was standing on a stool, straining to open the freezer. Looking down at her, the man remarked, "Katie bug, what are you up to?"

"Trying to get the ice cream."

"And what do you need with ice cream? It isn’t desert time."

"Skyla said ice cream was part of the milk group, so that means it’s okay."

"Really, and since when have you started listening to your sister?"

"I’ll share." She looked up, gave him her begging eyes and then smiled.

Reluctantly, the man pulled out the ice cream and then hid it behind his back as the door to the kitchen opened. Willow looked in and eyed the two of them. Walking up to the man, she kissed him on the cheek and then reached behind his back. Pulling the ice cream out from behind him. "Why, Graham Miller, you’re going to ruin their supper."

Katie pointed up at her father, "It was all his idea."

Graham stared down at her, "Turncoat."

**

Graham Miller stood in the doorway of a new apartment with his arms crossed. An older Willow wrapped her arms around him and looked up at him, smiling. "You’re pouting."

"Am not."

Katie stood up and looked at her father from the other side of the apartment where she was unpacking. "You are too, Dad."

"I just worry, that is all."

"I’ll be okay. Don’t worry." A now much older Katie ran her hand through her naturally curly red hair and smiled at her father. "I’m in good hands."

"That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be worried. Magick isn’t something to be taken lightly."

Placing a lampshade on a light blue lamp and studying it closely, Katie remarked off the side, "Dad, Mom was in magick and she is still here."

"Yes, but your Mom stopped dabbling in magick by the time she was twenty."

Groaning and rolling her eyes, Katie remarked as she straightened up, wearing a resolve face she got from her mom, "But, my point is Mom is okay with it, and if anyone in this room knows what magick entails…"

Willow threw up her arms. "If you two don’t stop it, I swear, I am going to shut you up with magick, and being I’m out of practice, there is no telling what might happen to you!"

"But Willow!"

Willow looked up at Graham and pointed at him, "I am talking to you just as much as I am talking to her. She’s made her decision, and I suggest you just get used to it!"

**

Katie opened the door, her eyes shining as she saw who was standing on the other side. Throwing herself into his arms, she exclaimed, "Spike, what are you doing here?"

Picking her up slightly, he carried her through the threshold and then closed her apartment door with his foot. "Your parents are worried about this whole magick thing."

Katie’s hand played at the once platinum blond’s chest. As one hand reached up to his newly sandy brown hair, her other traced a line up and down his chest. "Don’t bring my parents into this. They worry way too much."

Spike pulled her closer against him and remarked, barely inches away from her, "Magick can be dangerous, Katie. Trust me, I know."

Katie stepped away a bit and remarked with bitterness in her voice, "Oh, so today you are playing the role of Uncle Spike. Well, I’m no longer your little princess. That game tired out ages ago."

Spike groaned a bit and brought her back to him. "No, I’m protective Spike today. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I love you, and the thought of something happening…"

Katie interrupted him. "You love me?"

Looking into her eyes, he said, "It has been a long time since I loved someone as deeply as I love you." Katie smiled and started to cry. Wiping her tears away, he asked, "What’s wrong?"

"I’m just so happy, but I can’t share it with anyone, not even Mom or Dad."

Spike placed a finger over her lips. "Please don’t even say that. Your father would stake me if he knew about us."

Licking his finger, drawing it into her mouth and then slowly pulling away, she smiled, "Then I guess we’ll have to keep this to ourselves."

Wrapping his arms around her, Spike pulled her against him. Nibbling on her ear as she melted into him, he whispered in her ear, "I think I’m all for a change in conversation."

**

Katie stared ahead through the pain. Playing with her bonds, she once again tried to free herself but then stopped as they cut into her wrists. Looking up at her captors, she stated, "You won’t get away with this. My family has important friends."

Her captor laughed. "They won’t even realize where you are at. You’ll be cut off from this reality, and they will just go on, thinking your dead."

"No, they’ll come for me."

"Why? With your twin screaming on about your death, there is no way that they will even consider that you might still be alive."

"Kyp will know. We have a connection that even your magick can’t break."

The woman laughed and then lifted Katie’s face by lifting her chin with a sharpened finger. "What do you know of magick, little girl. You have been piddling, and trust me, when I am finished, Kyp will never be able to feel you again. Your family’s link through your twin will be broken."

"Why me?"

"Because you and your parents are a key to something great, and with out you here, I will never me stopped."

"Fuck you."

The woman laughed again and then shook her head. "No, no, no. I think you are missing the picture here. I’m not going to be the one fucked here."

"Bitch."

"Now, that I am." Backing up, the woman said a little too sweetly, "Good-bye little siren." Then, in a single second, Katie felt herself being surrounded by pain and blinding light. However, only a second after that, there was complete darkness.

**Back to LA**

Cordelia fell back into Angel’s arms and looked at him. "That was weird."

"What?"

Pushing herself up, she started to the phone through her pain, Angel helping her over to it. "I saw Willow, but it wasn’t Willow, but it was. I mean, she was young and then she was old. Oh, and then there was this guy who was her husband, and he was young and then old. Eek, and Spike was there and she kissed him, and can I say I felt everything during that one, and wow!"

Gunn shook his head. "Cordelia, you aren’t making sense."

Shaking her head, she picked up the phone. "That’s because it doesn’t make sense even to me. Maybe Willow can help. I did see her there."

Part Three

Buffy walked into the Magic Box training room, her eyes automatically moving to where Spike and Willow were working on the physical aspect of her training. As they danced about the mat, kicking and punching, Buffy threw her bag down and placed her hands on her hips. "Where were you two last night? Cordelia called and I combed the town."

Concentrating on her sparring, Willow remarked, "We wanted a break, so we left town for the evening and stayed at a bed and breakfast in the country side."

From where he was sitting cross-legged, floating a stake under Professor Kyle’s tutelage, Graham remarked, "It was really nice until I had to rush Willow to the old mission site for her anthropology class."

Buffy groaned. She just couldn’t understand how Graham and Willow enjoyed their majors. History and anthropology just wasn’t her cup of tea. Shaking her head and moving on in her thoughts, she went back to talking to Willow. "Anyway, Cordelia is having this little problem. It’s kind of strange, actually. There is this woman staring into her apartment but no one else can see her."

Graham interrupted as he asked, "Cordelia’s working for Angel in LA, right?" He had heard several things about Buffy’s ex, some colorful, some not, and he had to admit that he was a little curious as to what the vampire was like.

Moving past his question, Buffy went on. "Anyway, she made contact with the woman, and all of a sudden she was having visions. She saw Graham and Willow kissing Spike, or maybe that was her kissing Spike, I mean the woman kissing Spike."

As soon as ‘Willow kissing Spike’ left Buffy’s mouth, Graham stopped concentrating and Spike lunged at Willow. First of all, Willow froze as she thought she heard something about her kissing Spike. The blond vampire’s fist struck out and landed at her cheekbone, right below her eye. As Spike grabbed his head in pain, Graham’s stake started to fly about the room out of control from the burst of emotion he had when he had heard the same statement. The stake zig-zagged around the room, bouncing off the walls and some of the equipment. After hitting a shield on the wall, the stake started towards Spike, whizzing by Willow on the way. Straightening up and just realizing what was going on, Spike’s eyes filled with horror and then surprise as Buffy reached out and plucked the stake from the air just inches from his heart. Looking up at Graham, he remarked, "Hey, watch the heart!"

Jumping up, Graham ran to Willow and started to inspect her cheek, more upset about it than Willow. "Well, watch where you put your fist."

Pushing Graham’s hands away, Willow remarked, "Guys, the topic on hand is Cordelia’s vision."

Professor Dora Kyle walked up to them and added, "Hopefully you guys are ready for this, that is, if Spike and Graham can get there without tearing into each other."

Shaking his head, Spike crossed his arms and remarked, "This vampire is not taking one bloody step close to the big poof and his merry little gang."

Frowning, Willow remarked, "Unfortunately, for us, your lips aren’t leaving us much of a choice in the matter."

"Hey, I can’t be held accountable for what my supposed lips did in Miss May Queen’s vision."

Looking over at Graham, Willow winked and then turned her charm towards Spike. Giving him her puppy dog eyes, Willow leaned against him and asked quietly as she played at his shirt, "Please, Spike, do this for me."

Rolling his eyes and looking up at the ceiling, he remarked, "Oh, bloody hell."

Smiling at the scene as Willow wrapped Spike around her little finger, Buffy asked, "So, should I call Cordelia and tell her that the three of you will be on your way as soon as the sun sets?"

Anya, who had snuck into the room, remarked as she covered the mobile phone with her hand, "Uh, no need to cal her. She is on the phone."

Willow walked over to the ex-demon and took the phone from her. Lifting it to her ear, she asked, "Cordelia?"

"Hey, Willow, uhm, it may be a good idea if you come to LA for a few days this weekend. This may seem weird, but I think I may have made contact with your daughter."

Looking over at Graham, Willow asked Cordelia, "My daughter?"

"The woman in my window – she says she is your daughter, Katie."

Willow dropped the phone. As it hit the floor in a sickening thud, Graham rushed to her side, "Willow, what is it?"

Looking up with horror in her face, Willow remarked, "The woman in the window is Katie."

Emotions played across Graham’s face, ranging from despair to anger. A light came on behind his eyes, and quickly turning around, he stalked over to Spike and punched him in the nose. Willow rushed to them, almost tripping on the phone she had dropped and Anya, who was was trying to retrieve it from the floor. Spike asked quite loudly as he covered his bloody nose. "What the hell was that for?"

"Kissing my daughter, and whatever else you may have done to her," Graham yelled angrily.

Willow stepped between them and remarked, almost screeching herself, "Punching and yelling at each other isn’t going to help here."

"Uh guys…"

"What?!" Three heads turned towards Anya as she held out the phone.

"Should I tell her you are on your way?"

Looking from one guy to the other, Willow nodded, "Tell Cordelia Graham, Spike and I are going to leave as soon as possible." Without waiting for Anya to remark, Willow turned to Spike. "You, go home through the tunnels and pack what you need. Graham and I are going to pick up our stuff and then we will meet you at the crypt."

Spike smirked. "Daylight."

Willow frowned, "You’ll have to lay under a blanket in the back." As Spike opened his mouth, she shook her head and waved her finger at him. "Shhh. No whining. Just go."

Watching Spike walk out, talking to himself about becoming a bloody pounce, she turned to Graham. Frowning, she remarked, "And it might be nice if you keep your cool. The last thing we need is your powers going crazy or you pissing off Spike." Graham nodded. This wasn’t innocent Willow talking to him, this was the Willow he had grown old with, the Willow who had become the head of her family, constantly caring for others and always in control – a Willow who valued everyone else before herself.

Dora Kyle stepped into the conversation. "She’s right Graham. You have an unlimited source of power in there and little control. That is why it is so important you and Willow work together on this. Only use it when she is your conduit for now."

Taking a deep breath and nodding, Graham replied, "I’ll try to remember. I just think about Katie, and I have this large empty place in my heart."

Willow hugged him as he held her close. "I miss her too, Graham, and we need to handle this right. It could be a way to fill that void she left behind." Graham nodded and held onto her even tighter. Even though what they had experienced had supposedly been a dream, he still missed that life. Now, a part of that life that which ripped away, was turning out to be very real. Did that mean what they had experienced wasn’t only a dream, but something else entirely?"

Part 4

Knock. Knock. Knock. "Cordelia!"

Pushing herself automatically off the bed, Cordelia Chase blinked repeatedly as she balanced herself, still not actually waking up. Yawning, she sleep walked to her living room. Opening her door as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, she remarked matter-of-factly, "I had Dennis place the tomato pie in the raspberry shake with the snake in the woodshed."

Gunn looked at the girl like she was crazy as Angel had a flashback, caused by her statement. Blinking back into reality, Angel gently pushed her into the apartment and led her to the couch. Sitting her down, he knelt in front of her and asked as he brushed her face with his thumbs, "Cordy, do you think you could wake up for me?"

Eyes finally focusing, she gasped as she woke up to see Angel kneeling in front of her. "Angel, I’m so sorry."

Studying the dark circles around her eyes, Angel realized that she hadn’t got any sleep. She had mentioned she wasn’t going to slap until she reached Willow, and apparently, she had either just did or gave up trying. "No problem. How many hours of sleep did you get?"

Cordelia glanced over at a clock on her wall and answered, "A few hours." Turning back to Angel, her face held an air of concentration. Suddenly, it broke into a panicked expression. "Willow! I finally got through to her. They should be here any minute!"

"They?"

"Willow, Graham and Spike."

As Angel asked, "Graham who?" Gunn asked, "Who’s Spike?" at the same time.

Cordelia bounced from one to the other and decided to answer Angel first. "Graham is supposedly Willow’s husband."

"Willow’s married?"

Looking at him like he was mad, Cordelia explained, "No, her husband from the vision I received from my visitor. Anya said that things were going katty-wompas, something about Graham almost staking Spike at the time, and that Willow would explain when they get here."

Angel smiled, "Almost staking Spike? I haven’t even met the guy, and yet, I already feel that I like him."

Gunn sighed dramatically in the background. "Once again, I ask, who is Spike?"

Cordelia answered haphazardly, "Oh, Angel’s peroxide, neurotic brained childe. The last time he was here, he basically tortured Angel."

"And you’re not worried he is on his way?"

"The last we heard, he had been defanged, in a manner of speaking," answered Cordelia.

Angel expanded by adding, "Basically, he can’t hurt – that includes biting - humans."

"Ouch. That has to hit below the belt for a vampire."

"True," agreed Angel, "But for some reason, I just don’t care."

Cordelia was about to respond when there was a knock at her door. Opening it, she smiled at what appeared to be a very tired Willow, flanked by Spike and another man who had to be Graham. "Willow. Graham. Please, come in." When they entered, Cordelia held out her hand to Graham and remarked, "I’m Cordelia." As he shook her hand, she motioned with her other one towards the other two, "And this is Angel and Gunn."

Graham nodded at Gunn and then studied Angel. So, now it was time to meet with Angel, Mr. Billowy Coat of Pain – as Riley had described the vampire. Yes, he had met Angel in his dream, but from the way everyone described him like someone else, Graham wasn’t sure what to expect out of the vampire. Holding out his hand towards Angel, he remarked, "Nice to finally meet you."

From the door, still not invited in, Spike asked, "Don’t I get to come in and meet people? Commando Boy can’t have all the fun."

As Willow gave Spike a dirty look, Angel raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, it’s Initiative Members all around, is it?"

Graham looked Angel in the eyes, meeting the vampire’s steely gaze head on with one of his own, and remarked, "I am not Riley."

Angel nodded and then glanced over at Cordelia, "You may want to invite Spike in. He may be in the shade, but it is very sunny out there.

Cordelia rolled her eyes and invited the vampire in to join them. "Come on in, Spike."

Entering the apartment and then closing the door, Spike asked, "So, where is this woman I’ve been kissing?"

Sighing as she sat down and relaxed on her couch, Cordelia answered, "She can only peer into our reality at night."

"You drug me all the way here, in the day, for bloody nothing!?" asked Spike sarcastically.

A trophy, from Cordelia’s mantle, flew off and started for the blonde’s head, missing as Angel reached out and grabbed it. From the couch, Cordelia scolded, "Dennis, try not to injure the guests, Spike or not."

Smiling, Willow remarked, "Cordelia, something tells me that Dennis wasn’t the culprit."

Willow looked over at Graham as he shrugged his shoulders and tried to sound innocent. "What? I can’t help it that my powers have a mind of their own."

Angel smiled as Willow tried to look angrily at the man but just couldn’t. "Powers?" he asked.

"Well, see, it kind of happened like this," started Willow as Grham sat down and she worked at his tense shoulders. "Graham and I are part of this prophecy, but we didn’t know it. See, I knew about my powers, but he didn’t know about his, and somehow they were calling us together, and we inadvertently cast a little spell."

Cordelia shook her head and interrupted the rambling witch. "A spell? Why does this worry me?"

Spike remarked, "I can tell you why: her ‘My Will Be Done’ spell."

Before that could be explained more, Willow continued, "Anyway, this spell joined our dreams. We lived out almost a life time in them, where we were married and had kids. One of out daughters, Katie, supposedly died at the end. Graham couldn’t handle it, and all of a sudden, he unleashed all this unused power. Things were flying through the air and the fire in the fireplace was all flaming out."

From the side, Gunn remarked, "Sounds pretty cool."

Rolling her eyes, Cordelia asked, "How did you stop him?"

Graham answered as he looked over at Spike, "The Spike in our dream punched me, therefore knocking me out of it."

Willow continued, "However, even though it was a dream, all that raw, uncontrolled power running through him opened a conduit for his magical powers. Sometimes, he just uses them without even realizing it."

Nodding, Graham added, "I went from not even knowing I had them to having to my every thought so I won’t mistakenly set them off."

Pointing to the mantle, Cordelia asked, "So the trophy?"

Graham took a deep breath. "I have problems when I’m tired or upset."

Angel, who had been quiet so far, asked, "And I take it, this is how Spike was almost staked?"

Spike growled, "Hey! Let’s not use the word ‘stake’ and my name in the same sentence."

"Yes, a staking would be a shame."

"Listen here, you bloody poof…!"

Cordelia remarked from the couch, "Children, I’m tired and cranky. Don’t make me get off this couch!"

Angel looked at the floor, smiling as he tried to sound pathetic, "Yes Cordelia."

Lifting an eyebrow, as he smiled mischievously, Spike remarked, "Bloody hell, she has you so whipped. I wonder what Angelus would have to say about that?"

Willow reached over before he could even finish his last statement and smacked him on the head. Looking at her with a hurt expression, Spike whined, "Jeez, Willow, that really hurt."

"Why can’t you just try to get along with people?"

Spike pointed at Angel, "He started it by insinuating…"

Willow snapped her fingers at him and stopped him, "Is it too much above you to grant me this one thing?"

For a second, Spike just stared at her. Dropping his head, he replied quietly, "I’m sorry, Willow. I’ll behave." The red head meant so much to him, more than anyone else. There had been a time when he would have done anything for her. Then Graham came along. At first, he tried to get along with him, and for a while he succeeded. However, after some time, Spike found himself getting jealous, and the only way he seemed to be able to get the amount of attention he needed from Willow was to misbehave.

Graham changed the subject by asking Cordelia, "Sorry to ask this of you, being it looks like you really need a few more hours of sleep, but I was wondering how you knew about Katie?"

Cordelia sighed, "I connected with her, and she showed me pictures of her life, and you and Willow were part of it."

"Except it wasn’t Willow and Graham," remarked Gunn from the side.

"What do you mean?" asked Angel.

"Well, by taking part in the other universe, they learned a possible future, and just by knowing that future, they have averted that possible future here, basically making it void in this universe."

"Come again?" asked Cordelia.

Willow pointed, "No, he has a point. In the other universe, we stayed away from magic and Graham didn’t even know he had powers till Katie died. Now, we are both practicing magic for this prophecy. That, in itself, means that the future has already been changed. We may not even get married or have children like we did there."

Spike nodded, "Which means this Katie is part of a parallel universe that Willow and Graham somehow were able to participate in." When everyone looked at him, he asked, "What?"

Shaking her head, Willow asked Cordelia, "Maybe if you tell us what you saw…?"

"Well, it went like this…"

Part 5

A timid voice sounded at the door of Graham’s office along with shuffling of feet. "Daddy? Are you busy?"

Graham looked up to see his twelve-year old daughter standing in the doorway, surprisingly looking timid, which usually meant she wanted something. His tomboy daughter, who was starting to bloom into something beautiful, looked up at him with her round green-blue eyes. Smoothing out her t-shirt, which bore the logo of her school’s softball team, she asked, "Do you think you could teach me something?"

Moving papers around into various piles of finished and not-finished, he got up and asked, thinking that she was going to have him help with her pitching or maybe ask him to help her with her basketball, "Sure, Katie bug. What do you want?"

Tossing her curly red pony tail back, she asked, "Well, mom said that I should ask you, being the great dancer you are, that you, uh…"

Graham was not liking where this was going, but tried to lead her ahead, "What does your mom want me to do?"

Katie blushed. "To teach me to dance. Mom said you were a great dancer, and I need someone to teach me for the school dance."

Shaking his head, Graham remarked, "I thought you weren’t interested in that type of stuff."

Katie seemed to beam as she replied, "Yeah, well, that was until Seth Meyers asked me to go. He is so cute!!!"

Alert! Alert! Alert! Little girl is now noticing boys! Graham tried to shut away the klaxons going off in his head. Walking over to the radio, he flipped through the stations till he hit a slow song and then walked up to her. Placing one of her hands on his shoulder and the other one in his hand, he remarked, "Okay, you start out like this."

Katie laughed and threw both of her arms up to his neck. "Don’t be silly Dad. You start like this."

Graham noticed the lack of space between them and then moved her back in the first position. "No, you start like this. There has to be space between you and your partner, lots of space."

Laughing even more, Kate remarked, "Dad, you are so funny."

"No, I’m serious. Didn’t you watch that Dirty Dancing movie, where he was teaching Baby about individual space and the importance of not intruding on your partners space?"

"Isn’t that the old movie mom owns, where the girls straddles the guys leg and he swings them around as they lean back?"

Graham turned red. "Okay, bad example. However, the space thing goes. Got it?"

Katie got up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "You worry too much, Daddy."

Graham shook away the memory as all of a sudden, Cordelia’s voice started to sink in. Suddenly, he had gone from teaching his daughter how to dance to hearing something about Spike. Wait a minute! Spike loved Katie and they were too scared to tell Graham, and what was this about kissing? Was he hearing Cordelia correctly, as she explained the passion behind it. All of a sudden, Spike’s voice broke his concentration, "Down boy."

Eyes snapping open, Graham watched as several items in the room fell from hovering mid-air. As a glass figurine shattered on the floor, Graham covered his face with his hands and groaned. "I am so sorry," apologized Graham, as he turned red.

Willow placed her hand on his and commented, "Maybe it would be a good idea if you went and laid down for a while."

Graham nodded. Even though all of him wanted to stay there and hear what Cordelia had to say, the truth was, he was tired. With all of his training, he was drained, and then the night before, after Willow had drifted asleep, he found that he couldn’t. He had just laid there, with Willow in his arms, staring up at the ceiling. Something was telling him that not all was well, and as soon as Willow confirmed his suspicions earlier in the afternoon, it was like the feeling had lifted. All that was left now was dreariness – a dreariness mixed with a need to help his daughter. Looking over at Cordelia, knowing there was no way he would win against Willow, he asked, "Do you have a place I can get some rest?"

Cordelia pointed to a hallway. "There is a guest room down there, if you would like to lay down."

Graham sighed and got up. Looking over at Willow, he asked, "Will you get me if anything shows?"

Willow nodded as he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. When he pulled away slightly, Willow reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. "Don’t worry. You won’t miss a thing." Placing his hand on hers, he nodded and then stole away to the bedroom.

As soon as Graham was out of earshot, Willow turned around and looked at Cordelia. "There is more, isn’t there?"

Cordelia nodded, as Angel asked, "You didn’t want him to hear, did you?"

"Not until he gets some rest. Katie and him were very close, and I don’t think the place could take a beating if the news is bad."

Spike frowned. "What? So you’re the strong one? Who holds you up, when he can’t take it?"

Willow got up and paced a bit. "It isn’t like that, Spike, and you know it."

She sat down beside the vampire on the couch and leaned forward. Sighing, she covered her eyes as she thought back to that time. When they first got together, Graham was the one that kept them going, but as they became closer and their family grew, it was Willow that became the glue. Graham spent his time working or gloating over her and their children, as Willow became the one to head the household. She balanced her own job, making sure everything was set in the house, and watched her children’s every move with watchful eye.

Actually, they were both close to their children in different ways. Willow found herself being their transportation, busing them to their extra curricular activities. She knew each of their schedules and made sure she knew exactly what was going on in their lives. Then there was Graham. He was always there for them, joining them at games after he got off work or helping them celebrate their newest accomplishments. When it came to came to their home time, he made sure they were all occupied, be that by playing basketball in the front of the house or debating over whatever they were studying at school. He kept them active and enjoyed their company.

There couldn’t have been a better dad than Graham – at least that was Willow’s take after watching him with their children. However, deep down, Willow felt a loss when it came to her relationship with Katie. Skyla and Kypp had always taken more after her, and she had found them reaching out to her more than to their dad. She had a great mother/child relationship with them, but when it came to Katie, she was at a loss. Katie was definitely her father’s little girl, and the whole family knew it.

Losing herself in thought, Willow was brought out of it as Spike rubbed her back. "Are you okay, red?"

Willow sat back and leaned up against him. "Yes, I am." Looking up, she added, "You know, you just answered your question. Even there, when things got tough, and I couldn’t seem to get by it, you held me up. When Katie was missing, and Graham and Kypp were going at it, I couldn’t go to him. You held me up, if just for a second."

Angel, from where he was sitting, commented, "Everyone has breaking points. Sometimes, it just happens that both people in a relationship come that point at the same time."

Willow rose an eyebrow at Angel, as she realized that he was just trying to make things better when it came to her and Graham. "Thank you, Angel. It actually means a lot to hear it put that way."

Gunn, who wasn’t much for all this relationship stuff, looked over at Cordelia, "So tell them about the crazy woman at the end."

Shaking her head and looking at Cordelia pointedly, Willow asked, "What crazy woman at the end?"

"She was going on about Katie being the key to something big, being her parents weren’t practicing. There was something about making Katie’s death look real, when in actuality, she was sending her somewhere else, where no one would think to look."

"Weren’t practicing?"

"She said that you and Graham had enough powers to stop her, when joined, and since you weren’t practicing magick, then you weren’t a threat. But Katie…"

"Katie inherited a large amount of power from both of us. That means she could be the key to stopping whatever was going to happen." Willow sat back as she voiced her understanding. Looking over at Spike, she remarked, "Just by being our child, she was doomed."

Spike shook his head. "Willow, you can’t think like that."

Getting up, Willow asked, "How can I not?"

Willow softly closed the front door behind her and then locked it for the night. Nudging her coat from her tired figure, she hung it in the entryway closet. She was so tired. The company she worked for was bringing in a new client, which meant an extra few hours of work so everything would be ready for the next day’s presentation. This time an extra few hours turned into many hours, and she found herself having to call Graham, trying to hurriedly give him directions for dinner. As she had finished, she could tell that he was trying not to laugh. She could hear the smile in his voice as he remarked, "Willow, don’t worry. I can handle it." Handle it? Yeah right. He probably got Chinese take-out or a pizza delivery.

Opening the kitchen door, she was all set to see empty boxes about, ready for her to clean up. Instead, all she found was her usually neat kitchen. The only difference was a single cup cake sitting on the counter with a card in front of it. Willow smiled down at the chocolate cup cake, decorated with M&M’s in the shape of a heart. On the front of the card were the words, "Here’s your desert." She opened it up to see several pictures of stick figures, flowers and even a rainbow. She could look at each picture and tell which child had been the artist. There, on the bottom was written, "Check the fridge." Okay, now was the time to be greeted by leftover boxes.

Willow opened the fridge to find herself greeted by a covered by a covered plate of spaghetti and meatballs with two slices of garlic bread. Smiling to herself, she removed the plate from the fridge and set about warming the meal in the microwave. As soon as she pressed the start button, Willow headed over to the den, where she could hear the distant noise of the television.

Stopping in the door of the den, she stood and smiled at the sight in front of her. Skyla was curled up on the couch, sleeping in her ballet leotards. Ever since Willow had agreed to let her oldest child try ballet, Skyla had insisted on wearing her dancing outfit all the time. Kypp and Katie were a tangle of arms and legs, where they slept on Graham’s lap. Stretched out in the recliner, Graham laid with his head back and mouth open, sleeping and not seeming to care that Katie had reached up and was holding onto his hair like a normal child would hold onto a security blanket. It was at times like this, seeing her family in such a scene, which made her feel at peace.

Beside her, a voice broke her thoughts, "I don’t think I realized what I had until now."

Willow turned to find herself face to face with Katie – a grown up Katie she had last remembered seeing before the girl’s death. She had almost forgotten how stunning her youngest daughter had been. Skyla had always been the elegant, conservative daughter, where as Katie was the stunning, rebellious sister. She wore clothes that reflected her wild side and her flaming red hair was always styled in a becoming way that seemed to highlight her in a crowd. "I always knew what I had then, but it wasn’t real," replied Willow at the end of her thoughts.

Katie shook her head. "It was real. I’m real."

"It was a dream, just like this is."

Motioning to the scene before them, Katie remarked, "Dreams can be the gateway to different realities. They can bridge the gaps sometimes, letting you know what could be."

"So this is a possible future?"

Katie raised an eyebrow and asked, "You have to ask yourself this: would you rather live this care free life, full of family and then loose it, or would you rather face what is to come now and never face the loss of those you hold dear?"

Willow was about to answer when a beep sounded from the kitchen. Quickly glancing that way, she turned back to see an empty space before her. Suddenly, Katie’s words rang through her ears. Panic surged through her, and as her world collapsed around her, she found herself sitting up, gasping for air on Cordelia’s couch.

Cordelia ran from the kitchen, stopping in her living room. Coming to a dead halt as she asked, "Willow, are you…" She stopped mid-sentence, dropped the plate she had been drying, and commented with a tremble in her voice, "She’s here."

Willow turned from where she was on the couch. There, in the window, right in front of her, stood her daughter in a flowing white gown. Her hair waved about in a tangled mass, flowing in sorts, as if a breeze was blowing over her. What used to be greenish blue eyes where now a light milky blue, filled with some type of glaze. Behind Willow, she heard her thoughts mirrored as Spike tried to find the correct words. "What the bloody…? Oh my. How can…? She is beautiful."

From the side Angel asked, "You can see her?"

Spike nodded as he stepped closer. "Why? Can’t you?"

Angel shook his head. "No. Neither can Gunn or Wesley." Crouching down, he started picking up shards from Cordelia’s broken plate. "I wonder why you can see her and we can’t."

"Maybe she doesn’t like you," suggested Spike.

Gunn shook his head from where he was standing. "I’ll have you know that almost any girl would choose me over you."

From where she was standing, Cordelia remarked, "Puh-lease."

"What? You aren’t drawn to me more than him?" asked Gunn.

"Not that you aren’t good looking, and Spike is pretty annoying, but have you ever just looked at him?"

Carrying the shards to the kitchen, Angel commented on his way, "I try not to think about Spike."

With a hurt look on his face, Spike remarked sarcastically, "Ouch. That hurts."

Willow motioned for them to be quiet as she studied her daughter and asked them to get Graham. From the hallway, his voice interrupted her, "No need to." Walking over to her as her gaze questioned him, he remarked, "I just had this feeling."

Looking up at him, Willow could tell that something was wrong. His face had grown pale and his eyes had large dark circles under them. Reaching up, she cringed as she came in contact with cold, clammy skin. "Graham, what is wrong?"

Graham swayed a bit and found himself held up as Spike reached over and steadied him. Glancing at Graham, as he helped him from falling, he remarked, "I think you need to sit down."

Shaking his head, Graham stated, "No, I need to get to the bathroom." In a swift move, Graham turned and headed to the guest bathroom – Angel, Willow and Spike following. Throwing the door open, he fell to the floor and gripped the toilet. Willow, concern in her eyes, kneeled beside him and rubbed his back, wishing she could do something to help. After the heaving subsided, Graham relaxed against the wall. Opening his eyes, he looked over to see Willow’s eyes tearing up. Trying to smile, he remarked, "Don’t worry. I’ll be okay."

Willow shook her head, "Graham, you’re sick."

"It will be fine when we figure all this out."

Her eyes scrunched up as she studied him. He was hiding something, and she could tell it. "What aren’t you telling me, Graham Miller?"

Graham sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don’t know I can voice it just yet, but somehow, I think that the way I’m feeling has to do with Katie."

"Then we’ll have Cordelia ask. They have communicated before."

Graham shook his head. "She’s gone for now, but she’ll be back."

"What?" Looking behind her, she saw Cordelia also standing in the doorway. Cordelia nodded at what he said. Turning back to Graham, she asked, "Are you somehow connected with her, Graham?"

He shook his head. "I don’t know. I don’t understand what is happening exactly."

Willow looked up at the guys in the doorway. "Will you guys help Graham get up? I got a call to make."

Part 6

Adam Pierson looked up from his note-lined desk as the door to his private office was thrown open. Quirking an eyebrow, he smiled at the new comer. Her long black hair was thrown up into a messy twist, fastened by a silver clip. A usually pale face was flush from exertion, something he hadn’t seen since the height of the Egyptian Empire. However, then her face had held a vision of pleasure, where as now, it was twisted in anger. Her trim figure was covered in a baggy t-shirt and pajama bottoms, but it couldn’t hide her strength as her hand beat down on his desk. "Why are you here?"

Waving his hand over the desk, he answered seriously, "Grading papers." Adam leaned forward and asked, "Maybe I should be the one inquiring why you’re here. A Saturday night, an attractive, young – well, seemingly young – lady. You should be out on the town, enjoying the night life."

Leaning forward, she commented, "Don’t start with me, DOCTOR Pierson."

Sitting back and placing his hands behind his head, he asked, "Well, why don’t you start by telling me what brings Dora Kyle, one of UC Sunnydale’s most well known history professors, to my office?" When she just stared at him, he sighed. "I take it, this is about Willow and Graham."

Dora’s face softened at the mention of her charges. Speaking quietly, with a bit of an edge to her voice, she commented, "The oldest immortal isn’t the type to come out of hiding in Sunnydale for no reason. At first I tried to convince myself you were here for purely academic reasons, but things are coming to being. You’re here for the prophecy, aren’t you? Somehow, you knew to come, and you don’t give a damn when it comes to their personal loss."

"I am not as uncaring as people make me out to be, Dora. However, the fact is, they are going to have to face this, even if it means their death."

"You would have their blood on your hands, the blood of their children? I know what the powers want, but how can you or I ask that of them?"

"It is their decision to make, Dora, and you and I both know what the outcome could mean." Studying her, he asked off the subject, "By the way, what has you so worried that the prophecy is coming to?"

Dora stiffened and remarked as if he should understand, "Katie has arrived, and if they don’t bring her to be, then it could bring forth Graham’s death, without Willow."

**

Spike. He was everywhere. Roaming, he seemed to be all over, her skin tingling from his touch. Never before, had she even considered this notion. His being assaulted her very senses. Every breath she took, every stray thought that breezed through her, he was in. The idea, the feel, the emotion of him flowed through her every pore, spilling into her soul and giving her a feeling of completion she had never before experienced. Drowning, she gasped, but all she could take in was him.

Her fingers sought him out, grabbing onto his curly soft locks. Weaving through his hair, her hands pulled him closer as she arched into him. His mouth sending tremors through her body, to the point she felt she was going to explode. Frantic, as every nerve on her body burned at his touch, she begged – pleaded. All she wanted was him, and never before, had she felt the need for him to fill her so completely.

Taking in a deep breath, Cordelia sat up in bed. It had only been a dream, but he was there, very close. Her chest was still heaving from the aftermath, still feeling the need to take him in. It was overwhelming, like his essence was a haze around her and was penetrating her very being.

Blinking through the cloudiness, she looked across her bedroom to the doorway. A shadow stood there, his features darkened as a soft light from the distant kitchen danced by him. It was the first time she had really seen him, and as he stood there, guarding, she felt no fear. Walking up to him, she could see the concern in his eyes. He was her protector, and only through reassurance would he move from the door. Reaching up to him, her hand hovered inches from the young man’s chest. "I will not hurt her, Dennis." Brown eyes searched her own eyes, and after some thought, he nodded, moving from her path.

Padding with her bare feet into the living room, Cordelia stood in the darkness, staring at the man sleeping on her couch. Quietly, she reached behind the couch and opened the curtains, wanting to see him with the light of the city night sky shining down upon him. Softly opening them, she turned to him and smiled. He was once again in front of her, and part of her wouldn’t mind sitting there and staring at him all night.

She started at his bare feet and worked up his legs, clad in black jeans. Sighing, she smiled as her eyes landed on his bare, ivory chest. He was so well sculpted, that part of her wondered if chiseling him into stone could even do justice. Lighting a finger over his chest, she licked her lips as she held back from acting on desires. Working her way up, even more, Cordelia stared at his sharply defined face. His lips called out to her, reminding her of what had been. Leaning over him, her hair tickled his high cheekbones, causing him to twitch a bit and move. Moving closer, she found herself not even an inch away, when his hand reached up and grabbed her head, forcing her mouth down on his.

Cordelia’s mouth turned up into a smile for a second as she realized he was still asleep. Opening her mouth to him, she groaned as his tongue entered to tangle with her own. Filled with awakened desire, she moved to straddle him. As the sleeping vampire drew her in even more, his one hand pulled her closer than she thought he could. It had been so long, and she had forgotten the fire that had burned through them. There had been a hunger for so long, and now that he was here…

Breaking the kiss, in need of a breath, she ground against his desire, wishing that there could be so much more. Her flushed face looked down at his, and she gasped as what she feared would happen did. Blue eyes shot open, sending her a cold stare as Spike voiced huskily, "Cordelia?" His eyes searched hers’, confusion fleeing every second he looked in them.

Placing her index finger over his lips, she shook her head. "Don’t speak. We have to keep it a secret. Remember?" Grabbing onto his face, she stilled him as she once again placed her lips against his. At first, Spike seemed a bit hesitant, but as he felt the heat growing between them, he gave in to the desire in his body. Deepening the kiss, he wrapped his arms around her, and in a quick move, switched them to a sitting position. Even though this was Cordelia before him, as soon as he looked into her smoky eyes and heard her silky voice, he knew what was there, and he wanted her more than he had ever thought possible. However, there was one small problem – this was Cordelia.

**

Willow laid in bed, listening to the labored breathing beside her. After Katie had left, Graham seemed to feel better. His color had returned to his face and when she touched him, the cold and clamminess was gone. He had even ventured out to eat and ended up conversing with Angel, laughing in all the right places at the vampire’s bad jokes. It was nice seeing them warm up some to each other, but even in this carefree time, Willow could see a shadow behind Graham’s eyes. He was holding something from her, but she knew he wouldn’t tell her until he was ready.

Sitting up some, she stared down at him. He had seemed to be doing fine, and after her worry for him had subsided she had fallen asleep. However not quite thirty minutes ago, she had been pulled from her sleep by him gasping for air. The gasping had turned to deep, wet breathing as he curled up into himself, almost as if in pain. Willow had reached out to him a few times, but he wouldn’t even seem to stir at her touch.

Biting on her lip, she decided to get Spike, but as she swung her legs over the bed, Graham’s eyes blinked open. Groaning loudly in pain, he gripped his stomach as he blindly rolled off the bed into a large heap. Running to his side of the bed, Willow swiped a few stray strands from her face and peered down at him. She fell to her knees as he reached out for her, pain evident in his face. Holding onto Willow, his fingers dug into her skin as he cried, "Must help Katie."

Willow tried to be brave, to blink away the tears that were forming in her eyes. She could tell he was in pain, and not knowing how to help him scared her. "How?"

Graham closed his eyes tightly, trying to shut away the pain searing through him. Quietly, he remarked as he concentrated on speaking past it, "Living room. She is here."

**

Spike pulled away, only to grab both of Cordelia’s wrists as she reached for him. He wanted her so much, but it wasn’t fair for Cordelia. "We can’t do this, pet. It’s wrong."

Cordelia shook her head and leaned in, trying to kiss him. When he pulled farther away, she shook her head. "They don’t have to know, Spike."

Trying to push her away, he remarked, "You’re not you, and I’m not him."

"But you are him, in every way." Cordelia leaned forward, placing soft kisses on his neck line and nipping his skin with her blunt teeth. As he took an unneeded breath in, she smiled against him and remarked, "You even react the same way he did. Can you honestly say you don’t want me, because he couldn’t?"

About to answer as he shook her away, he was interrupted by a large crash. Willow’s voice sounded as at the same time, Cordelia scrambled off his lap. "Dennis, lights!"

Tripping as she jumped off Spike’s lap, Cordelia fell to the floor. As the lights snapped on, she looked over to where Willow was trying to help Graham. Crawling over to the two, she looked down at Graham, where he was convulsing on the floor. A single tear fell down Cordelia’s face. Placing a hand on Graham’s chest, she said quietly, "I’m sorry, Daddy." Looking up at Willow with her bright milky blue eyes, she added, "I can’t do this to him anymore. Forgive me, Mother."

Willow didn’t know what to say as Cordelia fell backwards, fainting into Spike’s lap. At the same moment, Graham stilled beside her. It had happened as soon as they entered the living room. He had gone into a seizure and knocked down a lamp on his way to the floor. Clearing the lamp had been a given, but after that, Willow was at a loss. Now, after hearing Cordelia’s words, she was once again in a state of confusion. Staring down at Graham’s still body, Willow laid down and placed her head on his chest, listening as his breathing became closer to normal. She could hear his faint heart, and part of her wondered if Katie returned, how much more could he take. They had to help her, but Willow wasn’t going to do it at the expense of Graham’s death.

Part Seven

Anya sat at the counter, checking through items as she twisted a stick of cherry licorice in her mouth. Across from her, Xander complained, "I don’t see why you need to work on a Sunday morning."

Placing a jar of chicken feet behind her, she replied, "We need to do inventory, and it is much easier to do when the shop is closed. Plus, extra work means more money."

"Yes, but more money means less time for sex," added Xander, knowing she would get his point.

Taking the cherry licorice out of her mouth, she frowned as it went limp in her hand. "I never thought about it that way." Looking around, she added, "The blinders are shut. We could have sex right here, on the counter."

Xander glanced at the jar of newt eyes she had left to count on the counter. "Actually, I don’t think I am in the mood. All those little eyes looking at me make me nervous."

"It isn’t like they can see you, Xander."

About to comment further, he stopped as a knocking came from the door. Not even looking, Anya yelled out, "Look at the sign. We’re closed." When the knocking continued, she got up from her seat, grumbling all the way. Throwing the door open, she started to ask rudely, "What part of closed…" Stopping, she paused for a second and then added, "Methos?"

A little unsettled that they girl knew who he was, he shook it off and introduced himself by his latest name. "Actually, I’m Dr. Adam Pierson. A Professor Kyle called this morning and asked if I would stop by."

Anya nodded and pointed towards the training room, "Oh, yes, she is in the back if you would like to see her."

Heading the direction the girl was pointing to, Adam smiled as he thought he heard the boy exclaim in a some what hushed tone, "You wanted to have sex here, while Dora Kyle was in the next room?!"

When Adam walked into the back room, Dora looked up from where she was sitting among a pile of books. Smiling up at him, she asked, "Did you find it?"

Adam pulled a small book out of his pocket and held it in front of her. "I wonder if the Watchers ever noticed this was missing from Darius’s inventory?"

Dora frowned as she thought of the now dead Darius. According to ancient records, when the Romans had marched into Paris, Darius – a much decorated commander in the army – took the head of a homeless man at the gates. At the time, unbeknown to Darius, this man was the oldest immortal, and when Darius took his head, Darius received a great amount of good power. This power caused him to change his ways, and since then, the immortal had been living the life of a monk, never leaving holy ground, gathering information from other immortals till his untimely death in the 1990’s, when a mortal took his head. The collection before her was personal diary Darius had written out on gathered prophecies he thought were important to the future. With these prophesies were side notes and rituals Dora saw as valuable to their situation.

Taking the book from him, Dora remarked, "I can’t believe you got your hands on this."

"Well, I have this friend, that owed me a little favor, and she…"

Gathering the rest of her books, Dora interrupted, "You can tell me in the car. I called Willow this morning and they are expecting us in LA."

Adam shook his head. "The things I do for you…"

**

Spike looked up from his mug of blood as Graham walked into the room. It surprised the vampire how much the ex-commando had deteriorated since the day before. Gone were the bright blue eyes. Instead, they seemed dull, lacking what they usually held. Beneath them were large, puffy, dark circles, showing how weary he was becoming. Sitting down on the opposite side of Spike, his movement slowed by illness, Graham asked, "Where is everyone?"

Getting up and pouring Graham a glass of orange juice, Spike replied, "They’re at the poofs. After last nights episode with Cordelia, Wesley thinks he may have found something."

"And you’re still here because…?"

Sitting the juice in front of Graham, he commented, "Someone had to stay and watch out for you, mate."

"But why? It isn’t like you give a damn about me."

Spike stared at him a minute before commenting, "Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. What I do know is that you mean the bloody world – probably more – to Willow. She is one of my good friends, she accepted me when no one else would, and because of that, I will do all I can to keep her happy. Now, the way I figure it, if you make her happy, then all I have to do is make sure nothing happens to you."

"So, your loyalty to Willow also covers me?"

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Spike admitted, "Listen here. The only reason I have treated you so badly is because you took away my best friend. Other than that and the whole Initiative thing, you’re actually a pretty good guy."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Yeah, well one thing though, you have to be completely honest with Willow. Not telling her what you know is hurting her, even if you think you are protecting her."

For the first time in the conversation, Graham raised his eyes and locked his gaze with Spike’s. "I actually started feeling strange two nights ago, the same night Katie showed up. I think, somehow, she has tapped into me to find this dimension, and every time she shows herself, Kaite is taking a larger part of me with her."

Spike nodded as he concentrated on Graham’s words, thinking back to his earlier encounter with Katie. "Last night, she said she was sorry and wouldn’t do it again."

Graham shook his head. "No, Spike. When she shows, that is when it really hits me and even though I do feel better than I did right after my last episode, the link isn’t broken. With every passing moment, I feel like part of me is leaving through the link." Breaking eye contact, Graham looked down and added, "I think it is killing me, Spike. How do you tell the woman you love that you’re dying?"

Spike answered, "You just tell her, and then we find a way to save not only you, but also Katie." Taking a last swig of his drink, Spike added, "Now, bloody well finish up and get ready. We’re needed at Angel’s."

**

"You look to be in deep thought." Willow turned to the voice, spotting Angel standing in the shadows of the small garden area. Leaving the warm sensation of the sunlight, she moved next to him. In the day she had already been there, Angel had seen the difference, like there was a lifetime behind her eyes. Now, however, that look melted away, and he was once again looking into a young girl’s eyes. Her pain and fear was not lost upon him.

Turning away, she said quietly, "After our dream, all I remembered were good days. It seemed to be all that existed there, until Katie’s death. Now, when I look back, it’s different. I remember the bad too, the resentment I felt at times when it came to Katie and Graham’s relationship. Does that make me a bad person?"

"Why, because you were jealous that your daughter would rather be with her dad? That is only human, Willow."

Willow turned and looked at him. "I think this is destroying Graham, that she is connected to him, and he is too scared to tell me. And the terrible thing here is that I may have to pick between the daughter I used to have and the man I love now. Without question, I would choose Graham. That is what makes me a bad."

"It won’t come to that, Willow. Wesley will find a way, and if he doesn’t, then your friends from Sunnydale will."

"My friend from Sunnydale scares me when it comes to this. She knows something, Angel. I could hear it in her voice on the phone, and now she is heading here. This must have to do with the prophecy somehow, and what ever it is, it frightens her too."

Angel shook his head. "I won’t let anything happen, I promise you."

Willow smiled and laughed a bit as she brushed a single tear from her cheek. "Sometimes, even you can’t stop what is meant to be."

From the doorway to the hotel, Graham asked, interrupting the conversation, "Willow? Can we talk?"

Angel nodded at Graham and then left. Walking to Graham, Willow wrapped an arm around him and let him lean against her as she led them to a bench. Graham smiled at her, loving the way that the sun lit up her face, almost giving it a glow. She was so beautiful, and he hated seeing her in so much pain. Spike’s words echoed in his mind, about how he had to tell her. Taking a deep breath as her green eyes searched his own baby blues, he just came out and tried say it, "Willow, I think Katie is linked with me."

Willow reached out and took one of his hands in hers. Pressing her lips together, she nodded, "I know."

Reaching up and wiping some of her tears away, Graham added, finally getting it all out, "And I think it may be killing me."

Willow’s hands flew from where they were holding one of his hands to her mouth, covering it as she tried to hide a sob that was rushing up. She had known it all along, but hearing it from his lips, from the man she held so dear… Time was ticking away, and she could see it happening right in front of her.

Part Eight

"This isn’t going to work, Wesley," Cordelia complained as she laid down on a couch across from the one Willow and Graham were holding down - Willow sitting and Graham resting his head on her lap.

From where he was kneeling in front of Cordelia’s couch, Wesley started to comment, "Well, maybe if you would try relaxing…"

"I have you know, I’m more relaxed than you’ve ever been."

From where he was leaning against the wall, Angel remarked, "Cordelia, would you at least try?"

Sighing, Cordelia closed her eyes and snuggled onto the couch. "Okay, now I’m relaxed."

Wesley groaned. "Cordelia, I need your eyes open for this." In a low, calming voice, Wesley started speaking softly when Cordelia opened her eyes. Above her, she focused on a crystal – swinging back and forth. Slowly, her eyelids drifted closed as her mind reached such a peace that it almost seemed to go numb. Lifetime after lifetime coalesced around her, and yet, with everything around her, all there appeared to be was clarity.

Handing the crystal pendant to Willow, Wesley turned back to Cordelia, ready to start, but being interrupted. Almost as if they knew to be quiet, a middle-aged man and young woman entered. Slowly walking to the group, they stopped at Willow and Graham, where the woman took a hold of Willow’s hand, nodded and gave it a gentle squeeze. Realizing these two must be the friends from Sunnydale Willow had spoken of, he turned back and started, "Cordelia, is Katie still there?"

Cordelia answered, almost in a monotone voice, "No Katie is gone."

"Can you look back to when she was with you? Did she leave any memories behind?"

Face scrunching up a bit, Cordelia answered, "Yes. There is so much pain there – such loss."

"Does she know about the link she has with Graham?"

Cordelia hesitated. In her mind, she was going through what she knew, along with what Katie had left behind. "Katie thought the link would break when she left. It didn’t occur to her what the effect would be."

"So she knows no way to break the link?"

"No. She wouldn’t realize that it was still active, at least not from what I remember of her memories."

"What if we send her home? Can we do that?"

Shaking her head, Cordelia started to lightly cry. "There is no home – not any more. All windows are gone. Family’s dead. All alone in the cold and dark."

Sitting straight up, Willow reached out and grabbed Graham’s hand. Squeezing it, she tried to hold back the tears that were burning at her eyes. Looking down, she saw Graham’s own eyes full of tears – too tired to keep them from gathering. Weakly reaching up to her, from where he was laying on the couch, Graham wiped warm, stray tears from her cheeks. Grabbing onto his hand, she held it to her face as she gave up trying to be brave. In the background, she could hear Wesley continuing, "What happened to Katie’s world?"

"Without Katie or her parents at full strength, she destroyed it through the Hellmouth. There is nothing left."

"She? Who is she?"

"I don’t know exactly, except she takes her orders from a higher being, a beast who slithers about, waiting in the woodshed to strike out at those not aware."

Angel stirred against the wall, not waiting for Wesley, he asked, "Who is the snake?"

"Katie doesn’t know exactly. She never showed herself…"

Wesley looked over at Willow and Graham as he asked, "Can we bring Katie to this world?"

"The only way she saw the door opened was with black magick. The spell was unknown, and she has no idea how to reenact it."

Spike saw the scared looks in Graham and Willow’s eyes, the fear for what was to come. This was enough. They had to stop this. Looking over at Wesley, he ordered sternly with something strange in his voice, concern, "Wake her up. We know enough for now."

Willow nodded, breathing in a bit as she said quietly through her tears, "Please, Wesley."

Looking to Cordelia on the couch, he said quietly, "Cordelia, when I snap my fingers, you will wake up refreshed, not remembering what you saw."

As Wesley raised his fingers to snap, Gunn placed his hands on Wesley’s and bent down, "And the next time you hear the word ‘croissant,’ you will give Wesley a mad, passionate kiss."

Rolling his eyes, Wesley snapped his fingers and then smiled as Cordelia sat up and looked at him like he was crazy, "I told you that it wouldn’t work." Glancing at the newcomers, she asked, "When did they get here?"

Looking at Angel, who was watching her closely, Dora held out her hand and introduced herself as Cordelia took her hand, "I’m Dora Kyle, Willow and Graham’s trainer, and this is an old friend of mine, Dr. Adam Pierson."

Pulling himself from memories of running into a girl in an alley way, a girl who just disappeared before Spike or him could feed upon her, Angel asked, "And how old would that be?"

Adam, knowing that there was no need to hide anything right now, answered by asking Dora, "Which Ramsey was ruling at that time?"

Dora rolled her eyes as Willow looked at her anthropology advisor. "There were so many, I don’t remember, but then we had that reunion when Cleopatra was in power."

Willow shook her head and asked, "You’re like her? A fate?"

Adam laughed. "No. I’m an immortal."

"But you have a heartbeat," remarked Spike.

"Vampires aren’t the only type of immortals out there."

Graham sat up slowly and then leaned against Willow. Coughing, he caught his breath and then asked Adam, "Why are you here?"

"To the point. I think I like you."

"If your life was ticking away, you would too."

Pulling out Darius’s diary from his coat pocket, Adam threw it on the table. "Another man, like me, wrote this. It is a collection of prophecies he came across through the years and his notes on those prophecies. I believe you may find a familiar one on page 24."

Picking up the book, Willow leafed through the pages and then started to read, Graham, Spike and Dora mouthing the words along with her, "Above the Hellmouth, at the turn of the century, they shall meet after torment and soon become one. Together, the sad witch and honored warlock will become one in soul. Their powers combined will also become one as they. Together, they will help fight the oncoming darkness that shall plague the earth."

Dora nodded, "Page 58 in my book."

"So what does this book hold that yours didn’t?" asked Spike.

Looking up from where she was reading on silently, Willow remarked, "That was just the beginning. The prophecy then goes into battles and random points in time that were important. However, there was one point Professor Kyle’s copy brushed over. This one, however, goes into it more."

Willow handed the book to Spike and pointed to a passage before closing her eyes, wanting to hear it and adsorb it. "Before she brings her destruction, a distant voice will call. Ancient rites, hands joined as one, souls shall meet as the door is opened and the key to their immortality arises, bringing forth the birth of the accumulation of two great powers joined as one. Together – as one – they shall fight her. The sire is here. She will bring with her destruction, that will follow even after her own."

Looking around at everyone, that seemed to be contemplating his words, Spike looked back down at the book. "The author has then written a few notes on this. He says that this key shall be unlike those before her, and has been topic of other prophecies. It also says that to open the door, the sacrifice must be great, the only type of sacrifice which would bring forth immortality."

Adam nodded. "Death. Darius is speaking of death."

Grabbing on to Graham’s hand, Willow shook her head. "No one is dying here."

Dora took a deep breath. "The Powers have spoken, Willow. If we don’t listen to what Darius is saying…"

Willow stood up and shook her head. "No. Graham is not going to die. We will find a way. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that prophecies can be broken, and I am tired of playing this game." Turning around, she walked up the stairs to one of the hotel’s many rooms.

Spike looked over at where Graham sat, slowly declining even before the vampire’s eyes. It was happening faster, and Spike knew Graham was right about not having much time left. Meeting Graham’s pained gaze, Spike nodded. "I’ll go talk to her."

Part Nine

Spike walked into the room he could hear Willow’s heartbeat from. Standing at the door, away from the sun shining through a window she was looking out of, he remarked, "Graham wanted me to carry his lousy ass up here to check on you, but I convinced him that you would rather see my devilishly good looks than him."

Willow turned her tear stained face to him. "You are such a liar."

Turning around slowly, she lowered the blinds and then covered them with thick curtains. As soon as they were closed, arms closed around her, and she maneuvered to where her face was resting in his chest, tears falling. As Spike gently rubbed her back and held her up, Willow choked out, "I can’t lose him, Spike. I can’t."

Nodding, his chin resting on her head, Spike commented, "We aren’t going to let that happen."

"But Dr. Pierson said…"

"Willow, do you think Dora and Dr. Pierson would have come all this way only to have Graham killed? I think there is more to what Pierson was saying."

"But he said the book meant that death was the way."

"The book mentioned a sacrifice. Dying when it isn’t your decision is not a sacrifice."

Willow turned her face up and looked at Spike. A year ago, she would have never found herself in this position. Spike had been the enemy, someone she had never thought of as truly trusting, but then something happened. Maybe it was because she had never said an ill word to him, or maybe it was her loneliness that caused her to find someone who would actually sit and listen – someone who had felt the pain she had. It was something she had really never thought about. Then, one night, a chance meeting in the cemetery, and several hours of talking later, Willow had realized she had a friend in one of the most unsuspected people – Spike. He had been there for her ever since, with a loyalty she had never thought possible. Even after Graham, he had kept watch over her, and now, once again, she found herself being held up by him.

"You want to save Graham and Katie, don’t you? Why?" asked Willow, searching his gaze with her deep green stare.

"If Graham dies, then part of you does. Willow, you mean so much to me, you’re my best friend, and I can’t let anything happen that would hurt you." Rubbing some of her tears away, he added, "And as for Katie, it is strange. When I saw her in that window, and then heard her through Cordelia, I realized that I have never felt…"

Willow placed a finger on Spike’s lips. "Please, don’t say it, Spike."

Shaking his head, he removed her finger as a single tear fell down his face. "I don’t even know her, but I love her more than I can bloody understand."

Moving her face back into his chest, Willow’s eyes filled with tears again. It wasn’t that she was crying because Spike loved her daughter. In truth, she knew that Spike would take care of Katie if he could – no matter how against the idea Graham was. The reason she was crying was loss. She wasn’t the only one facing it. Spike was too, and the fact that he was now trying to console her when his own heart was being torn touched her. He was being strong, holding her up, and she was crying for both of them.

**

As Spike disappeared up the stairs, Angel turned on Dora as Cordelia helped Graham lay back down and took over Willow’s job of looking after him. Pointing towards her, Angel yelled, "You know more than you are telling us, and I want to hear it all – now!"

Angel started to advance on Dora as Adam stepped between them, pulling out a sword from his coat. The tip, resting at Angel’s neck, Adam remarked, "You will not yell at her. We are not the ones who have prophesized this burden."

Stepping forward, Angel advanced to where the tip was actually pressing into his neck. "Don’t think I can’t advance so fast that I’ll rip that sword from your hands and ram it into your beating heart."

"And don’t think that will even kill me."

Stepping from behind Adam, Dora pushed the sword away from Angel’s neck and shook her head. "No fighting." Looking up at Angel, she started, "You want the truth, I’ll give you the truth. First of all, the Powers want Willow and Graham to be joined, to come together as one."

"But how do they do that?" asked Gunn.

Dora shook her head. "That point has been greatly debated, even among us fates."

"If you are a fate for the Powers, wouldn’t they tell you what they mean?" asked Wesley.

"The Powers That Be aren’t always to the point. They like to play with words."

Gunn remarked from the side, "Maybe we could find a way to join them together with a spell, make them like those joined twins."

From the couch, Graham moaned at the motion as Cordelia laughed, suggesting, "Or they could just do it the easy way, in the spiritual sense that is."

"And what way would that be?" asked Wesley as he rolled his eyes.

"Duh. Dum, dum, dum, dum." Everyone looked at her like she was crazy as she started singing a wedding processional. At their lost looks, she sighed and stated towards them like they were dense. "A wedding! Gosh, am I the only one in here that dreams of getting married some day."

Gunn shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

Dora smiled at Cordelia. "Actually, the girl has a point. On this plane, some religions see marriage as a joining, a coming as one in a way. The prophecy also speaks of ancient rites…"

Wesley nodded, "And some weddings would fit the description of ancient rites."

Angel shook his head, "Okay, so what about this death part? You have been stalling and I want to know why."

As Dora Kyle looked to the ground, Adam answered, "Willow and Graham are both pre-immies."

"What?" asked Graham from the couch. Even though he was weak, he was listening to everything and was trying to comprehend it all.

"Pre-immortals," answered Dora. "Once their immortality sets in, then they won’t be able to die."

Angel shook his head. "Then what does this have to do with the sacrifice and actually dying?"

"To open a door, to bring forth the key, they need to sacrifice themselves. See, they won’t become immortal till after their first death."

Graham made a choking sound and then remarked, "Already dying here, so don’t have a problem with the sacrificing thing, but one question, what’s the catch?"

"Catch?" asked Adam.

"There has to be a catch."

Dora nodded at her student. He knew her well after being her trainee for the last half a year, and could read her expression of despair. "If Willow and Graham become immortal, then they will never have the life they dreamed of. There will be no children or a carefree life."

Adam added, "Immotals can’t have children."

"By serving the Powers, all hope of that other life is erased away, therefore sacrificing more than just their lives." Looking at Graham, she added, "I know this is a terrible burden the Powers have put on you, and if I could take it away and make everything better, then I would."

From the stairwell, a voice remarked, "But you can’t. We know that." Willow walked down and joined them, her face still tear stained.

"How long have you been there?" asked Graham.

"Right around the part where Wesley was talking about ancient rites and marriage." Walking up to Adam, she asked, "One thing I want to know is this though, why are you here?"

"I have waited for both of you for years, ever since Dora spoke to me of your coming. You were predestined for this path, and I was predestined to teach you the way of the immortals."

Locking her jaw a bit and blinking up at him as she tried to hold back more tears, Willow asked, "And what makes you think we should trust you or that you are up to the task, Dr. Pierson?"

Holding out his sword to her, he remarked, "My name is Methos. I am the oldest immortal alive." Pointing to the sword that she now held in her own hands, he added, "And now you hold my sword, my life, in your hands, fore an immortal can only be killed by beheading."

Nodding, Willow walked over to Graham. Kneeling beside him, still holding the sword in her hands, she asked, "What do we do?"

Graham closed his eyes. "Skyla. Kyp."

Whispering with a shaking voice, Willow remarked, "I don’t think that life will ever be a possibility for us. If we don’t get Katie, then you may die anyways, and if we do, then…"

Coughing a bit as he pushed himself up again, Graham placed his hand on hers. "I know it isn’t the most romantic setting, but Willow, will you marry…?"

Leaning down and interrupting him with a kiss, her hot tears falling on his face, Willow nodded. "I love you, Graham."

Part Nine

Cordelia sneaked into the room Willow was staying in and noticed the red head deep in books. Her bare feet stretched out before her on the bed. A simple white dress – eggshell, Cordelia had informed everyone – worked its way up to a book. Laughing to herself, Cordelia shook her head and then walked over to the red head. Slightly pulling the book down with her fingers, giving her a view of Willow’s face, she remarked, "Studying up on the vows?"

Willow shook her head as she sighed and sat the book to the side. "No. Homework actually. I have been diving into the realm of the Shumesh civilization and others of the same type. Some of them believed in different layers of the universe, and spoke of being able to travel in between. Some believed that while traveling through these universes, loved ones could get stuck. There have been several rituals through the ages which they believed opened the door to this area, allowing their loved ones to return."

Frowning, Cordelia remarked, "And let me guess. Most of these dealt with some type of ritual sacrifice?"

Standing up and smoothing out her dress, Willow nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. Dr. Pierson and I spent quite some time this afternoon trying to take their rituals and simplify and convert them to our needs. It may not be the dark magick that sent Katie there, but hopefully it will work."

"And what about the other ritual?"

Willow turned a bit red as she checked her reflection in the mirror. Pinching her cheeks, she answered, "Professor Kyle and I worked on that."

"It does seem to be a strange ceremony." Cordelia was thinking back to the lines she had to learn.

"That is because it is a mixture of several different ceremonies. The prophecy mentioned rites, which does mean many."

"Well, I’m glad that you at least decided to use rings. That seems to make it a little normal." Smiling and resting her hand on Willow’s shoulder as she met Willow’s gaze through the mirror, she remarked, "I happen to know that even though he is doing terrible, Graham took several hours trying to pick out the perfect rings."

Willow smiled slightly, trying to settle the butterflies in her stomach as she stated, "I hope he didn’t go overboard."

Cordelia eyes flashed with giddiness. "Actually, they are very simple but yet beautiful. I think you will really like yours."

About to say something, Willow jumped slightly as there was a knock at the door. Spike’s voice asked from the other side, "Is it safe?"

Picking up a flowered wreath from one of the bedposts, she called out, "Come one in, Spike."

Spike walked in and stopped. Staring at Willow, he stated, "Cordelia, you are needed downstairs to start the circle." As the secretary breezed by him, he smiled, "Willow, you look…"

Patting her cheeks, she asked, "Pale? I look pale, don’t I?"

"No, you look beautiful. Like someone who has been pinching her cheeks."

Slapping him on the arm, she laughed. "Thank you."

Smiling at her, he offered his arm. "You’re welcome. Now, if I may have the honor to escort you…"

Taking his arm, Willow let him lead her through the room and down the hallway to the stairs of the Hyperion Hotel. Quietly walking down the stairs, the hotel only lighted by candles below in the circle, she stopped at the bottom, where they reached the opening to the ritual area. Cordelia was finishing off her lines, calling the last watchtower, activating the circle. An alter was placed close to the back of the circle, where a makeshift window – made of glass surrounded by a wood frame – stood behind it, waiting for the final ritual. Flowers and ribbon connected the four points, creating the shape of a circle. A small space was unfilled, waiting for someone to enter.

On the other side of Spike, Willow heard a stirring. Smiling, she noticed Graham standing there. He seemed to sway a little, but then was able to still himself as he closed his eyes and took in what was suppose to be a deep breath. In the candle light, his skin looked even paler than the last time she had seen him and the circles under his eyes seemed more pronounced.

Noticing that it was time to enter the circle, Spike led both Graham and Willow in. Standing in front of the alter, Dora Kyle started, "We have come together tonight for the joining of Willow Rosenberg and Graham Miller as one in marriage before the Powers. Others would ask, at this time, who gives the bride in marriage, but as a woman is not property to be given or taken, I ask simply if she comes of her own will and if she has her family of friends’ blessing." Looking at Willow, Dora asked, "Do you come of your own free will and accord?"

Willow nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Whose blessing accompanies you?"

Spike answered as he joined Graham and Willow’s hands. "She comes with me, her friend, and is surrounded by her family of friends, who also gives their blessings." Stepping back, he spread out flowers where the opening had been and closed the circle.

Dora smiled at the two before her. "All things in nature are circular. As the moon sets, the sun rises, and as the sun falls, the moon once again takes its place in the nights sky. The seasons pass by us – spring, summer, fall and winter, signifying the joining of birth and death through time. Will you walk this circle through time, to receive that which the elements offer?"

Both replying yes, they started towards the South corner, where Methos asked, "Will your love survive the harsh fire of change?" As the both answered, he handed them a small sword. "Then accept the blessing of Fire in the place of Summer. May your home always be filled with warmth."

Graham held the sword as they headed to the West corner. Stopping before Wesley, the ex-watcher started, "Will your love survive the ebbs of feeling?" Once again, they answered, and he handed them a chalice, stating, "Then accept this blessing from the element of water in the place of Autumn. May your time together be filled with love."

Taking the chalice from him, they moved to the North corner. Lifting a small bag before them, Angel asked, "Will your love survive times of stillness?" He reached out and placed the long drawstrings of the bag around Willow’s neck as they answered. "Then accept the Blessings of the Earth in this time of Winter. May your love grow strong and become fruitful."

Last of all was the East corner, where Cordelia stood with a large smile on her face. Glancing down at a candle before her, the flame seeming to dance and light up her features, she asked, "Will your love survive the clear light of Day?" Even as they answered, she was rushing through her lines, almost crying as she did so, "Then accept the blessing of Air in this Spring. May your union be blessed by the Light of every new dawn."

Taking the candle, they moved to the alter and laid the objects down. Dora smiled as she continued the ritual. Holding out a ribbon for them to see, she tied it around their wrists. "I tie this Lover’s Knot so that you walk your path as one, in light, love and respect. Is that your desire?"

Both Willow and Graham answered, "Yes," as she slipped their hands out of the ribbon.

Handing the ribbon to them, she remarked, "Within this sacred circle, you have been joined both physically and spiritually. Keep this knot as a visual symbol of your bond for each other."

Placing the ribbon in Willow’s hand, she turned to bless the rings. Finishing, she held them out towards them. Graham, taking Willow’s ring, placed it on her finger as he stated, "With this ring of no beginning or end, a symbol of my love and devotion, I thee wed."

Smiling, Willow repeated the act, slipping the ring on his finger. Mirroring the exact words, she looked up at him. He seemed to waver a small bit, but then lightly squeezed her hand and led her to the alter, where Cordelia’s candle still burned. Taking two small candles each, they lighted them from Cordelia’s candle and then lit a unity candle together, sitting their own candles on each side of it.

As Dora nodded at the two, Graham started to recite a Cherokee prayer, "God in heaven above, please protect the ones we love. We honor all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together. We honor mother-earth – and ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons."

Willow finished it, "We honor fire – and ask that our union be warm and glowing with the love in our hearts . We honor wind – and ask we sail through life safe and calm as in our father’s arms. We honor water – to clean and soothe our relationship – that it may never thirst for love. With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony and true happiness as we forever grow young together. Amen."

Dora laid a broom in front of them and remarked as they somewhat jumped over it. "In accordance with our beliefs and those who have gathered, I now declare you husband and wife. So mote it be!"

Graham leaned down and kissed Willow gently as Cordelia clapped from the side. She was so happy for them, and concentrating on the now helped her look past what was to come in merely seconds. Everyone else understood that as they also cheered, except they were feeling the coming heaviness. Separating herself from Graham as their friends weighted cheers reached them, Willow asked, "Are you ready?"

Lightly brushing her cheek with his hand, he remarked, "If something goes wrong, Willow, I want you to know, I love you."

Nodding as a tear fell down her cheek, willow commented also, "I love you too, Miller." Willow grinned as she saw him smile at her use of his last name. Stepping forward, she picked up the small sword. "Ready?"

Graham answered by walking in front of the makeshift window Gunn had made for them during the day. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the power still pooling inside of him. Accessing it and then finding the link Katie had created, he called out, "Lord and Lady hear our cry, to reunite our family tie. Through a link created in the past, call her to us at last. Let her look upon us as before, through the window we implore."

Screaming, Graham fell to the floor as pain seared through him. Still in the circle from where he had closed it at the beginning of the ceremony, Spike – along with Dora Kyle - rushed and helped Willow stand Graham back up. There, in the window before them, was Katie, looking in on them as she had before at Cordelia’s place.

Willow reached over and picked up the knotted ribbon from before. Placing her hand in Grahams, the ribbon pressing into both of their hands as they held onto each other, Willow raised their hands towards the top of the window, above her daughter’s head. Straining, she recited, "God and Goddess, Powers that Be, please accept and hear our plea. Life for life, the flowing of joined blood, wash open the doors and bring forth or life’s flood. Opening and shutting gates, through Limbo may our daughter return, signing our own fates, through sacrifice her life we earn."

Graham’s other hand joined her’s as Spike handed them the sword. Grasping at the hilt, they stabbed forth with the sword, plunging it into both of their wrists and pinning them to the top of the window. Letting go of the sword, moving it a bit as they did so, she felt Graham’s one hand holding hers. He had been so weak, that she could seem him going already as their mixed blood started to flow onto the window, coating their daughter’s features. Graham’s eyes slowly closed and he fell back into the arms of Dora Kyle. Images started to go fuzzy around her, and as Willow started to close her eyes, she felt a soft breeze around her and the sharp tugging at her wrist as she fainted into Spike’s arms.

Spike caught Willow as she fell back, close to being lifeless in his arms. Looking up at the mirror as wind seemed to pick up in the circle, he noticed that Katie’s features didn’t seem as flat as usual. All of a sudden, as he noticed Willow’s last heartbeat as a mortal, the wind picked up even more, blowing out all the candles in the circle. As darkness fell around them, there was a huge shattering noise as shards from the window blew out. A silence filled the room suddenly, as the breeze stopped. Then, in the pitch-black room, a single sob emitted, echoing against the hotel walls.

Part Ten

Willow opened her eyes and smiled as she found herself in the crook of Graham’s arm. Sighing, she let out a slow breath. A day ago she was scared that her nights with him were numbered. Then, as they forced a sword into their wrists, giving up their lives to save Katie, she had a sudden fear that Dr. Pierson had been wrong. As her life flowed out of her, all she could do was watch him, let him be the final person she focused on before taking her last mortal breath. Now, all that fear of losing him was gone as she started to move her fingers idly on his chest.

Below her nimble fingers, she felt him move and knew his eyes had turned to her as she concentrated on the patterns she was drawing on his chest, eyeing the simple ring on her hand, one silver band actually made up of two interweaving bands cuddling a small amethyst stone at the top. Actually, he had been awake not much longer than she. Not once had she looked up into his eyes to confirm her suspicions, instead she just knew. Ever since the night before, she had known almost his every thought. As he was open to her, she also knew that he could read her just as well. It was as if they had somehow become one entity, and for some reason, it didn’t bother her one bit at all.

Leaning down over his chest, she started to lick up towards his piercing gaze, every feeling she was giving him being transferred into her own consciousness. If there was one good thing about sharing feelings and thoughts, it was that their pleasure was intensified. That had been evident the night before, when after waking up immortal seemed to recuperate their tired bodies. Knowing that they had almost lost each other, they held onto what they had as the passion grew between them. Every touch, every need and want, every arousal, was mirrored in the partner. It was electrifying, bringing their physical relationship to whole new plateau.

Stopping, she crossed her arms across his chest and then looked up at him as she rested her chin on them. "Something is bothering you, but you’re keeping it locked away."

Graham nodded. "Last night, after the ceremony, we hardly got to even see Katie before Cordelia led her away."

"We were still a little hazy and Katie was so tired, she needed to go get some rest."

"Yes, but she is our daughter. Shouldn’t we be checking on her?"

Willow smiled. "And she is our grown daughter. What if she has already woken and, well, searched for comfort elsewhere?"

Graham leaned his head back and laid his arm over his eyes as he groaned. "I can’t believe you just said that."

Willow laughed above him, her chest shaking against his. "Have you ever thought that they might be good for each other, especially Spike for her?"

Moving his head back to where he was looking at her, Graham gave her a look like she was completely crazy. "Have you gone mad?"

Willow shrugged. "Spike is chipped – he can’t hurt her. Plus, as history has shown, once Spike falls for someone, he will worship the ground they walk on, taking care of them in every possible way. What else would we want for our daughter?"

"What? When did love come into the picture?"

"Oh, I think it is evident that Katie has a thing for Spike, being she did go to the lengths of taking over Cordelia’s body to be with him, and I have heard that this feeling is mirrored."

"Mirrored?"

Moving to where she was sitting up now, she started tracing lines on him again. As he shivered from her touch, she smiled lightly and started quietly, "You do know how much Spike cares for me, don’t you, dear?"

By her voice, Graham could already tell that he was going to lose this battle. "You’re his best friend, and in a way, he loves you very deeply."

Lightly playing at his chest and feeling his response through her own body, she added, "Then you have seen the way he looks at me. What if I told you that we spoke yesterday, and that look was there when we spoke of Katie, but it was intensified?"

"Then I say I should be very worried."

"Spike loves her, Graham. He knew it as soon as he saw her in the window."

Graham sighed and then hissed as her hand traveled lower and she moaned above him. As his hand snaked down her body, under the sheets, he remarked to her, "But what if he hurts her?"

Willow’s head was thrown back as her free hand gripped his arm. "Your decision," her voice commented shakily.

Reaching up and pulling her down to him, Graham stated before drawing her mouth to his, "Tell them later…"

**

Spike looked up from where he was sleeping as a slight knock woke him from his dreams. Switching to a sitting position, he rubbed his tired eyes as he remarked towards the door, "This better be bloody good to wake me at such an hour!"

Graham opened the door and slipped through. "It’s three in the afternoon."

"Vampire. Sleep during the day. Ring any bells in that Cro-Magnon man brain of yours?"

Frowning, Graham remarked, "You missed Passions."

"Damn, you know my schedule."

Motioning to a chair in the room, Graham asked, "Can I talk to you about Katie?"

Spike nodded once and commented, "I know how you feel about us, and I promise not to go behind your back. If you don’t want me to…"

Graham shook his head, knowing Spike was either lying or saying he would openly date her. "I think you’re misunderstanding me. Willow and I discussed it, and if you two want to be together, then we will support you."

Mouth dropping open, Spike remarked, "Are you bloody sick or something?"

"Just did that, fine now… Don’t want a repeat performance."

For just a few seconds, Spike remained speechless. "It was the spell, wasn’t it? Something went wrong, and it warped your brain."

"Don’t get me wrong, Spike. I still don’t like you. I think you are terrible for her. However, there may be a chance you’ll make her happy, and that is what matters." Leaning forward, Graham added, "But if you hurt her in any way, I do know how to use a stake and Willow won’t stop me."

From the door, a demanding voice asked, "What is going on here?"

Standing up, Graham looked over at his daughter for the first time since Cordelia had helped the weak and tired girl to her room the night before. The worn Katie was gone, and the girl Graham had remembered raising was back. It was strange looking at her now, though, with eyes that matched his age. It was different, and running his gaze over her form, he realized that even though he raised her, the relationship of father and daughter had changed drastically. As she looked at him, scrutinizing, with her now rebellious blue-green eyes and ran a hand through her wild curly hair, Graham remarked, "I was telling Spike that Willow and I have agreed, that if you and Spike decide to explore the idea of a relationship here, then we will be supportive of that wish."

Suddenly smiling, Katie walked up to Graham and wrapped her arms around him. Hugging him gently and giving him a peck on the cheek, Katie thanked him. "Dad, thank you so much for all of this."

Hugging her back lightly, Graham stated, "It’s your Mom you should be thanking. The only reason I’m the messenger is because we thought Spike might realize how much we mean it if it came from my mouth."

Looking at Graham with a serious look on his face, even though his eyes were laughing, Spike commented, "I hope you know this doesn’t change a bloody thing between us, soldier boy number two."

Graham smiled before turning and leaving, "Don’t expect it to, and you will never believe what happened to Timmy today on Passions…"

As the ex-commando walked out of the room mid-sentence, Spike murmured, "Bloody poof," and then turned his gaze to Katie. He wasn’t sure what to say, and the air of confidence and not caring seemed to melt away. "Look, I’m not him and because of that, you really don’t know me, but I must be truthful with you. When I look at you, no – looked at you – even the first time, uh…" Running his hand through his bleach blond hair, he finished with, "Bloody hell, even I knew there was something about you, something spe…"

In only a few quick strides, Katie descended upon him, cutting him off with a kiss. Pulling away, Spike slowly smiled, the twinkle in his eyes taking that of a predator almost. Licking his lips, he said huskily, "I don’t know you and you don’t know me, don’t know what I am."

Katie motioned with her hand magickally, the door behind her magickally closing and locking on its own. Her own eyes, matching the emotions of the desire his held, roamed over Spike’s body before locking onto his own. Smiling, she commented before straddling his lap, "Well that, my love, is where most of the fun lies."

**

Graham nodded as he shook Angel’s hand. "It was nice meeting you."

Angel just shook it with a straight face. "Likewise, I guess there are some good people that worked for the Initiative."

"I didn’t think you liked Rye."

"I wasn’t talking about him and you know it."

"Yeah, well, I’ll take that as a compliment and won’t tell Riley."

From the side, Cordelia remarked, "Is it just me, or are they great with the stoic broody face?"

"Not a smile in sight," answered Wesley, standing on the opposite side of Willow than Cordelia.

Willow shook her head. "Now, I know for a fact I have seen them both smile, it just doesn’t happen often."

Changing the subject, Cordelia asked, "So, what did the yummy cute Dr. Pierson all about earlier?"

"I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that, and he called to say Professor Kyle and him talked to our other professors to make sure we had excused absences. However, tomorrow, it is back to class."

"At least that gives you tonight."

"Nope. We have to train when we get back. Professor Kyle wants to see how much our merge has changed our powers."

Pushing up his glasses, Wesley added to the conversation, "Well, scholastically speaking, I think it would be interesting seeing you two work as one entity."

Walking up to them, Gunn slapped Wesley on the back, asking, "Do you ever get away from the scholastic side of things?"

Cordelia shook her head. "No, he doesn’t."

About to retort, Wesley was cut off by a voice from the stairs, "What are we bloody waiting for? One more minute away from peaches is one more minute close to home."

Katie laughed as she made her way down the stairs. First going to Cordelia, she, she hugged her lightly. "Thanks for the clothes."

Cordelia smiled, "You’re welcome. That robe you were wearing wasn’t all that stylish." Nodding, Katie stepped away and acknowledged the guys. "Angel, it was nice seeing you again and it was nice meeting you, Wesley and Gunn." Eyes resting on Gunn, she added, "And thank you for the croissant breakfast sandwich."

The word croissant had barely escaped her mouth as Cordelia stepped around Willow, threw her arms around Wesley, and forced her lips to his, kissing him passionately. Watching the watcher struggle and then quickly give in, Gunn started laughing. The corners of Angel’s mouth drew up as Graham just gave up and smiled. Shaking her head at her daughter and Katie’s co-conspirator, Gunn, Willow started to laugh, not able to look cross at all.

As Cordelia pulled away, looking confused, Gunn ran to the door, where Willow and Graham’s bags were waiting. "On that note, where do you guys want these?"

**

"Miss Rosenberg! Miss… Mrs. Miller!"

Willow looked up through the haze as someone shook her back to reality. Glancing up at the concerned face of Dr. Pierson, Willow turned red and hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. Holding it against her forehead, she pressed against it as she shook her head. "I can’t believe I’ve done it again. The only two times I’ve fallen asleep in class, and it has to be yours."

Methos laughed as he sat down in front of her, turning to where he was facing her. "Well, I would have you write another paper in place of the class time you missed, but since you didn’t learn your lesson the first time…"

"Look, I’m really sorry. I have just been so busy since I got back, between writing the paper from last time and training under Professor Kyle, I just haven’t had any sleep, and I thought I was used to late hours, but you know how it is, when you are actually doing training along with the all nighters." Willow paused in her line of thinking as Methos reached out and halted her.

"Graham called me before class and said that you had been up until five working on this paper and that Professor Kyle started working you two early yesterday. I understand."

"Come again?"

"I said I understand. Just realize that you need to start getting some sleep at night. I would hate for you to sleep through some of my more important class time."

"I understand, Dr. Pierson."

Methos smiled. "Good, now onto your and Graham’s training schedules with me…"

Willow groaned and dropped her head back to the desk. "Will this training ever end?"