Gabriella

Author: Joy

Email: [email protected]

A/N: This isn't a S/B but it is a love story for Spike. I think anyone who would like to see Spike be treated well by a love will like this story.

A/N2: PLEASE REVIEW

            The Magic Box was in shambles when Spike reentered it for the first time in months. The Scoobies still didn't want him around really but he was useful…paying penance was what he decided was best for the time being. The group had assembled to research a bit since one of Buffy's prophetic dreams seemed to indicate a new power entering the area.

            "Let's just see what we can find," Xander stopped mid sentence since there was a beautiful blond woman standing in the middle of the store.

            The woman stood five' five not chunky but her curves made her certainly not a stick. She was twenty-five at most and absolutely stunning. Her thumbs were hooked into the front of the belt loop to her jeans. Long wavy blond hair with a hint of red graced the sides of her face that hung over her breasts toward her waist. She tilted her head to the side training the brightest blue eyes on the group. "Hi Spike," she said quietly.

            Spike stood completely still opening and closing his mouth like a fish. "Gabriella," he whispered almost breathlessly. He went to her immediately picking her up off the ground clutching her body for dear life. His lips brushed hers hard then soft. Setting her down he stroked her cheek for a moment. "She said you were dead…She said she killed you."

            They stared at one another for a minute before she stepped out of his grip. "Oh…congratulations on the…" She ran her fingers down the front of his chest. "That whole soul thing." She sighed, "I'm sorry I couldn't be here to help before now… I wasn't ignoring you. Life has been a bit chaotic… Um…I have a surprise for you… and a problem I could use some help with."

            "I didn't even know you were alive. I thought I was just… you heard me?" he spoke completely shocked. "How did you…"

            "Mum!" A teenage boy came out of what was the training room with a cup of blood and a root of some sort in hand.

            "THAT ISN'T YOURS!" Gabriella shot over to the boy facing him ignoring the stares of the Scooby gang. "You don't take other people's blood without permission whether it's in their refrigerator or in their body! You know that."

            "There wasn't anyone to ask!" He spoke in a decidedly English accent. The teen was at least five' ten with blond brown curly hair that was put up in spikes with the tips dyed blue. Black t-shirt, black jeans, and black nail polish finished off the look. He had high cheekbones and brilliant blue eyes. 'Pretty Boy' was a fitting description of his physique while he had pierced his eyebrow to mar the effect.

            "It could have been laced with Holy Water," she contended.

            In grand teen eye roll fashion he stated, "Doesn't work on me now, does it?"

            "Doesn't matter! Where did you get that?" Gabriella pointed to the root.

            "In the cellar. It smelled good. I tasted a bit…nice and spicy. They didn't have any Wheatabix," the boy protested.

            "I give up!" she grumbled throwing her hands up. She turned to the group, "Do any of you mind him having the blood?" They shook their heads in bewilderment. Gabriella turned back to her son, "Go hit the bag okay." He nodded heading out of the room.
             Gabriella caught a bit of Spike's shocked expression. He was putting the pieces together but the equation was still adding up wrong. "Will?" The boy looked up. "Come here a second." He shrugged and stood before his mother. "These nice people don't know you so I'm going to ask you questions to help them get to know you."

            "The question game…this is fun," he smirked sitting on a stool.

            "No… More like twenty questions."

            "That bites. Why does it matter if these wankers know me? We aren't staying long," Will groaned.

            "Bare with me," Gabriella insisted. He nodded non-commitally. "Okay… What's your favorite type of music?"
            "Punk…though techno is gaining momentum… Hey can we go to a rave when we get to LA?" Will asked quickly.

            "Depends on how much of a smartass you are on this trip. Besides that would mean finding someone to look after…"

            "Right… Raving will commence when it can," he gave a classic smirk raising the eyebrow that was pierced. "Next?"

            Gabriella didn't look at the group at all. "What's your favorite band?"

            "Sex Pistols…no Underworld…no Chemical Brothers… That's too hard a question… Sex Pistols."

"Movie?"

            "SLC Punk!" Will said with great enthusiasm. "Wonderful soundtrack."

            "I thought you would have said Sid and Nancy," Gabriella commented.

            "Old Punk story… SLC is a new punk story," he wagged his eyebrows.

            "Why did you start putting Wheatabix in your blood?" she asked.

            Will stiffened immediately. "Next topic," he growled. Gabriella growled back. A whole conversation past between the two without a word. Will had his head bent down having submitted to Gabriella's authority. Spike watched the altercation instinctively aware that the boy wasn't quite a vampire but wasn't anything he had ever seen before, then again no vampire was really like Gabriella either.

            "If you don't want to say that is fine…" she relented to which her son gratefully brought his eyes back to hers. "Where's your favorite place in the world that we have lived?"

            "In London. I got Charlie," the teen smirked, "who gave me Joy."

            "Cryptic much," Dawn whispered.

            "Avoiding Charlie… Where?"

            "Still London. It was the place that was home the longest. I did love Liverpool. It was really wicked to go where the Beatles went. Prague was cool. I never did figure out why I felt at home there but uneasy at the same time," Will commented. Gabriella gave Spike a sideways look. It seemed she had kept tabs on where he had gone since they had parted.

"What's your favorite part about me as your mom?" she asked sweetly.

            "I will always have the hottest mom of all my friends. Their mothers age. Mine stays a hottie for eternity," Will laughed as Gabriella kicked his leg lightly. "Besides you take me to the best concerts… And an rave occasionally."

            "You know my rave rules so don't act that happy."

            "What? I can't just enjoy the fact that I get to go to a party that lasts for hours playing my favorite music. Or is it that it's the only place you let me play," Will paused letting his fangs descend. He did remain remarkably human in appearance. "Though I have to keep my fangs to myself."

            "That's not all you have to keep to yourself," Gabriella chided.

            Will raised his hand in mock pledge, "No drinking, smoking, doing drugs, doing girls, or biting people." He then saluted. "I will take up my post in the back, General," he announced pacing off to the back.

            Gabriella trained her eyes on Spike in a second, "You owe me big! I didn't get a little William; I got a little Spike. Temper tantrums were hell."

            "It's not possible," he gasped dumbfounded.

            "Really… Ever ask Dru why she chased me all over the world for nearly a year before you two patched things up?" she asked simply.

            "I thought you were dead…And Vampires can't have kids."

            "Vampires also can't retain their souls when they're turned but hey I'm standing here. Cross round my neck doesn't burn me nor do I turn to ash in sunlight. Hey…Will was baptized as a baby. Cooed the entire time. I've never had a problem taking communion either. I am the exception to the rule…why would my kid be any different?" Gabriella stated plainly.

            "Brie! Even if you could, I can't!" Spike insisted.

            "Really. Talked to my beloved sire recently. He's got a little baby of his own. Connor is all human of course and both his parents were completely vampire," she informed him.

            Spike's face fell, "When did Angelus have a kid?"

            The Scoobies all turned to Buffy to see her reaction…that was plainly shock. "Angel…dear…Angel. Created me when he was Angel. Created Connor in the Womb of Grandmother as Angel too."

Spike breathed erratically, "Why didn't you tell me? I may have not known you were alive but you sure as hell knew I was if you knew about Prague and the soul."

"First off…I never made any claim to have known anything about Prague. Secondly that is William talking. Spike knows that Dru would have killed me and Will right quick if we had gotten even close. Cause whatever she wanted to believe; I was still the exception to the rule. You wouldn't have killed me for her even if she asked. You may never have loved me but I was the closest thing to a Childe you ever had. I would always be special enough that you would not hurt me…not even if you thought I cheated on you," Gabriella spoke smoothly.

Spike strolled closer to Gabriella…too close, "Who says I never loved you?"

"I'm sorry… I guess I figured that little rational part of the thought that if you loved me you wouldn't have immediately started bedding the woman who supposedly killed me," she countered precisely.

The Scoobies stood in silence taking in all that was happening. "Giles?" Buffy whispered. "Who is that?"

"I believe someone the Council has been trying to detain for years."

Gabriella abruptly turned on the watcher. "Detain…I believe the word you are searching for is dissect. How bout this? Kill, maim, capture, impregnate… wait you did manage that didn't you? Got your precious little one… You can't have her! She is my daughter and no one is going to take her from me."

"What is she talking about?" Buffy questioned.

"Please Mr. Giles, tell your little girl all about the organization that would sooner kill her then have her continue to run rampant…kind of like Charlie. Did you know Charles, Rupert? I know Wesley did. He had the decency to try to offer me help and asylum from the very council that employed Charles and also killed him."

"I didn't know Charles personally only by reputation… I didn't know he had been murdered. I am not surprised though… What can we do to help?" Giles responded quickly.

"Hey watcher…I just found out I have a son. Can I have a minute or two on that subject?" Spike snapped. Giles bowed his head apologetically. "Does he know?"

"He will soon… He'll begin to feel more and more at home until he starts remembering your memories then he'll come in and beat your ass," Brie warned.

Spike smirked, "I think I can handle a teen." Ella just laughed. "You don't think so."

"I think you don't know your son. When he's pissed he's… hard to control."

"I got over a hundred years on you."

"Won't help. I promise."

Will stormed in from the training area. "Is this why we're here?" he growled pointing at Spike in disgust. "Dad would not want us to have anything to do with him."

"Dad is dead," Gabriella stated firmly. "And you're wrong. Charlie told me to come here. He knew we would need help from my family… This is where we have been heading since his death." Spike glowed that she called him family.

Will set his jaw and glared at Spike. "The questions were proof. That's why you wanted me to tell them about the Wheatabix!"

"Yes."

"This is the place. The place I am stuck with in my head. God, I hate it here. You hate it here. This god forsaken place," Will groaned and lunged at Spike. Gabriella caught her son by the throat and threw him firmly across the room landing him at the feet of the Scooby gang.

"Don't!" Brie warned. "We are not going to have a dominance display here. I will always win that battle so sit down and cool off."

Will sat for a moment huffing. "What the bloody hell are you looking at?" he snapped at a gaping Xander.

Will stood up and looked each Scooby over angrily. He hadn't seen Buffy, since she had backed away from the scene. He didn't see her until he stood in front of her… Will's eyes got round and scared. He shook for a moment before he crumbled to his knees. Suddenly Will was mewling like a hurt animal, whispering over and over, "I'm a monster. I'm a monster. She said so. She always said so…No one could ever love me."

Gabriella was at her son's side in a second. What everyone failed to notice was the small mite of a girl…little blonde child approaching the scene. Her little hands pet Will's head over and over. She kissed his forehead. "I love you Will," she whispered.

The child looked up at the faces above her. "Mummy…the mean lady is staring at Will."

Gabriella nervously looked at Buffy, "She's not a mean lady."

"She beat up Will," the child insisted.

"She beat up Will's dad," Ella corrected.

"It hurt Will. He was covered in bruises for days because of what she did. She did it even when Will's daddy didn't do anything bad…She is a mean lady!" the girl snapped. She stared at Buffy; "You get away from my brother right now!"

Buffy's breathing was hitched as she backed away. Nothing that happened in the last several minutes made any sense. He had always loved Druscilla. He had always been with her. Buffy shook her head staring at Spike who was watching everything play out. Even with her in the room Spike had gone to this woman on instinct. No hesitation or worry what she might think. He just went to Gabriella, picked her up, and kissed her without a thought to Buffy.

 Everyone was very confused by Will's actions. "No one will ever love me," he mumbled rocking back and forth. "I'll always be a monster." Buffy heard her words coming from the boy's mouth. She watched how it tore him up. She had never been concerned how it would hurt Spike but now seeing how it injured another she wondered about what she had said.

"It's okay baby…Shhh…" Gabriella soothed her son. Will met his mother's gaze and pushed her off him. He raced for the backroom. "No… WILL STOP!" She tried to hang onto him. He broke free of her grasp.

"What is he doing?" Spike asked following his son and the boy's mother.

"He's about to give himself second degree burns again to 'get clean'!" Gabriella yelled flaring her arms in the air before reaching the bathroom.

Steam billowed out of the door when Brie pulled it open and fought her son to get him out of the burning water. "I'm sorry baby," she said before knocking him out with a sharp punch to the jaw. She bit her lip as she watched her son sag in her arms. 

Spike turned off the water with one hand and steadied his former lover and son together before sinking them to the floor. Gabriella wrapped Will in towels she grabbed from the bathroom, rocking him back a forth. "Does he do this a lot?" Spike asked.

Buffy listened from the door of the training room. Gabriella believed it was just them when she said, "Since the first time in the house with that…I hesitate to call her a person…out there. My god Spike, I don't care how much you love someone you don't take that kind of physical and verbal abuse from anyone. I know you gave as good as you got at times but man why would you take that from her…" She gazed at him kindly, "She may understand a lot about vampires…but she can't see you for more then the sum of your parts. Your soul…it was just an excuse. I can't imagine how she would react if she found out about me." Gabriella smirked, "Angel always did have a thing for blondes, didn't he?"

"You were more than some blond Ella."

"Yeah…I was the blond singer in the blues club the night he got wasted and decided he wanted a new mate…a new plaything. And then what? Morning regret. Torn conscience and soul. He took my life, my virginity, and supposedly my soul. He didn't even have the decency to stake me. He left me to rise alone, hungry and needy."

"Ella…" Spike sighed.

She gazed at him, "You were there. You took care of me. When we figured out I still had my soul…that's why I couldn't eat people that was okay. You got me blood bags…" She chuckled, "Man if she could have seen Angel, the stalker rapist, then things would have been a lot different."

Spike stared deeply in her eyes, "It would have been a lot different if I had known you were pregnant."

Gabriella shook her head, "You would have thought I cheated on you."

"You don't know that."

"Come on Spike! The only reason you even believe me now is because you can see him and how much like you he is. You would have wanted to kill me if you thought I was pregnant by another guy. You wouldn't have done it but you wouldn't have listened."

"Listen to me…I loved you more then anything. You left and I thought I was going to die. I never felt that way with Dru…"

 Gabriella looked down at Will as they continued to dry him off. "He used to date. He used to like girls his own age…nice girls. Now he afraid of most of his teachers especially women that look like… her. He can take a vampire four times his size and seven times as old in a heartbeat but face a small woman that yells and he dissolves into nothing. I'm going to be lucky if he'll ever date again."

She gave Spike a small smile. "There is a girl in London that he still calls and emails a lot. That picked back up after your whole soul process…that I am seriously pissed at you over. I did not like having my son bleeding from every orifice of his body while his eyes and chest glowed. That was really fun in a Motel 6 let me tell ya."

"How does he know…see that stuff?" Spike whispered drying his son's hair with a towel.

"Born with it. He's always seen you and your life, sometimes clearly, sometimes not. Joy's the same way."

"Joy being the little girl that isn't mine," Spike checked with a bit of a sneer.

"Nope… Charlie is…was her father," Gabriella looked at her hands.

Spike took one of them and said, "What's going on Brie?"

"Joy isn't just a little girl. She's a dhampire with some of the most amazing talents and instincts around. I am not sure what she is or what she'll become but the Powers gave her to me and she will stay with me until my dying day," Gabriella stated firmly. "But the humans aren't too keen on that."

She stood getting clothes out of a duffel bag near by. "Help me with his clothes please," she asked quietly wanting him out of his wet garments.

Spike nodded removing Will's shirt, drying off his chest. "You named him William?" the new father whispered pulling a long t-shirt over his head

Gabriella nodded removing Will's jeans. "He doesn't wear underwear either," she commented putting the sweatpants around his hips. "It is so weird to watch him grow up and pick up these things that are so you. I mean the music thing was just weird."

"Has he been happy?" he questioned.

"He always wanted a dad…and when we met Charlie he got one," she said simply. Spike looked at his hands. "Hey don't feel bad. He always had you in his head… Sometimes you would think of me and he was high for days. It translated into love for him. The last few months have been really hard with all the slayer stuff, then Charlie being murdered. He would feel guilty when he would get happy about your thoughts of me since they've happened more often. It was like he was being disloyal to Charlie by being excited that you still cared about me…i.e. him."

"Did you love him?" Spike asked softly looking down unable to meet her eyes.
            "You don't get to do that," she said swiftly. His eyes met hers. "You don't get to act jealous or hurt that I was married."

"You were married?" he asked.

"Yes… Charlie and I were married for seven years."

"What'd you do? Marry him right after you met him?"

"Yes," Gabriella agreed. "Will adored him and Charlie adored Will. He was a Watcher and could keep us safe…or so I thought. I learned to love him. Joy was a nice bonus."

Spike shook his head holding his son's head in his lap. "You got married to give Will a father? I would have been his father. I always wanted family…you could have learned to love me again."

"That was seven years ago Spike. You were traipsing through Russia at the time…and Druscilla was still on your arm. I wasn't about to let that woman anywhere near my son," she ground out.

"Our son!" he snapped back.

Gabriella picked her son up and laid him on the coach in the training room. She touched his forehead softly before kissing it. Turning back to Spike she stated clearly, "My son! No one else's. I am the one the Powers gave extra strength too to be able to handle him. I am the one that has cared for him his whole life. I am the one that has been on the run to protect him from all those out there that wish to kill the 'freak'! I appreciate the fact that now that you have a soul you feel cheated by not knowing him, but I did what was best for my son."

Spike stood up strolling to her angry, "My soul has nothing to do with feeling cheated. You were my everything. You made me look at all the parts of myself that were still human. You made me strive for the light. You are the reason I haven't gone absolutely insane with this chip because I already knew how to feed without victims. We would have worked it out…you should have at least tried. And I have been 'chipped' for the last couple years and without Dru even longer. You could have told me then."

Gabriella dodged all relationship questions. "Why? Will was in school doing well. He had a father that he called Dad. He had a baby sister he loved more then life. Adding you to the mix would have only confused things. Besides Will always could have reached you and he chose not to. I respected that… That is why he's pissed now. I took away his choice. He didn't want to face you…not yet."

Spike growled getting so close to her that his cold breath hit her face. "You are avoiding the point! Why didn't I know you were alive?"

"Did you ever stop to think maybe I thought you wanted me gone? Maybe the fact that you took up with Druscilla again showed me where I stood. Maybe I didn't know she told you I was dead… You didn't make an effort to find me, so I thought you didn't want to," she growled back.

Spike was too mad to really listen, "You come here now because of another man's child and expected me to help."

"No…I came here to stop the end of the world! I came here to give you a shot at being a good father! I came here to give you the chance to see the boy that has been responsible for saving your life time and time again!"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Spike spat.

"Do you honestly believe you could have survived a 'god's torture without help? Do you think that your heart was unaffected by his soul? Do you think for one second that every moment of everyday since he has been born you haven't benefited from his love? He is the reason you're still here. He is the reason she can't kill you. He is the reason you want an actual life. You owe your son everything," Gabriella laid it out plainly. Spike's eyes were wide with surprise. "He has bore your pain. He has chosen. He loves you even though he's never met you before. You want pure unadulterated affection. You have it. His name is William after you or more accurately your human side. Your soul. Your love. Everything good in you before and after your death resides in him."

Spike stared at his son kneeling beside him. He gazed on all his features and saw himself…or at least what he remembered of what he looked like. A tidal wave of emotions crashed over him. Love…He loved this boy…his son just like he loved Gabriella. It was so intense it hurt. A tear rolled down his face completely in awe.

"You have no idea how weird it is love someone so much that looks like someone you should hate," she whispered. Spike's eyes came back to Gabriella. "He would do these little things. His smirk, his eyebrow raise that were so you and still him. It was so confusing to love him so much… He was such a little hellion. The first time he bit someone in anger I went to punish him and he was doing your pouting sulky thing. I had to laugh. I could just hear you say, 'The Wanker deserved it!' I held him to me and cried… You were so good to me…I just…"

Spike got off his knees and drew Gabriella into his arms. "Shhh…" he hushed. "I'll do whatever I can to help. You're my family," he said lightly as Gabriella began to sob. "Don't have to be strong right now… Let me take it." She fell apart clutching him with all her strength. He sat them down on the floor resting her head to his shoulder wrapping his arms around her middle.

TBC…