TITLE: Ageless Moments

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PART 1
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Ever heard stories so outrageous that if you were told later that they were true you wouldn't believe it? Well, my grandchildren did. They grew up listening to Spike tell them stories.

They love my step-daughter very much, though they really have no memories of her at all, except those that her friends and their father have told them. Angel, Spike and Oz have the most, and they sat down and wrote them all down once, as a present for Joyce.

There was so much about her daughter that she didn't know. She turned right around and let the twins read the book as soon as she was done. They were about thirteen, I think. Brightest children I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

I helped with the book, and there's some memories of mine from when she was a Slayer and I was her Watcher. I looked at the book once or twice myself, but it hurt too much. I still miss her, even after these 18 years.

The twins are staying here for college, because it's safer and they really don't want to leave. They help the Slayers who come through here, as does Spike and their father, sometimes. I've been retired as a Watcher, which is fine with me, and I'm a teacher at the college.

Wesley, the twerp, had enough sense to put Spike in my place until another could be found who would willingly work with a vampire. I say, there aren't many of them around.

I hope he never finds a replacement. It'd serve him right.

It's strange watching everyone grow old, except Spike and Angel, when he comes to visit the twins. It's been...seventeen years since Buffy's death. Eighteen since the twins were born and Buffy and Oz got married. Twenty four years since they graduated from high school, they being Buffy, Oz, Cordy, Xander and Willow.

Over a quarter of a century since this whole thing began. The numbers are hard to grasp at times. Sometimes I think it all happened yesterday, and other times it seems so, so long ago.

It's been so long...so very long.

Both Will and Anne graduated at the top of their class...literally. They were both valedictorian. It was a great moment in their lives. Unfortunately, their graduation was during the day and Spike had to miss it.

But everyone else came. Cordelia and Angel had come back, even though Angel wouldn't be able to attend. Willow and Xander were there as well. And the two gave a joint speech that had everyone crying, but those of us close to them had the most emotion.

"Hi," they said into the mike together, eliciting grins from the large audience.

"Well...we hadn't really planned a speech. so we'll just talk," Anne said. "But...tonight..."

"Is a special night," Will finished. "Almost 25, 26 years ago, our mom and dad graduated from this school. As did their friends. Our mom was voted the Class Protector, the one and only until recently."

"Last night, the seniors had their awards assembly. We shared that award, as Class Protectors, as we share almost everything," Anne said. "We are the protectors of this graduating class, and we're proud of that.

"So, as most of our classmates are scrambling to leave Sunnydale in the dust, we want to stay. We could have gone to any school in the world, but we love Sunnydale. It's our home. Bad, creepy things and all," Will continued.

Anne laughed and continued. "We want to protect the town, just like we protected our classmates, and just like our mom did before us."

Will nodded. "We weren't even a year old when she died. But thanks to our dad, and Willow, and Xander, and Angel, and Cordelia, and our grandparents, we felt like she was always there with us."

"But thanks to William, we knew her the way most of the town did, as someone who would fight for what was right," Anne finished. "He's not related to us, but he helped raise us and told us how our mother was every time we asked."

Will stepped up. "The point of all this rambling is that...they were friends in high school, some of them. And because they were able to hold onto their memories, no matter how painful, they were able to give us a sense of who we are and where we come from."

"And since they could do that, we got to know a mother that was not here. So, the moral of this ramble is, keep a hold of your memories. They may be more precious than you know," Anne said quietly, blinking back tears.

Afterward, when we played the speech back for Angel and Spike, they were speechless. They showed little emotion, though, and it worried us, all of us.

They sat through the entire tape of the graduation, just watching.

"Never got to have one of these...never saw the point of it," Spike said quietly. "You're lucky." Angel nodded quietly.

"But that speech...it was pure genius and very...heartfelt," he said quietly, not looking up from the screen.

"And it's...important. That people know. You did Buffy proud," Angel replied.

"Yes, your mum would have been happy," Spike finished.

I don't think I'd ever seen the twins look so...happy, in all their life. It was enough to make you forget the hardships and remember just the good times, just the ageless moments in life that you hold with you forever.