The weird, scaly demon had Wesley pinned to the ground. He struggled to loosen its grip long enough to grab the axe lying only a few feet away.

He head-butted it, and it reared back a little. Wesley reached over again, but the demon roared and pinned his arm before he could even touch the handle.

Suddenly, the demon let out a high-pitched scream and reared back even further from Wesley. The ex-Watcher could now clearly see a sword protruding through the demon's stomach.

Someone pulled the sword back out and the demon fell to the ground, dead.

It was Xander. He offered Wesley a hand, and he took it. When Wesley was standing up again, he bent down and picked up the axe.

"Hello, Xander," Wesley said. "Nice of you to drop in."

"No problem," Xander said, offering him a lopsided grin.

"Where are the others?" Wesley said, seeing Anya a little ways away, keeping two demons from joining the group circled around Gunn. Angel was still fighting the flying demons, although there were quite a few them already lying on the grass. Several other demon bodies were already on the ground, including a lot of hellhounds and piles of dust, but Wesley could still see even more demons coming out of that portal. He wondered if there was any way to close it.

"They're getting Oz and the others out," Xander answered. "Anya and I came to help you guys. Come on, let's go help the black guy out."

"Charles Gunn," Wesley corrected as he followed Xander.

*****

Maria ran down the dark corridor after the English guy, his friends, and Kyle and Liz. They hadn't run that far, but she was already starting to get cramps. She held her hands on her stomach and rubbed, trying to ease the pain.

Or were they cramps? Maria frowned and glanced down. Hadn't Max said that Tess had some problems before she left Earth?

"I see some light! Up ahead!" Kyle announced. Maria looked and saw an opening at the top of these old, worn-down stone steps. Artificial light shined down through it.

"We must be almost there," Oz decided.

Maria's heart beat in anticipation as they climbed the steps. If a hair was missing on Michael's head, Valence was so dead.

The stairs turned right and kept going. After a long flight of steps that made her stomach feel like it had a bullet wound, they reached a corridor. On the left, was a large window and a door. On the right, were two doors. Peering inside one of them, Maria saw that it was another stairwell. Kyle reported that the other one opened into a normal hallway into the second floor of the house.

Giles, Willow, Liz, Tara, and Oz were staring out the window at something.

"Is that what I think it is?" she heard Oz ask.

"If you're thinking it's a space ship, I'm thinking 'yes,'" Willow answered.

"It's a space ship, all right," Kyle answered, joining them and peering down.

"It's big," Tara commented.

"Extraordinary craftsmanship," Giles remarked.

"Where are they?" Liz asked.

Maria come over and looked down.

They could see the backyard of the property. An alien craft similar to the granilith was using it as a landing pad. A high, tin roof had been constructed to hide the alien craft that had landed on the grass. The roof was dismantled and the tin sheets lay on the ground, but the poles that had held it up were still in place, so they could look down from that two story window and see the ship. It was much more elaborate than the granilith could ever be. Alien symbols ran in patterns around the hull. The metallic surface seemed to be smooth in every crevice. She couldn't see a door or a window anywhere.

Maria opened the window. She leaned out as far as she could and looked down. She discovered that a back porch was directly below them. And then the cramps got so bad she had to pull back or risk loosing her balance and falling out the window.

She gasped at the pain, pulled herself back through the window and slid to the ground.

"Maria!" Liz said as she and Kyle rushed over.

"What's wrong?" Oz asked as the Sunnydale residents turned to them.

Suddenly, Maria felt something that she knew wasn't a cramp. The baby had laid its foot against the inside wall of its pouch. She felt it give a little kick.

"Oh my God," Liz said, looking at Maria's stomach. "Maria, your skin is glowing."

Maria glanced down. Her belly was considerably bigger than it was a few hours ago. And that wasn't all. A silver light, coming from Maria's stomach, shone through her shirt.

She slid her shirt up off her stomach to get a better look.

Everyone gasped when they saw the tiny hand on the inside of Maria's belly.

Below them, on the porch, they heard the back door open.

*****

Lewis glanced out the living room window at the carnage on the front lawn. None of the vampires that he sent to that fight were still alive. Twenty out of fifty-five demons were still fighting the vampire, seer, Wesley-he was surprised to see that fumbling Watcher was still alive-, and three other humans. All of the winged demons and the hellhounds were either dead or had escaped through the portal.

The only vampires still alive that were on the property were himself, the souled one fighting the demons on the front lawn, and the handful of vampires that were escorting the aliens to the ship.

Finishing up his tally, Lewis thought about the next course of action. To keep him and his followers alive, Lewis had agreed to work for Valence two months ago. As soon as those alien teenagers were off the planet, that agreement would be over. Valence had bought Lewis's "loyalty" through a bounty, and he wouldn't get that bounty until the aliens had left.

They were losing. Lewis knew he had to get out soon or he'd die, too. The bounty was important to him, but he could find the address to that warehouse with or without Valence's help. He had two hundred more vampires waiting for his instructions in Arizona. They'd find the warehouse in no time.

With that decided, Lewis crept down into the cellar. He'd wait to see if the address showed up on the piece of paper. Then he'd go through the Ghost Roads portal and head for Arizona.

He'd start searching in no time. And then, when he had all the right ingredients, he and his minions would start a ritual that would affect the entire world. It was so powerful, it could possibly affect Valence's home planet that was so far away.

He smiled to himself. He would invite Rupert "Ripper" Giles along for the ride. Then he'd know what would happen to him when he left his best friend in the service of D'Hoffryn.

*****

Willow, Tara, Giles, Oz, and Kyle stood up to get a better look at the yard below them. They were as silent as possible. Maria tried not to scream, but the baby was causing her too much pain to say nothing. Her breath came out in short, frequent gasps. Liz had to hold her hand over her mouth.

"Get them in the ship-now!" They heard Valence say.

Liz peered over the window sill to see what was going on.

They watched as Valence walked into the yard. Directly behind him came several vampires escorting Max, and more figures began to appear.

Tara reached into a pocket and took out a small jar.

"Can you perform that spell we discussed?" Giles asked quietly.

The two witches glanced at each other. "We think so. We'll need to get closer, though," Willow answered.

"Very well. Kyle and Liz, stay here and protect Maria. Oz, you and I will go with Willow and Tara and guard them while they cast the spell on Valence." He nodded at Tara. "Create the diversion."

Tara poured the jar's contents onto her hand and blew it off her hand into the Los Angeles night. Then Willow repeated the spell she used earlier that night, "Oh great Apollo, God of the Sun! Grant us light, full of peace and goodness, to ward off the dark, full of warfare and evil!"

Instantly, a ball of sunlight appeared in the middle of the yard, right above the ship. All seven vampires burst into flames.

They screamed and forgot about their captives as they tried to find a place to hide from the unexpected sun. One by one, they turned to dust.

Max grabbed Michael and they ran for the porch door. "Isabel, go! Go!" Max shouted at his sister, who was still on the porch out of sight.

"Let's go," Giles said. He, the two witches, and the werewolf took off down the second stairwell.

At the bottom, they immediately located the back door as Isabel came running through.

She froze when she saw them. "It's okay, Isabel. They're friends."

That was enough for her, at least for now. She turned back and started motioning at her brother and Michael. "Come on! Hurry!"

Max and Michael were already on the porch. Right before they walked through the door, it slammed shut of its own accord.

Giles, Oz, Isabel, Willow, and Tara tried to open it to no avail.

"Guys," Tara said, grabbing their attention when she noticed something happening.

The door slowly turned to metal. Then the surrounding wall changed into something metallic. The door's cracks melded into the wall, and a few minutes later, metal sheets replaced the windows until the entire wall was a long sheet of steel.

Oz banged his hand against it, looking for a hollow spot he doubted he'd find. Surprisingly, his hand made a dent in the metal, but it straightened out immediately.

"He's turned the entire wall into the metal that was used to construct that ship. No human tools can break or bend this stuff," Isabel announced.

"Can you get through it?" Oz asked.

"Not without my powers. Valence turned this device on that prevents Max, Michael, and me from using our powers. I don't know how Valence can still use his."

"He isn't. The energy need to use his alien powers was drained when he accessed Valence's knowledge of magic. He's using magic now," Willow said.

"Where is this device?" Giles asked.

"Upstairs somewhere. I'm not sure where."

"Oz, could you get Kyle and go look for it?"

"Sure," he said. He glanced at Willow, Tara, and Isabel before taking off up the stairs.

*****

Max and Michael slid to a halt when they saw the door slam shut, separating them from Isabel. They glanced at each other, unsure what to do.

Then they went flying back through the air. Max tried hopelessly to stop his body from propelling through the air, but to no avail.

They slammed into the ship, making dents that fit their bodies perfectly. The ship instantly straightened out, making them fall to the ground on their knees, winded.

From above, Liz saw what happened. "Max!"

"What? What's happening?" Maria asked, frantic. She had to do something. But her baby prevented her from even standing up.

Down below, Max got painfully to his feet, ignoring the pain as much as he could. He thought a few ribs were cracked. He hoped nothing else was broken, although his ankle also felt pretty bad off.

He limped over to where Michael was trying to stand. "Michael, we've got to go." Max yanked him to his feet. He was so bad off he didn't mind leaning against Max for support.

Max wrapped Michael's arm around his shoulders and glanced around. Valence blocked their way to the porch, not that getting there would help much.

"Get in the ship," Valence ordered.

*****

Upstairs, Kyle and Oz left two bedrooms and met back in the hallway. "Nothing," Kyle said.

"We've still got the library to look in. Come on." Oz took off through the last door in the hall, and Kyle followed.

Kyle headed for the closest bookshelf, while Oz started going through the pile of books on the coffee table. He moved over several books on spell casting before he found a metal pentagon.

"Is this it?" he held it up for Kyle to see.

Kyle took it from him and studied it. "It better be. We’ve got to get this to Isabel." He raced out of the room with Oz on his heels.

Kyle passed on by Liz and Maria on his way downstairs, but Oz stopped to peer out the window. "How are they doing?" he asked them at the same time he saw them.

He watched Valence advance on Max and Michael, while the two aliens looked for an escape route.

"We need to help them!" Liz said frantically.

"The device is off!" Kyle called up from the first floor.

"They need a diversion," Oz said. He took out a stake. Then he took aim and threw.

It landed on the pile of tin next to the ship. Valence instantly turned in its direction and raised his hand. All of the tin pieces instantly flew through the air, colliding with the dense foliage bordering the property before falling to the ground.

*****

Max and Michael watched as Valence made the tin fly through the air. At the same time, the back door on the porch burst open from an alien blast of power.

Willow and Tara ran through the door. Following them, were Giles, Isabel, and Kyle. The latter three ran over to Max and Michael and started moving them toward the porch.

"Wait! What are they doing?" Michael asked, trying to go back.

"They're going to perform a spell. They need as much room as possible," Giles answered. "Come on. Quickly."

Willow and Tara stopped one hundred yards from Valence. He started turning around. Willow started the incantation.

"Blind Caspia, hear us out! Make what he sees within not the same without!"

"Cloud his eyes with what his heart wishes to see."

"As we command, so shall it be!"

Suddenly, surprise played on Valence's face. Then a smile of satisfaction replaced it as his attention turned to the ship.

Willow and Tara walked over to the porch and into the house, both looking more worn out than they were a few minutes ago.

"What did you do?" Max asked, curious and suspicious of the two women.

"We cast an illusion spell," Tara answered.

"Right now he thinks you guys are boarding the ship over there. The spell should last until long after we're gone," Willow added.

"So he doesn't know we've beat him?" Michael asked, surprised.

Willow shook her head.

"Where's Maria and Liz?" Michael asked, glancing around.

"Over here," Oz said, coming down the stairs behind the two girls.

Everyone looked. The three aliens were surprised to see Maria's slightly bigger stomach, especially Michael.

Michael walked over to her. He stared at her stomach before meeting her eyes. "Maria? You're-"

She nodded and smiled. "Yes. I'm pregnant."

Max looked at both of them. "It's yours, isn't it?" he asked Michael.

Maria nodded. "Yes. It was two nights ago. I don't know why it's developed this much so fast."

"That's because it's half alien," Michael said. "Alien pregnancies take only a month. And they can't survive on Earth. That's why Tess had to leave."

Maria glanced from him to Max, eyes wide. "But-it's half human, too. Do-do I have to leave Earth, too?"

"There must be some way around that," Liz said, hoping there was.

They heard an engine, and everyone looked outside to see the alien ship powering up. Valence was standing nearby in the grass, speaking into a pendant on a chain around his neck.

"If it is, that's our ride," Michael said.

"I am sure Ms. DeLuca doesn't have to leave Earth," Giles butted in. "You do have more resources to use now that you have our help."

"So I don't have to go," Maria said, relieved.

"Maybe not," Max said. "But I do."

"What?" Isabel asked.

Max turned to them. "Tess still has to be stopped. And I need to rescue my son." He turned back to look at the ship. "I'm leaving on that ship."

"No, Max," Liz said, stepping forward. "You can't."

"Liz, I have to."

"And what? You're going to give yourself to Kivar?" Isabel asked, angry and scared. Kivar would kill him. She didn't want to loose someone else that was close to her. "That won't do anyone good, Max."

"Listen to her," Liz pleaded. "Think. Kivar wants you dead. If you go back, he's not going to let you leave with your son. We can come up with something else. Just like we'll help Michael and Maria's baby survive on Earth, we'll figure out a way to get Tess. But we need you to do it, Max."

Max looked at her, then at the ship. He knew she was right. He glanced away, tears stinging his eyes. "I can't let him be raised by her."

"We won't let that happen," Liz promised, squeezing his hand.

*****

Valence watched with contentment as Isabel, Michael, and Max entered the ship through the door he opened. He couldn't remember how Isabel got there, or where their friends had gone, but it didn't matter. His control over this body would loosen in only a few minutes, and he had completed his mission. When he returned to his own body, Kivar would be pleased with him, and he would have a home to go to. It was his rightful home, away from this weird little planet. He couldn't wait.

He voiced a few commands to the ship through the device on a chain around his neck. A few minutes later, the ship was powered up.

He watched as it lifted off the ground. When it was a few thousand feet in the sky, it began to spin, faster and faster until the patterns decorating its hull were indistinguishable from the rest of the hull. A few minutes later, it was only a spec in the sky, until it disappeared from view and passed through the atmosphere.

"It's done, your highness. Zan, Rath, and Vilandra will be back on the home planet shortly," he said through the device.

Kivar answered, "Well done, Toren. You may return now."

Valence took the device off the chain around his neck and destroyed it by casting a spell. Then he cast another one to make the address to a Los Angeles warehouse appear on Lewis' slip of paper.

Then he let go of months or work and began to let go of his human host.

As he felt himself leave Valence's body for good, he turned and looked back at the house. And then received the shock of his life.

Max, Michael, and Isabel stood just inside his house.

But it was too late.

Valence looked around, wondering where he was. He couldn't remember how he got there. The last thing he remembered was driving to his house in Arizona to meet the head of a vampire cult he wanted to do business with.

He could see people just inside the house in front of him, but didn't approach them. Years of depending on himself had taught him not to trust just anyone, even if he was a very powerful mage.

He turned and ran around the house, searching for a car.

*****

Gunn, Cordelia, Anya, Angel, Wesley, and Xander watched as the demons they were fighting turned and ran back through the Ghost Roads portal. "They're certainly leaving in a hurry," Cordelia commented, brushing some demon slime out of her hair. She frowned at it, mentally calculating up the number of shampoo and conditioner bottles she'd have to go through before she got that out, before dropped the strands back down with a sigh. This had definitely been a big enough distraction as far as she was concerned. If the next few months were filled with Angel's brooding and no clients, she would be very, very grateful.

Xander and Wesley picked themselves up from the ground after being knocked over. "I think I want to take a long nap after I take a nice, long shower," Xander said, examining his own clothes and hair.

"You said it," Gunn said.

The front door opened, and Willow, Tara, Giles, Kyle, Max, Michael, Isabel, Maria, Oz, and Liz walked through, all looking as exhausted as they felt. "It's over," Michael announced, taking Oz's word for it when he said they were friends. He was too tired and too shocked by the idea that he was a father to think clearly. "Toren is gone, and Valence won't bother us anytime soon."

"It's not completely over," Giles said. "Lewis is still out there."

"Let's go to my place," Angel volunteered. "Everyone can sleep there tonight. I've got plenty of rooms. Then tomorrow we can talk."

"Sounds good to me," Willow said. Everyone else agreed.

"We'd better call Dawn and the Sheriff and let them know what happened," Liz said, getting out her cell phone.

Michael helped Maria over to the car. "Are you sure you're all right? The baby isn't hurting you anymore, is it?"

"I'm fine, I promise," Maria assured him. She cupped his face and pulled him close. "We'll find a way to keep our baby alive. I know we will." Then she kissed him.

Oz and Willow stood off to the side, glancing shyly at each other. "It's hard to believe Buffy's really gone," Oz said.

Willow looked away. "Yeah. It's been a shock to everyone."

A silence stretched between them again. "So, you and Tara..."

Willow nodded. "I love her. And I don't want to leave her. But I still care about you, and I'm glad you're all right."

Oz smiled, a little sad. "Same here."

He reached up and pushed a lock of hair off her face. "If you want to be with Tara, I respect that."

Willow nodded. "I do."

Oz smiled sadly again, then turned and walked away.

Max looked up at the star-filled sky in the direction the ship disappeared. He knew everything would be all right. They'd find Tess one day and rescue his son. He wouldn't rest until he did.

THE END

Author's Note: I intend to write a sequel to this, but I don't know when, if ever, it will be finished. I hope you enjoyed "A Distraction" and please e-mail any comments you may have to sword_girl@lycos.com.