by Jill
Disclaimer: let me check ... nope, still don't own them. Sigh! I'm not making any money off this. Parts of this are taken from the Angel-season-3-episode, "Dad". The episode was written by David H. Goodman.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: B/A (strong in this part!), and the usual pairings from the show
Distribution: my site (http://www.never-ending-love.de), Land of Denial, if you have any of my stories, take it; anybody else tell me where it goes
Timeline: This is set into canon, in an attempt to make the whole series more B/A-friendly. Well at least it started out like this. As B/A are together now, I was forced to make some changes. You'll see them as soon as you read the story.
Spoilers: the whole B/A-canon to be sure, follows loosely "Midnight Angel","Midnight Whispers", "Midnight Rainbow", "Midnight Hour", "Midnight Memory", "Midnight Protector", "Midnight Letter", "Midnight Encounters", "Midnight Eyes, "Midnight Lovers", "Midnight Kiss", "Midnight Song", "Midnight Rose", "Midnight Velvet", "Midnight Sun", "Midnight Shade", "Midnight Secrets", "Midnight Star", "Midnight Dance", "Midnight Wind", "Midnight Storm", "Midnight Fire", "Midnight Breath", and "Midnight Wishes". You should probably read it to understand this. And you should have seen season 6/3 or at least read the transcripts (http://www.psyche.kn-bremen.de), or you won't know what they're talking about.Summary: Buffy is still in L.A., because Angel won't let her back with Spike still luring for her (God, how I wish it would happen in the show - heavy SIGH). So she's involved in the whole Connor-deal and besides, remember, she's pregnant herself ... And there's still Lilah and Holtz, sooooo ...
Feedback: oh yes, please
Dedication: To the great Babblers! You always make my day!!!
Note: this story replaces the Angel-season-three episode "Dad". Several lines are taken from this episode. (see Disclaimer)
Note 2: I know "Dad" takes place right after "Quickening", but for this story, and for the sake of B/A-ness it doesn't. This takes place some days after "Midnight Wishes".
Note 3: For this series, the whole baby-naming and the visit at the hospital with the doctor was before Buffy even came to L.A.
*****
Coming down the stairs, Buffy's eyes swept over the lobby, taking in Cordelia at her desk, Gunn standing near by talking to her, while Wesley and Fred were nowhere to be seen. He was probably in his office, doing whatever he was doing. She grinned inwardly at the image. She still had problems seeing Wes as the one in charge. Although, he'd always liked being in charge, hadn't he?
She took a deep breath, realising she hadn't felt that good for a long time. Being away from all the trouble at home, talking to Willow and Dawn again, and ignoring that Spike even existed. Those were all things the Slayer needed desperately at the moment. She still had problems dealing with her current status. She still had a hard time to understand why Spike had been able to hit her without feeling any pain from the chip.
She and Angel had talked about it. Butso far they hadn't told anybody else. Spike's words that she came back wrong still haunted her, made her thinking. But being away from Sunnydale, joking with Gunn or even with Cordy, realising that there were problems beside her own, and finally and most importantly having Angel - and Connor - around 24/7 was the best medicine. Without even realising it she relaxed, had almost been startled when she'd slept ten hours straight last night.
Maybe, she thought now, looking at Gunn and Cordy again, she was on the right track back to her old inner self.
"Hey, morning beautiful lady." Gunn looked up, grinned.
"Morning." Seeing Cordelia roll her eyes at Gunn's words, Buffy grinned back, "Thanks for the compliment. Hey Cordy. Anything going on?"
"No, not really." The brunette didn't bother to look up, busied herself by shuffling through papers. "Where's Angel."
"Right behind me." The Slayer disappeared for a moment, then came back holding a cup of black coffee in her hand. Inhaling the scent she sighed, "This is heaven."
"It's decaf," Cordelia commented. And at Buffy's raised brow, she sighed, too. "Angel made me buy decaf. Said you weren't allowed to drink regular."
"He did?" A smile spread over Buffy's face. "Isn't he sweet?"
"*I* went to buy it, *I* had to go to the shop, and she thinks he's sweet," the brunette muttered.
"Of course she thinks I'm sweet," came Angel's voice from the stairs where he was descending, holding the baby in his arms. "That's what girlfriends think of their boyfriends."
"Oh God," Cordelia groaned, turning away. "This is too much."
Buffy and Angel ignored her, exchanged a loving smile instead, while Gunn tried to hide his grin. He didn't have to be a genius to see that Cordy was suffering from a case of jealousy. It had nothing to do with Angel romantically, but all with having been the center of attention for a long while and suddenly finding herself pushed in the background by a baby and a pregnant Slayer.
"Ah. There you are."
They all turned and saw Wesley, with Fred in tow, coming from his office, holding a cleaver-like instrument.
"I don't even want to know," he said, eyeing it suspiciously, but held out his hand, wanting to take a closer look.
"We found it a week ago," Wes informed the others, handing the instrument over to Gunn. "I've been trying to find out what it is."
Fred looked over Gunn's shoulder, her eyes wide, "You think you could throw it?"
"I guess," he replied with a little frown. "Why?"
Pointing at a spot behind him, Fred shouted, "There!"
Turning Gunn saw a demon leaping over the railing outside the glass courtyard doors. Ignoring Cordelia's scream, the demon came charging in. Throwing the cleaver, Gunn shouted, "Bogie at the back door!"
Angel, wrapping the baby more protectively in his arms, turned away, shielding the child with his body, while Buffy instantly went into slayer-mode. Her body rigid, all her nerves alert, she stood back-to-back with Angel giving the Baby even more shelter.
Gunn on the other hand threw the cleaver, and it buried itself into the demon's chest, while Wes had fired a bolt from a crossbow, he'd grabbed instantly at Fred's warning. It hit the demon at the neck and the creature broke down.
They all relaxed, and when Buffy turned her head to look at Angel she saw him looking at her sternly.
Irritated, she put her hands at her hips, "What?"
"You're not going to fight anymore," he said matter-of-factly.
Her eyes widened and she stared at him in disbelief, "Huh?" Angel sighed, shifting Connor on his shoulder. He didn't want to fight with her, but he had to make her see reason, "You're pregnant, Buffy," he said quietly, giving her a slight smile.
"And?" The Slayer still wasn't able to follow his thoughts.
"You can't fight anymore. It's too dangerous."
"I'm not that far along," she protested, "I'm in good fighting shape."
He sighed again, "That's not what I mean. Sure you can fight. I just ... don't want you to."
"Oh," she made, understanding dawning in her eyes, "I see. Well, welcome to the 21st century, Angel. Women do work all the time while they're pregnant. They have their babies, then go back to work."
"Actually," Wesley cut in, "Women always did it. Even when Angel grew up." He deliberately ignored the vampire's glare.
"Not my mother," Angel's voice was firm. "When she was pregnant with my sister she was pampered and cared for. She wasn't even allowed to carry a bowl of water during her pregnancy. Besides, slaying can hardly be described as 'work'."
"Last time I checked it was exactly my job description," Buffy retorted, getting angrier by the second. There were certainly advantages having a 200+ boyfriend but sometimes she wanted to just smack him. "Not in your dreams, buddy, I'm just leaning back. I'm a woman of the time. I work. And slaying is my job. It's too early for a maternity break."
Patting her slightly swollen abdomen with one hand, she looked at Angel, "Besides, unborn kids are very perceptive for their mother's moods. So most important thing? Keep mommy happy. Let her slay."
Angel stared at her for a moment, then closed his eyes, sighed. There was no way he could win this argument, he realised. And thinking back on it he hadn't really won a lot of arguments with her anyway.
Gunn grinned watching the two, then leaned over to Cordelia, "It's as if they're married already."
Not looking at him, the brunette misunderstood completely, "It's disgusting. I know."
"I was about to say it was incredibly sweet, but ...," Fred was watching the couple, too, a dreamy smile on her face. Her world had just shifted she realised. Somehow she had deluded herself into an image of Angel and Cordelia together. But somehow, she had to admit, Buffy fit him perfectly. Even more so, Angel seemed genuinely happy ever since Buffy had come to L.A.
Ignoring Cordelia's glare, she sighed happily when she saw Angel smiling at Buffy and then the Slayer stepped on her toes, leaning in for a kiss. They were the perfect family, at least in Fred's romantic eyes. Mom, dad, and the child.
*
"Angel," Wesley stepped into his office,not even bothering to raise a brow, when he found the vampire with his son, changing diapers. They would have to get used to things like these, he realised, surprised he didn't mind. He had never been good with kids, but somehow Connor had already found a way into his heart.
"Sorry," Angel smiled apologetically, nodded at the desk and the baby, "I needed the space."
"Of course," Wesley hurried to say, "It's just, we could need your help when you're finished changing the baby. Besides," he sighed, grinned slightly, "Seeing that you nearly had sex on my desk, I shouldn't be surprised that now there is a baby."
Angel stared at him blankly, his thoughts travelling back to a broken kitchen table and sex in between food. "Huh?," he asked confused.
"You and Darla," the former watcher explained a little bit confused.
"Oh." The erotic images of a naked Buffy on the kitchen floor coming to a screeching halt, the vampire was grateful he couldn't blush. "Oh, that," he nodded, shifting his eyes back on his son. "Well first of all *that* wasn't really me. That was some guy who switched bodies with me. And second of all," he lowered his voice to a whisper, cupping Connor's ears at the same time. "Can we keep the S-E-X talk away from my son?"
Wesley couldn't help grinning, then, stepping closer, he picked up the pack of diapers. "Do you need help?"
"Uh ... no, Wes. I know how to change a diaper. I had a little sister when I grew up." He sighed, cursed under his breath when the fasteners yet again slipped from his fingers. "At least I knew how to change a normal one with pins. It's these newfangled fasteners."
The former watcher's gaze turned thoughtful, "Do you know these diapers are lined with a space-age material originally designed for NASA astronauts? Hmmm, interesting." He put the pack down, grimaced, "Though now I'm picturing grown men in nappies and am rather disturbed."
"Ah," Angel had his full attention on the baby. "Okay, got it. You're all ready now, aren't you?"
"Is he?"
The vampire's face split into a smile and picking up Connor again, he turned towards the new voice. "How's Dawn?"
"Fine," Buffy replied, nodding at Wesley, then grinning when Angel deposed the used diaper into the former watcher's hand. "She's doing fine." The phone call with her sister had been okay. There was one thing though that was bothering her. "Spike seems to lurk around the house a lot," she added.
Concern entered Angel's eyes, "Is he bothering them?"
"No, obviously not," she shook her head, then sighed. "I wish I could just stake him, or ask you to do it, but ...," she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders helplessly.
Shifting the baby on his right shoulder, Angel put his left arm around the blond, "I know. It's not that easy. He helped you. Whatever his intentions were, it's a fact he helped to protect Dawn. And you feel you owe him."
"Yeah," she replied, grateful he understood. "And Dawn ... Dawn genuinely likes him. She thinks of him as a friend. She would never forgive me, if ...," she sighed, "Damn. I wish Dru came back and took him with her."
"No thanks," the vampire muttered. "Had enough of her for a while."
"Sorry." Buffy reached out, stroking his cheek. "I almost forgot."
"It's okay," he assured her quickly, then remembered Wesley who was still near by, obviously uncomfortable studying the floor. "How's the list coming?"
When the watcher didn't react, Angel probed gently, "Wes? The list? Of those who might be interested in Connor?" "Oh. Of course." Wesley cleared his throat. "We've divided it into two categories," he explained, walking towards the lobby, where the others were waiting in front of a dry erase board.
Wesley dropped the diaper on the way on top of the counter, "Column one groups or individuals," he went on, indicating the board, "that we know pose a threat to the baby. Holtz, Wolfram & Hart, the vampire cult that attacked us at the hospital. Column two those who *could* pose a threat, once they get wind of the baby."
Angel nodded, walking towards the board, "Order of Philius, Beltar the Cremator-," he paused, glanced first at Buffy, who shook her head ever so slightly, then shifted his eyes towards Gunn, "Frank?"
"Local mobster, specializes in kidnapping," the African-American explained.
"Ah," the vampire nodded again, when the baby in his arms began to cry. "What, what, what?," he asked, looking at the child. "What is it? You can't be wet again. I just changed you. Ah - hmmm, are you hungry? I got a bottle all ready for you." Walking away from the others, he looked towards the counter. "Where did I put his bottle? I had a bottle all ready for him!"
Shaking her head, Cordelia sighed loudly, then hurried over to the counter, picking up the bottle and handing it to the vampire.
"Okay," Angel gave her a slight smile. "Here's your babba."
Buffy raised a brow, mouthing the word 'babba' into Gunn's direction, who just shrugged and grinned.
"Take your babba. You just take it like this," he explained to the baby, lifting the bottle and making sucking noises. "You drink, and you're happy."
But instead of obeying Connor continued to cry.
Sighing, Gunn walked over to his friend. "Angel, why don't you let me take him for a while. I helped raise my cousin since she was about a week old."
In response, Angel pressed his son closer to his chest, ignoring Gunn completely.
"I'll take him," Buffy came to stand in front of her boyfriend, holding out her hands, and without hesitation, and with a grateful smile on his face, Angel handed the baby over. Making cooing noises, the Slayer began to walk the lobby, the baby instantly calming in her arms.
Cordelia watched the exchange, saw Angel smile at the blond with the baby in her arms, exhaled a loud breath, then threw up her arms and was about to walk away when the vampire's voice stopped her.
"Cordy? What's wrong?"
She turned, slowly, "Wrong?" Her voice was unnaturally high. "What ever could be wrong? What could be wrong when you don't let anyone of your friends even touch your son, but with Buffy it's okay? You wouldn't even let Fred and I go out with him, but as soon as Buffy came to L.A. we could take him - with her. But of course we were good enough when you left to save your precious Buffy. Well, thank you so much for your trust." Her chin came up and she glared at him, hurt evident in her eyes.
Feeling instantly bad about it, Angel stepped forward, but when the brunette held up a hand, he stopped. "Cordy-", he started softly, but she cut him off instantly.
"Don't Cordy me," she warned. "We're your friends Angel. We're the one who took you back after you fucked your sire, after you betrayed us, and now you're shutting us out - again." Daring him to disagree, she looked around, "We all feel it. Don't we?"
"Uhm ... well ...," Wesley stammered, taking a sudden interest in the pattern of the floor.
"I'd like to hold him sometimes," Fred agreed, then amended instantly, "But I don't really mind. I mean, I'm not part of the team that long, and ..."
"I don't have a problem," Gunn said, grinning inwardly when he saw Cordy's glare shifting at him.
"Traitors," the brunette hissed. "Well, whatever they say. I think your attitude stinks."
"I'm sorry," Angel said softly, "Cordy, I didn't do it to hurt you. But," he nodded towards the board, "at the moment Connor is the top priority for a lot of dangerous subjects. It's important that he's protected all the time. And you've gotta admit that Buffy can protect him. She's the Slayer after all."
"I can see *that*," the brunette replied, "But we're not exactly helpless either. I mean, Gunn can fight, and he trained me. Wes and Fred, now I can see where this is a problem-"
"Excuse me," Wesley interrupted her firmly, "Since when are you the expert on fighting? I had training when I became a watcher. I certainly qualify more for protection than you."
"Oh please. Don't forget I've seen you fight. Not impressive."
"Thank you so much," the former watcher said bitingly.
"Okay, that's enough," Buffy came to a halt with the group, the baby now sleeping peacefully in her arms. "Shouldn't we stop this, and concentrate on the list? Instead of insulting each other we could try to find a way to protect Connor properly. And if I may add, we should even expand the list."
"Expand?," Wes asked, in full watcher-mode again. "Yeah," she replied, handing the sleeping infant to Angel. "Because of him - or her." She stroked her belly again. "If Connor already got that much attention, I wonder what all your 'friends' are going to say about a baby of a vampire and a Slayer. Besides, we still don't know how it was possible in the first place."
*
Linwood slumped back in his chair, never leaving the surveillance monitor out of his eyes, "According to our highly - and I'm now thinking somewhat overpaid translators, the Nyazian Scrolls said the child would never be born. And yet - here he is."
Lilah, who was standing near by, raised a brow at him, "According to our sources Darla staked herself. So the baby wasn't actually born." She sighed, turned away from Linwood, looked at the screen, "Anyways. I think this unborn baby of a Slayer and a vampire is even more interesting. It isn't in any of the prophecies. And I wonder why. I thought we had all the bases covered."
Linwood raised a brow of his own, "I never guessed you were a sports fanatic. But you've got a point here. We still don't know enough about the unborn child. As the Slayer isn't completely human either, but certainly not inhabited by a demon, it'll be interesting to see what comes from that union."
"I don't know. Somehow I'm not very much in favour of super-strong heroes," Lilah retorted, "We already know Angel's first child is part of the Nyazian Scroll. It's supposed to be strong, and dangerous for us. For our plans."
"What are our plans?," Linwood mused, talking more to himself.
She ignored him, went on, "But we cannot even take a guess what this baby might do to our plans."
Suddenly Linwood stood, grabbing a picture of Holtz from his desk, "I want everything there is on this character. He's a new player. He slaughtered some of our best-trained men. He's gonna be a problem."
Lilah stared at him fro a moment, then sighed, "We're locating him, sir."
"That's good," he replied, "Very good. And preferably before he locates us."
*
Wesley cursed under his breath, as the book he'd been reading landed with a loud thump on the floor. "All bloody useless," he muttered, reaching for the next. He was getting nowhere with this.
He looked up when he heard a noise from the door, and smiled seeing Buffy there. "Ah, Buffy. Come in, come in," he invited, getting up, pulling out a chair for her. "Is there something I can do?"
She accepted the chair with a nod, sat, then began to worry her lower lip with her teeth. "I ... uh ... don't know where to start."
Sitting down again, Wesley gave her a smile, "Well, maybe you should start at the beginning?"
She smiled as well, but it was only brief. "It's ... this is ... I talked to Angel about it, and he said I ... could talk to you. God," she released a breath. "This is ... not easy," she laughed a bit uncertain. "There was a ... an incident ... with Spike ... in Sunnydale. Shortly before Angel came."
"I see."
"Yeah, well. It was ... we ... were fighting. And he hit me. He hit me without problems. No chip-induced headaches. Nothing. And then ...," she swallowed, "he said it was me. That I ... came back wrong."
"Came back wrong?" Wesley tilted his head, "You look the same to me. Well, apart from being older than the last time and ... well, quite obviously, pregnant."
Buffy laughed slightly, and it sounded more relaxed then before. "Thanks. That means a lot. But it made me thinking. I mean there has to be a reason for this. Spike was never able to hit me before. I mean before I ... died. And now he is. I don't understand it. And it scares me. And although Angel doesn't say anything, I know it scares him, too."
Slowly, the former watcher nodded, "Okay. So Spike was able to hit you without pain. What about other humans?"
"The chip works. I saw it myself."
"I see." He got up, walked over to a bookshelf, looked at it thoughtfully, then without taking a book out, he turned and looked at Buffy, "I don't know what it means - yet. But I promise you, I'm going to find it out. And I'm going to contact Mr. Giles. I'm sure we'll have the answers in no time." He smiled assuring, hoping desperately he wouldn't disappoint her. Besides the fact that he hated to see her in distress, she was also the Slayer. It couldn't be good for the fate of the world to have a scared Slayer. She released another breath, stood with a smile, "Thanks. That's great." With a nod, she turned and left his office, almost bumping into Lorne who was just coming down from upstairs.
"Ah, just the beautiful blond I was looking for," he exclaimed. "I had a good night's sleep, and I already thanked Angel for it. And now it's your turn," he said, holding out his hand. With a slight frown Buffy took it, and her frown deepened when she felt a paper slipping into her palm. Lorne shook his head almost imperceptibly, then smiled. "You have to look at the janitor's closet. I just sent Angel there. It's a great room."
Not quite understanding what he was getting at, Buffy looked at him for a moment, then nodded, leaving into that direction.
"Now, Wesley, the mighty watcher, what's new in L.A. this morning?" Lorne summoned his best grin, hoping Angel and Buffy would find a way to deal with what he'd found out.
*
Holtz gave the dead bodies of the Grapplars a last glance, then walked over to a computer. "We can find information using this box - correct?"
"Yeah," Sahjhan replied, trying to hold his annoyance with his ally at bay. "What do you wanna find?"
"I need information about a girl. A tiny, blond girl who was carrying the child. There was something about her. She wasn't ... quite normal."
"A blond girl?," Sahjhan let out an exaggerated sigh. "God, now you're starting to stalk women. You were brought on to kill Angel, not to follow your sexual urges."
Ignoring the other man (ghost), Holtz kept his eyes on the screen. "Show me how to find information in here. I promised you to kill Angel, and I will kill Angel. But we need to know as much as we can about his friends. It will serve our purpose."
"Fine," Sahjhan sighed, cursing yet again his ghostly existence that prevented him from doing the job himself. "Tell me what you want to find."
*
"The world is a sick place," Cordelia stared at the computer screen, shaking her head in disbelief, "You know there are already three websites offering money for the baby?"
"Yeah, isn't it terrible," Fred agreed, staring at the board with the names of the possible enemies for the baby. She turned and raised a brow when she saw someone entering the hotel. "Isn't there a spell or something protecting the hotel?," she asked nobody in particular. "How come she could just walk inside?"
Cordy looked up from the screed, a smile instantly splitting her face, "Willow, I'm so glad you're here."
"Hi, Cordy," the redhead greeted her. "Hi, Fred."
"Willow."
Buffy came rushing from the back of the hotel, hugging her best friend. "I'm so glad you could come so quickly. It's getting tense around here."
"Yeah, I kind of saw it," she glanced over her shoulder towards the entrance. "Pretty tricky spell. I had to use quite strong magic to get past it. So, uh, there are people after Connor?," she asked.
"People, vampires, demons, evil lawyers, even resurrected vampire hunters," the blond answered, "Take your pick."
Willow's eyes widened, "That's a long list."
"We even wrote it down," Fred said, pointing at the board.
Giving the other woman a short irritated glance, the redhead gazed back at the Slayer, "Where are the others?"
"Gunn went off getting ammunition, Wes is researching, and Angel-." She cut herself off, when at that moment the vampire appeared again, holding a crying Connor in his arms. She had a hard time keeping a straight face at his desperate expression. He was simply adoring with Connor. "I don't know what his problem is," he said, nodding absentmindedly at Willow, "You take him," he handed his son to Buffy and instantly the crying subsided.
Angel gazed at her feeling lost, "I don't get it. The moment he is with you, he stops crying. Maybe it's the body-heat, or the heartbeat, but Darla didn't have a heartbeat. He can't be used to it." "Maybe it's just breasts, Angelcakes." Lorne came from Wesley's office. "He's a man. A very young man, granted, but still a man. I sleep much better with a pair of warm goodies near by."
The women chuckled at that, but Angel looked sternly at the demon, "Why is everyone determined to corrupt my son s-e-x-u-a-l-l-y," he asked.
"Hey, for a baby a breast has nothing to do with sex," Cordelia said, grinning, "It's just mommy. Breast is mommy. Maybe he's just decided that Buffy is his mom."
*
Angel's car fishtailed around a corner, Buffy on the seat beside him, holding Connor, while Willow was sitting in the back, chanting rapidly. The demons, and vampires that had attacked the Hyperion hotel just before, were in rapid pursuit. A Hum-vee demon pulled out of another street to cut them off, and Angel wrenched the car aside to turn away from all of them. "How is he?," he asked concerned.
"Fine," Buffy replied, glancing at Connor, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. "He's with me, after all," she added grinning at him, then grabbing the door-handle with one hand to steady herself. "Are you okay, Will?"
"O-okay," the redhead retorted, trying to hold the spell book in one hand, the scented candle she'd lit before in the other, while the car sped up, down a highway and past a sign reading Lancaster 16 and Mojave Desert 42. "You know," she said, "I ... I've sworn not to do magic anymore. At least not for a while."
"That's SO not the time for fighting magic addiction," Angel gritted out, trying to keep the car from turning over when he took a sharp turn to avoid the Hum-vee ramming him. "It was the magic we were calling you for."
"I know," she shot back, turning the page, cursing under her breath when the hot wax was dripping on the book. "I just wanted to point it out. Just in case if someone," she looked at Buffy through the rear mirror, "is going to scold me for it - later."
"I won't," the Slayer said firmly, then couldn't avoid a scream, when the Hum-vee rammed the front of the car. From the corner of her eye she saw a sign 'Danger Abandoned Mine. No Trespassing', passing by.
"Here we go," Angel muttered, exchanging a glance with Buffy.
Willow closed the book in her lap, "Alright. I've completed the protective spell for Connor. It holds for 48 hours. Whoever gets him, they won't be able to harm him during this time."
"Thanks," Angel sent her a strained smile through the rear mirror. He drove past an abandoned shack and through the boards closing off the entrance of the mine. Behind them the pursuing vehicles came to a halt in front of the mine entrance, while the vampire, the Slayer, and the witch descended into the main mine shaft.
They came up against a tunnel entrance nailed shut with boards. As the first pursuers descended into the pit of the main shaft, they ran to another tunnel mouth, only to find it blocked by an iron gate.
"Damn," Buffy muttered.
They turned to face their pursuers, and Angel looked at the baby in Buffy's arms. "Could be worse. At least he's not crying."
She couldn't help but grin, "Yeah. Seems we're going to fight after all."
"Or not," Willow said, stretching out her hands, her eyes turning black. "Hold," she shouted, and an invisible barrier seemed to build up in front of the pursuers they couldn't pass.
"Advanced witches really come in handy sometimes," Angel commented, looking around. "How long will it hold?"
"Only for a few seconds," Buffy retorted, remembering Willow doing a similar spell to hold back Glory. "And she's going to be exhausted afterwards."
"Seems we're going for plan B then." The vampire shifted a backpack from his shoulder, reached inside. "Okay, you, go," he said, looking at his girlfriend. She nodded, ran away, and he turned his head towards Willow, "Let them come."
At his order, she lowered her hands, slumping down into his waiting arm, and the vampires and demons broke through.
"Give us the baby!," they screamed.
"You want the baby? You can have the baby," Angel shouted, tossing the wrapped object in his hand in the middle of them. They all scrambled for it, while Angel tossed the unconscious Willow over his shoulder, then rode the rope up to the top of the shaft. Buffy was already waiting for him there, Connor safely tucked in her arms.
Throwing Willow on the backseat, Angel jumped on the drivers', and floored the accelerator, the mine exploding into a big ball of light behind them.
*
"I still can't believe Wolfram & Hart planted bugs all over the hotel," Gunn leaned back in his chair, holding a glass of wine in one hand.
"Not just bugs," Cordelia sipped from her Martini, "They installed cameras as well. Yuck. Just think about. They were even watching us at the loo."
"That's not the worst," Buffy said, her face contorted in disgust. "They were watching our bedroom. And what we did in it."
"SO not needing the visuals," Cordy muttered, sipping again.
Angel wasn't sure if he should be disgusted or grin, feeling giddy at Buffy's use of the words 'our bedroom'. "Well, thanks to Lorne," he raised his glass at the green skinned demon who was busy getting new drinks at the bar, "we found all of them. No more surveillance."
"Nope, no more," Buffy agreed, shifting the baby in her arms. It was strange, but Cordelia's remark about being Connor's mother had made her feel warm inside. Probably a side affect of being pregnant herself, she supposed, but it felt good to hold the baby in her arms. And surprisingly she didn't find herself care at all that Darla was his mother.
"You look good together," Fred said, smiling at the Slayer and the child. "It fits."
"Yes, it does," Wesley agreed, sipping from his beer. "You know," he sighed, "I'd give a lot if beer was actually drinkable over here."
"It's not that bad," Gunn said, feeling slightly insulted.
"Oh, I can feel tension at this table." Lorne came back, carrying a loaded tray. Setting it down, he shook his head, "I think I need to open up my club pretty soon. The service in this club isn't that inspiring. The beer's really bad."
Wes shot Gunn a 'duh'-look.
"A pity the witchy pooh is gone," Lorne went on.
"She's got classes tomorrow," Buffy said, reaching for her glass of soda. "Besides, she's got problems of her own. She just broke up with her lover."
"I see. Emotional pain and all the pretty stuff." Lorne sighed. "It's a hard life."
"Let's drink on it," Wesley proposed, "To life."
"To life," the others chorused.
Buffy turned her head and saw Angel smiling at her. She smiled back. Yes, life was hard. But for the first time she was actually glad she was living it.
The End
Back to Jill's Rewrite Courses
Back to Lit Department
