Author's Note: The story of how Frankie came to be born can be found in the accompanying fic Complications.
Disclaimer: I own no one, most especially the characters in this story. I'm merely borrowing them and putting them through the ringer. And the lyrics are Lennon/McCartney, as I'm sure goes without saying, cause if you didn't already know that I can't even be talking to you...
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June 19, 2011
"We're here, Harris."
Spike's quiet statement brought Xander back to the present. That the present was actually the future had not been lost on him, not by a long shot. Never more so than on the trip over. His eldest son had been conceived through a poor decision on his part coupled with an accidentally intercepted act intended to bring about great evil. Instead, Frankie had resulted, and Xander was more determined than ever to see that the correct timeline was restored. Thus resolved, he emerged from the car to look up and down a poorly lit and nearly deserted street. There was only one house surrounded by empty lots, so their destination was clear. Xander fell in behind Spike and followed him up a crumbling set of steps.
Having been preoccupied with Spike's story for the majority of the trip, he had no feeling for where they were. The house was large, sprawling, and appeared to be about to crumble at any given moment. Xander found himself growing a bit anxious about what kind of demon Spike had brought him to see. What kind of creature would dwell in a place like this?
Spike gave a single rap with the rusty knocker, then stepped back quickly. This proved to be a wise precaution, as the door swung open with a formidable bang. All Xander could see in the dim light was a crossbow aimed steadily at the vampire's heart.
"It's Spike, mate. It all happened just like you said. I brought him with me," Spike said soothingly, and the figure behind the crossbow stepped further into the light. Xander briefly tensed, fearing a trap, but then blinked in amazement. He had thought he was prepared for anything, but this was unexpected. The man before him looked so different than the man he had once known.
"Hello, Xander. You've come through the looking glass at last." The man gave him a welcoming grin. Xander struggled to return the smile.
"How've you been, Wesley?"
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"What do you mean, you're counting on it?" Amy had managed to stand and was bravely facing the demon, having pushed in between Frankie and Jesse. The two children were still standing their ground despite the trembling she could feel in their fingers. Each were holding on to one of her arms. She looked down at them and saw they were both glaring at Menckar. Frankie's expression was totally Cordelia at her most, and Amy would have smiled if the situation wasn't so terribly frightening. Her baby was going to be born soon, and she had no idea how she would be able to protect it here.
"We've been over that before...oh, wait, is this the part where I'm supposed to tell you all about my sinister plan, and I let some crucial detail slip that tips the scales for the 'good guys'?" Menckar mocked, moving away from the children and the angry pregnant witch. "That's what happens in your entertainments, yes? Humans, so desperately in need of constant entertaining."
"Sounds like jealousy to me. Humanity has qualities you could never hope to imitate or understand." Tara replied, holding a whimpering Missy in her arms as Danny and Savannah clung to her legs. The other children were huddled together even further behind her. Fortunately the baby was still sleeping peacefully. She had to force herself not to look at Amy; they had no idea what Menckar would do if aware of Amy's condition.
"I make my own fun." Menckar's smile was cold and mocking, but Tara could see the fury flashing in his eyes. The eyes of the demon were the only part of him that was nearly human; they were heavy-lidded and a soft brown color. They terrified her more than the fangs and claws and strange pale blue scales that made up the form of the demon. She saw madness there, and knew that reasoning with the demon would be impossible. Menckar had to be destroyed, and neither Tara nor Amy was certain how it was going to happen.
"You're mean! I hate you! Go away!" Tara heard a shout from behind her, and turned to see Joy running. She stopped alarmingly close to the demon, hands balled into fists, eyes flashing, looking every inch the child of the Slayer. Tara gasped as Menckar bent in close, and Amy moved to rescue the girl. Frankie got there ahead of her, pulling Joy to him and backing away from the dangerous demon.
"Leave my sister alone," Frankie growled, and Menckar threw his head back and laughed. His laughter stopped abruptly when Joy broke free of her brother's grasp. She ran forward and jumped, hitting Menckar with all of her slight weight in his most vulnerable spot. Frankie quickly grabbed her hand and ran as Menckar doubled over, moaning. Amy and Tara quickly moved to put themselves between the gasping demon and the children.
"You will not touch these children, Menckar, I'm warning you..." Amy's eyes had turned completely black, and Tara knew that her own had done the same. Their magick had up to now been ineffective in the demon dimension, but she would do whatever was necessary to protect these children. Menckar straightened but made no move towards them.
"But I will. They are the destruction of humanity, so it has been written. And far more entertaining than I could have hoped. This visit has been most enjoyable." The demon smiled and shrugged at their confused expressions. "As I said, I make my own fun." After one more moment spent smirking in satisfaction, Menckar finally retreated. The moment she was certain he was gone Amy collapsed. Tara and Frankie rushed to her side as the other children whimpered in fear.
"The baby?" Tara asked unnecessarily. Amy simply nodded.
"Baby's wanting to join us out here. Got to love his timing. Am I...?" Tara gave Frankie a quick look and the boy turned his head, blushing furiously. She gave Amy a quick examination.
"You've got a while to go, but you're definitely getting there. I don't know how you're managing not to scream your head off."
"Know something? Neither am I," Amy panted, gritting her teeth as another contraction coursed through her. Without thinking she grabbed Frankie's hand and squeezed. The boy winced but endured the sudden pain in silence. Tara smiled at him fondly.
"You're a good boy, Frankie," she said when the contraction had finally eased. Amy smiled weakly at him too.
"The best," she agreed. The boy blushed even further, but smiled back at them.
"Don't worry. I'm going to take care of you, at least until Dad shows up. He'll handle that loser." Frankie was speaking more loudly than normal, and surmised that his confident statement was primarily for the benefit of the other children. He leaned in to speak softly, and the worried look in his eyes nearly broke the witches' hearts.
"Am I ever going to be able to get my real dad back?" Amy and Tara exchanged looks. The boy deserved their honesty, but they didn't want him to be discouraged by their uncertainty.
"We can reverse the spell that caused all this," Tara offered. This much she knew was true; whether they would get an opportunity was another altogether.
"And you know what your daddy would say, right?" Amy added, a Cheshire cat grin plastered on her face despite the situation. Frankie shook his head, frowning, but Tara caught on. She cleared her throat and began to sing in a clear, pretty voice.
"There's nothing you can do that can't be done. Nothing you can sing that can't be sung. Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game, it's easy..." Frankie laughed, all the children joined her on the chorus, and somehow the impromptu sing-a-long made things a bit easier. *We'll get out of this, the children will be safe, and we'll save Xander. We have to win...I only wish I knew how.*
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December 10, 2000
It was shortly after midnight when the last form had finally been properly filled out and they were released. Buffy wanted to take Dawn home first; she looked dead on her feet. But Willow had grown increasingly anxious over getting to Xander during the long delays. She was so agitated she wasn't even making sense, even to someone as fluent in Willow-babble as Buffy. Her fretfulness had passed itself on to Anya, who had practically bit Buffy's head off when she'd suggested making a quick stop back at the house. Instead they all piled into Buffy's mom's Jeep, leaving Giles' sports car behind. Automatically Buffy handed Giles the key and he took the driver's seat, with Willow and Anya scrambling into the seat next to him. Tara, Buffy and Dawn climbed into the back and had barely settled when Giles backed out. Willow's state was affecting him as well.
Giles drove as quickly as he dared, although it wasn't easy with Willow unable to tell him precisely where they were going. Her eyes unfocused, she would often call turns when he was practically past them, causing him to stop short and flinging them against the seatbelts.
"Giles, has Buffy been giving you driving lessons?" Dawn smirked at the murderous look she got from her sister and leaned back in satisfaction. Giles was spared from answering by the merciful appearance of a fork in the road. He slowed down, waiting for Willow's guidance.
"Which way, Willow? Which way do we go?" Anya asked, but Willow didn't respond. Anya grabbed her shoulder and gave it a light shake. "Hey, wake up! Willow!"
"Willow? Can you hear me?" Tara called from the back, her voice tight with concern. Despite Willow's strange behavior, none of them were prepared for what happened next. Willow suddenly screamed, fumbling for the clasp of the seatbelt as Giles instinctively applied the brake. She reached for the door handle and opened the car door as Anya clutched her shoulders, frightened by whatever was happening to the redheaded witch. Buffy had unbuckled her seat belt the second the door had swung open, and had moved with Slayer speed to grab hold of Willow and Anya, but her fingers found only air. The two women had fallen out into the darkness.
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