AUTHOR'S NOTES - Sorry for taking so long to edit the mistakes I made when I first uploaded this chapter. Here's the edited version. Also, if you don't get the Ritalin and technicolor yawn references, here's the deal. Ritalin has been proven to have horrible effects on those who take it. It's been linked to school shootings. "Technicolor yawn" is my sister's phrase, and it basically means "to throw up."
Prologue - The Birth
To say that Darla was in a great deal of pain would be a vast understatement. Even the pain she'd experienced in Hell couldn't compare to what she was going through now. It was excruciating, and not in a good way.
After nearly a full minute's worth of contractions, Darla relaxed a little and breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, Darla contemplated ripping off the arm of the girl who'd been dabbing her forehead for the past half hour and beating Angel with it, but since he was too far away, she chose, instead, to glare and throw curses his way.
Wesley, stationed at the foot of the bed, exclaimed, "Darla, when you're through screaming like a banshee, you'll be glad to know that you're ten centimeters apart."
"Does that mean I can push now?" Darla asked in a surprisingly meek voice.
"Yes. I do believe it does."
The next contraction hit, and Darla began to bear down, growling and swatting Angel away when he tried to take her hand.
"All right, Darla. Whenever you're ready."
Darla began to push, and Angel - tired of being on the sideline - went around her to get a better view. He stood behind Wesley, and felt his eyes widen in amazement as the child's head slowly came into view. "Is the head supposed to be that big?"
Darla, in a fit of rage and pain, lashed out with her foot. Angel jumped back just in time, infuriating Darla even more. "Dammit, Angel! You did this to me! The least you could do is let me return the favor!!!"
Meanwhile, Fred, Gunn and Lorne were pacing in the hallway just outside Room 101, listening to everything that was going on inside. Lorne stopped pacing and pushed the door open, peeking through the crack.
"What's going on?" Fred inquired, walking past her lover, who paced in the opposite direction.
"Angel's pacing. Darla's screaming, and...Oops!"
"What?" Gunn asked, then stopped briefly to look at Lorne.
"One minor fatality. A vase."
Fred gasped and widened her eyes in horror. "Not the--"
"'Fraid so. The Ming vase is now one with the wall. Will the carnage ever end?"
Gunn let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, as much as I'm gonna miss that vase, when in the Hell is that baby gonna pop out?"
"Sweetie, you have to be more patient."
Gunn glared at the green-skinned demon. "I'm sick of bein' patient. And stop callin' me 'sweetie'."
"Sorry, pumpkin. Look, you think this is bad? My poor mother - vicious harpy that she is - labored for three days and nights before yours truly made his appearance."
"Yeah, well, the sooner this kid's born, the sooner we can find out what it is and how to kill it."
Fred's eyes widened in horror. "Charles, what makes you so sure we'll have to kill the baby?"
"Fred, I love ya and all, but we're talkin' about the child of two vampires. Last I heard, that ain't s'posed to happen."
"But if the Powers were involved...doesn't that mean the baby's good? Lorne, what do you think?"
The anagogic lounge singer sighed. "Look, let's just worry about what's going on now. 'Cause to be frank, thinking about a doomed future is what caused me to redecorate the lobby floor during a technicolor yawn. Anyway, Lindsey's working on getting the Nyazian Scrolls. Hopefully, the Scrolls will mention something about the mini-vamp. Oh, eww!"
"What?" Fred and Gunn asked simultaneously.
"Well, let's just say birth? It's not as beautiful as they say it is."
Wesley smiled down at the crying infant in his hands, then looked up at Angel. "Congratulations. You have a handsome, healthy baby boy."
"Oh, boy!" Darla said sarcastically, then clenched her teeth as another wave of pain hit.
"Umm...I thought the pain was supposed to stop after the kid was born," Cordelia commented, cringing as Darla's screams became louder and louder.
"Oh, dear."
"What? What's going on?" Angel asked, then reacted quickly when his infant son was thrust into his arms.
"She's having another child."
"WHAT?!" the other three exclaimed.
Angel stood in the lobby, staring down at the pair of tiny infants in his arms. Cordelia leaned in close, peeking over her friend's shoulder and tickling the chin of the youngest baby. Any other time, the emotionally closed-off vampire would have recoiled, feeling uncomfortable with this closeness. But for some reason, this felt right.
"So...what're their names? And keep in mind that Cordelia is an excellent name."
"Yeah, well, there's only one Cordy in my life." Angel gave her a meaningful look, and she smiled. "Besides, I was thinking I'd name them Connor and Roan."
"Hmm. Good Irish names. Though I would've gone with--"
"Drop it, Wesley," Angel and Cordy warned.
Wesley frowned and let out an annoyed sigh. "Connor and Roan. Excellent choices."
"So, any word from Linds?"
"Uh-uh," Fred answered Cordelia's question.
"He's probably still 'negotiating' with his source," added Gunn as he tried to take one of the twins. He winced when Angel gave him a warning look, then recoiled. "Whoa, whoa. Good vamp. Nice vampire. Backing away slowly."
"Angel, I know you're the proud papa and all, but don't you think you're being a wee bit over-protective?" Lorne let out a nervous chuckle and backed off as well.
"When you're a father, you can tell me that I'm being over-protective."
"Actually, funny thing. See, with my people...Ooh, look. Oreo's! I'm gonna go get some."
As Lorne approached the snack-filled counter, Fred spoke up. "Umm...guys? Speaking of Lindsey, how are we going to tell him? You know, about Darla?"
"Guess we'll have to tell him the truth. After giving birth, Angel was forced to stake her in order to keep the children safe," Wesley answered, and added another book to the ever-growing pile of ancient texts.
"Considering the fact he had a major jones for her, I don't think he'll take it well," Gunn quipped.
"I'd hate to be in Lindsey's shoes," Fred commented with a wince, then startled when she heard Lindsey's voice.
"I'm back. Did ya miss me?"
Everyone turned around, forming a protective circle around Angel and the twins. It was well-known that Lindsey McDonald had the tendency to change sides at the drop of a hat, and the knowledge that the woman he was once in love with was dead could push him over the edge.
Lindsey descended the steps and entered the lobby, stopping when he sensed that something was definitely up. "Okay, guys. What's goin' on?" he asked with a grin.
"Uh...Linds, before we answer your question, you didn't happen to take any Ritalin, did ya?"
Lindsey blinked, staring in confusion at Lorne. "What?"
"Uh...nothing. Mind singing for me?"
"Huh?"
"Just sing. Please?"
Smirking, Lindsey inquired, "Want me to sing anything in particular?" When Lorne didn't answer, Lindsey relented and hummed a tune. "There. Wanna tell me what's going on?"
Cordelia gast a glance in Lorne's direction, and the demon nodded. "Uh...Lindsey, why don't we sit down? There's something I have to tell you."
To say that Darla was in a great deal of pain would be a vast understatement. Even the pain she'd experienced in Hell couldn't compare to what she was going through now. It was excruciating, and not in a good way.
After nearly a full minute's worth of contractions, Darla relaxed a little and breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, Darla contemplated ripping off the arm of the girl who'd been dabbing her forehead for the past half hour and beating Angel with it, but since he was too far away, she chose, instead, to glare and throw curses his way.
Wesley, stationed at the foot of the bed, exclaimed, "Darla, when you're through screaming like a banshee, you'll be glad to know that you're ten centimeters apart."
"Does that mean I can push now?" Darla asked in a surprisingly meek voice.
"Yes. I do believe it does."
The next contraction hit, and Darla began to bear down, growling and swatting Angel away when he tried to take her hand.
"All right, Darla. Whenever you're ready."
Darla began to push, and Angel - tired of being on the sideline - went around her to get a better view. He stood behind Wesley, and felt his eyes widen in amazement as the child's head slowly came into view. "Is the head supposed to be that big?"
Darla, in a fit of rage and pain, lashed out with her foot. Angel jumped back just in time, infuriating Darla even more. "Dammit, Angel! You did this to me! The least you could do is let me return the favor!!!"
Meanwhile, Fred, Gunn and Lorne were pacing in the hallway just outside Room 101, listening to everything that was going on inside. Lorne stopped pacing and pushed the door open, peeking through the crack.
"What's going on?" Fred inquired, walking past her lover, who paced in the opposite direction.
"Angel's pacing. Darla's screaming, and...Oops!"
"What?" Gunn asked, then stopped briefly to look at Lorne.
"One minor fatality. A vase."
Fred gasped and widened her eyes in horror. "Not the--"
"'Fraid so. The Ming vase is now one with the wall. Will the carnage ever end?"
Gunn let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, as much as I'm gonna miss that vase, when in the Hell is that baby gonna pop out?"
"Sweetie, you have to be more patient."
Gunn glared at the green-skinned demon. "I'm sick of bein' patient. And stop callin' me 'sweetie'."
"Sorry, pumpkin. Look, you think this is bad? My poor mother - vicious harpy that she is - labored for three days and nights before yours truly made his appearance."
"Yeah, well, the sooner this kid's born, the sooner we can find out what it is and how to kill it."
Fred's eyes widened in horror. "Charles, what makes you so sure we'll have to kill the baby?"
"Fred, I love ya and all, but we're talkin' about the child of two vampires. Last I heard, that ain't s'posed to happen."
"But if the Powers were involved...doesn't that mean the baby's good? Lorne, what do you think?"
The anagogic lounge singer sighed. "Look, let's just worry about what's going on now. 'Cause to be frank, thinking about a doomed future is what caused me to redecorate the lobby floor during a technicolor yawn. Anyway, Lindsey's working on getting the Nyazian Scrolls. Hopefully, the Scrolls will mention something about the mini-vamp. Oh, eww!"
"What?" Fred and Gunn asked simultaneously.
"Well, let's just say birth? It's not as beautiful as they say it is."
Wesley smiled down at the crying infant in his hands, then looked up at Angel. "Congratulations. You have a handsome, healthy baby boy."
"Oh, boy!" Darla said sarcastically, then clenched her teeth as another wave of pain hit.
"Umm...I thought the pain was supposed to stop after the kid was born," Cordelia commented, cringing as Darla's screams became louder and louder.
"Oh, dear."
"What? What's going on?" Angel asked, then reacted quickly when his infant son was thrust into his arms.
"She's having another child."
"WHAT?!" the other three exclaimed.
Angel stood in the lobby, staring down at the pair of tiny infants in his arms. Cordelia leaned in close, peeking over her friend's shoulder and tickling the chin of the youngest baby. Any other time, the emotionally closed-off vampire would have recoiled, feeling uncomfortable with this closeness. But for some reason, this felt right.
"So...what're their names? And keep in mind that Cordelia is an excellent name."
"Yeah, well, there's only one Cordy in my life." Angel gave her a meaningful look, and she smiled. "Besides, I was thinking I'd name them Connor and Roan."
"Hmm. Good Irish names. Though I would've gone with--"
"Drop it, Wesley," Angel and Cordy warned.
Wesley frowned and let out an annoyed sigh. "Connor and Roan. Excellent choices."
"So, any word from Linds?"
"Uh-uh," Fred answered Cordelia's question.
"He's probably still 'negotiating' with his source," added Gunn as he tried to take one of the twins. He winced when Angel gave him a warning look, then recoiled. "Whoa, whoa. Good vamp. Nice vampire. Backing away slowly."
"Angel, I know you're the proud papa and all, but don't you think you're being a wee bit over-protective?" Lorne let out a nervous chuckle and backed off as well.
"When you're a father, you can tell me that I'm being over-protective."
"Actually, funny thing. See, with my people...Ooh, look. Oreo's! I'm gonna go get some."
As Lorne approached the snack-filled counter, Fred spoke up. "Umm...guys? Speaking of Lindsey, how are we going to tell him? You know, about Darla?"
"Guess we'll have to tell him the truth. After giving birth, Angel was forced to stake her in order to keep the children safe," Wesley answered, and added another book to the ever-growing pile of ancient texts.
"Considering the fact he had a major jones for her, I don't think he'll take it well," Gunn quipped.
"I'd hate to be in Lindsey's shoes," Fred commented with a wince, then startled when she heard Lindsey's voice.
"I'm back. Did ya miss me?"
Everyone turned around, forming a protective circle around Angel and the twins. It was well-known that Lindsey McDonald had the tendency to change sides at the drop of a hat, and the knowledge that the woman he was once in love with was dead could push him over the edge.
Lindsey descended the steps and entered the lobby, stopping when he sensed that something was definitely up. "Okay, guys. What's goin' on?" he asked with a grin.
"Uh...Linds, before we answer your question, you didn't happen to take any Ritalin, did ya?"
Lindsey blinked, staring in confusion at Lorne. "What?"
"Uh...nothing. Mind singing for me?"
"Huh?"
"Just sing. Please?"
Smirking, Lindsey inquired, "Want me to sing anything in particular?" When Lorne didn't answer, Lindsey relented and hummed a tune. "There. Wanna tell me what's going on?"
Cordelia gast a glance in Lorne's direction, and the demon nodded. "Uh...Lindsey, why don't we sit down? There's something I have to tell you."
