11am

"Xander, what are we going to do? " Asked Willow worriedly while rinsing out the coffee cups, "She won't eat, she won't sleep. I'm really worried about her."

"I know Will but can you blame her? If anything happened to Tommy I would be the same." A chill ran down Xander's spine at the thought of this happening to his own son.

"Yeah but she needs to be ok for when they bring Molly home. It's been two days. She'll be no good if she let's herself get sick."

The friends stood looking at each other across the small yet modern kitchen. This was normally a very warm and friendly room that the friends had all spent a large amount of time in over the last few years, sharing a meal, joking and just spending time with each other but today…today it just felt cold and unwelcoming.

"So what time does Faith get in?" asked Xander to his worried friend.

"They'll get to LA about lunchtime. It was the first flight back that they could get."

"Good if anyone can get though to the cops it's her." Stated Xander.

"What if no one believes her Xander? What if Beth-Anne's right and this guy has Molly and they never go after him?"

"Sooner or later they will work it out. I'd prefer it to be sooner, but he is one of them. They apparently don't believe he could do anything like that."

"I know, I know. Did you see how angry that detective got when Beth-Anne even mentioned that they might look at him. If only they would just check him out." Xander sighed. It had been hard enough for both them to wrap their heads around some of what Beth-Anne had told them, but having seen the look in her eyes and the terror that lay there, they believed her. They had come to the realization that there was a whole lot more to this story than what they now knew.

"Well all we can do is look after Beth. Once Faith gets back she may have more luck convincing the police. I think she knows more about this than what we do."

1pm

Ring. Ring.

Picking up the landline phone she said, "Hello?"

"Hi Will, it's Faith. Any news?"

"No the police still seem to have no leads into where Molly maybe or what may have happened to her."

"How's B holding up?"

Willow sighed and rubbed her temples. "She not. Which I know is to be expected but she won't eat or sleep. She sat up all night looking out that window. We can barely get two words out of her. Something better turn up soon."

"It will, it will" Faith said a silent prayer that that would be true. "We will be back in a couple of hours. Charlie has arranged for his boss and some co-workers to come back with us. This is what they do – help people find missing relatives."

"He works for a P. I. right?"

"Yeah Angel Investigations. His boss Liam and two of the guys he works with Doyle and Wesley are bringing us back. They may be able to find something the police are missing."

"Yeah and I think we both know what that is."

Later

"Beth-Anne? Hey how are you doing?" asked a concerned Willow in a slow and steady breath not wanting to startle her friend. Beth-Anne sat on the window seat just staring. "That was Faith on the phone. She will be back in a couple of hours. She is also bringing Charlie's colleagues back with her. They are private detectives and they will help us find her." Beth-Anne continued to stare straight ahead. Willow wasn't even sure she heard a word she had said. "Look here is a cup of tea and a sandwich, please try and eat something." Willow pleaded with her friend.

Beth turned to her friend just seeming to notice her for the first time. Willow noted the dark rings under her eyes and the sadness in them.

All of a sudden her eyes opened and she looked at Willow and said, "Delta? Where's Delta?" Beth-Anne then jumped up in a panic and began to look around the room with fear in her eyes and her body trembling. "Oh my god where is she?"

Willow ran to her and wrapped her arms around her dear friend. "It's ok. She's over a Xander and Anya's playing with Tommy. She's fine." she explained leading her friend back to the lounge to sit down.

"Willow?" Beth-Anne asked, actually looking up at Willow and acknowledging her presence for the first time today.

"Yes Beth?"

"They will find her won't they? They will get my baby back from him, right?"

"She'll be fine. We'll have her home soon. Don't you worry. Now here eat up."

"Thanks." Beth replied despondently. She sat back in the lounge, pulled her knees up to her chest, turned her face to the window and went back to staring out it and ignored the tea and sandwich.

4pm

Faith and the LA gang arrive at Beth-Anne's house.

"You go in and catch up with your friend while we grab some gear. We'll be in in a minute." Said Liam, turning to look at his good friend and colleague, Gunn's, girlfriend. She seemed really freaked out, she had hardly sad still in the drive up here. Her and Charles had been away on a holiday when her friend's daughter was kidnapped. Liam, Doyle and Wes had offered to come back and help to try and find the little girl.

Faith hadn't told them a great deal. She outlined that Beth-Anne was 28, had two daughters Delta who was 6 and Molly who was 3. Her husband had died before Molly was born, that was when she had moved to Sunnydale. Faith felt bad not telling them the whole story but it wasn't hers to tell. Once she saw B and she said it was ok she would tell the boys the truth.

"OK guys thanks."

Liam knew she wasn't telling him the truth, or at least he suspected she wasn't. It wasn't her words but the fact that she couldn't look directly at any of them while she told the story of Beth-Anne's life.

He climbed out of the car slowly. Sitting for too long in the one spot still didn't help his leg much. Five people in the car didn't give his tall frame much room to move.

He went to the trunk to get out his bag. Until either the police or they found anything they would always have one person at the house. He'd bring in his bag now save time later. The others were carrying in all their equipment.

"Hey man, ready?" called Charles Gunn as they were all ready to head into the small house.

"Yep."

Inside

"B?" Faith said sitting next to her friend on the window seat. Faith's heart went out to her friend. She had already been through so much. Molly and Delta were her life.

Beth-Anne turned around and focused on her friend. "Oh god Faith, what if something bad has happened to her. I've already lost …I can't lose her too."

"You're not going to B. We'll get Molly back. We bought Charlie's boss and two other guys he works with – they are private investigators specializing in missing people. They'll help us find her. Don't worry B."

"Faith what if he found us? What if he has her?" Beth-Anne's voice started to crack as she asked this of her best friend. She had been holding on for so long. She hadn't cried and she couldn't because if she gave into her tears it would mean that this was real and it couldn't be right?

"It's ok B? We need to tell these guys the full story though. They can't help without knowing everything."

Beth looked up with terror in her eyes. Having to tell the story, even after all this time was still very hard, though she knew Faith was right. She had to trust these people to get her baby girl back. She put her head into her hands and began to shake.

Liam, Doyle, Wesley and Charles entered the lounge room.

"B, this is Liam, Doyle, Wesley and Charlie."

"Mrs…" Liam started but realised he didn't know this young woman's last name. He looked to Faith with the question.

"Beth-Anne O'Connor."

"Mrs O'Connor, I .." Liam began.

At the sound of that voice Beth-Anne's head snapped up and emerald green eyes meet chocolate brown ones.

"Angel?" She said barely above a whisper.

"Buffy?" he asked bewildered. Could it possible be her after all this time? She had brown hair now but god it was her.

She stood up and took as step towards him, slowly reaching her hand out towards him, then her body gave out. Having not eaten or slept in two days and the stress of her child being kidnapped was too much for her already frail body. Just as she fainted Liam caught her and moved them towards the lounge sitting with her in his lap.

"B?"

"Beth?"

"Beth-Anne?" Everyone was speaking at once.

Liam took her face into her his hands. "Buffy, baby wake up. Can you hear me? Please baby wake up."