A/N : If you watched Angel, you might know whats coming, if not, then it'll probably be a complete surprise. Either way, hold onto your seats... it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

Chapter 7

"It is terrible when a father cannot live up to expectations" said a voice and Angel, Buffy, and Anya all turned to see a man standing in the open front doorway, a cross bow bolt pressed to Willow's throat and a tearful Tara by her side.

"Holtz" Angel gasped at the sight of him.

"Hello, Angelus" the man greeted him, with a smile that made Buffy shudder involuntarily, "Come now, do introduce me to your charming friends"

"First you let her go" Buffy said firmly, gesturing to Willow who swallowed hard, feeling terribly sick.

"I think not, my dear" Holtz smiled at her, "She is my... insurance if you will. What pretty girls you know, Angelus" he said, turning to the vampire, who tried desperately not to let his eyes wander towards his son in the next room. The last thing he wanted to do was attract his nemesis' attention to the child.

"She has nothing to do with this, none of them do" he shook his head, "This fight is between you and me, Holtz, nobody else" he reminded him.

"Oh I beg to differ, Angelus" the Englishman smirked, looking truly evil, but that was not what made Buffy gasp.

Behind the man who would harm her friend stood row upon row of people, an army ready to attack, each with a weapon and a glare.

"Okay..." Angel said slowly, looking almost defeated, but that was all part of the plan, "Cordy, go!" he shouted suddenly, knowing that would attract Holtz attention away from Willow and Tara.

Shoving the red-head aside, the Englishman ran further into the living room, bringing his army with him. Buffy was first into the fray as Willow fell into Tara's arms and they both bundled Anya up the stairs and out of danger.

Holtz was disappointed to find that the young woman he'd expected to find with the vampire's child in her arms was in fact gone. The bigger shock was the two cribs that sat side by side before him.

"Two children?" he gasped, as Spike appeared from the back of the house.

"Yeah, one's mine" he said as he stood, battle-ready, before the enemy, "What's it got to do with you, mate?" he sneered.

"You are an ally of Angelus, that makes you my business, vampire" Holtz told him, aiming his cross-bow at Spike's heart.

In a second it was kicked from his hand as the bleached blond leapt into battle, determined that this bloke was going down. He expected one hell of a headache of course, but for the sake of his daughter, there was nothing he wouldn't do. What stunned him was the fact he felt no pain at all in his head or anywhere as he wailed on the man that would attack his home, and those that were as close as he had to family.

As Holtz's gang filtered into the house, Spike, Angel, and Buffy worked together to beat them back. As soon as Willow regained her composure she and Tara knew they had to help anyway they could. Upstairs they gathered ingredients with Anya's help and whipped up a spell to help in the fight. Neither of them, like Buffy, were prepared to kill humans, but beating them back, ending this fight, that they would do.

"Sleep!" they both yelled as they came down the stairs, throwing handfuls of mixed herbs and other ingredients into the crowd of the battle below, "Sweet Selene, gentle queen, work our will upon them all. Bring peaceful slumber, quiet and still. Let them sleep!" they encanted their spell.

In moments it began to take effect, each member of Holtz's army falling to the floor in a sleep as deep as it was sudden. It wasn't as simple as a regular slumber, no loud noise or jostling of shoulders would be able to wake them, only the antidote to the spell that had been cast.

"Witchcraft" Holtz gasped as a punch from Spike sent him sprawling to the floor and he caught sight of his crew sleeping like children at the feet of Angelus, who remained unaffected because of his vampire status. The fact that Buffy was asleep amongst the masses bothered Spike and his attention was stolen just long enough for Holtz to get a lucky strike at him.

Having grabbed his weapon whilst he was down, Holtz fired the crossbow, sending the bolt flying straight into Spike's shoulder. With an angry scream he pulled the arrow out and threw it aside, his game face unable to be held back any longer. Immediately Angel was at his side, fangs also showing. This had gone far enough.

They were both surprised, and further angered, by the fact that Holtz looked at them and laughed.

"You foolish creatures" he chuckled, staggering back and forth, his legs unable to hold him effectively anymore.

Still Willow and Tara kept Anya back on the stairs, the revelation of her pregnancy still fresh in their minds.

"You're the fool, Holtz" Angel told him around his fangs, "You're trying to win a fight that started too long ago. I'm not the person I was when this started, and neither are you"

"You picked the wrong people to mess with, mate" Spike spat, "You think he won't end you cos he's all soul-having now, but some of us aren't so handicapped" he said, his tongue running over his teeth and he crouched down to the old mans level, "'S been a while since I tasted human"

"Do what you will vampire, it makes no difference now" Holtz told him, unafraid of death after so long of living with it, "I have avenged what was needed. One son, one daughter, for my own, that you took from me" he said anger rising as he pointed a finger up at Angel.

"Connor" the vampire said uncertainly.

"And Annaliese" Spike added, gripping Holtz by the throat, even as he cast his yellow eyes up at his old grand-sire.

The panicked look was conveyed and, grateful for the dark of night, Angel ran to the back door. Cordy should be long gone with the kids by now, but she'd barely made it out into the back yard.

"Cordelia!" he yelled running to her, his game-face melting away as he reached her side.

She was cut and already showing signs of bruises from the attack she'd endured. Someone had been waiting at the back of house, knowing someone would likely try to get the children to safety that way. He had no doubt Justine led the second front, after all he didn't recall seeing her inside the house, and she was Holtz's second in command these days.

"Angel" Cordy said quietly as she came to, "I couldn't... She just took... I'm so sorry" she cried from physical pain and terrible guilt and sorrow at the true realisation of what had happened.

Justine had taken the children - they were gone.

"Bugger me" Spike exclaimed as Angel returned to the room with Cordelia in his arms.

As he to realised what had happened, he lost concentration as well as a certain amount of grip on Holtz, who slid from his grasp and ran for the front door. With the girls still cowering somewhat at the top of the stairs, Buffy in a deep sleep, and Angel tending to Cordelia, there was no-one to stop him making his escape.

"Where are the kids?" Willow asked urgently as she ran down the stairs with Tara and Anya close behind.

"He had others at the back of the house" Angel said grimly as Cordy sobbed in his arms.

"They're gone" Spike said flatly as his game face disappeared, the pain he was feeling all too human, "They're gone"


"You sure you're up to this, luv?" Spike checked as Buffy tightened the strap that held the axe on her back, and checked the knife was secure to her leg, "Me and Angelus, we can take this bugger out, he won't fool us again"

"I'm fine, Spike" the Slayer assured him, "I feel better than Cordy and she's coming along"

"Oh yeah, I'm right there with you guys" Cordelia said firmly, though she looked like she'd taken enough of a beating before they even went into this battle.

Willow and Tara were charged with keeping Anya safe, and guarding Holtz's sleeping troops who had since been removed to the basement and locked up for the rest of the night. With first light due in just a few hours, the gang knew they had to locate Holtz as quickly as possible, save their children, and ensure this man never came after them again. That particular part of the plan must be left to the vampires of course, since they could not expect Buffy or Cordy to kill a human being.

"I can't offer to help kill this guy" the blonde said suddenly, "But he took Annaliese from us, and Connor from you guys" she said with a hard look, "For that, he deserves to suffer"

Spike couldn't help but smile, even in this grave situation. Buffy cared enough about Annaliese to risk life and limb to save her. It led him to hope that if she loved his daughter that much, she must feel something for him. He let himself believe that just maybe when all this was over, things could be different, better. Him and Buffy and Annaliese, a strange but nonetheless perfect family unit. He'd dreamt of such days for a while now. After today, he hoped that dream might just come true.

Still, before all that, there was a long way to go. Holtz could have more troops, better weapons, other plans. It worried Buffy if she was honest. She'd lost her mother and little sister not so very long ago, and now here was someone trying to take away the daughter figure in her life. She couldn't bear the thought of any more loss, she just couldn't, and she knew Spike couldn't either.

"Let's go" Angel said as they all appeared ready and they headed out to his car, himself and Cordelia taking the front seat and Spike and Buffy the back, despite the bleached blond's protests.

He soon gave in, now wasn't the time for petty squabbles. For the first time in a long time he and Angelus were on the same side, fighting a common foe, and for the sake of their children. The irony wasn't lost on either of them, it really had taken a miracle to bring them back together as allies.

"How are we going to find them?" Cordy sighed, "They could be half way to anywhere by now"

"I'll always know where my son is" Angel told her, taking a breath to regain the scent he'd momentarily lost, and Cordy understood.

"Hold on, baby" Spike whispered as he too used the senses that being a vampire had granted him, "Daddy's coming"

Buffy felt terribly emotional at that and her hand crept across to take a hold of Spike's own. She glanced his way and they gave each other a brave smile. They had each other, they could do anything.

"Got you" Angel said suddenly, pulling the car over by a warehouse towards the edge of town.

Two dark-cloaked figures hurried out, a baby each in their arms. In seconds, Angel and Spike were pounding the pavement towards them, Buffy and Cordy following behind. This was their battle first and foremost, the girls were merely back-up in this case.

"Holtz!" Angel yelled and the old man let his hood fall, his hand going to the throat of Connor in his arms.

"One more step Angelus, and I will kill him... her too" he told the pair of vampires, tilting his head towards Justine as she let her hood fall too, Annaliese cradled in her arms.

"No, please" Angel begged, wishing he didn't have to, but willing to say or do anything right now if it meant his child survived.

"This fight you've got, this bad blood" Spike tried to keep his anger in check and reason with the evil beings that would hold his baby hostage, "It's not about these kids, they didn't do anything to you!" he yelled, as he became frustrated and Buffy hurried to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"He's right" she agreed, "What you're doing, it's insane. You're trying to hurt a person that doesn't exist anymore. Angelus is dead"

"He is standing before me, you insolent girl" Holtz told her with a sneer, "A soul doesn't make him a better person, only teaches him to feel guilty for what he has done, and what good is that to me?"

"What did I do to you?" Spike wanted to know, "I didn't touch your bloody family, they were dead years before I was even turned!" he yelled, tears filling his eyes as he realised what could happen here, that he could really lose his child and all because of Angelus and some stupid feud that went back centuries.

"You are of his kind" Holtz reminded him, "And an ally. For that alone you must suffer" he explained, "Here I have a son, and a daughter, who shall ease the pain I must bear of losing my own children at the hands of such devils as yourselves"

A crack of lightning, a thunderous boom, interrupted the proceedings and all eyes turned to a figure that appeared a few feet away.

"What the hell is that?" Buffy gasped.

"Ignore him, he's impotent in this dimension" Angel assured her, but Buffy didn't look too convinced.

Still, at least if bad-skinned demon guy attacked she could make with the killing without any worries at all.

"We're leaving" Holtz said, turning towards the car with Justine at his side,

"No one's going anywhere" Spike protested, desperately aiming a crossbow at the couple, and letting his game face show.

"They'll be dead before we hit the ground" the old man said slowly and Angel looked at Spike.

"They will" he told his grand-childe, knowing it was true.

Defeated, Spike let the weapon go, his fangs sliding away as he looked up at Angel.

"Then tell me what the bloody hell to do" he implored him.

Angel had no answer to give.

"So, we're going to leave now" Holtz said, edging towards the vehicle with Justine, "With us, they get to live, anyone tries to take them, they die" he stopped a moment, staring across at the two vampires with almost pure sincerity in his eyes, "I will take good care of them, as though they were my own children. They will never even know you existed..."

"Lekko najine forkahdio!" Sahjahn's shouting and chanting easily drowned out Holtz and anyone else who tried to make a sound.

"Oh my God" Cordelia gasped as the sky ripped apart and beyond it they saw another world.

The sky was blood red, fire and sparks flew all around, and lightning bolts crackled with a dangerous force throughout.

"What you are looking into is the Quor'toth, the darkest of the dark worlds" Sahjahn explained, "I can widen the portal and you can all be swallowed up by a world you cannot begin to imagine" he offered, "Or you" he said, pointing a cracked finger at Holtz, "Can keep your word and kill those children, now!" he boomed, the whole world seeming to shake as a rumble of thunder accompanied his voice.

Nobody moved, nobody knew what to do for the best. Death and destruction seemed imminent in some way or other.

"Don't say I didn't warn you" the demon boomed as he spread his arms wider, the force of the portal making the two vampires and their women have to step back to prevent themselves being pulled in.

They didn't notice the silent agreement that passed in a single look between Holtz and Justine. Suddenly they were running, one arm each cradling a child, their other hands clasped together as they headed for the centre of the entrance to Quor'toth and dived through.

"Nooo!" the wails of the two vampires were like animals screaming in pain as they both tried in vain to go after their children. Cordelia and Buffy cried, running to Angel and Spike respectively when they realised the portal had already closed, just as fast as it had opened.

Four people crumpled to the ground, the true gravity of the situation hitting them full force. Connor and Annaliese, the two tiny children who had meant the absolute world to them, were gone into hell, and there was nothing they could do to save them.

To Be Continued...