Title: Our Sons and Daughters
Chapter Title: Kingdom of Kings and Queens
Author: Baby Blues
E-mail: Characters are not mine, except for the children and the story itself.
Notes: Writing a chapter is always hard in the beginning. When I look down at the empty space just after the introduction, I tell myself "Why do I even bother? Nothing's coming to me." But once the ball gets rolling, everything starts coming together. And yes, I have just realized this.
Summary: The teens remain children, Ethan Rayne pleads for help, and Buffy is going through some serious pregnancy blues.
Dedication: To Nicky, my evil half who brings out the blonde in me. Connected at the hip and demented in the brain. We're so screwed. lol Also, this goes to Hannahbee for agreeing to host "Our Sons and Daughters"! Thank you so much. As I said before, you're my hero.
Teasers:
Angel: You better start talking, Rayne.
Aiden: You better do as he says . . . He might cut off your tongue or rip out your guts . . . OOo! Can I watch?
Gunn: I fear for this kid.
Maybe it was the thunderous footsteps that echoed out in the halls, accompanied by shrill screaming then quickly followed by cheery giggles and a stern and weary voice that belonged to his father that pulled him out of his slumber. More likely it was the slight weight on his chest and the soft snoring that woke him up. But whatever it was, Connor never expected to open his eyes to find a blond haired pixie curled up in a ball on his chest and mewing softly like a little kitten.
He groaned and rubbed his eyes, willing his drowsiness to fade away.
The little girl woke with him and made a faint sound before blinking up at him with brilliant blue eyes. "Good morning," was the first thing that came out of her mouth.
"How and why are you here?" Connor grumbled out a bit crankily.
"I got scared when I heard thunder last night," she explained hastily as she sat up on his torso, crossing her legs, "But Mommy was already with Tristan and Paige, Uncle Angel was taking up his entire bed, Eliza and Liam were already with each other, Austin fell asleep on the couch, and Aiden was snoring too loud," she ended in a whine.
He lifted a brow at her. "You could've tried getting over it."
She climbed off if him and stared at him inquisitively. "Getting over it?"
"Yeah. Get over your fear of thunderstorms," he said and ran his fingers through his brown locks. "It's a waste of time fearing something that can't really hurt you. The thunder is just a big noise. Like the sound of a grumbling, empty stomach but a million times louder. Lightning, on the other hand, is a whole different story."
She frowned. "I don't understand."
He sighed exasperatedly and shook his head. He forgot he was talking to a child for a minute there. "Never mind." He then looked at her quizzically. "Which one are you?"
"What do you mean?"
He smirked. "Your name, Blondie."
"It's not Blondie that's for sure," she huffed indignantly as she crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him with fiery sapphire eyes. "It's Brooke."
Connor smirked. "So you're her," he said, remember the spitfire he had come across in his father's bathroom.
A knock on his door brought him out of his reminiscing. "Yeah?" he answered.
"Ammm . . . hi? It's Buffy," a tentative voice answered from the other side, "I'm looking for a missing kid. She's short, around 3ft tall, blue eyes. Please tell me she's with you."
He smirked and looked at the wide eyed imp still sitting on his bed. "Depends. Is she also blond with a big mouth?"
"Hey!" the small girl glared daggers at him. "I do not have a big mouth!" She crossed her arms again and raised her chin haughtily up in the air, "Dad says I'm just objectionable like him."
Buffy laughed at the other side of the door. "That'll be her."
"She's in here."
The door opened and Connor tried not to stare so openly at the woman whom his father couldn't seem to disregard. And Connor now understood why. Buffy Summers was lovely. There was just something awe inspiring about her with her dazzling smile that radiated a sense of innocent allure full of strength and pride. And with her pregnancy, she seemed to blossom even more and exude a comforting sort of motherly presence that soothed his soul.
"Mommy!" Brooke shouted as she lunged for her mother.
"What are you doing here, sweetheart?" Buffy asked as she perched Brooke on her hip.
"I got scared from the thunderstorm last night."
"Aww," Buffy winked slyly at Connor. "Thanks for taking care of her."
The young man shrugged, blushing slightly from her open gratitude. "I didn't even realize she was in here until I woke up."
"Well, breakfast will be ready in a few. Make sure you come down and join us, alright?" Buffy asked.
Connor nodded slowly. A family get-together with seven boisterous children, the AI Team, his father, and the pregnant woman he loves? Sounds like an upcoming episode of Jerry Springer. He'd rather jump out of his window.
Buffy nodded and smiled one last time and headed for the door.
"Bye," Brooke bid him farewell as she gazed at him with her big azure eyes, innocent but still full of passion for life that would only intensify as she got older.
Connor grinned crookedly in response as she perched her chin on her mother's shoulder and gave him a small wave.
He returned it and chuckled lightly, getting up from bed and heading towards his bathroom to get ready for the day.
As Buffy closed the door behind her, Brooke stared intensely at the wooden barrier as she cuddled closer to her mother. "Mommy?"
"Yep?"
"I think I'm in love."
Buffy stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her daughter and then back at the closed door of Connor's bedroom. "Please don't do this now," she pleaded in a groan, "Can't you wait until you're a bit older? Like . . . when you're 25 before we start talking about love?"
Brooke giggled and kissed her cheek with a loud smack. "You're silly, Mommy," she said, placing a hand over her jutting belly.
And the subject of love was swiftly dropped.
The knock at the door and the putrid odor surrounding him woke Ethan up from the cold linoleum floor of the stingy apartment he currently resided in.
He awkwardly scratched away the dried vomit on his chin and unsteadily got on his feet, flinching at the bright rays of the sun that lit the room through the bare windows. "I'm comin'!" he grumbled, tripping on a few of the materials of his spell as a pounding headache began to make itself known.
He threw open the door, eyes blood shot and squinting. "What!"
"Hello, Rayne," a deep and overly conceited voice greeted him.
Ethan's eyes then widened as though he had just seen the hounds of hell before him. He stepped back shakily, swallowed the bile in his throat, and spoke fearfully. "L-Loki . . ." he stuttered.
"In the flesh," the handsome man on the other side of the doorway grinned cruelly, green/gray eyes blazing intensely as he walked through doorway like a proud king, the arrogance in his step wicked and a bit mocking.
Ethan stepped away even more as dread grew inside the pit of his stomach, causing him to choke over his next words. "I-I performed the spell." He pointed down at the makeshift pentagram on the floor and the supplies he had used. "The evidence is there."
"Yes . . . we know," Loki's expression darkened, "The spell worked."
"Then I don't understand why . . ."
"I'm here?" Loki finished for the terrorized fool. "Because you screwed it up, Rayne. Badly," he said in an exaggerated tone. "And let me tell you," the young man continued on with a shake of his head, "My father's not happy with the results."
"B-but . . ."
Loki flicked Ethan's nose to silence him. "You can't pull yourself out of this one, Rayne," he ground out venomously as his minions gathered out in the hall awaiting further instructions. "My father gave me strict orders and I've traveled a very long way to meet out those commands."
"Wait . . . Loki. Let me just fix it! No!" a piercing scream rented through the air.
"Angel!"
"What! What is it!" the vampire jumped from his chair, spilling a plate of soft, boiled carrots, peas, and a small handful of Cheerios onto the clean kitchen table and floor.
Wesley stood breathless at the doorway as Tristan's lower lip quivered at the juice his father had spilled all over his Blues' Clues shirt.
"Did you find anything?" Angel demanded, trying to calm the toddler down by drying off the small boy's shirt with a paper towel.
The ex-Watcher, appearing ragged and out of breath, looked as though he was near tears. "Two little girls playing tea party in the office spilled water all over my precious books," he said through clenched teeth as he held up a large tome dripping with huge droplets of liquid at the edges.
Eliza, followed closely by Paige, came up behind the man with shamed looks on their faces. Hazel and brown eyes brimming with tears gazed at Angel sadly, for both girls sensed the upcoming punishment they were sure to receive.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Eliza sniffled, "We didn't mean it," she insisted softly, her hands clasped behind her back as she traced unknown patterns on the floor with the toe of her shoe.
Angel's heart nearly broke to pieces at the utterly adorable sight.
"I'm sorry too, Uncle Angel," Paige wept faintly with a lisp.
"Oh! And wait! I have more news," Cordelia pushed her way through the crowded kitchen doorway, her face red with anger and her hands filled with the shirts of Aiden and Liam. "These two brats ruined my shirt!" She threw Angel a silk blouse the color of champagne, "Gucci! MY Gucci shirt!"
The shirt landed deftly on the vampire's head as the two little devils began chortling ardently, giving each other high fives for a job well done.
Angel sighed. 'Well . . . at least the two young enemies had finally found peace,' he thought silently as he peeled away the piece of silk from his skillfully gelled hair.
"Girls," the vampire sighed at the pair of cute little angels that stood waiting by Wesley, "Why don't you play in here instead. You can use the little table over at the corner and you two can play tea party all you want."
The two girls nodded, staring with wide-eyes at Wesley who looked ready to rip his hair out at the unfairness of the situation.
"This is lunacy, Angel!" Wesley yelled out causing the two girls to hug each other close and inch away from him and towards the vampire. "I've been researching this entire thing yet I can't seem to do so with all these . . . these . . ." he motioned helplessly to the children that gazed up at him with wide innocent eyes. "Brats running around!" he ended.
Tristan's lower lip quivered before he began crying in earnest at the strange man with the skewered glasses, rumpled hair, and wrinkled shirt. This was quickly followed by Paige's own heartfelt tears and then more of Eliza's sniffling.
"Hey! You big dope!" Liam rushed forward and kicked Wesley hard in the shins, "You made my sister cry!"
A look of pain washed over Wesley's face as hopped at the kitchen doorway, grasping his sore leg. "Angel, please . . . can't you lock them upstairs for now?"
Cordelia snorted in disgust. "My shirt, Angel!"
"It's just a shirt, Cordy," Buffy drawled as she entered the kitchen with Brooke on her hip. "It's not like you can't get another one."
Cordelia stood back on one leg, crossing her arms as she snootily looked at the Slayer up and down. "This is just great. The Slayer's here and look . . . she's pregnant," the brunette snootily crossed her arms, "Whose is it, Buffy? Xander's or . . . Spike's?"
"That's enough, Cordelia," Angel growled threateningly.
"Oh, so you're defending her? Don't you care at all that she's pregnant! Possibly with some anonymous punk from Sunnydale." She laughed sarcastically and stepped closer to the small blonde, bending over to look spitefully into Buffy's hazel eyes. "And you still have the guts to come here? Trying to rub it in his face, aren't ya?"
Buffy tensed, her lips tightening into a line as Brooke openly glared back at the seer with extreme dislike from her mother's tight hold.
"Stop it, Cordy," Angel said stoically as he stepped in front of Buffy as to protect her from the verbal abuse, "It's mine."
The ex-homecoming queen stood there in shock. "You're kidding, right?"
Angel's expression never wavered.
"You know what, I'm not even gonna ask," Cordelia gritted her teeth, "I'll send you the bill for a new Gucci shirt." She shot Buffy a scathing look and stomped off.
"Cordy," he called after her and Buffy balked at him.
If he tried to placate the bitch, she was going to take her kids and leave.
"What?" the brunette forced a sickeningly sweet smile at the upcoming rejection the Slayer was about to get.
"If I hear you say anything like that to her again, I suggest you start packing your things and leave," Angel said softly.
Cordelia cackled offensively. "You're pulling my leg, right?"
But the grave and solemn expression on the vampire's face told her how serious he was.
The cheerleader shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe this," she said, "She comes back into your life and you turn into her bitch all over again."
"It's your choice, Cordelia," Angel said, looking at Buffy straight in the eyes.
Cordy snorted. "I really can't believe this," she said, looking at Angel disgustedly before angrily stomping off.
"I don't like her," Aiden frowned after the woman, "She has big teeth."
Buffy placed Brooke on the floor.
"A-are you okay?" Angel asked her nervously.
The Slayer smiled and shrugged offhandedly, but the hurt in her eyes defied her casual attitude towards the situation. "I'm used to it. It's Queen C after all."
"Hey, Angel?" Gunn asked from the doorway, "There's a half dead guy that just came through the door looking for you."
Buffy and Angel looked at each other before rushing to the lobby with Wesley limping hurriedly at their heels.
"Ethan Rayne," Buffy growled as they came upon the beaten form of the aging Englishman.
"Oh, Buffy," the man smiled through his bleeding lips, "I'm glad you're here. I have so much to tell you."
"I do hope you know what you're doing, Master Loki," the Frenchman said as they watched Rayne run across the street.
"It's fine. Let him go," the young man replied, wiping away a bit of smudge from the apartment window they were looking out from. "I want to see her."
"The Slayer?"
"Yes," Loki answered, looking around the small complex in disgust as the Frenchman handed him one of his handkerchiefs. He nodded his thanks and cleaned hid hands soiled with blood and dirt. "Plus, it's not much of a challenge to kill a man with a hangover."
"If I may be so bold . . ."
"In which you always are," Loki grinned.
The Frenchman smiled hesitantly before following him out the apartment door. "Your father sent you hear to kill him, not to play cat and mouse games with him."
"My father's not here, Frenchman, and I'll do as I please."
"I really do hope you know what you're doing, Master," the older gentleman groaned lightly.
Loki chuckled. "Lighten up, Frenchman. We'll get to kill Rayne, dance in his remains, capture the pregnant Slayer, return to Father, and be back in our dimension within a week's time."
"You make it sound so easy," the second-hand muttered.
"You better start talking, Rayne," Angel growled as Ethan finished drinking a glass of water Fred had handed to him.
"You better do as he says," Aiden warned as he watched Gunn and Wesley tie the man to a chair. It was like a spy movie in the making and he was enjoying every minute of it. "He might cut off your tongue or rip out your guts." The young child suddenly got excited and looked up at Buffy and then the vampire, "OOo! Can I watch?"
Gunn frowned down at the small boy. "I fear for this kid."
Lorne nodded his agreement.
Buffy sighed and looked over at the eight-year-old sitting quietly on a couch reading a book. "Austin? Why don't you take the others to the kitchen."
He smiled and nodded, pulling a struggling Aiden behind him. "Hey! What's the big idea! I wanna watch! Mooom!" the child whined as he clasped the doorway with his small hands, refusing to leave without seeing some action.
With a deep sigh, Austin pried Aiden's fingers loose and shut the kitchen door behind them.
Angel looked back at Ethan. "Talk."
"What do you wanna know?" Ethan said, his slightly condescending tone aggravating the others.
"You want us to throw you back outside?" Buffy said through clenched teeth.
"From the beginning, Rayne," Angel demanded.
Ethan sighed. "Let's just say that I screwed with the wrong family," he began. "A few days ago, after a spell mishap and a run in with a group of Lotus Demons, I ended up in a dimension called The 12th World."
"The 12th World?" A haggard looking Wesley asked as he went to his books.
"It's a gorgeous dimension, if I may so myself, with soft blue, lavender skies, trees taller than skyscrapers, and rivers that ran blood."
Buffy and Angel shared a look but said nothing as Ethan went on with his story. "A world ruled by demons and mainly by two specific species that are considered to be the first demons ever created within that universe, the vampires and the werewolves."
Utter silence enveloped the room as the AI Team listened intently to the injured Englishman.
"These two species are also considered to be the most civilized. Think 18th century Europe . . . with the ball gowns and everything. They're the kings, queens, dukes, duchesses, viscounts, lords and lady while the others are lowly peasants. If you're not a vampire or a werewolf, you're nothing but a slave, or a servant. Humans, on the other hand, are nothing but food to them all."
Ethan took a deep breath and rubbed his sore jaw gingerly. "Anyway, I got caught up with underground rebels made up of both humans and demons. In the middle of a raid, I was caught and taken to the vampires where they tried to torture information out of me." He laughed bitterly. "Too bad I didn't know anything useful to them."
He closed his eyes at the memory but kept going. "I was there for days and quickly became delirious from a fever. I guess I started talking because next thing I knew, I woke up in a soft bed with 12 gorgeous female vampires around me, half naked, and carrying around trays of food and the finest of wines I have ever had the honor of tasting. I was nursed back to health," he shrugged, "Why? I'm still not sure. But whatever I started babbling in my fever-state, I was released . . . but my payment was my complete submission to whatever they wanted."
"Who are these vampires?" Angel growled, grabbing Ethan by his shirt collar.
"I don't know," the beaten man ground out. "I only know one of them. Loki is his name, and he's my vital connection to what the demons in the 12th World call an Eternal. The Eternal is the reason why I'm still here."
"The Eternal?" Gunn asked.
Ethan nodded. "According to the 12th World's history, when the hell gods created the first demons within that dimension, they created two Eternals who would live forever, who would rule over the two superior species for eternity."
"So then they're just immortal. Like Angel and any other vampire here," Lorne said, not really understanding what the big deal was with this 'Eternal.' It seemed to be just a title a conceited demon would name himself.
Ethan shook his head in negative reply. "Vampires here and in that dimension may be immortal but they can still be killed. However, The Eternals, one the lord of the vampires and the other the lord of the werewolves, can never die or be killed by anything or anyone."
"They're invincible," Wesley breathed and Ethan nodded in reply.
"Nothing and no one can be invincible," Buffy said gruffly.
"You've never met these Eternals," Ethan smirked at her.
"Who is this Vampire Eternal you ended up with?" Gunn asked with a frown.
"As I SAID," Ethan exaggerated with irritation, "I only know Loki. I've never met the Eternal," he responded in truth for maybe the first time in his life. "It's said no one has ever really seen him except only for a special few."
"How about this Loki guy? You said he was your connection to this Eternal," Buffy demanded.
Ethan nodded. "Of course," he replied," Loki is the Eternal's son after all."
"But he's . . . a vampire," Wesley said in wonder.
"Different dimension, different rules," Ethan explained, "The demons in The 12th World prowl in the day and the night and they can conceive children. Everything varies with every reality."
Angel shook his head. "I don't particularly care about this dimension's history or regulations. What I want to know is what these vampires want."
"And why the hell am I pregnant?" Buffy followed.
"I don't bloody know!" Ethan declared.
"Liar!" Buffy screamed, her emotions getting the best of her.
"I'm not given any details about anything, just orders," Ethan ensured them all. "I only do what they tell me to do. They said to perform this spell to make Buffy pregnant with some kid by the name of Ariella and so I did."
Buffy's temper snapped and she stepped forward and grabbed Ethan's shirt with one tight fist as she punched him hard across the jaw with the other. Angel grabbed her gently by the hip and pulled her back as she struggled through his hold. "I'm gonna kill you," she bawled in a scream.
The Warlock panicked, sweat beading on his forehead. "It wasn't like I had any choice! My life is in their hands."
"Buffy, it's okay. Everything's fine."
She suddenly turned in the vampire's arms, throwing her arms around his neck. "No, Angel! Look at me!" she yelled in his ear as her shoulders shook with sobs, "I'm fat! And it's all his fault."
"You're not fat," Angel assured her, fighting off a smile as well as a laugh. It was rather adorable. Here she was, worrying about her figure rather than the new enemy just beyond the horizon.
"Yes I am fat!" she wailed, "I look worse than a beached whale! I'm a beached . . . cruise ship!"
"Buffy . . ."
"Hormones," Wesley provided for the others who stood back aghast.
"And you all thought I had problems," Cordelia grumbled and left, disappearing up the stairs.
"Quit listening at the door, Aiden."
The little blond boy glared at Austin who sat on the kitchen counter, his nose still stuck in a book. "Eat me, Einstein Reject," he spat but moved away nevertheless.
"What's going on anyway?" Brooke inquired in a bored tone.
"It's none of our concern," Austin replied gently.
Aiden frowned. "How old are you? Fifty instead of eight?"
Austin only smiled.
"He's just a weirdo," Brooke grumbled and sat on the kitchen table, swinging her small legs to and fro.
"Weird or not, Mom said to keep all of us here. I'm just following orders," Austin explained.
"Whatever, G.I. Joe," Aiden grumbled as he leaned against the ledge of a window, pouting.
Austin's attention then shifted over to the table area where Tristan, who had been quietly sitting on his high chair and happily tossing around Cheerios, was currently being mauled by Eliza.
"Isn't he cute?" she gushed to her twin brother as she gently pinched the toddler's chubby, pink cheeks.
Liam lifted a brow at his sister and Austin winced as Tristan's eyes began to swim with tears.
"Amm . . . I wouldn't do that if I were you, Eliza," the eldest boy said nervously. He could deal with Aiden or even Brooke's fiery attitudes, but he did not want to have to deal with waterworks.
"Yeah, leave the poor munchkin alone, Lizzie," Liam said, pulling his twin sister away, "Look. You scared him."
The little girl glowered at him. "I did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Oh, stuff it," Brooke spat out and then rolled her eyes, "You're such a baby, Liam."
The dark haired boy glared at the pixie with unchecked animosity. "You have a really big mouth, Blondie. Someone should really wash it out for you and then sew it shut," he spat out violently, causing his sister to frown and Austin to step back a bit at the powerful waves of fury emitting from him.
"Blondie?" Brooke grouched, ignoring everything else he had said to her. "What is it with that stupid nickname?" she demanded and then pointed at Aiden, "He's blond too. And how about Paige? She's blonder than me," she said, her finger turning to the little girl who sat quietly in the corner pretending to hand out cookies to a pair of stuffed bunnies.
Aiden smirked lazily and stared out the window, watching as the cars sped by. This was one crazy bunch, his half brothers and sisters. He wasn't exactly sure if this was all just a psychotic dream, but his mother was in the other room, and he'll take what he could get. Whether this was only in his mind or he had just died and gone to heaven, it didn't matter. Not when she was here.
He suddenly became aware of a shiny, black SUV parking itself across the street, then another one a block away, and one more just around the corner.
He crouched low as strange people began to emerge from the cars.
"This is too wicked," he smiled, eyes wide with anticipation. It really was like a spy movie. But when he noticed the guns hiding beneath their coats, his smile quickly evaporated and he stepped back in fear. "Oh, God . . ." he whispered in shock, "Austin? You might wanna come look at this."
"What?" Austin frowned but went to where Aiden stood.
The eldest boy quickly noted the strange men but remained composed. "Eliza?"
"Yes?" the girl answered, turning away from her conversation with Paige. "Take her and Tristan and sneak down to the basement."
She stared at him in confusion. "What? Why?"
Austin smiled at her gently. "No questions. Just do it. Make sure Mom, Dad, and the others don't see you," he said, "Brooke, go down with them."
The blonde girl stared at him as though he had sprouted another head. "Who died and made you boss?"
"Just do it," Aiden snapped as he helped Austin carry Tristan from his high chair.
"Ugh! You're such a pain!" Brooke growled.
"Can you carry him?" Austin asked as he handed the two-year-old over to Eliza's waiting arms.
"Yeah, it's fine. I'm stronger than I look," she replied, hugging the toddler to her chest as a look of worry crossed her face.
"Want Mommy," Tristan mumbled.
Eliza just smiled and gently caressed his brown locks.
"Austin?" Liam asked, wondering what was going on.
"C'mon, dude," Aiden pulled him to the window, discreetly showing him what was transpiring outside as to not alarm the girls, "Let them go. Einstein knows what he's doing."
Austin pulled Paige to her feet and led her towards the door where Eliza and Tristan waited. His expectant gaze then fell on Brooke. "Go," he said solemnly, "No questions asked."
Expecting another argument, Brooke surprised them all by agreeing, although rather grudgingly. "Fine. C'mon. Keep up."
Liam watched as the strange men began to mill around, a few had already headed behind the building.
"They have a lot of guts," Aiden said to him.
"Why do you say that?" Liam asked.
"It's daytime. They can be seen by 'civilians,' "
Liam lifted a brow. "Look around. No one's about. Well, I see some bums but I think they're too drunk to care . . . or too drunk to know what's going on. The cars passing by will probably think it's just a movie being filmed . . ."
"Your really are an LA Kid," Aiden concluded.
Austin opened the kitchen door and led Brooke and the others out. "Lock the basement doors. Don't let anyone in unless it's someone you know. Understood?"
The two eldest girls nodded.
"Good. Take care of yourselves and use any weapon you see if any strangers come near you. Now go," Austin ordered and watched them as the silently crept along the wall towards the basement door that just stood a few meters away.
"What's going on out there?" Austin then asked the two younger boys who still continued to watch the happenings outside.
"They've surrounded the area," Aiden informed him.
"What do we do now?" Liam asked.
"Inform Mom and Dad that we have company," Austin said.
The younger boys nodded in reply.
"What are you gonna do?" Liam frowned.
"Kick ass," Austin smirked, unclasping the window locks.
The pair's mouths dropped to the floor.
"Are you insane!" Aiden exclaimed in a harsh whisper.
"Yeah, Austin, that doesn't sound like such a good idea," Liam followed uncomfortably, "Mom and Dad won't like it."
"I can take care of myself," he assured them as he carefully climbed out, "Now go."
The two younger boys exchanged looks before Aiden broke it and ran towards one of the drawers and drew out a knife. He ran back towards the window and handed it to Austin who now stood outside staring at him and the blade in bewilderment. "Here. Take it."
"Now it's my turn to ask if you're insane," Austin said.
Aiden gaped at him. "They have guns, dude. What weapons do you have? Except for the ones the Power Rangers on your undies are holding up?"
Austin grabbed the knife, glared coldly at him, and left.
"That was cruel," Liam commented.
"Eh, he needed it," Aiden shrugged and grinned.
"Okay, so these vampires from The 12th World are here? In THIS dimension?" Gunn asked.
"It seems so," Ethan replied.
"Why are they chasing you?" Wesley's question followed after.
Rayne looked nervous and cleared his throat. "I failed in doing the spell correctly they said," he explained. "But they were too busy beating me into a pulp to explain how I botched the bloody thing."
"Did they say anything about turning the other 7 teens into kids?" Gunn pried.
Ethan frowned. "Well . . . no actually."
"Then there you go," Angel mumbled.
Ethan began to chuckle to himself. "That's the last time I get drunk before chanting a spell,"
"That's kinda . . . frightening," Fred retorted nervously.
"Indeed," Wesley agreed.
"Tell us more about this Loki," Buffy mumbled against Angel's chest. The name seemed so familiar. Of course, she knew of the Norse Mythology concerning Loki, the God of Mischief. Hours spent researching and studying with Giles and Willow did pay off a little bit.
"Well, as I said, he's the Vampire Eternal's son. He has the body of a young man in his early twenties but the mind and soul of a demon around 4,500 years of age," he laughed bitterly, "He's also a sadistic bastard with a penchant for torturing people with chains and knives."
"He must have some serious issues," Lorne muttered.
"I hear he's a saint compared to his father, so I try not to complain too much," Ethan confessed.
"This is getting us no where," Gunn said in a bored tone, his gaze on Angel, "Want me to try and beat more out of him?"
The vampire nodded his consent, his arms still full of the Slayer . . . not that he was complaining.
"No! Wait" Ethan cried out in fear, his face and entire body still throbbing with pain. "I know one thing and one thing only," he said solemnly, his eyes fixated directly on the Slayer and vampire, "They want Buffy, and they want her bad."
"Not gonna happen," Aiden commented with a frown.
"Sorry, Mom, Dad, but we have a problem outside," Liam said quickly.
And just as he finished his sentence, all the windows to the first floor of the hotel shattered loudly, the sounds of breaking glass echoing stridently through lobby and offices. Shards of glass rained threateningly on everyone as they all took cover under tables and behind counters.
Angel hugged Buffy to him, pushing her against the wall to shield her seemingly fragile form with his own body.
"Oh, bloody hell!" Ethan exclaimed, struggling from his chair to get away from the masked strangers who had entered the hotel with deft quickness and efficiency. "Let me lose!" he yelled out, scooting across the floor before one of the front legs of the chair caught, causing him to topple to the ground and onto his face.
"Get up, Rayne!" a stern voice ordered.
"Loki . . ." Ethan gasped.
Angel looked over his shoulder, eyes blazing yellow as he gazed contemptuously at the figure that stood tall and proud over Ethan's tumbled form. The stranger returned the vampire's stare behind a white mask, painted only with black lashes and blood, red lips.
"Frenchman, take care of Rayne," the masked figure snapped imperiously, his attention still on Angel. "Hand over the Slayer, Vampire, and we'll leave your companions unscathed."
"Over my dead body," Angel growled, turning on his heels to protect Buffy.
"I have so many quips to follow that up with, but I don't have time. So why don't you be a good little demon and hand over the Slayer," the voice behind the mask mocked crudely.
"No . . ." Angel growled in warning.
"Angel . . . maybe we should just do what he says," Buffy whispered hesitantly. It wasn't that she wanted to go with cocky bastard who would probably try and kill her, but two of her offspring were watching with fear in their young eyes while the others were currently waiting in the kitchen. If more of Loki's minions were in there with her children . . . "I don't want any of my kids getting hurt," she said desperately.
"I don't want YOU to get hurt," Angel growled at her in return.
"Hmm . . . I hope this doesn't fall on your conscience, Vampire," their unwanted visitor laughed sadistically as he tilted his head to the side.
Angel followed his gaze and clenched his jaws to control his anger and his demon that had begun to shake his mental cage. Struggling against Loki's minions were Cordelia and Connor being dragged down the stairs of the hotel.
Angel's growling grew fiercer.
"Get your paws off of me!" Cordelia yelled as she pushed away the imposing hands on her person with a repulsive frown on her face.
"Your choice, Vampire."
Angel looked at his son and felt his heart bleed at the desolate expression on his face. Connor gazed blankly at his father as though the young man was expecting a rejection.
Only a fool would think his father would choose him over the love of his life.
The muscles in Angel's cheek twitched with pain and rage as he unconsciously held Buffy closer.
"Pick, Vampire," Loki ordered impatiently, "The woman you left all by her lonesome or the boy who still can't call you his father," he stated arrogantly.
"How 'bout neither for your life and we'll call it even?" a voice interrupted at the doorway. The figure drew a knife; the blade glinting fiercely as it flew towards Loki with precision and hitting him right in the shoulder.
"Master Loki!" The Frenchman cried out in obvious worry and dread.
Loki fell to his knees, the blade halfway through his right shoulder.
The minions acted quickly, but not as swift as Austin who speedily ran across the floor and towards the fallen form of their unwelcome guest. Miraculously back to his 21-year-old self and dressed in only a pair of black pants that suspiciously looked like the ones Loki's cronies were wearing, he ripped out the knife from Loki's flesh, causing the bleeding demon to cry out in agony.
"Tell your men to drop all their weapons," Austin demanded as he threateningly held the knife across the throat of the fallen fiend, backing towards the wall so Loki blocked his body from any sort of missile that may come towards him.
Loki just choked in reply, his mask falling half way, revealing only a bit of skin, curly brown hair, and a part of his eyes.
"Tell them to drop their weapons or this knife will get even bloodier."
Loki hesitated. He had gone on missions harder than this and had succeeded. Kill Rayne, get the Slayer. It had sounded so easy. He had forgotten he was going up against individuals whose blood runs in his veins too.
His father was going to kill him. "Do it!" Loki barked, and his minions placed their guns, swords, crossbows, stakes, and knives on the floor.
"Your cohorts have a lot of toys," Austin said amusingly, "Now tell them to leave. Even the ones outside."
Loki gritted his teeth. This wasn't happening.
"Do it!" he ordered.
His minions eyed each other cautiously.
"Don't stand there like fucking idiots! Go!" Loki yelled.
They did so quickly.
Those who had been holding Connor and Cordelia left as well, lingering at the doorway before the Frenchman motioned for them to depart.
Austin watched them with sharp eyes. "Leave Ethan here."
Ethan nodded enthusiastically.
Loki snorted through choking sounds.
If he couldn't obtain the Slayer, he was at least going to get Rayne and kill him for making him go through all this. "No!" he whispered harshly.
Austin pressed the knife closer to his neck. "Yes."
The Frenchman quickly dropped Rayne at Austin's feet, knowing his priorities and, more importantly, the significant consequences if anything happened to Loki. His death wouldn't be the only outcome, but centuries of torture by His Grace's hands.
With a disgusted snort, Austin threw Loki at the Frenchman who caught him in his arms.
Gunn, Lorne, Wesley, and Fred rose from their hidden places, each holding up weapons towards the remaining two.
Breathing hard, the masked form gazed at Austin, an air of hostility renting the air. "You and I have unfinished business, boy," he spat out, "You'll pay for this."
"Bring it on," Austin sneered.
Loki gazed at Angel and then Buffy. "We're not going to stop until I have her, Vampire," he threatened, his stare intense on the petite blonde Angel held protectively close to him. "You will one day realize that not only do you not deserve her, but she belongs with us," he finished mysteriously, getting up on shaky legs.
"This isn't over." And with a strength born strictly out of his pride, Loki walked across the lobby with his head held high, his shoulders straight, his back stiff, and his shoulder leaving a trail of blood on the floor.
"Well . . . that was fascinating," Lorne breathed a sigh of relief when they finally disappeared through the doors.
"We'll check the grounds if anyone's still here," Gunn told a distracted Angel as he and Wesley grabbed more weapons.
"I'll come with you," Connor said, coming down the stairs.
"And I'll be up in my room, taking a long shower," Cordy followed.
"Wow! It was totally like a spy movie!" Aiden cheered as he gave Liam a high five, the pair laughing giddily at the excitement and danger of everything that had happened.
"Buffy? Are you alright?" Angel asked worriedly.
The Slayer shook her head violently, her eyes wide.
"What? What is it!" the vampire roared in concern.
"I think my water just broke!"
TBC...
