Last Time: After finding out the conspiracy, Angelus, Buffy, Spike, Drusilla and their minions fly to Ireland. Buffy takes up to her real name, Elizabeth, and, close to the birth, is kidnapped with Drusilla. Spike and Angelus fly to California to save the women they love and Willow gets slapped.

Children Of Darkness

Tenth Chapter – Allies

Utterly shocked, Xander and Oz stared at Cordelia, whose nostrils were flaring angrily, not believing she had actually slapped Willow.

"Why did you slap Will, Cordy?" Xander asked in a whisper. Cordelia looked at him like he was dumb.

"Because she's not willing to help the girl she claimed to be best friends with! You know that girl yelling for help is Buffy, don't deny it!" She shook her index finger in front of Willow's face. "We owe her for all the time she busted her ass to save us, as well as Angel!"

"Angel!" Xander snorted. Cordelia glared mightily at him, and he stepped back, fearful she would slap him as well.

"Angelus is not Angel", the brunette said in a hiss. "You know it, Xander. We all do. And we must help Buffy. We behaved like a lot of old-fashioned people. I mean, this is the twentieth century, and seventeen-year-olds get pregnant every day, everywhere!" She took a deep breath. The three friends stared at her surprised. "It wasn't Angelus who took Buffy away from us", she added softly. "We brushed her away".

Willow and Xander looked down guiltily. Cordelia exchanged a look with Oz, who smirked at her, and she smirked back, having spoken what they both used to discuss when away from Willow and Xander. The two of them followed the voice, who still screamed in despair for help.

Angelus knew his invitation to Giles' and Joyce's houses was revoked, but, then Joyce couldn't – and wouldn't – help him, and it was deeply probable that the Watcher wasn't home. So, with Spike and Drusilla closely following him, the dark-haired vampire strolled in the library.

At the sight of the vampire who was the love of his former protégée and surrogate daughter, and murdered of the love of his life, Giles paled visibly.

"Please don't kill me", Angelus said with awkward humbleness. Giles frowned at that. "I need your help… To save Buffy".

Giles widened his eyes but, before he could emit a reply, Cordelia and Oz burst in the library.

"Giles!" She yelled, panting. "We must go now! Buffy is back and… Oh, Angelus, hey", she said more quietly. "I know where she is. She is alive and okay, at the warehouse next to your mansion".

"Cordelia!" Giles exclaimed with energy, having gotten his voice back. "Are you out of your mind? And why are you saying we'll help him?" The watcher shouted. Angelus spoke softly:

"Because some Maetrink demons are interested in having our babies. That was the reason we left in first place, to protect Katy and Liam".

"Katy and Liam?" Giles asked softly. Angelus looked at the door.

"Katherine Alicia and Liam Angelus. Our twins".

"Where were you guys living all this time?" Cordelia asked, her voice unexpectedly gentle. Angelus turned around to look at her, and she stepped back at the sight of his glowing red eyes and his fangs.

"Can we play Twenty Questions later?" He hissed. "Each second lost here is a second we lose to save my woman's and my children's lives!" Angelus growled. Spike put a hand on his grandsire's shoulder to hold him down.

"Maybe we should call Will and Xander", Oz suggested coolly.

"Yeah, maybe you bloody should", Spike shot back sarcastically.

Twenty minutes later, the two childhood friends walked in and thought the library's doors were the entrance to Twilight Zone. Cordelia, Giles, Angelus and Spike were bending over the table, studying something; meanwhile, Drusilla was humming softly to herself, sitting on a chair -- she, however, looked very serious and lucid.

Xander, of course, was the first to recover. "What the hell is he doing here!" He yelled pointing at Angelus. Cordelia lifted her eyes from the book she was researching on and explained:

"Some very nasty, very organized demons kidnapped Bufffy, apparently to get her twins, since she's due to any day now".

"Twins?" Willow asked shakily. Spike looked at the red-head coldly.

"Katy and Liam. My siblings, and Dru's. Oh!" He looked surprised. "Why are you asking anyway? You don't care about them".

"William..." Angelus growled warningly and muttered something to Giles, who nodded hesitantly and muttered something back. Unexpectedly, Drusilla let out an ear piercing scream and fell to the floor, clutching her head in her hands. The bleached blond vampire hurried to her side.

"Pet, what did you see?" He asked worriedly as he helped her up. She was shaking. Angelus had tensed near Giles, and the despair in his eyes reminded Giles of Angel's worry over Buffy out somewhere, fighting some big bad on her own.

"Mummy, Spikey", the insane brunette said, leaning against her shoulder. "I saw Mummy. The stars are talking to me... they say she's in danger..."

"Anything else, Dru?" Angelus asked quietly. Drusilla looked at him.

"Five big ugly demons. Trying to slice mummy's tummy..."

"That's enough, pet", Spike said as he noticed his grandsire's eyes flashing golden. Angelus closed his eyes and sighed. But his hold on the table top was so strong it broke with a loud crack. The noise echoing in the unusually quiet library made the scoobies and the watcher jump back.

The vampire whirled around, game face on. He stared hard at the four teenagers and the adult. "Look. Frankly I don't give a damn about you and, if there weren't Buffy in the picture, you'd be probably dead by now. But you love her, and she loves you. Beat me why, but she does. Believe it or not, so do I. Now, you can help me get her out safe and still pregnant, or we go alone, and will all die, Spike, Dru, me, Buffy, the babies. Truce?"

There was a heavy silence. Even Spike said nothing, more worried in whisper quiet nothings to Dru, who was crying and babbling incoherently about her mummy and mummy's babies. Then, Willow started to cry softly. Oz held her close, tight, while Xander opened Giles' weaponry cabinet, took a sword out of it...

... And handed it to Angelus.

Buffy's back and hips were hurting; her wrists were bloody because she had tried so desperately to loose the ropes that bound them. All she wanted was to go home, and she prayed fervently that her Angelus had figured out where the demons had brought her to, before said demons could put a filthy claw on her or on their babies.

Suddenly, a warm, tingly feeling nestled into her stomach, and the babies went back to their energetic kicking inside her womb. They had been quiet for quite a time, and Buffy knew why she was tingling and why the babies had started moving inside her.

The three of them always responded to Angelus' proximity.

She stifled a cry of relief as she felt a cold tongue licking her stained by blood skin, and the tingle that had been in her stomach went to run up and down her spine. "Shh, baby", her lover's voice came from behind her, as she felt her wrists being freed by the ropes. Weakened by hunger, fear and concern, she fell heavily between his arms.

"Thank God, thank God!" She whispered, clutching him tightly to her. Her nostrils flared with that earthy, ivory scent, and she looked around, surprised to see the Scoobies fighting side by side with her tiny family. Angelus kissed her lips long, briefly and lovingly, and then went back to the battlefield, leaving her safely behind.

Distracted, Buffy never noticed the Maetrink demon that came stealthily very close to her, from behind, and made a large wound on her neck's back. The pain was sudden and excruciating; and Buffy let out a desperate cry:

"Angelus!"

Angelus had successfully managed to kill the Maetrink's bunch-leader and was looking out for more enemies, when his sensitive ears picked on the sound of flesh being cut open, and felt the sweet scent of Buffy's powerful Slayer-blood.

He ran to his fiancée's side and thrusted viciously the sword onto the neck of the demon that had dared to hurt his mate, killing it instantly. The demon fell into a puddle of lime-green demonic slime. Somewhat freaked out, Angelus took a growingly weak Buffy in his arms and left, letting out an inhuman whistle. The Scoobies covered their ears, but Spike and Drusilla recognized the noise at once and left.

Since all the demons were defeated, a blessed, deafening silence fell over the warehouse., and the Scoobies realized they were all by themselves. There was no sign of Buffy or of the three vampires she lived with.

Cordelia looked around, paled and then shrieked loudly, pointing at a puddle of bright red liquid next to a demon's corpse, which was covered in green goo.

"I-Is t-that... h-human b-blood?" Willow stuttered. Careful not to get his pants dirty, Giles kneeled next to the red puddle, touched it and then nodded very sadly.

Cordelia lost conscience, being tightly held by Xander, who was courageously trying not to start crying. Giles hastily wiped a lone tear away from his cheek. Willow cried hysterically, while Oz had a sad twinkle inside his soft, friendly blue eyes.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Next Time In 'Children Of Darkness': While the Scoobies worry with Buffy's and the twins' safety, Spike, Drusilla and Angelus have a problem of their own: a gravely injured Buffy is in labor, and losing blood.