Part Thirty-five
Sunnydale Memorial Hospital, Sunnydale, California. February 21, 2001
Late that afternoon, Rupert Giles blasted through the front doors leading into the hospital as if he was Jack the Ripper himself.
Close behind him were the rest of the Scoobies. Giles had filled them in on what he knew, on the way over. Which, it must be admitted, wasn't much. He knew that Joyce had been readmitted into the hospital, and since he was listed as the person to contact in case of an emergency - his presence was required immediately there.
One advantage of being a long-term resident of Sunnydale, was that Giles knew how to get to the emergency room of any of the hospitals in town without directions. He thus made his way through the corridors, till he reached the ER. The man then rushed up to the nurse at the reception station.
"I'm Rupert Giles, I-I was summoned here regarding Joyce Summers?" he said, short of breath.
The nurse looked up at him, but before she could answer a voice - sounding smaller, and way more forlorn than normal - called out.
"Giles, over here."
Giles and the others turned to the source of the voice. Both Willow and Tara then suppressed gasps at what they saw.
For there sitting on the edge of a gurney, not more than 15 feet from them, was Buffy Summers. But what horrified the Scoobies was that the clothes she was wearing were splattered with blood. Giles led the charge to where Buffy was.
"Buffy, what happened? Where are Joyce and Dawn?" the Watcher managed to ask, about a nanosecond before the others had a chance to do so. "And are *you* all right?"
Buffy just reached over and hugged Giles, trying not to cry. Willow came up and also hugged Buffy, as she began to explain.
"Yeah - Slayer healing, I'll be fine. Uh, we were taking Mom home; Dawn was in the back, with Kevin-"
"Kevin? Who's Kevin?" Giles asked in confusion.
"He's the boy Dawn's been crushing on lately," Willow explained. "Go on, Buffy."
"We, we had just pulled out...and I was going through the intersection. Dawn was joking around with Mom - then, then Mom screamed...we got hit-"
"Hit?" Giles demanded in incredulity. "You mean a, a demon attacked you in broad daylight?"
Buffy shook her head, looking to be in delayed shock. "No, I - some guy tried speeding through a red light. Plowed right into the side of Mom's SUV; the, the side where Mom and Kevin were..." the blonde stammered out, still traumatised by the near-death experience.
Tara looked around. "Buffy, where are the others? I don't see Dawn or Joyce anywhere..."
Buffy shuddered a little bit. "I don't know - they won't tell me anything, or even let me go see them! But they're hurt, Giles, I-I-I think hurt bad. Mom wouldn't answer me, before they cut her out of the jeep! I couldn't see Dawn, but I did see Kevin. And I-I don't think he's all right-"
At that moment, a nurse came up to the group. "Rupert Giles?" she asked.
"That's me," Giles identified himself. He followed the nurse, when she motioned him a few feet away from where Buffy and the others were. "Nurse - what the devil's happened?"
"Based on what the paramedics have told us, a drunk driver ran a red light - and slammed into the Summers vehicle," she explained. "They then hit a number of other cars, from the force of the high-impact collision."
"Joyce and Dawn - and that Kevin person. Are, are they all right?" Giles asked, an undertone of panic in his voice.
The nurse took a breath, before continuing. It was never easy relaying this sort of news. "No. And unfortunately, I don't have any good news for you; Dawn Summers is unconscious, and lucky to be alive. Still, the doctors are optimistic that she'll be able to survive what happened. As for Kevin Berman...I'm sorry, but that boy was brought in DOA. We're trying to get in touch with his next of kin right now; they'll need to come and formally identify the body."
"And Joyce Summers?" Giles asked fearfully.
The nurse hesitated for a second. "I'm not sure if I should say anything about that yet-"
"Nurse, please."
She reluctantly continued on, at Giles' urging. "She's in surgery right now. The woman's condition is very serious, she was in pretty bad shape when they brought her in..." The nurse looked concerned. "I really don't know anything beyond that. I'll get one of the doctors to give you more information, when they can."
With that, she hurried off to find the relatives of the other victims of the multiple-car pile-up today.
Somewhere else, the same time
"Hello? Where is everyone?" Dawn called out.
"Dawn?" was the response from far off into the distance.
"Hello! Help me!" Dawn cried out to the new voice. Then she finally recognized where she was, as the dreamscape that she had dreamed about Xander in.
And sure enough, the ol' Xandman himself suddenly appeared in front of her. "Dawn!" he shouted, when the young man saw her.
The brunette girl quickly hugged her white knight. "Xander. So, uh, I'm having this dream again - aren't I?"
Harris quickly thought for a second. {Okay, *I* know this isn't a dream, but she thinks it is. Of course - she thinks I'm dead, and Dawnie probably doesn't know she's the Key...so she rationalized the last encounter we had as a dream! Still, I'm here again; so *something* must have happened. Okay, then - if I just play along, the better the chances I have of finding out what happened.}
"Dawn, what's going on? What's the last thing you remember, before going to sleep?"
"Sleep? Uh, I didn't go to sleep. We were driving home from the hospital, then something big and nasty hit the car-" A look of terror then swept over Dawn's face. "Oh God, Mom! Buffy!"
Xander felt himself getting alarmed now. "Dawn, what's wrong? What happened?"
"We were going home from the hospital. Dr. Chalmers had given Mom a clean bill of health, and then - Kevin ran into us in the parking garage. Buffy was driving..." Dawn caught her breath for a second, an act that Xander found somewhat disconcerting. Because they were both in some kind of dream world, but their bodies still reacted as if they were physically present here.
Dawn continued on. "I was joking around with Mom, I made a crack about her being pregnant. Mom was acting all offended, when she suddenly screamed at Buffy. Then there was this crash and - I, I blacked out. I came to a few times, I think - there were people hovering over me. Paramedics, nurses and doctors. I was in a hospital, probably the one I'd just left - before I woke up here..."
{A car accident} Xander thought to himself in dismay and disbelief. {Something as mundane as that happened on their way home from the hospital? Un-friggin-believable! Life just sucks sometimes.} Then he pulled himself together. "Dawn, were you hurt?"
Ms. Summers involuntarily shivered. "Yeah, I think so. I, I...remember pain when I was awake, a few times afterwards. My ribs and stomach hurt. My arm, too. I was holding Kevin's hand, when whatever happened...happened..."
"Kevin?" Xander asked.
Despite the situation, Dawn blushed. "Uh, he's this boy I met recently. Kevin Berman? He's kinda cool. I think you'll like him, Xander, if you just gave him a chance..." Then she frowned. "Uh, wait - if this is just a dream, how come you don't know about him?"
{Crap! Got to think of something fast.} "Ancient Chinese secret, grasshopper..." Xander belatedly tried to imitate Kwai-Chang Caine from the old TV series 'Kung Fu', after coming up blank on anything else.
Dawn couldn't help but to giggle, accepting that as Xander relaxed. {Alright, let's look at the situation; Dawn's been hurt. Maybe bad. It's bad enough, anyway, that she's been taken to the hospital. I don't know about the others; that'll have to wait, until I end up back in the land of the awake. And for whatever reason, it looks like when Dawn is hurt bad enough and unconscious, she reverts to some kind of telepathic communication with me. But why? Gonna hafta talk to those monks about that.}
"Dawn, do you recall those doctors saying anything?" Xander asked, hoping to find out why both he and Dawn were here.
Dawn thought for a second. "I recall bits and pieces...something about broken ribs, internal bleeding, concussion..." She looked at Xander with fear in her eyes. Even though the brunette teen thought this was just a dream Xander, she still looked at him to make things better. "It's bad, isn't it Xander?"
Harris thought for a second about sugarcoating the situation for the younger Summers girl, then decided that wouldn't be fair to her. "It pretty much sounds like it, and thing is - I don't think I would be here for anything minor..." Xander concentrated for a few seconds.
Finally Dawn had enough, her dreams weren't supposed to ignore her like this. "Xander, what?"
The former slave snapped back to reality - so to speak. "Okay, Dawnie, don't panic. You're young and strong, and you'll get through this. I'll help you." He reached over, and took both of Dawn's hands into his.
Harris then led her to a flat place on the dreamscape, and helped her to sit down. He then did so himself, still holding her hands. "The first thing I want you to do is to remain calm, Dawn-patrol. Don't panic."
Dawn nodded at Xander's instructions, as she collected herself. "Okay, what next?"
Xander thought for a second, as a memory from the final year in Sunnydale came to mind. He remembered what had happened, after Willow had returned from spending the summer with that coven in England. She had been hurt by that demon that ate human flesh, what had Anya said his name was? Gnarl?
Anyway, the asshole had eaten lots of Willow's skin, and Xander remembered Buffy helping her out to heal herself.
By loaning the redhead her strength.
{Okay, that sounds pretty strange - granted. But then again, I'm sitting here talking to the mental projection of an interdimensional key turned into human form when she's all the way across the country from me, so I'm thinking that we're all pretty well past *strange* by now! I just hope this can work the same for the Key, like it did for Willow.}
"All right, Dawn, here's what's going to happen. You're going to concentrate on getting better. Heal yourself. Take whatever strength you need from me to do it."
"Xander, what the-?" Dawn asked in a confused tone of voice.
"Dawn, please, just do what I say. Concentrate on healing yourself, and I'll help you by giving you my energy. Ask Willow about it sometime; it's how a witch can regenerate her flesh. They go into some kinda healing trance, and if they're hurt bad enough, someone else can help out by supporting them and giving them energy. I've seen it done before-"
"When was this? 'Cause I don't remember anyone ever doing that," Dawn said, looking unsure again.
{Uh-oh, that's right - all that would have been almost two years into the future and can't very well tell Dawn that, can I? She thinks this is all a dream. If I tell her different, she might panic again - and I don't know what the results of that'll be! } Xander thought. {I need to come up with a story she'll believe.}
"Dawn, thing is - I go to a lot of different places when I'm not here with you. I'm a busy man, I've met a lot of witches and seen lots of magic..." {Which is all perfectly true, just not the way she thinks!} Xander continued, "Come on, Dawnster, have I ever steered you wrong before?" Harris then gave the girl that goofy, loopy smile that she'd always loved so much.
Dawn smiled back; as best she could with her situation, anyway. "Okay, Xander, but just because it's you!" Thus, saying, she closed her eyes and started concentrating.
Xander smiled and started concentrating himself. "Good, Dawnie, let's get you all better now..." the man whispered, as he closed his eyes as well.
And then the pain of a thousand knives seemed to hit him, as Xander somehow managed not to scream in agony.
Takoma Park, Maryland. A short while later
In the hospital that Xander had once recovered in after being abducted by Quentin Travers and his merry little band of Watchers, Joshua E. Cleburne slammed in through the entrance - very much like Giles had done, all the way on the other side of the country.
He had been briefed on the situation by Graham Miller; well, what little the soldier had been able to pry out of a hysterical Fred, anyway. Now that he was here though, Joshua wanted answers - and he wanted them immediately.
Thus, he marched up to the doctor that he knew was handling Xander's case, and *demanded* a full report on what was going on around here.
"I don't know what to tell you," the doctor confessed, looking rather stressed. {Mother was right, I should have become a veterinarian. At least then, I wouldn't have to put up with Marine colonels and their attitude! } "We've got Lt. Howard under observation-"
"What's wrong with the kid?" Cleburne instantly barked out.
The doctor just looked at his companion. "He's unconscious."
"AND-?" Cleburne almost shouted, his temper rather short.
The doctor shrugged. "What do you want me to say? We've hooked him up to an IV, and we're currently doing tests for everything we can think of. And from what we've learned so far - his blood pressure's too damn low for my liking. Heart rate and brain activity, ditto. But as for *why* all that's happening - bottom line is, your guess is as good as mine. We can only treat the symptoms, till we know why the hell this took place..."
"That's not good enough!" Cleburne shouted this time, not bothering to restrain himself out of concern for Xander's well-being.
The doctor just stared at the secret agent. "Look...Colonel. I've had to get up to speed on my new patient's medical history, with literally no time to spare. And the things I've read, in your lieutenant's classified file?"
He started ticking things off on his fingers. "Spent over four years as an abused slave in another dimension, with massive memory loss. Unable to be near certain people, on account of some sort of magical head trauma. Drank from the *actual* Holy Grail. Kidnapped and tortured by DEMONS!"
The man gestured, "How the hell am I, or any other reputable doctor, supposed to give you an informed medical opinion with regards to any of that? People like us, we're trained to deal with rape victims. Gunshot wounds. Kids overdosing on crack! Not *this*..."
A pause. "Look - you never heard it from me, but..." the doctor looked around nervously. "I'm thinking, whatever's really going on - you don't need just an M.D. for this. Your best bet is probably some sort of witch doctor, or friggin' shaman!" The medical man then hurriedly walked away.
Cleburne stared after him, then nodded to himself. {I better see if I can locate the Furies.}
Sunnydale Memorial Hospital, Sunnydale, California. A short time later
Dawn softly moaned, as she gradually regained consciousness. She hurt all over.
"Ms. Summers. Dawn, can you hear me?" Suddenly, there was a bright light in her eyes. She feebly tried to bat it away.
"Response to light is good," the voice said to someone nearby. "Dawn, can you hear me?"
"Mom? Buffy?" Dawn whispered out.
"They're here, Dawn. But I'm afraid you've been in a car accident. You're in the hospital..."
Dawn blinked her eyes a few times, and gradually began to focus on her immediate surroundings. {Xander} She then noticed she was in an ER examining room; a doctor was leaning over her, with a nurse standing nearby. {Oh, I'm having really wacky dreams these days.}
The doctor was frowning, as he examined the teenage girl. He then looked at her chart, "What is this?" the man then said to the nurse. "Who the hell screwed up the paperwork, *again*?"
"Doctor-?" the nurse said in confusion.
"Look at her chart, for God's sake!" the M.D. seemed very annoyed. "Abrasions and contusions, yes. But can you see any sign of deep lacerations, and broken bones? Damn it, this sort of crap has got to stop!"
The nurse simply gestured towards the patient, and the physician swiftly pulled himself together. "I'm sorry. Dawn, how are you feeling?"
"It hurts," Ms. Summers managed to get out.
"That's understandable. But don't worry, you're going to be all better soon," the doctor soothingly said.
"Where's my mother? And Buffy? And Kevin?" Dawn managed to ask, even though it hurt to talk.
The nurse leaned over and reassuringly stroked Dawn's hair. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll go tell the people in the waiting room that you're awake," she said.
As the nurse left the examination room, Dawn realized that the nurse hadn't really answered her question. She instantly felt an empty feeling in her stomach open up, as all sorts of horrible scenarios went through her mind.
"Dawn!"
Dawn's horrible thoughts were suddenly knocked out of her head, as Buffy literally came running into the room, followed closely by Giles. Almost knocking the doctor out of her way, Buffy leaned over and hugged Dawn as much as possible, given how her sister was laying down.
"Buffy, what happened? Are you okay? What about Mom? Kevin?" Dawn asked her big sister.
The Chosen One just hugged her sister tighter. "Buffy! Slayer strength..." Dawn hissed out.
Buffy sniffled as she let go of her sibling, and stepped back. Dawn took a sharp intake of breath, as she saw the shape of the blonde's clothes. "Buffy, is that blood on your blouse?"
Ms. Summers shuffled for a second before answering. "Yeah, guess I got some on me when I was trying to get you and Mom to answer me in the car," she explained.
"Mom. Mom, where's Mom?" Dawn asked in panic.
"She's still in surgery," Giles said, half-numbly and half-sympathetically. "The nurses around here can't tell us too much I'm afraid, as all those who know anything are currently in the operating room right now."
"How bad is she?" Dawn asked. Buffy and Giles just exchanged a look. "Tell me!" Dawn demanded, her voice raising.
"I think she was hurt real bad in the wreck. She was knocked out, and-and hadn't regained consciousness when the ambulance arrived to take her away. I didn't see her again after that, I just know the doctors are operating on her right now," Buffy explained.
"And Kevin?" Dawn said fearfully.
Buffy looked down for a second. "I'm so sorry, Dawn. But he's dead."
"Oh my God!" Dawn cried out, as her left hand shot to her mouth. "No, no, you're lying. He's all right, he has to be. No - I, I can't lose anyone else!" She started to sob with intense, scalding tears.
Buffy was instantly back at Dawn's side, grasping her in a bear hug, crying also. "Dawn, oh God Dawn, Mom will be all right. I'm sorry, Kevin, oh God..."
Takoma Park, Maryland. The same time
"He's waking up!" Xander fuzzily heard a female voice say, as his awareness returned to its corporeal vessel.
The 24-year-old guy blinked his eyes, as he heard a commotion around him. He looked around, and saw that he was in a hospital room. Harris then saw that Cleburne, Oz, Fred and Graham Miller were present.
"Glad to have you back with us, buddy. I'll go get the doctor," Graham said, before he left the room.
"What happened?" Xander asked groggily.
"We were kinda hoping that you could tell *us* that," Cleburne remarked.
"Yeah. You passed out while talking to me, remember? Right in the middle of your saying that tacos really *are* one of the five basic food groups! It scared me, and I mean it really did, on account it was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Oz hadn't seen anything like it before, either, so we called for help. They didn't know what to make of it too, so they air-lifted you out here-" Fred said in a torrent of words.
"Where's here?" Xander asked, shaking his head and finally managing to focus.
"You're at the clinic in Maryland. Same place we used after that little escapade with the Watchers last year, remember?" Cleburne explained. Next to him, Oz raised an eyebrow - the mention of the Watchers having piqued his interest.
Xander sighed. "Yeah. And ya know what? I've come to the conclusion...that I've spent far too much of my life in hospitals," he said grimly, without a flicker of amusement in his voice.
"Don't worry. We've got a great health insurance plan," Cleburne replied, deadpan.
Xander almost laughed out loud at that. However, Cleburne didn't give him a chance to respond. "Still, we do need to know what happened. You got any ideas you wanna share with the rest of the class?"
Xander sighed and proceeded to explain. "I'm thinking one of my girls was in trouble, and apparently I had to help. So, uh, let's just consider this weird little episode a very back-channel mission - to reinforce one of the troops..."
As everyone still looked confused, Harris shrugged. "It's Dawn. She was in a car wreck when I passed out, along with Joyce and Buffy, and I kinda got drafted to help her."
"Help her, how?" Oz asked.
"Yeah, you-you never left my sight," Fred said, still not getting any of this.
"Well, this is going to take some explaining..." Xander started to say.
But at that moment, the doctor entered the room. "All right, everyone out! I need to examine my patient, before anyone does anything else. When I say so, you can all come back inside - but not before. So for the moment, all of you - git!"
Cleburne looked annoyed, the doctor frustrating the attempts of Xander's friends to find out what the hell had really happened; but even he didn't argue with the physician, as the Siberians marched out of the room.
Operating suite, Sunnydale Memorial Hospital, Sunnydale. A few minutes later
The steady beep of the monitors was the only steady sound in the operating room, everything else in there being hurried and chaotic. Chalmers and two other surgeons stood over Joyce Summers, trying to keep her alive. Several nurses stood nearby to assist them.
"This is a mess. Even if we can stop the internal bleeding..." one of the surgeons started to say.
"We *are* going to stop the bleeding," Chalmers interrupted him. "I'm not losing Mrs. Summers like this. Clamp!" he ordered fiercely, as the doctor asked the nurse for the desired piece of equipment.
"Blood pressure's dropping, 90 over 60!" one of the nurses announced. One of the surgeons cursed under his breath. He leaned in to see if he could find the problem.
Suddenly, the beeping stopped; and a steady drone, one that everybody who has ever watched TV instantly feared, was heard. "Doctor, we've lost the heartbeat-" one of the nurses almost shouted.
Chalmers threw down the scalpel and clamp in his hand. "Only one way to do this..." He reached down and surprised his colleagues, by applying pressure directly to her heart. As he did that, he leaned down and said...
"You are not dying today. Do you hear me? I am not letting you die! Not after everything I've gone through, and you've gone through..." Bert gritted, as he massaged her heart; trying to get it started back up. "You've got two daughters who love you very much, you've got a lot of friends here in Sunnydale and a lot of people out there pulling for you. People who don't like taking no for an answer!"
"Doctor, I don't think-" one of the chest-cutters started to say, then stopped.
Chalmers ignored him, as he continued the open heart massage. "You hear me, Mrs. Summers? I am not losing you. I am *not* disappointing your family and friends, so come on damn it...work with me here..."
The two other surgeons looked at each other, and then they both hurried to help Dr. Chalmers try to save the life of Joyce Summers.
Sunnydale Police Department headquarters, Sunnydale, California. Half an hour later
The door to the interrogation room opened up, and two uniformed officers and a man in a suit entered the small room. Waiting at the table was another guy in a finely-tailored suit, with a disheveled man sipping a styrofoam cup of coffee.
If Buffy had been able to see the scene, she would have had recognized the person drinking the coffee as the bureaucrat who'd tried to kick Joyce Summers out of the hospital early, after her first surgery. He was dressed in what were clearly expensive clothes, which had obviously gone through a rough afternoon.
The bureaucrat put down the coffee cup, and rubbed his forehead. His hangover was starting to be a very major one.
The man in the finely-tailored suit seated next to the bureaucrat spoke first. "Gentlemen, it's my duty to notify you that my client does not desire to make a statement about this horrible accident, at this time. He is, as you can see, very shaken up about what's happened. You can contact me later, and I'll set up a time for him to give a statement to you at my office."
The local Wolfram & Hart attorney smiled in friendly, and yet oily way. "For now, I'm taking my client home for him to recover after he stops off at the emergency room. And for the record, I really must protest the failure of your officers to take him to the hospital! Instead, they brought him straight here? I just hope that my client hasn't suffered any harm, because of that lapse in judgement..."
He stood up and motioned for his client to do likewise. "Come on, Horace, we're leaving."
"No you're not. Well, you maybe, but not your client!" the man in the suit said scornfully.
The Wolfram & Hart attorney stopped, as he took his first step. He was not used to getting this kind of treatment, from these people. The lawyer then shook his head, "Excuse me, but what do you think you're doing?"
"I'm stopping a criminal from escaping custody. That's what," was the terse reply.
The attorney mentally sighed to himself. {Time to remind these idiots who controls things around here.} "I don't understand why you insist on painting this fine gentleman as a so-called criminal. Over the years, he's given exemplary service to the community-"
"Because, do I need to spell it all out for you? This *gentleman* just committed vehicular homicide!" The reply was accompanied by a sneer from the man in the suit, who was the District Attorney put into office by the contacts of Siberian Trip Wire.
"Nonsense! According to my information, this accident was caused by the other driver..." Time to shift the blame onto this Summers girl. From what the attorney heard from the Los Angeles office, no one there would be upset if she took the rap for all this.
"By driving through an intersection, when the light was green? Get real, counselor. Statements like that, they almost make me think you've drunk as much as your client!"
A look of outrage crossed the attorney's face. "You have no proof that my client was intoxicated at the time of the incident-"
The District Attorney raised an eyebrow at that. He looked at one of the officers, who had entered with him. The cop took the hint and spoke up, "Mr. Miller's blood tests just came back - and his blood alcohol content reads 0.19. The paramedics at the scene, they could all smell alcohol on his breath and person. There's also the matter of the empty whiskey bottle found in his automobile, that's now in the police impound yard."
The District Attorney piped up. "But wait, there's more..."
The policeman nodded, "We have statements from the waiters at the restaurant where your client had lunch, as to his excessive drinking. He actually grew hostile and verbally abusive, when they tried to stop serving him. I believe that he was eventually escorted from the restaurant-"
"I was not!" Horace butted in.
Ignoring him, the cop went on. "We have the testimony of the parking attendant who tried to stop your client driving off, because of his erratic behavior. And to top it all off, we have two motorists who called 911 after observing his driving skills..." the police officer finished up, clearly relishing the effect his statements was having on the attorney and his client.
The evil lawyer decided to take the counter-offensive. "According to my information, you took my client's blood without his permission. And that's grounds for a lawsuit, I'll have you all know..."
The DA just smiled, as he handed a piece of paper to the attorney. "A search warrant signed by the judge, allowing law enforcement to draw a blood sample from your client."
"I'll get it thrown out in court!" the bad guy snapped, starting to lose it.
"Somehow, I doubt it. Because I for one think you're putting a little too much faith in your legal abilities here..." the District Attorney smirked back.
At this point, the bureaucrat spoke up in a whining voice. "You can't do this! I'm important, Mayor Wilkins himself appointed me to my position. And he was a big supporter of the District Attorney's office-"
The DA faced the hospital bureaucrat with a new smile; one that Buffy would have recognized as something she often sported, before many a vampire went dusty. "Mr. Miller. Richard Wilkins is dead, his influence is long gone and political favors mean squat when it comes to homicide! And to quote a line from one of my favorite movies, 'There's a new sheriff in town'..."
Miller actually turned pale at the tone and look on the DA's face. {What is this? This can't be happening to me.}
The defense attorney spoke up again in an exasperated tone. "You can't do this-"
The DA didn't even directly respond to the getting-old quote. He turned to the officers with him. "Gentlemen?" he said in a matter-of-fact manner.
The cops stepped forward. The most senior flatfoot then said, "Horace Miller, you are under arrest for vehicular homicide, assault and drunk driving..."
He then proceeded to read the prisoner his rights, as the man started to blubber incoherently. And he kept right on blubbering as they led the bureaucrat out of the interrogation room, after placing him in handcuffs.
The Wolfram & Hart attorney looked at the District Attorney with undisguised fury. "You idiot hillbilly! You have no idea what you've just started, and I promise you that you won't get away with this. *They* won't stand for it!" he hissed out.
The District Attorney just smiled in response. "If that refers to who I think it does? Somehow, I suspect your bosses have *far* more important things to worry about right now, than the fate of some low-level client up here in Sunnydale. Sir, have a nice day..." the man said in a chipper tone of voice, as he left the interrogation room.
Takoma Park, Maryland. Half an hour later
The ringing of the cell phone snapped Cleburne's attention away from staring at the door leading to Xander's hospital room.
He had been waiting for the chance to go back in, and find out what the hell was the situation with Xander's condition. However, so far the doctors had refused him permission to do so.
And this was *important*, as obviously now the kid's usefulness as a field agent was compromised. What if he'd been driving a car or been in a gun battle, when that weird crap had taken place? Cleburne needed details to decide what to do, but had to wait till he was given the okay by the quacks to start asking more questions.
So the secret agent was reduced to standing near the entrance to the room, hoping to break the doctors' willpower by staring alone. He was having no luck so far though, as the medical men refused to be intimidated when it came to medical matters.
However, Joshua had definitely unnerved his companions. Fred had even whispered to Oz wondering if Cleburne had the ability to blink, it having been so long since she had seen him do it.
"What?" Cleburne growled into the cell phone. "Josef. What's wrong?" He listened for a few seconds. "Damn!" Cleburne said in a loud tone of voice. "Yeah, I know, the kid will need to be told as soon as possible..."
Both Fred and Oz turned towards Cleburne, wondering what news was being conveyed to the Marine colonel.
Recovery Room, Sunnydale Memorial Hospital. Later that night
Dawn shifted herself within the hospital bed, as she tried to sleep. 'Tried to' being the key phrase, as she couldn't really relax with the tension coming from the waiting of word about her mother.
Buffy was in just as bad shape, sitting in the chair pulled up next to Dawn's bed. She had periodically been holding Dawn's hand, throughout the time waiting for news.
All the Scoobies, even Andrew and Anya, were now present in the room. In fact, none of them had left the hospital since they'd arrived; the possible death of Joyce hanging heavy in their minds.
In the corner, Giles tried very hard not to pace. He was worried sick about the mother of his charge, and the bald truth was that during the past few months - his feelings for her had clearly progressed from just friendship, to...something else. Giles hadn't realized just how far his feelings for her *had* changed, until Joyce's condition today had been revealed to him.
The Englishman had tried to prepare himself for the worst, if the tumor couldn't be cured. However, he wasn't ready to deal if he lost Joyce because of a damned, stupid, drunk driver.
Giles' worried thoughts were then interrupted, by the door to the recovery room opening up. Bert Chalmers stepped in, still dressed in his surgical scrubs, parts of which had blood on them.
Blood from Joyce Summers.
The look on Buffy's face showed that she knew whose blood that was. She stood up, as everyone else in the room paid rapt attention to the surgeon.
"Ms. Summers," he said to Buffy and then Dawn. He looked at the others with a questioning look on his face.
"It's all right, Dr. Chalmers, They can hear whatever you have to say. We're family," Buffy said. She smiled sadly at Giles, as he stepped next to his Slayer.
Chalmers nodded and began speaking. "First off, your mother's alive-"
Both Buffy and Dawn released the breath they had been holding. Chalmers continued, "However, she was very seriously hurt. We operated on her for several hours, and it was pretty much touch and go there for quite a while..."
"How bad was it?" Dawn asked in fear and incredulity.
"Very bad, she had severe internal injuries. Several ribs were broken. Her right lung had collapsed, and we had to reinflate it. She was bleeding internally and it took a long time to find everything with regards to that, but I'm afraid that's not the worst part."
Giles blanched at that. "There's more?"
Chalmers took a breath and strengthened himself, before he continued. "Yes. She suffered quite a bit of injury to her legs and lower spine. We don't know yet if it's permanent, but when she wakes up, she'll be unable to walk - at least for the foreseeable future."
A grim silence greeted Chalmers' pronouncement. Giles finally spoke up, "How widespread would the paralysis be?"
"Just her legs, she should retain full use of the rest of her body. Her arms for example seem to have no long-term injuries," was the reply from the surgeon.
"Where is she? Can we see her?" Buffy said in a small voice.
Chalmers looked at the blonde Slayer. "She's in the ICU right now. She's still unconscious, and will be for quite a while. My recommendation is that we shouldn't disturb her, until she wakes up."
"But she needs someone with her, a familiar face to comfort her when she wakes up. It should be one of us..." Dawn said. She started to get out of the bed.
Only to find herself restrained by her sister. "No way, you're staying right there. You hear me, Dawn? You're hurt. And I don't care what kind of teen snit you might get into, until the doctors give us the okay - you're not moving one inch..."
"But I just can't lay here while Mom is in the ICU!" Dawn complained. "She, she needs someone with her!"
Buffy looked conflicted for a second. "You're right, but you need to rest..." Buffy didn't want to leave her sister, but she also wanted to go to her mother. However, the Slayer silently admitted to herself that she was more than a little afraid of seeing Joyce in the shape that Dr. Chalmers had just described.
Buffy turned to the father figure in her life. "Giles, I-I-I hate to ask this of you, but I don't want to leave Dawn; so can you go sit with my mother?"
Giles was clearly surprised. Buffy quickly hurried to reassure him. "It's okay, go ahead. Like I said, you're family. I'll be there in a little while."
Giles just nodded silently, and followed Dr. Chalmers to the ICU.
Unknown heavenly dimension. February 22, 2001
Not long after midnight, as human beings reckoned time, the entity soon to be known as "Jasmine" felt something happening.
And that was - after thousands, if not millions of years...her plans coming to fruition.
Finally.
The two dead things she had been manipulating ever-so-subtly - granted, not always successfully, but still - for a long time, were coming together at last.
Flesh against flesh, skin against skin, the ancient rhythm had started...and then her grandparents did it.
There was an explosive contact, and an exultant Jasmine felt the miracle take place - that primal spark of life flaring into existence as sperm fertilized ovum. So despite her earlier setbacks, Jasmine's plans were now back on track.
Connor, the son of two vampires, had been conceived in his mother's womb.
Jasmine's future father was now on the scene...
Los Angeles, California. The same time
The ethereal time-shifter demon known as Sahjhan glanced at the red warning crystal - which was now glowing.
In shock, the terrified thing realized that his worst fears had finally come about. The creature that had been prophesised to kill him, for over a thousand years, was now in existence.
Sahjhan looked at the statue, containing the frozen body of the 18th century human known as Daniel Holtz. It looked like his little vampire hunter was going to be seeing action soon, after all...
Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles, California. The next morning
Angel suddenly sat up straight from the bed where he had been sleeping, taking a deep breath as he did so. He looked around in confusion for a few seconds. The Champion then felt the female body next to him, before he even turned and looked at it.
Laying there in bed with Angel was Darla, curled up underneath the covers. And from the clothes strewn around the room, Angel had no doubts that his blonde sire was completely naked under those covers.
Angel instantly felt an intense feeling of worry. Last time, it hadn't happened right away...
So he sat there for a second, waiting to see if he felt the signs of a threat to his soul - from a moment of perfect happiness.
Sensing no pain, and eventually satisfied that there was no danger at the moment of Angelus getting unleashed, Angel returned to concentrating on the present physical situation. He shook his head, as he tried to recall the events of last night.
He remembered a terrible storm. The windows of the Hyperion had been shaking, from the thunder and lightning...
Angel and Darla had been running down leads on the latest thing Wolfram & Hart was supposedly up to. The Fang Gang had been light on details; only knowing that whatever it was, it was big. Because the evil lawyers had been running around, in what could only be described as a blind panic.
The two vampires with a soul had been unable to find anything out. They had tried to do so, of course. But after a fruitless evening searching for answers, the two had wound up doing...other things.
Angel remembered thinking about Xander's letters, and feeling morose. He'd been afraid of what was to come in the future; losing Darla, and having a son - only to lose him as well.
And Darla had sensed something was wrong. She'd had an inkling as to what the cause of it was, but not the full details. Angel hadn't shared everything of what was coming with her, after all.
The two had gone back to the hotel, after having a few drinks at Caritas. They had been talking, and then one thing had led to another. The alcohol, the stormy night and the emotions of the moment had led to the two of them engaging in physical activities...that both vampires had enjoyed very much, during the 19th century.
Angel shook his head, as he recalled said events. {Well, Darla's obviously forgotten nothing over the last century or so.} he thought with a wistful smile, as the male vampire put his trousers on.
It had been different in some ways, though. Back then, as far as Angelus was concerned, no other woman could compare to his female maker in terms of cruelty, and inventiveness in bed. She had been the epitome of bliss to him...
But for the first time, at least as far as the Irish-born vamp knew, they had made love with their souls intact. As two people different from the soulless monsters they'd once been. And Angel figured that as far as he was concerned - that one single night had totally eclipsed the last 250 years, and left them all behind in its dust.
Incredibly enough, it looked like he was finally moving on from Buffy...
Next to him, Darla started to stir at Angel's activities. Her eyes opened up, and she smiled at her former and present lover. "Morning Angel," she said sleepily.
"Darla," Angel replied with a smile. {Watch it, don't get too happy!} "Do you remember much about last night?"
Darla smile widened at that. "Oh yes, I didn't drink that much..." She sat up, clutching the covers to her body, and smiled the smile of a very satisfied woman. "You know, we ought to go out like that more often - not worrying so much about saving the world, and being the good guys..."
"We were supposed to be getting information on Wolfram & Hart," Angel mentioned wryly, as he put on his shirt.
Darla's face darkened at the mention of the firm that had brought her back to life. "Bastards..." she muttered, as memories of her awakening in the box they'd brought back her human form in went through her head. "If I didn't have my soul attached, the things I'd do to them all..."
Suddenly, she glanced over at Angel. "Speaking of which-?" the blonde woman asked with a hesitant look.
"Don't worry. It's Angel, not Angelus. Got way too much on my mind right now, for that moment of happiness to be a factor..." Angel replied. {Like you dying, before 2003. Our son vanishing and growing up in a hell dimension, before I lose him too. Oh yes, those thoughts are never far away from me, Darla.}
"I never could make you happy," Darla muttered.
"What was that?" Angel said, not clearly hearing what the woman had said. Or so they both pretended, vampire hearing being as super-sharp as it was.
"Happy. I'm happy that you're still here. As much as the old me enjoyed running with Angelus, oddly enough - I really don't want to have a reunion with him right now," Darla covered up her earlier statement, as she got out of bed.
"Well, I prefer me to him any day," Angel said with a grin. "And don't forget, my curse can only be broken by a moment of *perfect* happiness. And I can live with the fact that last night, you made me very *imperfectly* happy..."
The blonde vampiress smiled, and Angel took her in his arms at once. They then kissed intensely for a long time, feelings of need and desire and...maybe even love, being born between them.
In the end they broke apart, as Darla grabbed her underwear and started getting dressed herself. As she was picking up her blouse, a knock on the door preceded Wesley entering the room by a few seconds.
"Angel, I've gotten vital news on what's happ-" Wesley stopped talking, when he observed Darla's clothing situation. And the sight of her full, round, inviting and totally naked breasts.
"Oh, I-I-I'm dreadfully sorry," the British man managed to sputter out, as he averted his eyes. "I didn't you two were...that is, you'd decided to...should I stop talking now?"
"Wesley," Angel managed to get out, somewhat embarrassed himself. "It's okay. And before you ask, it's me - Angel. As for Darla, we're not...we're just...we'll be down in the lobby in a few minutes, can you talk to us then?"
"Yes. Yes, this can wait till then. I'll be in the lobby waiting for you." Wes then raced out the door, like his ass was on fire.
Darla started laughing helplessly, and Angel almost immediately followed suit.
The lobby, five minutes later
"Okay Wesley, what's the news you wanted to share?" Angel started the conversation, so as to avoid the uncomfortable air in the lobby. The entire Fang Gang was there, and although Wesley had not divulged what he had seen - they could all tell *something* had been going on upstairs.
Wesley cleared his throat. "Well, I have information about what Wolfram & Hart has been up to recently."
"Besides having the smell of tear gas in their lobby?" Cordelia quipped, causing the others to chuckle.
"Yes, besides that..." Wesley said as he continued. "I just came back from Caritas, and Lorne told me something that he overheard in the men's room. Apparently, the law firm is undergoing an internal review right now. And even though it's an expected audit - there is quite a bit of concern over this particular 75-year review, due to how many of their projects have gone awry lately."
"Well, I'm glad we've been able to contribute to their recent track record," Angel said. And Gwen smiled knowingly, for unlike the rest of those assembled - she knew what really had transpired leading up to the recent situation at the demonic law firm.
"Yes, I'm sure our efforts did not go unnoticed. And the firm is concerned enough that we may have gotten ourselves the opportunity to deal them a very harsh blow," Wesley explained.
"How so?" Gunn asked. He and the Lost Boys had recently taken out some Skilosh demons that would have otherwise tried to increase their numbers, and he was pumped enough to want more action right now with his adrenaline high.
"Well, the review is being conducted by someone being brought in from out of town. *Very* far out of town."
"How far out of town?" Gwen asked, wondering if she should contact the Siberians for information.
"According to Lorne, it's one of the Senior Partners themselves. And as it'll be on our plane of existence, it's therefore potentially vulnerable," Wesley declared.
"Do you have any more details?" Darla demanded, as everyone's eyes went wide at the possibilities.
"According to the Host, it's *most likely* manifesting in the form of a Kleynach demon. Very dangerous creatures, according to rumor. I've been researching madly ever since I got back from Lorne's club, and since time is of the essence-"
"Do what you can," Angel interrupted. "Contact whoever you need to. All of you, help Wesley with whatever he needs..." The Champion then seemed to remember something, or rather *someone*. He looked at Darla, "I want to check with somebody I met once, back in the old days-"
"I'm coming with you," Darla said to her lover at once.
"Good, I was hoping you'd say that. If all else fails, I'm sure you could charm this guy into helping out..." Angel turned around. "We'll be back soon, hopefully." Then he and the blonde made their way to the basement, and the access point to the sewers of LA.
Denver's Occult Bookshop, Los Angeles, California. A short while later
"Hello, Denver."
"I don't believe it," the 80-year-old man said, taking off his glasses and staring at the new arrival. "Is that YOU?"
"Yeah, guess so..."
Angel and Darla had safely made their way to the bookstore the male vampire had last visited in 1952, when he'd been seeking help to kill the Thesulac demon that had been infesting the Hyperion - since before its construction had even been finished. And the female vamp raised her eyebrows, as she looked at her childe. "Friend of yours?"
Denver shook his head, staring at the undead creature he'd once met as a young man and ignoring the female vamp for the moment. "You know, you changed my life that day. I mean, a vampire comes into my place looking to kill a demon to save human beings? I figured if something like *that* could happen, there really must be good in the world..."
Angel looked embarrassed, as Darla tried not to laugh in his face. "Right. So, ah, sorry that there's no time to chat, but we've got a bit of a situation - and we could do with your help. You got anything on Kleynach demons?"
But the shopkeeper was still focussed on the past. "Hey, how'd that go anyway? It was a Thesulac, paranoia demon, if I recall."
The male vampire shrugged, not wanting to go there right now. "Yeah, I don't know. I think he pretty much killed everyone..."
Denver nodded. "Oh - well, point is, you tried..." Then he looked deep in thought, figuring that while Darla may have been a vamp - if she was with Angel, it was okay. "Right. Kleynach. A lot of dark entities use the form of a Kleynach to manifest, because the Kleynach doesn't have to rely on being conjured or brought forth. They can come and go as they please, with that ring."
Darla looked confused. "What ring?"
Denver swiftly got a book out of his collection, after leading the two vamps to the private section of the store. He pointed at an illustration, "The Band of Blacknil. Simple thing, plain. You wouldn't give it a second glance in a pawnshop, but it's the source of the Kleynach's power to move between the dimensions, and that's what it'll use to get here...and get back."
Now Darla was getting impatient. "That's all well and good, but what about something to be able to kill the damn thing?"
Denver smiled, the smile of a man who knows himself to be in the box seat of things. "You happen to be looking at the one guy who can help you to do that."
Angel demanded, "How?!"
The bookstore owner said simply, "To kill the Kleynach, you need the glove." Denver then grabbed another book from a shelf.
Angel and Darla had no idea what he was talking about. "Okay, now you're making this up..." the former Scourge of Europe said scathingly.
Denver showed them the contents of the book. "Legend says that the Kleynach rose up from their demon world, raped and pillaged the villages of man and all who fought against them were incinerated, whether they struck with fist or sword. But one brave and worthy knight - he was given a glove..."
Denver dropped the book in front of Angel and Darla, which displayed a rendition of the glove in question. "Fashioned and blessed by all the powers of Light. And whoever wore this glove could kill the Kleynach, just with grabbing it by the throat!"
Denver walked into another part of his store and then came back, carrying a mailed glove. He said fondly, "Picked it up in '75 in a yard sale, in Covina. Been using it as an oven mitt ever since, actually. But now, I give it to you. No charge. 'Cause the truth is, vampire, you *did* change my life. And I got me a feeling that this time, things are gonna go better than they did with the Thesulac - right?"
Angel grabbed the blessed glove. "I sure hope so. Thanks for this!" He nodded at the human, as he took Darla by the hand and they quickly headed underground again.
Time was running out, after all...
The law offices of Wolfram & Hart, Los Angeles, California. February 23, 2001
"Damn it! How did this happen!?" Linwood Murrow shouted at all the assembled staff of the Special Projects division of the law firm.
Most of the legal staff were afraid to look at Murrow, for his anger was apparent to one and all, and needing a target to focus on. Linwood started pacing the room, "One of the Senior Partners comes here for the review. One of the most important beings in the whole of existence, mind you. And you'd think that we would attach some importance to that, wouldn't you?"
No one answered him. Lilah was definitely uncomfortable, even though she knew for once that she was blameless in what had happened - unlike what would have happened, in that other world.
Of course, at Wolfram & Hart being innocent of wrong-doing was no guarantee of avoiding blame.
"It seems though that someone decided to hold an open house tonight, and not tell me. I mean, how else could we have had Angel and his merry little band of do-gooders wander in and KILL the Senior Partner? Does anyone besides me think that little fact might look *bad* on the review findings?"
Silence was still the preferred response of those assembled. Staying silent ran the chance of Murrow picking them off at random and visiting horrible pain on the lawyers, however speaking up guaranteed that he would select the offenders as his target.
And Linwood, not having any response to his tirade, did indeed so select one of the attorneys. "Lindsey? You knew about the plans for tonight, you've been a little squeamish with the Bonex account, and your record with this firm is - spotty at best. You probably told the vampire and his friends all about what was happening here-"
"No, sir! I told no one," the man replied at once. "Besides, you know how I've been in Santa Monica all week by your order..."
Linwood growled, he'd forgotten about that - and so he looked around for a fresh victim to vent his fury upon. "Well then, make yourself useful and get a team together to dis-empower that damn ring..." he absent-mindedly snarled at the one-handed man, who nodded and went off on his new assignment.
Nearby, Lilah pondered something for a second that had been bothering her. {Where was Darla? If I know the white hats at all, she should have been in on that attack.}
Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles, California. The same time
"Okay, Angel, give!" Darla said to the other vampire.
They had just gotten back to the hotel after the attack, which had gone far better than anyone had dared hope. Angel had been able to get into the office building, make his way to the conference room, and attack the Kleynach demon.
Grab the Senior Partner by the throat with the glove, while jumping out the window. Fall to the street below, and then get away clean.
All and all, it had been a good night for the Fang Gang. However, Darla had a question for Angel.
"What do you mean, Darla? 'Cause, y'know, I already gave last night..." he lamely joked.
However, Darla would not be put off. "Angel, why did you make me stay behind in the lobby? It would have made more sense for me to go up there with you! I can handle myself as well as you can. As a matter of fact, I have even more experience than you at falling out of high-storey windows, and things like that. So why was I kept in the rear?"
Angel thought for a second. "I needed someone to make sure no one snuck up behind me," he eventually said.
But Darla had known her childe long enough to know when he was withholding something. "Oh no, dear boy, that's not going to cut it. There were plenty of places between the lobby and the conference room for something to sneak up behind you! And there's also the fact I heard you tell Gunn to keep a close eye on me..."
She put her hands on her hips, and looked Angel square in the eye. "You of all people should know what I can do! I mean, all the horrible things I've ever done aside, I was part of the Scourge of Europe. Remember how we survived over 150 years of everything that Europe could throw at us!?"
"That's because I had you and the others to back me up," Angel said hurriedly, hoping to forestall more questioning from Darla.
"Which is *why* I should have been there with you tonight! This doesn't make any sense - I know you're not stupid. So there has to be *some* reason why you were acting so strange! I mean, the last few months, you've not been trying to keep me safe for my own good. So why the change in attitude tonight?"
"Darla, come on. A Senior Partner? We're talking pretty heavy-duty firepower. I wanted to be careful-"
"We've faced worse," Darla was unconvinced. "Remember St. Petersburg?"
Angel actually looked down at his feet. "Well, yeah, but I was still worried and I didn't want to risk the-" He managed to stop himself just in time, from blurting out the whole truth.
But not soon enough to avoid having Darla asking more questions. "Risk the what? Angel, I want to know the truth. And I want to know *now*!" she said with a great deal of firmness.
Angel decided to go with a half-truth. "Darla, we just slept together last night. I was...concerned about your safety..."
Darla looked at her childe firmly. "That's ridiculous, *Angelus*. We've slept together before, and you never reacted this way. There's something else. Something you're not telling me..."
Angel swallowed, knowing the moment had come. He looked around the lobby, noticing that the rest of the Fang Gang were there doing the things they did after a fight; and failing miserably to conceal their avid interest, in this particular conversation.
The Champion for the Powers knew he didn't want to have the rest of this conversation in a group setting. So he looked at Darla, "Let's talk in private..."
Angel's private suite, fifteen minutes later
Darla looked up from the letters that Angel had given her to read. The letters that Xander had written to Angel; the ones telling the Champion about Connor, and who Connor's mother was.
To say the blonde vampiress was a little bit shocked, was kind of like saying the planet was a little bit round...
Finally, she looked at Angel with piercing eyes. "You knew. Right from the start...you knew what would happen. Everything...and, and this explains why you weren't surprised to see me, that first night we talked in that alley..." she said in a monotone.
"Yeah, well, not exactly; I knew part of what was coming - from what had happened, in that possible future. Basically, everything that Xander knew and told me about, either in person or what's written there. And I kinda doubt that even that guy knows exactly what's happened, ever since we left Sunnydale and later split up - a lot of things are different now, apparently, ever since history started changing during 1998," Angel explained.
Darla placed the letters on the table. "But you certainly can't deny how it seems like everything he warned you about is happening, here and now. And you believe that I'm pregnant with your child..."
The woman clutched her stomach uncertainly, almost unable to believe that they were having this conversation. "That's why you didn't want me facing off against the Senior Partner. You thought that maybe..."
Angel looked at Darla, aching to hug her but afraid she would instantly reject him. "Yeah. And I mean, was that so wrong? Darla, I know it sounds crazy, but given everything that's happened - I'm sure that you're carrying my son now. And I wanted you and Connor to be safe, no matter what. So I-"
Darla shook her head, interrupting him. "Angel, I can't have a child. Vampires can't have children! You *know* that!"
"Well - that's why Connor's gonna be called the miracle child, sweetheart. Look, like it or not, I have no doubts that we're going to have a baby - it was...preordained to happen. And I'm willing to bet my soul on that," Angel said with firmness.
"But how do you *know* all this for sure? I mean, for God's sake - these letters could be just some fairy tale concocted by Wolfram & Hart, to-to confuse and misdirect you. Or maybe this seer friend of yours is just pulling a sick joke," Darla shot back, figuratively grasping at straws now. {How can I be pregnant? I can't, I can't have a baby. This is *not* happening! }
"The letters are real, Darla. And Xander wouldn't do that! He wouldn't lie about my son," Angel angrily snapped.
"Again, how do you know that?"
"Because I know him, and you don't! Darla, I spent almost six months getting to know the man - as someone other than that annoying teenager he'd once been, after Harris came back from that hell dimension..." Angel tried to calm down, to control his anger by remembering that Darla had just received some *very* unsettling news. "Look. I know this is a lot to take in-"
Darla grabbed the first letter off the table, and started shaking it in front of his face. "A lot to take in? A LOT TO TAKE IN? According to your source, I'm not around anymore by 2003! What do you think happens to me - I retire to someplace like Venice? Come on, we both know the odds are that I'm going to get staked within the next two years! Or decapitated! Or burned-"
The man quickly shut her up, by plunging his lips onto hers and grabbing the pregnant woman tightly. Darla initially tried to resist, but soon tearfully surrendered to his ministrations as they kissed for a long time.
Angel then let her go, as he rocked his woman gently. "None of that's gonna happen. You hear me? The future isn't set in stone, Darla, if there's one thing I'm sure of in this world - it's that! I'm not losing you *or* Connor. We're gonna raise him here together with our friends, and anyone tries to get in the way of that? Soul or not, I'll shoot first and ask questions later..."
Richmond, Virginia. February 25, 2001
Xander slammed his fists into the punching bag, hard. Again. He had been in the gym, taking out some of his frustrations on the poor thing, for a long time.
The doctors had released him from the clinic in Maryland, the day after he'd had his little fainting spell. Because basically - they were at a loss to explain what exactly had happened, at least in conventional medical terms.
The experts consulted by the Siberians in non-traditional medical fields had a little more insight to the condition. They had theories, but no solid proof.
They all said that Xander appeared to have some kind of connection to Dawn Summers. What kind of connection, they couldn't say. And as for *why* they had this connection, they couldn't even begin to guess.
Well, they *might* have been able to guess if they had known that the younger Summers daughter was previously a ball of interdimensional energy, given human form...
However, that piece of information was not available to them. And Xander was glad of that, as the more people who knew the secret of Dawn's origin - the higher the chances of something bad happening to her.
As far as Harris knew, besides himself and those who had read the time-delayed letter he had sent to Giles - only Oz, Cleburne, the Wizard and Esther Marcum knew that Dawn was the Key. Cleburne and Hollins had told Xander that this little fact had not been shared with the previous Committee, or with the new Committee being created; and as for why, Cleburne had made some comment about it not being relevant to the mission.
But now, Xander wondered about that. He'd really hoped that with Glorificus/Ben having been 'eliminated', that Dawn wouldn't ever have to know or worry about her previous status. However - if in this world, she was capable of things like that...Dawn might find out the truth one day, with or without his presence to explain why he'd convinced the monks to make her human.
Well, there was nothing he could do about all that till 2003. And in the meantime, Xander just accepted the Marine colonel's assertion and kept Dawn's little secret as secret as possible.
'Cause she had enough worries, as it was.
When Xander had learned what had caused the accident, he had almost snapped and gone to extract some vengeance of his own. {A drunk driver, a damn drunk driver! He almost killed Joyce, Dawn and Buffy. And he *did* kill that kid named Kevin.}
Xander only vaguely remembered the name, from the first version of history; and so suspected that Dawn had had a huge crush on the boy, for all of maybe five minutes. This time around, Xander supposed that he'd hoped something more could come out of it. After all, Kevin hadn't been involved in the whole demon hunting thing, and he also wasn't a chipped vampire...
He might have been the best chance for Dawn to have some normalcy in her life.
And this drunk driver, some ordinary human asshole, had taken that from her.
And almost her mother, Joyce Summers.
When Xander had found out, well - if not for Cleburne, Oz, Gunny and Graham Miller, he might have been out the clinic door to go play the bongo drums. Using the drunk driver's head as a substitute musical instrument, head-splitting headaches not withstanding.
However, for now, he had to make do with beating the stuffing out of the gym equipment. Out of the corner of his eye, Harris noticed Oz come into the gym. So he stepped back from the bag, using his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow.
"Hey," Oz greeted Xander.
"Hey yourself, Oz. You sleep okay last night?" Xander replied.
"Guess I did, but the noise from down here kept waking me up. Did *you* get any sleep last night?"
"Yeah, I think I finally managed to grab a bit of shut-eye around three or so." Xander started to unwrap the tape from around his fists.
"And yet here we are, little after seven. Doctors won't be happy. They said they wanted you to rest, man. And whoever buys the gym equipment probably won't be too happy with you tearing their stuff apart," Oz noted, as he looked at the well-used punching bag.
"Hey, they get reimbursed by the government. Hell, for all we know, they *are* the government!" Xander had gotten the tape off his right hand, and started on his left hand.
Oz hesitated for a second, before he spoke again. "Are you going to be all right?"
"Sure, the doctors have given me a clean bill of health-"
"Not what I meant. You gonna be okay with all this? Being linked to Dawn somehow. Learning that Joyce is now a cripple in the hospital. And knowing that you can't rush over there to try to make things right," Oz mused. "'Cause I know you, Xander. You've got to be wanting to go riding off to the rescue..."
Xander chuckled. "White Knight syndrome, huh?" He saw Oz looking at him questioningly. "Oh, yeah - Angelus called me Buffy's White Knight once. Guess I'm certainly not that anymore, what with me staying on the opposite coast to the damsels in distress-"
"When did Angelus ever call you that? I don't remember hearing anything about it," Oz said in confusion.
Xander shook his head. "You weren't there, no one else was. And it was a long time ago; another lifetime, when I was a totally different person," Xander answered as he finished unwrapping his left hand.
"Not that different," Oz said calmly. Xander looked at his former high school classmate as the werewolf added, "Fred certainly thinks of you as her white knight."
"She just doesn't know me that well yet," Xander said, with a shrug and a slight smile.
"I think she knows you pretty well. Don't sell yourself short; no one else does." Oz paused for a second before continuing. "If we're gonna be honest, doesn't matter about everything that's happened to you over the past few years. When it comes down to it, you're the hero type. Somehow...I think that even if you hadn't ever hooked up with the Siberians, you'd still be trying to find a way to stop those terrorists in September."
Harris looked amazed at the big speech as Oz finished up, "You're a hero, so I say just deal with it."
Xander laughed softly. "Well, don't go throwing any tickertape parades for me. I doubt anyone would come."
{I think you'd be surprised at who would come. I know some people back home in Sunnydale who'd instantly come charging to find you - once they got over the shock factor.} Oz thought before speaking again. "There is one thing that worries me."
"Just one thing? You're more confident than I am!" Xander joked.
Oz chose his words carefully. "Fred thinks very highly of you. I mean, *really* highly of you. Like Willow did, back before I came onto the scene in Sunnydale..." Oz noticed Xander wince a little bit at the mention of the redhead, before he continued.
"Now, Fred's a woman of many talents. Granted, wolf smelling power isn't one of them; however, she's pretty smart and able to figure out things really quickly. And at that point she won't need to smell Rachael all over you to figure things out, like I did nearly two weeks ago."
Xander stopped what he was doing, and looked at his friend. "You smelled her?"
Oz nodded. "Valentine's Day aftermath. Next morning she wasn't around, but I caught her scent real strong off of you. Didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what you two had been up to, the night before."
"Well, as I recall you coulda been a rocket scientist if you'd wanted to," Xander commented.
"Nah, I just test well - and my real interests lie elsewhere, anyway. More fun playing a set on stage at the Bronze, than figuring out how to get the Space Shuttle to the moon," Oz joked back, in his own calm and detached way.
"You're good at both. Look, Oz, I know Fred won't take it well if she learns that Rachael and I are...that we engaged in meaningless sex for one night-"
"Meaningless?" Oz had the funny feeling that wasn't the way Rachael was viewing it.
"We're both adults, and we both know it can't lead to anything more. After all - I don't really have any kind of viable future in store for me, do I? I don't see any of the Siberians with large families either. They know the score. What?" Xander asked when he saw Oz's face twitch a little bit, what in anyone else would have been the equivalent to a huge neon sign.
"Gunny. He's married. Got four kids," Oz replied.
"He's married?" Xander asked. He was surprised, as he'd assumed that everyone in Siberian Trip Wire followed Cleburne's example and was a bachelor.
"Yeah, I heard him talking to his wife on the phone while you were in the hospital. I asked him about it - and he showed me pictures of his kids, they were all in Catholic school uniforms," Oz explained. "The oldest is a freshman in high school. He's got the whole proud father thing going."
Xander frowned for a second. "Well, that's good for him and I'm happy for the guy, but I'm not going to die surrounded by fat grandchildren or anything like that. Remember, I'm Future Boy. I'm the Timetripper..."
Xander shrugged his shoulders. "And one day, I'm going find out just *who* came up with that lameass nickname on that website, and really hurt them! Couldn't be something cool, could it? Something like Nighthawk, but nooooooo - it had to be 'timetripper'..."
Oz raised an eyebrow at that. "You think Nighthawk is cool?"
"Well, yeah, he was one of the original X-men!"
"But wasn't he also the first one killed?" Oz asked, with an innocent look on his face. "Anyways, we're getting off the point. As in Fred, Rachael and you. I worry about a non-happy ending here."
"It's *always* a non-happy ending with us Sunnydale alumni, buddy boy. You should know that! Hell, I've got a whole bunch of examples stored away in my head to illustrate the point," Xander grumbled.
"Shouldn't you do something to make sure that this particular situation doesn't come out in a bad way?"
"What for? No matter what we do, it *always* turns out bad somehow - Fate or whatever, sees to that. For cryin' out loud, I still have nightmares about that night when I first found out about Buffy and Spike..." Xander said, before fully realizing what he was saying.
For a second Oz looked stunned, then he recovered. "Buffy and Spike? As in..." he murmured, with more than a little disbelief in his voice.
Xander shook his head. "Long story from that other world, due to a really bad situation involving bringing people back from the dead - and some way-bizarre lifestyle choices. No need to go into any of that right now, and trust me - you wouldn't want to know, anyway..."
Oz pondered for a second whether to press the point, then decided not to. {Going to have to have a long talk with Xander one day soon, about all that stuff. It's pretty clear that there are still quite a lot of festering wounds.}
"Still, Xander, you need to keep in mind what could happen here. Fred has issues, quite a lot of them. And right now, like it or not - you're her anchor to real life. You gotta be careful it doesn't all come crashing down around you, when she finds out what you did..."
"Don't worry, Oz. I know enough to be discreet. And I imagine that Mother Hen wouldn't be too thrilled with me and Rachael, either. After all, she works for a foreign government," Xander said, unaware that Cleburne knew a lot more than he thought.
Xander picked up the towel he had brought in with him, before he had started this training session. "Come on Oz, enough angst for today. I'm hungry, I'll cook something up for us."
Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles, California. The next day
Angel looked at the letter in his hand, the one he had found on the bed in Darla's room. The male vampire had come to see how the blonde was handling the news she'd learned during the last few days...
But there had been no answer to his knocking. He had then entered the room, and seen that Darla's things were gone. Then he saw the letter.
Angel didn't need to have to read it, to know that Darla had left...
TBC...