Backup

Willow was starting to feel very weak. The drugs she had been injected with were really starting to take affect. She was feeling very light headed and almost even felt as if she was going to pass out. The drugs hadn't hit as hard on Buffy because she was the slayer but Willow was just a normal human. Sure she was also a powerful Wicca but that didn't make much of difference here.

She tried to stay conscious as she watched her wife about to give birth to their second child. She was having a hard time and could barely even gather enough strength to turn her head in Tara's direction. Luckily, what happened next woke her up quite a bit.

'Willow,' she heard a man's voice calling her. At first she couldn't make out who it was or even where it was coming from. She thought it was possible the drugs she was giving were making her hear things but then she heard it again. 'Willow, can you hear me?'

That's when she realized that it wasn't someone talking at all, or at least not out loud. It was Angel. He was communicating with Willow through her mind. 'Angel is that you?' she asked.

'Yeah…you can hear me…that's good,' Angel responded.

After finding the hollow wall in Dr. Miller's office he wasn't exactly sure what to do about it. He could easily kick it in but whoever was on the other side might hear it and leave through an alternate exit, the children with them. He knew that whoever had taken Buffy's child had been planning this for a while. They were smart and he knew they would have an alternate way in and out of this place.

He didn't know how to open it without just kicking through it so he decided to wait until someone came out. The only problem with this plan was that he was worried someone might come in before someone came out and if that happened they would notice the broken door to the office and they'd be ready for him. That was when he realized he needed back up.

He didn't want to leave for fear of missing his chance. That was when he thought of Willow. He knew that she was growing more and more powerful everyday and he hoped that maybe if he tried to contact her through his thoughts that he could tell her what was going on and that she could get him some back up. Luckily, his plan was working so far.

'Thank God I got through to you,' Angel said with relief in his voice.

'Yeah I'm glad you umm…called,' Willow responded. 'We sent Dawn and Connor to look for you. Did they find you?'

'No, I haven't seen them,' Angel responded.

'We think it's the doctors, it's the only idea that makes any sense.'

'I know…I think your right,' Angel agreed. 'Listen I need your help.'

'Sure but whatever it is I hope it doesn't involve getting up. The doctors drugged me and Buffy after we had the babies. I don't think it affected Buffy as much but I'm surprised I can even do this right now with the way I'm feeling," Willow explained.

'Those basterds,' Angel thought to himself. He forgot that he was communicated with Willow and that she would hear him say that.

'I hear yeah!' Willow said with an agreeing ton.

Angel was confused and he realized that she had heard what he thought. 'Oh…sorry about that. Anyway it doesn't have to involve getting up as long as your up for a little more of this mind talking thing.'

'If it'll help me find my daughter, I'll do anything whether I'm up for it or not!' the red head responded with determination.

Angel smiled and even though Willow couldn't see him she could sense it and it made her smile as well. She knew that he was close to finding the babies.

'I think I might have found where they're keeping the babies,' Angel told her. 'The only problem is I can't get in there without making enough noise to chance whoever has them away. I need to wait until they come to me, which they will, but I need some backup.'

'Sounds like a reasonable plan,' Willow agreed. 'Who do you want me to get?'

'I guess that depends on who's available,' he responded.

Willow thought for a moment. This was so hard right now. She had to use all of her strength, which wasn't much at all at the moment, to talk to Angel.

'Tara's having the baby now and Giles is with her. Buffy wasn't affected as much by the drugs as me but I'm still pretty sure she can't get out of bed. I think Faith had her baby and they took him too, but Gunn is with her. Dawn and Connor were here earlier but we sent them to look for you. They told us Anya went into labor not too long ago and Xander is with her. Spike and Cordelia went to check up on Faith and hopefully catch her before they took her baby but I'm not sure if they did or not and Dawn and Connor said that Wes and Fred were on a mission of their own. I could send Spike, Connor or Wesley but since Tara is having her baby now either Dawn, Cordelia or Fred are most likely going to start going into labor very soon.'

'Right,' Angel remembered. 'Is there any pattern that suggests who might be next?'

'None that I…wait,' Willow said as she started to remember something. 'Buffy had a boy, then I had a girl, then Faith had a boy. Now Tara is about to have a girl and Anya is in labor about to have a boy. I'm betting the next to go into labor will be having a girl.'

'Makes sense,' Angel agreed, 'That means its going to be either Dawn or Fred so Wes and Connor should stay with them. Tell Cordy to stay with Faith and Gunn and send Spike to Dr. Miller's office. As much as I hate that guy the two of us should be able to handle things.'

'Alright I'll contact him now.'

'Tell him the office is on the third floor, he'll find it.'

'Got it! And Angel…' Willow asked before severing their psychic tie.

'Yeah?'

'Bring me back my daughter,' Willow pleaded.

'I will,' Angel responded with determination. 'I'm going to get them all back. If you have enough strength after contacting Spike tell Buffy what's going on.'

'I will…good luck.'

XXXXXX

As Spike walked up the stairs to the third floor he hoped Angel was right and that he knew what he was doing. Any tiny indication that they were suspicious could cause whoever took the babies to just settle for the ones they have and take off. On the other hand if they didn't figure something out soon they could lose some of, or all of, the other babies as well.

He couldn't help but think how much this sucked. They had been through way worse then this before and survived it all. They always knew what to do and how to do it right. But this was different. This was more personal and for once they didn't know what to do.

'Is this what its going to be like?' he asked himself. 'What if we find them and get them back? Are we going to have to go through this everyday? What if we don't find them at all? What if we never get them back? What if Buffy, Willow and Faith never get to hold their children?'

A million thoughts were running through Spike's mind as he neared the door to Dr. Miller's office. Angel had done a fairly good job trying to fix the door so it didn't look like it had been broken into. You could pretty much still tell that it had been broken but if you were just a bystander walking by you'd never know.

He looked around to make sure no one was around and then walked into the office. It was almost pitch dark and at first he couldn't see Angel, which was good because that meant he was being careful. Finally Angel walked out of the shadows and towards Spike.

"Good…Willow got a hold of you. I knew she could," Angel said with a small smile.

"Yeah, but I've gotta say mate that was a little creepy," Spike said with a small shudder. Then he snapped back to the task at hand. "So what's the plan?"

"We wait," was all Angel said.

XXXXXX

"Alright Tara I just need you to give me one last, BIG push," Dr. Carter said.

This was it. Tara had never been more scared of anything in her life. Not only was she about to become a mother but she was also facing the possibility of losing her daughter all in the same moment. Giles promised he wouldn't let anyone take Hailey but what was he going to do? There was no way he could make sure they don't take her without showing suspicion and possibly losing the other babies.

There wasn't much she could do about it now. This baby was coming right now whether she liked it or not. She closed her eyes tightly and prayed to any possible higher being that would listen. Then she took a deep breath and gave one last big push. A few screams later she could hear the cry of her baby daughter.

Despite all that was going on she couldn't help but smile as she looked at the infant in the doctor's arms. She was so beautiful. Tara looked over at Willow and realized that she was smiling too. Her poor wife looked so weak and helpless. She looked as if she should be miserable but she wasn't. She was looking at the same beautiful child that Tara was looking at just seconds earlier and she had the same smile on her face.

This moment of joy and happiness was quickly shattered when Tara heard the words she had been dreading since everything had begun. "Alright Mrs. Rosenberg we're just going to take your daughter to get cleaned up and checked out and we'll bring her right back to you as soon as we can," Dr. Carter said with the best kind smile she could muster.

Tara's face turned white as she looked to Giles pleadingly. Giles looked back at her helplessly. This whole time he had been tossing idea's around in his head of how he was going to stop them from taking Tara's daughter without letting on suspicions that would cost them the other children.

Panicking Giles stuttered before finally saying, "Umm…let me accompany you doctor. Since neither one of the mother's are strong enough at the moment to do so I feel as if I should act as somewhat of the father…or grandfather more appropriately I suppose. I just feel as if I should stay with her and check up on Emma," Giles said with a smile to mask his suspiciousness.

But Dr. Carter was ready for it. "I'm sorry Mr. Giles but we're not allowed to let anyone in the check up room."

Little did she know Giles was ready for her as well. "Oh I assumed so. I'll just wait outside the room and watch."

For a moment the doctor was speechless. 'The older watcher wants to accompany me to the check up room,' Dr. Carter said to Dr. Miller through her mind.

'Does he suspect?' Dr. Miller asked.

'I'm not sure. He could just be very over protective but I highly doubt it. What should I do?'

Giles couldn't tell if she suspected anything or not but he strongly hoped she didn't. If she did the damage was already done and it would be all his fault.

'We can't risk drawing suspicions if they don't know,' Dr. Miller responded. 'Go along with it. Let him go to the clean up room but don't let him in. Dr. Matthews should be with my brother taking the second slayer's child as we speak. We might have to just setting for this one and the other three. The master won't be happy but four is better then none at all. Do whatever you have to do to get the child to Kevin without arising any suspicions. I don't care if you have to find another baby to replace this one with just find a way,' Dr. Miller instructed forcefully.

"Well I don't suppose it would hurt for you to stand outside the room and watch," Dr. Carter responded to Giles with a small smile.

Giles nodded his head and smiled back. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing but at least he would get to keep the baby in his sight and nothing was going to stop him from doing at least that. Before fallowing the doctor out the door he looked back at a very weak Willow and a very tired Tara. He gave them a small, reassuring smile and then fallowed the doctor out of the room.

XXXXXX

Angel and Spike didn't have to wait very long. Only a few minutes after Spike got to the office the two vampires could hear someone approaching from behind the wall.

"This is it Spike," Angel whispered softly, "You know what to do?"

Spike nodded his head and readied himself.

Suddenly it was as if a piece of the wall just went missing. A door of some sort opened up and Dr. Matthews walked out of it. Before she could step two feet out of the entrance Angel ran up to her, grabbed her and covered her mouth before she could let out a scream. As Angel did that Spike ran to the entrance and stood in it to make sure it wouldn't close.

"I'm sorry doctor but I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you some questions," Angel said as the doctor squirmed around underneath his strong arms. He held on as tight as he could just to be safe. He didn't know who or what these doctors were so he wasn't taking any chances.

Angel walked through the opening still holding on tightly to the doctor. "Where are the babies?" Spike interrogated.

"Just point the way or I'll break your neck," Angel added. He loosened up his grip a little to let a finger point in a direction. There were only two options so it wasn't hard to see where she was pointing.

She stuck out a finger and pointed to the corridor to the right. At this point Angel and Spike were almost sure that the doctors were human. This fact just seemed to piss them off even more. The doctor was extremely scared and if she was a demon she would have made a move from the start.

They slowly began to walk down the corridor and after a few moments they reached a room that was dank and dimly lit. Spike lead the way slowly into the room. At first the room was completely silent but then they heard a sound that put smiles on both of their faces. They heard the faint sound of a baby's cry and then a second cry and finally a third. They had found the babies, all three of them.