Fred came out of the OR, no longer in gown and gloves, she waved him over and lead him down the hall to the room where they had moved her out the back door of the O.R. She was pale but then again she always was, a blood bag hung from a pole and the crimson liquid oozed down the plastic tube and, it seemed right into her stomach. The baby was swaddled in a pale blue blanket and rested in the crook of her arm. Her eyes were open now but she seemed dazed, tired and overjoyed to see him.
Instantly Spike was on his feet smiling idiotically at them, red tears prickling his eyes, "Hey Love."
"Hey baby..." Mana said, her voice was weak but she seemed to be regaining her energy quickly. The infant in her arms started to squirm and let out another wail, but more to just let them know he was still there lest they forget. She smiled down at the child then looked up at her lover. "This...this is William. William Lestat Louis Pratt."
A little later she cradled the infant to her chest, making room for Spike on the bed as she gently rocked the boy.
Carefully the bleach blond crawled in with them, smiling down at the boy before giving her a gentle kiss, producing a single red rose with a proud insane grin.
She let the kiss linger for a long moment, breaking it only when the baby cooed softly, she offered the infant to his father as she took the offered rose. "Want to hold your son?"
Spike nodded furiously, carefully reaching out to take the infant, which caused Mana to look upon the pair with tears in her eyes as he cradled the boy gently.
"Hey little guy," he said grinning. "Hey I'm your Daddy." More blood filled his tears in his eyes.
Mana's head rested lightly on Spike's shoulder as she lightly touched the baby's balled up fist with a fingertip. His head was covered with a fine brown down and he had his mother's eyes. "He's so small."
"He's got a fighter's soul in him love. A real chip of his mum's block." Spike said stroking his cheek in awe.
She laughed softly, "Mother? Aren't you the one who saved the world in a blaze of fire and all that?"
"Ancient history love." He laughed. "Though I wish his aunt'd come over and have a look, Kitten saved you both."
She blinked slowly, "Selene....Selene's here?"
"Yea, just down the hall, problly bein' held for observation," he said softly.
Back in her room Selene smiled softly snuggling closer to Angel, "They're staring at us. They're gonna eat us."
"Who's gonna eat us?" he questioned petting her cheek.
"Mommy and Spike," she replied, cooing weakly at the petting.
He laughed loud, "They probably want you to go see your new sibling silly."
"I can't," Selene admitted softly.
"She'll be heart broken if you don't, "Angel stated holding her close.
"She knows I can't." She buried her head against him.
He sighed, "I'll send them away tonight, with more than enough to see them through anything that comes their way. We will all know where they go and if you decide you will see them then you'll have the option."
"No Angel, don't. Just, don't. Let them stay. Mother knows how I am, how I've always been, except..." she choked back a sob, "Except with Calli. Promise you won't."
"Want me ta drag her out here?" Spike asked Mana playfully.
She sighed, shaking her head, "She doesn't want to be here."
"She loves you and you said you wanted her to see William," he said stroking her hair.
"She doesn't want to be here." Mana growled softly, looking away from the window as the nurse entered. She was reluctant to let the nurse take him but watched as they took him, leaning on Spike's shoulder, "Maybe half a century just wasn't long enough for her." She sighed they drifted to sleep.
"Momma..." Selene muttered, watching a nurse take the boy up to the nursery, before quietly wheels out to stare at her sleeping mother, utterly silent herself, just staring with those frozen gold eyes.
Spike dozed lightly, apparently the baby was still a little touch and go but he was going to be alright but the whole affair was draining.
Selene meanwhile glanced towards him briefly before going back to staring at her mother, a single red tear in her eyes, trying to plant a false memory that Selene was nothing more than Spikes friend and Angel's lover, before turning to go back to her room.
Once the ancient left Mana tossed and turned fitfully the whole day. never finding any rest in her sleep, waking only to feed her son.
The old one was watching from her window quietly, licking her jaws gently before carefully rolling herself up looking at Will but keeping her distance.
With a soft sigh Mana gently detached the boy from her breast, surprised that such a small body could feed so much, before bringing the baby up to her shoulder and lightly patted his back until he emitted a soft belch.
Outside in the hall Selene stared from her wheelchair at the trio, muttering, "Being released..." Again she stared briefly at them shaking her head before wheeling herself down the hall towards where her ride was waiting. As she wheeled herself down the ramp she continued to mutter, "Why do I have to be in this stupid thing? I'm not infirmed, I can fly damn it! How many of you can fly? Why couldn't they release me during the day time?"
"Because then you'd burn up Doll," Lorne said with a smile to his former assistant party planner.
The ancient vampire couldn't help but smirk at the demon, "Kinda the idea there Lorne." She sighed gently, "I roast, I don't have to deal with the fact that my mother replaced me for a third time."
"Well sorry beautiful, but it seems some might frown on that idea." He chuckled softly as he assisted her into the back seat of the car then slid in beside her, "Now you know that isn't true. My mother on the other hand. She ate us when another came alone. I was thankfully the last born!" He grinned at her, coaxing a tiny smile from his favorite ancient.
"Suppose I should be glad she never got the idea Father had to drain me empty." Selene said lightly.
The demonic partier put an arm around her shoulders and smiled, "My dear, that girl back there is crazy about you. A day didn't go by when she didn't want you back, she was so sad when you disappeared you know. Still is and I doubt even that baby will fill the hole in her heart."
"Why does he have to make it so damn hard for me to run away again?" she sighed snuggling against him a little.
"Because you're surrounded by people, demons and other bump in the night things that love you doll." He replied stroking back her dark locks.
Selene sighed deeply, but smiled some. "I still just wish it was easier, just to up and go back to Paris, Chicago, New York, places where I can feed to my hearts content without being monitored." she said as she closed her eyes tight.
The demon frowned. "Then go. If being able to feed is what you wish to do then go do it Dollface. No one is going to stop you," he squeezed her.
"I can think of one person that'd stop me," she smirked leaning back in her seat. "Something tells me two clean get escapes aren't in the cards. Well its been almost three months being good, I can spend the next two bending my promises. Hell it's his spawn making me do it he can handle the m-messs." she yawned, laying in her seat instantly out, she was still extremely pale.
Lorne let a hand rest on her hip and smiled down at her softly. "You are a difficult one Doll." He said softly, stroking her hair as she slept the whole ride back to the firm.