A/N: I think this is going to be a VERY VERY long chapter! So hold onto your seats! I hope it isn't too boring for you all.
Five Months Pregnant Still.
Buffy rushed into the magic shop, she had given the pills to her Mom before dragging Angel out again. She waddled up to Giles and pulled him to the side.
"Giles, I have an idea what's making my Mom sick," said Buffy.
"Have you spoken with her Doctors ?" asked Giles.
Buffy hadn't noticed that Willow, Anya and Angel were now stood, listening to their conversation. Buffy picked up the orb, that she had given Giles the day after she found it and held it up.
"They won't find anything. What's hurting her- it's supernatural. The night watchman who found this thing? He went crazy," replied Buffy.
Willow, Giles and Anya backed away cautiously. Buffy and Angel stayed where they were, they knew nothing would happen.
"It won't hurt us. We had it on us all night. But this guy, he saw things... he said things," said Buffy.
"Such as ?" questioned Giles, taking off his glasse's and wiping them.
"They'll come at me through my family," replied Buffy worridly.
"Who will ?" asked Giles.
"I don't know yet. But whatever touched this guy, it made him see through what the rest of us are seeing. He knew someone's hurting my Mom and they're trying to get to me or maybe my daughter," frowned Buffy, passing Angel the orb.
"It's possible but still... the ramblings of a madman aren't much to go on," sighed Giles.
"Yeah, but it's a start. We need to find out who's making my mom sick and how. We need to find who before they hurt anyone else, like you guys or my baby," whispered Buffy.
Later ...
Angel flipped through a book whilst Buffy slept. He looked at her, leaning on the table with her mouth wide open and chuckled. Everyone else was bustling about the shop, helping customers which stressed them out.
"You know, Angel, there used to be this French sorcerer back in the 16th I-don't-know-what named-"
"Cloutier?" asked Giles.
"So cute in his little knickers. But he had this one spell demons just hated called tirer la couture," continued Anya.
"Pull the curtain back," said Angel.
Buffy sat up and rubbed her eyes, she began to listen carefully as Anya spoke to Angel.
"A spell to see spells... well, a trance to see spells, actually, but you get the idea. Try that," smiled Anya.
"What do you mean "see" spells?" questioned Buffy.
"Well, all spells leave a trace signature. It's just not perceptible to the human eye. In this case, it could be the image of a hand choking your mother," frowned Giles.
"Or a cloud of mist around her," added Anya, continuing to gift wrap a hourglass.
"Or maybe the shape of the demon that's performing the spell?" asked Willow, looking at Giles.
"Yes, possibly," replied Giles.
"Okay, so I'll do what Monsieur Silk Knickers did. I'll go home, I'll get trancey and I'll see what's affecting my mom," said Buffy, standing up and wandering around.
"I don't know, Buffy. Trances whilst your pregnant ?" asked Willow.
"She has a point," said Angel.
"Also, the Sorcerer Cloutier was legendary. His skills at achieving higher states of consciousness were-"
"Better than mine ? But I've been practising my concentration skills, and Angel will be there to help," smiled Buffy.
"Are you sure your ready ?" asked Giles.
"It's my mom. I'll get ready. What do I need ?" asked Buffy.
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Buffy sat in the middle of her room and dumped out a bag of incense, powders and other magickal talismans.
"Thank you for helping," smiled Buffy.
"Its Ok, just promise to stay safe," whispered Angel, stroking her cheek.
"I will, I promise," replied Buffy.
"So, what do I have to do ?" asked Angel.
"The incense needs to be ignited. And this stuff needs to get poured around me in a circle, counter-clockwise," smiled Buffy.
Angel did as he was told before stepping back and sitting on the bed. He decided to wait until the spell was over.
"Honey, you might have to go incase I can't concentrate," smiled Buffy.
"Fine, just keep yourself and our daughter safe," replied Angel, kissing her lips then kissing her stomach.
"You know me," winked Buffy.
Angel grinned and walked out of her room. He decided to go and talk to Dawn, it would keep her away from Buffy's room and stop her from questioning what she was doing.
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Day turned into night, Buffy sat in her room and continued to concentrate. Buffy's eye suddenly snapped open, she knew the spell was complete and stood up. She moved towards her door and opened it, stepping out into the hall. She realised that the whole house had become sepia-toned and wavery, it felt like she was walking on air. She walked downstairs and into the sitting room, the familar house became strange to her.
"Buffy ?"
Buffy heard her Mom calling her, but it sounded like she was calling from a distant. Her Mom walked into the living room, she was dressed and was putting on her overcoat.
"Mom ? Are you going out ?" asked Buffy.
She studied her Mom, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were no hands choking her Mom, no swirl of white mist or a figure of a demon. She just looked ordinary Mom.
"Well, either modern medicine's working or I just took the world's best placebo. Either way, I'm going out for a couple of hours," chuckled Joyce.
"Nothing," whispered Buffy, her eyes still focused on her Mom.
"Hmm ?"
"Theres nothing," mumbled Buffy again.
Buffy stared at her Mom, she tried to detect anything abnormal, but everything seemed fine. Her attention was suddenly drawn to a family photograph on the wall behind her Mom. The picture showed Joyce, Buffy and Dawn smiling happily.Although, Dawn's image appeared and disappeared, flickering in and out of the photo like a bad television reception. Buffy moved closer, trying to get a better look at the photograph.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay? You seem a little out of it. Hey... Buffy?" said Joyce.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Long day's all, carrying a baby and everything. You go, have a nice time," smiled Buffy.
"You're so grown up," smiled Joyce.
Buffy watched as her Mom headed for the door, shutting it behind a few minutes later. Buffy turned her attention to another family photograph, she picked it up and saw Dawn fading in and out again. Buffy turned around and headed up towards Dawn's room, she opened the door and walked in. Dawn wasn't there, although Angel was sat on the bed and talking. Buffy stood in wonder as the entire room around her shifted back and forth between Dawn's normal room and a room full of boxes: a storage room. Buffy heard Dawn and Angel calling her name. She turned; Angel was stood where he was, solid and not fading in and out. Although, Dawn stood with her arms folded, she continued to fade in and out of reality like her things.
"Buffy, whats up ?" asked Angel.
"Who said you could come in my room ?" questioned Dawn.
"Your not my sister," said Buffy coldly.
Buffy suddenly felt a shiver. She realised that the spell had worn off, especially as everything didn't seem wavery and ghost-like. She blinked a few times, she realised that Dawn was talking and Angel was watching her.
"Yeah! Like I even want to be related to your nasty self-"
Buffy seized Dawn by the arms, Angel stepped forward and pulled her off of her sister.
"Ow! What are you doing?" questioned Dawn.
"What are you ?" asked Buffy.
Dawn and Angel gave her a questioning look.
"You want to hurt me ?" asked Buffy, grabbing Dawn by the arms again.
"Buffy, whats going on ?" whispered Angel.
"Let go of me, you freak!" spat Dawn.
"Then you deal with me," muttered Buffy.
"Im telling Mom," cried Dawn, pulling herself away from Buffy.
"You stay away from my Mother," snapped Buffy.
Buffy shoveed Dawn against the wall with tremendous force. Dawn stared at Buffy, shocked, Buffy stared back, her gaze unwavering. Angel stood inbetween them, he told Dawn to go in the kitchen and wait for him there.Suddenly, the phone began to ring so Angel rushed downstairs to get it.
"Hello ?"
"Angel! Im glad I've caught you. I think we may have underestimated what we're dealing with," sighed Giles.
"What do you mean ?" asked Angel, noticing Buffy was now stood besides him.
"We've uncovered more than expected about this orb. It's called the Dagon Sphere and it has a history going back many centuries," replied Giles.
"It's a protective device, used to ward off ancient primordial evil," said Angel.
"Any word on what this evil looks like?" asked Buffy from besides Angel.
"Unfortunately, no. This is where accounts get vague. All we've managed to uncover so far is the Dagon Sphere was created to repel That Which Cannot Be Named," replied Giles, who had heard Buffy on the other end.
"I'm going to go back to the factory where we found it. Whoever planted this will have answers," said Angel.
"Angel, I know your strong and able but do be careful. Anything that goes unnamed is usually an object of deep worship or great fear- maybe both. Has Buffy completed the trance? Did she see what's harming her mother?" asked Giles.
Angel felt Buffy poke him in the back, although she didn't need to, he sensed Dawn walk into the room the moment she did.
"Erm, later," replied Angel, he put the phone down.
"Im coming to the factory with you," said Buffy, pulling on her jacket.
"No, you're not, you're pregnant Buffy! God knows what could be lurking in the shadows!" replied Angel, walking to the door.
"Fine, what if I stay close to the factory but don't go in ? Atleast you'll have back-up," said Buffy, following Angel.
"Im not putting you in danger, I'll be back soon," answered Angel.
"You know Im going to come whether you say so or not," grinned Buffy.
"Fine. We'll be back soon, Dawnie," smiled Angel, closing the door behind him and Buffy.
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Angel flicked on his flashlight and started to explore the corridors of the abandoned building. He came across a gaping hole in the wall and the remains of the steel door. He examined the wreckage with concern. Angel shined his light over the shattered remains of the blast door, then looked deeper into the room. He saw a monk, hardly conscious and tied to the chair. He ran over to him and began to loosen his restraints.
"It was you who planted the Dagon Sphere, right? I got it. Don't worry. I'm stronger than I look," said Angel.
Angel sensed someone behind him, although he decided to not make his move until whoever it was had come closer.
"I have had experience with stuff like this before. Best of all... "
Angel whirled around and grabbed a woman by the throat.
"Im not as stupid as you think," smiled Angel.
She gave Angel a withering look, wrenched Angel's arm from her neck and backhanded him with such force that he flew fifty feet across the room. He hit the cement wall and cracked it. Angel fell to floor and looked up at the woman, stunned at her power.
"You sure about that last part, handsome ?" questioned the woman.
Angel stood back up, ready to fight but the woman slammed him back into the cement wall again, face first. The wall cracked under the force. The blonde woman stepped towards him and seized him by the shoulders. Shethrew him into a pillar. He stood up shakily, ignoring the blood that was pouring from his face.
"And another thing? I just want you to know. The whole "beat ya to death" thing I'm doing? It's valuable time out of life that I'm never gonna get back," sighed the woman.
"What a shame," grunted Angel.
Angel tried to fight back but she grabbed both his arms and wrenched them downwards. Angel bit his lip, he tried not to cry out in pain.
"Wait, I've always wanted to try this. You know that thing with worms where if you have one, you rip it in half, you got two worms? Do you think that'll work with you?" questioned the woman, now smirking.
Usually, Angel would of hated to hit a woman, especially as she didn't look like a demon, but this was an emergency. Angel slammed his head into the blonde's face and broke free. The woman cried out in shock, she seemed more offended than hurt.
"You hit me ? Are you crazy or somethin' ? Boys should never hit girls," shouted the woman.
The woman stepped towards Angel, he began to fight for all he was worth.
"You can't go around hitting people. What, were you born in a barn? Fine. Be that way," grumbled the blonde.
She easily blocked Angels's next punch and swung him around into the wall. She was about to aim a punch for Angels head but he quickly ducked which sent blonde's fist through the concrete. She picked Angel up by the throat and held him there, gasping for air.
"I just noticed something. You have super powers. That is so cool. Can you fly?" grinned the blonde.
She hurled Angel across the room where he landed, dazed, next to the dying monk. Angel got to his feet and prepared to fight the woman again but realized the monk was his first priority. He helped him out of the chair.
"Hey! Hands off my holy man!" roared the woman.
Angel picked him up and ran towards the window. Realizing what Angel was about to do, the woman charged after them. She was too late: Angel crashed through the window with the monk and tumbled to the ground below. The blonde stumbled to a halt when the heel on her shoe broke off. She took off the shoe and glowered at it in frustration. She threw the shoe and then began to stamp her feet, furiously, on the floor. The force from her blows cracked the floor and she looked up as the support pillars shattered and the ceiling came crashing down on her.
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"Angel! What the hell happened ?" questioned Buffy.
She was shocked to see all his face cut and bruised, it also made her squeezy when she saw all the blood. Angel let go off the monk, he slid down the fence and took a deep breath. Buffy watched as smoke billowed from the floor that Angel had just came crashing out of.
"My journey's done, I think" mumbled the Monk.
"What do you mean ?" questioned Angel.
"The Key. You must protect the Key," sighed the Monk.
"What key ?" asked Buffy, dropping down to the monks height.
"Many more die if you don't keep it safe," trembled the Monk.
"How ? What is it ?" questioned Angel, kneeling besides the Monk aswell.
"The Key is energy. It's a portal. It opens the door," replied the Monk, taking deep breaths.
"The Dagon Sphere?" asked Buffy.
"No. For centuries it had no form at all. My brethren, its only keepers. Then the abomination found us. We had to hide the Key, gave it form, molded it flesh... made it human and sent it to you," gasped the Monk.
Buffy now understood, she understood everything.
"Dawn," whispered Buffy.
"She's the key," replied the Monk.
"You put that in my house?" questioned Buffy, shaking her head.
"They knew the Slayer would protect it," said Angel, taking her hand in his.
"My memories ? My Mom's ?"
"We built them," answered the Monk.
"Then un-build them! This is my life you're -"
Buffy cut off, the Monk had started coughing heavily and was sliding down the fence more.
"You cannot abandon," wheezed the Monk.
"I didn't ask for this! I don't even know... what is she?" asked Buffy, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Human... now human. And helpless. Please... she's an innocent in this. She needs you," begged the Monk.
"She's not my sister?" whispered Buffy, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"She doesn't know that," replied the Monk.
The monk exhaled one last time, his eyes became still and he moved no more. Buffy stares at him, wishing he would explain it more. She stood up, Angel wrapped his arm around her waist and they began to walk home, in silence. Buffy couldn't get this new information in her head, it seemed so unreal that her baby sister wasn't her actual sister at all. Angel found it weird aswell, he known Dawn since he started dating Buffy, he didn't understand it either.
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"Im sorry," whispered Buffy, leaning against Dawn's door.
"You hurt my arm," moaned Dawn, not looking at her sister.
"I know," sighed Buffy, rubbing her stomach.
"Butthole. Didn't think you'd be that strong if you were pregnant," muttered Dawn.
"Really sorry," apologised Buffy.
"I tell you I have this theory? It goes where you're the one who's not my sister. 'Cause mom adopted you from a shoebox full of baby howler monkeys and never told you 'cause it could hurt your delicate baby feelings," said Dawn, she seemed pretty serious.
"Thats your theory ?" asked Buffy, stepping into Dawn's room.
"Explains your fashion sense. And your smell," replied Dawn.
"I'm sorry, Ok ?" said Buffy.
"Broken record much?" questioned Dawn, rolling her eyes.
"You can't even take an apology. You always do that. Ever since-"
Buffy stopped herself from finishing the sentence, it pained her to think that it were all fake memories that she remembered. And that this was probably the first time she hadn't taken an apology off her.
"Pregnancy hormones, they put me in a foul mood," said Buffy, sitting besides Dawn.
"Well, join the club of being in a foul mood," sighed Dawn.
"Can I be president?" asked Buffy, smiling gently.
"I'm president. You could be the janitor," answered Dawn.
"Okay," smiled Buffy.
Buffy stroked Dawn's hair, she always loved how smooth and straight it was.
"Buffy?"
"Yeah?"
"What's wrong with mom?"
"I don't know," whispered Buffy, sighing.
Buffy and Dawn shared a troubled look as Buffy continued stroking her sister's hair whislt Dawn stroked her bump.