Chapter 25: Dare too Far

When Connor awoke, his chest felt heavy. Cordelia had wanted to share a bed, but she hadn't stayed in it.

His body hurt, he was alone, and thinking about Cordy brought sweat to his brow and pain to his stomach. He'd already lost her once. He couldn't lose her again. Even if, in some ways . . .

Gingerly, he sat up and felt around his stitches. When his fingers didn't come back bloody, he tried standing. He dressed carefully and made his way into the hall. Standing outside her door, he took a deep breath before entering.

"Buffy?"

He noticed the sheets and pillows were twisted and bunched. Apparently, she'd had trouble sleeping too.

He returned to the hall closing the door behind him.

Walking towards the stairs, he listened for noises or voices. When he found the lobby empty, he opened the basement door and saw it was empty too.

Just the walk from his room to this door sapped his strength. He started to sit on the coach when he thought he heard a sound.

Limping past the front desk, he saw Angel's office door was open. He pushed it wider and found Angel at his desk surrounded by books and papers. Fred sat on the other side with her laptop.

Gunn walked in behind him carrying mugs. "Blood and coffee: breakfast of champions."

Watching Gunn distribute the cups, Connor frowned. "Where are the others?"

Angel didn't look up from the book before him. "While we are reviewing all the research from Darla's pregnancy, Wesley thinks he knows a way to temporarily heighten psychic ability. Lorne and Buffy went with him. When they return, they should be able to read Cordelia at a distance."

Gunn took a seat next to Fred. "And who the hell knows where baby mamma is." He grabbed a book off the floor.

Connor spotted a drawing amongst the research. It was nearly covered and hanging on a corner of the desk. Stepping closer, he pulled it towards him.

It was a charcoal sketch of a young woman. She had light hair, closed eyes, and a soft smile. In the corner was written "Darla."

"She didn't survive having me."

Angel looked up from his research and regarded his son. "When she carried you, she shared your soul. In the end, she didn't want to live without it. What happened to her is different than what's happening to Cordy."

Other pictures on the desk caught Connor's eyes. They were pictures of infant demons – some covered in spikes and ridges. "She might not live through this."

No one replied.

His hand hovered over the words and pictures piled closest to him. "When will she return?"

Gunn shook his head. "Have to know the where and why before we go guessin' a when."

Angel watched his son's vacant stare. "You're asking about Buffy. Wesley's note said they might be back tomorrow but not to worry if they're not. Whatever they're doing could take a while."

Fred expression scrunched with sympathy. "Maybe you can catch up on your rest. Defeating the Beast and facing Angelus – that's a lot for one week, for one lifetime."

He pulled over a chair from the corner and grabbed a thick book from the pile. "I'll rest when she gets back."

Angel opened his mouth to say something but slowly closed it. His son was about to dive into some disturbing material but this was his offspring he was seeking to understand; this was his life and he had a right to know the possibilities . . . no matter how horrifying.


Lilah blocked the office door. "Remind me why I'm helping you."

Wesley regarded her with flat, passive eyes. "Because you love to see heroes fall. I'm about to steal a child and probably kill a young woman in the process. Plus, my team did just destroy the Beast allowing you to enjoy the view from the top office."

She tilted her head. "Beasty did help clear the competition."

Lorne raised his hand. "For the record, I don't support this plan and I don't trust her."

Wes smiled as Lilah. "Neither do I which is why you're here. If you sense a double-cross, I'll kill her."

She patted his cheek. "Such a sweet talker." She glanced at Lorne and the girl. "I have someone who can do what you need, but it won't be cheap."

Wes shook his head. "On the contrary, it will be free. Everything will be free until one of us dies." He stepped closer. "I gave you your life and you know someday you may need me to do it again." He caressed her hair. "You're in my debt now."

She reach up to dig her nails into his hand. "This won't last long."

"Long enough." He pushed past her into the office conference room. A dark cloth covered the table and all the chairs had been pushed back.

Lorne and Buffy followed behind him. A very tall, delicate-looking woman stepped out from the shadows. Her long black hair floated just a bit at the ends – as if she was not entirely subject to gravity.

She looked at Buffy. "Is this the one? The one who wishes to scrape out another's womb to fill her own."

Buffy stepped forward. "I want you to empty her of every being she holds. Can you do this?"

When the woman smirked, both her teeth and eyes started to glow a bright blue. "Lie down my love."

Lorne grabbed Buffy's arm. "Lilah might not be backstabbing us at the moment, but I can't say the same for this one. Deceit and malice drip off her – even without singing a word."

Wesley grumbled. "Lilah."

"You wanted someone who could do the impossible. Jairen can move beings between dimensions; she could certainly move a fetus between women."

Buffy climbed on the desk and lay back. She looked up into glowing eyes. "You like that we're asking this of you."

The strands of her hair reach out to caress Buffy's face and arms. "I like those who dare too far – they have the prettiest deaths; yours will coat these walls."

Lorne shivered. "You sure the big guys signed off on this?"

Wesley's whole body remained firm and still as granite. "He really didn't."

As Lorne gaped at Wes. Jairen blew a cloud of blue, sparkling mist over Buffy. It made her whole body limp.


"Where do you think she is?" Fred rested her feet on Gunn's lap as the others stretched and refueled.

He rubbed his eyes. "Apartment hunting? I don't know. It's Cordy but it's not. None of us know what's in her head anymore."

Fred looked at the open office door and lowered her voice. "I didn't notice it, them becoming coupley. I don't even get how that could happen. I mean he's Angel's son and she and Angel almost, I mean they were kinda . . ."

Gunn shrugged. "Don't think we were supposed to notice it. When people pull the crazy, they usually play it cool after."

Her eyes flickered to his downcast face. "Stones, glass houses. . . guess I still take the crazy cake."

He frowned at her. "He pushed you out of our world. I get wanting revenge. I just didn't get you actually taking it. You're the best person I know."

"I'm sorry Charles." She shook her head. "I don't know what I would have done differently, but I hate what happened. . . I hate that you murdered for me."

"Guess we're all capable of shitty surprises."

She looked at Connor's chair. "I guess we are."


Buffy groaned with her legs spread. With the others leaned against the wall.

Lilah crossed her arms. "It's like contractions but in reverse – pulling the thing in."

Lorne swallowed. "This actually isn't that." He watched Jairen sing beside Buffy. "Those lyrics – she's singing about making room –'a cavern for stars'."

Buffy screamed.

"This is still the pre-show."

Lilah nodded. "So still time for popcorn."

Wesley didn't look at her. "Time enough for an eight course meal. There's such a thing as accelerated pregnancy, but not even magic can make an instant one."

Buffy screamed again.

"So we gotta listen to her holler for hours?"

Wesley bit the inside of his mouth. "The quickest pregnancy I've witnessed took a full day. She might actually have several days of this ahead of her."

They watched Buffy grunt and writhe on the table.

Lorne started to sweat. "I think I'm feeling sick."

Lilah pointed at a wastebasket. "If Jairen can do this without staining the carpet, then so can you."

Wesley watched Buffy scratch and lift her shirt revealing movement beneath the skin of her abdomen. He swallowed back the taste of bile.