Author's Note: I know it's been a while for this chapter. But on the bright side I'm done with college forever! The down side is now I have to look for a job. Somehow that doesn't seem at all fair! But oh well, I had time to finally finish up this chapter and a lot of stuff happens so hopefully you will all enjoy and not hate me. Justtwoquick little notes for this chapter and then I'm going go away and actually start writing the next chapter. 1) Gunn's speech comes from Angel, Season 1, the episode is called 'Blind Date'. I couldn't work it in that I put the whole thing but the moment fit so I used it. Plus it was hilarious. And note #2, at some point in time certain characters are going to be talking via a telepathic bond. "….." means talking normally, while '…...' means talking telepathically/bond. Alright, that has been duly noted. I take my leave now. Ciao!

Chapter 36

Gunn tapped his fingers on the dashboard of Angel's car and he stared straight ahead at the offices of Wolfram and Hart. His roommates were being held hostage in there and that was the only reason that he could be persuaded to leave the sanctity of his home and his mother's cooking to mess around with the evil law firm. Not to mention the company he was being forced to keep at the moment. Wesley shifted in the driver's seat, almost as if he could sense Gunn's negative emotions and once again glanced at the clock.

"Are you sure you have a plan?"

"This is the last time I'm going to explain this, English. Yes, I have a plan. Yes, I'm sure it will work. And stop questioning me or else you're going to have to come up with your own damn plan."

"Well if you would just tell me what it is."

"Does it matter? I got some reinforcements, they're on their way and then we'll get those two idiots back safe and sound."

"I'm so reassured," Wesley muttered drolly. Gunn narrowed his eyes.

"Well excuse me if I'm keeping you from something. Obviously you have some big plans back in the 'Dale to take care of, right?"

Wesley smirked and glanced over at him. "If you want to know if Anya and I are an item, why don't you just come out and ask me?"

Silence was his only answer. Gunn flushed an interesting shade of red before shifting in his seat and daring to look over at the former watcher who was still smirking. "So are you?"

"Aside from a few moments of weakness, nothing is going on between me and Anya," Wesley admitted. Gunn let out a little sigh of relief before arching an eyebrow.

"What do you mean a few moments of weakness?"

"Well a gentleman never kisses and tells."

"You kissed her?"

Wesley couldn't help but laugh at the shocked outburst. Especially the slight crack in his voice that rendered the end of the statement a barely tolerable high pitched squeak. Gunn narrowed his eyes and slumped lower in his seat. "It's not funny."

"Oh but it is," Wesley shook his head, still overcome with laughter. Gunn sighed again and crossed his arms over his chest. After what seemed to be hours, Wesley finally calmed down long enough to be concerned about their seeming lack of action. He glanced at the clock. It had been close to a half an hour since Angel had gone back to Caritas. If he had run into trouble he would have called, right? His earlier feeling of mirth fell to the side as he started to worry for the people he had come to call friends in the past few months.

"Are you sure…."

"Ask me again, English and I'm out of here."

Wesley sighed and leaned back in the seat, quiet once more. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by the approach of a large group of young men. He glanced around to see if it were possible they were headed somewhere else, but no they were straight towards the car. Wesley tensed itching for a fight when Gunn hopped out the side of the car and greeted the young men as though they were friends. With a start, he realized these people were Gunn's reinforcements. Although they didn't appear to be carrying any weapons. He arched an eyebrow.

"You got what I asked for?" Gunn's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Of course," one of the guys answered with a smirk. "Although I don't know what you're thinking messing with these guys."

"You know me. I like living on the edge."

Wesley cleared his throat drawing attention to himself. Gunn rolled his eyes. "This is Wesley. He's part of the group I run with in Sunnydale."

"He a vampire too?" another one asked.

"Nah, he's normal," Gunn replied. He cocked his head to the side. "At least I think he is."

"I assure you I'm not a vampire," Wesley spoke up for himself. "So now am I allowed to ask what the plan is?"

"Sure," Gunn beamed. The one who had spoken to him earlier turned around and pushed a bound and gagged figure to the front of the group. Wesley's jaw dropped as he recognized exactly what is they were dealing with.

"I get the feeling that I'm really not going to like this plan."

Spike sighed as he looked around the dark empty abyss he was standing in. It was devoid of light or life. The last thing he remembered was sitting beside Xander tied to a chair with the evil lawyer woman staring at him, and now he was here, wherever that was. He ran a hand through his hair nervously and paused when he found that it was shorter than he remembered. As his fingers started to thread through the hair anxiously, he glanced around and saw a mirror in the far corner of the room.

"Bloody convenient that," he muttered, crossing over to it. The nervous teenager stooped down ready to observe the difference in his reflection, only he was met with nothing. There were no traces of his reflection in the mirror. His jaw dropped comically and had he been able to see himself he would have had to have laughed at the sight. But that right there was the problem. He was suddenly lacking a reflection. He was also lacking hair. "What the hell is going on?"

Suddenly a thought occurred to him and he had to fight the pit that was growing in his stomach. He closed his eyes concentrating on letting his semi-change occur. This involved letting his canines elongate, his eyes became a feral yellow, but all in all he still resembled a human with really bad teeth and crazy contacts more than an actual vampire. But that was before he entered, wherever it was that he had entered. Because now his whole face had changed. He pawed at the bumpy forehead and traced down his totally transformed face before shaking it off. This could not get any weirder.

"Spike."

Why do I always do that? He turned towards the sound of the voice. He wrapped his arms around himself, grateful at least for the presence of his familiar duster, as he watched the figure of a woman who lived only in his nightmares approach him. Drusilla looked exactly as she had the day she had been staked. Figures, he thought. I'm stuck in some dark, creepy endless abyss, why wouldn't my only companion for this be Drusilla? He sighed and crossed his arms tighter.

"Where are we?"

"We are here, we are there, we are in between," Dru replied, clapping her hands together. "Between the old and the new." She moved closer to him and he found himself frozen by her gaze once more. "We are together at last, my love. My Spike."

Spike smacked away the hand that was trying to caress his cheek. "I'm not your love, and I'm definitely not your Spike."

The insane vampire frowned once more. "No, you're not. Not anymore. My Spike is gone. He died. He made a choice. He died so William could live. William lived so you could."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about? I am Spike and I am William. We're the same person. So how could I have died so that I could live?"

"Not you," Dru spat. "The world was reborn. This is a new world, a different world and still the same. You still reek of her! She covers you always. You were never mine, but hers." Dru put a hand to her lips and started to sway to and fro. Spike was much too disconcerted by the idea of the world having been redone on account of something he did. Was it even possible? Could the world have been restarted because of him? And what could possibly cause something like that to happen. Before he could even begin to formulate a question, the vampire clapped her hands and gazed lovingly down at the doll in her arms.

"Ms. Edith tells me wonderful news," she giggled happily. "She's coming."

"Who is? Ms. Edith?" Spike rolled his eyes at the utter absurdity of that statement. Then again, it seemed rather absurd to be assuming that a doll was a good source of information. His life definitely was not like others.

"The glorious one is coming. She was thrown away but has found her way home. All she needs is that which was taken from her. She needs her key."

Spike shook his head. "What key? Who are you talking about now?"

"Your golden one keeps it but the glorious one seeks it. It shines and sparkles like thousands of stars."

"What exactly is it? And how does Buffy have it?"

Dru smiled now. "It is power. Ageless, limitless power but still powerless and limited. Made from you made from her. But it belongs to the gods and she wants it back."

He growled in frustration now. None of what she was saying made any sense to him, yet he got the feeling that it wasn't just nonsense. He felt it too. Something big was coming and it sounded like Dru knew exactly what it was. If only he could figure out what she was saying.

"Beware the man with two forms. One is innocence and the other is glory. Beware!"

His eyes widened as the darkness enveloped her sealing her away and leaving him alone again. "Great," Spike muttered. "You know you're desperate for company when you're sad to see the insane nonsense spitting vampire leave."

"So this is what a hybrid dreams about." Spike whirled around to face the sound of the voice but found that he was standing face to face with Xander. The scenery around them changed to a well lit field. His best friend arched an eyebrow as he looked around. "So this is what you've been doing with your free time. Somehow I imagined more naked Buffy."

"Stuff it, whelp," Spike muttered. He ran a hand through his hair and was pleased to find it back to its original length. He then looked again at Xander. "What are you doing here anyway? And did you happen to see Dru?"

"Dru? As in Drusilla, as in the vampire that damn near ruined your life?"

"As in the vampire that made what I am today," Spike corrected absently. He missed the look that passed over Xander's face. "Anyway, she was here and she was telling me all this gibberish, but I don't think it was gibberish. I think it all meant something but before I could figure it out she was gone."

"Well maybe that what's what you need to be," Xander pointed out. "Gone. Its time to wake up, Spike. I can't get us out of here alone. I need you to wake up."

"If it were that easy you think I'd still be sitting here?"

"Well I don't know. All I know is that you need to stop chasing Dru and wake up."

"But," Spike trailed off as Xander finally reached out and smacked him. His jaw dropped. "Did you just slap me?"

"Sorry, I kinda got caught up in the moment," Xander shrugged sheepishly. He started backing away recognizing the glint in his friend's eye. "Spike, come on, you know that didn't even hurt!"

"So not the point, Harris!" Spike growled. "You wait until I'm awake! You're so dead."

Xander gulped noticeably and was relieved when he faded from the scene. Spike watched him go with narrowed eyes until he himself felt the pull. As consciousness started to come back to him, he sat bolt right only to be reminded painfully of the restraints that held him back. "Ow," he muttered. He sat quietly processing what he had just experienced.

'You okay? I mean you're not going to like kill me or anything, right?'

"Why would I do that? It was just a dream, right?"

"What was just a dream?" Lilah asked, watching the young man warily.

Spike glared up at her. "I wasn't talking to you. This is a private conversation, if you don't mind."

"Oh I get it, you're faking crazy."

"What are you talking about?"

"If you think that talking to yourself is going to get me to let you go then you got another coming, junior. I don't scare easy."

Spike turned his confused gaze on Xander. His friend shrugged and then paused seemingly in thought. 'I don't think she can hear us. What? Why are you looking at me like that?'

'Your lips! They're not moving!'

'Yours aren't either! What the hell is going on?'

'We're talking telepathically? Since when could you do that?'

'Me? Why are we operating under the assumption that this is my doing?'

Spike grinned. 'It actually would explain a lot of things really. You always seemed to have this kinda sixth sense thing going on. I mean you knew I was there on Halloween. And besides I clearly don't have the power to reach people's minds outside of Buffy.'

Xander chewed on his lip again. 'So what does this mean? Am I some kinda freak or something?'

'Bah. You're no more a freak than you were yesterday. You're still my best mate, so deal with it, Harris.'

Xander nodded and smiled a little wider, secure in the knowledge that at least his best friend didn't think he was some kind of freak. Of course there was still the issue of how exactly he got this nifty new ability and outside of Spike who else could he use it on. He tried concentrating on Lilah. The lawyer twitched as if she felt something. She looked up to see her hostages sitting calmly staring back at her. She narrowed her eyes and glanced around the office suspiciously. 'Guess you're not the only person it works on.'

Spike smiled slightly and sat back in his seat the best he could. His thoughts turned back to his encounter with Drusilla. Was it all just some kind of insane dream that he created or were her warnings real? And what of this other life that he lived and apparently sacrificed so that everything would be different. He craned his neck to watch as Xander continued to freak out the lawyer but trying to enter her mind. A power like that couldn't have gone to a more worthy candidate, he thought with a smirk. Spike wondered if in the old world he and Xander had gotten along as well as they did now.

'Old world?'

He jumped at the sudden intrusion in his brain. He turned a cold glare on his best friend. 'Stay out of my head without permission! Sheesh, its bad enough I've got that bloody woman poking around my brain now I got to worry about you too!'

Xander laughed aloud, once again causing Lilah's head to snap up. She eyed the two boys warily. "You two have been awful quiet."

"Just doing some deep thinking," Xander said with a slight smile. Spike smirked.

"Oh really, well you're not the only one that's been doing some thinking. I've been thinking about what Holtz told me just before he left," Lilah rose from behind her desk to stand before her two hostages. "How is it possible that your scar hasn't faded yet? It's been almost three years now since you were bitten."

Spike sighed and looked down for a brief moment. "Fine, you want to know I'll tell you."

"Spike, what are you doing? You can't be serious. You're not really going to tell her are you?"

"No, I mean its Wolfram and Hart. They're going to find me out soon enough. I might as well come clean now before this gets out to everyone." Spike took another world weary sigh. "After Drusilla bit me. Something in me changed. I kind of got used to the feeling and sometimes," he paused and looked around. "Sometimes I let vampires bite me for fun."

There was a heavy silence that filled the room after that confession. "What?"

"It's just so hard being the weak, inferior boyfriend of a slayer. I mean my sisters are a slayer and a witch. My girlfriend is a slayer. And I'm me," Spike sighed dramatically. "The vampires make me feel good at least for a little bit."

'Oh my god.' Xander had to close his eyes against the tears that threatened to spill. He bit on his lip to refrain from laughing. Spike was giving the performance of a lifetime. Lilah blinked clearly surprised to hear this coming from the young hybrid. She blinked again and shook her head.

"Knew there wasn't anything special about you. Holtz is just paranoid," she muttered, going back to her seat. Before she reached it, the phone rang. "Yes. What do you mean a disturbance?" she turned to her desk and picked up a remote control. With a press of a button the security monitors to the left of her teen captives turned on giving them a clear view of the lobby and the special guest star. "Well if it isn't the little twerp that helped Angel."

"I somehow don't think that Gunn would appreciate being called a twerp," Xander muttered. Spike declined to make a response. His eyes were glued on the screen as he watched the slightly confused security agents approach the young demon hunter. A smile did form on his lips as he watched Gunn rant and rave in the middle of the lobby. One thing his roommate had going for him was his ability to make one hell of an entrance. Suddenly loud blaring alarms went off. Spike had to wince as his sensitive hearing was assaulted.

"Crap," Lilah mumbled, continuing to watch the scene. Wesley appeared behind Gunn along with several other men carrying a sack covered squirming object. They let the sack go and revealed a vampire. The vampire glanced around quickly before making a run for it. The rent-a-cops that masked as front desk security gave chase. Lilah slammed the remote down in frustration. She punched the intercom button. "They're just a decoy. Probably a cover for Angel. He's here to rescue his friends. Get all of security on alert. Search the entire building. I'll be there in a minute." She pushed away from the desk and glared at the two teenagers. "We will stop Angel. So you better kiss your rescue goodbye."

Both made attempts to look scared but finally settled for slightly amused. She huffed and stormed out of the office. The pair sat in silence for a moment. "She's gone."

"How do you know… right, vamp hearing, never mind? Let's go."

"Right then," Spike flexed his wrists, breaking the binds that had been holding him. He rubbed the sore appendages as he headed for the door.

"Ahem! Forgetting something?"

"Oh, right," he grinned sheepishly, setting Xander free and together they headed towards the front door.

"The evil white man does have a Mecca?" Wesley repeated sarcasm heavy and evident in his tone. Gunn shrugged, although the smile playing across his lips did little to relieve the frustration and annoyance that was coursing through Wesley at the moment. "What was the point of any of that? We didn't even rescue them."

"They're not completely helpless you know," Gunn pointed out. "None of you give those two much credit. Trust me when I say that plan worked, English."

"Wait that was the whole plan? That right there. You going in there making a scene and then throwing a vampire into the building was your twisted idea of a plan?"

"Can you please stop whining? It's really giving me a headache."

"You think I'm bad, wait till you have to deal with two pissed off slayers, a couple of witches and Giles! I take no credit for this. This was all your plan, your horrible idea and I'm definitely not taking the blame for this."

"Taking the blame for what?"

Both Gunn and Wesley turned around to see Xander and Spike sitting in the backseat of the car. "When did you two get here?" Wesley blinked in surprise. They shrugged and exchanged greetings with their roommate.

"You can cater to the demon, to the dead man, but what about the black man?" Spike grinned. "That was bloody priceless!"

"I try," Gunn said, rubbing his hands on his chest. He turned back to Wesley. "So you were saying, English."

"Oh do shut up."

"Where's Angel and Cordy?"

Gunn and Wesley exchanged glances. As the former watcher started the drive back to the club, he filled two in on what had had happened while they were gone.

Angel looked around the wrecked club with a frown. Lorne was going to kill them, that is if he, along with Cordelia and Darla, weren't lying somewhere underneath all this rubble and destruction. He started towards the back room that he had left Cordelia and Darla in when suddenly he caught wind of scent that he had hadn't smelled in over a century. His blood ran cold as he turned to find himself before Daniel Holtz. The vampire hunter smiled at the surprised look on Angel's face.

"Angelus, we meet again," he paused. "Or is it safe to call you, Angel, now? Those two humans you travel with informed me of your, curse."

"If you hurt one hair on their heads, Holtz," Angel trailed off feebly. He couldn't sense anyone besides himself, Holtz and the demon henchmen had along with him in the club. That must have meant that they had gotten out safely. Either that or they were dead. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and continued to face off with Holtz.

"I've waited two hundred years to get my revenge on you and your family, Angelus. Imagine my surprise, my shock, to find that you were cursed with a soul and had taken humans under your wing. The great and mighty Angelus actually playing nice with those he considered himself to be so above last we met."

"Things have changed, Holtz," Angel replied quietly. "I'm truly sorry for what we did to your family. Words will never be able to express the pain I feel when I look back on what I was. I was a monster and I robbed you of the thing you loved the most in this world, your family. But please, just let Spike and Xander go free. They have nothing to do with this. I'm the one you want. You can kill me but let my friends go free."

"That's very noble of you, Angelus," Holtz murmured. "I'm afraid however, that my vengeance doesn't exactly end with you. I want you to suffer. I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know what its like to loose those you love the most in this world. I want you to know true pain." He turned to the demons behind him. "Don't kill him yet. I want him to watch his woman die."

"You leave Cordelia out of this," Angel responded automatically. He paused. Great smooth one, he thought. He was probably talking about Darla. "Great, just great!" he ducked as one of the lumbering demons took a swipe at him. Holtz started to walk away satisfied that his minions would follow his orders and Angel, Angelus, whatever name he was going by at the moment would be taken care of. Suddenly felt another person enter the room. The vampire hunter turned to see a young woman, practically still a child, standing beside the vampire wielding a rusted pipe she had clearly found outside.

"Get out of here, Cordelia," Angel ordered. The girl shook her head.

"Nothing doing, Angel. You need help and the big guns are currently occupied, so you're stuck with me."

"Cordy."

"Angel. Deal with it. You'd do the same for me. You've done more. The least I can do is stand here with a rusty pipe and hope to avoid death or lasting damage to my face."

The vampire sighed and moved closer to her. Holtz didn't miss the look that passed between the two as he stood protectively in front of her. "Stay close and be careful."

"You too," she smiled. With that the pair attacked.

Holtz turned away with understanding blossoming in his mind. This was the girl the vampire loved and she loved him in return. This made things very interesting to say the least. Not only was he friends with humans, he loved one very passionately so it would seem. He knew his minions would fail now that the young woman had been added to the mix. Angelus was nothing short of brutal when it came to protecting those he called his own, and he didn't think that this would change with the inclusion of a soul. No, his minions were as good as dead. Shrugging, he left them behind to their doom to factor in this latest twist.

Darla rubbed her stomach wearily. Two false labors in one hour were exhausting both mentally and physically for even a master vampire. She was sitting in the one comfortable looking chair that Lorne could find in their retched hiding space. The smell of death and fear permeated the former hotel seeping into her bones making her more nauseous and ill than she had already been. Ordinarily such a place should have made her excited, after she was a vampire. But sharing life with her son had given her something else to desire. She no longer craved death and destruction. She wanted life. A tear slipped down her face as she caressed her stomach. She wanted her baby to live. And she knew that once he was free from her, that desire would be gone and she wouldn't be able to remember the love she had for her son, her baby.

She looked up at Lorne who was quietly pacing in front of her, radiating an aura of tension and worry. She swallowed, remembering what Wesley had told her. Lorne could read the auras of those that sang. With a shaky breath, she opened her mouth. Suddenly Lorne turned to her with red eyes wide open.

"Don't," he whispered. "Please don't sing."

Darla brushed aside her tears. "They say you can read the auras of those that sing."

"Honey, I don't need you to sing. You do and you might cause me to overload."

She swallowed. "Then can you tell me?"

Lorne sat down beside her. "What do you want to know?"

"He's dying." It was a statement more than a question but Lorne still felt compelled to answer her anyway.

The demon sighed. "Yes. He's dying. Whoever made this crazy thing happen clearly didn't think it through very well. Vampires weren't designed to give life. They were designed to take it. You're not designed to give birth to that child."

Darla choked out a sob. "Guess it really doesn't matter because if I did, I'd probably just kill him. That's what vampires do. We eat babies." She broke down crying at the end of the sentence. So that was it. Her child was damned. Soon he would die and take their soul along with him. She would never remember what it was like to love something so much without ever meeting it. Her sobs broke the heart of the demon sitting next to her. Lorne put an arm around her wondering idly when his life had become so odd that he was comforting a vampire who a year ago would have snapped his neck without so much as a thought.

Probably, he thought, the day Wesley and Angel had walked through the door to the club. Life ever since that moment hadn't been the same. Lorne glanced up just in time to see Angel and Cordelia running into the hotel. The empathic demon caught the look of hesitant confusion that crossed Angel's face as he and Cordelia entered the hotel lobby. Darla pushed away from him and sat up trying to compose herself in the face of their presence. But the damage was done.

"What happened?" Angel asked, concerned.

"Where's Holtz?" Darla countered. Her childe rolled his eyes.

"He left us with his lackeys," Cordelia replied. "Angel kicked their sorry asses but good and then we high tailed it back here. Lorne, I think it's safe for you to go back there. Someone should because the guys will go there looking for us."

Lorne nodded, eager to leave the tense atmosphere that the bizarre love triangle was creating, not to mention get a good look at the damage done to his club. He left without further word. Cordelia turned back to the two vampires who were staring at each other. With a faint bit of jealousy, she cleared her throat.

"I'm going to go, um, find a bathroom or something. I'll be back, yeah," she nodded and left the two to their moment.

Angel sat beside Darla in silence. He didn't know what to say for starters. "She's smarter than she looks, you know?" she spoke first shattering the silence between them.

"Yeah," he muttered in reply, not sure of whether that was an insult or a compliment for Cordelia.

"But not smart enough to see that you don't' give a rat's ass about me. You love her." Angel looked at her shocked. "Oh come on, Angelus. Who knows you the best? I made you, remember? I remember you when you were just Liam. You love that girl and she loves you back. Tell her."

He swallowed and nodded slowly. "Darla, what happened, when we came in, you were crying, and what happened?"

"He's dying, Angel."

"Who?"

"Our baby," she placed his hand gently over her stomach. "We don't give life, we take it away. He's dying and there is nothing we can do about it."

"We'll find a way, Darla. We always do, right?"

Darla bit her lip. She started to reply when Cordelia came rushing back into the room. "They're on to us. Holtz and about ten other guys are on their way here, and they're packing some serious heat." The two vampires looked at her in obvious confusion. The seer tapped her forehead impatiently. "Hello vision girl here. Let's move people!"

She quickly joined Angel in his attempt to help Darla to her feet. Together they managed to get moving at a somewhat decent speed. They made it as far as the alley when Darla's legs started to give out. Angel tried to hold onto her but the rain that had suddenly started prevented him from getting a good grasp on her. On her other side, Cordelia fell to the ground under the sudden weight. "Darla, we have to move now."

"I can't," the vampire sighed heavily. She turned to look the girl in the eye. "I'm a monster. I took away the man you love. Then again, you took away the man I love so I guess we're somewhat even." Cordelia gave her a tiny semblance of a smile. Though she would never forgive the monster that had taken Doyle from her, she couldn't help but feel pity and concern for the woman in front of her. She put a hand on Darla's shoulder just as the blonde started to cry.

"He's dying," she gasped out.

"You keep saying that," Angel tried once more to get her to her feet. "Darla we'll find a way. If we have to go back to Sunnydale and get everyone on it, so be it. But there is a way to save him."

"I've never loved anything as much as I love this baby, not in four hundred years," she told him firmly. "I would move heaven and hell for him. He's the best thing we've ever done. He's the only good thing I've ever done." She then turned back to Cordelia and tightened her hold on the seer's hand. "You tell him that every day for me, okay?"

Before either Angel or Cordelia could question the somewhat cryptic remark, Darla pulled out the stake she knew was hidden in Cordelia's pant leg and with one last silent vow of love for her child, plunged it into her chest. As the dust started to slowly settle, the shaken pair became aware of a crying sound. Angel looked down at the source of the sound and saw his son. Cordelia picked the baby up gently and wrapped her jacket around him.

Just then the door they had escaped through burst open and Holtz and about a dozen or so minions stood there. Angel put a protective arm around Cordelia and the baby. But it was all for nothing as just as suddenly as they had appeared, the demons started to collapse. Holtz looked around bewildered until a small metal dart made its presence known. The vampire hunter turned a shaky glance in the direction the dart had come from.

"Its not so nice shooting darts at people is it?" Spike crowed from where he sat in the driver's seat of Angel's car. Gunn, Wesley and Xander were also sporting the Wolfram and Hart issued weapons. "Bloody ponces."

"Yeah, what he said," Xander added as Holtz fell to the ground. Satisfied that the threat was effectively removed at least for the time being, the four young men joined the still shaken couple. Xander looked around, not noticing the small denim covered bundle in Cordelia's arms. "Where's Darla?"

Cordelia lowered her arms so that they could see the baby. "Gone," she whispered.

The new arrivals looked over at Angel who had yet to move away from Cordelia and the baby. He glanced down at his son, then at Holtz and finally at Spike. The hybrid nodded, understanding what Angel was feeling. He felt the loss of Darla as well, but probably nowhere as strongly as Angel was feeling it. He offered him a hand up. "Let's go home."

Cordelia stretched her achy back as she shifted in the seat once again. Beside her Wesley was doing the same thing. It had been close to an hour since Angel had followed a nurse down the hall to get his son checked out. Spike, Xander and Gunn had slipped off shortly afterwards promising that they wouldn't be too far away this time. They were true to their word as she caught glimpses of them every now and then.

"What's taking them so long?" Cordelia asked, annoyed. "He's just a little bitty thing. There can't be that much to look at."

"Cordelia," Wesley drawled, not really putting much effort into a retort. He sat up in his seat and looked around. "It's been five minutes, have you seen…. Never mind." The very source of his question chose this moment to come rolling by. Literally. He barely arched an eyebrow as a wheelchair bound Gunn went careening by, followed a second later by a freaked out Xander and even later by a slightly hysterical Spike. The latter chose to stay behind while his best friend chased down their roommate. That would teach them not to play around with hospital equipment. At least until the next time they were in a hospital, Spike thought with a smile. He leaned against the wall beside Cordelia and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You lot heard anything yet?"

"No," Cordelia growled slightly. "And I'm starting to get a little testy."

"And we wouldn't want that, would we?" Angel asked, with a slight smile as he walked up to them holding the baby. A smiling nurse trailed after him. Cordelia bounced over to them, cooing over the little boy in a sickening tone. Wesley and Spike both rolled their eyes before following suit.

"So have you picked out a name for your healthy little boy there, Mr. Angel?" the nurse asked, grinning over the trio's antics.

"Connor," Angel replied.

"Connor what?"

"Uh," the vampire seemed slightly panicked. It was all well and good for him to run around with just one name, but his son was human, as in go out in the daylight go to school and have a normal life human. He had to have a last name. "Well, I guess, uh, you see."

"Chase," Cordelia offered up quickly. "Connor Allen Chase."

Angel looked at her gratefully. "Well I'll just go print up that birth certificate and you can take your son home, Mr. Angel." He nodded in her direction and then turned back to Cordelia. Wes and Spike looked at each once more.

"So Connor what to see what your insane uncles are up to?" Spike asked, taking the baby gently from Angel. "We have to go now so your mommy and daddy can have one of their infamous broody soul mate moments. You should get used to it, pet. They do it all the time."

"You're one to talk," Wesley muttered as the pair disappeared down the hall. Once they were out of hearing range, Cordelia took Angel's hand in hers and held it tightly.

"How you holding up, Brood Boy?"

"Honestly," she nodded. "I'm really scared right now."

"Don't be."

"I can't do this, Cordy. Darla was right. I'm a vampire. We're meant to take life, not give it. I can't do this. I can't be a father."

Cordelia shook her head and moved closer to him. "You listen to me, Angel. Darla died to give that baby a chance. She loved him enough to die for him. And you're trying to tell me that you don't love him enough to live for him?"

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I can't do this alone."

"Well then it's a damn good thing you got me in your life, isn't it?" she wrapped her arms around him and felt relieved when he did the same. "I'm here for you, Angel. Always."

He nodded, taking in her warmth. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you. That I lied to you. I love you, Cordelia. I love you very much."

She gave him one of her winning smiles and leaned up to brush her lips against his. "And I love you. I'm always going to be by your side. No matter what. Now let's get back to your kid before those morons corrupt him." She started to pull away when Angel stopped her.

"Our kid," he corrected her gently. "Our son."

With an even wider smile, Cordelia rose up to kiss him lightly once again. "Our son," she whispered against his lips. "Because that is so what the Scoobies need, you know. Another baby."

Jenny paced to and fro in the confines of the bathroom, resembling a caged animal. Her Celeste watched her move around with wide dark eyes. Finally, the timer went off causing her mother to cease her endless motions. With a quick glance at her youngest, Jenny picked something off the bathroom counter. A slight tingle started at the base of her spine and worked its way up to her face in the form of a huge smile. Celeste clapped her hands together as if she had figured out what her mother was looking at. Jenny watched her reflection in the mirror for a second, rubbing her still flat stomach with an awed look.

"Well honey, looks like you better get ready to be a big sister," she beamed down at Celeste. "Because you know, this is so what the Scoobies need. Another baby."

"Are you sure we can entrust this girl with such a sacred object?" a withering three eyed glare was the only response the monk received. He sighed realizing the futility of arguing his point any further. It wasn't a wise move to anger a three eyed psychic monk named Bob. If he believed that this slayer and her partner were worthy of such a task then he would debate this no further. Although, he did have his doubts.

Suddenly there was a loud crash coming from the outside. The monks exchanged glances and sped up their actions. They had to complete this ritual before it came for them. Bob's gaze flickered momentarily to the bolted door of the room they were in. Something, or someone, was trying to get in and he knew exactly what it was. "We must hurry."

They began chanting, trying desperately to ignore the pounding. The younger monk glanced over at the door which was starting to splinter. "Concentrate on the task at hand. Our lives are unimportant in the face of this threat!"

The younger nodded and resumed his chanting. A bright light formed between the pair and it filled the room. At the exact moment that the door finally gave way, the light soared up towards the ceiling and finally out of the room completely.

"It is done," Bob said quietly. He turned to face the creature they had so greatly feared with an expressionless mask in place.

"You know I have been looking for you guys everywhere. Now where the hell is my key?"

So what did you think? Let me know. I promise next time I'll answer reviews because hopefully it won't be another three months in between postings! Ciao for now.