Chapter 51
Buffy was putting Wyatt and Alex down for their naps when she heard a loud crash from Piper's room. She shut the door to the nursery and rushed in to see three demons blur into the bedroom. They each powered up energy balls and aimed them at Piper, but Buffy kicked them each in the back. In a fabulous display, Piper utilized all six arms and shot back bolts of electricity at the three demons. One demon managed to get up and throw a power ball, but Piper deflected it and it hit the light behind her.
As she and Buffy fought the three demons, Barbas flamed in undetected and dangerously near the bassinet. One of the three demons exploded from a bolt of electricity. Barbas stepped closer to the bassinet and smiled down at Baby Chris. The second demon exploded from his own power ball that Buffy threw back at him with Prue's powers. As Piper blew up the third and final demon, Buffy spotted Barbas stepping closer to the bassinet.
"No!" Buffy waved her hand and sent Barbas flying. Piper blasted him with electricity from all six of her hands. Barbas gingerly touched his wound and found his own blood on his hands. He sighed and smiled as he flame out. Piper stared at Barbas and turned to look down at the bassinet when Chris started to wake up.
"No, no, it's ok, Peanut." She said. "You're ok." Piper picked him up. "Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh."
"I'm going to check on Alex and Wyatt." Buffy rushed back to the nursery. Both Alex and Wyatt were sleeping soundly and there was no sign of Barbas. Paige rushed in. "Is everything ok?"
"Shh." Buffy shut the door. "Barbas tried to kidnap Chris."
"What!"
"He's ok." Piper said. "There's just a real mess in my room, though. How are the kids?"
"They're still sleeping." Buffy said.
"Go upstairs and get the crystals. We're going to put them around the room to keep them safe."
"Got it."
"Thank you."
Buffy walked downstairs with Alex as Phoebe walked into the house. She was seething about something and talking to herself. "Doctor. Doctor, my ass. I'd like to actually see proof that he's a doctor, you know?"
"What are you muttering about?" Buffy asked.
"Elise. She hired a man. Can you believe that? I don't know what she was thinking."
"Hired a man for what?"
"My job. That's what. Might possibly be the worst idea I've ever had. I don't know what I was thinking."
"You quit?"
"No, no." Phoebe smiled as she picked Alex up. "I'm just taking a sabbatical. Well, I was taking a sabbatical. I'm clearly not anymore."
"So, you'll never guess what happened while you were gone."
"I mean, it's just the most ridiculous…. have you even ever heard of a male advice columnist? I haven't."
"Try to guess. You won't be able to."
"And I don't care what the Book says about the Divine Horniness only being rubbed off if you're attracted to someone because there's no way I'm attracted to him. Ha ha! Oh, god, I hope he's not the one from my vision. I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Barbas tried to kidnap baby Chris."
"Buffy, that is not funny."
"I'm not trying to be funny. It's true."
"Oh, no."
"Oh, yes. Piper's upstairs putting him to sleep right now. He's ok. He didn't get hurt."
"Oh, thank goodness. Leo's gonna go ballistic."
"Yes, and that's why Piper doesn't want us to tell him anything."
Just then, Leo walked into the room. "Tell me what?"
"How much she wants you. Piper. She desperately wants you." Phoebe said.
"You're not supposed to tell him that." Buffy said.
"I know. But you know me with secrets. I can't keep them."
"How did it go with Barbas?"
"It didn't." Leo said. "I couldn't track him."
"Really? You couldn't track him? Not even with all those powers cooped up inside of you?"
"I know. Strange, isn't it? So where's Piper? Upstairs?" Without waiting for an answer, Leo headed upstairs before they could stop him. Buffy and Phoebe, who kept a hold of Alex, followed Leo. He turned the corner into Piper's room and the smile on his face vanished. The bedroom was a mess. The furniture was destroyed and demonic scorchmarks were evidenced on everything. He saw the broken crib in the nursery and rushed to the room. He looked around the room and didn't see Piper or Chris. Paige was doing her best to clean what she could. "What happened here?"
"You're not gonna like it." Paige said.
Leo looked at Buffy, knowing she would tell him. "Barbas happened here, Leo. He tried to kidnap Chris."
"What!" Leo cried.
"This is why Piper didn't want us to tell you." Paige said.
"I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna rip the world apart until I find Barbas."
"Yeah. That's what we're worried about." Phoebe said. "Leo, you have to calm down until we know all the facts."
"What facts? He went after one of my sons again."
"He didn't get him." Buffy said, taking Alex from Phoebe.
"Doesn't matter."
Suddenly, Sheridan stepped into the bedroom, her gun pointed at them. "Police! Freeze! Hands in the air!" Both Paige and Phoebe raised their hands in surrender. Buffy turned and glared at the other woman. Leo looked at Sheridan for a beat, then swung his arms around sending a powerful magical force at her throwing her up head first into the far wall. She fell to the floor, out cold.
Darryl glared at Leo as he walked over to help Sheridan. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you out of your mind?" With bolts of lightning, Leo disappeared from the bedroom.
"Ohh…. Yeah, I think he is." Paige said.
Piper rushed into the room. "Shh! I just got the baby to sleep." She looked around and saw Darryl with Sheridan on the floor in front of him. "What happened? Where's Leo?" Buffy, Paige, and Phoebe exchanged worried glances.
It was Alex who broke it. "E-o bye bye!"
Mrs. Winterbourne led Buffy out of the nursery in Magic School and headed for the Great Hall. She was carrying Alex and talking about how much progress she'd made in the last couple of months. Piper was sitting on the floor meditating.
"I'll just take her to play with Wyatt and the others." Mrs. Winterbourne said.
"Thanks." Buffy walked over to Piper. "Did you find Leo?"
"Where's Chris?" Piper asked.
"He's with Wyatt in the nursery."
Paige walked in. "So? What's going…. Leo!"
Buffy and Piper turned to look where Paige's gaze was. Leo was sitting on the floor in a corner. He was curled in a ball, silent and dazed and in a state that they'd never seen him in before.
"Did you find the spell to fix us?" Piper asked Paige.
"Yeah, but…." Paige started.
"Cast it."
Paige walked over to the desk and opened a large book. "We call upon the mortal ways and gods who guide but may not stay. We seek those of divinity to separate from and set them free." Piper's extra four arms glowed golden and disappeared completely. The golden lights rose up out of her and Leo. It rose up into the air and vanished through the ceiling.
"Are you all right?" Piper asked Leo. He silently shook his head.
"Piper." Paige said.
Piper didn't turn around. "Go get Phoebe and then go get Barbas."
"We still don't know how to find him."
"I wounded him. You should be able to scry with his blood."
Paige and Buffy orbed out of the Great Hall and into the attic. Buffy headed downstairs to Piper's room where a paramedic was tending to Sheridan. "What's going on?" Buffy asked.
"Uh. Nothing. I think we have everything under control here. What's up?" Phoebe asked, following Buffy away from the mortals' earshot.
"We've got some work to do. Paige is getting the potion vials now."
"What's going on?"
"We're going after Barbas."
Barbas stood in the center of healer's the cave shouting upwards. "Hey! Why don't you come on down? Show yourself. All I want to do is thank you. It was a very good plan. I mean, it worked perfectly. So, uh…. How about we go after the witches and that Slayer now?"
"Works for us." Paige said.
Barbas turned around and found Buffy, Paige, and Phoebe in front of him. "Well, well, well, well, well. What do you know? It really is true. Just ask and ye shall receive. Of course this lair was supposed to be cloaked."
"Yeah. You should probably ask your invisible friend about that." Phoebe said.
"Yeah, well, maybe I will." Barbas spotted the potion vial in Paige's hand. "Oh, come to vanquish me, I see. What? Again?"
"I just have one little question first." Buffy said. "Why the baby? What does that even get you?"
"Ah, the baby. That…. that just gets me to you without the bodyguard. By the way, how is old Leo, anyway? Suffering nicely, I hope." Paige took a step forward to throw the vial, but Barbas raised his right hand, which glowed brightly. "Ah, ah, ah, ah. I think we should check your fears first. How charming. Your greatest fear is that your nephews won't be safe. From me. How touching. Of course, such a great fear paralyzes you. Can't believe you forgot about that."
"Oh, we didn't forget." Paige threw the vial at Barbas' feet. The glass bottle broke and the potion started to work as a low whirlwind of flames lit up under him.
"We just knew our greatest desire would overcome our greatest fear." Phoebe said.
"And our greatest desire is to protect our nephews and my daughter from you." Buffy said.
Barbas was rendered immobile as the whirlwind of fire rose up around him, trapping him within its confines. "Ah, you know I'll be back. Fear always comes back!" The whirlwind rose higher and higher as it became more powerful, overwhelming him. "You set me up!" Finally, the whirlwind covered him completely and snapped shut. Barbas exploded and demon dust fell lightly to the cave floor.
"I never get tired of seeing that." Phoebe said.
"I wonder who he was talking to." Paige said.
"I don't know, and I don't want to know." Buffy said.
Paige walked into the kitchen the next morning. "Oh, my god. I'm so tired. I didn't sleep at all last night, and it's not even because of Barbas." She walked past Piper and Buffy who were both dressed to go walking. The two strollers with the kids were nearby. Piper was putting the bag together while Buffy put together some bottles. Angel was standing in the corner sipping at a mug of coffee. After they'd vanquished Barbas, Paige had gone up to get Angel from LA.
"Pray tell." Piper said.
Paige grabbed the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. "It's the whole magic school thing, you know? It's gotten me really depressed. I don't know why the Elders are just shutting it down."
"Well, they can do whatever they want." Buffy said. "That's why they're them."
Paige got the milk out from the fridge. "Yeah, well, it's not fair."
"Well, who's gonna stop them?"
"I am."
Piper and Buffy looked at Paige. "What?"
"Yeah. I mean, magic's the best thing that has ever happened to me, right? I mean, other than you guys. No offense, but you guys did kind of happen to me at the same time that magic happened to me. So if you really actually count it…."
"Rambling." Angel said with a smile.
"Right. Look, aside from Gideon, the school is a great thing, right? And I think I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna get back to my magical roots."
"I think that's a good idea." Piper said. "Um, any idea how you're gonna do it?"
"Not a clue." Paige looked at Piper and finally realized where Piper was going. "Oh, my goodness. Are you going outside with them?"
"Yes, I am. Now may I go, or do you want to tease me some more about it?"
"Oh, I'd really like to tease you some more, but I will wait until you get back. What changed?"
"Well, sharing a body with the ultimate mother, um, I got a few tips."
"Like what?"
"Like I can't protect them from everything or I'll probably end up making them neurotic."
"Lord knows we don't need any more of those around here." Buffy said.
"No. So we're just gonna have to go out and brave the big, bad world."
"What about Leo? Is he gonna join?" Paige asked.
"No. He's still, um, dealing with some stuff." Piper turned and she and Buffy headed out of the kitchen with the stroller.
