Chapter 10
Quickening
"Wait.. Are you saying that our baby is evil?" Angel asked.
Wesley and Fred were standing in front of him, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Gunn, Lorne, and Cordelia. Buffy, Angel, and Cordy were on the settee, Gunn, Willow, and Xander were sitting on the floor in front of them and Lorne was in a chair he had pulled up. Wesley was telling them about a prophecy from the Nyazian scrolls he had found.
"Not necessarily." Fred said.
"The Nyazian prophecies mention a Tro-clan." Wesley said.
"That's supposed to be here about now."
"Born out of light to bring darkness."
"Great. So, we're saying that mine and Angel's child is the scourge of mankind?" Buffy said with a slight moan.
"You guys are upsetting her." Cordy said.
"No, it's just Conner's kicks keep getting stronger. It's as if he's getting stronger." Buffy was in her eighth month and her stomach was sticking out so far that she felt like a toothpick with a giant olive on it.
"I don't accept this. These stupid prophecies, you can always interpret them a hundred ways from Sunday. How do we even know your calculations are correct?" Angel asked.
"I don't. I'm still working on them." Fred said.
"Well, we do know that Buffy is pregnant with a baby." Gunn said.
"Which is biologically impossible." Willow said.
"Buffy's a slayer and Angel's a vampire. Both Giles and Wesley said that Buffy was never going to be able to have children. And Angel's.. well, dead. No offense." Xander said.
"None taken." Angel replied.
"And it's mystically unfair. You've fought long and hard for good. If your destiny is to spawn something evil.." Lorne said.
"I don't see how anything spawned by Buffy and me could be bad."
"You know the first prophecy that said that the vampire with a soul would be pivotal in the battle between good and evil?" Wesley said.
"That Shanshu one?" Gunn asked.
"Maybe it's not you Angel. Maybe Buffy and your child is a pivotal figure. Maybe your destiny is simply to help bring him to the world." Willow said.
"Or to stop it." Angel said.
"What!?" Buffy said. "Cordy!"
"Angel, that's not fair. Not a month ago you were all 'woo, baby, woo' and now you're 'don't let Buffy have it'? What's up with that?" Cordy said.
"Can I say something about destiny? Screw destiny! If this evil thing comes we'll fight it, and we'll keep fighting it until we whoop it. Cause destiny is just another word for inevitable and nothing's inevitable as long as you stand up, look it in the eye, and say 'your evitable!' Well, you.. you catch my drift." Fred said.
"Wow! I like her so much!" Lorne said.
"I wanna see these prophecies myself, and your calculations, Fred, and anything else we got on this." Buffy said. "My kid is not evil!"
"Good idea. We put our heads together and figure out a way to fight this thing." Wes said. "But, even with a soul, Buffy could give birth to what's spoken of in the prophecies."
"The thing that's coming to kill and burn us all? I know that. I also know the child is mine. Mine and Buffy's." Angel said.
"Right."
"Well! Another big fun day at Angel Investigations. What do you say we pour ourselves a good stiff cup oh coffee?" Cordy said.
"I'm going upstairs." Buffy said. "Guys, will you come with me?"
"Sure Buffy." Willow said. The red head and Xander got up and followed Buffy up to Angel's room.
Angel walked over to Lorne. "Do you think she's mad?"
"She's worn out and honestly Angel face.. she's hurting. Buffy is a sensitive person. She takes everything personal. He aura is just screaming pain right now. And trust me, it ain't the force of the little whippier snapper's kicks." Lorne said.
"Should I.. Should I go talk to her?"
"Let her be with her friend right now. The look on her face when you said that you might have to stop the kid from coming into this world.. Just let her be for right now Angel face." Lorne walked off and left Angel staring up the stairs.
"Willow, how could he say something like that?" Buffy sobbed. "I thought he loved me."
"Ah, Buffy. He does love you. It was only a suggestion." Willow said.
"I love this baby, Willow, and there is nothing that is going to stop me from having him. He has a soul, I can feel it. There is just no way that he can be evil."
"I know Buffy." Willow pulled Buffy into a hug.
"Man, that just burns my eggs!" Xander said. "I hate prophecies that contain Buffy! They always bring gloom and doom!"
"Xander!"
"Well, they do! I remember the first prophecy Buffy was in. It said, 'uh oh, slayer's gonna die!"
"Now it's: hey, slayer's carrying something evil!" Buffy said, wiping her tears away. "Well damn it! This slayer had always defied prophecy and I'm gonna do it again. No one is going to touch my baby!"
"That's the spirit Buff!"
"Who is this 'unidentified, pregnant female'?" Lilah asked. She was down in the basement of Wolfram and Hart.
"I.. I don't know. We lost audio for a couple of days last month. I can pull the tape." The transcriber said. He pulled out the tape that was in the VCR and popped in another one. On the screen Buffy and Angel walked in to the lobby of the Hyperion.
"Buffy?" Lilah said, startled that the slayer that Angel had been involved with a few years ago was showing up with him at his doorstep, pregnant.
"Buffy? That's impossible. Slayers can't give birth!" Gavin said.
"Tell me about it." Lilah pulled out her phone. "Linwood? It's Lilah. You're not gonna believe what I'm looking at."
"Buffy?" Angel asked. He walked into the room to find Willow and Buffy sitting on the bed and Xander sitting in the chair next to it. They had been talking and Buffy had dried tear lines on her face. "Are you ok?"
"Kind of." Buffy answered.
"Can I come in?"
"It's your room." Buffy replied a bit coldly.
"Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I was just saying.. maybe the baby is something we're supposed to stop."
"Then why would the powers send something this amazing to us? Why would they get my hopes up to live my dreams and then take it all away? I know that they can be cruel sometimes, but they would never be that cruel."
"I.."
"You what? You understand? I don't think you could understand! If you did, you wouldn't have been able to suggest that OUR baby is evil and should be destroyed."
"I didn't mean.."
"No, Angel. You never mean. You've always done that. You've always tried to decide what is best for me and now you're not only doing it to me, you're doing it to our unborn child. It stops now. From now on.." Buffy took a deep breath. "I.. I decide wha.."
"Buffy?" Willow asked.
The slayer didn't respond. Buffy sat there a started to take deep, gasping breaths. Angel came over to her, but she pushed him away. She tried to stand, but the pain she was feeling wouldn't allow her legs to hold her up. Xander caught her just as she was about to hit the floor.
"Buffy!" Xander called. She was unconscious.
"Xander, what's wrong with her?" Angel asked, coming to Buffy and laying her head on his knees.
"I..I don't know."
"Willow?" Angel pleaded, looking at her with tears starting to form.
"Buffy?" Willow called, fanning her friend with her hand. "Can you hear me?" Willow checked for a pulse.
"Her heartbeat, it's still there, but it's faint." Angel said. "I can hear it."
"We need to get her to a hospital." Xander said.
"Gunn!" Angel yelled.
Gunn ran in a few seconds later followed by Cordy.
"Call the 911. Tell them we need an ambulance." Angel said.
Gunn ran off and Cordy came up to Angel. "Oh God, Buffy! What's wrong with her?"
"I.. I don't know. She was practically yelling at me for what I said earlier to her about the baby then she started to breath heavy, like she was trying to get air, but she couldn't. She stood up and tried to walk away, but she fainted. Her.. Her heartbeat is really weak."
Gunn ran back in. "Ambulance is on its way."
Angel started to get up. Willow and Xander got out of his way to allow him to pick Buffy up. Gently, Angel slipped his arms under Buffy's small form and lifted her with ease. Gunn led the way down the stairs and cleared the couch so Angel could lay her there until the ambulance arrived.
"Angel? What's going on?" Wesley asked as he and Fred came up behind the small group.
"I don't know. Everyone just back up! Give her some air." Angel snapped.
Willow came up and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Angel. Calm down. Buffy needs you right now."
"This is all my fault. If I hadn't said that maybe we should destroy the baby, she never would have gotten so worked up."
"We don't know if that's what this is."
"I think the ambulance is here." Xander said from the doorway.
Sure enough, a stretcher and two paramedics came in. They headed over to Buffy and started to work on her. One of the paramedics started to talk to Willow about what had happened prior to Buffy fainting. She told him that they had been talking and Buffy had been crying over something a friend said and then her husband came in and she got severely mad, madder than she usually ever got, yelled at him a little, pushed him away, got up, then she fainted. The paramedics put Buffy on the stretcher and started to cart her out the door.
Angel turned to Wesley and Fred. "Wes, you and Fred stay here and work on those prophecies. Cordy, you Willow, Xander, and Gunn take my car, the keys are on the counter, and follow the ambulance." They all nodded as Angel ran out the door with Buffy.
The ride to the hospital was a nightmare for Angel. Even though it was quick, he couldn't stand seeing them hook Buffy up to the IV and the monitors that showed hers and the baby's heartbeats. When they arrived, they made Angel stay out in the hallway as they carted Buffy into an examination room. Angel stared through the windows, not able to see Buffy's small form through the mass of doctors. Gunn, Cordy, Willow, and Xander came running up to Angel.
"What's wrong with her?" Gunn asked.
"I don't know. The, uh, the paramedics wouldn't tell me much of anything in the ambulance." Angel replied.
"Oh Angel." Cordy said. She slipped her arm around his shoulder and he leaned into a hug. "It's Buffy. She's going to make it through this just like she's made it through everything else."
One of the doctors came out and approached Angel. "She's going to be fine. We got her stabilized, but we want to move her to an observation room and watch her and the baby over night."
"O.. ok." Angel said.
"What was wrong with her, doc?" Gunn asked.
"Stress. She was really stressed over something and it got to be too much for her body at this stage of the pregnancy to handle and it just gave out on her. It made her very dehydrated and that's what caused her to faint. We hooked her up to an IV that will administer fluids that she lost back into her body. You can talk to the nurse in about five, ten minutes tops, to see what room we've moved her too." The doctor walked away and went to talk to the nurse at the station at the end of the hallway.
Fifteen minutes later, the nurse came up to Angel and told him they had moved Buffy into room 265 and that it was fine to go see her. Angel bolted down the hallway and found Buffy's room at the end of the hall on the second floor.
Buffy laid there, an IV hooked into the back of her left hand. An oxygen tube ran from her nose to an oxygen tank and a machine that monitored every breath she took. At the moment she was asleep.
Angel picked up a chair and quietly sat it beside her bed. He picked up her limp hand and stroked it with his thumb. Silently, Angel started to cry.
"Buffy, I love you so much. You can't do this to me. I'm sorry I made you so angry, but you made me angry today too. You've been so stressed about a lot of things and it was getting to you. Why didn't you tell me? I can't lose you again Buffy. I lost you one too many times. Most people would say that they don't care if the baby makes it, even though they don't really mean it, that they can make another one. All they want is for the person they love to get better. But we're not people, are we? We won't be able to make another one. Buffy, I need you AND Conner to make it through. I don't want to destroy our baby. I'm not prepared to destroy something so precious and fragile and.. I couldn't destroy a miracle. Our miracle."
Angel laid his head down on Buffy's hand. He just laid there, silently crying. A few minutes passed and there was a small knock on the door.
"Angel?" Wesley asked quietly.
Angel looked up and wiped away the tears that had stained his face. "Yeah?"
"Sorry to intrude. We had a bit of a breakthrough with the Nyazian Scroll translation. I thought you should know."
"It turns out that some of the irregular verbs Wes was using were problematic when converted to Ga-shundi because of the Nyazian trick of converting both nouns and verbs, which he discovered by.. Sorry. I'll shut up now so he can tell you what he figured out." Fred said quietly.
"The Tro-clan isn't a person or persons. It's a confluence of events."
"Which means it not only involves you, Buffy, and the child, but other horrible things we don't know about."
"That..That's good. Right? I mean, doesn't that mean that the kid isn't this evil, apocalyptic thing that we feared?" Angel asked.
"Not necessarily. There are a few Nyazian phrases related specifically to the thing being born that I haven't been able to complete." Wes said.
"So it's important that you do."
"I don't care how much it costs. Just find someone who can answer the bloody question. Heads are gonna roll if the Senior Partners hear about this." Linwood said closing his phone. He, Lilah, and Gavin were walking down a hallway of Wolfram and Hart.
"They won't. That's why we came directly to you." Galvin said.
"The slayer, pregnant. How'd we miss it?"
"I'm sequestering the psychics and the mind readers in the conference room. We will get to the bottom of this." Lilah said.
"Man works hard, builds something, waters it, grows rich and powerful. Leaves his wife for a younger beauty. These are the reasons we take certain blood oaths. And to have it all vanish because.."
"Sir, I can't stress enough. There is no way we could have foreseen this."
"She's right, sir. No one could have known." Gavin said.
"Angel?" Buffy asked weakly.
"I'm here sweetie." Angel said, holding Buffy's hand.
"Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital."
"What? Why?" Buffy tried to get up.
"No, Buffy. You have to stay here."
"Why?" Buffy was ready to cry. "Is it the baby?"
"No, and yes."
"What do you mean?"
"The doctor said that you were overly stressed and your body couldn't handle it anymore. Buffy, why didn't you tell me?"
"What do you mean my body couldn't handle it? I'm the slayer!"
"He said that at this stage of your pregnancy, it was possible for you to get over stressed."
"I'm not stressed. What I am is pissed off that you put me in here! I want out."
"Buffy!"
She started to cry. "Get me out of here Angel! I don't want to be here."
"Shh." Angel stroked her hair and forehead. "I know, I know. You can leave tomorrow. I promise."
"I wanna leave now. I don't want to be in this place.. this death trap."
Angel grabbed Buffy as she tried to bolt away. She responded by latching onto his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and sat on the bed, rocking her gently as she cried.
"They are telling the truth." The mind reader said.
"Thank you." Lilah said, stepping up to Linwood. "Intelligence is just coming in. No one seems to know how Buffy could be pregnant. There is a rumor about a prophecy involving a vampire/slayer birth, but the Scroll it's recorded on seems to be missing."
"Do you have any idea how many groups and cults and organizations would kill to get their hands on this baby? We've got to get it before anybody finds out." Linwood said.
"Yes sir. And we will."
"We need to get it, dissect it, and find out what it means."
"Berlin's on the phone for you, sir." Gavin said.
"Oh, god. If they've heard about this in Berlin, Singapore and Muncie can't be far behind. Now listen, if the Senior Partners are looking to assign blame, the buck stops here, you understand me?"
"Not exactly, sir." Lilah said.
"If the Partners are looking to place blame, I'm gonna have to step forward."
"That's inspiring sir."
"Yes, I'll step forward and blame you. Buffy was resurrected on your watch. I can think of no better scapegoat." Linwood patted Lilah on the shoulder and walked out.
Gavin smiled at Lilah.
"You think this is over? Watch and learn, rookie." Lilah said to him as she put her phone to her ear.
"Psst! Paging doctor Angel!" Cordy called from a doorway.
Angel was pushing Buffy in a wheelchair down a hallway of the hospital. Wesley had decided that since they were here they could check on the baby; see if it was fully normal. And Buffy had agreed.
Angel pushed her into the large room. "What is this? A classroom?"
"Yes. It's a teaching hospital. How are you feeling, Buffy?"
Buffy snorted.
"That well, huh?" Xander asked with a smile.
"Here you go, one ultra-sound machine." Gunn said as he and Fred wheeled in an ultra-sound machine.
"Buffy, up on the table please." Willow said. She was enjoying the fact that she was getting to work with all these cool medical things. It was something to take her mind off magic.
Buffy smiled at Willow and got up on the table with Angel's help. "Ok Doctor Rosenburg, gel me."
Willow put the jelly on Buffy's now exposed stomach and turned on the ultra- sound machine. "Well, then. Let's take a look, shall we?"
"Well, I haven't studied one of these for quite a while." Wesley said.
"Isn't that a head?" Angel asked.
"I think it is. Or is that the head?" Xander asked.
"Maybe you're both right." Fred said. Everyone turned to look at her. "It's not like I'm suggesting it's an evil two-headed thing."
Willow moved the sensor around Buffy's stomach.
"I see it!" Cordy exclaimed.
"Oh, my.." Wes said.
"What is it?" Buffy asked.
"It's.. it's most definitely human."
"Human as is in humanoid? As in cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers?" Gunn asked.
"Hey!" Buffy said.
"No, human as in a boy." Willow said. "Just as the doctor said before."
"Are you sure that's not a tentacle?" Gunn asked.
"Of course she's sure!" Buffy said. Then she looked at Willow. "You are sure, right?"
"I'm sure I'm sure."
"Guys. As fascinating as an ultra-sound image of an unborn child may appear.." Fred said.
"You know what that means?" Angel asked.
"We're surrounded by vampires?"
"No, it's a human bo." Angel trailed off as he noticed all the vampires above them in the teaching gallery. "Oh. We ARE surrounded by vampires."
Quickening
"Wait.. Are you saying that our baby is evil?" Angel asked.
Wesley and Fred were standing in front of him, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Gunn, Lorne, and Cordelia. Buffy, Angel, and Cordy were on the settee, Gunn, Willow, and Xander were sitting on the floor in front of them and Lorne was in a chair he had pulled up. Wesley was telling them about a prophecy from the Nyazian scrolls he had found.
"Not necessarily." Fred said.
"The Nyazian prophecies mention a Tro-clan." Wesley said.
"That's supposed to be here about now."
"Born out of light to bring darkness."
"Great. So, we're saying that mine and Angel's child is the scourge of mankind?" Buffy said with a slight moan.
"You guys are upsetting her." Cordy said.
"No, it's just Conner's kicks keep getting stronger. It's as if he's getting stronger." Buffy was in her eighth month and her stomach was sticking out so far that she felt like a toothpick with a giant olive on it.
"I don't accept this. These stupid prophecies, you can always interpret them a hundred ways from Sunday. How do we even know your calculations are correct?" Angel asked.
"I don't. I'm still working on them." Fred said.
"Well, we do know that Buffy is pregnant with a baby." Gunn said.
"Which is biologically impossible." Willow said.
"Buffy's a slayer and Angel's a vampire. Both Giles and Wesley said that Buffy was never going to be able to have children. And Angel's.. well, dead. No offense." Xander said.
"None taken." Angel replied.
"And it's mystically unfair. You've fought long and hard for good. If your destiny is to spawn something evil.." Lorne said.
"I don't see how anything spawned by Buffy and me could be bad."
"You know the first prophecy that said that the vampire with a soul would be pivotal in the battle between good and evil?" Wesley said.
"That Shanshu one?" Gunn asked.
"Maybe it's not you Angel. Maybe Buffy and your child is a pivotal figure. Maybe your destiny is simply to help bring him to the world." Willow said.
"Or to stop it." Angel said.
"What!?" Buffy said. "Cordy!"
"Angel, that's not fair. Not a month ago you were all 'woo, baby, woo' and now you're 'don't let Buffy have it'? What's up with that?" Cordy said.
"Can I say something about destiny? Screw destiny! If this evil thing comes we'll fight it, and we'll keep fighting it until we whoop it. Cause destiny is just another word for inevitable and nothing's inevitable as long as you stand up, look it in the eye, and say 'your evitable!' Well, you.. you catch my drift." Fred said.
"Wow! I like her so much!" Lorne said.
"I wanna see these prophecies myself, and your calculations, Fred, and anything else we got on this." Buffy said. "My kid is not evil!"
"Good idea. We put our heads together and figure out a way to fight this thing." Wes said. "But, even with a soul, Buffy could give birth to what's spoken of in the prophecies."
"The thing that's coming to kill and burn us all? I know that. I also know the child is mine. Mine and Buffy's." Angel said.
"Right."
"Well! Another big fun day at Angel Investigations. What do you say we pour ourselves a good stiff cup oh coffee?" Cordy said.
"I'm going upstairs." Buffy said. "Guys, will you come with me?"
"Sure Buffy." Willow said. The red head and Xander got up and followed Buffy up to Angel's room.
Angel walked over to Lorne. "Do you think she's mad?"
"She's worn out and honestly Angel face.. she's hurting. Buffy is a sensitive person. She takes everything personal. He aura is just screaming pain right now. And trust me, it ain't the force of the little whippier snapper's kicks." Lorne said.
"Should I.. Should I go talk to her?"
"Let her be with her friend right now. The look on her face when you said that you might have to stop the kid from coming into this world.. Just let her be for right now Angel face." Lorne walked off and left Angel staring up the stairs.
"Willow, how could he say something like that?" Buffy sobbed. "I thought he loved me."
"Ah, Buffy. He does love you. It was only a suggestion." Willow said.
"I love this baby, Willow, and there is nothing that is going to stop me from having him. He has a soul, I can feel it. There is just no way that he can be evil."
"I know Buffy." Willow pulled Buffy into a hug.
"Man, that just burns my eggs!" Xander said. "I hate prophecies that contain Buffy! They always bring gloom and doom!"
"Xander!"
"Well, they do! I remember the first prophecy Buffy was in. It said, 'uh oh, slayer's gonna die!"
"Now it's: hey, slayer's carrying something evil!" Buffy said, wiping her tears away. "Well damn it! This slayer had always defied prophecy and I'm gonna do it again. No one is going to touch my baby!"
"That's the spirit Buff!"
"Who is this 'unidentified, pregnant female'?" Lilah asked. She was down in the basement of Wolfram and Hart.
"I.. I don't know. We lost audio for a couple of days last month. I can pull the tape." The transcriber said. He pulled out the tape that was in the VCR and popped in another one. On the screen Buffy and Angel walked in to the lobby of the Hyperion.
"Buffy?" Lilah said, startled that the slayer that Angel had been involved with a few years ago was showing up with him at his doorstep, pregnant.
"Buffy? That's impossible. Slayers can't give birth!" Gavin said.
"Tell me about it." Lilah pulled out her phone. "Linwood? It's Lilah. You're not gonna believe what I'm looking at."
"Buffy?" Angel asked. He walked into the room to find Willow and Buffy sitting on the bed and Xander sitting in the chair next to it. They had been talking and Buffy had dried tear lines on her face. "Are you ok?"
"Kind of." Buffy answered.
"Can I come in?"
"It's your room." Buffy replied a bit coldly.
"Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I was just saying.. maybe the baby is something we're supposed to stop."
"Then why would the powers send something this amazing to us? Why would they get my hopes up to live my dreams and then take it all away? I know that they can be cruel sometimes, but they would never be that cruel."
"I.."
"You what? You understand? I don't think you could understand! If you did, you wouldn't have been able to suggest that OUR baby is evil and should be destroyed."
"I didn't mean.."
"No, Angel. You never mean. You've always done that. You've always tried to decide what is best for me and now you're not only doing it to me, you're doing it to our unborn child. It stops now. From now on.." Buffy took a deep breath. "I.. I decide wha.."
"Buffy?" Willow asked.
The slayer didn't respond. Buffy sat there a started to take deep, gasping breaths. Angel came over to her, but she pushed him away. She tried to stand, but the pain she was feeling wouldn't allow her legs to hold her up. Xander caught her just as she was about to hit the floor.
"Buffy!" Xander called. She was unconscious.
"Xander, what's wrong with her?" Angel asked, coming to Buffy and laying her head on his knees.
"I..I don't know."
"Willow?" Angel pleaded, looking at her with tears starting to form.
"Buffy?" Willow called, fanning her friend with her hand. "Can you hear me?" Willow checked for a pulse.
"Her heartbeat, it's still there, but it's faint." Angel said. "I can hear it."
"We need to get her to a hospital." Xander said.
"Gunn!" Angel yelled.
Gunn ran in a few seconds later followed by Cordy.
"Call the 911. Tell them we need an ambulance." Angel said.
Gunn ran off and Cordy came up to Angel. "Oh God, Buffy! What's wrong with her?"
"I.. I don't know. She was practically yelling at me for what I said earlier to her about the baby then she started to breath heavy, like she was trying to get air, but she couldn't. She stood up and tried to walk away, but she fainted. Her.. Her heartbeat is really weak."
Gunn ran back in. "Ambulance is on its way."
Angel started to get up. Willow and Xander got out of his way to allow him to pick Buffy up. Gently, Angel slipped his arms under Buffy's small form and lifted her with ease. Gunn led the way down the stairs and cleared the couch so Angel could lay her there until the ambulance arrived.
"Angel? What's going on?" Wesley asked as he and Fred came up behind the small group.
"I don't know. Everyone just back up! Give her some air." Angel snapped.
Willow came up and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Angel. Calm down. Buffy needs you right now."
"This is all my fault. If I hadn't said that maybe we should destroy the baby, she never would have gotten so worked up."
"We don't know if that's what this is."
"I think the ambulance is here." Xander said from the doorway.
Sure enough, a stretcher and two paramedics came in. They headed over to Buffy and started to work on her. One of the paramedics started to talk to Willow about what had happened prior to Buffy fainting. She told him that they had been talking and Buffy had been crying over something a friend said and then her husband came in and she got severely mad, madder than she usually ever got, yelled at him a little, pushed him away, got up, then she fainted. The paramedics put Buffy on the stretcher and started to cart her out the door.
Angel turned to Wesley and Fred. "Wes, you and Fred stay here and work on those prophecies. Cordy, you Willow, Xander, and Gunn take my car, the keys are on the counter, and follow the ambulance." They all nodded as Angel ran out the door with Buffy.
The ride to the hospital was a nightmare for Angel. Even though it was quick, he couldn't stand seeing them hook Buffy up to the IV and the monitors that showed hers and the baby's heartbeats. When they arrived, they made Angel stay out in the hallway as they carted Buffy into an examination room. Angel stared through the windows, not able to see Buffy's small form through the mass of doctors. Gunn, Cordy, Willow, and Xander came running up to Angel.
"What's wrong with her?" Gunn asked.
"I don't know. The, uh, the paramedics wouldn't tell me much of anything in the ambulance." Angel replied.
"Oh Angel." Cordy said. She slipped her arm around his shoulder and he leaned into a hug. "It's Buffy. She's going to make it through this just like she's made it through everything else."
One of the doctors came out and approached Angel. "She's going to be fine. We got her stabilized, but we want to move her to an observation room and watch her and the baby over night."
"O.. ok." Angel said.
"What was wrong with her, doc?" Gunn asked.
"Stress. She was really stressed over something and it got to be too much for her body at this stage of the pregnancy to handle and it just gave out on her. It made her very dehydrated and that's what caused her to faint. We hooked her up to an IV that will administer fluids that she lost back into her body. You can talk to the nurse in about five, ten minutes tops, to see what room we've moved her too." The doctor walked away and went to talk to the nurse at the station at the end of the hallway.
Fifteen minutes later, the nurse came up to Angel and told him they had moved Buffy into room 265 and that it was fine to go see her. Angel bolted down the hallway and found Buffy's room at the end of the hall on the second floor.
Buffy laid there, an IV hooked into the back of her left hand. An oxygen tube ran from her nose to an oxygen tank and a machine that monitored every breath she took. At the moment she was asleep.
Angel picked up a chair and quietly sat it beside her bed. He picked up her limp hand and stroked it with his thumb. Silently, Angel started to cry.
"Buffy, I love you so much. You can't do this to me. I'm sorry I made you so angry, but you made me angry today too. You've been so stressed about a lot of things and it was getting to you. Why didn't you tell me? I can't lose you again Buffy. I lost you one too many times. Most people would say that they don't care if the baby makes it, even though they don't really mean it, that they can make another one. All they want is for the person they love to get better. But we're not people, are we? We won't be able to make another one. Buffy, I need you AND Conner to make it through. I don't want to destroy our baby. I'm not prepared to destroy something so precious and fragile and.. I couldn't destroy a miracle. Our miracle."
Angel laid his head down on Buffy's hand. He just laid there, silently crying. A few minutes passed and there was a small knock on the door.
"Angel?" Wesley asked quietly.
Angel looked up and wiped away the tears that had stained his face. "Yeah?"
"Sorry to intrude. We had a bit of a breakthrough with the Nyazian Scroll translation. I thought you should know."
"It turns out that some of the irregular verbs Wes was using were problematic when converted to Ga-shundi because of the Nyazian trick of converting both nouns and verbs, which he discovered by.. Sorry. I'll shut up now so he can tell you what he figured out." Fred said quietly.
"The Tro-clan isn't a person or persons. It's a confluence of events."
"Which means it not only involves you, Buffy, and the child, but other horrible things we don't know about."
"That..That's good. Right? I mean, doesn't that mean that the kid isn't this evil, apocalyptic thing that we feared?" Angel asked.
"Not necessarily. There are a few Nyazian phrases related specifically to the thing being born that I haven't been able to complete." Wes said.
"So it's important that you do."
"I don't care how much it costs. Just find someone who can answer the bloody question. Heads are gonna roll if the Senior Partners hear about this." Linwood said closing his phone. He, Lilah, and Gavin were walking down a hallway of Wolfram and Hart.
"They won't. That's why we came directly to you." Galvin said.
"The slayer, pregnant. How'd we miss it?"
"I'm sequestering the psychics and the mind readers in the conference room. We will get to the bottom of this." Lilah said.
"Man works hard, builds something, waters it, grows rich and powerful. Leaves his wife for a younger beauty. These are the reasons we take certain blood oaths. And to have it all vanish because.."
"Sir, I can't stress enough. There is no way we could have foreseen this."
"She's right, sir. No one could have known." Gavin said.
"Angel?" Buffy asked weakly.
"I'm here sweetie." Angel said, holding Buffy's hand.
"Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital."
"What? Why?" Buffy tried to get up.
"No, Buffy. You have to stay here."
"Why?" Buffy was ready to cry. "Is it the baby?"
"No, and yes."
"What do you mean?"
"The doctor said that you were overly stressed and your body couldn't handle it anymore. Buffy, why didn't you tell me?"
"What do you mean my body couldn't handle it? I'm the slayer!"
"He said that at this stage of your pregnancy, it was possible for you to get over stressed."
"I'm not stressed. What I am is pissed off that you put me in here! I want out."
"Buffy!"
She started to cry. "Get me out of here Angel! I don't want to be here."
"Shh." Angel stroked her hair and forehead. "I know, I know. You can leave tomorrow. I promise."
"I wanna leave now. I don't want to be in this place.. this death trap."
Angel grabbed Buffy as she tried to bolt away. She responded by latching onto his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and sat on the bed, rocking her gently as she cried.
"They are telling the truth." The mind reader said.
"Thank you." Lilah said, stepping up to Linwood. "Intelligence is just coming in. No one seems to know how Buffy could be pregnant. There is a rumor about a prophecy involving a vampire/slayer birth, but the Scroll it's recorded on seems to be missing."
"Do you have any idea how many groups and cults and organizations would kill to get their hands on this baby? We've got to get it before anybody finds out." Linwood said.
"Yes sir. And we will."
"We need to get it, dissect it, and find out what it means."
"Berlin's on the phone for you, sir." Gavin said.
"Oh, god. If they've heard about this in Berlin, Singapore and Muncie can't be far behind. Now listen, if the Senior Partners are looking to assign blame, the buck stops here, you understand me?"
"Not exactly, sir." Lilah said.
"If the Partners are looking to place blame, I'm gonna have to step forward."
"That's inspiring sir."
"Yes, I'll step forward and blame you. Buffy was resurrected on your watch. I can think of no better scapegoat." Linwood patted Lilah on the shoulder and walked out.
Gavin smiled at Lilah.
"You think this is over? Watch and learn, rookie." Lilah said to him as she put her phone to her ear.
"Psst! Paging doctor Angel!" Cordy called from a doorway.
Angel was pushing Buffy in a wheelchair down a hallway of the hospital. Wesley had decided that since they were here they could check on the baby; see if it was fully normal. And Buffy had agreed.
Angel pushed her into the large room. "What is this? A classroom?"
"Yes. It's a teaching hospital. How are you feeling, Buffy?"
Buffy snorted.
"That well, huh?" Xander asked with a smile.
"Here you go, one ultra-sound machine." Gunn said as he and Fred wheeled in an ultra-sound machine.
"Buffy, up on the table please." Willow said. She was enjoying the fact that she was getting to work with all these cool medical things. It was something to take her mind off magic.
Buffy smiled at Willow and got up on the table with Angel's help. "Ok Doctor Rosenburg, gel me."
Willow put the jelly on Buffy's now exposed stomach and turned on the ultra- sound machine. "Well, then. Let's take a look, shall we?"
"Well, I haven't studied one of these for quite a while." Wesley said.
"Isn't that a head?" Angel asked.
"I think it is. Or is that the head?" Xander asked.
"Maybe you're both right." Fred said. Everyone turned to look at her. "It's not like I'm suggesting it's an evil two-headed thing."
Willow moved the sensor around Buffy's stomach.
"I see it!" Cordy exclaimed.
"Oh, my.." Wes said.
"What is it?" Buffy asked.
"It's.. it's most definitely human."
"Human as is in humanoid? As in cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers?" Gunn asked.
"Hey!" Buffy said.
"No, human as in a boy." Willow said. "Just as the doctor said before."
"Are you sure that's not a tentacle?" Gunn asked.
"Of course she's sure!" Buffy said. Then she looked at Willow. "You are sure, right?"
"I'm sure I'm sure."
"Guys. As fascinating as an ultra-sound image of an unborn child may appear.." Fred said.
"You know what that means?" Angel asked.
"We're surrounded by vampires?"
"No, it's a human bo." Angel trailed off as he noticed all the vampires above them in the teaching gallery. "Oh. We ARE surrounded by vampires."