Chapter 5: Doc
By: Hope
Angel hated to leave Buffy wondering like that but he had no choice, he had to jump out of the car with the baby and the cell phone just wasn't worth holding onto. But he knew somewhere deep down in his non-beating heart that she would figure out something to do, find a way to contact him.
The last thing that angel had heard from her was come to Sunnydale and he wished that he could take her up on that offer but he didn't want to put anymore lives in danger, especially hers.
He ran down the alley as fast as he could, checking behind him to make sure that no one was following him. Gunn had offered to lure the demons away by sending them on a giant goose chase in the car. Everyone else had jumped out and ran their separate ways. It seemed that the underworld was able to find out of the baby's birth the same second that he had, as soon as he ran out of the alley where the vampire hunter was watching him and jumped into the car, demons began emerging from every corner and chased the car.
Some called his child the miracle baby, others thought of it as the end to the demon world; Angel hoped that his son was both. He hardly even had time to look at him with all of the running…but he heard his crying, the incessant wailing of a newborn baby usually caused many people a headache but to him it was music to his ears.
Angel ducked into an abandoned building until he was sure that he heard the footsteps of the demons that had been chasing him pass, thinking that he had continued going straight. He walked out of the building and held the baby steadily under his jacket as he emerged to the main road. Normally he would just walk back to Cordelia's where they had all promised to meet but he was afraid that the rain and the cold would hurt the baby or somehow make him sick so he hailed for a taxi instead.
Angel stepped into the taxi and told him the directions to Cordelia's. The driver was a friendly old man, whom looked at angel cooing the baby through the mirror…he didn't seem shocked that Angel had no reflection either. "What an adorable little creature." The driver said, looking back onto the road. Angel smiled.
"Yes…he is."
"May I ask what his name is?" The baby quieted down and there was silence in the car for a few moments as Angel tried to think.
"Doyle." He said. Doyle had been a good friend of Angel's who had sacrificed his life for Angel and Cordelia's only a year or so ago. Angel loved his friend dearly but now he was thinking of how the name sounded. "Actually, I haven't quite decided yet." He said, laughing and tickling the newborn.
"Quite a handsome baby." The driver said as he pulled over to the curb and turned around, smiling to Angel. Angel reached his hand over to his pocket to grab his wallet but the driver just looked at him and smiled. "It's on me sir, not every day that I get a man like you in my cab."
Angel didn't quite know what the man meant but he accepted the generous offer anyway. "Thanks." He said as he opened the door to the car and stepped out. He hesitated and turned around, looking back at the kindly old man. He looked to the license picture and information that they had on the compartment in the front seat. "Doc."
The demon that had caused Buffy's life smiled, his eyes flashing to black when Angel turned around. "The baby certainly looks like her." Angel turned around yet again, with the door still open. Doc turned around and smiled. "He looks like Buffy I mean." Without any warning he stepped into drive and Angel fell out of the car, landing on his back but protecting the baby from any harm.
Meanwhile…
"So slayer," Spike said, he was at the wheel now and buffy was in the passenger seat, staring at the window like she was in her own separate world. When she heard spike speak she turned and looked at him, her eyes were puffy and wet from what must have been tears. "What has your boy Angelu…Angel gotten himself into this time?" He asked while throwing his cigarette out the window.
Buffy didn't even know why Spike was there with her. He hated Angel, when he had a soul and when he didn't have one so why would he even consider helping him? "I…I don't know." Buffy finally said, looking back out the window and wondering what the answer to that question really was. "He needs me though…I can feel it…"
Spike took his eyes off of Buffy and back onto the road, tears were beginning to swell at the edges of his eyes, but he didn't let her see it. He would never let her see him weak, not again, not after that song and dance number he put on a few weeks earlier. How could she feel this way for Angel and not him? Spike was younger, had the cool English accent going on and has the bloodiest best choice of clothes! Spike slammed his hand down on the steering wheel, smiling and feeling proud of himself.
Buffy looked back at Spike like he was crazy. He looked at her and shrugged. "Just thinking about all the evil that we'll be killing mate! When you're allied with the big bad you always have the front row seats for a good ass kicking at any given time." Buffy snorted, trying not to laugh. Even after all of these years Spike still referred to himself as 'the big bad', it probably did wonders for his ego.
Spike looked at her and smiled, then he looked back on the road. "So, do you by any chance know where we'll be heading once we're in L.A.?" He questioned her. "I guess that we'd check at the hotel, I doubt that Angel would go back there if he's in trouble though…he's too smart for that." Buffy said, her voice was now emotionless.
Spike had hoped that her mood swings and lack of emotion would end soon but he knew better. Even though he was happy that she was back and didn't thank Satan or god or whomever vampires were supposed to thank every day that she was back, even if she did hate him, tease him and break his heart.
'That's the thing about magic. There's always consequences. Always!' Spike had said that when he had first found out that she came back…and he still believed every word of it. No matter how much she was like Buffy, how much she looked like her, smelled like her…tasted like her…the old Buffy Summers was gone for good…. at least he thought so.
Back in Sunnydale…
"You mean she just took off?!" Xander didn't believe what Willow was telling him, that was so unlike Buffy…even though she had been through a lot lately. It didn't seem like Willow was able to stop talking, she was panicking, talking in her old Willow like dialogue. "Will, we'll meet you at the magick box in 20 minutes…yes, bring Dawn also, and Spi…WHAT Spike went with her? Ok just meet us there." Xander hung up the phone and ran over to his room and sat on his bed, trying to wake up Anya.
"So you wish it? Done." She mumbled in her sleep, obviously reliving the old days of her vengeance demon hood. She opened her eyes and looked at Xander, smiling. "Hello Xander, did you wake me up so that we could…."
"Buffy's gone, she just left and Spike's with her, we need to get to the magick box right away and meet Willow and Dawn there." Xander interrupted. Anya's smile faded and she sat up, pouting.
"But the sun's not even up yet…" Xander looked at her and gave her the puppy dog eyes that he hoped would work and get her out of bed and to the shop. "Alright…alright...you look so cute like that." They quickly kissed and got ready to go to the Magick Box.
