Description: Buffy's not feeling well, Spike won't go away, and Dawn knows more that she should. The Scoobies lives are about to be changed forever.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Buffy/Spike (did you think otherwise?)

** Author's Notes: Sorry this one took so long guys, but life's been hectic. Also this will probably be the last chapter you get until the beginning of June cuz finals start in a week! Sorry guys, you'll just have to be patient. **

It'd been three hours. Three hours since Buffy had brought two of the most beautiful children into the world. Three hours since the most pain she had felt in her life since becoming the Slayer. Three hours and she'd only held her bundles of joy for a little over half an hour.

Once they were allowed to visit, the Scooby Gang hadn't left. Willow and Tara were to first to hold either of the babies, after Buffy and Spike of course. Immediately the two witches had taken a liking to Audra Lynn. The baby cooed and didn't cry once while in Willow's arms.

William on the other hand, cried no matter who was holding him. Even if Buffy, his own mother, was cradling him the baby cried. Only when Spike or Dawn picked him up, was he relatively quiet.

It seemed as though everyone had taken a particular liking to one baby or another. Giles, though he was fond of both, felt a little more inclined to have baby Audra in his care.

Anya had held William first telling him, "Someday you'll make some girl very happy with many orgasms." This frightened Buffy to no end.

"An," Xander addressed his girlfriend, "he's not even a day old yet. He's got the rest of his life to hear about that particular subject. Mainly from you."

"But it's never too soon to start the learning process. Practice makes perfect." The ex-demon stated matter-of-factly.

"Could we please spend just one day without the mention of what you and the Whelp do in private?" Spike asked, annoyed.

Dawn couldn't get enough of her new niece and nephew. Every time Buffy looked over at her younger sister, she had one baby or the other in her arms, talking and cooing at them.

"Buffy she's so perfect." Willow gushed. Audra lay, soundly sleeping in her arms while Tara stood by her girlfriend's side admiring the sleeping infant.

"Will's gonna be a bad ass like his da, aren't you?"

Attempting to stifle a laugh and failing, Buffy marveled at the transformation in the vampire. Sure Spike was part demon, no one would ever let Buffy forget it, but there was a certain kindness, tenderness to his demeanor. She'd been surprised just how gentle and natural he was with the babies. 'His babies,' Buffy mentally corrected herself, 'His.'

It seemed so normal to see all these people in a hospital room, gushing over the new addition to the family. No one would ever know that these beautiful, joyous gifts were half demon. Or were they? Giles still had no answer to that question.

Turning her head slightly, Buffy stared out the window at the early morning sky. "Spike," she spoke.

"Yeah luv?" the bleached head looked up from his son.

"Shouldn't you get going?" At the vampire's questioning look she continued, "Well the sun'll be up pretty soon, and if I remember correctly, vampires and sun are like-unmixy things."

"Oh," Giles admonished. He too looked out the tiny window at the ever- lightening sky. "I suppose it would be best for Spike to get back to the house."

"What makes you think for one second that I'll leave?" Spike asked, gently laying William into his mother's arms.

"Because if you don't I'll have to get unspeakably violent." Buffy countered. "And you wouldn't want the children corrupted just yet, would you?"

Spike pondered the options for a minute, but a soft rapping at the door interrupted his thoughts. A small man, mid 30s, wearing hospital scrubs, entered the room.

"Ms. Summers?" he approached the bed where Buffy lay.

"Yes." She answered warily.

"I'm nurse McKenzie." He introduced himself with a quick shake of hands. "The nursery needs to do the preliminary check on the twins here," he explained.

"Meaning?" Spike asked, jumping into the conversation. Even the slightest mention of his babies brought up the defensive side of the vampire.

"Calm down, sweetie." Buffy soothed her lover.

"It just means that we need to record height, weight," nurse McKenzie explained, "also we do a short exam just to make sure that everything is A- ok."

She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this guy unnerved Buffy. He looked normal enough, medium build with light brown hair. But there was just something about his up beat, smirking attitude that chilled the Slayer.

"How long will it take?" she asked.

"No more than an hour." The nurse added, "An hour that can be spent giving the new mother a well deserved nap."

Sighing, Buffy finally realized just how tired she was. Every muscle in her body ached with fatigue. Her eyelids had suddenly grown very heavy, and she struggled to keep them open. Unwillingly, the Slayer handed her son to the nurse, then looked to Willow who still held Audra in the corner of the room. With uncertainty on her features, the red-haired witch rose from her seat and brought the baby over to her mother.

Nurse McKenzie took the second infant and turned to leave. Before exiting the room he turned and called out, "Get some sleep. You'll be appreciating it later." With those final words and a wide, toothy grin, he was gone.

Brother Gerard stood in the center of the abandoned warehouse admiring the work of his brothers. The Alter had been erected beside one of the many columns that ran from floor to ceiling. An array of symbols had been hand painted on the concrete walls and the text needed for the ceremony was lying, open on the edge of the Alter.

"Soon," Brother Gerard spoke in a whisper, "I can feel the planets aligning and the spirits grow restless." Indeed the powerful sorcerer could feel the cosmic energy surrounding his entire being. "Soon Zaranah will rise and all souls will be condemned to this plain for all eternity."

The Guild of Zaranah was Brother Gerard's life. Unlike some of his bothers that had jobs and lives outside of their worship, Gerard had devoted his entire existence to the cult. He lived, breathed, and slept for the sake of his master, Zaranah. He believed that only by these actions would his place among the rulers of Earth be secured.

"Brother Gerard," a small, plump man called to the other. He was slightly balding and wore a black, hooded cloak, like Gerard's own.

"Ah, Brother Pedro," Gerard said in hopeful tones, "I trust your presence here is an indication of our success."

"Indeed it is, Señor." Brother Pedro bowed his head, recognizing his superior.

"Good," Gerard smiled wickedly, "all is going according to plan. Soon Zaranah will rise and the Slayer and all who keep company with her will be crushed under our great God's mighty fist. But the best part, the ones who will be her undoing are none other than the offspring she so vigilantly cares for."

Buffy awoke with a start; something wasn't right, she could feel it in her soul. Nervously she began scanning the room, half expecting to see a demon of one make or another lurking in the shadows. But there was none. What caught her eye instead was the window.

Pale blue curtains were drawn across the blinds to keep out light, yet a few stray rays of light peeked through. Their bright, joyful presence did little to soothe the Slayer's tightly wound mood. Pulling the curtains aside, Buffy was blasted with the brilliant light of the mid-day California sun.

'It's gotta be nearly noon.' She thought unhappily searching for a clock. Finally finding a small digital clock sitting atop the nightstand, it's numbers reading 10:52, all the pieces finally clicked together for Buffy.

"It's been 5 hours!" she exclaimed. "My babies should be back by now." Rushing to her beside, Buffy searched for the nurse call button and pressed it over and over again.

"Ms. Summers?" a small, frail looking woman came into her room. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Where are my children?" Buffy demanded. Hysteria was beginning to consume her senses and all she could imagine were terrible things. "Nurse McKenzie took them to the nursery for tests five hours ago! Where are they?"

The woman looked puzzled. "I'm sorry, did you say Nurse McKenzie?"

"Yes," Buffy answered quickly, "short guy, brown hair, annoyingly happy?"

"I'm sorry ma'am but there's no one that works at this hospital by that name."

Buffy felt herself become sick. 'Oh God.' She thought, clutching her stomach and leaning into her hospital bed, 'oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God. They're gone.' Everything seemed to go black as Buffy came to that realization. 'They're gone.'