As Hoshi walked off to flirt with Travis, Buffy winced and rubbed her lower back for a moment. Malcolm's sharp eyes caught this and he walked over. "Are you alright?"

Jumping guiltily Buffy smiled, "Oh, you bet." She gave him an awkward hug in welcome.

"Good grief Buffy, you only saw me this morning!" his proper voice made her smile.

"I need a friendly face beside me. Travis and Hoshi are making googly eyes, and Jon and Trip are meeting dignitaries, more power to 'em."

Malcolm laughed at the description of Hoshi and Travis, "You and the Admiral make horrible 'googly eyes' still." Buffy giggled quietly.

"Mal, she's here." She watched his face light up as T'pol entered the room. She was wearing a red dress that flowed beautifully. Her hair was longer and softer around her face, altogether a different woman from when Buffy first met her.

"Excuse me." Malcolm said in a daze and walked over to her. Buffy watched T'pol's face light with pleasure as Malcolm met her and she sighed happily. They were a good couple.

Jon kept an eye on Buffy as he chatted. He noticed Malcolm leave to see T'pol and watched Buffy drift to one of the balconies. Angel had been waiting for this moment and handed his drink to Cordy, "I'll be back. I need to talk to Buffy."

Alone Cordelia sighed, "Maybe I should just leave."

"Now pet, it can't be all that bad." A familiar cockney voice said by her ear.

"Spike, you were supposed to stay in the car."

"Peaches can sod off." Spike said cheerfully. He toasted her with his drink, viewing the assembled military types with amused suspicion.

His head snapped up as he heard, "Buffy always looks beautiful. She seems like she's glowing tonight."

Liz Cutler nodded to her companion, "You should have seen her after she beat that Klingon. It's the only time I have ever seen her looking bad. If I didn't love her so much I'd hate her." The laughing women moved off and Spike turned to Cordelia who winced.

"Was that why the poof wanted me to stay put?" he demanded.

Cordelia nodded, "She doesn't know that you're alive either."

His head was up and he realized what he had smelled when he walked into the ballroom. It was Buffy. After all of these years. "How?"

She caught his arm, "Everything's different now Spike."

Buffy gazed at the stars, her back becoming one big ache. She should probably let Jon know. She was about to turn when she felt Angel behind her.

Angel saw the familiar beauty of her as she stared off into space. She was absolutely glowing with her pregnancy and he knew he would love her until the day he became dust.

"They don't compare to you." He said quietly and moved to stand beside her. She didn't look at him, but rubbed her lower back and sighed.

"Why are you here Angel?"

Avoiding the question he leaned on the railing, "How many of those stars did you see close up?" he asked.

"Not nearly enough."

Turning to face her he leaned against the rail, "We found a watcher for Annie."

Her eyes met his, "Who is it?" curious to know who would be saddled with the precocious Annie.

"I'm her bloody watcher." Came a familiar voice from her past. Buffy spun and gasped. There was Spike, leather duster, bleached hair, hobnail boots and everything.

"I told you to wait in the car Childe." Angel growled. He had hated how close Buffy and Spike had gotten before she disappeared.

Spike sneered, "You should remember I don't follow instructions very well Peaches."

"Spike, how?" Buffy began.

"I'd ask the same of you love." His eyes roamed her face, smiling at her obvious pregnancy.

Suddenly Jon appeared and both vamps turned sharply, on the defensive, making Buffy smile. "Relax boys, it's just my husband." She moved between them and walked to her love.

Jon had been startled to see two men there, and been alarmed at their instant battle readiness. Buffy had gently pushed between them and that bespoke a familiarity between the three of them. He was sidetracked by the love in her face, reserved just for him.

His face gentled, "Just checking on you Beautiful." He cupped her face in one hand and she leaned into his touch.

"We're talking Slayer business. Go back out and schmooze."

He laughed and kissed her on the nose. His head came up and warning was sharp in his amber eyes, "So, who's this?"

Buffy turned, "This is Spike." she said proudly. Jon was familiar with Spike's role in Buffy's life and understood the pride in her voice. This was the vampire that had sacrificed himself to save the world. Jon could respect that.

Jon extended his hand, "Admiral Jonathon Archer."

Spike noted the warning in the other man's voice as he took his hand, "Take care of her, she's the only one." He said cryptically and Jon nodded in understanding.

"I'll do as much as she'll let me."

Spike laughed, "I see you understand our Slayer very well."

With a half smile Jon nodded at them men, kissed his wife gently and left the balcony.

Spike turned to Angel, "He's the reason you wanted me to stay outside." And received a weary nod in reply.

Buffy looked at the men, "I need to go back out there. I'll set up a meeting as soon as my son is born. It's good to see you Spike." She gave him a hug and fled the balcony.

Jon was speaking to Ambassador Soval when he felt Buffy's small hand slide into his. He looked into her eyes and she smiled reassuringly as his silent question.

"Buffy, you remember Ambassador Soval?" he said politely.

She smiled wryly, "Ambassador, it's nice to see you again."

"Mrs. Archer." Soval said blandly to this woman who was such a mystery to him. T'pol walked up with Malcolm and Buffy smiled delightedly. Soval frowned disapprovingly.

"T'pol! I'm glad you're here."

"Buffy," she inclined her head regally. " The ceremony was very appropriate this morning."

"I'm glad that the rain held off. I think we should get some of the Risan's weather technology."

Malcolm chuckled and T'pol replied, "That is a very sound idea."

"Oh Buffy, rain is very good for you." Malcolm scolded lightly.

"Spoken like a true Englishman." Buffy teased.

She stood still for a moment. The lighting flickered momentarily and normally this wouldn't be alarming, but she also felt a temporal distortion. After all of her time travel she was extraordinarily sensitive to temporal fluctuations now.

Angel and Spike had walked out to watch Buffy as she stood by her husband, talking animatedly, her face happy. Then her head snapped up and both vamps looked in the direction she was staring, but not seeing what alarmed her.

"Mal, give me your phaser." She spoke quietly. "Jon, go stand with Spike and Angel. Mal, follow. T'pol, get Trip, tell him it's of timely importance." Jon, Malcolm and T'pol recognized the code and became serious.

"Ambassador, go to your own security." Buffy smiled beautifully as she felt the phaser slip into her hand.

"Buffy." Jon said, terror in his heart but received a head shake.

"I'm the only who can see them Jon. I'll be careful." Her eyes held his and he nodded.

"Everybody, go now." She said. She watched Jon chat quietly with Malcolm, not hearing the words over the tension in her head, then turn and move away casually, Ambassador Soval walked away regally but carefully. T'pol nodded and walked to Trip and Buffy got ready for battle.

Angel watched a very tense Jon walk towards them, then looked at Buffy, knowing there was an invisible danger. She turned slightly and her hazel eyes met his with a jolt and he realized that she had sent her husband to him to be protected.

Buffy thumbed the phase pistol to the new setting she and Mal devised, holding her hand in the fold of her gown and slowly walked towards the double doors. She took her time, chatting with various crewmembers, dropping the code word and putting them on alert. She drifted by the buffet table, silently thanking Jon for making sure she rested because she had to be strong now, and took a plate with cheesecake on it. As she turned she saw Trip re-enter through another set of doors and nod at her. He was armed now and as she scanned the room she saw that Travis was too on the other side of the ballroom. She stopped and took a bite of cheesecake and surveyed the ceiling surreptitiously. She could count 6 Suliban and knew that she had one chance to make this work.

A sudden pain in her back helped and she dropped the plate with the cheesecake on the floor, making sure the noise was loud enough to startle everyone then she started firing, camouflaged Suliban falling from the ceiling.

Trip and Travis took care of the fallen ones while Buffy took care of the camouflaged ones, making sure they all appeared.

Spike smelled but couldn't see what Buffy was firing at. However the results could be seen and he began to herd frightened people out of yet another door. He left the poof to take care of Buffy's husband. He winced as Buffy was almost hit with return fire, but she was still fast on her feet and took out the bloody bastard.

Cordelia was shaking her head and helping people out. This was too much like their high school years. Chaos still followed Buffy around.

(A/n-I am going with making the guy in the temporal tube a master bad guy. He helped Jon in the last episode so maybe I'm wrong , but for my little part of the universe he's a baddie.)

Buffy turned and found herself face-to-face with the Being she called the 'Puppetmaster'. You couldn't see his face clearly, he was slightly out of phase but you could tell he was humanoid.

"I'm tired of you Buffy Archer. You've interfered long enough." He pointed his weapon at her and she froze, her hand protectively over her baby, but nothing happened.

Buffy grinned, "You bad guys can be dumber than rocks."

Jon was struggling, Angel holding him in an iron grip. "Stop it Archer, she's not hurt." Angel said quickly. Malcolm was moving closer, noticing T'pol doing the same, both wanting to help Buffy. Trip looked at Malcolm and slipped out of the building to be ready. He had an inkling of what Buffy needed next.

They watched as Buffy cocked her head, "I've had a thought. Now I'm probably the dumbest person here when it comes to sciencey things, but if you're out of phase isn't your weapon too?" Sarcasm thick in the statement.

The Being growled and Buffy slipped out of her shoes, "Catch me if you can." Then turned and ran swiftly out of the building. The Being disappeared.

Angel let Jon go and the men raced after Buffy.