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"Spike? Could you do me a favor, love?" Rose murmured, snuggling against him.
"Whatever you want, pet." Spike, happy that she was safe and sound, not to mention being contented and a bit drowsy from their extra-curricular activities, was feeling mellow enough to make rash promises.
Rose was amazed at how easy it was. Maybe she should save all her important requests until after they had made love. "I'd like you to sing for Lorne," she said. "He can't read me at all since I'm pregnant, but you have ties to the babies too. I just want to make sure that everything is all right."
Spike sighed. He really didn't like doing the readings, on general principle more than anything else. But he'd already opened his big mouth and promised. All in a good cause anyway. He felt a glow of pride in Rose. She was going to be such a good mother despite her nervous qualms. "Sure thing, babe," he agreed. What else could he do? "When did you have in mind?"
"How about now?" she suggested. Rose knew she had the advantage right now, and intended to avail herself of it while she could.
"Right now?" Spike asked in dismay. They had the rest of the day off, the pouf wouldn't be back for a couple of hours yet, and he wasn't that tired. Besides, he already had her in bed, the hot water had run out on them, already naked, and he had other things on his mind than singing. He pulled her closer and started nuzzling at her neck, hoping she'd reconsider.
"Well, not right now," Rose admitted. She started wriggling out of his arms. "We have to get dressed first."
&&&&&&&&
Angel was thinking, he absolutely refused to admit to brooding. Dammit, the whole point of having Rose stay with him and incidentally having to put up with Spike's company was to keep Rose safe. So what good did it do if someone could open a portal right into Wolfram and Hart and try to snatch her up anyway? They had to get this resolved, and soon, and not just for his personal convenience. Very soon, Rose and Spike were going to have to start laying in supplies for the little ones, and that was just not going to happen while they were still rooming with him. The place seemed way too crowded now, there really wasn't room for the pitter-patter of little feet. Despite the direction his thoughts were running in, a smile lit up his somber features. He was almost as excited about the kids as Spike was.
&&&&&&&&
Spike was feeling sulky and not really caring who knew it. Okay, so he had told Rose he'd do anything she wanted. Dirty pool, that, asking him when he was so shagged out, no pun intended, and vulnerable.
Rose trotted on ahead of him, sure that he would follow. After all, he had promised, and Spike had never broken a promise to her yet. She realized that he was not entirely happy at the moment, but that would pass. There would always be plenty of opportunities for them to make love, but she was only going to be pregnant for a few short months, and she wanted to know if her babies were all right. Her babies and Spike's. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, and if Spike hadn't had a vampire's reflexes, he'd have plowed right into her.
"Is something wrong, babe?" The self-indulgent sulks gave way to more pressing concerns.
In answer, Rose turned around and took his hands and placed them on her abdomen. "Is that what you felt?" she asked. "Is that our babies moving inside me?"
Spike stood still, waiting for the tiny movement, and sure enough, it happened again. The smile spreading across his face was all the answer that Rose needed. They just stood there like that, oblivious to the foot-traffic around them.
Harmony came limping down the hall in a bad mood. She'd just gotten these new shoes and before she'd had them a week, a heel had broken. She was grumpy and cross and wondering if she could get away with not wearing shoes for the rest of the day when she saw Spike and Rose. "What's going on?" she asked, feeling a little concerned. After a rocky start, she now considered Rose her friend, and Spike, well, Spike was just Spike.
"Feel this." Spike took Harm's hand and placed it where his had just rested, and the action was rewarded with a ripple of movement. "Can you feel it Harm? Our kids moving?"
A look of awe crossed Harmony's face. She didn't know of anyone else that would let her do something like this, and to be honest, she hadn't been much interested before. When the movements ceased, she bent down beside Rose for a moment, speaking to her stomach. "Hi kids, this is your Auntie Harmony." As she stood, her face took on a puzzled expression. "Wait a minute, kids?"
"According to all the experts," Rose remarked wryly. "There are two of them. And when I say experts, I don't mean the obstetrician."
Harmony still looked confused, not all that uncommon a sight, and since she did really seem to have gotten over her antipathy for Rose, Spike decided to try to enlighten her. "Two heartbeats, Harm. Both me and Angel heard them."
Confusion gave way to amazement, and she suddenly realized that she was going to have to amend the invitations to the baby shower to include that fact. She threw her arms around both of them for a quick hug, then limped away without a word.
&&&&&&&&
"Eww, that's a little gross," Harmony had walked in on Fred who was working on the latest additions for the morgue.
"A vampire turned off by the sight of a little blood?" Fred asked in amusement.
"It's not supposed to be orange," Harmony replied. "Besides, neatness counts. What happened to these guys?"
"Well," Fred said, humoring her visitor, but indulging her own sense of humor as well. "Judging from all the bullet holes, I'd say they were shot. Several times. A portal just opened in the vaults and they tried to grab Rose. It's a good thing Angel and Spike thought to put a bodyguard on her." That was all that Harmony really needed to know, and possibly a bit more besides. And she didn't think that the executive secretary had come to the lab for a lesson in forensics. "What brings you here, Harmony?"
"Did you know that Rose is going to have twins?" Harmony inquired.
"You didn't?" Fred was amazed. The news had been relayed to her by.., well, by Wesley, who worked closely with Rose and had an inside track. "I'm sorry, Harmony. I didn't think to tell you. Wesley told me, and you know he works in the same department as Rose."
Harmony shrugged. She had nothing to gain by sulking now, and she had other things on her mind. "Do you think we ought to mention it on the shower invitations?" she asked. "It might make a difference. You know, some people might want to get things that match."
"It might not be a bad idea," Fred conceded. "I'm glad we decided to hold off on the invitations a while. I can't wait till they do the ultrasound on her next o.b.s visit. Maybe we'll even get to find out what sex the babies are." She paused a moment in thought. "If I remember my child development right, they ought to be starting to move soon."
"They already are." Harmony started bubbling over. "I just got to feel it a few minutes ago. And get this, Spikey was the one who let me. It was awesome."
&&&&&&&&
Lorne was amazed. The day was barely more than half over, and here was Rose bringing in Spike. The feminine wiles must be working full time, he thought. Of course, the Rosebud did have a slight edge on things right now.
"I've got an idea," Lorne mused aloud, before Spike could just jump in with something silly, which he often did just out of perversity. "When you sing, sing to Rose. No, cancel that. Sing to the kids."
Spike looked askance at Lorne. "Sing to the kids?" he echoed. "What difference is that going to make? It's not like they're gonna hear me."
"Au contraire," the Pylean disagreed. "I've been doing a little research, and who hasn't, these days, and they can hear you. So sing to the kiddies, Spike."
Spike mentally went through his musical repertoire, rejecting a large portion of it as unsuitable for the kids to hear. Most of it, actually. What in hell was he going to sing? He'd have to go for something old, he decided, not noticing the irony in the fact that he thought of old as something that didn't touch him. Well, it really didn't. He knelt beside Rose, bringing his face level with her belly, and started singing. "'Golden slumbers fill your eyes. Smiles await you when you rise. Sleep pretty darling do not cry, and I will sing a lullaby.'"
"God bless the British invasion," Lorne murmured in awe. He had never heard Spike sound so good. "Rest easy, parents-to-be. Your little lambs are fine and happy." A puzzled expression crossed his face. Lots more images than he could or would tell them about, at least not until he cleared it with the big guy in the CEO's office. But there was something he didn't expect, had never happened before. "They know you love them." He had to say that, it had come through clear as a bell, almost like little voices inside his head. He wondered if maybe there were.
&&&&&&&&&
"The vaults are now warded against portals opening," Wesley reported to Angel. "And no easy job either, warding such a large area. But unless we keep Rose in the vaults indefinitely, she's still going to be vulnerable in most of the building, including your flat."
"I know," Angel replied. "I know it will take time, Wes, but would it be possible to do the whole building? With the exception of the portal room, of course. And that's always guarded."
"It will take time," the Watcher replied. "I'm actually surprised that Wolfram and Hart hadn't taken the precaution before we took over. As a general rule, their security was pretty good."
"We've still got to find out who's behind this," Angel remarked. "Spike and Rose shouldn't be cooped up here, living with me. They should be in their own place, setting up a nursery, going shopping for baby things. They have enough to think about without having this hanging over them."
"Have you heard from Fred yet on the latest intruders?" Wesley asked.
"Not yet," Angel answered. "I'm trying to stay away from her so she can work. I know that what she does takes time, and I do get a little impatient."
"Do we have any idea as to how they knew exactly where to look for Rose?" Wes inquired. "Seeing as how they look remarkably like the chaps that destroyed her apartment, they almost certainly had to be after the same thing. It was not just a random chance that they happened to appear in the vaults."
"Not a clue," Angel admitted. "But it's been bugging the hell out of me too. How on earth did they know exactly where to look?"
"Do you want one of the psychics to give her a going over?" Wesley suggested.
"I'll think about it," Angel said. "But I don't want to go off the deep end, either. I know Rose needs protecting, but she needs a little time away from all this crap too. If this keeps up it could stress her so badly that she loses the babies."
"It is a fine line," Wes agreed. "However, I do think that Rose is made of sterner stuff than any of us gives her credit for." There didn't seem to be anything else to add as far as professional concerns went, so the Watcher allowed himself to be human for a moment. "Who do you think they'll pick for godparents?"
&&&&&&&
M'rek sat alone in his throne room, idly fingering the gilded chain attached to his seat. The collar on the chain should be occupied by now, and it irked him considerably that it wasn't. But Rose was being well guarded, and he was sure that that guarding would now intensify. On the other hand, perhaps their adversaries would not expect another attempt so soon after the last. Maybe it would be best to make a lightning strike right away, before the protectors had a chance to gather their wits about them. And time for that worthless piece of scum, Kraj, to justify his continued existence. "Kraj!" he bellowed, sure he would be heard.
Kraj entered, groveling as usual. "What does my Lord require?" he asked, hoping it was something that he could deliver. He knew that his lease on life was tenuous at best right now.
"When do you next visit Wolfram and Hart?" M'rek inquired. "I have a task for you to perform there."
"There are documents that they request on the morrow, oh great Lord," the menial informed him. "What task may your lowly servant perform for you?"
"Bring her to me, Kraj." M'rek didn't bother identifying the pronoun, there was only one possibility who it could be. "Get your tiny little mind on some devious ruse that will allow you to bring her with you when you return."
"My Lord?" Kraj dared to question M'rek in his dismay. "I thought that in your infinite wisdom you had decided that we must wait until the protectors let their guard down."
"That is obviously not going to happen," M'rek replied. "So instead, we will steal her away immediately, before they can fully recover from the last attempt."
"As always, it shall be as your august Lordship demands," Kraj whined. Devious ruse indeed. He would need the very best that he could come up with on this occasion. Either that, or stay among the humans and beg asylum, and the very thought of that revolted him beyond thinking. Not only for betraying his pack leader, but just because the humans were so.., human. He wondered just how perverse M'rek was in just wanting to make a pet of one. But then, some people did seem to dote on ugly pets. He sighed and shuffled away, trying to think of a way to smuggle Rose away from the safety of the law firm.