167

"Will you stop pouting?" Rose asked as the car began to weave through the traffic back to Wolfram and Hart.

"I am not pouting," Spike replied, keeping his gaze firmly on the traffic.

"Sulking, then," Rose suggested. "You know the doctor had to do that. It's part of his job. He needs to know these things."

"I know, I know," Spike agreed grumpily. "I know it's necessary, pet. I just really don't like another man looking there."

"Well, it ought to be over soon," Rose soothed. "At least, I hope so. I feel like I've been pregnant forever."

"He did say any day now, luv." Spike gave her hand a reassuring pat.

"And did you hear the part where he said that we can't..,"

"I heard," Spike interrupted. "I always hear the bad news." He laughed a little sadly. "I've done without before, babe, I'll survive. Especially when it's for the good of you and the kids."

&&&&&&&

They barely got in the door at the law firm when Harmony met them. Her eyes kept darting around like she expected something to jump out and grab her. "I'm glad you're back," she said, sounding relieved. "You're supposed to go to Angel's office immediately."

Spike gave a martyred sigh. "Stupid ponce couldn't wipe his own ass without help," he remarked disgustedly. He turned to Rose. "Why don't you run along up to the flat, babe, and I'll..,"

"Oh no," Harmony interrupted. "You're both supposed to go." Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "Giles is here."

&&&&&&&&&

Spike ushered Rose into Angel's office and saw her into a chair. "Hallo, Rupes," he said, as if the Watcher's presence was no big deal. He perched himself on the arm of the chair, with his arm draped around Rose. Since her presence had been specifically requested, he had a feeling that she was going to be the main topic of conversation. Just how many copies of that bleeding prophecy were laying about?

"Spike?" Giles took off his glasses and wiped them ineffectually, then placed them back on his nose. "I was given to understand that you were dead."

Spike shrugged. "You oughta know that the condition isn't necessarily permanent," he remarked. "Although I really don't recommend bein' a ghost. Plays merry hell with the sex life."

Angel rolled his eyes. He could see that Spike was trying to keep Giles off balance, and not doing too badly at it, but really.

"You seem to have overcome the difficulties," Giles remarked dryly. "Ms. Powers, I believe?" He addressed Rose. "I'm Rupert Giles, and I'm..,"

"Buffy's Watcher," Rose finished. "I know who and what you are, Mr. Giles. What I fail to grasp is why you are here."

Giles cleared his throat a bit nervously. "The council, as you may have guessed, has a copy of the prophecy regarding your pregnancy," he began.

"Tell us something we haven't already figured out, Rupes," Spike broke in. "Cor, I forgot what a windy bugger you can be."

"You're not helping, Spike," Angel said warningly. His heart wasn't in it, though. He'd had a good idea just what was on the wind ever since Giles' arrival that morning. And his hunch had proved to be right.

"To put it bluntly then," Giles continued. "We have come to the conclusion that given the import of Ms. Power's offspring, Wolfram and Hart is simply not the proper atmosphere for them. I've come to take her back to England with me."

&&&&&&&&&

"Since when did you start carrying a purse, Wes?" Lorne smiled, thinking that the researcher was one of the last people he'd ever thought would do such a thing.

"It's not a purse," Wesley corrected him. "It's a satchel." He gave up, people were going to find out anyway. "The prophecy clearly states that a Watcher is going to be the one to deliver Rose's children." He patted his satchel. "So, I thought I ought to be prepared."

"Our Rosebud just can't do anything like everybody else, can she?" Lorne remarked. "How's the Spikester taking the news?"

"Spike doesn't know," Wes admitted. "For what I would have thought were very obvious reasons."

"You mean like him going into an absolute tizzy?" the Pylean answered. "That and the fact that he might be tempted to put an end to your career just to keep you from seeing a whole new side of the blossom, shall we say."

"I can't say as I'm actually looking forward to it," the researcher confessed. "But I have been reading up, and I think I'm about as qualified as anyone who has never been to medical school or delivered a baby. I do intend to do my best, not just for the prophecy, but for Rose, as well."

"Better you than me," the demon replied. "I'd probably be passed out on the floor before things even got started." He paused. "Still, it's got to make you feel a little special, though, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does." Wesley summoned up a smile. "I believe that it does."

&&&&&&&

The argument had been going on for hours now, and Rose was feeling distinctly uncomfortable. She had an idea what was going on, but kept her own counsel about it. She suddenly had a flash of insight as to how things were supposed to be. And she hadn't really been contributing to the discussion, the three men were busily haranguing each other without any help at all from her.

"Not to put too fine a point on it," Giles was saying. "Ever since you moved into the most evil law firm in any dimension, we have lost a great deal of faith in your trustworthiness."

"Those kids are going to be the start of a whole race of vampires with souls," Angel pointed out. "Who better for them to grow up around than the two of us who already do have souls?"

"And we might even be in agreement with you if it weren't for the fact that you're here," Giles replied with more than a touch of asperity. "If you were to sever all connection with the place..,"

"He can't do that." Rose finally decided that it was time for her to speak up. "He's supposed to be here, Rupert. They all are. It was meant to be. Just as I was meant to be here, and nowhere else. Certainly not in England."

"Ms. Powers, I can certainly appreciate your desire to stay where things are familiar to you," Giles said with hints of condescension in his voice. "But if you would just put some thought into the gravity of the situation, I'm sure you'd see reason."

"She isn't going to England with you, Watcher," Spike growled. "Even if I agreed with you, which I don't, she's too far along to be doing that kind of traveling. We just got back from the doctor's, and he said that it could be any day now."

Giles' eyes bugged a little at that pronouncement. "I hadn't realized that things had progressed that far," he replied. "I'd have been here sooner, but we just translated the part of the prophecy that said where she was to be found."

"I've translated a few prophecies in my time," Rose said quietly. "And have you ever seen an instance where The Powers didn't have a reason for the time and place of any of the occurrences?"

"I'm beginning to believe that you're being deliberately obstructive," Giles said. "But sooner or later, you're going to have to see things my way. The council's way. You see, I've brought along a small army of Slayers."

&&&&&&&&

Wesley was on his way to see Angel when the entire building was engulfed in darkness from the outside. The lights were still on, but the pitch blackness without somehow seemed to dim them. There was no eclipse in the offing, and it was still mid-afternoon, so the sudden lightlessness was cause for alarm. He broke into a run.

&&&&&&&&

"That can't be good," Spike remarked, as the darkness suddenly settled around them. "It don't look natural for some reason."

Wesley broke into the office. "'And darkness shall settle around the dwelling place of the vessel, and the forces thereof shall attempt to destroy her'," he quoted. "I was just on my way to tell you." He looked in surprise as he realized there was someone else besides the people he more or less expected to be there.

Angel's phone rang. "Yes? What? Have everyone who can't fight get to one of the safe rooms, and everyone who can is to arm themselves and help out." He hung up. "The building is being flooded with vampires and demons of every description," he reported. He hated to do it, considering what a pain in the ass Giles was being, but he'd rather have Wes at his back in a fight. And it went without saying that an able-bodied vampire would be an asset. "Giles, I want you to go with Rose to one of the safe rooms. I'll give you something to defend yourself with, but hopefully, you won't need it."

"Hang about just one damn minute," Spike snarled. "After him all but saying that he's ready to kidnap Rose, then you just want to hand her over to him?"

"I need you to help fight," Angel replied. "And whatever differences we may have with Giles at present, he's not going to let anything happen to Rose."

"That was rather the point of my being here," Giles remarked. "To keep Rose and her offspring safe."

Wesley's heart sank as he realized that he was no longer the only Watcher around. He had a premonition of what The Powers may have had in mind. In any case, his satchel would just be in his way in a fight. He unslung the satchel and handed it to Giles. "Take this," he said. "I have the feeling that you may need it."

&&&&&&&

The Slayers had been unobtrusively infiltrating the building for hours, and they were now all stationed inside. When it suddenly seemed that it was starting to rain demons, they went into action, almost automatically doing what Slayers were meant to do.

&&&&&&&&&

"Here," Angel shoved Giles towards a door. "There's another door hidden behind the cabinet of cleaning supplies. Get in there and bolt it and don't open it for anyone you don't know."

"I hardly know anyone here," Giles pointed out. He didn't know how it had happened, but he'd seemed to have lost all control of the situation.

"I know them," Rose said quietly. She turned to Spike and gave him a lingering kiss good-bye.

Giles turned his gaze away from them, and Angel watched with a certain amount of amusement. "You kind of get used to it after a while," he remarked. "You almost have to, since they're always at it."

"Well," Spike demanded impatiently. "Are we going to go kick some demon ass, or what?"

"We need to go back to my office and get weapons," Angel reminded him.

"I want the claymore," Spike said firmly.

"I still haven't got the dents filed out from the last time you used it," Angel complained. "You're awfully hard on stuff, Spike. Especially my stuff."

The two vampires disappeared around a corner, still bickering.

Giles shoved the cabinet aside, no easy task, certainly, but he was not about to ask a woman as pregnant as Rose to lend a hand. He found the door and led her in.

Once in, he shot the heavy bolts as instructed. He didn't like taking orders from Angel, he didn't trust him anymore. But under the circumstances, he saw and bowed to, the necessity.

The room was well appointed. One thing that Wolfram and Hart was known for, besides being evil, was that they spared no expense. This safe room was a prime example. Sanitary facilities, mini-refrigerator, microwave, even linens and fold-up cots, in case the siege was a long one.

He looked at Rose, and she was leaning tiredly against a wall, hands resting on her distended abdomen. He decided that the first order of business was to set up one of the cots for her. She and her children were extremely important, and it wasn't her fault that she'd gotten caught up by bad influences.

He was wrestling with the cot, swearing under his breath, when Rose let out a muffled moan. "Is something wrong?" he asked with a sinking feeling. This day had definitely not gone as planned, and he suddenly had the feeling that as bad as it had been, it was about to get worse.

"Nothing at all," Rose panted, trying to recover from the pain. "It's not wrong, it's right. It's supposed to happen, and it's supposed to be here. I'm in labor."

"You're what?" Giles had gotten the cot unfolded, and now, he sat down on it in shock.

"They've been keeping me in the dark about the prophecy lately," Rose admitted. "But apparently I was supposed to have some idea, so The Powers have been giving me glimpses all afternoon. You're the one that's supposed to deliver my babies, Rupert."

"You mean they're going to be born here? Now?" Giles felt a rush of panic.

"Well," Rose admitted. "Not right now. But I've been having contractions almost from the time Spike and I walked into Angel's office."

Giles suddenly remembered his manners, not to mention priorities and got up and helped Rose into the cot. "While they may have supplies for almost every contingency here," he commented. "I doubt that even Wolfram and Hart anticipated needing supplies to help deal with a birth."

"Why don't you look in that satchel that Wesley gave you?" Rose suggested helpfully. "If the prophecy said that a Watcher was supposed to deliver my children, he probably thought it meant him. Knowing Wesley, he almost certainly tried to prepare for the possibility."

Giles opened the satchel to find that Rose was right. The bare minimal supplies required for the job, given the limited amount of available space, but it even included a manual on delivering babies. He started flipping through the manual when he realized that Rose was still talking. But when he stopped to listen, he came to the conclusion that she wasn't talking to him.

"It's all right, darlings," she cooed. "I know it's a little scary. It's a bit scary for mummy too. But the nice Watcher is going to help us, then we'll all be together like we were meant to be." She paused and seemed to listen for a moment. "Daddy's off fighting demons, he'll be back soon."