Blue Moon

As was the standard routine, nowadays, Rose immediately monopolized the children for about five minutes. It was sufficient time for her to assure herself that they had made it through the day safe, sound and in one piece. And, of course, allowed for some kissing and cuddling. Then, pausing only long enough to deposit her shoes in the bedroom (she'd gotten used to the comfort of not wearing them while she was pregnant, and now only wore them as was absolutely necessary), she was off to the kitchen to fix dinner.

Usually, this was Spike's time for a tickle and romp session with his offspring. He'd put up Rose's briefcase and hung up his duster while Rose was taking her turn. As a general rule, the moment Rose released them, the kids would rush him and they would all get rowdy for a while.

Well, to be fair, Alaric and Ariel were coming towards him. But at a steady toddle rather than a tripping run. And the smiles and giggles that commonly accompanied the advance were conspicuously absent. Matter of fact, they looked dead serious about something, and Spike felt a nervous rush pass over him. But, whatever it was, he was their dad, and it was up to him to make right whatever was troubling them. He knelt down, to be more on a level with them.

Alaric on one side of him, Ariel on the other, each putting a chubby baby hand on one of his shoulders.

"We need to have a talk," Alaric said solemnly. "Without mummy."

Ariel nodded. "Just 'tween us vampires."

Spike had a feeling that this was going to be even harder and more embarrassing to deal with than dancing around the subject of why they didn't need to know what he and Rose did together when they were alone in their bedroom. A thought struck him in passing to wonder if this was how a human dad felt when his kids started asking him about the birds and bees.

&&&&&&&

Angel clicked off the t.v. with a look of disgust.

"They don't make them like they used to," Oz remarked.

"They shouldn't have made that one at all," Angel grumbled. "Doesn't anyone even research any of the stuff they're using? Besides, romantic movies and novels to the contrary, Vlad's manners were never that good."

"You know him?" Oz supposed he shouldn't be surprised. When someone had been around as long as Angel and traveled as extensively, they were bound to have met all sorts of people.

Angel gave a half nod. "Only in passing. Spike introduced us. He was still young enough to think it was cool to meet the real Dracula." He gave a snort of laughter. "I was totally unimpressed, myself. Besides, he still has, or at least had, very fifteenth century notions about bathing."

"I guess that would be where the mind control comes in handy," Oz commented. "How else would he be able to get all those girls?"

Angel laughed out loud at that one. "I guess you've got a point," he replied. "But to tell you the truth, I think all the pretty young girls are more of an ego trip than anything. All rumors aside, virgin's blood doesn't really taste all that different from any other. Not that there are that many virgins more than chin high running around anymore."

"Depends on how far off the ground your chin is," Oz pointed out dryly.

&&&&&&&&

Angela was getting fidgety, and trying not to show it to Lorne. Of a necessity, she'd had to turn off her cell phone. It would be awkward, to say the least, to have to try to explain why she'd had it on while out on a date. But once, she had made an excuse to slip off to the ladies' room and tried calling Jason. But no luck. Either he had it off or he was just plain out of range. And Lorne was becoming more persistent in his wheedling for her to get up on stage and sing with him. What in the world had Jason been trying to tell her about singing? That Lorne liked to sing? She already knew that. That it would help win him over? It might, but it really seemed to her as though the conquest had already been made. So what had Jason wanted her to know about singing?

&&&&&&&&

Lorne came back to their table. "We'll be up in about ten, gorgeous," he said. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll just go powder my nose first."

Angela nodded. She'd been waiting for a break like this and was beginning to think that she wasn't going to get it. Didn't demons have to use the restroom? "I'll be here," she promised, batting her eyelashes at him.

Lorne bent down to give her a peck on the cheek. "I hope you don't mind, light of my life, but I already picked out a song for us to sing. How do you feel about 'Don't Go Breakin' My Heart'?"

&&&&&&&

"Listen," Spike said, sounding, and feeling, a little helpless. "You two are in a class all by yourselves. We didn't know just what was going to happen." He wished the kids hadn't insisted on keeping Rose out of the conversation. Right now, he felt like he could use the moral support.

"But you knew we were gonna be vampires," Alaric pointed out. "We drink blood."

"And you said that making the ugly, wrinkly faces is what vampires do," Ariel added. She snuggled into her father, despite the fact that she and her brother were giving him their version of the Spanish Inquisition. They had moved up onto the sofa in the interests of comfort. That is, Spike's legs had started to cramp up on him, kneeling down as he had been.

"But you're special vampires," Spike replied. He felt a grin tug at his lips for a moment, remembering when that designation had been applied to him. Totally different circumstances, though. "Vampires get made, not born like you two. We didn't know just what you'd be like."

"Should have told us it was a poss'bility," Alaric said stubbornly. "Didn't just scare the bad man, scared us."

"And we couldn't change back," Ariel mumbled into Spike's shoulder. "Not till Oz helped us."

"I'm sorry, my little luvs," Spike apologized, giving them both a squeeze. "I don't like you having to be afraid of things, even when you've got a good reason. But to be honest, it never really occurred to any of us to tell you about it."

"Dinner's ready," Rose sang out from the kitchen.

Talk about saved by the bell, Spike thought. He hoped the kids were done giving him the third degree. He felt wrung out by the whole deal. But he had to admit that they did have a point. They ought to have known. He needed to sit down with someone and figure out what, if anything else the twins ought to be told. And that nasty, sinking feeling came back when it dawned on him who the only other person was that could really help him make those decisions.

&&&&&&&&

While Lorne was away from the table, Angela slipped the little vial out of her purse and quickly dumped the contents into his drink. She hurriedly returned the container to its hiding place. And none too soon. For Lorne was back. He sat down and immediately took a healthy swallow of whatever it was he was drinking. She hadn't really paid attention when he'd ordered their drinks.

"And next up," the d.j. said into the microphone. "Is Lorne and Angela, singing that golden oldie, 'Don't Go Breakin' My Heart'."

"That's our cue, sugarpie," Lorne said in a loud whisper. "We're on." He gulped down some more of his drink before taking her hand and leading her towards the stage.

Lorne's euphoria hadn't worn off in the slightest. If anything, it just kept growing. He was absolutely dizzy with the joy of it all now. Or was it just dizzy? Because all of a sudden, his knees were giving him severe problems. Like they didn't want to support the rest of him. And the place and all the people in it were starting to look fuzzy. What was going on?

Angela put her arm around Lorne as he started staggering from the effects of the drug. She led him straight past the stage, to the d.j.'s astonishment. "Sorry," she apologized without breaking stride. "He's not feeling well. Maybe another time."

As she led the unresisting Pylean out the door, she could hear the next announcement. "Looks like we're going to have to give Lorne and Angela a miss, folks. Next on the hit parade is Kate, giving us her rendition of 'Take This Job and Shove It'."

&&&&&&&&

"You three were awfully quiet in there tonight," Rose remarked. "I'm used to hearing a lot of noise from you." She started serving the children first. Not only did Spike join them at mealtimes to keep them all company, but he also provided the invaluable service of helping with the little ones so that Rose could get in a bite herself now and then.

"We needed to talk to daddy," Ariel said. She had a sly look on her face that, for a moment, made her resemble her father more than her mother.

Spike kept his gaze away from Rose, and started cutting up Alaric's food with a now well practiced hand.

"What were you talking about?" Rose had been only moderately interested before. Just the interest that a loving mother takes in what makes her children tick. But now that they were being so secretive about it, her curiosity was piqued.

Both children immediately stuffed something in their mouths, thereby rendering them unable to reply, having heard numerous times not to speak with food in their mouths. So the rule did have its uses after all.

Rose turned expectantly towards Spike, and found that he was still going to a great deal of trouble not to meet her eyes. "Would you care to enlighten me, darling?" Her tones were a bit less loving than they usually were when she used the endearment.

"Oh, just a little question and answer session," Spike said evasively, hoping that the love of his unlife would get the hint. He could always clue her in later, after the kids had been tucked in for the night.

Rose was about to carry on her interrogation, when she noticed the way the children were eating. "For heaven's sake," she scolded gently. "You're going to choke if you keep gobbling your food like that. Slow down, the food isn't going anywhere."

The twins promptly obeyed. It had been a strictly diversionary tactic, and it had worked. Now, they could take their time and make a grand mess of things as well. There were some things to be said in favor of being a baby, and the unwritten law that it was their prerogative to make an unholy mess while eating was one of them.

&&&&&&&&

"Where we goin'?" Lorne slurred as Angela helped him into the car.

"Give me your keys, Lorne," Angela demanded, albeit rather gently. He suddenly seemed so pathetic now, and the guilt level was rising. "You're in no shape to drive. What was in that drink of yours?" Of course she knew, but she still had to keep up the pretense a little longer.

"Don' know." Lorne rubbed his eyes, but it didn't help bring things into focus any better. He fished his car keys out of his pocket and handed them to her. "Don' remember. Should'n' be drunk. Haven' had tha' much." He was starting to feel increasingly groggy too. Not only was his vision blurred, but his eyes kept insisting on shutting.

"Maybe you're coming down with something," she replied. "You need to be home in bed."

"Felt fine earlier," Lorne mumbled, half-asleep. "How'll you get home, kitten?"

"I'll call a cab from your place," Angela lied. "Why don't you just lean your head back and get some sleep on the trip home?"

"Sorry, sweetie-pie." Lorne was practically talking in his sleep, now. "Didn' mean to let you down."

"You haven't, Lorne," Angela assured him. "You haven't let me down at all."

&&&&&&&&&

"You going to spend the night here, Oz?" Angel asked. "You're more than welcome to."

Oz nodded. "I think I ought to," he said. "Just in case."

The phone rang, and Oz deliberately tuned out the conversation, out of politeness. Politeness went to the four winds when Angel slammed the receiver back in the cradle and started swearing.

"What's going on?" Oz wasn't one hundred percent sure that he wanted to know. From Angel's reaction, it could only be bad news.

"Damn, damn, damn." Angel looked down at the remains of the phone, and was mildly surprised to note that its days as a communications device were at an end. It was smashed metal and broken plastic, now. "We were so busy worrying about me that we didn't once think that any one of the others could be used as a hostage against me."

Oz felt a block of ice form in his stomach. "Who have they got?" he asked quietly.

"Lorne," Angel replied. "They say that they'll let him go if I show up."

"Do you believe them?" Oz inquired. He didn't think it was too likely, himself. Hostages were also witnesses, and generally speaking, kidnappers knew that, and took steps to see that the witness wasn't in any shape to talk afterwards.

"Hell no," Angel said explosively. His temper suddenly faded to be replaced with cold determination. "Will you be all right on your own, Oz?"

"I'm not going to be on my own," Oz answered. "I'm going with you. And I'm thinking that maybe you'd better call in some reinforcements, too."

Angel shook his head. "They want me," he growled. "This is my show."

"And since it's you they want," Oz pointed out carefully. "Then they're probably going to have something prepared to handle you. C'mon, Angel. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto."

Angel sighed. Time was wasting while he was arguing with Oz, and he certainly didn't have time to get into an out and out fight with him, nor did he want to. "Okay, Tonto," he said resignedly. "Saddle up. We're about to hit the trail."

&&&&&&&

Lorne managed to peel open his still bleary eyes. He squinted, trying to focus.

"Be still, Lorne," Angela advised softly. "We're not going to hurt you."

Lorne tried to move and found that he couldn't. Tied to a chair, it felt like. "What's the deal?" he asked, a little bitterly, seeing as he was coming to the realization that he had been set up.

"We just needed you to lure the vampire here," Angela explained. "Once we have him, we'll let you go."

"Yeah, right." The bitterness came through in his voice even more strongly now. "And I'm supposed to believe that a lying little bitch like you would keep her word."

Angela blinked. She didn't much like the designation, but she had to admit that from Lorne's point of view, it was apt. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Lorne," she apologized, and it was more than half sincere. "But what we're doing is very important."

"Kick me in the ass and break my heart at the same time," Lorne muttered, half to himself. "Must be convenient for you that my anatomy is arranged that way. And I must have had room up there for my head too, seeing how easy a mark I was." He laughed humorlessly. "And to think I was falling in love with you. Bitch."

&&&&&&&

Spike picked up the ringing phone. "Yeah?" He listened for a few moments. "Play it back for me," he demanded. "The whole damn thing." There was a longer pause. The only reason that he didn't have an audience was that Rose was occupied with giving the kids their baths. "Bloody hell," he swore. "That stupid, sodding wanker. Call Wyndam-Pryce and Gunn and give them the location mentioned in the conversation. Tell them to meet me there." Another pause. "No, I do not want a whole unit to come along with. Just tell those gits when you call them to make sure they're packing something lethal." He slammed the phone down, not noticing that he'd done to it what Angel had done to his.

"Rose, babe." Spike stuck his head in the bathroom, bringing an abrupt halt to the laughing and splashing going on. "I've got to go out for a bit."

For a moment, Rose almost wished that Spike was the telepath. There was obviously something wrong, and it wouldn't do to upset the children. But she couldn't stop herself from asking. "What is it, love?"

"Your precious Angel," Spike snarled, totally forgetting the rule about not upsetting the kids. "Has gone off and waltzed right into a trap. Bloody stupid git is lucky I had my boys monitoring security tonight." He swooped down to give her a quick kiss. "I've got to be off, pet. Right now." He was out the door again in the blink of an eye.

Rose stayed as she was for several moments, mouth hanging open. Then, she felt a wet little hand tugging on her sleeve.

"Don't worry, mummy," Ariel said. "Daddy will save Uncle Angel."

"'Course he will," Alaric agreed. His little face lit up with a smile. "Daddy will kick the bad man's ass."

"Alaric William," Rose said weakly. "Watch your language." But it was an automatic response. She tried to focus on the task at hand, but that was automatic now too. All she could think about was that Angel had run headlong into danger. And now Spike was on his way to do the same.