My apologies to everyone for taking so long to get this part posted. I've been in a major fic funk (writing and reading wise). Anyways, here is the next part.

And to those of you at ff.net, I'm having a horrible time with formatting here. No matter what type of file I upload, things don't show up the way they should. So, sorry if things look weird. You can always go read at my site if you want.

Enjoy,

Isis

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Part 10

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Author's Note – words in italics in this part are excerpts from earlier in this series.

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No one spoke after Giles' tragic words. They were all shocked into silence. If there was no cure then that would mean Buffy would...die. That was a reality that none of them wanted to face. Buffy was a friend, a confidante, a Mother, a savior...a soulmate, she couldn't die. They all needed her just as much as she needed them. She couldn't die. There had to be something they could do.

Before anyone could deny the claim, the group was startled out of their silence by a small noise coming from the hallway. Looking up, they found Buffy hunched over, leaning against the wall. The look in her eyes was enough to tell them that she had heard enough to know the situation.

"Is it true?" she wheezed, her eyes landing directly on Giles.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Buffy. I tried every source I had, but they all told me the same thing," Giles tried to be diplomatic, but he couldn't fight the emotions within and a tear slipped down his face.

Buffy's eyes closed and her head drooped back to rest against the wall. Angel was by her side in an instant, picking her up in his strong arms. She trembled in his grip, a combination of the illness and the sobs she was fighting to keep inside. Needing the comfort, and no longer able to fight it, she relaxed into his arms and let herself cry.

"Shh, don't cry, baby," Angel soothed. The endearment slipped out, but he didn't care. "We'll find a way. We'll fight it."

"Some things you can't fight, Angel," she whispered in resignation.

"Don't say that! You can always fight," he responded with more determination in his voice than he actually felt.

"He's right, Buffy. We can't, and won't, give up," Cordy said in support and came to stand next to them.

Buffy looked at her friend and then around at the others staring at her. She knew they'd try, but she knew in her heart that it wouldn't do any good. They wouldn't find anything to make her better. This thing...this poison...was going to finish its job. It was going to kill her. And she knew what she had to do. There wasn't time to wait any longer.

"I...I need to talk to Angel. Alone." She didn't say why, but everyone, except Giles, Faith, and Angel himself, knew what was about to happen.

Angel's head whipped down to look at her in confusion. "What?"

"C-can you take me t-o my room?" she requested, wincing as a wave of pain racked her body. "There are t-things we need t-to talk a-about."

"Buffy, we can do that later." Though he wanted to talk to her, Angel didn't know if now was the right time, not when they were in a dire situation.

"Please?" she begged, gazing at him with pleading eyes.

There was no way he could deny such a request. When no one from the group made any attempt to stop them, Angel relented. Slowly, he turned and carried Buffy toward her bedroom. All the while, he wondered what was so important that she needed to talk to him right at that moment.

"Oh shit," Willow blurted out once they were out of site.

"Willow!" Cordy gaped wide-eyed at redhead.

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Buffy lay in her bed watching Angel as he stood near the window staring at her. So far, neither of them had said anything. He had only carried her into her bedroom and gently placed her in her bed, tucking the covers around her trembling body. After, he had stepped toward the window and waited. Now, several minutes later, he was still waiting.

Unconsciousness was beckoning her; a sweet oblivion that would take away the debilitating pain terrorizing her body. But she fought it, for now at least. She needed to keep it together just a little bit longer. He needed to know. She needed to tell him, and she needed him to make a promise to her. She just didn't know how to start.

Exhaustion overwhelmed her and her eyes began to drift shut, but she pried them back open. Just a little bit longer, then she could sleep.

"Buffy, you need to get some sleep," Angel's calming voice broke through the haze clouding her mind.

"No...n-not yet...need to...talk," she wheezed, using all her remaining strength to pat the bed next to her. "Sit."

Angel walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, taking one of Buffy's hands in his. "Whatever it is, it can wait."

"No, Angel." Her head shook a fraction of an inch. "No time...need to...now."

"Shh, you're going to be fine," he tried to soothe her and reached up to brush the hair off her sweaty forehead.

"D-don't...know t-that," Buffy forced out, willing herself to remain awake for just a little bit longer.

"Yes, I do." Angel couldn't help it as a tear slipped from one of his eyes. "You're going to get through this."

"Angel," she coughed and groaned at the exertion. "P-promise...me..."

"Buffy-," he attempted to stop her words.

"No...promise m-me...if I...d-don't...p-promise." The last word was so quiet that if Angel hadn't been a vampire he wouldn't have heard it.

"Promise what, baby?" Angel's worry was growing each second. She was slipping further and further away from him.

"Ashlynn...must...take care...of Ash." That wasn't how she meant to say it, but it was the best she could do.

"Ashlynn? Your daughter?" Angel asked, perplexed at the statement.

"Yes...promise...she...will...need you," Buffy barely whispered. She knew she wasn't going to be able to go much longer.

"Me? Buffy, you're not making any sense." Angel began to wonder if the illness was making her delirious.

"P-promise me," she demanded as forcefully as she could muster.

"I promise," Angel agreed. How could he not heed her request? Still he was confused. Why him?

"Thank you," she replied and smiled weakly. "She will...need you."

"What about your friends...and Lindsey." The question was out before he could stop himself.

"N-not Lindsey's...," she blurted out hoarsely, her eyes closing for second before she pried them open again. "She's yours."

Angel frowned and tried to understand what she had just said, but it didn't make sense. "Buffy-"

She didn't let him finish. "Ashlynn...your...daughter...yours."

Angel's hand flinched away from Buffy as her words registered in his mind. Ashlynn was his daughter? No, that wasn't possible. He was a vampire. He couldn't have children. The poison had to be making her see things as they weren't. That was the only possible explanation. There was no way. No possible way. But even as he thought that, a feeling eased down his spine that made him shudder.

"Buffy," he started again, not sure what he was going to say, but when he looked at her he saw her eyes were closed. The sound of her breath and heartbeat assured him she had just fallen asleep.

Several long minutes later, Angel was still staring at her sleeping face trying to process what he knew couldn't be true. Even as he contemplated that, thoughts and memories began to tick down in his mind: the last night with Buffy, the candle shaped like a six on the little girl's birthday cake, the feeling he got the first time she looked into his eyes, Cordy's actions earlier that day, and the way everyone seemed to stare at him. All those things were leading to a conclusion that couldn't possibly be true. Could it?

Blindly, he stood from the bed, nearly falling in the process, as he tried to deny what his soul was telling him was true. Stumbling toward the door, he was greeted by Cordelia, Willow and Doyle. All staring at him in sympathy. Angel's eyes met theirs then shifted toward Buffy before returning back again. He knew they were about to tell him it was just the sickness that had made her say the things she had. It was the only reason. It had to be.

"Come on, Angel," Willow said instead of denying Buffy's claim.

He said nothing as Willow and Cordelia each took one of his arms and steered him toward the living room, and he never even noticed when Doyle slipped into Buffy's room behind them. There was only one thing he could think about; Buffy...Ashlynn...daughter...his daughter? No, he told himself again. She wasn't his. She couldn't be his.

Angel didn't even realize that they were now in the living room. His numb body didn't feel them shove him down onto one of the chairs. He didn't see that the room was now empty except for Willow and Cordelia. The outside world was all a blur as Buffy's words echoed in his mind. It wasn't until Cordy spoke up that he pulled his focus elsewhere.

"Angel, there are some things you need to know."

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"...I'm pregnant..."

"...A-about two months..."

"...That would have been around graduation. We didn't know you were seeing anybody..."

"...Angel..."

"...So you slept with him..."

No....no...it wasn't possible. That was all he seemed to able to tell himself. Yes, they had made love that last night, but he was a vampire. He wasn't able to give her a child. It was a physical impossibility. Yet here he was, sitting in a chair, listening to Willow and Cordelia tell him that Buffy had gotten pregnant from that final night together.

Could it be true? Could that little girl in the other room be his? Oh how he wanted it to be true. To have a child with Buffy was something he'd only imagined in his dreams. How wonderful it would have been to have created life with her, something that was part her, part him, and a combination of their love. But he was a vampire, he kept reminding himself.

They told him it was true. There had been no one else right after he left. It was his child. His. He had a daughter. A beautiful, blonde haired image of her mother. As much as he wanted to fight the truth, he knew deep down inside that their words were true. The physical impossibility couldn't negate everything else. It was true. It was all true. That little girl was part his.

The tears fell unhindered as he accepted a reality he never thought feasible.

"...You disgust me...you put all of us, and the world, in danger just so you could screw your vampire lover!..."

"...I used to look up to you, admired you for everything you've done and sacrificed…but you're just a whore who can't keep her legs shut. You don't give a shit about the rest of us or the world as long as you can have your vampire lover..."

"...To say I'm extremely disappointed and ashamed of your actions is an understatement...you have ridiculed your Calling and my position as your Watcher. The Buffy I know would have never put the world in mortal danger like that. I do not think I know who you are anymore..."

"...Poor little Buffy, the pride and joy of the Council, knocked up by a vampire. I hope you have a nice life with your demon spawn..."

Willow and Cordelia visibly jumped at the vengeful growl that Angel emitted as he listened to the aftermath of Buffy's revelation back in Sunnydale. It was a good thing neither the Watcher nor the useless whelp were within his sight or he'd be forced to do something he'd regret. They deserved nothing less for being heartless cads.

How could they be so uncaring? How could they treat her as if she was some kind of plague? Buffy had needed her friends and family most then, and they had not only turned their backs on her, but also berated her in a way that no one deserved. It broke his heart to think about what she must have gone through at the hands of her so-called friends. And she had had no one to turn to because he was gone as well.

If he hadn't of known what guilt felt like before, he certainly did now.

"...You want me to get an abortion?..."

"...Why, yes, of course. You certainly cannot have this baby..."

"...I'm dead serious. I'm keeping this baby..."

"...If you plan on keeping this baby then you can find yourself somewhere else to live..."

"...I'm not going to get an abortion..."

An abortion? No....no! The very thought of losing a child he hadn't even known about until minutes earlier was like a holy-water drenched stake to the heart. To think that the beautiful little girl he'd met earlier might possibly have never existed sent shudders through his body. But it hadn't happened. Buffy had not aborted their child.

Buffy! Gods! What she must have felt to have her Mother not only tell her to get rid of the baby but then to kick her out when she wouldn't. It must have been absolutely horrible for her. He'd like to say he was surprised by Joyce's actions, but truthfully, he wasn't. Everything he knew about Buffy's Mother told him that the woman would have never gotten past her ideal of what her daughter should be, and obviously eighteen and pregnant, by a vampire no less, was not part of that ideal. And she'd been kicked out of her house and alone because of it.

Would things have been different if he had been there? That was a question he'd never know the answer to.

"...I plan on getting out of this Hell-hole town, probably in a day or two. I can't stand being here any longer..."

"...What about you?..."

"...Same. No one wants me around. They made that perfectly clear. And I don't want to raise my baby anywhere near them..."

"...So I guess we're going to Seattle..."

That answered quite a few of the questions in his mind. After being tossed to the curb by everyone important to her, Buffy saw no reason to stay. Angel couldn't say he blamed her. She'd been subjected to so much and the town must have held one too many bad memories. Leaving had probably been the best thing for her, though he wished the situation would have been different. At least she hadn't been completely alone. She'd had Cordelia.

The strange camaraderie between Buffy and the brunette hadn't been lost on him since his arrival. It had definitely seemed odd, but now it all made sense. And Angel found himself feeling grateful that the ex-cheerleader had been there for Buffy when she needed it the most. It didn't cease his heartache, but it helped somewhat to know that someone had been there to support Buffy.

As he looked at Cordelia, he couldn't help but think of that phrase that said sometimes the worst situations bring out the best in people.

"...Name's Allan Francis Doyle, but everybody calls me Doyle..."

"...The Powers know of yer...condition. They are worried that yer at risk because ya can't defend yourself as well. Yer important to them in the fight against evil and they don't wan' ta lose ya because of a demon attack while yer pregnant..."

"...Now don't worry, lass. I'm going ta make sure nothing 'appens to ya, or yer little one..."

The Powers That Be? Doyle? Half demon? Angel's mind was swirling over this latest round of 'let's recap Buffy's life after you ran away'. Whoever these Powers were had had enough interest in Buffy to send a protector for her. He didn't know whether to be glad or concerned over that fact. What was so important about Buffy that they felt the need to send Doyle?

Not that he wasn't grateful for the half demon's presence. It seemed as though this Doyle had been a welcome addition, and had become good friends with both Buffy and Cordelia. Angel couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy that someone else had done what he was supposed to do. He should have been there to keep Buffy safe while she was pregnant. It was his child, after all, he should have been there.

He hadn't been, though, but at least Buffy had others around her when he had abandoned her.

"...Well, Ladies, I'm here with a...business... opportunity for the both, well three, of you..."

"...I...huh?...I mean...let me get this straight. You want us to help you open up and run a club?..."

"...I was told you are looking for somewhere better to live, and I've got all this extra space. So why not put it to good use?..."

"...So do we accept Lorne's offer?..."

"...I guess we do..."

Another piece of the puzzle to Buffy's life fell into place after hearing this latest explanation. He was a bit awed by the generosity of a complete stranger. Lorne, the one with the green skin he'd seen earlier, had opened up his life for two people he didn't know, and given them a chance at a better life. From what Cordelia said, things hadn't been good before that.

They had been given a wonderful opportunity, though, and thrived in it. Pride swelled at all that Buffy had accomplished. She'd been at one of the lowest points in her life and risen from it to make a life for herself and her...their...child. All because of the generosity of a stranger.

Angel knew that the next time he saw the demon named Lorne he would have to say thank you which wouldn't even begin to express his gratitude over what the demon had done.

"...M-my water just broke. I t-think I'm in labor!..."

"...Congratulations, Buffy! It's a girl!..."

"...Have you decided on a name yet?..."

"...Ashlynn Darcy Summers..."

A little girl. She'd had a girl. Their child. And he hadn't been there for any of it. He'd missed seeing her grow with their child, feeling it kick within her stomach, soothing her aches and pains, and experiencing his daughter's birth. He was supposed to be there for those things. That was what fathers did, but not him. He hadn't been there for Buffy or Ashlynn.

Ashlynn Darcy Summers. A shadow of a smile flickered across his face. Buffy had picked an Irish name for her...their...child. It warmed his heart in ways he couldn't begin to express. Despite everything, she'd given the child a piece of his heritage. And they weren't just any names. She'd picked ones with meaning, though he could only imagine the pain it must have caused her.

Logic fought to convince him that this all wasn't possible, but his soul was telling him it was true. He had a daughter.

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Anger. Hate. Fear. Hurt. Pride. Sorrow...what wasn't he feeling as he sat there and listened to Willow and Cordelia highlight Buffy's life. It was almost like watching a movie and experiencing the gamut of emotions that one went through. But this wasn't just a movie. It was something he was connected to. The main character wasn't some bubbling actress playing a roll, it was his Buffy.

He wanted to run into her room and crush her to him in a never-ending hug. So much. She'd been through so much for someone so young. Why did fate have to throw so much at her? Being Called as a Slayer was bad enough, but it hadn't ended there. No, the trials and tribulations had just kept coming and coming and coming for her. And for a while, he'd been there to support her.

Then he'd left, never knowing that she'd gotten pregnant the night they spent together after graduation. He'd often chastised himself for being weak and going to her that night, but knowing now that that joining had resulted in a child he could never regret it. He knew Buffy didn't regret it either. One look at the interaction between Mother and Child was enough to tell him that Ashlynn was the light of her Mother's life. No, there were no regrets anymore about that night.

The question of how the conception was possible vaguely plagued his mind as Angel sat by himself in the living room; Willow and Cordelia having left him alone to brood to go downstairs and research a cure for Buffy with the others. He was vampire. His body wasn't alive. How could he have helped create a child? Angel supposed the why didn't matter because he knew it was true. He didn't know how he knew, but he could feel it in his soul, and he knew that Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia wouldn't lie to him about something like this.

A moving shadow on the wall caught Angel's attention out of the corner of his eye. Raising his head, he saw Lindsey leaning against one of the walls of the living room staring at him openly. Angel fought a growl as he looked over the boyto-...no, he caught himself. This was someone important to Buffy, someone who made her happy. He wasn't going to begrudge her that. If that meant being nice to...Lindsey...then he would, for Buffy's sake.

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TBC!!