Disclaimer: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, and Angel are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and the WB. Not mine, please don't sue.

Chapter 14: We're Off to See the Oracles

"Well, as touching as this little snog-fest is..." Spike spoke up, startling Connor and Dawn out of their lip lock. Dawn flushed to the roots of her hair, and Connor shuffled his feet and looked everywhere but the blond vampire.

"Sorry." Dawn apologized. "We'll behave now." She said.

"It's not much farther." Spike said, indicating he was ready to be back on their way.

"Ok." Dawn's voice was meek. Connor had remained silent throughout the whole exchange, but Dawn thought she'd seen a self-satisfied smirk gracing his lips. "Let's go." She took Connor by the hand and the three of them trudged through the sewers once more.

*

"What have Dawn and Connor done this time?" Angel asked, startling his friends. Willow shot a nervous look at Xander, who held his hands up in a not-me gesture.

"Well, it's complicated." Willow began.

"Very." Anya chimed in. "I'm still not sure I understand it."

"You should sit down." Willow urged.

"Just tell me." Angel said.

"Ok, it's like this..." Lindsey began.

*

The phone in Buffy's room rang, and the petite blond snatched it up.

"Dawn?" She said breathlessly into the phone.

"Hi." Dawn replied, shuffling her feet.

"Where are you?" Buffy demanded.

"I'm trying to help, Buffy. I'm going to fix things." Dawn answered.

"Fix things? What are you talking about, Dawn?" Buffy was confused and angry.

"I'm going to make it better, Buffy, I promise. I'm sorry I can't be there." Dawn's voice cracked.

"Dawn, please, forget this crazy idea of yours. I need you." Buffy was crying as well.

"I can't, Buffy, I'm sorry." Dawn apologized. "I love you."

"I love you too, Dawn. Please, don't do anything stupid." Buffy urged.

"I have to make it right. You'll understand...some day." Dawn inhaled a shuddery breath. "Tell Angel that Connor sends his love."

The phone clicked in Buffy's ear, signaling the end of the conversation. Buffy stared at the phone for a few minutes, and then broke down.

*

Angel stared at Willow in shock.

"How is that even possible?" He asked. Willow shrugged helplessly. "So none of this is real, is that what you're telling me?" Angel shouted.

"Angel, keep your voice down." Lindsey cautioned.

"They can't have changed things that much." Angel clung to hope.

"We don't know what they've changed, Angel. All we know is that they're off somewhere, trying to fix the problem." Willow knew that wasn't what the former vampire really wanted to hear.

"You're saying that none of this is supposed to exist? That Buffy and I aren't supposed to be having a baby together?" Angel cried out.

"I'm not saying that." Willow was tearing up at this point. "What I am saying is that if Dawn and Connor succeed in their plan, then this may not exist anymore...period."

"We have to find them." Lindsey chimed in.

"Where would we look?" Xander asked. "Where would you go if you were trying to reverse something like this?"

"The Oracles." Angel answered them. "They went to the Oracles."

"The who?" Xander asked.

"The Oracles." Angel replied. "They're a direct connection to The Powers That Be."

"And you know they would do something like this because...?" Xander wanted to know.

"I just know." Angel said. "We have to stop them."

*

"See, I told you I could get reception down here." Dawn sing-songed to Connor once she'd composed herself. She slipped her cell back into her pack. Connor gave her an annoyed look, followed by a teasing smile.

"Shouldn't we be there by now?" Connor asked, turning his attention to Spike. He still wasn't completely fine with the vampire's presence, but with Dawn's reassurances and the urgency of their mission, he wasn't going to start another fight and delay things.

"Almost." Spike answered, as the trio rounded a corner. Before them was a fork in the sewers.

"Left or right?" Dawn spoke up, adjusting her backpack. Spike hesitated.

"Do you know?" Connor demanded. It just figured, really. All the crap that Spike had given them, HIM, about being unprepared, and the blonde vamp didn't even really know the way. Wonderful.

"Spike?" Dawn moved to stand next to him. "What's up?"

"We're not alone."

*

"How do you propose we do that?" Lindsey asked. "Odds are they're in L.A. by now and they're probably pretty close to their destination."

"We've got to do something, or all this is going to disappear." Angel was grim.

"We don't know that Angel." Willow tried to reassure him.

"Don't we?" Angel answered her. "Why do you think they're trying to changed things on this night? It's because of Buffy and the baby...whatever they're planning on changing is going to affect Buffy and the baby."

Willow opened her mouth to speak, but a voice from behind them beat her to it.

"Mr. Angel, your wife is asking for you." One of the nurses said.

"Thanks, I'll be right there." He replied. "Think. We've got to do something." Angel said, and then disappeared down the hallway.

*

"The incantation is simple." Spike said to Dawn, sounding rushed. He grabbed a pencil and paper from her pack and scribbled it down. "Just put some sage in the urn near the Gateway, light it and say this. The door should open for you." Spike instructed.

"What about you?" Dawn cried out as he shoved the paper in her hands. "What's back there?"

"Just go, Dawn." Spike ordered.

"No, not without you!" Dawn shouted.

"Get her out of here." Spike commanded Connor. Normally, being ordered around would not have made him listen, but something in Spike's voice said that getting Dawn out of here would be the best thing, so he grabbed her hand and began tugging.

"Which way?" Connor asked.

"Right. Now go." Spike's voice was low. He watched the two teenager's as they headed down the tunnel, before turning around with a smirk. "Come and get me." He said into the darkness around him.

*

Angel hurried into Buffy's hospital room. He found her doctor and several nurses in there, looking busy.

"What's going on?" He demanded. Buffy met his gaze and smiled.

"It's time." She said, her eyes watery.

"Time?" Angel was dumbfounded. The doctor approached him.

"We're going to do a C-section. She's consented to that much. If you gown up, you can join us in the O.R." The doctor told him. He looked down at Buffy with a hopeful smile.

"It's time." He said to her, before placing a kiss on her forehead.

*

Dawn and Connor splashed water up around them as they ran, not caring that their shoes and pants were getting soaked. They were almost there. Almost.

Almost.

They skidded to a stop once the sewer opened into a stone-like cavern.

Finally.

Dawn spotted the ceramic urn Spike had mention and reached into her pack.

"Here goes nothing." She said, glancing at Connor. He put his arm around her. Dawn picked up the sage from her backpack with a shaking hand and dumped some in the urn. Lighting it with one of the matches she'd packed, she began speaking the incantation. Once she was done, she glanced at Connor.

Behind them the doorway suddenly glowed to life.

The teens shared another look, and then stepped inside.