Hey I am appledude86 on neopets and a member of the guild. This is my second chapter and it is late again (this happens to be a pattern) but it's really good! I assure you. There won't be a dry eye in the place after you get to the bottom. Enjoy!

: Two weeks later :
(Wednesday 8:30am)

Buffy yawned as she crossed the upstairs hallway towards the bathroom. It
had been a grueling stay in London thus far and all she wanted right now was a nice warm bath.
"Dawn you need to hurry the hell up," Buffy said as she rapped on the closed door.
"Just a minute I am kinda busy right now," called a muffled voice inside
the room.
"What could possibly be taking so long? You have been in there for over
twenty minutes," yelled a frustrated Buffy.
"You of all people should understand what I am doing," said Dawn. Xander
came out of a room further down the hallway. He was walking very rigidly. He
injured his back in the previous fight. Xander continued towards Buffy.
"Unless you are taking a scolding hot bath and fantasizing about Brad Pitt,
no I don't understand what you are doing," said Buffy.
"It's a girl thing Buffy," yelled Dawn now frustrated.
"Oh. Oh. Do you need a -" Buffy, now realizing Xander was right next to
her lowered her voice and continued. "Do you need a, you know, thing? Because I have some in my suitcase-"

"No I got it under control Buffy," said Dawn. Dawn emerged from the
bathroom looking extremely tired.
"You poor thing. Don't worry I will be feeling your pain in a few days but
for now I just want to take a nice warm bath. So move. Oh and Dawn you can
help yourself to a Hershey bar in my room. It helps." Buffy closed the door
behind her and dropped her robe to the floor. She quickly stood on it realizing how cold

the tile on the floor was.
> > > > > > > >

Xander walked down the stairs and made his way to the kitchen.

"Good morning," came a voice directing behind Xander.
"Holy-" Xander, taken by surprised tripped on one of the cracks formed by
the earthquake and fell onto his already sore back. His eyes or eye fluttered open to

reveal Connor staring down at him.

"Sorry dude are you okay," he asked peering into Xander's face.
"No problem dude I just hurt my back that's all. A little help here," Xander asked struggling to get up.

"Yeah no prob," said Connor grabbing Xander's arm.
"Ow ow ow ow. Okay ow," said Xander gripping his back.

"Okay this isn't going to work here I will bring you over to the couch," Connor lifted up Xander into his arms and carried him to the couch.

"Well this is a bit awkward," said Xander resting on the couch.

"I have seen worse," replied Connor.

"So why are you up so early. Shouldn't you teenagers be asleep until noon
at least," Xander asked.

"I was busy last night. I didn't get much sleep," said Connor.

"Busy...doing...wha-" Xander fell immediately asleep. Connor only smiled
at him and went upstairs to give Dawn a good morning welcome when a voice
behind stopped him.
"You have been busy these past nights. Your secret is safe with me," said
Illyria emerging from a dark corner. Connor smirked at her and continued
upstairs.
> > > > > > > >

Buffy squared her shoulders while she gazed at herself in the mirror. She
had a long gash down her face from a few nights previous. It was healing
pretty well, but not as fast as she'd like. Her back was all bruised and she
broke right index finger as well.
"I'm getting old," she pouted as she slipped into the warm water. She let
the water cascade over her shoulders as she lay there in the bathtub. She
was at peace.
> > > > > > > > >

As Buffy came downstairs she saw that everyone was mostly up. The morning
routine had started, people fighting over the last grain of cereal and the
last drop of milk. Giles was sitting in a reclined chair reading in some
demon book with a cup of coffee at hand. Willow was enjoying a nice cup of
green tea and Spike was indulging in a lovely pint of pig's blood.

"Can I pop your tart?" asked Connor jokingly to Dawn. Buffy rolled her eyes
and continued to the fridge.
"Strawberry, my favorite," said Dawn smiling at Connor. She all of a sudden
stumbled and caught herself on the counter. She was clutching her stomach.
"Are you okay Dawnie?" questioned Buffy as she put her hand on her back
supporting her.
"Yeah I am fine. I think it's just the food we had last night that's all,"
she said as she winced.
"Oh, well take it easy," said Buffy helping her into a chair. Buffy opened
the fridge and to her surprise she saw the bottles of Giles' beer start to
shake. Plates fell from their cabinet almost coming in contact with Willow's
head.

"God not again!" yelled Angel. Suddenly it stopped. It went as fast as it came, leaving the gang even more confused.

"Maybe it was a truck passing by?" suggested Tara.

"Well if it was I would very much like to call the number on the back of
those things. Because he must have been driving extremely fast," Willow said
as she picked up the mug of tea that spilled on her lap. She winced as she
placed it on the table.

"You guys, am I seeing things or is it-" said a cut off Connor.
"Getting darker," said Angel standing in the window.
"Angel! Get away from the window you moron!" yelled Anya.
"Don't have to," he said as he looked out the window.
"What the bloody hell is going on," said Giles walking over to Angel.
"Solar eclipse," Angel replied.
"Nonsense! I didn't see anything like that on my-" said Wesley.
"That being the point," said Buffy. "Quick we need flashlights or candles,"
said Buffy.
Giles chuckled, "Well it can't get that dark." All of a sudden the light
disappeared leaving everyone in the dark. It was completely silent.

"I have never seen it this dark since, well, ever," said Buffy.
"It's completely black out there. I can't see anything let alone anything 3
feet in front of me," said a puzzled Giles. In the distance they heard a low
humming. It grew louder and louder with each passing heartbeat. Everyone was
now standing and alarmed.

"Is it a-" Xander tried to say.
"Car! Giles move!" Buffy yelled as she threw herself into Giles. The both
went flying into the living room as the car crashed through the house. Glass
and wood flew everywhere and rained on the innocent bystanders. The mangled
car had gone through two walls before finally stopping at the last wall in
the back of the house.

"Holy-wow," said an amazed Xander. Buffy picked herself up, her head was
swirling. She couldn't see anything; it was too dark.
"Is everyone alri-" Buffy was cut off by glass breaking upstairs. Buffy
spun around facing the stair case.

"Buffy, there isn't anyone in the car!" yelled Dawn.
"Lucky them," said Buffy who apparently was the only one who heard the
noise.
"Uh am I the only one who heard something go bang up stairs?" asked Faith.
"No," replied Buffy about to start up the stairs. All of a sudden groups of
vampires swarmed the house, from both floors. The group were desperately
trying to communicate with each other. Everyone's vision was impaired except
for Spike and Angel. The two immediately started into action. The only way
they could defeat them was by means of decapitation. Meanwhile Buffy and
Faith tried to group everyone together.

"Dawn! Where's Dawn?" asked a frantic Buffy.
"I am right here. I just can't find Co-" Dawn suddenly fell to the ground
presumably unconscious. Buffy groped the ground trying to find her sister.

"Angel help me! Where is Dawn?" yelled Buffy.
"She's to the left," he said as he was fighting two vamps.
"This way!" said Buffy.
"No the other way. My left your right. Or your left my right," Angel said
confusing himself. He started moving his hands to figure out which direction
Dawn was to Buffy until he was struck down by someone.
"Try your left Buffy," Spike panted. His voice came the same direction
Angel's did.

"My left..." Buffy found Dawn's hair. "Here she is!" she said gripping it
tightly.
"Ow! Damn it," said Dawn.
"Oh, you are awake. That was, well awkward," Buffy said.
"Or painful," Dawn said getting up.

"Where's Angel," asked Buffy.
"He had to take a time out," laughed Spike. Over the next few minutes the
gang had managed to find some sort of light and dust almost all of the
vampires.

All of a sudden a sharp deep voice pierced the air, "The new being must
die! It must!"

"This is suicide I am getting out of here," another voice replied.
"Traitor!" the deep voice replied and decapitated him.
"Hell with this. I value my undead life!" another yelled and made for the
door and as did the rest of the vampires.
"We will be back. We will!" the deeper one yelled and vanished. It was calm
and quiet for what seemed like hours. The light started to come back to London. Slowly

it crept it's way to Giles mangled house.

"Well I think we are going to have to find a new home," said Oz.
"Say that again," replied Anya.
"Well I think we are goin-"
"Where's Connor?" yelled Dawn.
"Yeah where is he," agreed Angel. The group started to search the house and
property but no sign of Connor could be traced.
"Oh..my...God," said Buffy as she was leaning next to the car.
"What's the matter? Oh my-" Xander said as he immediately turned and looked
the other way with his hand over his mouth.

"What? Did you find him!" yelled a frustrated Dawn.
"Holy shi-" yelled Dawn.
"Dawnie please don't look," said Buffy closing her sister's mouth and her
eyes and brought her away from the car. Meanwhile Angel awoke from the ground.

"Spike I am going to kill- what's the matter?" asked Angel when he saw the
crowd form around the car. Willow and Tara were weeping and the rest were
quiet.
"Is it- Connor!" Angel rushed over to his son who's upper body was pinned
against the wall. The rest of his remains were buried under rumbled below
the car.
"NO! It didn't happen, it can't happen! He can't be dead, he can't!" yelled
Dawn who was trying to get out of her sister's grasp. Angel remained quiet
while a tear slipped down his cheek. Dawn bent Buffy's broken finger to get
out of her arms and rushed over to her boyfriend.
The next hour was the hardest and darkest moment the group had seen yet.
Dawn ended up in Angel's lap weeping with him while the only thing the
other's could do was stand and watch. Later, Giles had called from a neighbor's

home an ambulance to take Connor's corpse away.
"No I want it sent to Los Angeles California. Here is the address," said Wesley,

talking to the coroner about Connor's last trip home. Angel had retreated to

the darkest part of the house and wasn't heard from. Dawn had
tried to go with Connor's corpse but Buffy had stopped her. Dawn collapsed
on the front lawn as she watched the ambulance drive away. Neighbors were
outside mumbling to each other as they saw the events unfold. Buffy had
fallen to the ground with Dawn and embraced her.

"No! He's alive I know he must be alive!" yelled Dawn.
"Shh... It's going to be okay. Just calm down. He's gone now there isn't
anything you could have done," said Buffy hugging Dawn.

"I loved him so much!" said Dawn with tears pouring down her face.
"I know you did I know. He's with mom now. He is all right just try to calm
down," said Buffy who now had tears coming down her face as well.
"Buffy it's not only that. I wasn't able to tell him something. Something
really important!" said Dawn.

"It doesn't matter now just let it go," said Buffy calmly.
"No it does matter! Buffy I don't know how it happened. We were so careful,
I have no idea how it happened."

"How what happened," Buffy's voice changed as she withdrew her sister and
looked her in the eye.
"Buffy. I-I'm...pregnant," said Dawn.
"You're what!" yelled Buffy.