TITLE: Destiny's Child
AUTHOR: sugarwater
E-MAIL: DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, all bow down to the mighty Joss
TIMELINE: Begins mid Season 2
SPOILERS: Probably just about everything
SYNOPSIS: B/A! The Powers That Be have a surprise in store for Buffy and Angel. Btvs re-write – Angel doesn't leave. Whole lot of Fluff and little bit of Angst.
DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere, if you want it, take it, just let me know!
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Very very long epic type story, Chapter 5 takes place in the episode "Anne"
FEEDBACK: Craved, oh please, please, please, REVIEW! Constructive crit very welcome
RATING: T
All summer, Buffy Summers had lived as a normal girl, no slaying, no vampires, just normal life. She was renting a small, modest apartment in LA and working at a nearby diner. The more hours she worked the better she felt, keeping busy seemed to take her mind off Angel but when she was alone he filled her thoughts constantly.

It had been over four months since Buffy had left Sunnydale and she desperately missed her friends. Living in LA had taught her a lot of things. There were so many people there who had nothing, no hope and nobody to turn to, but she had many people that cared about her, friends and family and yet she had ran away from them. She wanted to go back so badly, but she couldn't face her mother and her friends just yet. Especially now that she was heavily pregnant. There was still so much she didn't know. She still had too many questions. Whistler had been vague to say the least. She didn't understand what the baby's purpose was or how her killing Angel would have affected that. What did it all mean?

She was afraid of what her mom would say when she found out about the baby, or what her friends would think. She worried that everyone would be mad with her for not saying goodbye or contacting them to say she was alright, but she just couldn't have. She was hurting so much, all she could do was be alone with no reminders of what had happened with Angel. One thing was for sure, she couldn't stay in LA for much longer. She badly needed to go back but she couldn't face any hurt from them, not after what had happened. She couldn't take anymore pain. There was only one person who could help her now. Giles.

As she walked towards the payphone and picked it up, a single tear slid down her cheek at the prospect of the impending conversation. She thought of him as her father and if he was upset with her she couldn't deal. She put her money in the slot and dialled the familiar number. After a few rings Giles voice was heard on the other end. It was his answering machine. She took a well needed breath, waited for the beep and then spoke quietly into the phone, trying to fight back the lump in her throat.
"Giles…its me, Buffy. I need you. I need your help. I'm in LA. Please come and see me. My address is 1322 Brynhurst Avenue. I know I can count on you."

Giles stared at the rain pounding down on the windscreen as he turned off the ignition and rested his hands on the wheel. It was early morning, around 5am, but the sun had no chance of appearing through the thick black clouds above. Giles was tired, he hadn't slept in two days and he was losing hope. He had just drove the three hour journey home from another lead about Buffy. Every time a possible sighting of a young girl fighting vampires came in he allowed himself to get his hopes up and every time when he arrived it had been for nothing. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Between looking for Buffy, visiting Jenny and now being back at work, he had been on a tight schedule for the past week.

Slowly he opened the car door and walked towards his house, not caring about how wet he was getting. Turning the key in the lock he walked into his dark apartment and sat down at his desk. He noticed the red flashing light on the table and idly hit the button on the machine. Leaning back in his chair he listened to the tape.

"Giles…its me."

Giles recognised the familiar voice instantly and bolted upright, ripping off his glasses and staring at the machine intently. Leaping back up and grabbing his keys, he was closing the door just as the message ended. Finally, he would see her, she was ok and she was alive.

Sleeping wasn't something that Buffy got much of these days, although she craved it. When she closed her eyes she could see him and he was there with her in her dreams. But the moment she woke up he was gone and she was back to reality again.

She lay there awake thinking about him and rubbed her stomach. She could feel her baby kicking under her hand and she smiled. At least she still had a part of Angel with her. She would always have this baby to remind her of her Angel.

Buffy pulled back the covers and carefully pulled herself up into a sitting position. She sighed as she looked through the clothes in her drawer. There were only a few things she could wear now that were baggy enough to fit her and she couldn't afford to buy anything new on her salary. Any money she got went towards food and rent and saving for the baby. She pulled on the white shirt and grey pants she had selected and walked into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of orange juice.

Just as she was about to turn the radio on there was a knock on the door. She thought for a second it could be someone from work but then reasoned that it was too early for social calls. It had to be Giles.

Buffy tentatively opened the door to see her Watcher standing there in disbelief. She began crying the moment she saw him. Giles looked at her and smiled with relief.

"Buffy…thank god you're alright" he bridged the gap between them and hugged her. She clung to his shoulder and cried. He suddenly noticed the extra bump between the two of them and realised she had a lot to tell him. "Oh…Buffy, are you…?" she stood back and looked at him, desperate for him not to be disappointed. She nodded fearfully and then burst out crying again. He held her as she sobbed. This explained a lot.

"I take it Angel is the father?" Giles asked tentatively as he sipped his tea. Buffy poured herself a cup and sat down. "Well unless you've heard any prophecies recently about the second Immaculate Conception I'd say that one's pretty much a gimme".

"I don't understand, I didn't think, I mean, surely it would be impossible for a vampire to have children" Giles said.

"You're telling me. Angel even told me once that he couldn't." Buffy looked down at her mug and fidgeted with her sleeve. "Shame he's not around anymore for me to show him how wrong he was."

Giles eyed her cautiously, "Ah yes, about that, how did it all unfold in the end?"

There was a long pause as the slayer fought back the tears. She gulped and averted his gaze. "Um, well we fought, he awakened Acathla and I had no choice but to kill him. Only problem was right before I was about to finish the job he got his soul back. Willow's spell worked I guess. He was Angel again. He didn't remember anything, he was confused so I kissed him, I told him that I loved him and then I told him to close his eyes and I killed him."

Giles could see the pain written across her face and wished that he could take it all away. "Oh Buffy, I'm so sorry" he reached out and touched her arm as she tried to regain control of her emotions.

"It's ok." She said half smiling. "But anyway, that night, this guy Whistler, well demon actually, he told me how to use the sword, and he knew about my baby." Buffy told her watcher who was listening intently.

"How did he know?" Giles asked bewildered.

"I don't know. He said it was a girl and she was part of some bigger plan thing. Something they'd been planning for a long time. Then he said something about how the three of us were meant to be together, me, Angel and the baby. That they didn't plan on him loosing his soul"

"Good god, so this is all part of some prophecy? I don't think I recall ever reading anything like this…I-I must consult my books about it." Giles said as he thought about the implications this could have on his slayer.

"Please do. I've been going out of my mind trying to figure it all out." Buffy said worriedly. "Giles, Angel was a vampire, ok granted he had a soul but he was still a vampire. You don't think this baby could have any…demon aspects do you?" Buffy asked, dreading the answer.

"I doubt it, but I don't think we can rule anything out right now" Giles said, trying his best not to worry Buffy. "If this man Whistler you spoke to was as you say a demon then I'm not convinced we can trust everything he told you, we don't know what side he's working for."

"But you'll look into it, right?" Buffy asked anxiously.

"Of course" Giles responded smiling warmly.

"So how is everyone back home?" Buffy asked changing the subject.

"Fine, everyone is doing well. Your friends have been taking care of the slaying while you've been away" Giles told her.

"They what!" Buffy interjected.

"Don't worry about them, they have it under control…well, almost." He said not too convincingly. "It's your mother that I'm most concerned about. She's extremely worried about you, you must let her know that you're safe. You have to call her." Giles reasoned.

"I know, I know, I just, I don't think I can face her right now. What am I supposed to say? Hey mom, how have you been all summer? By the way your only daughter is going to be a teenage mother" Buffy looked at Giles with a sullen look hoping that he would have the answers and make it all better.

"You don't think that's something she should hear face to face?" he queried.

Buffy eyed him suspiciously "Don't you mean something she should see face to face? It's kinda hard to miss"

"Ahh…yes, quite." Giles cleaned his glasses once more and smiled at Buffy.

"Anyway your mother aside, this pregnancy seems to be the result of something supernatural going on. And if it is it would mean obvious consequences for you and your child. Either way Buffy I'm not convinced that your return to Sunnydale right now would be a good idea" Giles carefully explained.

"What are you saying? What do you mean?" Buffy worriedly asked.

"Well you're not at full strength, you're vulnerable. And with Sunnydale being at the centre of a mystical convergence, there's a whole host of demons and vampires around that would take this opportunity to attempt to kill you. It's imperative that you keep your current condition a secret. There may also be a great number of demons who want to kill your child too." The watcher explained.

Buffy absorbed what he had just said and realisation hit her "You're right. I'm not able to defend myself as well...Id just get me and my baby hurt…or worse"

"It wouldn't be wise to go back to Sunnydale, but you can't stay here either." Giles said as he looked about the tiny dank apartment.
"Huh?" Buffy queried.

"This place, it's…it's damp and depressing." He looked disdainfully around.

"You're right. I should get someplace nicer. I'll just go pop down to the bank of 'I wish' and take out enough money for a luxury beach house in Phoenix" Buffy said sarcastically.

Giles gave her an exasperated look and walked towards the window. "I'll give you the money. I'll give you whatever you need. You don't have to worry."

"Thank you. It means a lot to me." Buffy smiled at her watcher and then thought for a moment. "So what if this baby is some sort of mystical prophetic kid? I mean I want to return to Sunnydale after she's born, what are you saying? It's not safe for me ever to come back?"

Giles turned to look out the window again. "I think that you will be safe to come back after she's born"

"Uh Giles, hello? I'd have the baby with…" she trailed off, realising what he meant. "Wait….you don't…..No. No, Absolutely not. You can't be asking me that." She said as her voice began to crack.

He spun around to face her, much more serious than before "What did you expect was going to happen? Buffy you are the slayer, you spend your life fighting to save the world, how do you expect to raise a child in that environment? That would be hard enough except this is no normal child. Something very strange is going on. This baby's only chance of survival would be to give her up for adoption and give her to parents who don't know anything about her destiny. I imagine a lot of demons out there want to see her dead and if she's with you they will all know where to find her. If we send her away after she's born no one will ever know her whereabouts. That way she can even have the chance at a normal life. The kind of normal life you have always wanted for yourself. Are you going to deprive your child of that existence?"

Buffy began crying uncontrollably and slid onto the floor. When Giles saw this he realised he had been too hard on her. He knelt down beside her and held her as she cried loudly.

"There has to be another way. It has to work. Please, please it has to, find a way, Giles please!" she begged.

"I'm so sorry Buffy. I only want what's best for you" Giles was almost crying now and felt guilty for shouting at Buffy.

"Giles, this is the only part of Angel I have left. If you take it away, I'll die. Please don't do this to me" Buffy pleaded and cried.
"There's no other way. I'm sorry. You know it's the right thing to do. It's the right thing for your baby." Giles said fighting back his own tears.

Buffy cried like she had never cried before and Giles' heart broke at the pain that this was causing her. He had to find out more. He hoped that for Buffy's sake he was wrong. He hoped that the baby wasn't supernatural at all and then everything would be ok. As he sat there holding her he vowed to do all in his power to make this right.