The Sacrifices
Chapter 23: Return
Xander drove, nervous again for no reason other than there was another kidnapped baby in his car, two vengeance demons in the back, and a dead looking guy in the trunk. There was no explaining that. On the other hand Buffy didn't seem too worried about anything except if the baby was hungry.
"I'm making a rule, no one brings home any more stray babies," Xander said as Buffy tickled the baby's stomach.
"You started it," Buffy pointed out. Then she gave her full attention back to the baby to make sure she didn't put her dirty, little fingers in her mouth.
"You're worrying me. Stop bonding with the baby," Xander told her.
"But look at her, she is going to kick major ass. You should have heard her crying," Buffy said proudly.
"Oh no, thanks," Xander said hoping that the baby wouldn't demonstrate her crying abilities in the small, enclosed space.
"Loud enough to raise the dead. But only figuratively speaking," Halfrek said joining the conversation. "She was magnificent! The spirit of the little ones can be quite impressive until it's squashed and obliterated."
"Ever try motivational speaking?" Xander asked.
"Yes," Halfrek answered. She sounded like she meant it, but Xander didn't want to ask any follow up questions. He knew from his experience with Anya that most vengeance demon stories ended with someone getting disemboweled or turned into something, or both.
"Did you hear anything about this one? Anything on the news?" Buffy asked about the baby.
"Only that she went missing. And a man in a chicken suit was seen prowling the neighborhood. Our dead demon, I'm thinking." Xander had turned on the radio during his drive to get them. There was news of the mysterious return of the other baby too.
"There are some parents who will have to answer for this," Halfrek said jumping into the conversation again with the vengeance demon's perspective on things.
"She was probably snatched from her bed. I bet the parents didn't even know. They must have thought she was sleeping," Buffy told her to forestall any spontaneous display of vengeance.
"Good parents would know," Halfrek insisted.
Xander looked in his rear view mirror. He could see Anya. She was quietly staring out the window, looking a little sullen.
As Halfrek chattered behind her, something about eye gouging, Buffy ran her fingers over the soft dark curls of the child's hair. The baby was quiet as if the drive soothed her. Buffy watched the streets start to light up with the dawn's wan sunlight. Streetlights faded, still on but insignificant and unneeded now, outmatched. Still the sun wasn't in full force. The day still hadn't arrived, and it showed. Moonlight had a brightness to it, an evening gown's elegance. This was just weak sunlight, making everything look washed out and sad. Something we were supposed to sleep through. The day not ready to be seen.
They passed only two other cars and a homeless man sleeping on a bus stop bench. Buffy absently twirled the baby's hair around the tip of her finger. Then she spotted a figure ahead of them.
"Xander, that's a cop," Buffy told Xander in a calm voice so he wouldn't slam on the breaks. She watched his knuckles turn white.
"I recognize that guy from my patrols and his patrols, I guess. Xander, turn here slowly," she told him as they neared an alley. Xander did.
"Stop," she said and Xander looked at her.
They were in an alley behind a deli. There was a dumpster and some crates.
"Are we dumping the body?" Halfrek asked, but it sounded more like a suggestion.
"No, we are returning this kid," Buffy told them.
"Not keeping her then," Xander said a little reassured.
"Wait for me here." Buffy got out of the car with the baby and peered around the corner. Then she was gone.
While Willow dozed, Dawn flipped the channels watching different stations cover the same news about the returned baby. The parents were on their way to Sunnydale to be reunited with their son. That was the best part. Dawn was hoping to see them happy and holding him, but they didn't have any footage of that yet. She got bored and put the remote down. Seeing the bag of baby stuff by the couch she poked Willow in the arm.
"What about the stuff, the baby contraband?" she asked Willow who rubbed her arm and frowned.
"We'll have to take it somewhere where no one can find it," Willow said vaguely.
"The bottom of Buffy's closet," Dawn suggested without hesitation. "She just throws things down there. Then she accuses me of taking her stuff." Dawn made a grumpy face then looked at Willow for sympathy.
Willow looked kind of sleepy. Dawn remembered that she overheard Buffy telling Xander that Willow had trouble sleeping.
"How about the basement? For now. We'll take it to the dump tomorrow," Willow decided.
"Buffy's closet. Dump. Same thing," Dawn said again.
Once the bag was hidden in the basement, Dawn and Willow went upstairs. Dawn wandered toward Buffy's room.
"Do you think everything is OK?" Dawn asked as she went in.
"Buffy called, so that's a good sign," Willow told her. She paused at the doorway.
"But maybe she is tied up over a pit of molten lava, and she dialed with her nose," Dawn proposed as she opened Buffy's closet and pointed to some shoes and wrinkled clothes mixed together on the floor. Willow didn't look appropriately appalled at all.
"They'll be here soon. Do you want to lie down till they come back?" Willow asked. Actually, Willow looked like the one who wanted to lie down.
"I can't. I'm all up and at 'em. But I won't be good for anything school-like tomorrow," Dawn added quickly. "Maybe after I wake up around noon."
"Oh, I'm thinking at least 2:00," Willow said as she sat on Buffy's bed.
"Does it bother you, being here?" Dawn asked seeing Willow sitting so close to the spot where Dawn had found Tara.
"Yes." A simple and quick answer came from Willow. Dawn felt kind of dumb for asking. Of course it did.
Willow's eyes were down looking at the floor. Dawn was thinking about the broken window. It was fixed. But there were always windows breaking in their house.
"That's why Buffy switched rooms," Dawn explained unnecessarily. "For when you came back, you wouldn't have to..." Dawn didn't finish. Wouldn't have to what? She was so dumb. Willow just smiled sadly.
"Buffy and Xander will be back soon," Willow reassured her. Dawn thought she was being pretty cool, not all 'when is Buffy coming home?' like some baby. But Willow could tell.
From her own patrols, Buffy knew the routine of the cops that walked the beat around there. She tried not to let them see her prowling around too often. A few times she had to cut her stakings pretty close. When a cop went by, there would be no assault in progress - just a nice, law-abiding insomniac and a pile of dust swirling around somewhere by her feet.
The last time she found a drunk leaning against a car, trying a Toyota car key on an Accord door. She sent him home before some vamp decided to drain him dry and save himself a bar tab at Willie's.
And in the nick of time as a vamp was getting ready to do just that. Of course the vamp didn't hold a grudge. He was perfectly happy to settle for Buffy. So she gave him the look she reserved for those who thought she was easy and a stake through the heart.
The drunk hadn't gotten far though since he couldn't remember where he lived. He thought it might be Cleveland. Seeing the vamp turn to dust sent the drunk guy lurching down the street. After some yelling, he got the attention of the cop who was only a block away. Buffy hid and the drunk guy got himself arrested for being drunk and disorderly. A happy ending for everyone. Except the drunk guy. And the vamp.
At this time of the morning, it was too late for vampires. The cop would be making another pass that way. Turning soon, he would be going through a little park - well two benches, a fountain, and some trees. There was also a plaque of some kind.
Buffy crouched behind a parked car and made sure no one was around. The baby looked restless, turning her head like she was searching for something. Buffy touched her dark, almost black hair. The baby wrinkled her nose. Seeing her pretty pink outfit all dirty, Buffy wished she had a chance to clean her up a little for her homecoming.
"I'll get you home," she promised.
Buffy circled around approaching the park from the other side. The whole time she hoped that the baby would stay quiet.
Before the cop came around the corner, Buffy put the baby by the path and she went away to hide. She saw him turn into the park and watched his pace quicken as he glimpsed something. Then he ran to the baby. When he got on his radio, he scared the baby and she started crying.
Buffy sneaked away before the cop spotted her. For a second, she thought she saw a skinny, old man watching her from across the street.
To be continued