Chapter 16

"Buffy!" Angel yelled. He didn't understand why she wasn't fighting back. Maybe she was under some spell. "Buffy! Snap out of it, baby! Willow, do something."

"Kinda busy here Angel!" Willow called back. She was concentrating on the force-field of electricity that surrounded her and kept the demons at bay. By the look on her face, she was trying to extend it, but the demons kept jumping at her and knocking the field back.

Angel grunted with exertion and shoved the demons out of the way. He managed to dive under the legs of one and grab onto Shy's rock-hard ankle. Before the demon had time to react, Angel pulled with all his might and toppled Shy. Buffy came crashing limply to the floor, half conscience. Angel picked her up and placed her behind the altar, letting her come around. The floor began to shake and Angel looked up to see Shy clambering towards him and Buffy.

"I will have the key!" Shy bellowed.

"Dawn!" Angel yelled. Dawn turned away from the demon she was fighting by the front of the pews and jumped over the railing, running over to Angel. "Watch your sister."

"Is she gonna be ok?" Dawn asked, holding her sister's head in her lap.

"Just help her come around." With that, Angel threw himself at Shy.

"Oh... Buffy, wake up! This is so not good." Dawn patted Buffy's back. "You're ok. You're safe."

"Where's... Connor?" Buffy asked, coughing and wheezing.

"He's out there helping Angel fight off Shy." Buffy shook her head. "What? What is it?"

"He... needs to... be... be here."

"Why?" Buffy coughed and gasped for air. Her throat felt like it was on fire as it tried to fix itself and her lungs burned twice as hard. She was about to attempt to say something, but Dawn screamed as a demon appeared beside the alter. Buffy struggled to her feet and grabbed Dawn's hand. She pulled them into the little room where the priest must get ready for funerals and slammed the door, bolting it shut. "What are you doing?"

"Help me barricade."

"Why? Aren't you going to fight?" The demon threw himself against the door and Buffy managed to move a couch in front of it. "Buffy!"

"Just help me!"

Dawn helped Buffy pile things on and around the couch. When there was no more stuff to put in front of the door, Dawn turned to Buffy and saw the frightened look on her face. "Buffy, what's wrong?" Dawn hugged her sister tightly.

"I can't. I can't do it anymore." Buffy started to cry. "It's too much."

"What is?" Dawn jumped a little as the demon was joined by more demons slamming against the door.

"I can't risk this life inside me."

"Buffy, you've risked your life over and over. What's wrong with you? Are you under a spell or something?"

"I'm not protected. I can't do it. It's not a gift! Not now."

"Buffy..." The demon's slammed hard against the door, moving the barricade an inch or two. "You have to get over this. You have to fight."

"I can't!"

"You can. You're Buffy the Vampire Slayer! You defeated the First Evil! You're my big sister who sacrificed herself to save me!"

"Dawn, I can't fight anymore."

"Did you lose your powers?"

"No. I just... I can't."

Dawn let out a yelp as the barricade moved further back. "Buffy!"

"That's right, follow Spikey!" Spike yelled from out in the chapel.

"Spike?" Dawn called.

"I'm here, Little Bits!"

"Buffy's lost it in here! She's really flipped her lid. She needs help."

"I'm trying!"

"I can't." Buffy muttered to herself, tears still falling.

"Oh God, she's really wigged." Dawn went to her sister and held her, letting her sister cry on her shoulder. "Shh. It's ok. Spike's here." The barricade finally fell, but it wasn't a nasty demon standing there, it was Angel.

"Buffy? Baby, what's wrong?" Angel ran to her and picked her up in his arms like a child. "Shh. Don't cry. It's over."

"What's wrong?" Faith asked, walking into the little room.

"It's Buffy. She's completely wigged." Dawn said. She noticed the look that passed between Spike and Xander. "What?"

"What?" The two men asked.

"What do you mean 'what'? You two know something."

"No we don't." Spike said.
"Yes you do."

"What would make you say that?" Xander asked.

"I saw that look you two shared."

"It was a look of concern for our friend."

"What are you hiding?" Faith asked. "I know you. You're a bad liar."

"Do you know something?" Angel asked, still holding tightly to Buffy.

"No!" Xander and Spike both said.

"Where's Connor?" Buffy asked, pushing away from Angel. "Where is he?"

"He's out there with Willow. He's ok." Angel said gently.

Buffy ignored him and walked out into the chapel. Connor was checking the demons to make sure they were all dead. "Connor." Buffy ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm ok mom." Connor said. "It's ok. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being such a bad mother."
"You're not a bad mother."

"I am. I let Holtz take you."

"There was nothing you could do. You and dad both tried…."

"If I'd have just…."

"Shh. Come on, mom, let's get you home."

"She's asleep." Angel announced, walking down the stairs into the living room. "Now, does someone want to tell me what the hell happened back there?"

"Shy attacked, we fought back." Xander said.

"I think he means with Buffy." Dawn said. "I've never seen her like that before. She was completely wigged."

"She was so broken." Faith said. "And I don't mean from Shy crushing her vocals."

"What are you not telling me?" Angel asked Xander and Spike. They started to protest, but Angel cut them off. "No lies."

"We promised we wouldn't tell you." Xander said.

"Tell me what?"

"About why Buffy got so scared tonight."

"I think I deserve to know so I can fight it and kill it and get Buffy back to normal."

"That won't be happenin' any time soon, mate." Spike said. "At least not for seven or eight months."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know she'll have our heads if we tell him." Xander said to Spike.

"She can't hide it forever." Spike said.

"Everyone will know soon enough. I'm sure that she would have had to have explained it to everyone before the week was out."

"If you two don't start talking, I'm gonna…."

"Buffy's pregnant!" Willow blurted. They all stared at her.

"That's really not that funny, Willow." Dawn said.

"She made Xander promise not to tell anyone, but he told me. And Buffy told Spike apparently. That's where they were today. At the hospital. That's why Buffy's been so sick lately. I'm sorry, Xander."

Everyone looked over at Angel's face. Spike stood up and walked over to Angel. "Not that I'm much for playing friends with you, but are you all right?"

"Why didn't she tell me?" Angel asked quietly.

"She said that if something happened…. To the baby, it wouldn't hurt you. She didn't tell you to protect you. Just like before."

"Before?"

"Oh right, she didn't tell you about that one, either. Do you remember that whole 'bad Chinese' bit last year?"

Angel nodded and then understood. "She thought…."

"And she didn't tell you because she didn't want to hurt you."

"How?"

"Well, she didn't want you to get all broody because you had a law firm to ru…."

"No, I mean, how can she be pregnant? I can't…. at least, I thought I couldn't."

"The way I figure it," Xander said. "It's these Ancient guys giving Buffy hope for a better future. Giving us all hope for a better future."

"Oh my God!" Connor said suddenly.

"What?" Willow asked.

"I'm gonna be a big brother!" They all started at him, bewildered. "This is amazing! I'm gonna be a big brother!"

"You guys will have a second chance to raise a baby." Faith said to Angel.

"Uh huh." Angel turned and walked up the stairs.

"He didn't seem happy." Willow said. "Shouldn't he be happy?"
"It's a lot to process, Red." Spike said. "Buffy's still having a hard time grasping this."

Angel ignored them as he headed up the stairs to his and Buffy's room. There she was, sleeping soundly amongst the soft sheets, and she was carrying his child. Their second child. Quietly, he walked over to her and kneeled down beside her. He could hear it now. The faint heartbeat of the baby just under hers. Her skin glowed, just like the first time. He placed his hand over her stomach and stared in amazement at what they'd created. Silently, he bowed his head and prayed to the Ancient Ones to keep this baby safe and to keep his wife safe.

Buffy stirred in her sleep and murmured his name. "I'm here, baby." Angel said softly, kissing her hair and stroking her cheek. "I won't leave you. And I want you to know that I'm not mad at you. I understand why you kept it from me. I just want you to know that no matter what, you should be able to tell me anything so you don't have to go through that pain by yourself. I'll always be there to comfort you and hold you." He kissed her hair again. "I'm not going anywhere."

The next morning, Buffy woke up to Angel standing over her with a breakfast tray and a huge smile on his face. "Good morning."

"Mmm…. Morning." Buffy sat up groggily. "What's going on?"

"I made you breakfast in bed."

"Why?"

"Just thought you could use a little pampering."

"I'm not really that hungry."

"Oh." Angel's face fell.

"But it was nice of you to think about me." Buffy quickly amended.

"I'm always thinking about you."

"Oh God, they told you, didn't they?"

"I made them." Angel said.

"God, I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to find out like that."

"It's ok. Really. I'm not mad."

"You're not?"

"No! Of course not." Angel slipped into bed with her and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm just happy you're ok."

"I don't know what happened to me last night. I just…. Panicked! I saw him coming towards me and the very thought of him getting in one good blow and…. I couldn't do it."

"It's ok."

"What happened last night?"

"We won. For now."

"What happened to Shy?"

"Connor and I managed to break his arm and take off the bottom half of it. Willow's gonna use it to see if there's a way to figure out how to kill him and…."

Buffy let out a sob, interrupting him. "Angel…. I'm so scared."

"Shh. I am too."

"You don't understand. I don't know if I can fight because I don't know if this baby is protected like Connor was. I can't risk it. We'll never know if there will be another chance to…." She sobbed again, cutting off her own sentence.

Angel pulled her closer as she started to cry harder. He hated seeing her so broken like this. "I have an idea."

"What?"

"We can take your mind off of it by going shopping."

"Shopping?"

"Yeah! We need to decorate the other room and turn it into a nursery, don't we? All of Connor's baby things were destroyed with Sunnydale, so we definitely need new furniture and clothes and toys."

"What about work?"

"The gang will take care of it. They just want you to be ok. They were really worried about you last night." Buffy's eyes widened. "What?" She shoved him away and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Angel smile slightly and picked up the phone, calling the office.