Chapter 22

"Why don't you believe me?" Connor asked. He, Angel, Spike, Faith, Giles, Illyiria, and Xander were all in Angel's office at the Hyperion the next morning discussing what Connor had found last night. Buffy was out spending the day with Dawn. The sisters had stayed up all night and left early that morning to go eat breakfast and then had decided to stay out and shop all day. Willow was working on Dawn's cell phone, seeing if there was a whammy on it. "I'm telling you, I smelled Shy in there!"

"And I'm telling you that you're not as experienced as me." Angel said. "Shy smelled a lot like stale alcohol and old wood. And, well, you were surrounded by a lot of old wood…. And probably a lot of alcohol considering the neighborhood you were in."

"Spike, help me out here. You believe me. You're the one that told me to follow Elijah, see what I found."

Spike looked put on the spot by the glare coming from Angel. "Hey, kid, you should know better than to follow my advice. I'm a poet, not a shrink."

"You sent my son to follow that boy? Are you crazy? Of course you are! Do you know what could have happened to him?" Angel asked.

"You know what?" Faith stood up. "I think the kid's got a point. And why are you overreacting about it if this guy is so harmless?"

"I'm not overreacting."

"Oh really? So, this whole Jiffy-Pop at maximum heat 'tude is all over a harmless punk who may or may not be a demon?" Angel didn't say anything. "I think we should hear the kid out. He's just like his dad and I think he may be on to something. We've all sensed that there's something off with Elijah-I'm-so-creepy, maybe this is what it is. Maybe he's in good with Shy and the Powers and he's using Dawn to try and break up our happy little family."

"That's a good theory, Faith." Giles said.

"Thanks."

"So, what now?" Xander asked. "Do we go in, guns a-blazin'?"

"I don't think that would be wise." Giles said.

"Neither do I." Angel said.

"If anything, we need to pull some recon." Faith said. "Get the skinny on the situation before guns start blazin."

"Once again, Faith, good job." Giles said.

"I'm looking to claim that gold star any day now."

"So, I'm guessing I'm staying here." Xander said. "I'll just leave this little mission to the big dogs who can be a whole lot quieter than a normal human like me." He stood up. "I'm gonna see what Will's gotten on the whammy-coated Dawnster phone."

"Can you call Buffy and see when she's coming home?" Angel asked. "I'm a little worried..."

"She's fine, dad." Connor said. "Mom's a big girl. She can take care of herself."

Xander backed out of the room and left the planning to the Supers. He wasn't going to call Buffy and have her raging hormones directed at him because of her worry-wart husband. "Hey, Little Red, whatcha got there?"

"A whammy-filled phone."

"Hello Mojo."

Willow chuckled. "This is wound with some intricate detailing! This guy really doesn't want Dawn contacting us or the other way around or both ways or even the outside world for that matter! Take a look at these chips! These don't exist."

"Yet there it is in all its exist-ancy glory."

"And these wires here, those aren't even wires."

"Show me the wires!"
Willow rolled her eyes. "They're strings of tiny magick spells woven together to look like wires, but they're connecting this chip to this non-existent chip here."

"It's all shiny metal and snack food to me, Will."

"Sorry. This sucks! Unless I full on smash this phone to shiny little bits, this spell CANNOT be broken. Man, I wish Fred was here. She'd know more about this than I do."

"Nah. You're Willow. The brain to end all brains."

"I used to be."
"Come on, Will! You've got the techno-witch thing going for you. This should be a piece of magicky pie for you."

Willow glared at Xander. "I'm really not in the mood. This thing's got me all pooped on the magick thinking. I tried everything I can think of to break this, but it's not working."

"Why do you not think to switch the phone for one of its exact replica?" Illyria asked behind them. Apparently she had drifted out of the Supers get together and found herself out here. "I have seen replicas of everything in store windows. Mass production is what this world's financial stability is based upon, is it not?"

"She's got a point." Willow said. She stood up and walked into Angel's office, interrupting him. "Angel, who's your carrier?"

"My what?" Angel asked.

"Where'd you get these phones from?" Willow held up Dawn's phone.

"Oh, um... Sprint, I think."
"You got insurance on it?"

"Of course." Willow walked over to Giles' mug of tea and dropped the cell phone in it. "What are you doing?"

"De-whammy-ing Dawn's phone."

"By taking it for a quick swim in hot tea?" Faith asked.

"It's the only thing I could think of that would get a new phone for Dawn."

"What happened to trying to de-whammy it?" Connor asked.

"It went bust. Angel, call Sprint and tell them that you dropped your phone in tea and you need a new one, but I'll be coming to pick it up, ok?"

Angel looked mildly confused, but he nodded his head. "Ok."

"Xander, make sure that he does it."

"I thought I was coming with you." Xander said.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Boredom?"

"You stay. Hold down the fort. Make sure Angel calls."

"Make sure Angel calls who?" Buffy asked from the doorway. She was standing there with Dawn, each of them holding bags from a deli a few blocks away.

"Buffy!" Angel said, clearly startled and looking like he had just been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.

"What's going on? Who are you supposed to call?"

"Sprint." Willow said. "He was going to try and set up a company account."

"Oh."

"Whatcha got in the bags?" Xander asked.

"Lunch." Buffy said proudly, holding up the bags with Dawn.

"You brought us lunch?" Angel asked, walking over to Buffy. "That's so sweet, sweetie."

"Ok, seriously, what's going on?"

"What would make you think anything was going on?"

"Well, let's see, shall we? Everyone I've ever known... that's still alive... is in this room talking in hushed tones and you just doubled up on a word."

"Did I?"
"'That's so sweet, sweetie'? I'm not dumb."

"Damn, count on you to ruin a good surprise!" Spike said. All heads turned in his direction.

"Surprise?"

"Well, it's ruined now." He stood up and walked over to Buffy and Dawn, taking the deli bags.

"What surprise?"
"Yeah, what surprise Spike?" Faith asked.

"The surprise baby shower we were planning. But now that she's gone and spoiled it..."

"Oh, I didn't mean to!" Buffy said. "Really I didn't." Tears started to form in her eyes. "I promise I'll act real surprised. Honest. Here... Dawn, come on." Buffy grabbed Dawn's hand. "Let's go away and pretend we never heard any of this."

"Buffy..." Angel started.

"Let her go, mate." Spike said. He waited for the doors to close before he continued. "Keeps her out of our hair to plan this recon thing."

"And why don't we want Buffy to know about this?" Xander asked.

"That's easy." Faith chimed in. "So she won't get all upset that Connor went by himself and we're going on a mission without her. We want those buns baked before they come out of the oven."

"Connor went where by himself?" Buffy asked from the doorway. Apparently, she hadn't left. "And what mission? I knew you guys were up to something."

Angel started to protest and start lying to her, but Dawn said, "Might as well fess up."

"We think we know where Shy is." Connor said. "And no, you're not going."

Buffy was silent for a minute, her mind obviously working to put together the pieces. "You went by yourself to find Shy? Are you mental in some way? You could have gotten killed! Or worse!"

"What's worse?"

"There are plenty more things worse than being killed!"

"Now, Buffy, calm down." Giles said.

"Calm down? My son, you know, the one that should only be a toddler right now, went out BY HIMSELF to find a demon that even I couldn't kill! And now you guys are planning on going out there to fight him without me?"

"We're not going to fight him." Spike said. "We're going to make sure its him first. Then we'll fight him."

"No! No fights."

'Why not?"

"Because! We don't want anything to happen to the babies. The Powers are waiting for these babies to be born. I know it. So, we'll be ready for them when I go into labor."

"But we don't know when that will be." Angel said.

"Uh, hello! Three months left on the clock."

"Not necessarily." Giles said. "I've been reading about multiple births and most of them arrive earlier than nine months. Many are born about six weeks early."

"No, my babies are going to be in there for nine months. Then they'll be born, we'll save the world, and we all live happy, normal lives."

"I doubt it's going to be that simple."

"Well, that's my plan."

"Fine." Willow said.

"Fine, what?"

"We won't go."

"You won't?"

"No. You're right. We don't want to stir up anymore trouble. It's coming and we'll be ready. Angel, why don't you get the Slayers to up their training. Faith, call the compound in England and get more Slayers over here. Giles, call Melinda and the coven and see what they can conjure up protection wise."

"You're serious?"

"Of course."

"Good." Buffy nodded. She took one of the deli bags and headed out into the lobby. What she hadn't heard was Willow telling everyone else telepathically to stay put. That recon was the best possible course to pursue so they could nip the Powers' best weapon in the bud before the babies were born.

Elijah sighed and watched his father pace the apartment. "You're sure about this?" Shy asked.

"It's what the Powers told me." Elijah said.

"The Slayer will die in childbirth?"

"Yes! For the millionth time, yes. The Powers are waiting for that to happen. The white hats will be so devastated that the attack will be swift and there will be no chance for a revolt from them. The world is theirs for the taking…. And ours of course."

Shy sat down finally. "This is good. This gives us time to rally our troops."

"Already covered."

"What do you mean?"
"As we speak, the Slayer-training compound in England is being taken over. Slayers are dying by the second. And probably quite brutally, might I add."

"How did you accomplish this?"
"The Powers. They put out a call to all demons in or near the area. As soon as the massacre is over, they'll be headed this way. There's no stopping this now. There's no way the Slayer's friends can stop us."

"How soon?"

"How soon for what?"

"How soon will the birthing process begin?"

"A month or less."

"Where is the Slayer's sister?"

Elijah bristled. The little brat had taken off with the Slayer and he hasn't been able to contact her since. The witch must have done something to his spells on the phone. His hold over Dawn was breaking. Instead of admitting what could be a failure, Elijah stood and stormed out of the apartment. Dawn had to come home eventually.