Disclaimer:

All characters from BtVS, Angel, and Charmed are the property of Joss Whedon and Aaron Spelling, respectively.

Summary:

AU Crossover between the Charmed and Buffy-verses. Willow and Cole meet the new arrival to Angel and Buffy's family. Cole is upset when he meets the new arrival.

Author's Note:

Please read and review. Come on, I know you guys are out there! I really thought I'd have gotten more reviews with that last chapter. What? Did you all have to much to eat over Christmas and don't have any time to review anymore. Please? I'm begging here!

Chapter 28 – And Baby Makes Three

Willow wasn't sure what to make of the little bundle in her arms. Oh, make no mistake, he was a beautiful baby. He had a beautiful mop of thick black hair as well as the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. They looked to be nearly cobalt in color. But, there was something different about him. He certainly wasn't human. She could feel a darkness in him. Quite like (but also quite different) as the darkness that emanated from her husband.

Giles was also quite concerned. It was quite obvious that Buffy (and Angel) had become devoted to this child. But he wasn't sure. Part of it was concern that they could take care of a child. Slayers rarely had children. As far as he had been able to determine, Robin's mother had been the only Slayer to even have a child. Of course, most of this was due to the fact that Watchers traditionally had kept a very firm leash on their Slayers. Even had one reached the exalted age that they would normally bear children, the Watchers did not encourage relationships for their Slayers. Giles chuckled inwardly. And, of course, Buffy wasn't your typical Slayer.

Also, there was the circumstance of finding the child. Those had been very suspicious. Giles' first instinct had been to consult his books. However, after all the years he'd spent with his three "children," he had learned to care for them first, and his duty second. He would consult his books, but it would be privately without Buffy present. He really didn't want to upset her.

What had really put the topper on it, though, had been Willow's reaction when she held the child. She was... well, not quite tense... but she had a certain frisson of awareness. One that he'd noticed. He was sure Angel and Spike had as well. As for Buffy? He wasn't sure. Willow quickly covered it up, but he could tell. There was something about the baby that disturbed her. But, Willow, as he, suppressed it in order to not disturb her friend. Giles was pensive about it all. What was it about this child? Would it be safe for Buffy to keep? Keep! Just how did they manage to adopt a child that they just found?

"Angel." Giles began.

Angel looked up from his new son to look at his... what? Watcher-in-law? "Yes, Giles?"

"Well, I was just wondering... How did you manager to adopt a child you just found." Giles cringed as he felt and heard Buffy's gasp. He looked into his Slayer's eyes and paled at the pain he had put there. "Buffy, it's not like that... I just want to know how you handled the paperwork. There should be a lot of it. The child..."

"Giles, Giles, I understand. It's alright, baby." He soothed to Buffy, who nodded and smiled happily. She turned back to the infant. Giles swore inwardly. What was to be done? If something was wrong, as he felt it was, there was really no turning back. Buffy loved this child. She would most likely fight to her dying breath for it. "You see, Giles, there's this... well, vampire... he produces identities and paperwork for vampires that need to move on. He's in Nick's community. It's a lot harder to move on these days of computers and records, you know. In the old days, well, you just moved. No background needed. Well, we just paid him and he provided everything we needed."

Angel nearly laughed as he heard a hum from Giles as he processed this information. That man would never change. Whichwas justas well. As a vampire, he liked constancy. It gave him a sense of ease. However, what did concern him was the reaction Giles and Willow had had to young Kieran. He had disturbed both of them – on different levels. Giles, because of his nature... Giles was, like any librarian, prone to categorize and cross-reference whatever he came across. And, Kieran didn't fit in any box as yet. However, it was Willow's reaction that had upset Angel. She had felt something. Some sense she had – women's intuition, wicca, even something demonic – had sent her a signal. What this signal was, he didn't know. He looked to Spike who was playing with Willow's two young children. He felt his grand-Sire's eyes on him and looked up.

Spike had been lying on the floor coloring with little Buffy when he felt Angel's eyes on him. It was beginning to disturb him. He had lived – or unlived – a century without Angel. He had learned how not to need him. He had felt he would never need him again. How wrong he was. He should never have come to Toronto. Being so close to Angel, especially once he'd bonded with Drusilla, was far too dangerous. He could feel Angel more now. He could feel his every glance. He knew when he was tense. He could feel everything. It was only a matter of time. Soon, he could feel it in the very air, the smells, the sounds. Soon, Angel would exercise his dominance, and he'll be trapped again. The problem was, he wanted to be there. It was very comfortable belonging to Angel. And, this time, there'd be no Ice Queen. He looked over at Buffy – and there'd be no way in Hell Angel'd share his current Queen.

He looked up into Angel's eyes. He had been disturbed by the reaction of Willow and Giles to the babe. Hell! He could've told him that it wouldn't go smooth. And Xander hasn't even been here yet! He didn't know what the old poof expected from him. Sympathy? Commiseration? Huh. He looked back down and began to color with little Buffy again. That's when he heard it. Damn. It was a high-pitched growl. Really only audible to one of their lineage of vampires. That's it, is it? He looked back up and answered back. Childe to Sire. His answer back seemed to have satisfied Angel. But it hadn't satisfied him. No. His troubles were only beginning and they had nothing to do with the newest member of Angel's family.

Willow raised her eyes at the two vampires and looked across questioningly to Buffy. She had a very odd, enigmatic smile on her face. She knew. She knew what was happening. And it was okay with her. It was blatantly obvious to Willow what Angel was doing. He was reclaiming his Childe. Which, of course, was perfectly understandable – for Angelus. But not for Angel. Angel had always denied the vampire, mind and body. He didn't want to do things a vampire would do, he didn't want to feel what vampire would feel, and he most certainly did not want to desire things a vampire would desire. But something had changed. Willow could feel it. Buffy seemed to accept it. And, looking at Giles, he looked like he expected it. But, it didn't seem to worry Giles. Perhaps...

The human adults started as the door opened and shut. Little Buffy and Ben leapt up and ran to the door and their father. "Daddy!" "Daddy!" Their little voices rang through the house. Willow winced as she heard the babe in her arms add his voice to theirs. But, where they were happy, his voice was angry. He didn't like to be woken up. That's what really cemented her worries about this child. She lifted him up and placed him in his new mother's expectant arms, listening with only half an ear to Buffy's maternal cooing. The child hadn't been scared or needy when he had cried. No, he had been angry. She had felt that. And that worried her more than anything else.

"Hey, baby, how was..." Cole started and Willow turned up to take his kiss. But he had stopped. He was looking at the baby Kieran with such an odd... "What the hell is THAT doing here? You have to return it!"

Cole was shocked. How could they? Why would they dare? He began to approach the child, having every intention to return it. But Buffy held it tighter to her chest and he found himself facing an angry, growling vampire. Damn! This is impossible. "Now, Angel, look... you can't keep that.. that... thing!"

Buffy cried out in outrage. "It's a baby boy, Cole. I won't have you talking about little Kieran that way."

Cole nearly laughed. Kieran? What a perfect name for him. Small and dark, if my Celtic serves. Damn if that ain't right. The only problem was he wouldn't always be small. He felt a touch to his sleeve. "Darling? What's wrong?" He turned to see Willow looking at him with concern, looking over to Giles he saw that he too was very tense. Not outraged, no. Giles and Willow seemed to have been suspecting something like this. He decided to play it safe and backed away from the very angry vampire. Hell! It's not even his, and he's being protective.

He let Willow pull him to her side. He looked over at the other vampire in the room. Spike. He was sitting up too. He looked as if he was debating whether or not to interfere. Hmm. What's this? Cole thought looking at Spike. He seems to be looking to Angel for what? Direction? Very interesting. So Angel has pressed his dominance over the younger vampire.

"Honey? What's going on? What's wrong with the baby?" Cole calmed a little at the sound of his wife's voice. What's wrong? Everything!

"That." Cole replied pointing at the bundle in Buffy's arms. He bristled as he heard the low rumble of Angel's growling. "That... child... should not be here. It does not belong here."

"Why?" Giles asked, curious. Perhapshe should have looked up my books as was his instinct. However, what worried him most at this point was Cole. Cole was a demon. A very powerful one at that. And he was this upset at the presence of a baby? What exactly was this child?

"Because it's a dark lighter child. It does not belong here." Cole sighed, having finally made the announcement, the tension had lessened. He took a deep breath before continuing. "A dark lighter is a hunter, pure and simple. We... the Underworld... trains them mainly to hunt the white lighters. The angels. But they can learn to hunt anything... especially of the non-mortal persuasion. Demons, vampires, witches, whatever. All a dark lighter desires is the hunt... and the kill."

Buffy and Angel exchanged a worried look. A pained and agonizing look. They had only had Kieran for little more than a week and already they loved him so much. Angel remembered this feeling from when Connor had been that age. A sharp pang gripped his heart. What would Connor have been like if I'd been able to raise him. Angel remembered the heartache, the grief, and the overwhelming rage he'd felt when his son had been taken from him. He wouldn't go through that again. And there was no way in hell he'd put Buffy through that. No. A low rumbling emanated from his chest as he looked at Cole. No, he wouldn't let it happen again.

Buffy reached over and took Angel's hand. She caressed it, watching as the rage slowly banked from Angel's vamped out face. His rage wouldn't help matters. It could make it worse. She certainly didn't feel like refereeing a fight between her husband and Willow's. Maybe if they just talked this through. Cole could be wrong, couldn't he? "Cole, how sure are you? How can you be so sure he's one of these dark fighters?"

Cole groaned as he leant against Willow's side. How can she even ask? "It's obvious. Damnation, Buffy! I'm from that world. I may have been conceived in this world, but I was born in that one. I've lived there for over a hundred years. I've lived surrounded by the dark lighters. Ordering the dark lighters. I tell you that is one!"

"Okay, okay, I accept that. Now." Buffy answered, frustrated at the whole situation. There was no way she was going to give up her son. Because that's who he was to her. When she had first set eyes on him, she'd seen him for what he was. A gift. A child of their own – hers and Angel. She held onto Angel's arm, willing him to be calm. "Okay. Well, why can't we raise him to be.. well, good? You're a demon and you're good. What's to stop him from being good, especially if he's raised outside the Underworld. Wouldn't you have been different if you'd been raised elsewhere?"

Cole sighed. Yes, that was a question he'd asked himself on several occasions. What would've happened if he had been... No! He would not ask himself these questions again. It was obvious what Buffy was feeling. But the child had to go. Not the least would be the questions Leo and Paige, and possibly even Xander would ask. They might be able to fool Paige and Xander, but Cole knew that Leo would know instantly what the child was. So, they had to deal with this soon. He looked up at the clock. It was already three in the afternoon. The Halliwells would be arriving at six for the barbecue. Only three hours. "The child cannot deny its heritage. It will want to hunt. It will want to kill. I'm sorry, Buffy, Angel. I know you're fond of the... child. But blood will out."

Buffy gasped in outrage as Angel vamped out again. Oh, this is so not going well, Willow thought. She looked over at Spike. He, too, seemed upset at Cole's words. However, she didn't know if she put much stock in this. He and Cole got along dreadfully. Once, Cole had even thrown fire at him. Luckily, Spike had put himself out. But, it was just another nail in the casket. She smothered a smile at her bad joke.

"Guys. This ain't solving anything." Spike interrupted, looking at Giles, he saw the older man nodding his head. Giles, he knew, wasn't happy with the whole circumstance. But, luckily, he realized, as Spike did, that there was no going back. This child was here to stay. There was no way that they would give it up. Spike knew that. He also knew that if it came down to a confrontation, Angel would make sure that he was on their side. The one thing Spike was sure of was that that must not happen. His connection with Angel was growing; however, he didn't want it cemented. He wanted to avoid that at all costs. "Listen, Cole. This baby was going to be killed... sacrificed... if what Angel and Nick had witnessed was at all true. If that's so, the Underworld doesn't want this kid. So, maybe it's flawed..." Spike rolled his eyes at the gasp that came from Buffy. Damn! It was next to impossible to talk about this kid around her. "What I mean is maybe it ain't totally evil. Maybe..."

"He's right." Cole agreed quietly.

You could've heard a pin drop after Cole's quiet pronouncement. Angel, Buffy, Spike, Giles, Willow... they were all looking at him in shock. Why would he just accept it like that? He had been so adamant earlier. Giles was now very suspicious. Whatever Spike had said had changed everything. He damn well knew it wasn't the tone of voice. Cole hated Spike. Actually, Cole hated all vampires. He somehow could tolerate Angel. There was something there, Giles was sure. However, he didn't think even Willow knew why Cole was different towards Angel. So, it had to be what Spike had said. The circumstances behind Kieran's appearance. No, it was something about...

Cole closed his eyes as he thought about the situation. The creature was right. That did change everything. However, there was still the matter of the Halliwells. Or their reaction to the news. "What that... sacrifice... means is that the child is not a pure-blooded dark lighter. Dark lighters are particular about their children. Any half-breeds are not tolerated. They will not even be put to death in the Underworld. They're not even allowed to be born there. If a mother shows signs of bearing a half-breed, she is taken to the surface at the time of childbirth. There the child is taken and killed. Dark lighters will not tolerate a dissolution of the blood line."

"However," Cole continued carefully. "This does not mean the child is any less dangerous. Now, I have never heard of a half-breed ever living before, so I have no history to go by here. First off, we do not know what the other half is. It could be a human, a witch, or some creature of the Underworld. Secondly, I am a half-breed and my demon half is just strong as any other demon's. There is no reason to suppose that this child's dark lighter half would be any less dominant. And, third. If that is so, raising the child would be a very problematic venture."

Buffy listened to all this with a practiced ear. The one thing she liked about Cole was that he reminded her of Giles. He thought everything through and let her know the pros and cons. If she could just get the scoop on these dark lighter things, she knew she could handle it. After all, she'd married – mated – a vampire. She'd learned how to handle the different aspects of that. She was learning about this new type of vampire – Nick, Janette, LaCroix. She'd had a friend that was a witch and another, a werewolf. Surely, this just took adjusting to. She looked into Cole's serious eyes and smiled. "Cole, please, just let me know. Help me. Help us."

Cole made a noise between a sigh and a groan. Oh, dear God. I'm buckling. Why am I buckling? He thought frantically andlooked to Giles for support. Giles had a very odd look in his face. It was an oddly familiar look. What? Oh. It was the look he'd had when Willow had finally chosen to be with him. He'd not wanted it, but he'd accepted it. He'd known that once Willow had made her decision, he'd have no action. And that was what he looked like now. Buffy had made her choice. And Giles knew that that was that.

"Very well." Cole sighed. "You must promise me that you will not send this child to school. You will home school it."

"Him. Cole. Him." Buffy prodded. She was going to insist that Cole treat this child like a real person. That was the very least he could do. Cole nodded in acquiescence. "I agree, Cole. I'm sure I can do that."

"Second, you must realize that this child, in all probability, will have a desire – an instinct – to hunt. If it comes out, you will not be able to suppress it. You must, in my opinion, teach it how to use this instinct. The instinct does not need necessarily to be used for evil. But, I believe, it would be dangerous to let it learn this instinct on its own."

Angel nodded. Now, this was something he understood. Buffy, too, if it came down to that. They both understood hunting. "Anything else, Cole?"

"Well, not really. I'm not sure if he will develop the ability to blink." At their blank stares, he continued. "Blinking is a type of teleportation. It is very similar, in principle, to orbing – what white lighters do. But, as he's not a full-blooded dark lighter, I'm not sure. Additionally, as we don't know what the father was, you will have to keep an eye on him. We won't know what other powers may manifest themselves. Understand?"

They nodded. Angel squeezed Buffy's free hand. They could make this work. After all, Cole and Willow were raising two very powerful and magical children. Surely, this couldn't be much worse.

"Finally, you have to realize that some white lighters – the ones that are sensitive enough and actually pay attention to their senses – will instinctively know what he is. And, today, we are going to have white lighters and partial white lighters coming over. We'll have to play this by ear. We may have to let Leo know what has happened. If any of them catch on, he will. Are you prepared for that? Or would you prefer leaving him in the house?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. He is our son."

Cole nodded. And that said it all. All that awaited was the evening. Quite possibly there would be no need for fireworks after Leo and the Halliwells met young Kieran Angelus.