Plan of Action

As crazy as it was, even with all that had been going on in this hospital, no one seemed to notice. It was a big hospital and the maternity ward itself was one of the largest in the state of California. Everyone else was so busy and so wrapped up in what they were doing that none of them seemed to notice the attempted kidnappings of the babies, fights, and people wandering around where they shouldn't be.

Despite what everyone else in the hospital believed it was a very hostile and dangerous time for Buffy, Angel and they're friends and family. They knew that the four doctors and a few nurses were in on the attempted kidnappings, but they had no idea who else in this hospital might have been in on it. They had no one here they could trust. This was very discomforting.

Buffy and Willow were still weak from giving birth and the drugs they'd been slipped weren't completely out of they're systems yet. Faith, Tara and Anya were in a little better shape since they didn't receive the drugs but they were exhausted from giving birth nonetheless. Worst of all, Dawn would be giving birth within minutes, Cordelia was in labor, and if the schedule continued as it should Fred's water would be breaking any minute. They needed to get out of this hospital but with the condition everyone was in that was pretty much impossible.

Everyone wanted to be together but all of the girls needed they're own beds so they were forced to spit up into four rooms. Buffy and Dawn were still in Dawn's room, Zack held tightly in Buffy's arms. Connor sat right beside Dawn's bed holding her hand and breathed her through every contraction as they were now very close together and more painful then before.

Willow and Tara were still in they're room with both they're daughter's clenched tightly in they're arms. After some bonding time with they're own birth children they swapped so that Willow had her other daughter, Hailey, in her arms and Tara had her other daughter, Emma, in hers. Lorne sat patiently in a chair between the two new mothers looking out for them.

Anya and baby Alex stayed in Faith's room in the bed next to her and her son Brandon. Xander sat on the bed beside his wife. He couldn't take his eyes off of his new baby boy. Faith, in the opposite bed, was in exactly the same boat. She watched her son so carefully as if she felt that if she would take her eyes off of him for one second he'd disappear.

Cordelia and Fred were in the fourth room. After Cordelia's water broke, Gunn went into Willow and Tara's room and enlisted Spike to help him find Cordy an empty room. They found one and Wesley escorted Fred into the room to join Cordelia as he knew she would be going into labor soon enough as well. Spike sat in the room with the two girls feeling somewhat awkward and yet happy to be there to help.

Angel, Giles, Wesley and Gunn managed to find a quiet, and hopefully safe, place to discuss they're next move.

"Well we know that Doctors Miller, Carter, Parker, and Matthews were the culprits in the babynapping," Giles summarized. "We also know that a few nurses appeared to be in on it as well. I've taken care of Dr. Carter after I interrogated her on the whereabouts of Tara's daughter. She is currently knocked out, tied up and gagged in a janitor's closet."

"Matthews is out too," Angel added, "She was in the secret passage way where Spike and I found the missing babies. She and another guy, I think she called him Kevin, are both knocked out there."

"And Parker makes three of the four," Gunn said. "Wesley knocked her out when we were saving Anya."

"Yes but there's no guarantees that these doctors are out of the picture and we still don't even know where Dr. Miller is," Wesley reasoned. "As far as we can tell they're all human so naturally none of us have attempted a kill. Any of them could wake up at any moment and all four doctors know that we're on to their scheme. Plus, who knows how many others in this establishment are working with them."

"Bottom line, it's not safe here," Gunn summed up.

Wesley nodded his head in agreement, "Precisely."

"But there's not much we can do about that," Angel countered. "I'm just as worried about their safety as the rest of you but we can't move them now. Buffy, Willow, Tara, Faith and Anya could be moved but even that's risking they're health a little, but Dawn is about to give birth, Cordelia's in labor and Fred will be joining her any minute."

"He's right," Giles agreed. "We have to face facts. We're stuck here until the last child, Fred's child, is born. We're just going to have to be on high alert and deliver the last three children ourselves. Trust no one. Let no one in the rooms."

"Deliver them ourselves?" Gunn asked looking very disturbed.

"It won't be easy but we have to," Giles responded. "We can't trust anyone here. It's as you said, it's not safe." The older watcher then turned to his fellow comrade in the business. "Wesley, you said you delivered Anya's child correct?"

Wesley looked back at him looking slightly nervous but at the same time looking fairly sure of himself. He knew what Giles was going to say. "Yes."

"Do you think you can do it again? For Cordelia and Fred?"

"Yes I believe so. What about Dawn?"

"I'm fairly confident in my own abilities to deliver hers," Giles responded with assurance.

Wesley stiffened his upper lip and nodded his head in agreement. "Right then, I'll go back to Cordelia's room and prepare. Spike is still there so he can make sure the girl's are protected."

Gunn nodded his head as well. "I'll head back to Faith's room. Xander's there but I'm thinking two guys in every room is the best way to go."

"I agree," Giles concurred. He glanced at his watch. "If the schedule keeps up Dawn should be ready to have her baby within minutes. I should be getting to her room." He then turned to Angel. "I know you want to be in the room with Buffy and Dawn but Gunn is right. Connor is already in there coaching Dawn and I need you to go to Willow and Tara's room and give them some extra protection. As soon as I deliver Dawn's child we can switch if you like."

As much as Angel hated the thought of being away from Buffy and her sister at a time like this he knew that Gunn and Giles were right. He hesitantly nodded his head in agreement. "All right. Let me know as soon as she's had the baby."

"I will," Giles responded with a kind smile on his face. After everything that had happened in his past with Angel, Giles had never been too fond of him, but he was moved by how much Angel cared. And he could see that it wasn't just for Buffy. He cared for Dawn, he watched out for Buffy's younger sister as she did. He cared for all of them.

Angel then turned so he could face all three men before him. "Alright, everyone knows what they're supposed to do. Stay alert and if anything goes wrong send a flair to Willow and she can relay the message to the rest of us. Remember, no one leaves the girls alone."

Everyone nodded they're heads in agreement and disbanded headed for their designated destinations.

XXXXXX

"Master, I'm afraid we've run into some…complications." Dr. Miller had just entered a dark room and was now kneeling before a dark figure at the corner of the room.

The figure was clouded in shadow but his voice could still be heard. "What kind of…complications?"

Dr. Miller took a deep breath. She knew she was in a lot of trouble. She and the other doctors had prepared for this day all they're lives. They had everything figured out and yet they're plan was being fouled. She had not been expecting this and now feared that the demon she worshiped would be extremely angry. This was very serious. Her very life was at stake.

"We had three of the children in our possession master," Dr. Miller began. "The fourth was on the way. We were expecting that they would all be born at once but instead they've been arriving about an hour after one another. This fact alone has been the main cause of the complications."

"Had?" The figure asked in an obviously angry ton. "You say you HAD three of the children?"

Miller bowed her head lower and shuddered as the angry voice chilled her bones. "Yes master. After the first child had been taken for so long the slayer started to suspect. The vampires found them, I don't know how. I haven't been able to contact Kevin. He's hasn't responded."

"But the vampires have the first three born?"

"My sources tell me they've been returned to they're mothers. Carter tried to get the fourth child to me but she was intercepted by one of the watchers. Parker attempted to extract the fifth but was also unsuccessful. I haven't been able to contact either one of them since. All I know is that the five that have already been born are safely with they're mothers."

The demon breathed in deep as he tried to control his anger. He couldn't even find the words to express his disappointment, and Dr. Miller knew she was in deep trouble. The demon took in a deep breath and finally said, "Where are they all now?"

Dr. Miller exhaled the breath she had been holding and answered, "My sources tell me they're all still here in the hospital. I don't believe they'll leave until the last three mothers give birth. At this stage none of the three left can really be moved and I don't believe the others will leave without them."

"You have failed me Miller," the demon stated calmly. He knew that by being calm it would only scare the human more. If he was calm that meant he already had his mind made up about what he was going to do with her. Before continuing he let the thought stew in her mind for a little while.

Finally he spoke again. "Get me those children. I don't care what you have to do, who you have to kill, or what you have to sacrifice. If all eight children are not in my possession within the next 24 hours they will be your last." Again the demon paused to let this information sink in. Then he added, "This is your last chance. Is that clear?"

Dr. Miller gathered up every ounce of courage she had left in her and rose to her feet. "Yes master. I will not fail you again."

"No…you won't."

XXXXXX

"Giles, thank God you're here," Buffy said as soon as Giles walked into the room. Dawn looked like she was in extreme pain as she lay on the bed clenching Connor's hand tightly in her own. Buffy was standing, the drugs clearly almost fully out of her system. It was just another perk of being the slayer. Things like this didn't affect her for long or sometimes didn't even affect her at all. She was standing on the other side of Dawn with her screaming child in her arms.

"How is she?" Giles asked in reference to Dawn.

"I think she's getting close," Connor answered. Then he screamed in pain at the same time Dawn did. She had been holding his hand so tightly he felt like she was going to break it. "Really close," he added in a high voice still cringing from the pain in his hand.

Dawn was sweating profusely and although it wasn't clear whether the drops of water under her eyes were drops of sweat or tears, Giles could tell she'd been crying.

"Buffy I can't do this. It hurts too much," Dawn let out in a scared ton as she looked up to her older sister.

"Everything's going to be ok Dawny," Buffy told her younger sister as she lovingly stroked her hair to try her best to reassure her younger sister that everything would be ok.

This was all so much to take and it was happening all at once. When Buffy's mother died she was given the responsibility of taking care of her younger sister Dawn. Now that she was a mother, she also had the responsibility of taking care of her new born son. Only a few hours of motherhood and she was already being forced to deal with both responsibilities at once in full force.

She had to be there for her younger sister, but she couldn't fully be there for her with her new born son in her arms. It probably would have been a lot easier if Zack had still been asleep. Only a few minutes after Angel had brought back her son he had fallen asleep in her arms. That had all changed when Dawn's contractions started getting more painful and she became unable to hold back the screams of pain.

Now Buffy had to balance herself between being there for her sister, who was about to give birth, and calming her screaming child. She held Zack in one arm, rocked him and making the "shhh" sound to try and calm him. At the same time she used her other hand to stroke her sister's hair to try and calm her.

Luckily Connor was a big help. He'd been by Dawn's side the whole time giving her whatever she needed. It was sweet and Buffy greatly appreciated it. When Dawn seemed to be calming down a little, Buffy got back to business. "Alright Giles, what's the plan? What's going on?"

Giles didn't want to alarm anyone but he knew this was no time to coddle them. "We're not safe here Buffy, but the reality of the situation is that Dawn, Cordelia and Fred can't be moved. I'm afraid we're stuck here until they're babies are born."

Buffy's expression hardened. "I was afraid of that. So, what do we do? I mean we can't trust these doctors here. There's no telling how many of them are in on this scheme to take away our children."

Giles sighed. He knew that Buffy, and Dawn especially, were not going to like what he was going to say. "You're right Buffy. No one here can be trusted. So…Wesley and I will be delivering the remaining babies."

"What?!" Dawn yelled. "But, your not doctors. I need a doctor. I need drugs."

"We can do this Dawn," Giles reassured her. He was already by the stirrups checking up on Dawn's progress. She was fully dilated and it was time to start pushing. "I'm afraid we have no other choice."

Buffy knew he was right. She looked at her younger sister and smiled reassuringly. "You're going to be fine Dawny. You know that Giles would never put you in any danger. I trust that he knows what he's doing."

Connor also tried his best to reassure Dawn. He moved his head closer to Dawn's and gently stroked her dark hair with his free hand. He smiled as his eyes locked with hers. "You're going to do fine. You can do this…for your daughter."

Dawn smiled back at Connor and in that moment, it hit her. She loved him. She could see in his eyes that he felt the same way. Whether it was just as a friend, or as more then that, she knew that he loved her too. She then turned to Giles, took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and nodded that she was ready.

Giles sent her a caring smile and got himself ready. "Alright Dawn, it's time to start pushing."

XXXXXX

Wesley had gotten back to Cordelia and Fred's room to find that Fred was not yet in labor and Cordelia's contractions were still well enough apart. Spike was attempting to help Cordelia through each contraction but he clearly had no idea what he was doing and felt completely awkward in the situation he was in. He almost seemed relived when Wesley entered the room.

"How are you Cordy?" Wesley asked when he walked into the room.

Cordelia took a deep breath as a contraction passed. "Umm…I'm doing alright…I think. The contractions hurt like a bitch but they're supposed to right?"

"Right," Wesley confirmed.

"Right, then all is well. What's the news?"

Wesley then proceeded to explain to both girls, and to Spike, the situation. Both girls were not happy at all. They would be getting the worst of this situation. Everyone else had doctors and nurses to help them through it and control the pain and everything. Even Anya and Dawn, who ultimately had no doctors or nurses for delivery, had nurses help in the beginning. But Wesley was all these girls would have for the entire process. Needless to say, both women were freaking out.

"Don't worry we're going to get through this," Wesley assured them. "I delivered Anya's baby and everything went completely fine and Giles should be delivering Dawn's baby as we speak."

"What if something goes wrong?" Fred asked in a frightened ton. "What if the doctors come back or other's that work with them? What if they try and take our babies?"

"I'm not going to let that happen love," Spike assured her in a very serious ton. "No one is getting through that door."

"No offence Spike," Cordelia began, "But that's not all that comforting considering that chip in your head is still active and still stopping you from hurting humans. Especially since our attackers were…well…human…as far as we know."

"Sure that chip sends searing pain to my brain when I hurt a human, that doesn't mean I can't do it," Spike responded trying his best to sound as if it would be no big deal to take the piercing pain that would come along with hurting a human. "I can still hurt people, it just hurts me more to do so. But humans go down easier then demons do. One good hit is all I'll need."

"But it'll still hurt you," Fred pointed out.

Spike rolled his eyes and sighed. "Look, don't you worry about me. No one is getting through that door, period! You have my word, and I always keep my word."

"You see," Wesley added, "Everything will be just fine."

Just then Cordelia screamed in pain. Wesley and Spike rushed to her side and waited for it to subside. When she finally began to calm down Spike said, "Bloody hell. That was definitely the biggest contraction you've had so far." Then he looked at Wesley. "Does that mean she's gettin close?"

Before he could answer Cordelia spoke as she tried to catch her breath. "It wasn't a contraction…it was a vision."

"Well it's about bloody time those Powers That Be people up there give us some help," Spike said as he pointed angrily to the ceiling.

Wesley focused carefully on Cordelia. "What did you see?"

Cordelia sniffled as she started to cry. Sadness and worry filled her features. "It's not over Wesley. We're not safe. Everything is not going to be fine. They're going to come. They're going to come and they're not going to stop until they have our babies, all of our babies."