Chapter 12

Dawn was in the car and speeding through yellow lights before she realized her heart was beating a hundred miles an hour. Her hair was a mess, she was in the track pants and t-shirt she had slept in, and she barely managed to grab her purse and put on a bra before running out the door and pealing from her parking spot.

She had heard of this demon. Buffy had mentioned it on the phone the night before, when she was talking about Xander's activities overseas. She had mentioned something about sacrifices and raising this hell god. As anxious as Will had sounded, she figured he was about to raised.

Luck was with her as she drove, no cops tried to pull her over. She reached Angel's house in record time and practically ran to the door. Buffy pulled it open before Dawn could knock.

"What's going on?" Buffy was in a robe, sweat pants, and t-shirt. Her hair was hastily pulled into a ponytail, and she looked a little worried and very mad.

"Will called me, told me to research that demon. The demon that cult Xander stopped was worshipping. Could you call Xan and tell him to get here? I think he could help me."

Buffy stopped herself from asking more questions. Dawn was in research mode. She swore to beat it out of Angel, if necessary, when he got home. She called Xander and relayed the little information she had. He was groggy, obviously jet lagged, but he said he would be there as soon as he could. Making coffee in the kitchen soothed her a little. The normality and habit of the motions calmed her ruffled nerves.

Baby was kicking and she had to place a steadying hand on her abdomen. She noticed that when she got stressed, the baby kicked. She wondered if she and her child would have the same connection she and Angel shared. They had figured out the pull they both felt when Buffy first arrived in Los Angeles had been their connection, calling to each other. She hoped she would feel the same thing with her baby.

It wasn't long until she heard another car pull in the driveway. Her hopes soared for a moment, but they quickly crashed again when she opened the door to Wesley and Fred. Fred looked shaken, and she had definitely just gotten out of bed. Allie was in her arms, sleeping peacefully. When Buffy looked at Wes, she was taken aback. His eyes were bloodshot and the anxiety he was feeling was clearly visible on his face. She had reacquainted herself with Wesley, and he was the kind of man that held his cards very close to his chest. It was disconcerting to see so much emotion on his face.

When Wesley had set the car seat in the living room and Fred had situated her sleeping baby into it, they followed Buffy a few feet away into the kitchen. Fred sat with a clear line of sight to her child. Wes paced.

"Angel and Will are on their way. They went out last night and never came back. I don't know what's going on. Wes?" looking expectantly at the ex-watcher, she knew he was aware of what all this fuss was about.

"I…did a deal with some unscrupulous people. I believe Angel and Will feel that my family is in danger over it. I can't say I disagree."

Fred shot daggers at her husband. Her eyes were burning with anger and also a large level of sorrow. Buffy could sympathize with Fred's feeling of betrayal.

"You did what? What kind of deal, Wesley? Why didn't you tell me and why are we in danger?" Her voice had steadily risen in volume as she was speaking, and Allie started to wail at the unwelcome noise.

Rising, Fred didn't wait for an answer. She went to her baby, lifting her from the carrier and rocking her while she walked circles around the room.

The doorbell interrupted Buffy from pressing Wesley further. Xander followed her into the house, taking stock of the hastily dressed occupants and the crying infant. This is not going to be good, he surmised. Not good at all.