Chapter 16

"Narsesim is a hell god who feeds on innocence. That's why he needs child sacrifices to get him into this dimension. The cult Xander uncovered had already killed two children. I imagine he's already half way through; he may just need a few more sacrifices to get him into this world.

Once that happens, we're screwed. From what I could find, and there isn't much, all livestock and plants die the minute he looks at them. His touch is death, and he's strong. Very strong. We need to find where this cult is and take them down before they make another sacrifice."

Xander looked at Angel, his features stony. "Why were you and Will so worried about Fred and the baby? What does Wesley have to do with this? Explain it like I'm a five year old."

Wesley was the one that answered. Dragging himself to his feet, he leaned against a bookcase. Staring into the wood, he tried to keep his mind from exploding. "Fred couldn't carry a baby to term. I didn't tell her and I forbid the doctors from doing so either. She miscarried twice. I….she wanted sbadly to be a mother. I thought I could help. I asked the Mahagano sisters to sustain the baby, to put a protective shield around her. It worked, and Allyson was born. I didn't think…"

Dawn was on her feet and screaming before he could finish. "Damn right you didn't think! You could have adopted, found a surrogate mother, anything but what you did! There's a balance of life, and you fucked with it! You can't bring a life into this world with magic and not expect some kind of recompense!"

His eyes were fiery, all traces of weakness and confusion gone. "You didn't sit with her in that hospital room! You didn't find her, sobbing in the bathroom, covered with blood! The look in her eyes, the pleading! None of you know what it's like to watch the woman you love grieve and beg for something you know she can never have! I would do it all over again, because I love Fred and I love my daughter!" The heaving of his chest decreased as he spoke next. "I love my daughter. I can't regret her life."

"You do anything for your children. Anything. Compromising morals, making deals with the devil, it means nothing when it's your kid." Angel's eyes bore into Wesley's, trying to convey his understanding, his shared pain. Wesley seemed to soften at Angel's look.

Taking a deep breath, Gunn tried to take all he was hearing in. His brain felt overloaded. "So…why do they want Allie? I mean, of all the babies in the world, why her?"

Dawn immediately connected the dots that Will, Wes, and Angel had within the last few days or hours. "She's mystical. There are trace elements of the magic that created her…"

Wes cut through the air like a knife with his tone. "We created her. After the first six weeks, when I was sure the embryo was there, then the witches protected her. She was not created from magic, she was sustained by it."

Shaking her head, Dawn continued. "That doesn't matter, Wes. She has traces of magic in her. The same way I'll never be totally human, neither will she. A being created or sustained by magic will always have magic in their veins. She isn't just pure, she's a powerful pure. Her blood will open that portal faster than anyone else's."

Wes went pale as Dawn spoke. Until that moment, he had been fighting off mental images of his daughter as a sacrifice. Now, the reality of that hit him hard. He was inches from the ground when Angel caught him. He felt himself being repositioned on a couch, his head on his knees. His daughter was going to die. He had killed her. There was a garbage can already under him as he retched into it.

Angel turned on his heel and went out into the garden. He thought it would be better to yell outside. Screaming towards the sky, he begged for a sign, a clue, anything that could save an innocent child. He knew the followers weren't going to waste much time putting Allie on the chopping block. They had no idea where Fred was. Dawn had tried a locating spell, but it was as if Fred had dropped off the planet.

Silently, he begged Cordy to hear him. He pleaded with her to save the child of their friend. He didn't want anyone to go through what he had gone through when Connor had been taken from him. No one should ever deal with the death of a child, he told her. Please, Cordy, he thought, plead my case with the powers.

Just when he thought he should go back inside, he was on the ground. Gripping his head, he lost the ability to breathe. Visions of Fred, of Allie, flashed through his brain. He let out an anguished scream as he felt Fred's pain course through him. She was in emotionally agony, and for a few intense seconds, so was he.

He was almost on his knees when he felt Buffy helping him up. She called his name a few times, and it took a few minutes for him to answer her.

"I know where they are."