Faith was trembling with rage. "Who does she think she is?"

Angel saw Lorne's grimace of pain. He empathized. "Let's focus on Illyria."

"Illyria is the least of your problems." Spike walked up the basement stairs.

"There's nothing we can do about Buffy for the moment." Angel said

"She's in town." Spike said "She gave me a call while I was out."

"What did she say?" Faith asked

"Turn over Conner, Faith, and the baby of the whole world goes kerblooy." Spike said

"Anything else?" Angel asked

"That's the run of it." Spike said "She made it pretty clear she's not buying into the 'I haven't seen them' sham. Shouldn't be long before she shows up."

"But the sanctorum spell will protect us right?" Gunn asked

"It's only on the ground floor, where the club is." Lorne explained "The apartment upstairs and the rooms in the basement are violence available, and downstairs has sewer access."

"So Buffy can subdue someone down there and get them out without having to cross through the no-violence zone." Angel said "Great,"

"But Buffy doesn't know that." Anne said "She might assume the spell is on the whole building. If we act like it is, she won't know any different."

"Good idea," Angel said

"Maybe we should move Conner to this floor." Gunn said

"Bad idea," Said Spike "Kid's shaking something awful. I think anything weaker than those cement walls and he'll be able to pull those chains right out if he changes."

Angel reluctantly agreed. "We can't risk everybody's safety. If he escapes down here and goes upstairs while under the Wolf's influence he could kill someone."

They all nodded. "So back to Illyria," Lorne said "You remember her?"

"Our main problem is Buffy." Faith said "We can't underestimate her."

"What about the first?" Gunn said "It showed up to all of us and tried to mess with Angel at the hospital, clearly it wants to mess with us too."

"The first is noncorporeal." Angel said "It can't do anything."

"It made Fred go into premature labor." Anne said

Angel rubbed his forehead. "I'm getting a headache."

"Sleep deprivation," Said Lorne "That'll get you."

"Go downstairs." Spike said "Sleep in my room, you'll be close to Conner."

Angel wanted to protest, but who was he kidding? He didn't have vampire endurance anymore, he was just a guy. He was a tired, battered, anxious guy. "Thanks,"

Gunn rubbed his brow. "I hate to be the guy to say this, but we're weak."

"What do you mean?" Faith asked

"That spell is the only thing keeping us safe. If it fails, we're screwed. We're facing threats way too powerful for us. You, Spike and I guess Harmony are the only ones with any sort of special fighting ability. The rest of us stand no chance against a slayer or Illyria."

"But we have the spell." Said Lorne

"The thing about putting all your eggs in one basket, a lot of pressure on that basket."

For a while no one said anything. Faith looked around the room. She wasn't worried about herself, not really. She was worried about her infection, but since she was still asymptomatic it was easy to think of her infection as some future threat, not present in the here and now. What she was worried about were her friends. She wanted to protect them, and she wasn't sure if she could. Angel and Wesley had both believed in her at points in her life when no one else did, not even Faith herself. Those men meant more to her than anything. Their safety, and by extension their families' safety, was the most pressing matter on her mind.

"So what do we do?" Anne asked

"The best we can." Said Spike

Footsteps on the apartment staircase drew their attention. "Spike we have to go." Harm said "There's a cursed artifact in a museum downtown that's going to release an undead army."

"Great," Spike said without a trace of irony "Let's go."

The rest of the group watched the vampires go. Gunn sighed. "I hate this."

"What part specifically?" Lorne asked "There are several hateables."

"Not being able to do anything. I wish we could go out and…" Gunn had a sudden realization. "Hey Spike! Wait for me!" Gunn ran toward the basement.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Anne said "No-" She headed after him. "Gunn!"

Faith shook her head. "I'm going upstairs."

Lorne didn't respond and the slayer headed up to the top floor. She was greeted by the pleasant surprise of seeing Fred, up and about. Fred picked up a mug of cider Teresa had poured for her. "Mmmm, warm," Fred noticed Faith. "Oh I'm glad to see you."

"Why?" Faith asked

"I don't think I ever gave you a proper thank you." Fred said "For saving us."

"Don't mention it." Faith said, and to bring the message home "Please, ever,"

Fred nodded. "Sorry, I should have- come sit down." Fred gestured to the other barstool at the kitchen counter. Faith walked over and sat next to her. "Any news?"

"The world is ending again," Faith said in an attempt at levity "It's not really news but…" Teresa chuckled and Fred grinned. Faith likes seeing her smile and that look in her eyes that was something Faith couldn't quite place. It was something like approval.

"And you?" Fred asked "You're okay?"

"I should ask you that." Faith said

"I'm good. They gave me antibiotics that won't hurt Cordelia. I'm recovering. Wesley's good as well, he says his ribs don't hurt at all, which is a lie, but he says it convincingly so I know they only hurt a little bit. He's asleep and so's the baby. Teresa made a crib for her."

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Faith asked

"I read a carpenter once, got his vocational training." Teresa poured Faith a mug.

"Is that why you're so good at cards, you read a card shark?" Faith asked

Teresa lowered her voice. "Tell no one." The other two women laughed.

"Can all married couples do that?" Faith asked "Tell what each other really mean?"

"I think it has more to do with being in love than being married." Faith flinched at the word, remembering what Teresa had said. Faith had been furious at the woman, and the only reason she wasn't being resentful now was because of how glad she'd been to see Fred up and about. But the word reminded her of what had been said. "What is it?" Fred asked

"Nothing, I'm fine." Faith said

"I did a bad thing." Teresa said "I'm sorry I hurt you."

"What happened?" Fred asked

Faith and Teresa both declined to answer. Finally Faith spoke up. "I hate love." Neither of the other women responded, but their silence beckoned an explanation. "I let myself love someone and he betrayed me. I guess after everything I've done it's no more than I-"

"Don't say it Faith." Fred said "You don't deserve this."

"Do you know what I did?"

"I do." Faith looked into Fred's eyes and saw to her surprise that Fred did know. Wesley must have told her. Faith saw in those eyes compassion and understanding. "We all make mistakes Faith." Fred said "No one is beyond redemption, so long as they can forgive."

Eighteen Months Ago

"You lied to my parents?!" Fred screamed at Wesley in their San Francisco hotel room

"Yes, I did do that." He admitted "But it was complicated."

"You promised me! You promised me that you would tell them what happened!"

"I tried." He said "I was going to."

"So what happened?"

Wesley looked away. He was ashamed. He couldn't face her wrath, knowing it was well deserved. He had sworn to her as she lay dying that he would tell her parents she had died bravely, and he had tried to do just that. But then Illyria showed up and how could Wesley tell the Burkles their daughter was dead with the monster who had killed her standing right in front of them? How could he watch their despair, anger, and disgust? It would be like holding a mirror up to himself, and Wesley had been avoiding mirrors at the time. "I'm so sorry."

"Why didn't you tell them?" The anger bled out of her, she just sounded confused and hurt. He hated hearing her sound like that, especially knowing he was the one who had hurt her.

"I…" He just had to tell her the truth. "I did a terrible thing Fred."

"What is it?" She asked "You can tell me."

"I don't want you to hate me." Wesley said "I'm so sorry for what I did."

"I believe you." Fred said "I love you, and I can forgive you, but only if you're honest with me. You can't lie to me Wesley, ever, for any reason."

Wesley nodded. "I won't, ever again. I promise."

"So tell me what happened."

"Illyria…" Wesley rubbed his temple. "She was there." He told her everything. He told her about his deal with Illyria. He told her about Illyria's interaction with her parents. He even told her about how he died. He didn't want to, but he had promised not to lie. He was sure she would hate him, be disgusted with him, when she found out. She wasn't. She walked up to him and kissed him. He kissed her back, confused. "I'm so sorry Fred." He said

"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry you had to go through that, but it's over now. She's gone, and we're together. We'll always be together. All of that, it is in the past, it can't hurt us now."

A knock at the door startled Lorne from his inventory. "We're closed!" He shouted "You can come back tonight!" He turned back to the liquor bottles and started over his count.

"Open the door or I'll break it down!" Buffy shouted

Lorne dropped his clipboard. Gunn and Anne were the only other occupants of the room at the moment. Anne ran downstairs to inform Spike, Harmony and Angel. Gunn walked over to the stairs that led upstairs. "Hey guys, we have a situation!"

Lorne walked up to the door and opened it. "Can I help you with something?"

Buffy had Xander standing at her left with his arms crossed. The man looked calm, but his body was tense. He was prepared to enter a fight in a moment. Willow was on Buffy's right hand side. The witch exuded confidence. Kennedy and Giles stood behind Willow. Dawn and Robin stood behind Xander. Buffy herself wore the stance of a slayer. She was terrifying in her strength, in the power that ran in her blood and took seat in her muscles. Lorne knew it would only take her seconds to kill him. The other times he'd met her this hadn't frightened him. He'd seen her as a benevolent force, a savior. Now she was here to hunt. "Where are they?" She asked

Lorne shrugged. "I don't-" Buffy reached forward to grab his throat and Lorne retreated further into Caritas. Buffy followed him and when her hand had almost made contact with his neck a burst of blue energy threw her a few steps back. The force would have sent a grown man flying, it only perturbed the slayer. "I don't know." Lorne said "Not here," He gestured around the now-empty room. "But thanks for stopping by. It was real good to see ya."

"How do you know who I was talking about?" Buffy asked

Lorne tittered nervously. "Who were you talking about?"

"Xander you and Dawn check out that back room." She pointed and they obeyed.

"Hey," Lorne said "You can't-"

"Robin check downstairs with Kennedy." They headed for the basement.

"Hey," Lorne's voice was sharper now. "This isn't-"

"Will, Giles, check upstairs." They started forward.

"HEY!" Lorne screamed "This is my place, you can't do this."

Buffy ignored Lorne. Robin and Kennedy returned from the basement. "He's down there." Kennedy said "Chained to the wall, sick as a dog. Spell keeps us from getting through the bodyguards." They resumed their positions behind Buffy.

Buffy gave Lorne a smug look. "Care to change your story."

Lorne found himself unable to call upon his usual genial demeanor. "No, get the hell out of my club. You have no right to do this, even if you are the chosen one."

"I have every right." Buffy said "I'm preventing the apocalypse."

Willow and Giles returned at the same time as Dawn and Xander. "Faith and the baby are upstairs." Giles said

Buffy smiled wider. "So, gang's all here." Lorne glared, but didn't reply. "It looks like we need to have a little talk." Buffy said "What's that fancy word?" She asked

"Palaver?" Giles suggested

Buffy snapped her fingers. "That's the one."

Fred, Wesley, and Faith sat at the kitchen table while Teresa walked over with a pot of oatmeal, the smell of cinnamon and apples radiating from it. "This is a family recipe." She said

"Your family's?" Faith asked skeptically

"No," Teresa said in her usual cheerful voice. "Someone I read."

"Of course," Wesley said "Smells good,"

The assembled heard shouting downstairs. Gunn called out from the bar. "Hey guys we have a situation!" He burst into the apartment. "The scoobies are here."

"We knew this would happen." Wesley said "We just have to be calm."

"Maybe you guys should hide." Faith said

"No," Fred said "I'm going to look them in the eyes."

Wesley gripped Fred's shoulder. "If they know we're here, there isn't much point in pretending. Maybe there is the opportunity for reasonable discourse."

Faith snorted. "Yeah, because the Scooby gang has been super reasonable lately."

The door opened again. Willow and Giles stepped into the apartment. "Willow," Wesley said "How nice to see you again. It's been too long." Willow blushed. "Giles,"

"Wesley," Giles crossed him arms. "How have you been?"

"I've been better." The former watcher confessed "How about you? I heard you joined the club. When did that happen?" Giles scowled, declining to respond.

"Wes, Fred…" Willow trailed off. "You heard about the prophecy?"

"Not from you or Buffy." Wesley said

Willow flinched. Giles was less cowed. "What would you have done if we'd told you?"

"That depends on whether you still wanted to kidnap people." Faith said

"So you want to be free Faith?" Giles asked "You want to be unbound. You're still supposed to be in prison, doing twenty-five years for murder."

"That isn't necessary." Fred said "You're being cruel just to be cruel."

"I'm being honest." Giles said "Come on Willow, let's tell Buffy they're here."

The way it ended up was that a table in the middle of the room seated Buffy with her back to the front door. Willow sat at her right, Xander at her left. Angel sat across from Buffy, with this back to the staircase. Wesley sat across from Willow, Faith sat across from Xander. The tension at the table could be cut with a knife. Xander and Faith stared at one another, neither able to shake the image of how he'd tried to abduct her a few days ago. Angel and Buffy were meeting face to face for the first time since Buffy had teleported to Texas while Angel went to Cleveland. Willow was fidgeting uncomfortably under Wesley's accusing glare.

Spike sat at a table deeper into the bar, with Lorne, Teresa, Anne, Gunn and Fred. On the other side of the center table Giles, Dawn, Kennedy, and Robin were sitting. Harmony was upstairs watching the baby. Nobody wanted to be the first person to speak, so silence reigned for a few minutes. Buffy was finally the first to speak. She spoke with unquestionable authority.

"It appears we have a problem, and a difference of opinion concerning that problem."

"Your talent for understatement is remarkable." Wesley said

Buffy didn't even look at him, she just kept staring at Angel. "So here we are then."

"Yep," Angel said

"You know we'll win. We're stronger than you and we have more recourses." Said Buffy

"It's not a game to be won or lost." Angel objected "It's people's lives. You're talking about hurting innocent people, you're talking about my son, and your friend, and a baby."

Buffy shrugged. "They're just people."

Angel stared slack-jawed at her. "What?" He asked

"We don't get to make these calls. Do you remember telling me that?" Faith asked

"I do." Buffy said "You didn't listen."

"I'm listening now, so tell us how this is going to be."

Buffy smiled at her. "Okay," She surveyed the room. "Willow is going to do a spell. She is going to see if there's a way to stop the process of the infection without hurting anyone."

Angel nodded. "That's fine."

Buffy leaned forward in Faith's direction. She locked eyes with her fellow slayer. "If there isn't a way, we're going to slit your throat, quickly, cleanly, and finally."

"Less fine." Angel said quietly.

"That's how it's going to go." Buffy said "Nonnegotiable."

"Buffy," Angel said "The first-"

Buffy lost it. "Shut up about the first! This isn't about the first."

"Of course it is." Wesley said condescendingly "This is its plan. Are you so stupid that you don't see that?" Xander was visibly agitated by this. "God Buffy, fool me once, but this is just ridiculous. Why do you think the first showed you that prophecy? It wants the one person who might be able to protect its intended victims to be hunting them. This is the same thing that happened in L.A. but on a bigger scale and you're too dense to see it."

"But the prophecy is unmistakable." Willow said "The vessels bring over the senior partners. Part of the prophecy has already come true. Conner killed Sahjhan."

"It's not the prophecies that are mistaken, but the people interpreting them." Wesley said quietly "Things are never as simple as we think they are." An awkward silence enveloped them all. Angel tried not to think about the elephant in the room. Then he saw Buffy smile.

"Buffy,"

She held up her hand, cutting him off. "You think I'm just some stupid little girl who doesn't see the big picture? I'm not like you. I think things through-"

Wesley laughed, a disturbing, almost demonic sounding laugh. "No you don't."

"You don't know me." Buffy said in a voice of ice

"I know you better than you think." Wesley said "I was once your watcher."

"And a piss poor one at that." Xander interjected

Wesley put up his hands. "Guilty as charged." He confessed "But unlike you Buffy, I'm capable of change. You never do. You are a narcissistic, arrogant, cruel-"

"Stop it!" Anne shouted to everyone's surprise "What is this? You're all good people, why can't you just work this out? Buffy when you were in L.A. eight years ago you saved me and all those people that demon was hurting. You help people, you inspired me to become the person I am today. What happened to that Buffy?" Anne pleaded "We need her."

"I never heard this story." Gunn said, confused

"I'll tell you later." Anne said casually, before returning her attention to Buffy. "Well?"

"She grew up." Buffy said "But you're right Wesley." Buffy said "I haven't changed, not in the important ways. I'm still that girl, the one who sent the most important person in her life to hell for five hundred years. I stabbed him, and I killed him, and I did the right thing."

"This is different." Angel whispered

"No, it's not."

"Buffy, this is-"

"It's the same thing." She said, her voice raising

"It's not even close!"

"It's exactly the same!"

Buffy and Angel glared at each other, holding back cruel vicious taunts. They could rip each other apart if they wanted to. They'd bared their souls to each other enough times to have limitless ammo. But they wouldn't, not yet. "So, about that spell." Angel said "Harmless right?"

"Right," Buffy said, she gave Willow a look.

Willow stood up and walked behind Faith's chair. She put her hands on the side of the woman's head. "Close your eyes." Willow commanded "Look inward." Faith obeyed. "Listen,"

"What am I listening for?"

"Shhhh," For a few still, silent moments it was as if the room were frozen in time. Faith didn't react at all to whatever Willow was doing. Then a pulse of blue energy threw Willow across the room and at the same time Faith let out a blood-curling scream. Angel hadn't thought the woman was even capable of such a sound. Buffy and Xander ran toward Willow, but she was closer to the table where the other occupants of Caritas were sitting and Fred was already helping her to her feet. Wesley jumped out of his chair and ran over to Faith. He grabbed her hand.

Faith sat staring wide-eyed at something in the distance. "The Ram…"

"Faith, what happened?" Angel asked

"She-she's in here, just looking at things. She's watching us, waiting. She sees everything. She sees our secrets. She sees our fears. She sees the dirty things in us."

"But what happened?" Wesley asked "What activated the sanctorum spell?"

Faith slowly turned around in her chair. Buffy pulled Willow away from Fred. The pair and Xander backed away from the table. Buffy locked eyes with Angel. "Willow tried to kill me." Faith said "Buffy told her to if she didn't think the Ram could be exorcised. So she did."

"You bitch," Wesley wasn't looking at Buffy, he was looking at Willow. "I thought we could trust you. I thought you were a person of integrity. How could you do this?"

"You can't talk to her like that." Xander said "We all agreed it had to be done. We thought a mystical attack could surpass the barrier. It was our chance to end this."

"There's a line Buffy." Angel said "You crossed it."

"I moved it." Buffy said "There's a difference."

"No there's not." Anne said

"Oh shut up!" Buffy said "You were just some strung out loser when I saw you in L.A. In Sunnydale you were a vampire groupie who would have been an appetizer if I hadn't saved you from yourself. You're nobody, nothing. I'm the hero of this story, you're just a side character."

"Yeah," Lorne said "You're a hero. Cold-blooded murder, that's real heroic."

"We're done here." Buffy said "But let me be clear. If Conner, or Faith, or" She turned her eyes on Wesley. "Your little bundle of joy leave this building I will take action and I will show no mercy." Her eyes promised to be true to her word. She would be merciless. She would do whatever it took to accomplish her admittedly noble goals, even use despicable means.

"Great," Spike said "Now get out."

Buffy gestured to her group and they filed out of the building. Fred was still standing from when she'd helped Willow up. Fred stared at the hand she'd extended the woman. She closed her hand into a fist. She felt a presence next to her and looked up to see her husband. "I didn't think they really would. Deep down I thought this would all clear up, and we would work together again. I thought they would see that this was ridiculous, but they would have done it."

Wesley put his arms around her and she lay her head against his shoulder, watching Faith. The slayer was still sitting in her seat, stunned. Angel reached for her hand and she looked down on it in surprise. "I saw horrible things, and then I felt the killing energy, and the spell pushing it back. It was close, so very close. And when I saw those things I thought…"

"What did you think?" Angel asked

Faith shook her head. "I don't remember, she's hiding again."

"I'm going to go check on Conner." Angel said

They all watched him make his way to the basement. "I need to hold my baby." Fred said, and then pulled away from her husband to head up the stairs.

Wesley walked over to Faith. "Do you need to talk about it?" He asked

She shook her head.

"Do you want to?"

She looked up at him, and then got to her feet. "I feel old."

Wesley knew she wasn't talking about her age. "She can't change you."

"That's just it." Faith said "She can."

"Not if you don't let her."

Faith kicked the chair she had been sitting in, sending it flying toward the bar. "I just want to hit something, but I can't even go outside. I'm stuck here, like a prisoner."

"Come now Faith, surely this a little better than your prison accommodations were."

She sighed. "The company's a little better." She conceded

"Always a silver lining," Wesley said

Angel stood in front of the dartboard trying, and failing, to hit the bull's-eye. "It's more about where you throw it than how hard you throw it Angel."

Angel looked over his shoulder at Fred. "I guess I'm just working out some aggression."

Fred sat down at a table behind him. "Do you want to maybe talk about it instead?"

Angel threw his last dart, barely hit the rim, and then went forward to collect them. "I keep thinking, was it even real? For a year and a half we were happy, but it… it was a lie."

Fred frowned. "Angel, bad things don't make the good ones unreal, they make them more real. Nothing is ever going to be perfect. Bad things happen, but your happiness was real."

Angel threw a dart and missed the board entirely. He gave up and sat down across from Fred. "It's like, I was with Buffy, and everything was great. But my son was sick. I didn't even know. If I had known the truth I wouldn't have been so happy, that makes it fake."

Fred frowned. "No Angel, Conner wanted you to have that happiness because he knew something was coming. Don't make his efforts pointless. Hold onto those memories."

"The memories of my girlfriend that now wants to kidnap and possibly kill my friends?"

Fred reached out and gripped his hand, her face full of sympathy. "She's being manipulated by the first. Buffy is a good person deep down, just scared and confused."

"I know, I've been there." Angel held tight to her hand, appreciating the support. "I just wish… I guess I wish a lot of things. I thought it was over. I really did. Maybe that was stupid."

"It's not stupid, we all thought it was over."

"But it never ends." Angel said "It just keeps going."

"You had that time. Hold onto it. And you're human now, that's still here."

"It just makes me less able to help." Angel countered

"No," Fred's voice was firm, final. "Don't think like that. Your happiness isn't over. You will get the chance to make so many more happy memories. We will find a way to beat this. We will find a way to save Conner and Faith, and to protect my baby. We'll find a way to fix all of this, just like we did last time. You can go back to your happy ending."

Angel shook his head. "I wish I could believe that-"

"Believe it." Fred said "Angel," She smiled at him and Angel remembered why he loved her. He saw in her eyes, not hope, but certainty. "Would I lie to you?"

He gave a happy chuckle. "No,"

"Then listen to me. It's going to be okay. Conner is going to be okay."

Gunn stood just outside Caritas, watching the busy city. How many people had walked by this building and seen this sign? How many had walked in and seen the demon? What had they thought? Gunn knew that most people spent their whole lives in ignorance of the monsters around them. Most people, if they found out about the dark parts of this world, it was the last thing they ever did. Gunn heard someone approach. "What are you doing out here?"

Gunn turned and smiled at Anne. "I was just thinking about things, life."

She gave him a warm, loving look. "It isn't safe." She admonished him

"Only for Conner, Faith and the baby. The rest of us are fine." He looked up at the sunny sky. "What must it be like, to not be able to take your kid to the park? Or the zoo? To be trapped…" Anne put her arm around his waist and leaned into him. He put his arm over her shoulders and pulled her in tight. "It scares me, makes me think about my own future."

Anne nodded. "I think about the future too, but I just want us to be together."

Gunn thought about that, about love for love's own sake. "You say that now, but I bet that's how Wes and Fred felt. They just wanted to be together, and then they made this wonderful happy life together and now…" Gunn let the thought lie there. "I bet they regret deciding to have a baby. I bet-" Gunn was surprised when Anne angrily cut him off.

"Why would you think that?"

"Wouldn't you?" He asked, stunned "Wouldn't you rather not have a child than live in fear every day that something was going to happen to that child? It's not worth it."

"Every day is a danger to every human being on this earth. If you bring a child into this world you risk millions of terrible things happening to them every moment of their lives. But at least when people like Wesley and Fred have kids that child has parents that love her. A lot of people don't have that. Maybe Cordelia wasn't dealt the best lot in life, but I'd rather have been in her shoes… booties I guess," Gunn chuckled. "Than have been raised by my parents."

Gunn nodded. Anne never talked about her parents, he didn't pry. "My parents died when I was just a kid." He reminded her "If I had a kid every day I'd be thinking about what would happen to them if I died. The idea of my child going through what I went through…"

"So I guess that settles it then." Anne said "We aren't having kids anytime soon."

Gunn shifted his weight from foot to foot in discomfort. "I love you Anne-"

"I love you too, and I'm glad you feel like you can be honest with me, I am."

Gunn nodded. A future with her, something beyond today, was it possible? He thought about the chance. To take that chance was to risk losing everything. But was it really any better to have nothing to risk? "Maybe someday things will be different." He said without believing

She shook her head. "There is no tomorrow, only today. No yesterday either, just today."

"Today all I want to do is be with you." He kissed her neck.

"That's enough," She said

Spike opened the grate that led into the sewers. "What are you doing?" Harmony asked

"What's it look like?" He snapped

"Like you're going out," She said "Without me,"

"Good job," He started to drop down into the sewer, but he heard someone groaning in pain down the hall. He hesitated, then stood up and headed for Conner.

The boy was curled up on the ground, moaning. "Please," He begged an invisible presence. "Please leave me alone, just for a moment. Let me rest, let me sleep."

"Conner," Spike said softly

"I see her weeping in the fire, kept safe like the three brothers, but her life is ripped away by monsters lurking. I see an end coming, see her stalking, she wants to take my place."

Spike walked up to the boy and knelt down. "Do you want me to get your father?"

Conner sat up and gripped Spike's collar. "I see blood pouring from your mouth, overflowing. It tastes like ash in a world of memories made of dust and lacking color. But it was real. They ran, and ran, trying to escape their fate. Their lives were ended as they were began."

Spike gripped the hands, which burned with a terrible heat. "Conner stop,"

"I was never meant to be here. I exist in defiance of natural law."

Spike heard footsteps. "Conner, Conner what's wrong?" Angel crouched down by his son. The boy shook his head, still moaning. "What happened?" He asked Spike

"Kid just started muttering something awful." Spike stood up and stepped back toward where Harmony was standing, out of the way, but still watching father and son.

"Conner talk to me." Angel said

"They made me."

"That doesn't matter." Angel said "They made me too and-" Buffy might not be such a good example right now. "It doesn't matter. We're stronger than them."

"No we're not." Conner said

"We are so long as we stand together." Angel insisted "Hold on Conner, we'll help you."

"We're not together." He whispered "She showed me."

"She showed you lies." Angel promised

"Secrets and lies, hate and deceptions. I see it. Lovers fighting, children killing, friends betraying. He took me away." Angel flinched. "You let her die, you let them all die."

"Shhh, Conner, she's just showing you-"

"You love her." Conner said in an accusing tone "After everything she did."

"Buffy? Conner that's-"

"Faith," He corrected "You love her." His pale damp skin made him look almost like a vampire. He stared at his father in accusation, looking like a fiend from hell. "I saw it."

"No Conner, that isn't-"

"You wanted to save her, because you believe. You have to believe that people can change, can be changed. You saved her, you love her like family, but she's a killer."

Angel understood now. "Yes, I do love her in that way, but it's not a bad thing."

"We're killers, all of us. This is our family, killers and dead people. We deserve to die."

"No we don't Conner. We don't deserve to die."

"But we will, she showed me. She showed me all the things you did. She showed me all the things you all did. Victims and killers and you forgive. Why? Why does he love her?"

"Conner I don't understand what you're saying." Angel said

"Why does he love her after what she did to him? Why doesn't he stab her in the heart while her back is turned?" Conner's sweat dripped onto the floor. "Why does he care?"

"Who?" Angel asked

"He should have stabbed her with that needle and sent her to the executioners. He should have killed you, not gone back for her, not tried to save you. Sentiment, it's disgusting."

Angel understood. "Conner the Wolf is deceiving you, filling your head with lies."

Conner squeezed his eyes shut. "I know, but she shows me things. I see the things she shows me. Don't you understand? She only shows me certain things, so I don't understand."

Angel wrapped his arms around his son. He felt the burning, a deadly infection. His weak human skin was scorched by it. "There's a context to all the things she showed you."

"What is it? What makes it okay?" Conner asked "Why didn't we kill each other?"

"I've been asking myself that for a long time." Spike spoke up from the back ground "I still can't figure an answer. But you should be glad so many people are willing to protect you."

"They weren't counting on it." Conner said "This is different than they planned."

"You saw their plan?" Angel asked

Conner nodded. "He was supposed to be on her side, but he chose all of you instead. He chose the love of friendship over the love of passion. He chose concern over lust. He wasn't supposed to. He wants to help the woman that was kind to him, his friend. He's being selfless."

Angel frowned, and turned to look at Spike. The vampire smirked. "I guess they don't know me as well as they think they do." He said "I guess they don't have me quite figured."

Conner curled up into a tighter ball. "She won't let me sleep."

"Maybe we can get you something." Angel said "Rest for now." Conner's irregular breathing pained Angel like a stab to the heart with every tortured breath. Angel smoothed his son's wet, dirty hair. "Rest Conner, everything is going to be all right."