A/N : I'm so glad I'm keeping all you readers interested and guessing! This story is a lot more than just a regular Spuffy fic for me, it's majorly action and plot driven too! Hopefully I won't lose anybody as we delve a little further into Angel's problems with Holtz. I've tried to write it so those that only watched Buffy and not Angel don't get too lost... hopefully it's all good!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 6

"Nope, not getting anything but your guy Holtz" Willow declared, with a grateful smile.

She and Tara were currently sat on the floor opposite each other in lotus style with a large sword between them. It was the third weapon they'd cast this particular spell over, as they tried to get a bead on where the various demons Angel had fought were and what condition they were in. It seemed that, unless the spell was faulty, and that was unlikely, the only one who remained alive and in any condition to attack was Daniel Holtz.

"Well, that's a good thing" Cordy considered, "I mean, yeah, could be better, but one guy's a lot easier to deal with than a horde of demon people, right?"

"Not if you're the Slayer" Buffy shook her head, catching everyone's attention, Spike's in particular.

"Nobody's lookin' for you to go killin' humans, luv" he told her, casting a look at Angel, "Some of us here are more adept at that than you"

"I have no problem killing Holtz myself" Angel assured him, "but if he's serious about hurting me, I can't fight off the army he might bring"

"I'll still fight" Buffy told him, "Human, demon, whatever, I'm not letting anybody hurt Annaliese... or Connor" she added, almost like an afterthought as Spike shot her a grateful half-smile.

She really would risk her life for his child. Whether that meant her feelings for him were changing as much as he'd like to believe or not he wasn't sure but it'd be nice to dream for a little while before the next crisis hit.

"So, now that we know it's just Holtz we have to deal with..." Willow began, only to be interrupted by the ringing phone.

"Aren't we just popular today" Buffy commented as she went to answer it and was thrilled to hear her Watcher's voice on the end of the line.

"Giles, we've been trying to call you for days!" she told him, both thrilled to be able to talk to him but also a little angry that he hadn't contacted her sooner.

"I'm terribly sorry, Buffy" he apologised, "I was at a retreat with the coven, it's a sacred place, they simply don't have telephones I'm afraid" he explained.

"Did they see anything or know anything? About Annaliese, I mean?" she checked, knowing that it mattered more now than ever.

"There was some information I was able to collect" Giles told her, "Although as yet it doesn't make all that much sense" he admitted, "It will require some further study and work... Buffy, you know this really is an unprecedented event to have occurred. Finding answers... it's really not an easy task"

"I know" she nodded, "Could be kind of important though. Giles, we've got trouble, and it's not just about Annaliese"

"It's not any-bloody-thing to do with her!" Spike yelled from the other room, causing Buffy to roll her eyes as she continued.

"There are people, and demons, or at least there were" she amended, "They were going after Angel. Giles, he has a child too"

"Good Lord" her Watcher gasped, "Are you quite certain?"

As if on queue Connor decided now was a good time to test out his lung capacity and screamed loud enough to shake the foundations.

"Hear that?" Buffy half smiled as she pointed the phone towards the living room briefly then brought it back to her face, "That's Connor. Angel and Darla's child"

Giles didn't answer for a full minute, and Buffy took the oppurtunity to explain a little more.

"I am sorry, Buffy" was all he said when she'd finished, "I know you had dreams and wishes where Angel was concerned..."

"Giles, I'm fine" his Slayer promise him, "It was weird at first but, things have changed, we've all moved on. I'm fine" she repeated and found she didn't even really have to lie.

Where Angel was concerned, she really was okay, but with Spike, well, that was something she still needed to figure out in her head later, when everything calmed down.

"Well, I shall certainly look into this in more detail" Giles told her, "And the very moment I have anything useful I shall let you know, Buffy"

"And then you can come home" she smiled, wishing her father-figure was here right now, it'd make life a whole lot easier that was for sure.

"Yes, Buffy, then I shall come home, as soon as I can" he promised her, "I do miss you all terribly. Don't tell him of course but I've spent so much time in the company of Spike I am almost missing him"

Buffy laughed at that, the first genuine laugh she'd let out in days and she was glad of it. Today ought to be a serious day, as every day must be until the babies lives stopped being in danger. Those thoughts soon took the smile from her face as she and Giles said their goodbyes and ended their call.

"Giles alright, is he?" Spike asked as she turned around and found him standing there, "Got any sparkly new bits of info for us?"

"He's fine, but I think we're still a little low on info" she admitted, "I so wish he'd hurry up with the breakthrough already. I so want him here"

"Sorry the rest of us don't measure up" Spike said, sounding a little affronted as his eyes dipped to the floor.

"Spike, that's not fair" Buffy complained as she stepped closer to him, "You know I didn't mean it that way" she assured him and as he glanced up he found she was not more than a few inches away.

"One thing I do know" he said more softly than he'd really meant to, "Things could be so bloody different by now, if old broody pants hadn't come interrupting us" he smirked slightly at the beautiful memory of kissing the Slayer in her bedroom.

A few more minutes and they both knew what potentially could've happened between them. As it was there was a lot that was unresolved between them, and with one thing and another it seemed their feelings would just have to wait to be figured out. More important things were at stake, the lives of themselves, their friends, the children that ought not to exist in reality.

Still as they stood there in the hall, eyes locked onto each other, neither seemed aware of the door opening, at least not until a loud siren sounded like an air-horn in over-drive and Anya came bursting into the house, screaming like a banshee.

"Where is he?!" she yelled, "I want to know where he is, right now!" she bellowed, her noise waking both the babies who screamed loudly in unison. It was Spike and Cordelia who went to them as Angel came towards the door with Buffy and the Wiccans.

"Um, okay, early warning system;" Willow nodded, "loud enough but too late to help us" she said, glancing at Tara, "We'll fix it" she promised with a smile, though neither witch moved for a moment as they waited to see what had got Anya in such a state.

"Hi, we haven't met" Angel said to the ex-demon with a forced smile, "I'm Angel, and you, you need to be quiet!" he said, a nasty look coming over his face as he pointed a finger at her. Buffy got between them and pushed him back.

"Angel, calm down" she ordered him, "Anya" she addressed the ex-demon as she turned around, "What exactly is wrong?"

"Xander's gone" she explained, "And I didn't come here to be yelled at by your ex-lover who clearly doesn't remember that we met before!" she yelled in the direction of the vampire who suddenly realised who she was, though he was beyond caring right now. This awful woman had upset his son, it was all he needed to know about her.

"Hold on a second" Buffy shook her head, trying to hear Anya over the screaming of Annaliese and Connor, "Xander's gone? Gone where?" she checked.

"Well, if I knew that I wouldn't be here asking you, would I?" the other woman huffed, rolling her eyes, "He's not at his construction site, he's not at the apartment, I tried all the places he usually goes and nothing. He's just gone!" she complained.

"Oh my God, do you think something happened to him on his way from here to... well, where did he say he was going?" Willow frowned, suddenly realising Buffy hadn't actually mentioned it when she told her friends of Xander showing up, acting weird, and then leaving again quite quickly.

"I, er... I honestly don't know" Buffy realised, with a hint of worry in her voice, "I don't remember him telling me where exactly he was headed, I guess, I just assumed he was going to work"

"Well, he's not there! I just told you!" Anya raved, "And I'm getting upset and the book said that's not good for the baby, so I need you to just..."

"Hold on a second" Buffy waved her hand in a gesture that told the ex-demon to shut up, "What did you just say? About a baby?"

"Are you all extremely stupid?!" Anya sighed in annoyance, "I'm pregnant, okay? I'm carrying Xander's child!"

"Oh my God" Willow gasped, unable to take it in.

She'd been a little stunned when the couple announced their wedding, she knew Xander hadn't coped well when the reality of that situation hit home. Now he knew his fiancee was pregnant, well, it was little wonder he'd disappeared somewhere where nobody could find him anymore. It hurt a little to think he wouldn't turn to her but then he had been to the house before...

"Yes, this is definitely a time for shock and panic" Anya agreed with the looks she saw on everybody's face.

Angel even looked stunned, but then he was more shocked to realise that Xander was apparently both engaged and due to be a father soon. He'd spotted the ring on Anya's finger before and now she was saying she was pregnant. Seemed the boy had grown up a lot these past months and years, but the fact he'd run away from all this responsibility just went to prove that things were not what they seemed at all. The boy was still a boy inside, still panicking at the slightest thing, just like the old days.

"So Xander found out you were pregnant and then disappeared?" Buffy checked she was understanding.

"Well, I didn't tell him I was pregnant but the test I did wasn't where I left it in the trash when I got home" Anya explained, "I think he found it, saw the small blue lines, and went a little crazy"

"Yeah, that sounds like a Xander thing to do" Angel said, shaking his head, and distinct 'tut-tut' tone to his voice. Buffy shot him an unimpressed look, "I'm just saying, Buffy, if he can't be a man and face up to his responsibilities" he shrugged, a smirk developing on his face.

"It is terrible when a father cannot live up to expectations" said a voice behind them and they all turned to see a man standing in the open front doorway, a cross bow bolt pressed to Willow's throat and a tearful Tara by her side.

"Holtz" Angel gasped at the sight of him.

"Hello, Angelus" the man greeted him, with a smile that made Buffy shudder involuntarily, "Come now, do introduce me to your charming friends"

To Be Continued...