(updated 04-10-2021)

***WARNING: Some scenes and language may be disturbing to some readers***

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
New challenges… Old enemies…

"By any standards, the final assault on the Haydon system and Haydon IV was a brutal and bloody affair. With the Hegemony's defenses in the Freyeon system smashed, their forces retreated in panic at the revelation of the true strength of the Invid. Despite their initial panic, the Haydonites gathered their remaining forces for a last stand in their home system. There are no surviving records from the Hegemony to provide any information or insight into decisions and strategy. For the Alliance, there would be no negotiation and no mercy given. They were more than willing to pay the price to crush the species that had dominated and terrorized them for so long. Notwithstanding the debates and discussions over the morality of what took place in the Haydon system. The Alliance had now set a precedent for using force to eliminate an enemy deemed a threat. This precedent would come back to haunt the Alliance…"

— Excerpt from "A Galaxy at War: The Haydonite-Alliance War"

oOoOo

"Andy! It's time!" Faith called out from the other side of the house.

"Huh? Yeah, I'll be right there," Andy muttered, half-heartedly paying attention to her, with his attention focused on the TV. The documentary covering the attack on the Haydonite's homeworld had him thoroughly engrossed.

"After heavy fighting in the outer parts of the Haydon System, the Alliance Grand Fleet, commanded by the Invid Regent, finally destroyed the last major Haydonite fleet. Despite the fierce resistance and heavy casualties incurred, Alliance forces continued their advance on Haydon IV, overwhelming and smashing the orbital defense network and the few remaining capital ships. With the defenses eliminated, the Grand Fleet unleashed its firepower on the planet, forever removing the Haydonite threat…"

Andy sat spellbound, watching this last apocalyptical battle play out. Alliance capital ships seemed to be everywhere, with massive swarms of mecha, fighters and drones blurring them out at times.

The Alliance ships were closing into firing range on the last line of Haydonite defenses. Hundreds of defense platforms, supported by a pitiful number of fighters and ships, formed a perimeter, trying to protect a dark, somber-looking planet from the advancing Alliance ships.

A fleeting moment of sympathy filled Andy, seeing the badly outnumbered Haydonites in their doomed last stand. Any glimmer of sympathy vanished as he recalled the horror stories and images from the survivors liberated from those Haydonite processing facilities.

"Burn, you motherfuckers!" he muttered, watching the lead elements of the Alliance fleet strike the Haydonite defenses.

A twinge of guilt pulled at him as the Alliance ships tore into the enemy. He'd thought about re-enlisting in the Marines after Earth's liberation. A lot of his friends and people he knew were signing up or transferring over to the Alliance Marine Corps. Just when he'd decided, Faith broke the news that changed both their lives.

Knowing he was going to be a father changed his outlook on life. The urge to run off to fight a war, especially one in its final throes, suddenly lost its appeal. What mattered now were Faith and their unborn child.

"ANDY!" Faith shouted, breaking his train of thought.

"WHAT?" he bellowed, annoyed at being interrupted.

Faith waddled into the living room, "It's time!"

"Time for what?" grumbled Andy, still annoyed about being nagged.

"It's time!" snapped Faith, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at Andy's obliviousness.

What she was trying to tell him finally clicked. Andy jumped out of his chair, rushing towards her, his face a mix of excitement, shock and panic.

"A-Are you sure?" he stammered while nervously bouncing around the room.

Faith nodded, "Yeah, my water broke, and my contractions are coming a few minutes apart!"

Andy paused his nervous pacing, taking a deep breath to get control, "You can do this… You can do this," he muttered to himself.

"I'll grab your bag," he said, finally getting some measure of control over his nervousness.

"It's at the door, Faith replied with a smirk that suddenly became a painful grimace.

"Y-You okay?" Andy squeaked, suddenly feeling the walls close in around him.

"Yeah, just another contraction… We need to get going."

"O-Okay… okay," Andy replied, saying it more for himself than for Faith.

He started for the door, but suddenly stopped, "I better call my folks and let them know," he said, heading towards the phone.

"We can call them along with Giles and Rachel from the truck!" Faith said, letting out an exasperated sigh while waddling her way to the door.

"Yeah… yeah, you're right," Andy said, taking another deep breath, moving to grab the bag and help Faith out to the truck.

oOoOo

"Master, it's time!"

The First Evil considered the kneeling Bringer's news, "I take it that the baby is coming?"

"Yes, master! The Slayer has gone to the hospital. Are you sure you do not want them killed?"

The question caught The First Evil by surprise. For a moment, it considered ordering the other Bringers to tear apart this one for being impertinent, but held off. The First contemplated the question. The option of killing everyone was tempting, but that would be too quick. What he had in mind would be slow and painful… and more satisfying.

"No, I want you to grab the child as planned… alive… and bring it to me! If anyone gets in your way, you can kill them. Understood?"

The kneeling Bringer nodded, "Yes, master! We understand and will carry out your commands!"

oOoOo

"Okay, push," the doctor said.

Faith nodded, bearing down to push. She swore as another contraction stabbed her, racking her with pain.

"I can see the head! You need to bear down on the next contraction."

Faith, screaming, pushed as another heavy contraction hit her, "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T I GET AN EPIDURAL!"

She took another deep breath, giving Andy a glare that could melt steel, "I HATE ALL MEN! I SHOULD'VE BEEN A LESBIAN!"

Andy winced at her outburst, shrugging and flashing a small embarrassed smile at the doctor and nurses.

"It's okay, honey," Andy muttered, giving Faith a weak smile. He glanced at the crushed birthing bed rails, giving a silent prayer of thanks that he wasn't holding her hand.

Andy gazed at the clock, his mind noting that they were now past the twelve hour mark for Faith's labor.

"You're almost there. Just a little more," the doctor said, using a soothing voice to calm his patient.

"You can do it, honey!" Andy added, giving Faith some more ice chips.

The sweat was running off Faith. She'd heard stories about childbirth, but she thought her Slayer powers would allow her to shrug it off. Unfortunately, she'd been wrong as this was the most intense pain she'd ever gone through, which was saying a lot for her.

For the first time in her life, she didn't know if she had the strength to keep going. She tried focusing on Andy's voice, but another contraction hit her. The overwhelming pain almost caused her to pass out. As the haze cleared, a tiny crying voice filled the room.

"Congratulations, you have a son," the doctor said, not hiding the tiredness and relief in his voice.

A dreamlike state gripped Faith, watching a nurse wrap up her baby and bring it to her, "A-A boy?" she stammered.

Despite his tiredness, Andy was beaming, "Yeah, honey. We have a son!"

"He's a beautiful baby," the nurse said, handing the baby over to her.

A wave of fears and doubts hit Faith as the reality of the situation sank in as she took the baby into her arms. She wasn't ready to be a mother. She hadn't planned for any of this. It had been as much a surprise to her as for Andy.

What bothered her even more was another tormenting worry that had hung over her ever since finding out she was pregnant.

She'd done the calendar count, and it was very close… close enough for her to question and worry.

For weeks, she'd wondered and feared what was growing inside her. When the first blood tests and ultrasounds showed a normal, well-developing fetus, she almost cried in relief. Yet, doubts and fears still pestered her about her baby's parentage.

The nurse said, "He has such beautiful unique eyes."

Faith looked into her son's eyes and her face blanched, seeing his deep dark eyes. She struggled not to drop her son, seeing all her doubts and fears confirmed. Her son's eyes seemed to sparkle with an intelligence and awareness which surprised her. The light catching his eyes had her swearing she saw a faint shade of purple.

Faith's pale face caught Andy by surprise, "You okay?" he said, eyeing her worriedly.

Faith stared at Andy, finding herself torn over what to do. When she gazed back down at her son, the purple tinge had faded.

"Y-Yeah… I-I'm exhausted… that's all," she sighed.

It was a trick of the lights! My mind playing tricks on me! she thought, now unsure of what she'd seen.

Yet, despite now questioning her sanity, she had no doubts now about who the father was. Guilt tore at her as Andy took the baby from her. Watching Andy cradle and rock her son, she again debated what she should do.

Yeah, tell your husband he isn't the father right after you've given birth. That'll end well…

A nurse interrupted her deliberations, "Have you decided on a name?"

Andy smiled. They had already picked out a name if they had a boy, "Yeah, it's—"

Faith jumped in, cutting him off, "Alex."

Andy stared at Faith, shaking his head in confusion, "Honey, I thought we'd decided on the name Michael if we had a son?"

Despite this being the best day of his life, Andy was getting annoyed by Faith's strange behavior. It was almost like she was purposely ruining this day for him. He might have chalked it all up to long labor, but he sensed something else was wrong.

Faith didn't know why she'd jumped in like that. Andy was right, she had agreed to the name beforehand. It was strange, but something compelled her to choose that name.

She reached over and took her son back from Andy, cradling and rocking him gently, "Your name is Alex…" she whispered, smiling.

Faith's smile grew larger at her son's gurgling in response to her voice.

oOoOo

"Penny for your thoughts?" James said.

"Huh? Sorry," Buffy smiled, shaking her head, "I'm still finding it hard to believe Faith is a mom."

A smirk plastered James's face, "Uh-huh, makes you think."

Buffy laughed, bubbling with happiness now reunited with James.

She'd worried and dreaded the whole time he was away, especially during the final battle for the Haydonite home system. Even knowing he was on the SDF-4 did little to calm her nerves until the battle was over.

There had literally been non-stop parties for a week across the planet after the destruction of the Haydonite homeworld. While Buffy may have done some minor partaking in the festivities, now that James was home they'd taken the time to do some personal celebrations.

Buffy couldn't remember a time that she'd been this happy and content. There seemed to be fewer threats and impending apocalypses that even her Slayer duties could take a back seat so she could spend more time with James. She started to believe that she could have a normal life, and they could be a normal couple.

Buffy gasped in mock horror, shaking her head, "Oh, no you don't! I'm not ready for that yet! I'm just getting used to having you around again. Plus, you might have to hop across the galaxy with no notice."

James shook his head, "With the Haydonite home system gone the war is winding down. All that's left is mopping up a few remaining outposts and tracking down a few ships that escaped. The Alliance is shifting to peace-time operations."

An excited smile filled Buffy's face, "You mean?"

James's smile grew larger, "Yup, got my orders this morning. As of now, I'm stationed on Earth assigned to the new UN Space Defense Force. Looks like I'll be sticking around for a while."

Buffy squealed in delight as she jumped into James's arms, giving him a long passionate kiss. After what seemed a long enough period, a familiar voice interrupted them.

"Ahem, I take it you had good news," Giles said, not hiding his fatherly protective tone while eyeing the young couple.

Buffy reluctantly pulled away from James. She couldn't put into words what she was feeling right now.

Rachel laughed, "Rupert, you could've let them have a couple more minutes to enjoy the moment."

"Thank you, Rachel. My thoughts exactly!" Buffy teased with a chiding voice, trying to give Giles an annoyed look, but her beaming smile gave her away.

A sense of happiness filled Giles at seeing how happy Buffy was, but he wouldn't let her see it, "Uh… yes. I'm sure you can easily pick up where you left off," he said, maintaining his usual British reserved demeanor.

Giles glanced at his watch, "I just want to note that visiting hours will end soon. If we want to see Faith and her child tonight, we will need to hurry along."

"Don't you love how he takes charge," Rachel said to Buffy, laughing.

Giles rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh. He glanced over at James for some sign of support.

James smirked, giving Giles a shrug, "Hey, don't look at me. We're outnumbered! I think our only option is to surrender."

"Smart man!" Buffy smiled, giving James another quick kiss as the group made their way to the hospital entrance.

They made their way to Faith's hospital room after checking in with the main reception desk. They were all tired from the drive from Denver, but that didn't dampen their enthusiasm and excitement to see the new baby.

As they made their way to Faith's room, Buffy kept glancing at James. Her thoughts kept drifting back to what he'd said earlier. Though he seemed to be joking, she seriously considered what he'd said.

Things have been quiet… The world is at peace… The war's pretty much over and James is now home… Things are looking pretty good! Maybe he's the one, and this is it? Maybe I can actually have a normal life now?

Buffy put those thoughts on hold as they entered Faith's hospital room. Her previous experiences visiting hospitals were usually bad or stressful situations. This time they weren't here for bad news, they were here to celebrate a new life, a new addition to their family.

"So, how's the new mom doing?" Buffy said, giving Faith a hug as she sat up in bed.

Faith smiled weakly, sighing, "Tired… The little guy took his sweet time in deciding to come out."

Buffy laughed, seeing how tired Faith was, "Where's Andy? How's the new dad doing?"

Faith's smile faded, "H-He took his folks home… H-He's doing fine," she stammered.

Her response set off alarm bells in Buffy's head. She immediately sensed something was wrong, but held off digging deeper while Giles and Rachel moved in to add their own hugs and congratulations to the new mom. This was not the time to being asking pointed questions.

"So, does he have a name yet?" Buffy said, still eyeing Faith.

Faith nodded, "His name is Alex…"

The small gasp from Rachel caught Buffy's attention. She couldn't help noticing the change in Rachel's face.

Rachel eyed Faith questioningly, "Alex, huh? Named after anyone in particular?"

Rachel's tone and questions, and seeing Faith squirming was giving Buffy a strange vibe.

Whatever is going on, this is not the time to air it out, Buffy thought.

Buffy decided it was time to change the subject… at least for now, "So where is the little guy?"

Faith sighed in relief at the lifeline Buffy had thrown her, "They took him down to the nursery. I'll buzz the nurses to bring him back up."

She pressed the nurse's call button. While they waited, everyone continued to catch up.

After a few minutes, Faith muttered, glancing at her door, "That's funny. They're usually quick in responding."

Faith moved to get out of bed, but Buffy quickly jumped in, stopping her, "You stay there! I'll wander down to the nursing station to tell them. They're probably busy or on a break."

James jumped to accompany Buffy on her stroll to the nursing station. He wasn't going to miss an opportunity to spend time alone with her, even if it was only a walk down the hall. He smiled as he took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. His smile grew larger at her return squeeze.

"So, now that I'll be around more. Maybe we can talk about living accommodations," he said as they approached the nursing station.

Buffy had been giving some happy thought to that same topic, but her response died on her lips as she glanced over the counter of the nursing station. Her attention fixated on the pool of blood flowing from underneath one of the office doors behind the station.

"Jesus!" James exclaimed, watching in frozen horror as Buffy rushed behind the nursing station and opened the door.

Three dead bodies—two nurses and an orderly—their throats cut open, lay there. Their faces and lifeless eyes forever etched with the horror and surprise of their last moments.

Buffy immediately switched into Slayer mode. Her senses were already at max, searching for threats. A sudden dread of horror filled her.

Faith giving birth and now this! This can't be a coincidence!

She didn't hesitate, turning to James, "Get back to the room! I'm heading down to maternity ward!"

Buffy didn't see the horror on James's face as he realized what was happening. He didn't hesitate at Buffy's orders as his combat instincts kicked in, turning and sprinting back to the room.

Buffy was sprinting for the stairwell while fighting the growing horror as she realized what was happening.

She hit the stairwell at a full sprint, bounding down the stairs. Her mind whirled, trying to recall which floor the maternity ward was on. The first door she tried told her she was on the right floor.

The body sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood only confirmed her worst fears. She caught the faint sounds of babies crying, drifting down the hallway, and her heart froze.

She sprinted towards the crying. In her rush, she almost made her first and last mistake.

A Bringer, brandishing a knife, lunged at her from a doorway. Her instincts and reflexes saved her. She spun her body away from the slashing blade, missing her by mere inches.

Buffy immediately counter-attacked, regaining her balance and catching the Bringer in the head with a spin-kick, dropping him to the ground. She didn't hesitate or show any remorse, grabbing the unconscious demon, and snapping his neck in one swift motion.

The sounds of small voices crying still drifted down the hallway. Their cries refocused Buffy, pausing only long enough to pick up the dead Bringer's knife to arm herself.

The crying seemed to fade as she moved further down the hall, nearing the maternity ward. A grisly, nightmarish scene greeted Buffy at the entrance to the ward. The dead bodies of hospital staff littered the floor.

Six Bringers rushed from a room. Horror gripped Buffy, seeing one of them carrying a crying infant.

She immediately realized whose baby it was as the group of Bringers noticed her presence. Four of the Bringers turned and attacked, rushing at her brandishing knives.

She realized what they were doing as the other two Bringers, with the baby, fled in the other direction towards the emergency exit. The group attacking was buying time for the others to escape with the baby. There was no choice for her. If she wanted to stop them and rescue the baby, she needed to go through them. She charged the attacking Bringers.

Her knife caught the first demon across the throat, dropping the creature to the floor, but then had to dodge as another demon swarmed her.

She fought to keep this attacker between her and the other two Bringers to prevent her from getting overwhelmed. Buffy's heart sank, catching site of the two Bringers with Faith's baby. A sickening realization filled her that there was no way she could fight her way through and stop the Bringers before they got outside. The harsh facts were if the Bringers got outside they would disappear into the night with the baby.

The emergency exit door flying open suddenly changed the equation. A scream filled the hallway.

"BASTARDS!"

Buffy saw Faith, still screaming, as she hit the lead Bringer, grabbing him and throwing him into the wall. The demon crashed into the wall hard before crumpling to the floor. The Bringer shook off the hit, standing up and drawing his knife.

While Faith grappled with that Bringer, Buffy saw James join in, rushing from the emergency exit, heading directly at the other Bringer carrying Faith's son.

She caught a glint of flashing metal. Before she could scream a warning, she saw the demon slash at James with the knife in his free hand.

Time slowed down, taking on an eerie quality as a part of her of registered the knife cutting James as he plowed into the demon like a football linebacker.

Any further worries or fears for James had to wait as her fight with the three Bringers took all her attention. Even as she continued her battle with the Bringers, Faith's screams and swearing reverberated through the hallway.

Buffy finally put down the last of the demons facing her. She turned to help the others and froze at the scene that greeted her…

James was lying slumped against the wall with one hand pressed against his side, trying to stop the flow of blood from where he got stabbed. In his other arm, appearing unharmed, he cradled a crying baby.

Faith was in the middle of the hallway disposing of the last Bringer. She'd grabbed a medical instrument tray and was using the metal tray as a weapon, decapitating one Bringer with it.

Now, she straddled the last Bringer—the one that had been carrying her baby and had stabbed James—beating the demon's head into a bloody pulp with the tray.

Blood soaked the front of Faith's hospital gown. Buffy immediately realized that a good portion of the blood was Faith's. Before she could do or say anything, Faith collapsed beside the dead Bringer.

oOoOo

It was a bloodbath…

Buffy shuffled down the hall towards Faith's room, in a zombie-like state, not knowing whether to cry or scream. Horrific images of the maternity ward played repeatedly in her head.

Police and other emergency personnel streamed past her while the cries of pain and anguish from the families who had lost children and loved ones echoed through the hospital. She barely noticed them. Images of dead babies in their incubators and beds haunted her thoughts.

The sight of Giles coming down the hall caught her attention, allowing her to focus on something else for now.

As Giles got closer, Buffy saw her pain and anguish mirrored on his face. There was no hesitation as she approached him, and he gathered her into a tight hug. Tears welled up in Buffy's eyes as she sought comfort from her Watcher's fatherly embrace.

Giles waited long enough for Buffy to regain her composure before letting her go. He eyed her worriedly, reading the pain carved into her face.

"How is James?" he said.

Buffy, wiping her eyes, took a deep breath, "They're stitching him up. The blade didn't catch any major arteries or do any serious damage."

Giles sighed in relief, but then his thoughts returned to the bloody, horrific scene of the maternity ward. He struggled to keep his emotions in check as he spoke, "Thirty dead at last count."

Buffy closed her eyes, taking a deep breath at hearing the body count. Images of the tiny helpless dead bodies flashed in her head, knowing they would haunt her dreams forever.

"They'll try again," Giles sighed.

Buffy opened her eyes, her thoughts switching over to how they would deal with the next attack, "James and I figured as much. While they were stitching him up, he made some calls and used his pull. He's got two platoons of Marines on route here."

Giles arched his eyes in surprise, "The local and state police are already here. Isn't calling in the Marines a little excessive?"

Buffy glared at Giles, scenes of the maternity ward again playing in her thoughts, "Excessive! Dealing with The First, there's no such thing as excessive!" she snapped.

Buffy saw the surprise on Giles's face. She wanted to change the subject, "How's Faith?"

Giles grimaced, concern filling his face, "Complications from the birth caused her bleeding. They've sedated her to keep her calm and giving her a blood transfusion. She's lost a lot of blood, but she'll pull through."

Buffy sighed in relief, "Is Andy here?"

Giles nodded, "Yes, he's with Faith and Alex in her room."

With her adrenaline winding down, the tiredness was hitting her. All Buffy wanted was to rest and know the people she cared about were safe, "I want to go check on Faith and Alex. I need to see that they're alright."

oOoOo

Rachel stepped out of the hospital, trying to gather her thoughts and get some fresh air. The flashing lights of police cars and other emergency vehicles along with the few streetlights cast a haunting glow to the night. This only added to the horrific scene inside the hospital.

Even with a light nighttime breeze, Rachel still caught wisps of the all too familiar stench of death wafting from the hospital. Even though she'd avoided the maternity ward, she'd heard enough to have a pretty good idea of what had happened.

The thought of all those people murdered, especially all those helpless babies tore at her. Along with the pain and sadness, there was a growing anger building up inside her. That Faith's son was the target of those demons only stirred her anger. She shuddered to think what they would have done to Faith's son if they'd gotten away.

When Faith told her the name of her son, it triggered something in her. The familiar family traits of the child only reinforced this, removing Rachel's doubts about who was the child's father.

This brought her back to her theories about Paul and the Regent. She couldn't believe it was only a coincidence the Regent looked like Paul. The Invid were adamant in their position that Paul was "no more", but they never outright said he was dead.

Whatever her crazy theories were about Paul and the Regent, the problem now was that someone had attacked her family. Anger and the urge to strike back burned in her.

What Rachel knew about The First Evil was from what Paul and Giles had told her. She was well aware of Paul's burning hate for The First from how it had tried to manipulate him.

Her mind raced, recalling and going over every bit of info she knew about The First. Different ideas and approaches of fighting The First blossomed only to be discarded as impractical or unrealistic.

Rachel sighed, knowing that whatever approach or idea she came up with, she just didn't have access to the resources she needed. A twinge of regret filled her over her decision to leave the military. If she was still in, there would be no issues with her access to the resources and weapons she needed.

A small convoy of military vehicles arriving caught her attention. Her mind whirled and raced, watching the armored personnel carriers fan out to surround the building. An idea flared into existence as Marines disgorged from the carriers to take up positions to guard the hospital.

She laughed at its simplicity, but as she considered her plan, warnings echoed in her head. Rachel realized she could be opening a Pandora's Box that could easily spin out of control. Her burning anger and hate swept aside any warnings or sense of caution. Her only concern was protecting the people she cared about.

"That bastard wants a war… I'll show him what a war is!" she muttered, making her way over to talk to the Marines to ask a favor.

oOoOo

Giles paced nervously, wondering where Rachel was. His pacing abruptly halted as the door opened, and Rachel entered, "Where have you been?" he said, not hiding his worry and relief in his voice.

Rachel gave Giles a long hug, "I needed to get some air and gather my thoughts," she said, ending their embrace to go over to Andy, holding Alex.

Giles studied Rachel as she took the sleeping infant from Andy, gently cooing to Alex as she rocked him. He'd known her long enough to know when she was angry, but the vibe she was giving off was setting off his internal alarms. The sense of something wrong caused him to dread to ask what was going on, but he needed to ask the question.

Giles approached Rachel, "What did you do?" he whispered, so as not to disturb the baby.

The predator-like smile that flashed on Rachel's face sent chills down Giles's back. A sense of urgency and worry now gripped him.

"What did you do?" he muttered in a slightly louder voice, causing the baby to stir.

Rachel glared at Giles for disturbing the baby, but turned her attention back to Alex to settle him down.

"Auntie Rachel will make sure that bad old First Evil doesn't bother you… That's right!" she cooed in a soothing voice, settling the baby down.

Alarms screamed in Giles's head, staring at Rachel as she flashed her predator-like smile while rocking the baby. A confused looking Buffy and Andy watched from the sidelines, "Please tell me you did nothing rash?" Giles breathed.

Rachel glanced up from the baby, meeting Giles's eyes, "All I did was make a call."

Giles stared at Rachel incredulously, "A call? You made a phone call? Who did you call?" he stammered.

Rachel turned her eyes back to the baby, her voice cooing as she talked to the baby "Yeah, I talked to the Marines. I told them who I was. They were more than glad to help and let me have access to their comm gear."

"W-Why? W-What?" Giles sputtered.

A worried and confused Buffy jumped in, "W-Who did you call?" she stammered.

Rachel, not taking her eyes off the sleeping Alex, smiled again, her predator smile sending chills through the other adults. Her quiet voice filled the room, "All I did was send a message to someone who I thought should know what happened here. I think… No… I know he'll be responding soon."