"The Bronze is really great tonight!" Lynn yelled in Matt's ear later that night.
"What?!" Matt asked, leaning closer to Lynn.
"I said, the Bronze is really great tonight!" Lynn yelled again. "Great band!"
"Yeah, I think I flunked that test, too," he told her.
Lynn shook her head. "No, I said... oh, never mind."
Matt shrugged and leaned closer again. "Wanna dance?"
"To that?" she asked rhetorically and shook her head. It was a hard rock band... hardly the kind of music she could really dance to. "I'd rather talk."
"Shop?" Matt asked with a frown. "Mall's closed."
Lynn sighed in frustration and got up from their table, grabbing her jacket and purse in the process. She leaned forward and touched Matt's arm gently, then gestured that he should follow her outside. With a nod, Matt stood from the table and let himself be led by Lynn outside where the music wasn't so loud.
"I said," Lynn started rather loudly once they were outside the Bronze. She winced and lowered her voice to normal volume. "I said I'd rather talk."
"Yeah," Matt said. "We could start by you telling me why you've been avoiding me."
Lynn looked down sheepishly. "I'm sorry," she said. "I've just, well, like I said when I talked to you at the mall earlier this week. There's a lot going on in my life. New dad, new last name, oh, and new brother orsister..."
"Brother or sister?"
"Yeah, didn't I tell you? Mom's pregnant."
Matt frowned slightly. So the Slayer is pregnant, he thought. How interesting. "Really? Tell her congratulations on my part."
Lynn grinned. "Will do. But, anyway, like I said, there's a lot going on. I just... well, I'm sorry."
"Hey, it's no biggie," Matt said, waving away the apology. "I haven't been that great myself."
Lynn smiled. "So, we're good?"
"Yeah, we're good."
Lynn grinned and wrapped her arms around Matt's neck. "Great," she murmured. With that, she raised her head and kissed his lips gently. She wasn't really sure why she was suddenly letting him off the hook from what had happened earlier that day, but she followed her intuition. Something inside her told her that she would eventually figure out what was going on. In the meantime, though...
They were interrupted by a sound from behind. A muffled scream, Lynn decided.
"Hey, you know what?" Lynn said turning to Matt again. "I'll take you up on that dance. Why don't you go inside? I'll be right there."
Matt looked puzzled. "Uh, sure, okay."
With that, he turned and started back toward the Bronze. Lynn watched him go for several seconds before turning and running off in the direction she heard the scream come from. The alleyway next to the Bronze, she noticed, was the place where most attacks took place. She slowed down when she spotted a man, or perhaps a vampire, kissing a girl's shoulder. The girl looked scared, staring down at the guy's hand, which was clamped down on her mouth.
With one last grimace, Lynn brightened her face and started with some of the quips she had often heard her mother use. "You know, you guys are way too predictable."
The guy's head shot up and turned to look at her slowly. He was tall, with clean cut red hair and eyes she could've sworn shone green in the moonlight. Lynn thought he was handsome, and his way of standing reminded her somewhat of her father. And surprisingly enough, he didn't have what her mother called a game face. At least, not at the moment he had turned to look at her. "Well, well, well," he said as he let go on the girl. Wasting no time, the girl scurried off in the direction of the club. "I was expecting you to come, Evelynn, but you took longer than I thought you would. I almost bit her. Perhaps I overestimate you."
Lynn frowned, promptly caught off guard. She had expected to take care of this quickly and head back to her waiting boyfriend. Obviously, it wasn't going to be that simple. She decided for her mother's approach once again. "Sorry to disappoint you," she said. "But maybe we can take care of this quickly? I'm kinda on a tight schedule. You know, my boyfriend's waiting for me... he hates to be kept waiting."
The guy smiled a strange smile that Lynn decided she didn't like. "I'm sure," he muttered. "At any rate, I'm not here to fight you. You have spunk, Evelynn, and I admire that. But you have doubts. And those doubts will get the better of you. And when they do, I'll be here.
"In the meantime, tell your father Nicholas said hello."
With that, he bowed his head in mock respect and waved. To Lynn's utter and complete surprise, he disappeared.
******
Angel sighed as he closed the door behind him.
"Hard day?"
Angel whirled around to find Buffy standing behind him. "Yeah," he said. "But I did get the job."
Buffy grinned. "Really?" She threw herself in his arms. "But wait, it's ten. You spend all day at the interview?"
"No, I drove around for a while, brought some food." He held up a McDonald's bag. "And then I realized it was late."
"I was worried," Buffy said, then brightened again. "Hey, this means we get to work together now. We could go together in the mornings and come back with Lynn in the afternoons... oh, this is cool."
Angel chuckled as he returned the hug. It was just like her to get so exited, and he loved it. "Though by what you tell me, teaching isn't exactly a breeze," he answered.
"Oh, believe me, it's not," she answered. "You get splitting headaches, your feet hurt, and you might even lose your voice from trying to get them to be quiet. But it's fun..."
Angel shook his head and smiled. "You really love what you do, don't you?"
"Oh, yeah," Buffy replied. "I like working with teenagers. I'm to them kinda like what Giles is to me, you know? They call me by my first name and they confide in me all sorts of interesting stuff. It's cool."
Angel smiled and leaned down to capture her lips with his own. She eagerly returned the kiss and for several minutes they stayed like that. "Have I mentioned how much I love having you around?" Buffy said.
He glanced at his watch. "Not in the last ten or so hours," he said.
Buffy smiled and leaned up to get his lips again... only to be interrupted by the door opening again. She turned to find their daughter entering the house thoughtfully.
"Don't mind me," Lynn said absently as she dropped her purse on the couch and started up the stairs.
"Date cut short?" Buffy called after her.
Lynn stopped and turned to look at her parents. "Yeah," she muttered. "Um, Dad, you wouldn't happen to know someone named Nicholas who can disappear into thin air, would you?"
Angel frowned. "As a matter of fact, yes," he said. "Why?"
"Well, then, you got an old friend back in town," Lynn answered. "Only he doesn't seem so friendly. What's up with him?"
"Whoa, whoa, back up," Buffy said. "What are you talking about?"
"I was outside with Matt and I heard a muffled scream," Lynn explained. "I sent him inside the Bronze and went after the scream. Only I find this... guy, Nicholas. Tall, red hair, green eyes?" Angel nodded, looking thoughtful. "Well, he tells me he was waiting for me, that maybe he had overestimated me, and then he said to tell you hello."
Angel turned his gaze to Buffy. "We've got trouble."
"Why? Who is this guy?" Buffy asked.
"He's... it's hard to explain," Angel answered. "I'm not really sure what he is myself. From what I gather, though, he was a witch, or warlock, as male witches are called, when he was human. Sometime around 1670, I think, he was turned into a vampire. I met him in 1855 in England and we hunted together for a decade or so. He disappeared and I assumed he had been killed by the Slayer of the time." He turned to look at Lynn. "I guess I was wrong."
"When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me," Buffy commented dryly. "My seventh grade history teacher used to say that."
Angel offered a humorless smile. "That seems to be the case here," he replied and turned to Lynn. "Did he say anything else?"
Lynn shook her head no. "He had this weird smile when I mentioned my boyfriend. I got that weird feeling I don't like again. Something's up, Mom... something big."
Buffy nodded. "I seem to be getting rusty with my old age, because I'm just starting to get that feeling right now."
"Anything you can tell us would be useful, Dad."
Angel nodded. "Sure."
"So, I'm thinking we wait till the gang is here and start researching this, right?" Buffy asked, some of that earlier excitement creeping into her voice.
"Probably, yeah," Lynn said. "And until then, I guess me and my gang should start researching this."
"Hm, hmm..." Buffy told her daughter. "Tomorrow. Right now, I think you better get some rest, young lady."
Lynn nodded reluctantly. "Right," she murmured. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
Buffy turned to her husband with that excitement again. "Just like old times, right?"
"Just like old times..."
******
Lynn tossed and turned, her eyes closed, and only seeing what was in her head. "No, Matt!" she cried. "I said... Nicholas?? No, don't, you can't do this..."
Her eyes were suddenly open. "Matt," she murmured. "No, he couldn't... could he?"
"Lynn?" a man's voice said from her door.
She looked to find Angel standing there. "You okay? I heard you talking..."
Lynn smiled, touched that he had come to see what was wrong. "Just a bad dream," she answered.
"You sure?" he asked, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him. "Something about Matt?"
Lynn frowned as she sat up and allowed her father to sit beside her on her bed. "You sure have an acute sense of hearing," she muttered and then sighed. "I think that... wiggy feeling has caught up with me and is invading my dreams. Kinda hard to ignore, huh?"
Angel nodded. "I'd bet," he answered. "I used to have a lot of nightmares. I still do, but they're less now. I don't tell Buffy. It'll just make her worried... she's been dealing with my nightmares and hers ever since we started going out."
"What are they about?"
He shrugged. "A lot of things. Sometimes they're possible scenarios of Buffy's death. And I'm always the one to blame. But they're mostly memories replayed over and over in my head. Past evil deeds I've committed. They play out in my head for me to fill guilty about them."
"Do you?" Lynn asked softly.
Angel frowned thoughtfully and looked down For several long moments, he didn't answer. Finally, he looked into the beautiful green eyes of his daughter "Not anymore," he said. "Buffy was my redemption. Well, you and Buffy and now this new addition to the family we'll be having. But Buffy has helped me recognize that what I did as a vampire, I couldn't control. That was the demon inside me."
Lynn raised a delicate eyebrow. "You really believe that?"
Angel nodded. "I do now."
"Good," Lynn said. "She's right, you know."
"I know."
"Oh, hey," Lynn said after several minutes of comfortable silence. "We just had that father/daughter moment we were aiming for a few days ago."
Angel laughed. "We did, didn't we?"
"I swear, as soon as this is all over, we're gonna get that damn day if I have to kill for it," she said.
Immediately, Angel's mood turned sober again. "We might have to," he replied. "What was that about Matt?"
Lynn looked at Angel for several more seconds before turning her head away. "I don't like this, Dad," she muttered. "I really, really don't. There's something about him. I can't put my finger on it. But there's really something about him..."
Angel nodded. "Come to think of it, the way his body is built... it kinda reminds me of Nicholas, or what I remember of him. He is kinda hard to forget, though."
Lynn's eyes widened. "Oh, my God, you're right," she said. "You're so right. Do you think...? No, that would be impossible. Right?"
Angel looked at her, his expression dead serious. "Maybe."
******
"For the millionth time, Giles, Nicholas showed up out of nowhere!"
"You're completely sure? Evelynn, this is important. You could be having prophetic dreams and it is crucial that you..."
Lynn sighed in exasperation and her best friend decided to take pity on her. "Giles, she knows it's a prophetic dream," Jade spoke up. "Give her a break."
Giles nodded and removed his glasses in typical Giles manner to wipe them. "Oh, dear," he murmured.
"What is it?" Daniel said from the library doors as he made his way over to them.
"I'm afraid I have some news on Nicholas," Giles said. "I did some research on him last night. He, uh, seems to enjoy discovering prophesies and then twisting them to fit his purposes. He gains power from some of these, and if your dream is any indication, we might have a similar situation on our hands."
"English, please?" Jade said.
"Meaning?" Lynn said at the same time.
"In your dream, Matt is trying to um, get you to bed, as you say," Giles explained. "And Nicholas shows up out of nowhere. It could mean that Matt and Nicholas are working together. This, combined with the information I have on Nicholas, and with this feeling you and Buffy have been getting on Matt lately, I'd have to guess that Nicholas has something planned between you and Matt that will get what he wants."
Lynn's eyes widened in realization. "He can't do that!" she cried. "You can't just twist a prophesy like that!"
"Your Mom avoided a prophesy, Lynn," Daniel pointed out. "That's why there are two Slayers."
Lynn shook her head. "No, she fulfilled it. The prophesy said she'd die and she did. It didn't say anything about her coming to life, though," she replied. "But come on, I know prophesies are tricky things, but this is ridiculous!"
"I seem to have missed something," Jade said, raising a hand as if in a classroom. "Rewind this for a sec. What does Matt wanting to sleep with Lynn have to do with Nicholas and the prophesy?"
"Well, I'm not saying anything for certain," Giles said, "I'm just giving my educated guess. And I'm still not sure what would, uh, Nicholas have to do with Matt. Or why would it be Matt he chose for that matter, but I do believe that Nicholas hopes to gain something from the heir of this 'fighter of light' and 'dark angel.'"
Jade frowned, her forehead wrinkling in thought, and she shook her head. "I still don't get what that has to do with Lynn."
"If Lynn's dream is any indication, I would say that he wants Lynn to be the 'fighter of light' and Matt to be the 'dark angel,'" Giles explained.
"And why would Matt be the 'dark angel?'" Daniel asked.
"That would be the question, wouldn't it?" Giles said.
Lynn had been quietly thoughtful throughout the whole explanation. "Guys, this is ridiculous. We're jumping to conclusions, and we have nothing to base them on. It was just a dream... and even in it is prophetic, it's stupid to think it can be taken literally. I seem to remember Mom telling me about having dreams a long time ago where Dad dies and nothing happened."
Giles nodded. "Granted," he replied. "You're right, of course. Is there anything else you can remember from this dream? Did Nicholas say anything you might consider useful?"
Lynn shook her head no. "I tend to forget details when I dream. Maybe I'll dream again tonight and I can write it down as soon as I wake up," she said. "Dad and I did talk last night. He says Matt kinda reminds him of Nicholas, and disturbingly enough, he does to me, too."
"You think Matt and Nicholas are related?" Jade asked incredulously. "That's just wrong."
"Why?" Lynn asked. "If we're right about Matt working with Nicholas, it would make sense."
"But like you said, we'd be jumping to conclusions," Daniel countered. "And we only have a dream and a feeling to base them on."
Lynn sighed. "Right. So what do I do?"
"I suggest you do nothing for now," Giles said. "We're so wrapped up in discovering what the prophesy means, we could be accusing random, innocent people."
Lynn stood up. "You're right. My God, this is so stupid. Matt has nothing to do with this..."
The bell rung, interrupting her. "Come on, guys," she told her two best friends. "Let's go to class."
"Come on, Lynn," Matt was saying. "It's no big deal, really. You don't mind, do you?"
His hand reached up to brush a stray piece of hair from her eyes.
"As a matter of fact, yes!" Lynn cried. "I do mind when my boyfriend's uncle is one of my family's worst enemy!"
"Is that any reason to judge me?"
Lynn looked thoughtful. "It depends," she said. "What are you doing with him?"
"We're planning something big against you."
"Oh, well, in that case, everything's just fine," she answered sarcastically. "Get away from me."
"No, Lynn, I love you," he protested as he leaned forward to kiss her.
Lynn reached out with her hand and shoved him away. Or at least, she tried to. Where'd my strength go? she wondered to herself.
"Come on, really, it's no big deal," he said.
"I said, no, Matt, get away!"
"Oh, come now, Evelynn."
She whirled around at the new voice. It was Nicholas. "You don't want to resist," he said. "Not without your strength."
"Nicholas?"
"Come now," he repeated. "It's a prophecy, it's bound to happen. Why not give in?"
"No!" she cried. "Please... don't..."
"No!" Lynn cried as she sat up.
"You don't agree that five divided by five is one?" Mrs. Connely asked, turning to Lynn.
"Huh?" Lynn asked, blinking sleep away from her eyes.
"This problem," the teacher said, motioning to the blackboard. "You disagree with the answer?"
Lynn frowned, scanning the problem for any mistakes that she could point out. No such luck.
"No, Mrs. Connely," she answered. "I'm sorry, my mistake."
The bell rung and all the students immediately started picking up all their books. Lynn stood up and started doing the same. She was almost out of the classroom, when she was called back.
"Evelynn?"
Lynn sighed and turned around to find her teacher sitting at her desk. "Yes, Mrs. Connely?"
Mrs. Connely gestured for her to come over to the desk. With another sigh, Lynn obeyed.
"I'm worried, about you, Evelynn," Mrs. Connely said. "It's not like you to fall asleep in class, and you had a C on your last test. You're an A student. Is something wrong? Would you like me to speak to your mother? Maybe it was something to do with Mr. McKellan."
Lynn shook her head. "No, really, everything's fine," she insisted. "Just some stuff going on in my life that I have to adjust to. I'm sorry, I'll try to do better next time."
"'Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try,'" Mrs. Connely said with a grin. "Sorry, old movie that I love. But seriously, Evelynn. I expect more from you."
Lynn nodded. "Right, I'm sorry."
Mrs.Connely smiled in satisfaction and motioned that Lynn could leave. Lynn returned the smile and hurried out of the classroom. Once outside, she grimaced.
"Hey, what took you so long?" Daniel asked as he caught up with her. "I was waiting for you to come out."
"Hey, Dan," Lynn greeted. "I fell asleep in math class and Mrs. Connely wanted to know what's wrong."
"Ouch," he murmured. "Evelynn Joy Mckellan, 4.0 GPA, straight A student, has fallen asleep in class for the first time in her life. To what do we owe the pleasure?" He put a fist to her mouth, as if a microphone were there.
Lynn giggled. "Oh, come on, it's no big deal..." Her smile quickly left her face and she frowned. "Actually, you're right. I never fall asleep in class." She stopped walking and turned to face Daniel. "I had the same dream again."
Daniel looked mildly surprised. "Exactly the same?" At Lynn's nod, he exhaled. "Do you remember anything important this time around?"
Lynn nodded. "Nicholas said that I didn't have any strength, so I couldn't resist him, and that it was a prophesy bound to happen. And, oh God, Matt was his nephew! I doubt that's literally what's gonna happen, but... oh, Daniel I'm scared all of then sudden."
Daniel put a comforting arm around her. "It'll be okay, Lynn."
******
"You're sure?" Buffy asked. "Totally, utterly sure? No doubt whatsoever...?"
"No doubts, Mom!" Lynn cried with exasperation. "You're starting to act like Giles. What's up?"
Buffy, Angel, Lynn, Daniel, Jade, Xander, Willow, Giles, and Oz were gathered once again in the library, trying to straighten out their thoughts and figure out what to do.
Buffy sighed. "I had the same dream," she explained. "Although, I obviously wasn't you. I was watching from somewhere around and I couldn't do anything about it. It was like I was stuck in place and couldn't move." She turned to Willow and her friend could tell there was something she wasn't telling but decided to let it go for now. "You dabbled a bit in magic. Do you think there's a spell that can be used to figure this out?"
Willow shrugged. "Maybe," she answered. "Like, something to interpret dreams?"
Buffy looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, I guess," she replied.
"I think we might be able to do better," Angel said suddenly as he stood up and started to pace. "I know there's something important about him I'm supposed remember, I just don't know what..."
He snapped his fingers. "I know. There's something he does, I don't know what, that allows him to feel what other people are feeling and lets him plant emotions and dreams in their heads..."
"That's insane," Giles commented.
"He's had four hundred years to develop his skills, Giles," Angel replied. "That's why he's so dangerous."
Lynn suddenly stood up, knocking her chair unto the floor. "Whoa, hold up a second," she said, her eyes wide as she processed what her father had said.
"Plant emotions? As in, I could have mood swings for no apparent reason and accuse innocent people?"
"You think he's using you?" Jade asked her friend.
"Maybe," Lynn answered with a frown. "He said something when I met him at the alley next to the Bronze. Something about how my doubts would take over me and he would be there when they did..."
"He's planting ideas in your head," Buffy said. "Maybe he's even planting those dreams about Matt so that you turn against him."
"But what about you?" Xander spoke up. "You had them, too, remember? And you were getting that feeling, too."
"Well, maybe he's planting them in my head as well."
Giles had left the area where they were talking several minutes before and had gone into the stacks. Now he came back out, holding a book in his hands and reading carefully to himself. Abruptly, he snapped the book shut in anger and took off his glasses to clean them.
"What's wrong?" Willow asked the Watcher.
Giles placed his glasses back on and handed the book to Willow. "It, um, it speaks about the way to do what Angel explained Nicholas does. It's a long and complicated process. Indeed, it is dangerous that someone like, uh, Nicholas has access to these types of magic. It's quite interesting, actually..."
Buffy sensed that Giles was going to get into one of his long explanations and held up a hand. "We're not interested in hearing it," she said.
Giles blinked. "Yes, of course. I imagine his goal is to confuse us until it's too late to do anything about it."
Next to Buffy, Willow gave a low whistle. "Wow," Willow said. "This is tough stuff..."
"Indeed," Giles confirmed. "Apparently, both Buffy and Lynn are having these emotions. They cannot decipher which ones come from them and which ones come from Nicholas." He shook his head. "There's no way to tell what is real and what is not..."
"We might be jumping to conclusions," Oz said suddenly. "I mean, we don't know for sure that he's doing this."
There was a heavy silence in the room. "Perhaps that is his purpose. To confuse us until we can't think straight," Giles said.
"It's working," Buffy muttered. ******
"It'll be fun."
"Matt, I really have to study. I have a Math test on Friday."
Matt glanced at his watch. "It's Wednesday," he stated. "Besides, you're smart you can get that stuff in minutes."
Lynn rolled her eyes. "Why can't we go out on Friday instead?"
"Please, Lynn?" Matt begged. "Just a ride around town and a movie. Then you can go home and study all you want."
Lynn's expression changed as she considered it. "Fine," she gave in. "You promise to have me home by nine?"
"Oh, absolutely," he answered.
"Okay, I'll see you later."
With that, she turned and headed for the school's exit.
******
Buffy looked over Willow's shoulder as the latter typed furiously at the computer. It was seven o'clock later that day and they gang minus Lynn, Jade, and Daniel was once again assembled at the library.
"God, I thought I'd never get here!" a female voice exclaimed from behind them. Everyone turned to find Cordelia Chase Harris standing at the doorway. "Damn taxi."
"Cordy!" Buffy cried as she went over to hug her friend.
"Hey, Buffy," Cordelia muttered as she hugged her friend. "I'd complain that you're wrinkling this one of a kind, but I'm pass that..."
Buffy pulled back and slapped her friend's arm lightly. "Same ol' Cordy, huh?"
"Hey, honey," Xander said as he kissed Cordelia's lips gently. "Glad you could make it."
Cordelia huffed. "I almost didn't!" she cried. "First, Henry forgot the script. And the filming was delayed two hours just because costume couldn't get the right outfit on time. They actually wanted me to settle for a..."
"Uh, oh," Willow muttered from the computer, saving everyone for Cordelia's tirade. "This is so not good."
"What is it, Will?" Buffy called.
Willow looked up at Buffy with wide eyes. "I hacked around a bit and I found Matt's birth certificate," Willow replied. "It's a hoax. It was planted there six months ago. Other than that, there is no real record of his existence."
"Meaning that Matt could very well be Nicholas' nephew after all," Buffy concluded. "This is really not good."
"Nicholas? Matt?" Cordelia asked, puzzled. "Who are they? What about the prophesy?"
"Long story, sweetie," Xander said, taking her hand and bringing her to the table to sit down with him and Oz.
The library doors opened, allowing Jade and Daniel to walk in. "Hey, everyone," Jade called out.
Buffy walked over to them. "Where's Lynn?" she asked.
Jade frowned and looked around. "I thought she was here."
Buffy shook her head. "She told me she was going to go out with you two."
"Oh boy," Jade murmured. "I think she might've gone out with Matt."
"After I specifically told her not to," Angel commented.
"Welcome to fatherhood," Xander said cheerfully.
"Come on guys, we gotta do something!" Buffy said desperately.
"I'm going after her," Daniel said suddenly. The silence that followed was almost too loud.
"No, you're not," Buffy answered. "Angel and I will handle this."
"She's my best friend," Daniel protested.
Buffy sighed and put a gentle hand on the boy's arm. "I realize this," she replied softly. "She is our daughter. But I think Angel and I are better qualified to do this."
"Buffy, if your dream is indeed real," Giles spoke, "it might be best if you take some precautions before going to face Nicholas. He is very dangerous and in your condition..."
"What condition?" asked Cordelia. No one answered.
"Can't you guys do a spell or something?" Buffy asked impatiently.
Willow stood up from her place at the computer and walked over to stand in front of Buffy. "I think we can do a sort of tracking spell. Something that will let us see through you and help out if you need it."
"So do it!" Buffy cried.
Willow pressed her lips. "One small problem," she said. "I'm not a real witch and the spell is too powerful for me to do it."
Buffy narrowed her eyes. "Then get some on who can."
The library doors opened and they all turned to see Amy step inside. "Hey guys," she said.
Willow grinned. "Right on time!"
Amy smiled and walked over to Willow. "What do you want me to do?"
Willow showed Amy the spell and quickly discussed what they needed. "Okay, I think we can do this," Willow told Buffy. "Just stand right there. Amy and I will recite some words, we'll do some mumbo stuff, you'll feel sorta uncomfortable for several moments and then, tada! Amy gets a vague image of what's going on with you and she's powerful enough to counter anything Nicholas might throw at you."
"Well, not anything," Amy said. "From what you tell me, this guy's way more powerful than I am. But I can try..."
"That's gonna have to be good enough for now," Buffy replied. "Come on. Let's do this quickly."
Willow and Amy took their positions on either side of Buffy. Willow said several words in a language Buffy didn't understand and then Amy did the same. Buffy looked from side to side, getting dizzy as Willow and Amy took turns, each muttering only a few words. There was a sudden movement from one side and Buffy turned to see Willow jerk slightly. But she only noticed it briefly, for she started jerking herself. Her head shot up and she closed her eyes tightly. She now felt as if there was someone else in her mind, but if that's what it took to save her daughter, that's what she would do.
Slowly, she opened her eyes to look at Willow and Amy. Willow now seemed fine but Amy still had her eyes closed and her head bowed. Buffy looked to Willow, a silent question in her eyes.
"She's in a trance. I can bring her out of it when you get back," Willow explained quietly.
"This is hurting her, isn't it?" Buffy asked quietly.
Willow bit her bottom lip as her husband and best friends awaited an answer. "Just go."
Buffy squeezed her friend's hand and nodded her thanks. With a final glance at Amy, she turned to Angel and motioned for him to follow her. "We're outta here."
"Good luck," Willow called after Buffy and Angel as they left the library.
She sighed and turned to look at the others. "Hey," she said suddenly. "Where's Daniel?"
******
Lynn shook her head. "No, Matt, really," she said. "I just wanna go home."
Matt frowned and looked at his watch. "But it's only 8:30!" he protested. "You said you'd be with me until 9:00."
Lynn sighed. They had been driving around town for ten minutes, just talking and enjoying each other's company. But Matt had insisted they go to Lover's Lane and Lynn just wasn't in the mood for making out tonight. Or who knows what Matt had planned. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just real tired."
"Oh, come on, Lynn, it's no big deal," he replied. "You really don't mind do you?"
The words froze Lynn. She felt her hairs stand on end and her pulse quicken. It's no big deal. You don't mind do you? The very words he had uttered in her dream.
Realization hit her like a bucket of cold water in the morning. Her dream might have not been what was literally gonna happen, but it was significant. And she had purposefully ignored her parent's warnings against Matt.
"As a matter of fact, yeah, I do," Lynn found herself saying. "Um, look. I really, really wanna go home. If you won't take me, I'll walk."
Matt narrowed his eyes, but quickly got over it. "No, no, it's okay," he said. "I'll take you."
Lynn nodded, relieved. Matt stopped the car and hit reverse so that he could take her home. Or so she thought. She pointed the other way as Matt took a wrong turn. "Hey, Matt, my house is the other way."
Matt didn't answer. Instead, he turned on the radio and pretended he didn't hear her. Again, Lynn felt her skin tingle as the weird feeling she had been getting from Matt lately began to arise.
It was several minutes later when they reached his destination: Lover's Lane. He stopped the car and turned off the radio.
"Matt, I told you I wanted to go home," Lynn said calmly.
"And I told you I'd get you there," he answered just as calmly. "I just didn't say when."
"Matt, you're scaring me."
He didn't answer, so Lynn reached for the door handle.
It was locked.
Lynn closed her eyes. "Open the door, Matt."
"Sorry, babe," he said with a grin. "No can do."
"Okay," she replied with a sigh. "What do you want from me?"
Matt shook his head innocently. "Oh, no. It's not what I want. It's what Uncle Nick wants."
Lynn opened her eyes and turned to face him. "Uncle Nick," she stated. "As in Nicholas. This is so not good. Why didn't I just listen to Dad?"
"A very good question indeed," said a faint voice, which she identified as coming from the outside of the car. A voice she vaguely recognized as Nicholas'. "Maybe now you'll learn that father knows best."
Matt opened the car door and stepped out, allowing Nicholas to look inside. His red hair and emerald green eyes both shone in the darkness of the night. He wore a leather trench coat over a white t-shirt and black jeans. "Come now, Evelynn. You shouldn't resist. Not without your precious strength."
Lynn started breathing heavily. She had been feeling it all day. At first, it was that she couldn't get her locker to open as easily as she used to when the door was stuck. Then, it was that she couldn't undo the wrapping of the Sneakers bar she had eaten earlier that day. Now she didn't even the normal strength a human possessed to open a car door. It wasn't locked after all.
She whimpered silently.
"It's a prophesy," Nicholas continued. "And yes, I know it's your mother who it's talking about and not you." He smiled coldly. "See if I care. You and Matt here," he pointed at his nephew, "will create an offspring that will give me ultimate power once it dies. And since I know it won't be willingly, it's gonna have to be the hard way. I'm sorry, Evelynn."
He paused and considered his statement. "No, actually, I am not," he amended with a grin.
Lynn shook her head. "You're insane," she whispered. "You can't just twist a prophesy like that. Prophesies are what's meant to be, not what you make them to be. And... and, anyway, what does Matt have of a 'dark angel?'"
Nicholas raised an amused eyebrow. "Why, he's the son of my sister, a Slayer, and the vampire she was raped by."
Angel crouched down next to Buffy and tapped her shoulder. She turned to look at him and he pointed over the bushes they were behind. With a frown, she stood up just high enough so that she could see.
"What's Nicholas doing there?" she whispered.
Angel shrugged. "I don't know," he replied in a whisper. "But we have to get her out of there now. Who knows what he has planned?"
"You'll get no argument from me. Let's go."
Buffy started to stand up again, but Angel grabbed her hand and pulled her back down. "You can't just go out there like that. You need a plan," he argued.
With a mock hurt expression, Buffy's eyes widened innocently. "I have a plan."
"Oh?" Angel raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah. I go there, I kill Nicholas... and Matt," she added with distaste, "I get Lynn out and we leave." She shrugged. "Let's go."
Angel shook his head. "That's not a plan."
"Sure it is!" Buffy exclaimed just a bit too loudly. "It's worked a million times before. No biggie. I didn't exactly have a plan when I went to rescue you from Spike and Dru that time when they wanted to use you to get Dru's strength back. I managed, didn't I?"
Angel sighed. "We're wasting time, Buffy..."
"Quite right," a voice said from over them.
Angel looked up to find Nicholas standing there and he swallowed hard. Now that his hiding place had been found, Angel decided to stand up to his full height, but motioned for Buffy to stay. Nicholas had already seen her, but didn't seem too interested with her at the moment.
"Hello, Angelus."
"Hello, Nicholas."
Buffy looked at them, marveled. Nicholas dressed similar to how Angel dressed, leather jacket and all. He spoke with a small trace of an Irish accent, stood as tall as Angel, had the same built as Angel, but had an evil gleam to his shining emerald eyes. All in all, he reminded Buffy of Angel's alter ego.
"Fancy meeting you here, Angelus," Nicholas said.
Angel narrowed his eyes. "What do you want from Lynn?"
Nicholas smiled. "What do I want from Lynn?" he repeated. "I want a child that I can destroy and get more power from. But that can be later." He waved his hand carelessly and Buffy stood up, almost as if against her will.
Immediately, Angel turned to look at her. "Run, Buffy."
Buffy couldn't even shake her head.
"She can't move," Nicholas explained.
"Dad!"
Angel blinked, having completely forgotten about Lynn and Matt. Lynn was now standing beside the car with Matt holding on to her arm tightly. But Angel knew she should be able to shake him off.
"Break away!" Angel cried to his daughter.
Lynn shook her head, looking desperate. "I can't!" she answered.
"She has been sedated," Nicholas explained conversationally. "Magically, of course. The strength that a daughter of a vampire and a Slayer possesses is not taken away easily. I must tell you, I must've spent several weeks looking for that damn spell."
"Your fight is with me and Buffy," Angel said, trying to sound calm. "Let her go. The prophesy doesn't refer to her."
Nicholas blinked in mild surprise. "Oh, I know," he said. "But you know me better than that, Angelus. I don't want your unborn child. Didn't you know?" He paused dramatically. "It isn't your unborn child the one the prophesy refers to. It's Evelynn."
******
Amy jerked slightly and her eyes snapped open.
"Amy? What's wrong?" Giles asked as he crouched down next to her. Willow followed suit.
"Did you break the connection?" Willow asked worriedly.
Amy shook her head. "No, I'm still in. But I can't help her. He's too powerful, Willow."
"What's he doing?" Xander beat Willow to the question.
"He froze her," Amy said. "I can't counter it. At least, not that easily. This guy's powerful. He can easily kill them all off if he wanted to."
"But he doesn't," Oz stated.
"So... what? Do we stay here and wait?" Jade asked.
"I believe there's really nothing we can do," Giles said, standing up and wiping his glasses. "With someone as... powerful as Nicholas, I believe that not even Willow and Amy's combined forces can help."
"But they're in danger!" Jade protested. "My best friend, her parents, and possibly my brother are all there. There has to be something we can do!"
"So, we beat him some other way that's not magic," Oz said.
"Right," Cordelia said sarcastically. They had explained to her what was going on and she now knew enough to be scared for her friends. "We face a guy who hung around Angel in his evil days, who's had four hundred years to tune in on his magic stuff, who's a vampire, who is hell-bent on killing all our friends... without magic."
"No one said he wants to kill anyone," Oz replied. "We don't really know his plan. And if there's anything I've learned, it's that the mind is the most important part of the body."
"I don't see what your point is," Xander said.
Willow grinned, proud of her husband. "I do," she said. "He wants to outsmart Nicholas."
Giles nodded. "It's a possibility. But it won't be easy," he warned. "Nicholas is a smart man."
"That's okay," Willow said. "We're smarter."
******
"Lynn?" Angel said incredulously.
Nicholas nodded calmly. "Oh, yes," he replied. "Oh, you don't think I am actually powerful enough to twist a prophesy like that, do you? No, no. How else would I make a baby powerful enough for me? What a better combination than two offspring of vampire and Vampire Slayer?"
Angel blinked in surprise. He had obviously missed something, but, at the moment, he didn't care.
"I felt power emanating from Lynn and that's why I chose her," Nicholas continued. "Your unborn child cannot be the One. You're technically not a vampire anymore."
Matt suddenly let go of Lynn's arm. "You didn't tell me this," he said in surprise. "You told me that I would be the father of the One."
Nicholas turned to his nephew and shrugged. "I lied." He turned back to Angel again and was about to speak.
But Matt would have none of that. He narrowed his eyes. "Well, then, so did I."
Surprised, Nicholas turned back to face Matt. "About?"
In answer, Matt snapped his fingers and suddenly, Buffy could move again. She fell to the floor with a thud and Angel immediately crouched down to help her up.
Nicholas was outraged now. "You..."
Angel took the opportunity from Nicholas' lack of concentration to deliver a punch to his old companion's jaw. Nicholas was too distracted to even realize that he could've used his magic. He stood up again and circled Angel. With a grunt, he lashed out with a kick at Angel. Angel ducked and threw a punch, which Nicholas blocked. Again, they circled each other. But before they had a chance to continue their fight, a flash of lightning lighted up the sky.
"I've had time to tune in on my skills," Matt shouted over the roar of thunder that followed.
Nicholas decided to ignore Angel, and turned to Matt again. Angel took the chance and ran to Lynn, who surprisingly was now being supported by Daniel.
"You okay?" he asked them.
Lynn nodded. "We're good," she answered. "But I'm so weak...
"I just got here right now," Daniel said. "She looked about ready to topple over, so I got her."
Angel pursed his lips, took her from Daniel gently, and gathered her up in his arms. "I never had the chance to carry you, so I'll do that now," he said with a grin.
"Sounds good," Lynn murmured.
They made their way over to Buffy, who was already on her feet and ready to bolt out when needed. He motioned with his head for her to come with him and, together they ran away from the bloody fight they knew was about to happen between the warlocks. They passed cars where couples were making out, oblivious to the storm raging outside.
"Sunnydale," Buffy muttered when they were far away enough to slow down. "Always oblivious to everything." She stopped and turned to Angel, Lynn, and Daniel. Angel had set her down now, but she was still leaning against him and Daniel. "You okay?"
Lynn nodded. "Yeah, but I feel like I'll fall at any moment."
Buffy smiled sympathetically. "We'll take you home and you can rest," she told her daughter. "Hopefully, this thing will wear off by tomorrow."
"That'd be good," Lynn replied. "Hey, guys, I'm sorry I disobeyed. I don't know what came over me..."
"The important part is that you're safe now," Angel interrupted.
Lynn nodded again and started trying to walk, leaning against Daniel this time, toward their car, which Angel had parked several blocks away from Lover's Lane.
"Well, that was a weird turn of events," Buffy commented when they were seated at the car. "Hey, do you mind if we go to the library first? I need to tell them we're okay."
"Sure," Angel told her. He pulled out and started toward the library.
******
"Hey, guys?" Amy interrupted Willow's plan. "We can forget about it now. They're fine."
Willow blinked. "They are?"
"Yup," Amy replied. "And they're headed this way now."
Willow frowned and pouted momentarily. "That's not fair," she said. At everyone's shocked stares, she hurried to explain. "I was enjoying taking charge, storming in, and rescuing them, just like we used to."
Oz patted her arm sympathetically. "That's okay, baby," he told her. "You'll get another chance."
Willow's smile suddenly turned into a grin. "Hey, they made it out! C'mon, let's go see what happened!"
"I still say that was the most horrible thing that's ever happened to me," Lynn commented the next week. They were all seated around the McKellan's living room. They being Xander and Cordelia with their daughter, Carla, Oz and Willow with their son, Alex, Buffy, Angel, Lynn, Giles, Joyce, Jade, and Daniel. It was three days before Christmas and they had decided to have a gift exchange among themselves.
"How can getting an 85% in an English test be the most horrible thing that's ever happened to you?" Xander asked incredulously. "I was happy if I got a C in English... or any class for that matter."
"You weren't a straight A student, Xan," Buffy said.
"Well, I know how you feel," Willow offered.
"I'd think that what happened last week with Matt and Nicholas would've been horrible," Joyce commented.
Lynn shuddered. "It was."
Daniel, whose arm was around her shoulder, pulled her closer and rubbed her arm comfortingly. Over the past week, Lynn and Daniel had gotten a lot closer.
"What happened to them, anyway?" Jade asked.
Angel shrugged. "Who knows?" he answered. "Probably ended up killing each other or something. We don't know, though. We should be on guard."
"I can't believe that Lynn is really the One," Willow said.
"You can't?" Lynn said. "What about me? This is scary."
Again, Daniel rubbed her arm comfortingly. "Hey, what're you gonna name the baby?" he asked Angel and Buffy.
"We're not really sure what it is, yet," Angel said.
"It's a girl," Buffy answered with some certainty.
Angel frowned and turned to her. "You're only two and a half months pregnant, and we haven't asked the doctor..."
"It's a girl," Buffy repeated. "Maternal instinct."
Angel raised and eyebrow, but decided not to question it. "And we're not sure what we're gonna name it..." he told Daniel. At Buffy's glare, he amended, "her."
"I like the name Kiara," Buffy added. "And Angel likes it, too, but we're not decided."
"Aunt Buffy?" Carla said suddenly. "I'm thirsty. Can I have some water?"
"Sure, sweetie," Buffy said and tapped Angel's arm. "Go get it."
Angel laughed and stood up. "Be right back."
"Wait," Lynn said and followed him into the kitchen.
Angel went to the refrigerator to get the water while Lynn leaned against the table. "I really am scared."
Startled at the sudden revelation, Angel turned to face her while holding the glass in one hand and the water jug in the other. "Buffy and I'll be here to help you out," he told her. "And if not, you have Willow and Oz and Xander and Cordelia and Giles and Grandma Joyce..."
"Don't say that," Lynn interrupted. "You will be here. No ifs. I hate ifs. Hey, I just met you, I'm not gonna lose you already."
Angel smiled, touched that she cared. "Neither do I. And I want to be here to meet your sister."
Lynn smiled and Angel snapped his fingers suddenly, as if remembering something. "Oh, I have something for you."
Lynn blinked. "You didn't have to," she said. "We already did the exchange. Besides, I get all the presents from you on Christmas morning." She grinned.
Angel laughed. "I know. But I really wanted to give this to you."
He reached into his pocket, brought out a small box with colorful wrapping, and handed it to Lynn. She looked at it for several moments before taking it into her hands and turning it around, examining it.
"You could see what's inside if you actually opened it," Angel suggested.
Lynn chuckled and proceeded to tear the paper off. It was a velvet box, just big enough to look like it could carry a necklace. Slowly, she opened it.
And gasped.
Inside was a beautiful gold locket. Not a heart like most lockets were, but a circle with intricate designs on the surface. She turned it over to find something engraved in another language.
"Gaelic," Angel offered. "It says, 'with love.'"
Lynn looked up at her father and threw her arms around him in a hug. "It's beautiful, thank you!"
He smiled. "You're welcome. My mother gave that me a long time ago. I found it the other day when I was searching for those drawings I told you I'd show you."
Lynn found herself getting teary-eyed. "Oh, now you're gonna make me ruin my make- up!" she joked.
With trembling fingers, she pried open the locket. There were two pictures inside; one of Buffy and one of Angel. She smiled and closed it again, then held it out to Angel. He took it and put it around her neck. "There," he said.
"Carla's getting real thirsty," Buffy said, poking her head into the kitchen. Then she noticed the locket. "Oooh, he gave you the locket? Isn't it beautiful?"
Lynn nodded. "It is," she agreed. "I love both of you."
Buffy smiled and stepped into the room. "I love you, too, sweetie. But you're gonna make my mascara run now, so let's go back out."
Lynn laughed. "Let's."
She grabbed the glass of water, stepped pass Buffy, and went back to the living room. Everything wasn't perfect. She knew it'd never be perfect. But now that Nicholas' emotions spell wasn't effecting them, she could finally straighten out all of her feelings and she was finally able to have a comfortable conversation with her father.
Buffy smiled at Angel and wrapped her arms around him. "It's going to be hard, Angel," she whispered, referring to Lynn. "I never wanted my daughter to have the same kind of life I had, and that's what I find myself giving her... the same life I had."
"I know," Angel replied. "But we'll help each other." He leaned down his head and kissed her gently. "And in the meantime, we have to plan out the things for this baby." Buffy nodded and reached up to kiss him again. He returned the kiss then pulled away far enough to speak.
"I love you," he murmured.
"I know," Buffy said. "I love you."
There, I sent it all finally! And I would very much appreciate feedback! Please! I am begging! =)