Disclaimer: Do you think that Angel would have his own show and Riley would even exist if I owned them? Of course not! Don't sue, they're not mine! Except Leigh Anne
Distribution: Ask and you shall receive!
Spoilers: Their shouldn't be any… unless you haven't seen any episodes and have no idea who these characters are – if that's you, God help you, you poor soul!
Summary: Buffy meets a young girl. A young girl who has something to do with Giles' past…
Feedback: Pretty plz? Anyone who has read my other stories would know that I thrive on it – no feedback, no more stories! Do you want me to get down and beg? J
Dedication: To all you lovely people who gave me so much feedback on 'Child of Love' (wow, there sure are a lot of you! When I look at this list I feel really special! ::hugs all:: thanx!) Shirlz, Emma, Krissy, Kate, Ryan, Nicola, Angela, Cat, Kasiya, Damia, Kay, Daniella, Kar, Brandy, Lori, Jo, Ariel, B and anyone else I forgot! J

Prologue:

Buffy spun around and had the satisfaction of watching the vamp turn todust.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish!" She muttered, brushing the dust of her jacket and straightening up her clothes. There was a bloodstain on her white halter-top and she sighed in annoyance.

"Teach me to wear white I suppose!" Suddenly, the petite blonde Slayer froze as a yell cut through the air. She quickly followed the sound and ended up in a clearing not far from the graveyard she had been patrolling, just in time to see a young girl get thrown to the ground and a flash of purple light.

Buffy headed straight to the girl who was already trying to stand up.

"Whoa!" Buffy said, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders and gently pushing down. "You're not going anywhere!"

"I can't, I mean, I have to…" The girl's voice drifted off as she finally gave in and laid back down.

"Just rest for a minute." Buffy said and looked the girl over as she obeyed her. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with her other then a few scratches and bruises, and maybe a really bad headache. She waited for a few minutes, letting the girl calm down and catch her breath before asking any questions

"So…You wanna tell me what happened?" The girl shook her head painfully and Buffy helped her to her feet. "Ok…Do you want to tell me your name then?"

"Leigh Anne." The girl replied, wincing as she put weight on her left ankle.

"Sore huh?" The girl nodded again and Buffy grinned. "Trust me, I know how you feel. You got a place to stay tonight?"

The girl chucked her a quick look before shaking her head.

"New in town?" She nodded again. "Not much of a speaker are you?" Leigh Anne grinned and Buffy smiled back. "Come on, we'll get you to my house." Leigh Anne sent her a look of thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 1:

"So you got this demon after you?" Buffy asked, bandaging Leigh Anne's ankle.

Leigh Anne nodded, wincing as Buffy's hand moved over a particularly sore part.

"Have you got any idea WHY this demon is after you?" Buffy watched the girl's face, waiting for her answer.

"No." Leigh Anne replied, so fast that Buffy immediately became suspicious. There was something this girl wasn't telling her.

"No idea?" Buffy asked again.

"No idea." Leigh Anne repeated. "All I know is that I am going kill this thing."

"Why?" Buffy asked. "If you don't know why it is after you, why are you so set about killing it?" Wrong question to ask! Buffy thought, as the teenage girl's face took on a pained look.

"It killed my mother." Leigh Anne's voice was so soft that Buffy had to strain to hear it.

"Oh." Buffy said, immediately feeling uncomfortable. "Umm, do you know what this demon is?"

Leigh Anne shook her head again and this time Buffy didn't pressure her for answers, the last question had obviously shook her up and there were tears still in her eyes.

"Well, how about you stay here for the night and tomorrow I'll take you to see a friend of mine. He's pretty good with this kind of stuff, well finding out what kind of demon it is anyway. Think you can walk up to my room?"

Leigh Anne looked towards the stairs leading up to Buffy's room then down at her ankle. She grinned. "I suppose I can only try!"

She started to stand up and Buffy ran to help her. Leigh Anne immediately fell to the floor and both girls burst out laughing.

"I guess I'll be staying here!" Leigh Anne said, still laughing.

"I'll grab you some pillows and a blanket!" Buffy replied and went to do so, still laughing. As soon as Buffy left the room Leigh Anne sighed. This girl had been really nice to her so far but she couldn't rely on her forever. After tonight she had no idea what she was going to do. She had no money, nowhere to stay and no family. Her only known family had been her mother and Lithos had made sure that she was now only in the world.

Buffy returned and handed Leigh Anne the pillows and blankets she had grabbed from the hall closet.

"Here, you can sleep on the couch. It's actually quite comfy believe it or not! If you need anything during the night just give a yell. Mum got called away for the weekend even though she was the reason I came here in the first place!" Seeing Leigh Anne's confused look she explained. "I usually stay in my college dorm."

"Oh!" Leigh Anne said, a look of surprise on her face. "You're in college?"

"Yeah," Buffy replied, laughing again. "You hungry?"

Leigh Anne nodded, hoping she didn't look too eager. "Yeah." She admitted. "I am."

"Then let's get some food!" Buffy said. "I'm starving!"

The girls grinned at each other and set off to do something teenagers are excellent at: raiding the cupboard!

~~~~~~

Leigh Anne awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs.

"Mm! What is that delicious smell?"

"Oh as if you don't know!" Buffy replied, laughing again. "You better come and get it while it's hot and you also better being feeling pretty special. It takes me a LOT to cook!" In fact, the last time was with An… Buffy cut off that train of thought before it could cause her to change moods and brought in a plate filled with bacon and eggs to Leigh Anne.

Buffy walked into the room to find Leigh Anne yawning and slowly sitting up.

"Come on lazy bones! Up and at 'em!" Buffy grinned and pulled open the blinds. Leigh Anne groaned.

"That's EXACTLY what my mum used to do!" She said rubbing her eyes. "Did you take lesson's from her or something?"

Buffy watched Leigh Anne carefully, to see if she was supposed to answer or not, considering how sensitive the subject was. Leigh Anne caught sight of the food and grinned.

"This looks delicious!" She said and started digging in. Buffy decided not to say anything and started in on her breakfast too.

The girls finished breakfast at about 10 o'clock but didn't end up arriving at Giles' until about lunchtime, thanks to Leigh Anne's sprained ankle. They knocked on his door and Buffy decided to fill Leigh Anne in on why she was out fighting demons.

"Umm, Leigh Anne?"

"Yeah?" Leigh Anne answered, grinning. Her and Buffy had really been getting on and she really liked her.

"Umm, aren't you wandering why I was fighting demons and stuff last night?" Without waiting for Leigh Anne to answer, Buffy continued. "I'm ah, the umm, Slayer."

"I thought so." Leigh Anne replied without batting an eyelid and Buffy stood there, started and extremely surprised. She knows? Buffy thought. How can she know?

Buffy started to question Leigh Anne's answer but she was interrupted by Giles' voice calling out to them to come in. They had rung earlier that morning to explain the situation and so Giles knew who it was.

"A little late aren't we?" Giles called from the other room as the girls entered the house.

"We have an injury Giles!" Buffy called back and went in search of her ex-Watcher. Leigh Anne followed her, a strange look on her face.

Giles was sitting in his study area and he stood up when he heard the girls come in. He turned around to greet the girls.

And Leigh Anne froze.

******************************

Part 2:

Giles' froze, arm halfway extended in greeting, at the look on Leigh Anne's face. Buffy noticed it as well and looked at Leigh Anne, a questioning look on her face.

"Are you ok?" There was no answer. "Leigh Anne?"

Finally the young girl spoke, her voice a whisper and her eyes still focused on Giles.

"You have no idea who I am do you?"

Giles looked the young girl over, his forehead burrowed with thought. He recognised her from somewhere, but he couldn't quite place her. "Have – Have we met?"

He took off his glasses and cleaned them, something he did when he was nervous, worried or deep in thought. Leigh Anne slowly lifted her hands to her neck and Buffy noticed for the first time, a small silver locket around her neck. She watched as Leigh Anne undid the necklace and took it off. The young girl extended her hand, the locket dangling from her fingers and Giles slowly took it. He waited for a few moments, just looking at Leigh Anne then opened it. He froze and Leigh Anne slowly turned around, heading back towards the door. Giles' voice was almost a whisper when he spoke.

"Leigh - Leigh Anne?"

The young girl froze in her tracks and there were tears in her eyes. Buffy could see she was debating with herself whether to turn around or not. She slowly did so, her eyes downcast, trying to hide her tears.

"I had no idea." Giles said, speaking strangely, as though it was difficult to speak. "I should have known, I mean, you look so much like her and…" He trailed off and cleared his throat. There was an uncomfortable silence and Buffy was probably the most uncomfortable of all.

Suddenly an alarm clock sounded and Giles cursed under his breath. He looked towards Leigh Anne and sighed then turned to Buffy.

"I have to go somewhere for a minute Buffy. Just, stay here ok? I'll be back soon." He turned back to Leigh Anne and gave her a small nervous smile. "Stay here?"

Leigh Anne nodded and looked at the ground again. "Okay."

Giles left the room, but not before taking one last backward glance at the teenager waiting in his study. His daughter.

****************************************

Part 3:

Buffy stood there in shock, trying to work out what was going on and Leigh Anne simply sat down on the couch, her mind obviously not on the same train of thought Buffy's was. Buffy walked towards her and noticed that the young girl's eyes were misted over.

"Leigh Anne?" Buffy asked quietly.

Leigh Anne jumped, startled and she had obviously forgotten Buffy was even in the room. She turned to her now and her tears overflowed onto her cheeks.

"Oh Buffy!" Leigh Anne started sobbing and Buffy sat next to her, holding her in a hug and Buffy simply let her cry. It was something the young girl had wanted to do for a while and there was no way Buffy was going to stop her now.

After a few moments of let out all her hidden emotions, Leigh Anne quietened down and Buffy turned her around so that they were face to face.

"You want to explain to me what's going on?" Buffy asked, looking Leigh Anne straight in the eyes.

"No." Leigh Anne said quietly, looking away.

"Leigh Anne!"

"Okay!" Leigh Anne sighed, and pointed towards Giles' desk. Buffy got up and walked towards it, finding Leigh Anne's locket sitting undone on top. Giles had dropped it there in his hurry to leave, not even taking the time to do it up.

Buffy picked it up by the chain and gently caught the actual locket piece in her hand. She spun it around so that she could see the inside and gasped.

Inside was a picture of a beautiful women…and a picture of a very young Giles.

After a few minutes pause, Buffy finally spoke. "You look like her."

Leigh Anne smiled. "That's my mum."

"She's very beautiful."

Leigh Anne just simply smiled again and waited for Buffy's reaction to the other picture.

"It's Giles isn't it?" Leigh Anne nodded.

"He's your dad isn't he?" Leigh Anne nodded again and Buffy left out a deep breath.

"Wow. I mean, I never thought of Giles as being, well, a dad!" She looked at Leigh Anne, trying to work out how Leigh Anne and her mother had fitted into the small part of Giles' life that he had told her about. As if she had read her mind, Leigh Anne started explaining, her voice quiet but steady.

"She was his first Slayer. They fell in love but didn't let anyone know. It was forbidden by the Watcher's Council and when they found out about me they," She cleared her throat and looked as though she wasn't going to go on. "They sent my father off to other Slayer and, well I guess you could say they fired my mother. They ordered her to have an abortion and when she refused they acted as if she had died, calling upon a new Slayer and pretended that she had never existed. They order my father to stay away from her, on the penalty of death. So I grew up without a father."

Buffy watched Leigh Anne wipe her eyes and had the feeling she had something more to say. Sure enough, she continued, her voice taking on an affectionate tone.

"I do remember one time though." She said, smiling. "I was probably about 3 and Mum woke me up at about midnight and told me to be very quiet and not wake anyone up. We crept out of the house, with her holding me in her arms and me holding my doll, Sara. I remember asking her "Where are we going Mama?" and she said that we were going to meet Daddy. It was the first and only time I saw him because the Council found out. He used to always send us things when he could though, and he was the one who sent me this locket, on my forth birthday."

Buffy smiled. Typical Giles, he never would shirk his duty.

"He must have really loved you both." Buffy said. "And if I had any doubts as to whether Giles would help you, they are definitely gone now. I just can't believe he never told me!" Buffy shook her head and suddenly jumped, hearing a voice from the doorway.

"I didn't want to put Alyssa and Leigh Anne in danger." Giles said, his voice quiet. "If I told anyone the Council would have surely found out. They kicked up the biggest stink you could ever imagine about it, even bigger than the one they kicked up about you and Angel." Giles looked towards his daughter but spoke to Buffy. "I think we need to be alone for a while Buffy. Could you…?"

He left the sentence hanging and Buffy nodded. "I'll, umm, speak to the gang, explain the situation. We'll meet here later to talk, is that okay with you?"

Giles nodded and Buffy left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. She had a feeling those two had a LOT to talk about…

*********************************

Part 4:

"Giles WHAT!" Willow cried, causing Buffy to pull the phone away from her ear.

"Look Will, I'm sure Giles will explain when we…" Buffy was cut of by Willow's unusually loud voice.

"He'd better! I can't believe he kept something like that from us!" Willow fumed. Then she sighed and lowered her voice. "I suppose he had good reason though."

"He really did Will." Buffy replied her voice quiet.

"Okay then." Willow said. "I forgive him."

She switched the phone to her other ear and stood up from her computer. She collapsed onto her bed and listened to Buffy for a few more minutes.

"Okay. So do you want me to call Xander?"

"That'd be great! Thanks Will."

"No problem. I'll see you tonight then?"

"Sure thing!"

"Okay, bye Buff!" Willow hung up and looked at the now silent phone. "This ought to be interesting!"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later on:

Buffy walked up the driveway of Giles' house to find the rest of the gang waiting nervously outside the door. She grinned.

"Why are you all standing out here?" Buffy said and the gang turned around to see their favourite Slayer walking up to them.

"We decided to wait until you got here." Willow said sheepishly.

"Yeah," Xander agreed. "We have no idea what to say to him. I mean, we just found out he's been keeping the biggest secret he's got from us and what does he want us to do? Walk in and have a cup of tea and accept it like nothing happened?" Xander was fuming and Buffy couldn't blame him.

"Hey, calm down mate!" Spike said and Buffy looked at him in surprise, he was actually sticking up for someone. "He's had it hard too ya know! He probably wanted to tell you but didn't want to put their lives in danger and OH MY GOD what am I saying? I'm sticking up for the old tweed guy!"

With that, Spike turned around and left them standing at the doorway, muttering under his breath.

"My god, Dru was right! I am turning soft!"

The gang watched him leave in amusement then Buffy turned back to face them all.

"She's really nice. You guys will like her. Try to behave Xander, be nice to her and don't give Giles a hard time, it's not his fault."

"Not his fault!" Xander cried. "What, did the girl's mother have an immaculate conception?"

"Xander!" Buffy and Willow cried at the same time.

"What?!" Xander replied, looking sheepish now.

Buffy went to reply but was interrupted by the door opening. All eyes turned to the door as Leigh Anne stepped out.

"Buffy!" The teenager ran over to the one face she recognised and gave her a hug.

"Hey Leigh Anne!" Buffy replied, hugging her back, picking up on how nervous the young girl was.

"They all hate me, don't they?" Leigh Anne whispered nervously in Buffy's ear.

Buffy chuckled. "They don't hate you Leigh Anne! Come on, let's get inside, we got a demon to find."

The gang filed in after Buffy Leigh Anne and Xander changed his mind about the 16-year-old. She was looking gorgeous in a light blue singlet top of Buffy's and a pair of leather pants, also Buffy's. Anya caught Xander looking at Leigh Anne and whacked him on the arm. Xander howled in pain and cursed under his breath.

"Well she didn't get her fashion sense from her father!" Willow said quietly, trying to lift the mood. Buffy heard the remark and grinned, she had been thinking the exact same thing. She had been surprised that Giles hadn't chucked a fit when he had seen Leigh Anne that morning.

"I should probably take offence at that!" Came Giles' quiet voice from the other room.

"Giles! I ah umm…" Willow stammered, trying to think up something to say.

Giles laughed, something that didn't happen often. "Never mind Willow. Come inside all of you. We have a demon to catch."

The gang, including Leigh Anne, settled themselves into their usual places around Giles' living room. There was an uncomfortable silence, which Giles finally broke by clearing his throat.

"I ah guess you all have a lot of questions. I will happily answer them but after which catch this demon. Until it is dead, Leigh Anne's life is in danger. Agreed?" The gang nodded and Giles continued, looking at Leigh Anne and occasionally Buffy. "Now, this demon, Lithos, is extremely dangerous. I am still trying to work out a sure-fire way to destroy him and any help in that area will be appreciated." He looked at Willow who nodded and then at Xander who agreed less enthusiastically. "Buffy, I need you to patrol as usual and take Leigh Anne with you." He saw the look of uncertain of Buffy's face and turned to look at Leigh Anne, smiling. "Don't worry, she knows how to fight. She was taught by one of the best Slayer's ever."

Xander opened his mouth to speak but Buffy silenced him with a look. This was not the best time for one of his wisecracks. Giles saw this but pretended he didn't.

"Okay, let's go to work. Willow, can you go on the 'Net and Xander, hit the books with me."

The gang started to head off to their various jobs but they were stopped by the sound of Anya's voice.

"Hey! What am I supposed to do?" She asked indignantly.

Xander turned to his ex-demon girlfriend and grinned. "Just stand there and look pretty honey."

Anya stuck out her tongue and headed towards the books. "I can read you know!"

"Fine, you help Xander in the book research." Giles said, not looking up from the book he was scanning through.

Leigh Anne and Buffy grinned and left, leaving the rest of the gang to their research. There was silence, everyone wrapped up in their work, until it was interrupted by Anya.

"Ah, what are we looking for?"

*************************

Part 5:

Buffy and Leigh Anne slowly walked around the graveyard, surprised about how quiet it was. Leigh Anne kept looking around nervously and Buffy felt sorry for the girl.

"Ah, Buffy?"

"Yeah?" Buffy asked, without turning around.

"What are we gonna do if we run into him? Lithos I mean?"

"Fight him for as long as we can and hopefully scare him away or kill him." Buffy replied and spotted a few newbie vamps across the other side of the graveyard. "Wait here ok? I'll be back." With that she ran off, leaving Leigh Anne waiting near a grave surrounded by shrubbery.

"Sure thing." Leigh Anne said to Buffy's back. "Doesn't look like I have a choice!" She said, grinning.

Suddenly a hand clamped over her mouth, and Leigh Anne breathed in the definite stench of chloroform. She struggled against her captor but it was in vain. Whoever it was had muscles of steel and as her world went black she remembered thinking Lithos…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy staked the vamps and stood up. She tried to think of some smart comment to say but her mind was blank.

"Gotta do something bout that!" She muttered under her breath. "Can have them just turning to dust without getting a last word in!"

She turned around, heading back towards the area she had left Leigh Anne. All she could see was the black shadows of night.

"Leigh Anne?" She looked around, hearing no answer and began panicking, something unusual for her. "Leigh Anne where are you? If this is some kind of joke it isn't funny!"

Still there was no answer and the first thought to cross the Slayer's mind was the last thought to cross Leigh Anne's…Lithos.

*************************

Part 6:

Leigh Anne woke up to find herself in a dark room, a hotel room, and for a moment was confused as to how she got there. She sat up and felt a sharp pain to her left shoulder and everything came rushing back. She had been kidnapped.

She looked around the room, looking for a way to escape. It was hopeless. Sure, the guy who was obviously supposed to be watching her was asleep in a chair seated near the door but she figured that even if she could get past him, their was probably another guard waiting outside the door. And he was probably awake and, if he was anything like the person who had kidnapped her, very strong.

She rubbed her shoulder, which was aching from the attack yesterday. Or at least she thought it was yesterday. She had no watch and there was no clock in the room so she had no idea what time it was.

The guy in the chair stirred and Leigh Anne froze. There was no way she wanted to wake him. She knew that he would awaken sometime, but the longer it was put off the better!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy sprinted from the graveyard, her sacred duties forgotten. The only thing she cared about now was getting to Giles. She had no idea where Leigh Anne had been taken and she had no idea just how long she had to find her. Buffy had come to the conclusion that Leigh Anne had definitely been taken, there was no way she would have stayed hidden that long. In fact, Buffy doubted that Leigh Anne would have hidden in the first place.

She arrived, panting, at Giles' house and banged on the door until she could hear footsteps. Giles answered the door, angry, but his anger turned to concern when he saw Buffy.

"Buffy! What the…"

"It's Leigh Anne!" Buffy managed to get out. "She's gone."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leigh Anne stared at the ceiling and wondered how much time had past. The guard was awake now and watching her intently.

She sighed and went to sit up, but the guard gave her a look and she layed back down again. Not that she minded – she was still a bit woozy from the chloroform and her shoulder was throbbing like crazy.

Suddenly the door burst open and the guard toppled over, chair and all. A tall, dark man stood in the doorway and he looked down at the guard in disgust.

"Get up Samson. We have work to do."

Samson got up and the tall man turned to face Leigh Anne. She right back at him, not through boldness but through fear, she dared not look away. He continued to look at her but spoke to his accomplice.

"Get the girl. We need to get out of here, they have probably worked out she is gone by now. We need to be out of town by sunrise."

Leigh Anne froze at his words but Samson simply nodded and started towards her.

"Yes boss." He grabbed hold of Leigh Anne by the shoulders and she winced in pain. The man's grip was like steel and the fact that her should was already sore didn't help. He began to tie her wrists together behind her back, still speaking to the man he called Boss. "Where are we going to?"

He pulled her to her feet and she winced again, this time because of the pain that shot through her still sore ankle. The tall man chuckled at her pain and spoke to Samson.

"I think you went a bit too hard on her last night Samson."

Samson laughed and pushed her cruelly forward and she almost toppled over. She regained her footing, however and stood up as straight as she could. So it was Samson last night!

The tall man laughed again at her effects to appear tough. "We will be heading home Samson and you will receive your reward for your efforts there."

Samson gave the man a greedy grin and started to push Leigh Anne towards the door. "What are we waiting for then? Let's get going!"

************************

Part 6:

"What?" Giles cried, looking at Buffy with pain in his eyes. "How could you let her…I mean, what happened? Where is she? Who or what took her? Was it Lithos?"

Buffy looked at Giles grimly. "I don't know. I just went to stake a few newborn vamps and when I came back she was gone! I didn't hear a thing and I have a feeling that if it was Lithos he would have just killed her, right? Not kidnapped her. But I have no idea who else it could be!" Buffy groaned in frustration and looked at Giles with tears in her eyes. "I am so sorry Giles." She said, her voice a whisper. "I know how much this is hurting you and I am so sorry."

"It isn't your fault." Giles said gruffly as though holding back emotions. "I shouldn't have sent her out with you, I knew the risks and what a dangerous demon this Lithos is…"

"You can't blame yourself Giles and neither can you Buffy. It is no ones fault, except maybe mine and sitting around here blaming yourselves isn't going to get her back, is it?"

Giles watched as Buffy's eyes went round and for a moment he thought her legs wouldn't hold her up anymore. She regained her composure however and turned around, the shock still showing on her face.

"A-Angel?" She looked at him suspiciously now. "What are you doing here and what do you mean by 'it's no one's fault except maybe mine'?"

Angel looked at the petite, blonde Slayer, his heart aching. He longed to take her in his arms and hold her, tell her all about the last day they had saw each other. But he resisted the temptation and turned his mind onto the reason he was here – business.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you about it later, after we get Leigh Anne back. Rupert, where would the Council take a prisoner?" He started to walk past the Watcher and Slayer, who were still looking at him in surprise but the voice of his soulmate stopped him.

"Okay, (a) How do you know about Leigh Anne? (b) What has the Council got to do with this and (c) I just love long stories!" Buffy stared at Angel, daring him not to answer her. He sighed and looked towards Giles.

"Fine, but can we go inside please? And we better make it quick." He walked inside, Giles and Buffy following him. He walked into the study and the rest of the Scoobies looked up in surprise. Willow and Xander's mouths dropped open and Anya got a questioning look on her face.

"Hey isn't that the guy that Buffy…" Anya was cut off by Xander's hand being clamped over her mouth and after a few moments of struggle she quietened down and Xander removed his hand.

No one dared ask the question that was all on their minds Why is he here? and so they sat there silently, waiting for everything to be explained.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, during which Buffy sent Angel death stares and waited for him to explain himself, Angel finally opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Giles.

"How do you know about Leigh Anne?" His voice was quiet but stern and the gang knew that he meant business.

"He knows about Leigh Anne?" Xander cried and turned an accusing stare onto Buffy. "Have you been dropping over to LA lately?"

"No!" Buffy cried angrily. If looks could kill, Xander would have been blown off the face of the planet! Willow thought, watching her best friend's face in amusement.

"We don't have time for this!" Angel cried, in an unusually loud voice, or at least for him. Buffy jumped, not used to hearing him speak like that and immediately felt guilty. Giles' daughter was missing and all she and Xander could do was bicker.

Angel began speaking, not waiting for either parties concerned to apologise. "I don't have time to explain in detail why I am here, I can do that later. Let's just say I was asked to look over Leigh Anne and I haven't."

Angel's face was emotionless but Buffy could see the pain in his eyes. So that's why he thinks this is his fault. He continued speaking, not looking at everyone but Giles now.

"About the Council thing. That's who has her. We have to find her and soon, or who knows what will happen to her."

The gang watched as Giles' face was drained of its colour and Xander turned to Willow grimly.

"So it's not the demon who killed her mother who has her but our wonderful friends in England who are supposed to be on our side."

Willow nodded, her eyes still on Giles' pale face.

"They aren't on my side." Giles said softly. "Or on Leigh Anne's. To them she is a problem to be dealt with. She is a mistake that should have never happened. It is completely illegal, I guess you could say, for a Slayer to get pregnant. It puts not only her life in danger, but also that of all civilisation. For the father to be a Watcher isn't even heard of. I was a disgrace to them and I was lucky they didn't fire me and have me locked up for the remainder of my life. Leigh Anne and her mother have been running for the Council for her whole life and they have finally caught up with her."

Silence reigned again as everyone let this news sink in. Finally Xander stood up and all eyed turned to him.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leigh Anne stared straight ahead, at Samson, who was asleep again. She sighed and looked out the window. She had absolutely no idea how she was going to get out of this but at least as long as they were on the train she wasn't tied up.

Leigh Anne looked around the carriage and wondered if there was anyway she could get off the train without killing herself. It didn't look like it. Damn! These few minutes will the tall guy was away were probably the only minutes she had to escape. She had no chance of getting help from anyone else on the train because the tall guy, Boss as Samson called him, had booked the entire carriage. Leigh Anne had no idea how he had managed that but he had.

Suddenly the door burst opened and the tall guy strolled in. He hit Samson on the head and grabbed Leigh Anne roughly. He grinned at her and she noticed for the first time just how evil his grin was.

"This is our stop."

***************

Part 7:

The gang jumped into Angel's car, the anonymous vote being that it was quicker then Giles'. Xander, Willow, Anya and Giles all managed to squeeze into the back, all weapons being placed in the boot. Buffy sat in the front passenger seat and Angel was driving, Buffy tried not to think how close Angel was to her and keep her mind on business but it was awfully hard.

The drive was mostly silent, the only sound being Angel speaking.

"I guess you all want to know what I meant before huh?"

There was a chorus of nods and Angel sighed.

"Okay, here goes nothing." He looked towards Giles nervously, not knowing whether he would like this or not. "It all started after Rupert was forced to leave Alyssa and Leigh Anne…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you ever so much, sir." The tall guy said to the stationmaster. "I really appreciate that you care about your passengers."

"Anytime!" The stationmaster said and looked sympathetically towards the car in which Samson and Leigh Anne sat. "I hope your niece had a comfortable trip and whatever is wrong with her is found out soon."

The tall guy nodded and wiped a tear from his eye. Leigh Anne snorted in disgust. This guy was actually enjoying making someone feel sorry for them. Samson pinched her arm cruelly and she shut up, after sending him a dirty look.

The tall guy (she still hadn't found out his name) slid into the seat next to her so she was sandwiched between them both and ordered the driver to go. Leigh Anne tried to look out the windows, to find out where exactly they were but they were heavily tinted and there was no way she could see out them.

She sighed and looked at the floor. It had an intricate patten on it and she set about counting how many triangles she could find. She hoped Buffy and her father came soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The PTB sent you to watch over my daughter and wife?" Giles asked in shock.

Angel nodded grimly, his eyes still on the road. He had a feeling that Giles wasn't going to like this but it was before they had even met so surely he would understand. He looked in the mirror to see Giles staring out the window, shaking his head.

"Why did you stop?" He suddenly spluttered out angrily. "Because you didn't continue to watch them, Alyssa is dead and Leigh Anne very well might be."

Angel flinched as though Giles had hit him. So he's not mad that I was looking after them, he's mad that I stopped.

"I moved here Giles. I had to watch over Buffy. Gregory was supposed to watch them, I have no idea what happened to him."

He looked back into the mirror again, to see Giles fuming silently. "I'm sorry Giles, I did all I could, when I could. If I knew this was going to happen I would have tried to stop it, you know I would. I tried to keep in contact with Alyssa but as they keep moving, I couldn't."

Giles still said nothing and Angel sighed again. "I need you to speak to me Giles. In order to find your daughter I need to know where the Council would take such a prisoner." He went to say more but was interrupted by Buffy, who had so far been silent but couldn't take it anymore.

"Giles! For God's sake, stop acting like a child! You are a full grown adult and your daughter is missing. In the short time we have known her we have all come to like Leigh Anne and we want her back. The only way we can do that is with your help. Now please, answer Angel."

Giles slowly turned from the window and Buffy could see tears misting his eyes. He took off his glasses and cleaned them, making the gang feel a bit better. At least he was doing normal things now.

"I'm sorry Buffy, I…" He looked the young girl he still classified as his Slayer in the eyes and sighed. "I just don't think I can handle this."

He took a deep breath and turned to face Angel. "England, the Council Headquarters. They have a sort of prison area there, they were going to take Faith there. That's where they'll take her."

Buffy sighed, Xander groaned and Angel's face took on a determined look.

"How are we going to get to England?" Anya asked quietly and Buffy looked at her in surprise, she had been so quiet that everyone had forgotten she was there. Will wonders never cease? Buffy thought in surprise.

"We'll drive as far as we can go then get on the next boat." Angel said, his jaw set.

"Angel, we can't! I mean, sunlight and…and we have no money!" Buffy cried and slumped back in her seat. They were pretty much defeated. How on Earth were they going to get to England?

"The Ghost Roads!"

"What?" Everyone turned to face Willow including Angel, and the car swung to the right. He managed to get in back under control and sent Buffy a sheepish grin.

"Lucky we're not on a main road!" Buffy said, returning his grin with a cheeky one and for a moment the old spark was there.

"The Ghost Roads." Willow repeated and Buffy jumped out of her daydream and turned back to face her witchy best friend.

"Willow, that's a great idea!" Buffy replied, catching on to what she meant. "I'll go."

"I'll come with you." Angel replied, pulling the car to rest in an alley. Seeing Buffy about to protest he raised his hand. "You are not going to stop me Buffy Anne Summers. I am going and that is that!"

Buffy closed her mouth and sat back in her seat sulkily. In truth, she was glad he was coming, she didn't want to go alone, but there was no way she was going to let him know that.

Angel turned to Willow again. "What are we going to need?"

Willow rattled off a list of items they would need to open up a portal to the Ghost Roads and Angel started up the car again.

"Let's hope there's a magic shop around here!" Xander said and everyone in the car crossed their fingers and prayed.

********************

Part 8:

Samson closed his eyes. He hated flying: it always made him sick.

He looked over at the young girl, their prisoner. She had fallen asleep and was obviously having a nightmare. He felt sorry for the girl: he had a daughter the same age back home and if anything like this happened to her he wouldn't be able to live. The fate in store for this young lady was not going to be nice – he knew the Council wasn't too happy with her.

He sighed and settled back into his seat on the personal Council aeroplane. There was nothing he could do – he had been given and a job and that job was almost finished. He expected a great reward too – the Council were known for their generosity if a job was done well.

Samson took one last look at the girl and closed his eyes. Boss had told him to keep awake and watch the girl at all times, but she was asleep and the Boss wasn't here. Samson was extremely tired and a few minutes shut-eye surely wouldn't hurt…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She centred herself and focused on what she wanted to do. She let out her breath and began to speak quietly in Latin. Slowly her voice began to get louder and in front of their very eyes, a rip appeared in the sky and all that could be seen through it was a never-ending grey space.

Buffy took a deep breath and stepped towards the portal. She remembered the terror of first entering the Ghost Roads and shiver was sent down her spine. As though he could read her mind, Angel stepped forward without a word and grabbed her small warm hand in his large cold one. She smiled gratefully and together, hand in hand; they stepped into he portal that would take them to the Ghost Roads.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Samson was awoken by the feeling of sharp pain across the back of his head. It took him a moment to work out where he was but as soon as he did he realised that his Boss had come back and caught him sleeping. And woken him up with a slap across the head.

He groaned and sat up. His boss glared at him from where he was standing, next to the girl, about to wake her up.

"Next time listen to my instructions more carefully fool. Help me with the girl, this is where we get off."

Samson walked over to his Boss, still rubbing his head and grabbed the girl and forced her to her feet in one simple movement. Her eyes snapped open and a moan escaped from her lips. Samson grinned and his Boss looked on in amusement. The girl had been given the rough treatment from Samson yesterday when she tried to escape them at the airport. The Council would not be too please when the saw her as she was looking a lot worse for wear and Samson would get the blame.

They walked off the plane, Samson's grip on Leigh Anne as strong as steel, causing her to wince. There was no way she was going to try anything again, not after yesterday, but Samson wasn't taking any chances.

They reached a dark car out front of the airport, obviously waiting for them, and Leigh Anne was roughly pushed in the back. The door was slammed behind her and there was the sound of people getting in and out of the car. But Leigh Anne hardly heard a thing as the pain became too much to bear and unconsciousness clutched her in its grip. She closed her eyes thankfully and her world turned black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, here we go again!" Buffy thought as she looked around her at the bleak gray space. "Another trip on the ever so delightful Ghost Roads."

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, a solid road formed beneath her feet and she could see Angel standing not too far away.

"Well you turned up faster then you did last time." Angel said, a slight grin on his face. Buffy gave a small, worried grin back and Angel walked over to wrap her in his arms. She started to fight him but gave in, resting her head on his shoulder, always aware of his closeness. They stood there a moment until Buffy finally pulled away.

"We had better get going." Angel nodded and they turned to face the direction they had headed in last time they travelled to England this way. Angel closed his eyes and paused for a moment. Buffy noticed this and stopped, placing her hand on his arm.

"Angel?"

His eyes flickered open and he smiled sadly at her, his smile full of pain.

"They're here, all of them." He said, his voice quiet but shaking, showing his pain. "They are all calling out to me, asking me why." His voice broke and a single tear ran down his cheek.

Buffy's heart ached as she looked at him standing there, weeping for the lives he had taken.

"You can't listen to them Angel. We won't make it through here unless you ignore them."

Her Angel nodded, his pain still evident in his eyes. She took his hand and that one small action seemed to give him strength. He set his jaw and started walking, his true love by his side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Leigh Anne's eyes flickered painfully open, she found herself in yet another strange surrounding. She tried to sit up and had to bite her lip from crying out. Her hands and feet were tied with rope and her various bruises and cuts were aching from the sudden movement after hours of lying still. She could feel a trickle of blood from a fresh cut on her forehead run down her face and wished that she could pass out again. But unconsciousness didn't come and she tried again to sit up. This time she succeeded and after a moment of pain she looked around the room in which she was prisoner.

And a prisoner she truly was. The walls were gray and there was not a window in sight. The floor on which she had layed for God knows how long was cold concrete and there were a few chains hanging from the wall. The door was thick metal with a little slide window that was currently closed. As Leigh Anne sighed in despair she realised the awful truth – this was a prison or dungeon of some sort.

Suddenly there was a crash from outside and the door burst open.

"Hey Leigh Anne, how ya doing?"

Part 9:

Buffy let out a little cry and ran forward, ignoring the cries of the lost and wandering. Ahead of them was a rip in the gray and through it she could see the misty streets of England. She ran towards it and Angel followed with a feeling of relief. He had began to give up, not knowing how much longer he could take the cries of pain and anger of those around him he recognised.

Buffy reached the portal first and turned back to face the vampire.

"We made it!" She cried, looking as though she was about to burst into tears. They were both worn out from walking the Road so long and both were extremely grateful to finally have reached their destination, even though they both knew that there was a harder time up ahead.

Angel nodded and, finally having caught up with her, clutched her hand in his and they stepped through the portal together, into the foggy streets of London.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leigh Anne gasped as she looked at the figure standing in the doorway and her eyes filled with tears.

"Brian, thank God!"

The young man ran over to where Leigh Anne was seated and took her in his arms. Tears immediately began to fall from her eyes and left wet patches on his shirt. After a few moments of letting her cry, Brian pulled away and looked Leigh Anne in the eyes.

"Shit!" He said, his voice a whisper. "What the hell did they do to you?"

His hand ran over the cuts on her face and she looked away. But he had already seen the pain in her eyes and he ached for her.

"Come on Leigh." He said, lifting her chin. "We're getting out of here."

Leigh Anne smiled at him gratefully, a smile that wavered as another tear ran down her cheeks. He wiped them away and slowly turned her around, taking a knife out of his pocket.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah huh. *Pause* Ah huh." Buffy said into the payphone. "Ah huh."

Angel almost burst out laughing and it came out as a little chuckle and Buffy chucked him a look.

"If you're gonna just stand there laughing, at least be useful and write down what I tell you." Angel nodded and almost laugh again when he heard Buffy speak again. "No, not you Giles, Angel. What? No! Oh, never mind." She turned to face Angel again and handed him a piece of paper and a stubby pencil, both that had conveniently left in the phone box. "Here, use these and shut up. No, not you Giles! Oh, just give me the address!" Buffy listened intently to what Giles said and repeated it so Angel could copy it down. "Okay, thanks Giles. My money is gonna run out so I'll call later ok?"

With that, she hung up and turned to face Angel.

"Let's go!"

***

Buffy and Angel crept silently into the building, which loomed dark and dangerous looking in the dark of night. They had only met one guard so far, at the gates and he was now lying in the bushes, unconscious.

Angel opened the door silently and after looking around he nodded and signalled for Buffy to follow him. After a last look around, she walked in the doorway and followed Angel down the hall.

They silently crept down the hall, their eyes flicking this way and that, both on the lookout for trouble. After peering in a few cells and finding most of them empty or the occupants asleep, Angel and Buffy almost gave up. That was, until they heard a sound, coming from the cell across the hall and up one.

Their eyes met and slowly they walked towards the door of the cell. In the pale light of the hallway, Buffy could see someone lying in front of it. As they got closer she could see it was a guard, dead, thanks to the stab wounds in his chest. His eyes were open wide and staring and Buffy felt sick just looking at him. She turned her head and felt Angel take her hand. She squeezed it gently and they crept forward until they were inside the door. The site that greeted them was shocking. A young boy was leaning over Leigh Anne. Holding a knife covered with blood.

******************

Go to Part 10