Disclaimer: The characters are mine, and if you only read the first part of this fic you wouldn't want me to own them. But read on, and hopefully you'll change your mind.Spoilers: I Will Remember You on AtS, Listening to Fear on BtVS, and The Trial on AtS and other miscellaneous episodes along the way.
Summary: In an alternate dimension, Buffy and Angel are forced to send their child away from harm. The Buffy and Angel we know are forced to help out.
Distribution: If you have any of my others, take this one if you want it. If you don't and you want it, ask me and I'll probably say yes.
Feedback: Please! I'll beg for it if that will help! (If you do send any, please tell me where you found it so I know to send more that way...)
Rating: PG--14
Author's Note: This starts out REALLY sad. It gets less depressing as it goes on, so read it anyway.

*Prologue

Los Angeles, California, 2005*

She didn't want it to happen there, but it was where they ended up after the attack.

The Master's Laire. The place where she had died at age sixteen. They place where she would die at twenty four.

She couldn't breath right. Her attempts to do the task made loud, painful noises, and sent pain through her.She opened her eyes again, looking up at her husband. Her lover. Her life. Her Angel.

He'd been alive for a few years now. Since that day in November, when she'd come to visit him to scold him for skulking behind her back.

They'd been married only four months after that.And now it was over.

They both knew it, but neither wanted to admit it. Especially because she knew it would be over for him, too. He'd give everything he had, even his life, to protect their daughter.Elizabeth.

The five year old daughter they called their miracle sat next to her father, watching her with a serious expression that no child should have. She looked just like her father.

Angel. Buffy looked at her darling husband. He looked like hell. She knew why. Days of fighting, and hiding, and running, and doing anything to keep their baby safe. And the fact that she was going to die from the spear that had pierced her through the stomach when demons had found them.

The demons were dead now, failed in their mission to capture Elizabeth and kill her.

And now it was too late. There were more demons on the way, and they'd be there soon. "Start the spell," Buffy ordered through her rasping breath.

Angel flinched. "I don't want to leave you." Until it's over. But that went unsaid.

"You have to... have to get her away." It hurt so much to move her mouth to make the sounds.

Almost as much as it hurt to see Angel watching her die. With Elizabeth by his side.

"I love you," he whispered, holding her hand.

She wanted to cry. Wanted to sob with grief and rage at the gods or whoever it was that had damned her and her lover to this hell that she was leaving. The gods that were taking away her darling baby and her love. But she didn't. If anything, being a mother had taught her that crying worried her baby. And besides. She was trying to convince herself that wherever Elizabeth ended up, it was better than where she was now. So she opened her eyes and looked up at her husband of five years on the morrow. And she mouthed the words that she wanted so badly to say out loud. She couldn't bring herself to say them just yet, not to him. She didn't wan to have to say them now. She wanted to be able to say them later, when their darling daughter was getting married to the man of her dreams, when he smiled at her and was truly happy, when Elizabeth was there and playing... Not now. Not when he was there, looking so lost and afraid. He was never afraid. He never let his feelings show so clearly.

So she looked at her daughter, tried to smile. "I love you," she said, her voice beginning to sound far away.

Angel flinched, knowing she was leaving them.

"Momma?" Elizabeth whispered.

"What is it, baby?" Angel questioned, his gaze never leaving his beloved wife's face. Her pale and near lifeless face.

"Is momma going away like everybody else?"

"I love you." Buffy managed to say again. She couldn't answer her daughter's question. "Take care of her."

Buffy stared up at her husband, tears filling her eyes, and realized that the same thing was happening to Angel. He never cried before, but now he couldn't help it any more than she could.

"Hold me," she requested, her breath coming even less steady now. Angel gently shifted her so he cradled her in his arms. "I love you," she managed to murmur to him finally, her eyes meeting Angel's for a moment.

Elizabeth watched in silence as she saw her daddy cry. It was the first time in her life that she'd ever seen that happen. And her mommy... She wasn't moving much now. She had a big stick coming out of her stomach from the ugly monster that had run at her, and it was all red and sticky. Elizabeth began to worry. She didn't want her mommy to go away. Uncle Xander had gone away too, and he'd been nice and played with her. But momma had told her that he'd gone to play with the angels. But her daddy was Angel. So where was he?

Angel watched in silence as his wife's eyes fluttered open and closed for a long time. And then she slowly went limp in his arms.

He wanted to die then and there. As it was, his breathing became heavy, uneven. He couldn't make himself move.

But then his daughter went over to him, her eyes wide. "Daddy? What happened to Mommy? What's she doing?" Her eyes were like Buffy's full of curiosity, and she was hiding her fear. It was something she did well, but not enough to hide from him. Her only parent now.

Angel closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, looking down at the body of his wife. Slowly, carefully, he laid her down on the ground, and covered her with a blanket. "She's going to see Uncle Xander," Angel said quietly, not looking at Elizabeth for a long time. Elizabeth's lower lip began to tremble, and Angel flinched. "Come here," he said softly.

Elizabeth went to her father, and let him pull her in his lap. "She wanted you to know that she loves you very much. Can you remember that for me?"

Elizabeth nodded solemnly. "I will," she promised. Her lip was trembling even more now, but she didn't let any tears fall.

"Good." Angel stood up, lifting her up with him. He didn't look at Buffy's body. He couldn't make himself. "I want you to go get your backpack over there, okay?" Elizabeth nodded, and went over to get the plastic Scooby Doo bag that her Uncle Xander had bought her for her birthday a few months ago.

Before he'd died in an attack meant to kill Elizabeth.

Angel watched his daughter for a moment, then dug through another black bag. He pulled out several candles, a few bags of different runes and things, and began placing everything in a strategic position on the floor.

Once he was finished, he set the bag down and told Elizabeth to wait for a moment. And he went over to Buffy's body, taking the cloth off of her for a moment. He closed his eyes, saying a soft prayer for her. Then he lifted her cooling hand and slipped her wedding band off her fingers. A Claddagh ring, similar to the one he'd given her on her birthday, only gold. Then he took off her engagement ring. Around her neck, she wore the cross he'd given her when he'd first met her. He took that off her too, slipping it all into his pocket.

For a moment, he stayed there, knelt by her for the last time. He kissed her forehead, fighting back tears that threatened to spill. "I love you," he murmured to her prone form, and gently pulled the blanket over her once more.

He faced his daughter again, who was watching in silent curiosity. "Come on, baby," he said quietly, and nudged her to stand in the circle of candles with her backpack and Mr. Gordo. He lifted the black bag he'd kept with him, then the dark blue one that had been Buffy's. He lifted his daughter up as he stepped into the circle. And he began to chant what he'd memorized so long ago because he'd known he'd need it.

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*Chapter 1

December 4th, 2000

Los Angeles, California*

Cordelia yawned a little as she stepped out of her apartment, not really paying attention to anything. She turned around to lock the door, but heard it click. "Thanks Dennis," she said, yawning. It was only nine in the morning. Angel was killing her with the early mornings! She turned around, prepared to go out to her car, but jerked to a stop when she saw Angel. "What are you doing here?" she questioned, scowling. "With a little girl." She blinked, looked outside, then looked at him again. "Oh my god, how'd you get here? Did it happen already?! Are you human?"

"Cordelia," he said, interrupting her questions. "I'm not who you think I am."

Cordelia fumbled for her stake. "Are you a demon then?"

He sighed. "No, I'm not." He glanced at Elizabeth again, then at Cordelia. She was very much the same in this dimension. Only she looked a little younger, and she wasn't wearing a wedding band. And she was alive.

"Then what are you?" the brunette questioned, scowling.

Angel looked at her sadly. "I'm from another dimension."

Cordelia studied him for a long moment. Then she sighed and turned around, unlocking the door, and led the two into her front room.

|*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*|

"I was turned human on the day after Thanksgiving in 1999." Angel said quietly, sitting on the couch with his daughter in his lap.

His twin, the Angel that belonged in this dimension, stood in the corner, watching and listening in silence. He'd been woken up at eleven o'clock by Cordelia and Wesley insisting on him going downstairs to the lobby of the hotel. It had been a surprise to find an identical twin there, especially when he'd seen the little girl with him. He hadn't needed to ask who's child she was. It was devastatingly clear.

Now they were all gathered in the lobby, and the Angel who was a father was telling his tale.

"Buffy was in town. She'd come to visit me because Doyle'd had a vision-"

"And she was mad at you for the lurking." Cordelia finished, guessing. Angel hadn't told her anything yet, except that he was from another dimension, and Elizabeth was his child. "That happened here."

Both Angels frowned, and Cordelia's boss sent her a look to stay silent.

The other Angel continued. "A Mohra demon burst in the office, and I tried to fight it. So did Buffy. It got away, and we went after it. I fought it, it's blood mixed with mine. I was human." The other Angel closed his eyes, remembering the same thing happening. "Buffy and I spent the day together." Angel shifted Elizabeth around in his lap. "We found out later that she was pregnant from that day."

The Angel who'd been listening looked up sharply, disbelief going through him. "What?"

Cordelia's mouth dropped open as she realized where his thoughts had gone. Buffy, his Buffy, had probably been in the same condition when he'd turned back the day...

The other Angel looked up, curious. "She was pregnant from the first day."

Angel closed his eyes. The first day. The only day. She'd been pregnant and he'd turned it back. "Go on." He couldn't put any emotion in his voice. His mind was still reeling from the shock of that one statement.

His twin frowned, but continued. "We got married in March. Elizabeth was born in September. Everything was fine until a couple months ago."

"Wait," Cordelia said, frowning. "Elizabeth's, like, five, right?"

Angel nodded. "Well, considering November of 2000 was only, like, a week ago, I'd say we've got a different timeline going here."

"What day is it?" Angel asked, shifting Elizabeth again.

"December fourth." Wesley answered. "Of 2000."

"Damn," Angel muttered, and stood up, picking Elizabeth up with him. She giggled when he bounced her up a little. "Five years."

"What happened?" Cordelia questioned.

Elizabeth giggled a little. "Aunt Cordy, can I go play dress-up?"

Angel set her down. "Go get your coloring book and draw a picture of what you want to wear, alright darlin'?"

She nodded and went to find where her daddy had put her backpack.

Angel watched his daughter for a moment, then faced the other three again. "Anyway. In April, the Council contacted Giles. They told him that they'd uncovered a prophecy dealing with Elizabeth. She's something... they never figured out what exactly. When she's older, in her teens or so, she'll inherit some kind of power."

"What kind?"

Angel surveyed his twin for a moment before glancing over at his daughter again. She was busy coloring a wedding dress in a Barbie coloring book. "I don't know anything about it, really. Just that it's stronger than a Slayer's power." He met each of their gazes for a brief moment before looking to Elizabeth once more. He closed his eyes. "They fear it. The demons do. They... they killed most everyone in Sunnydale in October. Willow, Oz, Xander, Anya, Giles...even Spike. That was when they got Doyle, too." His voice was flat, devoid of emotion. He could still remember the day he'd found them. Buffy and Elizabeth had been behind him, and he'd opened up the door to Giles's apartment. He'd barely been able to handle it, but he'd managed to get Buffy to back off. He hadn't let her see anything.

When the police had arrived, he'd found out that it wasn't only people they'd known in there. The demons had killed several neighbors along with the Scooby Gang.

"Uncle Xander?" Elizabeth asked hopefully, having heard the name and recognized it.

Angel looked at her for a moment. "How's your picture, baby?" he asked, going over to her. He couldn't answer her.

She smiled proudly and held it up. "I drew Mommy!" she said, thrilled. "She's playing dollies with Uncle Spike."

Angel stood up abruptly, trying to smile at her. Trying to keep calm for his daughter's sake. "Very good, Liz," he said, looking at the ceiling. He was struggling for control.

The other Angel looked at Cordelia, who stood up, understanding immediately. "Hey Elizabeth, you wanna go play dress up?"

Elizabeth grinned and jumped up, dropping her crayons. "Dress up!"

Cordelia smiled half heartedly. "Girl after my own heart."

Wesley and Angel looked to Elizabeth's father again. He had his back to them, and for a long time, didn't look forward again. then he finally faced them again, and though his face was blank, his eyes were full of pain. "It took Buffy a long time to get recover from it. We moved back to LA. A month ago, everyone else died." He turned away from them, staring out into the daylight. "Then the demons started coming even more. We left. By then, there was almost nothing left of LA. We went out in the middle of nowhere for a while, until we were found. Then we went back to Sunnydale. Two days ago. It was totally decimated. No life except for us. We put up a blockade around the Master's laire. Blocked up the entrances and exits. It was fine for a while. We figured out what we needed to do. Then, yesterday, two demons got in. We weren't expecting them. They stabbed her." He took an unsteady breath. "It took her three hours to die, and there was nothing I could do to help her. Demons were all over Sunnydale. Every single building had been burnt to the ground." He crossed his arms, still gazing into the day. "She made me promise that I'd keep Elizabeth safe. That I'd do whatever it took."

"How'd you end up here then?" Angel questioned quietly.

"We decided we had to get her somewhere safe. In our... in my world, there was no way that she could have stayed safe. She's too important, not just to me, to everyone, to risk losing her."

"So what do you plan on doing with her then?" Wesley questioned innocently.

Angel closed his eyes for a moment, even as his twin answered. "I need to talk to Buffy first."

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*Chapter 2*

Buffy pushed open the door to the hotel, looking around carefully. It was neat and tidy, but at the same time comfortable and well-worn. An old place, she decided. There was no one in the lobby, but she knew that someone was there because of the two cars parked up front. There were also lights on in the office.

A little uneasy, Buffy went further into the place, moving over to the counter. In doing so, she caught a glimpse into the backroom.

Angel was on one knee, smiling at a little girl who was playing with a Barbie. The girl had long, straight brown hair, and an adorable princess-like nightgown. Angel spoke to the girl, his voice to low for Buffy to hear.

He stood up, picking up the little girl as he did so, and he turned, seeing her for the first time. His expression showed faint surprise as he recognized her. "Buffy. What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too," she said, smiling uncomfortably. "Cordy called me."

"Did I forget to mention that?" the brunette questioned from the top of the stairs. "Hi Buffy," she said. "Angel, why don't you explain about everything."

"Momma!" Elizabeth exclaimed, smiling broadly at Buffy. She leaned forward, almost falling out of Angel's arms as she reached for Buffy. Angel lowered her to the ground and the girl immediately ran over to Buffy, who watched in confusion. "Want up, momma," she said, raising her arms. Buffy blinked, and looked to Angel.

Just as another Angel came out of the back room behind him. The other Angel froze, staring at her.

"What's going on?" Buffy questioned uneasily. The little girl tugged on Buffy's pants, so Buffy picked her up, still uncomfortable. Her gaze flickered back and forth between the two Angels. *A while ago that would have excited me*, she thought a little nervously.

The original Angel, who was dressed in all black, glanced back at his twin, who was dressed in a dark blue shirt. "She's alive." the one in blue said, sounding tense.

Cordelia sighed, looking at her second boss with sympathy. "He's from another dimension, and it's a really long story, but that's yours and his daughter in another dimension." It was worth it to be there to see all the blood drain from Buffy's face at her cheerful statement.

"How?" she asked after a long, long moment.

The Angel in black crossed the room and took Elizabeth from her, silently leading her over to the couch. He knew she'd need to sit down to hear the rest of the story.

The other Angel was slowly recovering from his shock, and he made his way over to the set of couches. He sat down far away from Buffy. He couldn't handle being so close to the woman he loved, who wasn't really her.

Sort of.

Angel had told him the version of her Thanksgiving visit that had occurred in this dimension.

He was still surprised she'd forgotten. He'd have thought that their love... would have over come that.

"Cookies?" Elizabeth questioned, looking to her father(s) hopefully.

"Delia, can you get her something?" Angel in black requested quietly.

"Come on, kid," Cordelia said, glancing at the others in the room. "Let's go see if Angel went shopping, or if I'm gonna have to go."

Elizabeth climbed off of Angel's lap and scurried to follow Cordelia away. Wesley left with them, leaving the two Angels with Buffy.

Angel in blue stood up and wandered over to a pillar. He didn't look at Buffy. He couldn't. "In the dimension I'm from, I was turned human over five years ago. It was '99 there. We were married. Elizabeth was born in September. She was so happy." He leaned against the pillar, closing his eyes. "We both were."

His twin watched Buffy's expression, curious how she'd react. Her face was pale, and she was watching the other Angel with shock.

"Everything was fine until a year ago..."

Angel tuned out the rest of the story, watching his ex-girlfriend as she heard everything. She was clearly shocked by everything that she was hearing, and she had a hard time keeping her thoughts hidden. It gave him perfect insight to her thoughts.

At the moment, she was too shocked to have any rational ones. He couldn't blame her. Not by a long shot. He'd been there himself, just a little before that. It had been so shocking that he'd managed to forget about everything else going on with his life, including Darla.

He listened to his other self telling Buffy what was going on. And when the story was finished, he looked to Buffy again, for her thoughts. For a long time, she was quiet. Then she looked up. "Why did you come here?" she asked softly.

He finally faced her, and met both of their gazes for a long moment. "I need you to take Elizabeth. I need you to raise her, to take care of her."

"What?"

"Huh?"

Buffy and Angel glanced at each other, then back at the other Angel. "Say that again," Angel requested.

"I want you to keep her and protect her." Before they could protest any further, he continued. "I have to go back to my dimension." A flash of pain crossed his face, but he quickly hid it. "The spell I used won't let me stay long. The demons could follow me over the breach if I don't go back soon enough."

"You said yourself, there's demons waiting for you. It's suicide." Buffy was standing now, pacing back and forth in front of the couch in quick, jerky movements.

"I don't have a choice." They both turned to argue again, but the Angel in blue stopped them. "I can't take her back with me. She'd die in an instant. My entire world is going to end, literally. It's past the point where anything could stop it." Anger was clear on his face, along with a surprisingly large amount of resignation. "I didn't tell you everything. Buffy, Elizabeth and I were the only human beings alive in most of the world. It got out of control. And now there's no way to stop it." He leaned against the pillar again, closing his eyes. His last glimpse of his world, outside the Master's laire, had been brief. But it hadn't been fun. Buildings burnt down, houses destroyed... the land was level once more, except for a few things on the distant landscape. "If I take her back, she'll die." He forced himself to face them, and tried to hide the pain on his face. He wasn't very successful. "You don't have a choice any more than I do."

Buffy wanted to argue. Wanted to deny it. But she couldn't make her mouth work. It was too much, too soon.

He looked at them again. "I have to leave her. And you... both of you, have to raise her."

Angel's gaze met his twin's. It was odd, staring into one's own face. Especially when you hadn't seen your reflection in two hundred years, forgotten day aside. It was even odder knowing that his twin loved the same woman that he did. Only she was dead to him. It was that thought that made up his mind.

He knew exactly why his twin was going back there. Possibly part of it was because the demons would track him. But more because of what was left for him.

He had Elizabeth. Elizabeth and a world of demons and monsters and who knew what else. The only thing certain was that there would be pain. More than anyone could be expected to handle.

He was going back there to die with his love.

Angel studied Buffy, who had her back to them and was staring out the window.

"How long do you have?" he questioned. He suddenly felt every one of his years, and the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The girl. His daughter in another life. He would take this child. And he would... What the hell was he getting himself into?

"Not long." the other Angel said.

Angel looked to his one time girlfriend. She turned around, her eyes sparkling with tears. She nodded once, then looked away again. She didn't trust herself to speak. Not when there were so many emotions running wild through her.

Fear. Anger. Disbelief. And a hell of a lot of confusion.

She would take this child into her life (with Angel) and have to raise her as her own. It wasn't her baby! In a way. *Her* Angel wasn't human. He was still a vampire. She winced. *Since when is he my Angel?* she wondered to herself.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth giggled as she ran out of the kitchen, Cordelia and Wesley chasing after her. "Aunt 'Delia's it!"

Her father nodded a little, studying his daughter. Who in a little while, he would never see again.

Like his wife.

Like his friends.

Like everyone.

Cordelia and Wesley exchanged looks. "What's going on?"

Buffy ignored the question and looked at the Angel she knew. "You got a phone somewhere? I've got to call Giles."

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*Chapter 3*

Buffy watched from the top of the stairs as Angel played with his daughter for a little while. The now-human man was having a hard time, that much was clear, but he was successfully hiding it from Elizabeth.

But it was horrible for anyone to watch. He was trying so hard to keep her happy...

He glanced around the lobby, and missed seeing her at the top of the stairs.

He pulled something out of his pocket, and Elizabeth looked at him curiously. Buffy stayed silent, watching. She could barely hear him.

|*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*|

Angel studied the rings in his hands for a moment, before looking at Elizabeth. "Hey, hon, come here and sit with me for a minute, okay?"

"'Kay Daddy," she said, smiling as she sat across from him.

He set the rings on the floor in between them. "You know what these are?" he questioned quietly.

She nodded. "Momma's pretty things."

Angel smiled faintly. "Yeah. They are." He considered his words for a moment before continuing. "Can you promise me something baby?"

She nodded earnestly, her eyes still on the jewelry.

"I'm gonna give you a few things. Can you promise me that you'll take care of them?" Elizabeth nodded, sensing her father's serious mood. "Good." He studied the things for a moment before he slowly slipped the rings onto the chain that the silver cross he'd given to Buffy was on. Once he was finished, he carefully put it on his daughter. Gently, he lifted one of the rings, a simple gold band. "You know what this is?"

"Nope," she said sadly, wondering why her daddy looked so sad. He should go find momma and do the kissy thing, she decided. That always made him happy.

"This is your mommy's engagement ring." Angel smiled a little. "I gave it to her before we got married. It made her very happy." It had also belonged to his mother, a very long time ago.

Elizabeth began playing with the little circle of gold that she now wore. "What's this one?" she asked, lifting up the wedding ring.

"I gave that to your mom when we got married." Angel answered quietly.

"She said it was pretty," Elizabeth told him, frowning. "Why doesn't mommy want it?"

"She thinks you should have them," Angel answered her after a long moment. She asked all the hard questions.

Elizabeth frowned, but moved on to the cross. "This is mommy's too."

"Yep." Angel agreed, fingering the silver cross. He looked at his daughter's face. "I love you, you know that?" She nodded, but looked worried.

He smiled reassuringly at her, and then they began playing again.

|*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*|

Buffy closed her eyes, then opened them and looked up at the ceiling of the hotel. How was it possible? she wondered. How could he love her so much?

Angel, the one with the child, was so obviously in love with his now- dead wife, herself in a way, that it was clear to even their daughter. Who's going to be your daughter...

She shivered a little. Scary thought. Almost as scary as knowing that Angel would be her father.

"You okay?"

She whirled around, startled. Angel was watching her, staying back a ways. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, recovering quickly.

If he realized she was lying, which was very likely, he didn't say anything about it.

Silently they began making their way down the stairs, Angel staying in the shadows. Unlike his human self, who sat on the steps in the sunlight with Elizabeth.

He looked up as they neared him. His expression was serious, and his eyes were heavy hearted. "I would guess it's time?" he asked quietly.

Neither Buffy nor Angel found the heart to say that it was true.

|*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*|

*Chapter 4*

It took only a few moments to set up for the spell, and soon Angel found himself with his daughter for the last time.

"You gonna be a big girl for me, and do what your mom asks?" Elizabeth nodded. "Good. And you'll do what you're told, and behave like a good princess?"

"Where you going?" the girl asked, looking worried.

"Crazy."

She beamed. It was an old joke between the father and daughter. "You're already there!" she exclaimed, giggling.

He managed to smile. "Yep."

He looked to Angel and Buffy, who were watching in silence. He glanced down at the black duffel bag, and dug through it. He pulled out a well worn leather bound book, and a smaller purple book.

Carrying Elizabeth, he brought them over to Buffy, handing the purple to Buffy, and the leather to Angel. "When she's old enough, if you think it's right... tell her what happened. It's all in these, but she shouldn't read them for a long time yet."

Buffy looked down at the familiar purple diary. She'd gotten it for Christmas from her mother. She hadn't started writing in it yet, but this one was well used, and flipping through it, she could see it was full as well.

She looked up at the Angel she didn't know, found him studying her. He looked away from her when he realized she'd seen him. "I guess I should go now." he said after a long moment.

"Go where?" Elizabeth demanded.

"I told you," he said, trying to keep it light. "Crazy."

She giggled again, and he set her down. "Go see your momma, okay?" She nodded and went over to Buffy, who hesitated, then picked her up, very uncomfortably. No one could really blame her.

"She probably shouldn't see this," Cordelia said after a long moment. "I mean, you are her father and all, and it might be a bit too confusing if she suddenly sees you disappear." Elizabeth's father nodded, and Cordelia took the girl from Buffy, then took her into the other room.

Silently, Wesley left as well.

Buffy hurried around the room, searching for the spell book. When she found it, she glanced up and saw the two Angels in a whispered conversation. She looked down again, trying not to eavesdrop.

They were too quiet. Both turned again, ready for the spell to start now. Buffy handed the one in the blue shirt the book, and he stood in the circle of candles.

He glanced at her again, then down at the book. "Thank you." he said quietly. "For taking care of her."

He began chanting the words in the book.

And then he was gone.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

The cave was as dark as it had been when he'd left it. The only difference in it was that he could hear the demons even more clearly. Angel recovered from the spell for a moment, then went over to his wife's body, which was cold now. And he took one of the little pills he'd hid in his pocket, and laid down next to his wife, prepared to die.

His wife was dead. His daughter was safe.

And there was nothing else he could do but die.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 5*

Buffy, Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley sat on the couch in the lobby, watching as Elizabeth drew another picture.

They were all very quiet, except for Elizabeth, who was happily babbling about something that no one could understand. Except Angel.

He looked up, startled by his new daughter's words. "Gaelic."

"What?" Cordelia looked at him, curious.

"She's speaking Gaelic." Angel repeated.

Wesley frowned. "I'm afraid my own Gaelic is rather poor. What is she saying?"

"She's just babbling," Angel informed them quietly. "About her crayons."

"It's almost eight o'clock," Cordelia informed them. "Which means that the Scooby gang is on the way, and should be here soon. That means that we've got to get some of the rooms ready."

Angel sighed and stood up. "You're probably right," he agreed quietly.

"In that case, I would assume you'll be babysitting Elizabeth then," Wesley said to Buffy, as he stood.

Buffy nodded. "I guess so."

"Where ya' goin'?" Elizabeth questioned, looking up at the man she thought of as her father. She scowled, looking like Buffy. "And don't say crazy."

"Upstairs," he answered, a little uncomfortable. It had been a long, long time since he'd spoken with a child so young.

The girl nodded and stood up, going over to sit on the couch next to Buffy. "Bye, daddy!" she said happily.

Angel, Cordy, and Wesley just went upstairs to get started.

Elizabeth yawned and curled up against Buffy, who shifted to get more comfortable. "Night, momma," she said, yawning again.

"Night." Buffy replied quietly.

The little girl was asleep almost immediately. Buffy studied her sleeping form, and sighed a little. Two days ago she'd been at home, happily staking vampires with Riley and the Scooby Gang, and staying up all night studying for classes.

Now she was in LA, watching her brand new five-year-old daughter sleep.

Her life was nothing if not interesting.

Buffy closed her eyes a little, leaning against the back of the couch. A few minutes sleep couldn't hurt.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

She couldn't breath. It hurt. Her lungs burned with the need for oxygen, and she couldn't figure out what was stopping her.

Buffy tried to reach out, to stop the thing from choking her, but she couldn't. She whimpered, thrashing around. Then she started to wake up, and she realized it wasn't a dream. And someone was crying. Buffy's eyes snapped open, and she saw a woman with blond hair leaning over her, the woman's hands around her throat.

Then someone came up behind the woman and yanked her back. Buffy gasped for air, sitting up. Elizabeth was standing behind the coffee table, her face streaked with tears. "Momma," she sobbed, running over to Buffy.

Buffy, trying to comfort Elizabeth, was trying to watch the fight between Angel and the girl. As the girl stepped back away from Angel, Buffy recognized the girl. "Darla?"

"What is *she* doing here?" Darla demanded, glaring at Angel.

"I'm not the one who should be in hell," Buffy retorted. "How did she get here?"

"Later," Angel said tersely.

Behind Darla, the front door opened, and several vampires entered. So did Lindsay and Lilah. They stayed back a ways, out of harm's way.

"Wes! Gunn!" Cordelia called, hurrying down the stairs. She carried a crossbow and stakes, the latter of which she tossed to Buffy and Angel. She glared at Lindsay. "Hi, Lindsay. How's the arm?"

"Who's the girl?" Darla demanded, glaring at Elizabeth.

"Get out." Angel said, ignoring her comments.

"But I like it here," she said saucily, smirking. Then she switched to Gaelic and began arguing in the language with Angel. Gunn and Wesley joined the group, each armed with stakes. They took their places near Cordy and Buffy, in front of Elizabeth.

Darla pointed at Buffy, then Elizabeth, and asked something of Angel. Before he could answer, the doors to the hotel opened, and Giles entered, leading the Scooby gang in. They all stopped inside the door, seeing the multitude of vampires, and they pulled out stakes.

Darla glared at Angel and glanced at everyone else. "Well. Seeing that your back up has arrived, we'll be going now." She smiled sweetly at her one-time lover. "Sweet dreams."

He returned the fake smile. "They will be now that you're out of them."

She snarled at him. "Obviously they weren't before or you wouldn't have enjoyed it so much."

"It changed quick enough," Angel replied, raising an eyebrow. He didn't let on how uncomfortable this lovely little chat was making him. After all, his ex-girlfriend was standing right behind him, and several of her friends were around as well. Not to mention his brand new daughter.

Darla huffed and looked to the lawyers and the minions. "Let's get the hell out of here," she said angrily. She glared at Angel. "Watch your back, boy. I believe there's an expression that fits this situation. I brought you into this world, I can take you out of it." She turned with flourish, and the vampires and lawyers followed her out. The lobby of the hotel fell silent for a long moment, and the Scooby gang looked to Buffy and Angel curiously.

Elizabeth chose that moment to break free of Cordelia's hold on her and run over to Buffy. "Momma," she said reaching her arms up so that Buffy would pick her up.

Buffy glanced down at her, then looked over at the Scooby gang.

Elizabeth began pouting and looked over at Angel. "Daddy, want up!"

Spike smirked.

Riley's mouth dropped open.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 6*

They all took seats in the lobby, with Riley sitting next to Buffy.

Elizabeth, having announced earlier that she didn't like Riley, was sitting next to Angel, half asleep. She was talking in that state, a mixture of English, babble, and a few Gaelic words that Angel recognized. She was mostly talking about "Gampa Giles," and her "aunties" and uncles.

While the gang got comfortable, having been warned that the story was a little complicated, Buffy looked to Angel. "You wanna tell?" He raised an eyebrow, amusement not quite hidden on his face. "Not really."

"Why not?" she questioned, frowning.

He debated with himself for a moment, trying to decide which truth to tell her. Either because he'd break down when he remembered how everything had started for his twin, or... "I wanna see you explain this to your boyfriend."

Cordelia laughed, clearly loving that comment. Buffy scowled at him. The rest of the group watched in confusion, and in Riley's case, annoyance. Angel just looked at her, waiting for her to start. He'd take over when she faltered, as long as it was after the first part.

She sighed and sat back. "Okay. It goes like this..."

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

"And so, me and Angel have to protect Elizabeth, and raise her." Buffy finished quietly. Elizabeth was now in Angel's lap, sound asleep, and no one wanted to wake her. Or at least, those who had known about the girl before this. The rest of the group was still struggling to find words to describe their feelings.

Riley found his first, to no one's great surprise. "And what does this mean?" he questioned angrily. "Are one of you gonna take her, and the other just come when there's trouble?" If that wasn't the case, or a situation similar that minimalized Buffy and Angel's contact, he was gonna have to talk to Buffy about her priorities.

"What's the matter?" Cordelia questioned sweetly. "Afraid your girlfriend's gonna get back with Angel?"

Riley jumped up, starting to protest. Angel cut him off, scowling at the brunette. Spike and Xander were smirking as Angel spoke. "Cordelia, remember I haven't signed your check yet."

"You have to pay me," she reminded him impatiently. "I'm vision girl."

He raised an eyebrow. "You'll still get them even if you don't get money."

She glared at him.

Xander took pity on Angel for a moment. "Back to the part where Liz is your kid," he said, frowning. "What exactly does that mean... you know, for your relationship."

Riley flinched at the wording, which made Xander smile. Score! He was pissed at Riley. The commando had been complaining about Buffy lately, how she didn't love him enough. What did he expect? He was rebound guy!

The question she dreaded most, Buffy realized, glancing very quickly at Angel. He fielded the question. "We haven't gotten that far with the details."

Spike smirked. "I think you outta move back to Sunnyhell," he informed his sire. Everyone looked at him. He shrugged. "Well, you can't just raise the chit on your own. Especially if she's got to be protected. And the Slayer's in college, so she can't exactly leave."

"Angel has a job here," Cordelia reminded everyone.

"Why can't they raise her on their own?" Riley questioned. "One gets the kid on the week, the other on the weekend." Or less often. Buffy should have the brat on the weekend, Riley decided. Two days a week wouldn't bug him too much, and soon enough Buffy would realize how hard it was to do that and leave her at Angel's.

"I think it best if we check for any dangers because of her origin," Giles said, considering the situation. "See if there will be any backlash from this."

"Well, I don't think-"

"There's no way that you can split-"

"You can't make one raise the kid and the other-"

"She's five years old, neither of them knows how to raise-"

"He's a vampire, what does he know about-"

"And she's a Slayer who hasn't been around a kid since-"

As the noise level rose, so did Buffy's temper. She looked to Angel and found him watching her. Silently, they both stood up and made their way over to the stairs so they could have some privacy and put Elizabeth to bed.

No one noticed when they left.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

After they put Elizabeth in the room Cordelia had prepared for her, Angel offered her a choice of where to go so they could talk. Surprising him, she'd requested that they go to his room. She hurried to explain that that way they'd be able to hear if Elizabeth woke up. Her room was next to his.

Both very uncomfortable, they sat down on the chairs Angel had moved in there a week earlier.

"So," he said after a long moment. "What are we going to do about all of this?"

Buffy sighed. "I really don't know," she admitted, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. Then she looked at him. "How long has Darla been alive?"

Angel met her gaze. "In May, I think. I don't know for sure." He sighed. "She just showed up a week ago. But she'd been around for a while, doing... things." There was an area he really didn't want to get into with Buffy.

"What kind of things?" Buffy asked, already knowing she wouldn't like them.

"Don't ask." he requested simply.

She nodded, agreeing. What other choice did she have? "I won't." She shifted in the chair. "So, what are we going to do?"

He sighed. "I'm as lost as you are," he admitted. He looked down. "This is all happening a little fast."

She laughed. "Just a little."

He smiled faintly, and Buffy looked away. She'd forgotten how handsome he was. Especially on the rare days when he smiled. "It's getting late," he said, startling her out of her thoughts.

She followed his gaze to the clock on the dresser. "Yeah, you're right. We should probably go find place to stay," she murmured, not thinking.

He raised an eyebrow. "I realize it's not the Ritz, but what's wrong with the hotel you're standing in?"

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "Do you really want all of us staying here? Riley, Xander, and Spike included?"

He grimaced as he stood up. "Doesn't thrill me, but I'm not going to make you go off and pay for rooms when I've got plenty to go around."

Buffy shrugged. "I tried to warn you," she said, also standing. "Where do you want everyone?" she asked as they stepped out into the hallway.

You in my room, Angel thought, then winced at it. Not something he needed to voice for sure. "Um, anywhere on this level. The rest hasn't been cleaned up as much."

"What are you going to do with all the rooms?" Buffy questioned, pausing in front of one of the doors.

"I haven't decided about everything," he answered. "But I'm probably going to expand some of the rooms. When I get around to it," he added grimly.

"You've got time," she said dryly, surveying the room. She closed the door and they continued down the hall.

Angel paused again, half turning. "Should she be left alone up here?" he questioned.

Buffy glanced back at the room Elizabeth was in and sighed. "Probably not."

They turned around and went to get the girl.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 7*

An hour later, they were settling into their rooms. Cordelia and Wesley had decided to stay the night as well, and they had the two rooms on Angel's left. On Buffy's left, Riley, Willow, Xander and Anya were in the rooms. Everyone else went into rooms across the hall. By one o'clock, almost everyone was asleep.

Angel was one of the exceptions. He stayed downstairs in the office, trying to get work done.

Spike was another exception. He kept Angel from doing anything, instead choosing to question him about Darla.

They stayed up for hours arguing about her. Also about Elizabeth. And in the morning, they were still there when Buffy came downstairs with Lizzie. She didn't notice them, as the lights were out in the office.

Spike fell silent, watching his sire watch the Slayer.

Angel stayed silent, watching the love of his life take care of the daughter he'd never known about until yesterday.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

Buffy fought back a yawn as she and Elizabeth made their way over to one of the couches. Both were still in their pajamas, which consisted of flannel pants and a t-shirt for Buffy, and a princess-like night gown for Elizabeth.

The two sat on the couch, and Elizabeth curled up next to Buffy. "Sleep good, momma?" she questioned sweetly.

"No, but that's okay. How 'bout you?"

Elizabeth let out a theatrical sigh. "I want my old room. In the big house." She shrugged. "You should sleep with daddy. You're always happy when you do." Buffy winced, as did Angel. Spike smirked.

Elizabeth continued. "Remember my birthday? And my Barbie?" Buffy tentatively nodded.

"Xandman got it for me." Elizabeth told her.

Buffy nodded.

Elizabeth babbled.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 8*

It was almost ten o'clock before everyone was awake and moving around. Buffy and Elizabeth had gone upstairs and gotten dressed. When they'd come down again, Willow and Cordelia had been with them. Cordelia let them relax while she began the morning routine of starting coffee and getting the mail.

Angel joined her at the counter when she was sorting through things. As always, she handed him the bills, then the things that were of no interest to her. She kept the magazines, which he paid for. She'd convinced him to buy them so that their customers would have something to read while they were waiting.

He hadn't believed it, but he'd been nice enough to order the magazines anyway.

So Cordelia flipped through her copy of *Vogue* and began circling things she wanted. She stopped on a page that showed a picture of a bedroom. "This is what you should do for the rooms, Angel," she informed him.

Wesley took the magazine before Angel could see. He snorted. "Somehow, I have a feeling this isn't going to interest him." He showed Angel the picture. Leopard print, lion print, and animal prints.

Angel didn't bother to respond.

Wesley tossed the magazine on the couch, and Xander picked it up, looking at the picture. "Now, see, this would be Angel's room."

The vampire in question looked up from a stack of papers he was sorting through, but didn't comment.

"He's actually letting me decorate," Cordelia informed the group. Everyone looked at Angel, stunned. He hurried to explain. "I told her a price limit and that I get to look over it before she does anything." He skimmed one of the pages in his hand, then set it aside.

"Phew!" Buffy said, amused. Elizabeth giggled, finding that funny. "Phew!" she echoed, then went back to coloring in one of the magazines on the table.

Cordelia sighed in annoyance, and looked at Angel. "What's that? Another bill?" He didn't answer. She sighed and grabbed one of the papers from his hand, skimming it. "What's it say?" she asked.

Spike took it from her before Angel could answer. He scowled at the paper. "Te implore dua... bloody hell!" he exclaimed, and dropped it like it was poison. "You tryin' to get me cursed too?" he snorted and went over to the counter, picking up the paper and tossing it to Angel. "I can't bloody well believe that you still can't find a bleedin' way to fix it."

Angel shrugged and caught the paper, setting it down. "There's not a lot I can find to research it."

Wesley nodded. "Romanian is almost dead."

"So are most of the gypsies in the tribe." Riley muttered. Buffy winced, as did Giles.

Angel shrugged. He was getting pissed off at the boy, and was almost past the point of caring. "Gee. I wonder how that happened."

"As far as I've heard, it happened when you were bad."

"I've been bad a couple times, which time are we talking about here?"

Buffy looked up, not liking the conversation. "Riley," she said softly, trying to get him to stop.

"Of the two I know of, both." Riley ignored his girlfriend, and the rest of the group fell silent, watching the show.

"You know how I lost my soul the second time?" Angel questioned, smiling pleasantly.

Riley's pleasant smirk left his face. Everyone winced. "Low blow," Xander muttered, amused.

Buffy stood up. "Okay, moving on here."

"Are you kiddin'?" Spike laughed. "It's just getting good." Everyone glared at him, and he sat back in his chair, pleased.

Cordelia smirked. "In case you didn't know, he lost his soul when him and Buffy had sex on her seventeenth birthday. He was her first, by the way."

Buffy closed her eyes for a moment.

Riley gritted his teeth.

Angel managed to hide a smirk.

And the rest of the gang prepared for what could possibly be a very long day.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

"She doesn't have enough clothes," Cordelia decided after going through Elizabeth's bag. "We need to go shopping."

"Oh bloody hell," Wesley said, shaking his head. "I suddenly remember having an appointment today at noon."

"Good. You weren't invited anyway," Cordelia informed him. "Girls only."

There was general relief throughout all the guys, except Angel and Spike, who couldn't have gone even if they'd wanted to. Which would have never happened.

"Should we take her with us?" Willow questioned.

Elizabeth looked up. "I wanna stay with Daddy," she complained, running over to Angel and grabbing his leg. He looked down, clearly uncomfortable. "And I wanna draw Uncle Spike and Riley."

Spike grimaced. "Why do you want to draw him?"

"'Coz my other pictures are too pretty." Elizabeth said happily. She held up a picture of a monstrous looking thing. Angel hid a smirk as she detangled herself from him.

Spike chuckled. "I happen to think it's bloody accurate."

Buffy closed her eyes for a moment. "Why don't you draw your dad then."

Elizabeth grinned once more. "Okay. I'll draw you and daddy kissing." No one thought Buffy's face could get any paler. With that statement, it did.

Spike began laughing again, and Riley huffed angrily.

"You do that," Angel told her, smirking.

"She'll need a model to draw," Cordelia informed them.

Elizabeth shook her head and pulled something out of her Scooby Doo backpack. "Uh-uh." She opened it up, fumbling with the clasp of the box for a moment. She pulled out a stack of pictures and pulled some of them out. "See?" she said, holding up one of Buffy and Angel kissing.

Cordelia smiled and stood up. "Can I see that hun?"

Elizabeth handed it to her. Cordelia took it over to her desk for a moment, then put it in a frame, setting it up so everyone could see it. "We'll leave it here, okay?"

The girl nodded.

"Okay, we ready to go shopping then?" Willow questioned, taking pity on Buffy, who looked upset about everything.

"Yeah, let's go," Cordelia said, smiling. "Shopping!" She would have done a little dance, but it wasn't cool.

The girls all fussed around for a few minutes more, then they were off to the mall.

As Angel watched them walk out, he had to wonder if Buffy even realized she'd left her boyfriend and ex in the same room.

What a mistake.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 9*

The second the door swung closed behind her, Buffy began doubting her actions. She knew that Angel wouldn't do anything to Riley, or at least... she thought she knew.

But Riley was... she hesitated to say insecure, but she realized unhappily that it was the only way to describe him when dealing with their relationship.

Or anything else.

She hesitated again, looking back inside the hotel that her ex and current boyfriends were in.

Cordelia nudged her. "Come on. We gotta buy Elizabeth clothes and stuff, remember?"

Anya rolled her eyes. "She's leaving Commando Boy in the same room as Spike and Angel. She thinks that they're going to breakup over this because he had no confidence in himself.

Buffy looked at her and scowled. She didn't bother to argue, knowing that the demon wouldn't let her win.

And knowing that she was right.

Cordelia rolled her eyes and hit the unlock button for the car. "Come on, let's go. They'll behave. They've got to set an example for Elizabeth, remember?"

Yeah, Buffy decided. They'll behave.

Right?

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

Riley was starting to get the idea that he should have stayed in bed. Buffy hadn't been gone for fifteen minutes yet, and already he felt afraid for his life. Even Xander and Giles were acting like they couldn't stand him.

And hadn't Buffy mentioned something about Xander not liking Angel? Well, that must have changed. Xander was leaning over the counter, talking with the vampire like they were old friends.

Elizabeth tugged on his pant leg and he looked at the girl, trying to hide his disgust. Angel's child. Disgusting.

"Can you look there?" she requested, pointing one of her chubby fingers towards the door.

He scowled at her. "Why?"

"I'm drawin'." she explained patiently.

He sighed and turned his head, looking towards the door.

She studied him for a long moment, then bent over her piece of paper, scowling in concentration.

After what seemed like forever to Riley, she got up and toddled over to Angel. "See my picture?" she said proudly, holding it up.

Angel knelt down next to her and looked at it. His lips twitched, and when he stood up again, he picked up his new daughter and set her on the counter. He handed the picture to Xander, who was still standing across from him.

"I can see the resemblance," Xander said thoughtfully. Then he ruined it and smirked. "I wonder who she learned that from."

Riley stood up, going over there. He took the picture from Xander, and studied it for a moment.

Then he scowled and crinkled it up, throwing it in the trash. He did not look like a purple and green dinosaur that somewhat resembled Barney. Elizabeth's face crumpled, and her eyes filled with tears. "Daddy!" she cried, and then the tears began falling. Her beautiful picture!

"See what you did? You made the chit cry!!!" Spike glared at Riley, wondering for the umpteenth time how the Slayer had fallen for the moron. Although, he knew, Fish Boy would be gone quickly enough.

"Want daddy!" Elizabeth sobbed, and ran over to Angel. "Daddy! Daddy!"

Angel glared at Riley and picked his daughter up uncomfortably. "What the hell do I do now?" he muttered out loud.

"I'd suggest shutting the kid up, but that's just me." Angel glared at Spike.

Wesley frowned. "Well, perhaps you could entice her to calm down somehow."

Xander stood up. "Give her here," he said, sighing.

Elizabeth clung to Angel even harder when he tried to hand her over.

"Come on, Lizzie," Xander said, sighing. "Stop crying. If you stop, then I'll play tag with you."

Elizabeth looked back, still clinging to Angel. "Daddy play too?"

Angel winced. "I really-"

"Daddy play too. And Unca Spike, and everybody." She glared at them, firmly saying that they would or she'd make their lives miserable. Angel lowered her to the floor.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been funny to see the three grown men and two vampires give in to the child, but the situation was anything but normal.

They all nodded. "Hide and seek." Elizabeth announced, pleased now. "Unca Spike is it." she informed them, and pointed at Spike. The vampire scowled.

"I'm hiding with Daddy," she said next, and grabbed his hand. "Come on, daddy. Gotta hide good."

"There's no way I'm gonna play hide and seek." Riley said firmly, crossing his arms.

Angel glanced at him, rolled his eyes. "Right," he drawled slowly. "It might ruin your manly image."

Spike agreed, nodding. "That means he's not very comfortable with his masculinity, as I recall. But he's the bloody prick who's TA in psych class, so I could be wrong.

Riley bristled.

Giles hid a faint smile. Riley had been getting on his nerves as of late. He'd never been satisfied with the Slayer situation, and he'd lately taken to complaining about it.

He hoped that Buffy would realize she didn't love him and dump him soon. Giles was fairly certain that with Elizabeth around, the relationship between them wouldn't last.

He let his gaze rest on the girl, who was tugging on Angel's hand impatiently.

He stood up from his seat on the couch. "I'd say that, um, Riley is it."

Spike smirked. "Yeah. Only rule is no bloody sunlight. No blood, no foul."

"We are playing with a four year old," Wesley reminded him in a very British manner. "I don't believe that the topic of blood should come up anyhow."

"Count to one hundred." Giles ordered Riley.

Riley stared at them in disbelief, but, shaking his head, he turned around, muttering something under his breath.

The other four men exchanged looks. They all wanted to play this about as much as the two vampires wanted to jump into sunlight. But it was better than having Elizabeth crying.

Plus it made Riley look like an idiot when he couldn't even count right.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 10*

By three o'clock, Buffy was getting tired of shopping. She'd thrown herself into the activity, desperate for a distraction from her life. The others had all followed willingly, and they'd had a nice afternoon to that point.

There was one more store they needed to hit, and it was a child's clothing store.

One of the biggest ones in the state, they'd be able to find whatever they were looking for.

As they entered it, the foursome realized with a little dismay that it was overrun with crying children and their parents.

Sighing, Buffy made her way back to the rack of clothing with things in Elizabeth's size.

She pushed some of the uglier things aside, and smiled when she found something cute.

"Momma, where's daddy?"

Buffy looked up automatically, and her gaze fell on a little boy across the aisle.

The woman who was with him sighed. "Jeremy, you know that he's gone. Now come on, we've got to find you some school clothes."

A little girl and her two parents walked in between Buffy and the boy. "I don't wanna go to school! I don't wanna!"

Sighing, the girls parents ignored her and dragged her over to the bigger kids section.

Somewhere in the store, a baby started crying.

A child had a temper tantrum near the entrance.

A little girl knocked over a display case.

Buffy set the hanger with the outfit back on the rack. Her face pale, she backed away from the rack, and away from the kids. She bumped into Willow.

"Buffy, what's wrong?"

Buffy stared at her for a long moment, then grabbed her purse and ran out of the store.

What the hell had she just gotten into?

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

"Breath. Come on, Buff, breath."

Willow, Cordelia, and Anya were gathered around the bench that Buffy sat on, watching in concern as the Slayer rocked back and forth, pale as a ghost.

After what seemed like forever, Buffy stopped rocking and closed her eyes. "Oh god, what the hell am I doing?"

The other three exchanged looks. Anya sighed. "You're making a scene. Everyone is looking at us."

Cordelia considered this and pasted a fake smile on her face. After all, anyone could be watching. Maybe Steven Spielberg?

Willow ignored them. "You okay Buffy?"

The Slayer nodded finally. "yeah. I'm sorry," she said a moment later. "This is all going way to fast. I mean, the Angel stuff, the Elizabeth stuff, and it's not..." She closed her eyes again. "Oh my god, what am I gonna do?"

"I strongly recommend dumping Riley." Cordelia said tactlessly. Buffy stood up quickly, trying not to shudder when she saw baby who'd been crying come out with it's mother, still bawling.

"About Elizabeth!" Buffy cried, looking at them. "I can't take care of her! I can't even take care of goldfish! Or-or those things we had, the eggs, I killed mine!"

"It had a demon in it." Willow pointed out quietly.

Buffy stared at her. "I still killed it!"

Cordelia sighed. "Look. You don't have a choice. You promised Angel- the other one, and in a way, this one-that you'd raise her. The other Buffy was doing fine, and you're the same people. Sort of."

"We are nothing alike!" Buffy exclaimed. "I mean, she was married to Angel, who was human! The Angel here hasn't even been human for two hundred years, and we broke up over a year ago, and that's all there is to it."

"He was too human. At Thanksgiving." Cordelia said immediately. Then she went white as a ghost, realizing what she'd just said. "Oh god."

"What?"

Everyone looked at her, curious, and confused.

"Nothing, forget I said anything. Look, we've got to finish shopping, and-"

"Shut up and think again." Buffy said, studying Cordelia.

Cordelia closed her eyes this time. She opened them again, with a dramatic sigh. "You want to here? Fine. But lets go somewhere else. It's a long story, and the middle of the mall isn't the place for it."

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 11*

Angel sat down on the chair near his desk, exhausted. Elizabeth had worn all of them out, and eventually herself. She was upstairs, napping.

He thanked every god he'd heard of for that favor.

She was an energetic child, and had gone to everyone in the room (except Riley) and worn them out one by one. Even Spike was exhausted. He'd gone up to his own room, and was sound asleep. Giles and Wesley were sprawled out on the couches, in a dignified way. Xander was just sprawled on one of the chairs, snoring. Riley was asleep too, probably dreaming of his cows home in Idaho, Angel though a little bitterly.

But Angel, as tired as he was from chasing after his daughter, didn't like to sleep with other people around.

Even if they'd all be downstairs, except for Spike and Elizabeth. There were thoughts that wouldn't leave him, and he needed to think before he could do something as simple as sleep.

Buffy. Elizabeth. His twin.

It was a lot to handle.

The most pressing issue of the moment, of course, was with Elizabeth. How the hell was he supposed to be her father? He was a two hundred plus vampire, therefore allergic to the sun and most of the things the kid would need or want, and he tended to be too anti-social. He'd been around long enough to have seen that that was bad for a child.

His child.

That was a lot to take in one sitting. He knew Buffy would feel similarly, but it was possibly even worse for her. It hadn't been her choice to get a child, and now she would help him raise her.

He had to wonder what that would do to her relationship with Riley. Hopefully screw it up and end it, he thought.

He sighed and looked at the stack of envelopes on the table.

Before he could do anything beyond look, the front door opened. He stood up to go greet the girls, then saw Cordelia start to run towards his office. Buffy caught her arm and not-so-nicely yanked her back. "Now now, Cordelia," she said, her voice sounding unusually high strung. "Warnings aren't any fun."

Angel exited the office, looking at them with a little concern on his face.

Buffy shoved Cordelia towards Willow, and faced Angel. "Hello lover. I hear you have news for me?"

By this time, the guys on the couch were waking up. Riley stood up, not liking what she'd called Angel, not at all. "Buffy-"

"Riley, do me a favor and go home." Buffy said abruptly, facing him. "I'm really not in the mood to put up with anything right now, including you. Go home and I'll call you." She turned towards Angel again, and made her way across the room until she was a few feet away. "You are going to have to explain to me something."

"She knows about Thanksgiving!" Cordelia exclaimed, ducking behind Willow and Anya.

Angel paled. Or would have if he could have. "Oh." he said finally.

Buffy stopped mid-step. She stared at him incredulously. "Oh?" Then she dove at him, grabbing for his throat, and knocking them both to the ground.

Angel was very grateful he didn't have to breath.

He grasped her arms, trying to pull them from his throat.

"How could you do that?" she screamed at him, her eyes filled with anger and desperation.

"Buffy!" Giles exclaimed finally, recovering enough to know he should help Angel.

Buffy glared at him, stopping him mid-step.

Angel used that to his advantage and got her fingers away from his throat. "Buffy," he said, still trying to get her to calm down.

She glared at him, even as she straddled him to keep him down. "Can you do one thing for me? Explain why the hell you would take that away?"

He met her gaze. "Look what happened, Buffy. You ended up dead anyway."

She stared at him, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "But at least I was happy."

The silence stretched on forever. She stared at him for a long time, and he stared back. Finally, she climbed off of him, but she didn't stand up. She stayed seated on the floor, leaning against the file cabinets behind her.

He quickly sat up, sitting across from her. "Buffy,"

"Please don't." she said quietly, staring at the tops of her knees.

"What the hell is going on?" Riley demanded, going over to them and standing over them.

"Go home." Buffy said again. She looked up at him, and she looked defeated. "It's over Riley. Just go home."

He stared at her. "B-but Buffy!"

"She said go home." Spike said from the top of the stairs. He had a faint smirk on his face as he said it, and they all knew that he wasn't in the least bit disappointed by that news.

The Slayer didn't really care. She closed her eyes. "I still don't remember it." she said flatly. "But I know I was happier then than I had ever been in my life." she opened her eyes, and her cool gaze met Angel's. "Ever in my life."

"I know." he said quietly. "I didn't have any other choice though. You know what happened when I stayed human. It didn't work."

She opened her eyes again, and realized that Riley wasn't standing over them anymore. "I was pregnant then, wasn't I?"

He flinched, and looked away. "Y-yeah. Probably."

She took this calmly, and for a moment, she looked ready to move on. Then she looked at him, and he saw the insecurity in her gaze.

Silently, he moved next to her, and took her into his arms. She closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest. "What was it like?" she questioned quietly.

He took a long time to answer, and when he finally did, his voice was quiet and choked up. "Heaven."

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 12*

Cordelia had ushered everyone else out of the room, leaving the couple alone. As she stood peering through the window, she frowned, unable to see anything. She turned to go sit at the kitchen table, then stopped. "Oh, no, not now," she moaned, then fell forward, clutching her head as she was overcome with a vision.

For a moment, no one moved. Then Wesley rushed forward, and he and Xander helped her over to a chair. "What did you see?"

She opened her eyes, holding her head. "Angel and Buffy. They need to go to the Oracles." She closed her eyes. "Ohh... pain killers."

Wesley was already out the door, going to find the couple.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

"So what exactly are these guys?" Buffy questioned quietly as she and Angel made their way down the stairs towards the entrance. In front of them, their rat-like guide was silent.

Angel had just told her that he was blind and deaf.

But apparently, he knew the place like the back of his hand, and had no problem leading them.

Angel glanced at her. "There're seers." She looked at him, trying to keep everything but curiosity out of her gaze. He sighed. "Talking Ouiji boards."

"Oh." Buffy nodded, getting it now. "And they're the ones who send Cordelia the visions?"

Angel paused in front of the bird-bath like thing. He dropped something in there, then lit it on fire. "We beseech access to the knowing ones..."

There was a loud whoosh, and then the cement pane before them was aglow. "Actually, I'm still not clear on that part." Angel answered distractedly. He led the way in, ducking his head as he did so. Buffy followed, and looked around in amazement.

There was no ceiling. That was the first thing she noticed. The second thing she noticed was the couple who stood, looking at them as if they were... lesser than they were.

But in a way, they both looked awed. Their faces, shimmering gold and blue, and silver and green, and their gowns, like the togas she'd seen in her history books.

Very cool, she decided. If she ever got her life back to normal, she'd have a toga party.

*That is, if I can find a babysitter for my new kid.* Buffy bit the inside of her lip. That was something she'd have to get used to.

"Come before us, exalted ones." The woman's voice was surprisingly normal, a little lofty, but not as exotic as Buffy had half expected.

"Why have you come before us?" the male questioned.

He was rude, Buffy decided.

Angel started to answer. "The vision-"

"Was false." Buffy and Angel stared at the female. She circled around them, noting everything about them. "The higher powers did not give the seer a vision. It was sent as a distraction, to keep you away from the child."

Buffy paled. Angel caught her arm before she could bolt for the door, though it was what he wanted too. "Time's different here, remember?" She still wanted to leave. Some one was going after Elizabeth?

"Who sent the vision?" Angel asked.

"The auguries don't deign to say," the male said sourly.

"The girl is important." The female said, her blue eyes flickering over them. "As in her previous world, she shall control the future of the world."

"You must protect her."

"She shall only be safe if you are together." The male glared at the woman when she said that, but didn't argue.

Buffy bit the inside of her lip again.

Angel started to say something, but the female raised her hand, stopping him. "The auguries say that that which prevents your happiness has been corrected. There shall be no more of Angelus."

"The curse is permanent then?" Buffy questioned quietly.

The female nodded. "You, Slayer. You shall remember the day that wasn't within one human day."

"Now, be gone." The male said, already turning.

"But-"

With a wave of his hand, he sent them flying out of the room.

Buffy landed on top of Angel, and for a moment, they just sat there. Then he gently pushed her off his lap. "Talk later. We've got to get back..."

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

The hotel was oddly quiet when they got back.

Buffy felt ill immediately. Chairs were flipped over, the couch was on it's back, and papers were spread about all over the office and desks. There was also a single rose in the middle of the floor.

"Check upstairs," Angel murmured, going over to the door to the kitchen. *And pray that we find Elizabeth somewhere.*

He recognized the rose as being from Darla. They'd often done that sort of thing when they'd been together.

Buffy hurried up the stairs as Angel entered the kitchen. The table was flipped over, and chairs were broken and scattered around the room. Another rose was in the center of the room.

He swore under his breath and exited the room, going upstairs. He found Buffy and Spike in the hallway. With Elizabeth.

They looked over to him as he joined them, and the expressions were grim. Except for Elizabeth, who raced over to him, fresh and awake from her nap. "Daddy, want up!"

Automatically, he picked her up and looked to Spike. "What happened?"

The younger vampire looked miserable. "Dru's back. She and Darla took out most of the Scoobies-no, not dead, you ninny," he scowled at the Slayer, who scowled right back, after the color had returned to her face. "And they took them somewhere. Me and the brat stayed out of the way and watched."

"Do you know where they went?" Buffy asked. She wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to Willow or Xander or Giles or anyone.

Angel touched her arm. "Buffy," he murmured, trying to get her to calm down. She cast a worried look towards him, then looked back at Spike.

"Yeah," Spike answered with a sigh. He crossed his arms in front of him. "but I'm not telling until you promise you don't hurt Dru."

Buffy and Angel both tensed, ready to beat the crap out of him. He scowled at them. "I'll get her to leave or somethin'. Just don't stake her or kill her."

They both glared at him, and Elizabeth tried to imitate their looks. Then she ruined it by giggling.

"Look." Spike said, shifting uncomfortably. "There's no deal unless Dru stays safe."

"We tried this before," Buffy said icily. "You and Dru were supposed to stay out."

"Well, this time we will." Spike said finally. "Bloody hell Slayer, promise that, then we're gone for good."

Buffy looked at Angel.

He didn't look at her. "If you ever come back, Spike." Angel said slowly. "I will kill you."

Spike met his sire's gaze, and for a moment, the hallway was silent. Then Spike nodded. "There at a factory down at the beach, near the Lone Bar."

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 13*

They had no problems getting in. A vamp opened the door for them, and was dust seconds later.

Spike had kept Lizzie, choosing to stay back and away from Darla. He hadn't told them, but if they didn't come back with Dru, Lizzie wouldn't be her bright and chipper self much longer.

Buffy looked around the factory and grimaced slightly, unable to see anything.

However, she knew Angel could see well in the dark, so it didn't bother her too much.

But the sudden clapping and the insane laughter did.

The lights flipped on and for a moment, Buffy couldn't see. Her gaze adjusted quickly and she focused on the two vampires in the center of the room, with Willow in between them, blindfolded and gagged. And clearly terrified.

Angel sighed. "And to think, I thought it would be creative."

Darla and Drusilla exchanged looks, then frowned at him. "My Angel's been a bad boy." Drusilla scolded. "Shame on you."

Darla smiled thinly. "I'll say. But moving on. You're little friends," she said, yanking Willow to her feet. She took off the blindfold, but not the gag. Willow looked at them with wide-eyed and confused terror. "They can go. If you agree to stay, of course."

"Who?" Angel questioned quickly.

"Both of you, of course," Darla answered, laughing.

Buffy answered after a quick look at Angel. He would agree for himself, but he'd try to get her out of it. Screw that. "Fine."

"Boys, take out the trash before I change my mind." Darla ordered immediately.

Several vampires came out of the shadows, all holding one of their friends in front of them. "No snacking," Darla said smiling.

"Once they get out, Cordelia calls me. Then we don't fight." Angel said calmly.

Darla hesitated, then nodded. "You hear that girl?"

The vamp holding Cordelia forced her to look at Darla, then Cordelia nodded.

And the vamps took their prisoners out.

A full minute passed before the vampires returned to the factory. Angel's cell phone rang, and Darla watched curiously as Angel flipped it open and answered it. After a moment, he looked at Buffy and hung up.

She pulled out a stake. He took one out as well.

Darla sighed. "See? I told you we should have kept one of them."

Drusilla laughed. "My Angel has a secret..."

"Oh?" Darla smiled. "Do tell, Angelus."

"Involving a lil' baby," Drusilla added slowly. The smirk on her face faded. "And the Slayer is the mummy."

Darla whirled to look at Buffy and Angel. The vampire and Slayer were calm, not flinching from the news. "Care to explain?" Darla questioned, her voice unsteady.

"The lil' baby," Drusilla said again.

"Boys, take them into the other room." Darla ordered. She smiled thinly. "Use whatever force necessary."

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

Buffy woke up and felt a headache. She opened her eyes, looking around, then froze.

Angel was across the room, shirtless and strung up by his arms. Darla and Drusilla stood in front of him, watching with interest as the poured holy water on him and he hissed with pain.

"It's still pretty." Drusilla muttered, standing up and touching Angel's face.

"It is, isn't it?" Darla murmured, smiling. "I've always loved how holy water makes such a nice noise against a vampire's skin."

"And the colors..." Drusilla said, near hysterical giggling. "It's wonderful!"

"Don't you agree, Angelus?" Darla smirked at her favorite/least favorite childe, and touched his face. "That doesn't hurt, does it?" He glared at them, but stayed silent.

"Daddy wants to tell us the secret." Drusilla said slowly. "But the Angelbeast won't let him."

Darla smiled and slowly turned around, looking at Buffy. "I know how to make him talk."

Dru smiled too. She knew too.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

Darla smirked at Buffy as Drusilla knelt down, pressing her ear against the Slayer's stomach.

Buffy tried not to flinch, instead looking over to Angel, who watched her with pained concern.

"The lil' baby's not inside," Drusilla whispered.

Darla scowled. "It must be the little brat I saw at the hotel."

Drusilla stood up suddenly, frowning. "I feel..." She gasped and laid down on the ground.

Darla sighed. "Dru? What do you see dear?"

The psychopathic vampire began shaking. "He loves her. He's filled with awful goodness." she glared at Angel. "The Angelbeast won't let Daddy return to me."

"Yeah. And it's a bloody shame, too."

The three vampires and the Slayer all looked to the door, startled. Spike stood there, a cigarette in his mouth and his arms crossed before him. "Dru. Darla." he smirked faintly. "Slayer. Always did want to see 'er in chains."

*Where's Elizabeth?* Buffy thought immediately, but didn't let it show.

Spike entered the room and flashed his sire a cocky smirk.

"My Spike," Drusilla said, sounding a little confused. "He's here."

Darla sighed. "Great. Just what I need." She sighed and went over to a table. At least Spike was good for one thing. "Spike dear, you interested in killing another Slayer?"

Spike snorted. "Prefer roasting Angel face here."

Darla snarled and stood in front of her childe protectively. "He's mine. You touch him, I kill you."

Buffy met Angel's gaze for a moment, and they silently wondered to each other what Spike was doing there.

Spike sighed, grimacing. "Well, then don't count on me for doin' bloody much," he grumbled angrily.

"Why not?" Darla questioned, surveying the table of tools before her.

"I've got a bloody chip in my head. It keeps me from hurting humans."

Drusilla scowled. "The slayer's toy put it in there." She hissed. "We should find him. Beat him down and drink his blood...." she smiled. "It could be a game. I like games."

"How do you want to die, by the way?" Darla asked Buffy. She smiled politely. "We could torture you. Or torture you. Or torture you." She smiled pleasantly.

Drusilla went over to Spike. "We'll get rid of the awful lil' toy in my Spike's head."

She vamped out and faced Buffy. "Where's the fish that did this to my Spike?"

Buffy glared at her. "Like I'd tell you."

Drusilla's thin, cold fingers wrapped around her throat, squeezing. Buffy automatically jerked away, or tried to. Drusilla tightened her grip and Buffy couldn't breath.

Angel tensed, knowing he couldn't do anything, but unable to just stand there, watching them.

Darla smirked when she saw him straining against the chains. She put her hand on his chest, running it all over.

Drusilla cackled with glee as she watched Buffy struggling.

Spike sighed. "How's she supposed to tell you if you don't let her breath? Humans are like that, you know."

Drusilla pouted. She released Buffy's throat and watched with glee as Buffy gasped for air. "Now, lil' Slayer. let's play a lil' game." "You tell us what we want to know, we don't hurt you and Angel." Darla finished, smiling.

Angel sighed. "How old are you Darla? I would have thought you'd have learned a new way of doing this."

His sire smiled at him, fondling the metal pole in her hand. "Well... You thought wrong." She shoved it into his stomach, and he took in a deep breath of air, clenching his teeth.

Buffy paled upon seeing Angel's pained expression.

Drusilla giggled. "Crimson red, it makes my head spin."

"Now." Darla said, smiling at Buffy. "Where's the brat?"

"I don't-"

"She doesn't know." Spike interrupted. "Her little friends have her." He smiled slowly. "but I know where the bloody asses are at."

Dru looked disappointed. "Does that mean no more spinning?"

Darla laughed. "No. It just means that we'll beat the shit out of the Slayer and Angel, then we'll go get the little brat. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Dru smiled. "Good games..."

And she laughed as Darla shoved another poker through Angel's stomach.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 14*

The second the door closed behind the three vampires, Buffy began straining against her chains. She cast a quick look over to Angel, who was barely moving, then gathered her strength. One. Two. Three. She yanked as hard as she could against the chain on her one wrist, and nearly stumbled when it broke free.

She strained against the other chain until she managed to reach the table. Where the keys sat on the edge of the table.

They fell to the floor with a jingle, and Buffy pulled them to her with her foot. Then she managed to pick them up, and with her free right hand unlocked her other arm.

Immediately, she went over to Angel and unlocked his arms, catching him as he fell.

There were three pokers sticking out of him, and two more on the ground that had been removed. Nail marks from Darla stretched from his upper shoulder to his midriff.

She helped him over to the table, and let him lean against it while she grabbed his shirt and cautiously looked out into the room Darla had just left through.

Too many vampires were out there. She smiled grimly and returned to Angel. "You think you can make it up to the window?"

He followed her gaze over to the piece of glass that looked to have been unceremoniously dumped in the middle of the top of the wall. He grimaced. But...

"Let's get out of here."

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

"Well. Look what we have here."

Everyone who'd been gathered in the front room of the hotel turned towards the door in time to see Darla and her minions enter. Drusilla and Spike entered behind them, cuddling.

Willow frowned. It would have been cute, but it was Spike and Dru. She glanced over at Cordelia and Wesley, and saw them move in front of Elizabeth.

The rest of the group was getting in a cluster, preparing to fight... a lot of minions. And three master vampires.

Well, two that could fight. Spike was still neutered.

"Where's Angel?" Cordelia questioned.

"And Buffy." Willow added quickly.

Drusilla smiled dreamily. "He screams out, but no one hears. The stars..." she paled. "The beast. He comes."

Darla frowned. "Angel's tied up, remember Dru?"

"Not anymore." Drusilla whispered. "The beast is comin' and he's so angry..." she shivered. "It hurts me."

"I could hurt you too." Buffy offered sweetly as she came in behind them. She sent a stake through a vampires back before anyone had even turned around, and kicked another vamp out of her way.

The rest of the gang used her entrance as a distraction as well, and everyone began fighting. Fortunately, the coffee tables in the lobby were wood, and broke easily, supplying stakes for everyone.

Buffy kicked another vamp back, and glanced towards the back. Angel had been right behind her... where the hell was he?

And where was Darla?

Buffy staked another vamp and whirled around, searching for her lover and her enemy. Neither could be found.

Drusilla and Spike stood off to the side, watching the Scooby Gang finish off the minions. They were really more involved with each other though, and barely noticed Buffy approaching until she pulled them apart.

Drusilla snarled and Buffy glared back. Then she looked at Spike. "Where's Darla?"

He shrugged.

Buffy grimaced and turned back to the fight. She pulled a vamp off Xander and staked it, then sent him over to help protect Elizabeth. Cordelia, Wesley, and Willow had their hands full trying to do that. Within only a few moments more, the dozen or so vampires, minus Spike and Dru, had been dusted.

"That was almost anti-climatic." Xander said after a long moment.

"Momma!" Elizabeth cried, and ran over to her. Buffy returned her hug. "Do you know where A... I mean, your daddy went?"

She nodded, her eyes wide and serious. "That mean lady followed him, and they went outside."

Buffy handed her daughter off to Giles. "Watch her. Spike, you and Dru are with me."

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

Angel had waited outside once he'd made sure everyone inside was okay. He knew that Darla was going to look for him.

And he knew that it would end tonight.

He wasn't in the least bit surprised when she exited the hotel, clearly looking for him.

Their eyes met, and Angel realized sadly that this would be the last time he'd see his sire.

There hadn't been a chance for it to sink in the first time he'd done it to her. But this time...

"Shall we dance?" she questioned, smirking faintly.

He glanced over her shoulder, inside and saw that Buffy and the gang were winning. "Not here."

She raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Oh, we're gonna really... dance, hmm?"

He scowled at her and silently led her around the corner of the hotel, into the dark alley nearby. It would mask the sound, and it would keep the fight between just them.

He studied her face. He could remember seeing her a week ago, when she'd finally realized what she'd been. And she'd realized what she could never be again.

"To the death then, Angelus." she said flatly.

Angel was sure that she recognized the finality of their fight. And he wondered what it would bring.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

*Chapter 15*

Everyone looked up when he entered the hotel again.

Buffy made a small noise in the back of her throat and jumped up, rushing over to him. "Oh my god, Angel, what happened?"

"Daddy?" Elizabeth whimpered, following Buffy over there.

Buffy helped Angel over to the couch. "Is Darla..."

"She's dead." Angel finished flatly.

"Daddy?" Elizabeth whimpered after another moment. She looked up at him sadly, wondering what was wrong.

No one could blame her. His shirt was blood streaked from the ministrations earlier, and his face was bloodied and bruised from his fight with Darla.

Angel knelt down by Elizabeth. "You okay?" he asked, giving her a small smile.

She frowned at him. "Daddy's all icky." she complained, looking at her mother.

Buffy laughed half heartedly. "Yeah." Angel straightened, and she moved so he could lean on her. "You need to get cleaned up," she said quietly. "Hey Lizzie, do you wanna stay down here for a bit? Then I'll take you upstairs for bed?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Unca' Spike's gotta tell me a story."

Angel sent his two vampiric children a long look. "Of course he will."

Spike snorted.

Dru smiled. "Oh... a story. My mum used to tell stories..."

Angel winced.

"Before my Angel-" Spike cut her off at Angel's look.

And Buffy helped him up the stairs.

| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |

Elizabeth opened the door to her daddy's room, just a crack. Her momma was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her daddy's hand. Her daddy was seated on the edge of the bed, not wearing a shirt. Her momma looked sad. Elizabeth frowned and went in.

Both of her parents looked up. "Lizzie, where'd Uncle Spike go?"

"Aunt Dwu." Elizabeth answered. "Daddy okay?"

Angel smiled. "I'm fine."

She went over to the bed, and Buffy pulled her up. She crawled up next to Angel, who was leaning against the pillows and the wall. She rested her head against his chest and looked at Buffy expectantly. "Momma," she called, waving her towards them.

Buffy hesitated, meeting Angel's gaze for a moment, then slid up next to him. She pulled the blanket over them, and Elizabeth snuggled against Angel. He flinched a little when she touched one of the wounds, but she saw his expression and started to slide away. "It's okay," he murmured, looking at his daughter.

"Owwy?" she questioned, looking at the marks on his chest.

"Very." Buffy answered for him.

"Momma kiss and make it better?" Elizabeth questioned now.

A slow smile spread across Buffy's face. "Maybe later," she said, and glanced at Angel. He had a smirk on his face as well, and she could tell he was entertaining thoughts similar to her own.

Elizabeth yawned and curled up closer to her father.

And she fell asleep, comforted by the people she knew of as her parents.

And her parents fell asleep, holding hands, comforted by each other's presence.

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