Willow entered the abandoned building and carefully walked up the stairs to the third floor. She was grateful that Nicolas hadn’t cried or made too much noise since she still carried him in front of her in the carrier. He had even fallen asleep at one point, perhaps realizing just how delicate the matter was.
Willow knocked on the black door, hoping he hadn’t left just yet. To her relief he opened the door.
“Willow.”
“Hi.”
“What brings you by?” he asked as he moved to the side to let her pass.
“I need your help.”
“I was actually packing,” he replied, not catching what she had said, as he rummaged through his closet.
“They captured Faith.”
Whistler let out a sigh and closed his closet, knowing what this meant, seeing his plans flying out the window.
“Who did?” he asked as he slumped on the sofa.
“Vampires. Giles came looking for us at the movies.”
“Where are they holding her?”
“The warehouse, I think.”
“You think?”
“That’s as far as I was able to follow them. I waited ten minutes, but they never came back out.”
“You followed them?” he asked in disbelief.
“It was the only way... Angel and Giles didn’t want me to come along....,” she explained.
“Perhaps because it would be dangerous.”
“I know, but something happened...”
“How do you.....?”
“I can feel it, Whistler. Something isn’t right.”
He looked at her for a moment, trying to determined whether or not it was necessary for them to go after them right now or wait a bit.
“Fine... what about Nicolas..?”
“I have a plan.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Angel struggled uselessly against the chains that held him against the wall.
Giles looked over at him, having gotten tired from his own struggles. He turned to his other side and saw Faith hanging from the shackles above, tired out and bruised.
“I’m sorry,” she finally uttered out loud.
Her head hung low, her jet black hair covering her face.
“Of what?” Giles asked confused.
“If I had been faster..... I don’t know..... smarter... we’d never be here. I never would have placed either of you in danger...”
“That isn’t true...” Giles began to comfort.
“I’m sorry, Angel. I didn’t know they would do this. I’d never want to let them hurt Nicolas...,” she told them, fearing for the first time that all she ever wished for, a small circle of friends... a family she had always wished for was slipping from her hands.... all because she would not protect them by being a better slayer.
“This isn’t your fault, Faith. As long as Willow...,” Angel began to say.
He spoke too soon as he heard the faint cry of a baby. Blind terror struck him as he began to pull on the chains harder.
The cries became louder, letting Giles and Faith know the reason for Angel’s desperate behavior.
The vampires that held guard immediately left to search for the noise leaving the three panicking hostages behind.
* * * * * * * * * *
“I hope this works,” Whistler commented as he got into place.
“It has to,” she muttered to herself as she patted the baby in the carrier in front of her.
She pressed the button, setting off the recorded sounds of a baby crying on the three small recorders they had placed around the warehouse. As they had hoped, a group of vampires appeared, each one trying to detect where the sounds were coming from. They soon broke up into smaller groups, each taking a side of the warehouse, some even leaving the building.
Armed with weapons, Whistler and Willow moved out of their hiding spot and went out in search of their friends. They wished each other luck as they took their separate ways.
Willow placed the protection spell over herself and walked down the corridors, her bombs in hand. As she heard the wails of pain in the air, she knew one of her smart bombs she had conceived had been found. She hurried down the corridor where she found two nasty vampires. She quickly threw her bombs on the floor, making them explode on contact, releasing holy water and garlic everywhere, scorching the undead.
She managed to maneuver past them, one turning to dust upon contact with her shield, weakening her. The baby pressed himself deeper into Willow, close to tears. Willow covered his head with her hand, comforting as she could.
“Just a little more, Nicolas. We have to save Daddy.”
She backed up a moment as she saw three vampires head her way. For the first time since entering the warehouse, fear shot through her. She wasn’t Buffy or Faith. She was just plain Willow. But then she heard a voice full of desperation in her head that gave her the courage she needed to continue the battle and win.
“Angel,” she uttered under her breath, gaining strength and hope from the name.
She threw four bombs and covered the baby, shielding it with her arms and rammed herself through them, unaware one of them carried a knife, until it sliced her skin.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Whistler was the first to make it to the holding room and was worried when he didn’t see Willow there already.
Angel waited to see, wishing with all his might, to see Willow run in after him, but she never appeared. Fear he had never imagined struck him. He struggled harder against the bonds as Whistler shakily began to break the shackles on Faith.
Then he caught a small whiff that assaulted his senses. He calmed as his demon visage came to form. With quick precession he shot his arm out, breaking the chains.
Giles, Faith and Whistler froze, looking on as Angel freed his other arm in an errie display of pure strength and calmness.
Angel left the stunned group behind and raced down the corridor, down a flight of stairs, condemning all who had dared touch Willow and Nicolas to a death.
He had found her cowering into a corner, holding her wounded arm and Nicolas as two vampires advanced.
Before Willow could close her eyes, both vampires fell before her to reveal a very vampiry Angel.
“Are you in a lot of pain?” he asked softly.
“Just my arm,” she replied, soon gasping as a vampire advanced on them from one side.
Angel simply grasped his neck with his extended hand, already sensing him before Willow could see him. His hand squeezed its throat, bringing a painful death to the dangling vampire. Willow marveled at how calm Angel was, so collected. So precise, his eyes never leaving hers. He extended his leg to his side as another vampire came after them from the other side and kicked him into the wall as his hand finally snapped the other demons neck without any effort.
“And Nicolas?” he asked.
“Fine, just a bit scared.”
He placed his hand over the baby’s head then moved it up to caress Willow’s cheek.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Through here,” Whistler yelled from the other side of the corridor.
He took Willow’s hand and rushed over to the rest of the group, his mind and heart racing a thousand thoughts and feelings.
* * * * * * * * * * *
No one questioned Angel’s visage. They dropped off Giles and Faith, followed by Whistler at the airport. The walk back home for Angel and Willow was quiet. Willow thought she should have been frightened or even repulsed by his true face that still remained since the factory, but it didn’t. It was a part of him, a part of him she had long ago accepted.
Angel inspected their home before they went in and immediately took Nicolas from her arms. He sat Willow down on the bed and placed the baby higher above her, surrounding him with pillows, who was already asleep. Once he was content the baby was comfortable, he went to the bathroom and returned to Willow with a first aid kit.
He inspected her body thoroughly, his eyes and hands covering all major limps, making Willow turn red. After making sure nothing but her arm was hurt, he began to clean it off, banding it with gauze. Willow became unsettled with his quietness and broke the silence he had created since they had left the factory.
“Angel, talk to me,” she asked softly as she caressed his cheek.
Angel looked into her eyes, then closed his own.
“Are you mad at me? Are you mad I put Nicolas in danger.....?”
“No... but you also placed yourself in danger.”
“There was no way Nicolas and I couldn’t, wouldn’t go and rescue you.”
“You shouldn’t have....” he began to tell her.
“Then you don’t realize just how much you mean to us,” she told him with a smile.
Angel opened his eyes and saw the honestly in her emerald orbs. He crushed her against him in his sudden hug. She returned it as hard as possible, letting him feel just how much he meant to her.
“What you saw tonight, Willow...”
“Is what you are, but there are so many sides to you.”
“What you saw was the soul and demon merging... merging to protect you.”
“Thank you, Angel...”
“Can you accept that...?”
“As I’ve always told you, Angel. I accept you in every way - demon and soul.”
Angel kissed her passionately as they laid back on the bed.
Before anything happened, he stopped, wanting to take this slow, for her.. for him... he wanted this to work.... wanted her....
“Does that mean you’ll go out with me again?”
Willow couldn’t help but giggle.
“As long as you promise not to get captured again.”
They chuckled as they held each, the baby snuggled between them, as the family once more fell asleep in contentment.
* * * * * * * * * * *