Ceremony Of InnocenceBy DM Evans
Chapter 16
Buffy look at the teams spaced around the hole in the ground. She hoped her nervousness didn't show. It probably didn't, she consoled herself. She had fought any number of horrible things, many worse than a dragon. Still, she longed for the days when the worst she had to face were a few newly risen vampires.
There were three kinds of demons in the mine plus that dragon. It was a big job and she was more than happy to have all the fire power that she did. Buffy just wished that she didn't have a feeling that it wasn't going to be as easily as Plan A. It never was.
Buffy loaded her crossbow and waited for a clean shot of the dragon in kitty-cat form. It was harder than she would have thought. Cats were small targets and this one was never still. Buffy caught herself counting up the other demons in the cave. At least five of the Moahilyas and nearly a dozen of the smaller ones that looked a little like pill bugs with humanoid limbs, in addition to the pincher legs on their bellies. There was about six of the leaf-pile demons Faith had described to her.
Just as she pressed the trigger mechanism, Buffy saw a human woman in the mine. She didn't look the least bit afraid. Surprised, Buffy squeezed too hard, the cross bow jumping just a hair. The bolt pulled to the right and struck the cat along the flank. The roar that issued forth didn't belong to a little black fluff ball.
The cat's form convulsed and stretched. The mystical power echoed around Buffy's sinuses. A blast of heat and a smell like hot metal billowed out of the hole. She rolled away from the lip of the opening. "Oh, shit."
The others, unused to her cursing, took immediate note and drew back. Something rocketed out of the hole then hovered above it, giving everyone a look at its sleek, dark green scales, patterned with black diamonds, strong leathery wings, a long snout full of thumb-thick teeth and a snaky tail awash in fire. Several other 'oh, shits' joined Buffy's.
---
Lilah wanted out of the mine. Being in such a closed space with the Moahilya made her all-day morning sickness that much worse, not to mention the toxic by-products of hellmouth mining. Without a protective spell, all life around the mine would die. As for Lilah, in spite of her protective ward, it was next to impossible to vomit and not get some all over her clothes and hair while she was underground like this with no facilities.
'A few more hours and it's all over,' she told herself. The Senior Partners had insisted that she go to the mines for her own safety and to supervise the packing of the first shipment of mined mystical energy once the SUV got there. She was going to leave the country entirely, heading to Wolfram and Hart's sister organization in Germany. She should be safe there. Vampires didn't like to fly. Even if Angel found out where she had gone, she'd have time to disappear before he could follow.
Until then, the Senior Partners wanted her to stick close to the demons for her own protection. Lilah didn't like it but it was practical. The leafy Volant demons, the armored Shabars, the reeking Moahilya and her own pet Aitvaras, how much safer could she be?
She heard a soft twang and the dragon screamed. Lilah stumbled backwards as it changed forms. She had never actually seen the Aitvaras in dragon form before. It was a magnificence beast, absolutely terrifying.
Lilah looked up at the opening of the mine. She couldn't see anyone but she knew they were there. She could almost guarantee Angel was up there. Suddenly Lilah was very afraid.
---
Faith took a long look at the faces around her. Dawn was busy pouting in the corner, a book on her lap. Kevin seemed perplexed by whatever he was reading. Lindsey was asleep on the couch, too nauseated from his concussion to continue reading. Only Fred seemed enthusiastic about the research.
Faith's lips pursed. Someone was missing from her head count. She got up to go look for Connor and found him slowly opening the back door, trying to sneak away.
"Don't even think it," she said softly but sternly.
He shoved the door shut and whirled to face her, a scowl taking over his face. He might not look much like this dad but Faith knew where he inherited that look. "I have to go. You know it. You want to, too."
"They made a good argument for us staying here," Faith said with a decided lack of conviction.
"Do you think Wolfram and Hart would come here after us?" Connor leaned back against the door as if willing his body to just melt through it.
"Maybe." Faith shrugged. "But you and I want the same thing."
"So come with me," Connor said.
Faith shook her head. "We've got to make it look good. If we sneak off, the others might follow us, thinking we're in trouble and we don't want that. Let's go back in the living room and pretend to do the book thing. Then you make a break for the front door. I'll chase you and tell them to sit tight or else. Kevin should be able to handle Dawn."
"So I'm the bad one and you get to play hero?" Connor gave a one-shouldered shrug, a little smirk tugging at his lips. "Works for me."
"Buffy keeps the weapons in that big trunk in the living room."
Connor shook his head. "I've stowed a bunch under the back porch. We'll need to go out that way."
"Sneaky little bastard." Faith chucked his shoulder and he grinned shyly then followed her back into the other room.' She was surprised when he lasted ten full minutes before making his break for the back door with an economical, 'screw this.' "Damn it! Connor, get back here!" Faith yelled, jumping to her feet. "I'll go get him." She started after him. "Everyone else stay here. Let no one in, lock all the doors. Kevin, make sure Dawn stays put!"
"Hey!" Dawn protested.
Faith ignored her, hoping against hope that Dawn wouldn't try to follow. Buffy would kill her if anything happened to her sister.
Faith nearly stumbled over a beautifully made sword half hidden in the bushes. She'd give Connor a kiss for selecting her a prime weapon. He wasn't that far ahead of her, running fairly slowly, giving her time to catch up. Faith did just that and let him lead her into the woods.
---
"Buffy, you were supposed to shoot it before it did that," Xander shouted from across the mine opening as he put his back to the nearest tree. He ignored the sour look his team leader, Spike, shot him.
"I tried," she said watching the dragon turn snake-like in mid-air, almost glorious in the economy of motion. She looked over her shoulder at Willow and Giles. She could practically see Willow's mind whirling through magical options in spite of her fear. Giles just looked fascinated by the creature but that hardly surprised Buffy.
She glanced towards where Xander and Anya huddled against the tree. They wanted to run. She almost wished they would but she knew her friends wouldn't desert her. She always flip-flopped on wanting them at her side, knowing she was stronger for them or wanting them out of harm's way so she didn't have to worry about them. Even Spike looked nervous. Of course he would be. Vampires were highly flammable. He could fit in the thing's maw like a Scooby Snack.'
Across the mine, Angel tracked the ascent of the creature, looking as worried as Spike. Wesley had the same expression as Giles, the Spock-look. She could almost see the words, 'fascinating, Captain,' formulating in the man's mind. She so needed to quit hanging out during Xander's Star Trek geek fests.'
"I'm open to suggestions," she called out.
Gunn pointed at the mine opening where the demons were swarming to the surface. "Fall back."
And they did like a well-trained platoon. Xander and Anya had their satchel of crossbow bolts opened and were loading up as Willow started chanting in something that honestly sounded a little like Greek to Buffy. The sky dimmed, filling with black, rain-heavy clouds. As much as Buffy didn't want to fight in the rain, she knew it was needed to keep the forest from going up. The area around the mine was dry and dead thanks to the mystical toxins that could fell birds passing overhead.
Wes and Giles had cast a spell on them to protect them from the toxins but even so, except for Angel and Spike, they all were a little queasy. The toxins made the vampires feel good, like it was some kind of Red Bull for demons.' Buffy didn't have time to worry about her friends or her uneasy stomach. There were too many demons, not to mention a dragon.
Buffy watched as Angel and Spike leapt nearly in unison from opposite sides, grabbing for the dragon. They managed to snag the creature's legs but there was little their swords could do against its scales. It shook them free with an irritated bellow.
Buffy didn't worry about them. Vampires were sturdy. They needed her help the least. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gunn and Wes double teaming a Moahilya with their axes. The stench from its free flowing blood nearly undid her stomach. Willow leaned against a tree vomiting, never seeing Xander pick off the demon Buffy didn't even know the name of. His crossbow bolt pierced its shell and it curled up on the ground like a pill bug. Willow shot her long-time friend a grateful look.
Buffy bent double, letting a long spine sail overhead as a leaf pile demon attacked her then dove behind some exposed rock as the dragon's fiery tail whipped around and crashed to ground. It missed her but set two of the leafy demons on fire. Spike and Angel were there putting the things down before they could take off and burn down the forest.
Buffy flashed them a grin as she leapt over a pill-bug demon that came rolling her way. It sprung open, revealing hundreds of little pincher-like legs in addition to its two well-clawed hands. She made a face, rushed it, planting her hands on its shell in an area that would be something's shoulder and somersaulted over it. She jabbed backwards with her sword, piercing it. It did a death wiggle as she yanked her blade free, watching headlights approaching through the woods. Somehow she didn't think it was reinforcements.
"Buffy!" Angel cried, helping Anya wrest her crossbow back from a Moahilya after burying his blade in something that approximated a head. He pointed behind her.
Buffy whirled, expecting an attack and saw Faith and Connor racing her way. "What are you two doing here?"
"Connor escaped on me," Faith said, as the boy in question caught hold of a tree branch like a gymnast and catapulted himself over several demons.'
"But you aren't protected from the toxins," Buffy said, seeing Connor wasn't going for a demon. He was making a beeline for a woman racing from the mine towards the SUV that had just arrived. "Angel!"
"Damn it," Angel dodged a dragon's claw. "Lilah."
"You handle your kid," Faith said. "B and I can take care of...damn, it really is a dragon."
Buffy stared up into the sky where it soared, arcing back towards them. "It certainly is."
"Not alone you can't," Spike said, nodding towards their friends. "They got the other demons under control."
Buffy looked to see Xander and Anya back to back, their crossbows going as fast as they could load and cock them. Willow and Giles were lobbing something that looked like glittery snowballs that exploded on contact. Buffy didn't want to know which of them had come up with that spell. Wes and Gunn moved like dervishes with their blades. Buffy had no idea how Wes had gotten so damn good at fighting. "Let's do it," she said.
The dragon's breath give off a stench she wouldn't soon forget. It came at them front claws outstretched. She and Spike peeled off going in for the face while Faith made a stab at the underbelly, her movements already erratic from the poisons in the air. The dragon's head wheeled her way so fast Buffy barely escaped its jaws. Its teeth clenched on her sword, wrenching it free even as Spike managed to jabbed his blade home in its eye.
Roaring, the creature shot skywards, taking Spike with it. The vampire fell back to earth, nearly landing on his own blade. The dragon lashed its fiery tail, catching Faith in the gut.' The dark-haired Slayer was tossed against a tree. Faith moaned. Buffy ran for her, smelling burnt clothing. Faith clutched her gut. Through her burnt shirt, Buffy could see reddened flesh but it didn't
look bad.
"Faith, are you okay?" she asked and her fellow Slayer just groaned.
"She's bleeding," Spike said, still shaking dirt off of himself. His nostrils flared, his pupils dilating.
Buffy could see how much he wanted Slayer's blood but she didn't see any open wounds. Faith ran her hands from her belly downwards between her legs. She brought them away stained red. "The baby..." she muttered, looking dazed.
"Oh, God." Buffy trembled briefly. "Spike, get her to safety. I have to stop that thing."
Buffy didn't have time to do more. She wanted to help Faith but she knew nothing really about first aid. She left that to Willow and Giles normally. The best she could do was make sure all the demons died.
---
Angel watched as a Shabar demon took Connor off his feet. His son thrashed underneath the shelled creature, dodging the little clawed legs but he didn't worry too much. Connor was strong, able to handle himself and he didn't seem too affected by the toxins in the air. He had withstood Quor-Toth, after all. His son was strong and Angel needed to get to Lilah before Connor did and before she made it to the SUV.
He grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. Burying a hand in her purse, Lilah looked over her shoulder, her eyes wide with terror. Angel knew that she feared he'd kill her and for a moment of blind rage he considered it. Then she rubbed a hand over her belly and he remembered what she carried inside her. "You're not going anywhere," he told her.
"I beg to differ. My ride's here," Lilah said, her hand coming up with a stake in it.
Angel twisted, not expecting her to put up a fight. Lilah was all sharp dressing, sharp tongue and wits. Other than her pulling that gun on Billy, he wasn't used to seeing her with weapons in hand. She missed his heart, the stake grazing his flank, painful but harmless.'' He shoved her back. "You're not getting away after what you did to my son, what you did to Faith."
"Looks like Faith was a wash," Lilah said, with an arrogant toss of her hair.
In spite of himself, Angel looked over his shoulder and saw Faith pelted away by the dragon's tail. He almost ran for her out of reflex but stopped himself. It was all the time Lilah needed. She snatched the stake back. He hissed as it slid free of his flesh, leaving splinters behind.
"You can't help them and keep hold of me at the same time," Lilah said, backing towards the suvie. "And how long do you think Connor will last in these toxins? I'm wagering you didn't bring him with you, didn't protect him."
Angel kept an eye on her brandished stake as he shoved his sword backwards, almost casually impaling the Shabar demon that was loudly trying to sneak up on him. He grinned at her, knowing one tap to the head and she'd be out for the count. He could just truss her to a tree with his own belt.
He closed the distance between them with one easy jump. Lilah cocked back her arm and before he could block it, someone grabbed her wrist, dragging her over. Angel stared at his son, a look of pure fury in Connor's eyes. A Shabar pincher-leg dangled from his thigh, pierced through the skin and meat but thankfully missing the huge femoral artery. For an insane moment Angel remembered how Darla had liked to feed from that artery.'
"Don't need protecting," Connor said, obviously having heard Lilah. "This feels like home."
Angel saw her hand tremble as she reached up to touch Connor's cheek. "You don't want to hurt me. You wouldn't hurt your own baby."
Connor caught the hand on his cheek and snapped her wrist in one clean motion. Lilah screamed, nearly dropping the stake in her other hand.
"Connor, don't hurt her," Angel said, trying to sound calm but it sounded more like a father snapping orders to an errant child. There was nothing in his son's face that hinted the boy even heard him. Angel remembered that look in Connor's eyes, the lust for the kill. He had seen it in Connor when he had gone after the drug dealer before Cordelia had purged the Quor-Tothian energies from him. ‘Feels like home,' the words echoed in Angel's mind. Connor didn't look weak like their human friends. Even Buffy was starting to slow in battle despite the spell. Connor was demon enough to be feeding on the Hellmouth energies filling the air.' "Let her go, son. We have her now. She'll be punished for what she did."
Connor's head snapped up, his gaze ripping away from Lilah's. His voice was plaintive as he said, "She hurt me."
"I know and she'll pay for it." He held his hands out to his son. "Give her to me."
"Your brat isn't listening," Lilah grated out then her eyes widened, seeing a shadow moving over them. "Let me go. That damn dragon is heading our way. I don't trust it to remember it can't eat me."
Connor and Angel both looked up and saw the dragon in a predator dive for them. Lilah used the momentary distraction to her advantage and tried to bury the stake in Connor. He caught her and with one smooth move turned her hand back on herself. The stake entered her chest with such force Angel heard the breaking bone, the slap of her hand against the drum of her ribcage. He saw Connor's hand quivering as he held her wrist.
No blood splattered. Lilah's mouth worked but she made no sounds beyond a wet gurgle. Blood trickled from her mouth as her wide, shocked eyes began to close. As she fell, Connor caught her, holding her. Angel saw the dragon bearing down on them.
"Connor, move!" he screamed.
Connor looked up into the open mouth of the beast and waited. At the last moment, he thrust Lilah's limp body forward and dived under the dragon's belly. It tossed Lilah like an alligator getting better swallowing position for its prey then she disappeared down its gullet.'
Angel didn't have time to process what his son had just done. He leapt up as the dragon swooped past him. He managed to get hold of its wing. He swung up on its neck and saw a pale hand trying to get purchase on the other side. He reached down and hauled Buffy up, the sword clutched in her other hand making climbing difficult. She smiled weakly at him. She jerked against him, her leg jutting high in the air. Angel saw the dragon's teeth tear a rent in her pants but missed her flesh.
He pointed to the base of the thing's skull. Buffy nodded. In unison, they rammed their swords home. Angel grunted, needing all his body weight to shove the blade through the thick scales' and through bone and into the brain. Buffy's blade skipped off the scales but she managed to sink it through the neck, tearing it through an obviously major blood vessel. Blood came out in gouts, caught by the wind. It drenched them, blinding them.
They could feel the dragon falling from the sky. Angel grabbed Buffy and pushed free from the huge creature. He knew she didn't need him to protect her but he couldn't help himself. He let his body take the brunt of the short fall and tried to cradle her close as they rolled. He was dazed, saturated with blood and dirt in his mouth.
Buffy crawled free. "I think it's over," she whispered.
Angel shook his head, pointing to the SUV, backing away with Gunn hanging out one door and Spike the other. Gunn slammed the driver's head repeatedly into the steering column while Spike applied the brakes with his hands on the pedal. "Now maybe it's over," he said as Buffy helped him up.
"Um, dragons don't dust?" she asked, staring at the colossal carcass on the ground.
"I don't think so," Angel said, looking for his son.
"Angel, Buffy, we must get Faith to hospital now!" Wes hollered across the way. "She's haemorrhaging badly. I think the dragon might have ruptured something."'
"Get her to the SUV," Angel shouted back, spotting Connor sitting on the ground, staring up into the unnatural rain.
"Buffy!" Willow shouted, jumping up and down and pointing. "The last Moahilya is going into the mine."
"He can't run far," Buffy said.
"Buffy, Moahilyas are a very honor bound species. If they can't deliver and obviously they have failed, they will suicide. If he destroys the apparatus..." Angel said.
They both raced to the lip of the mine and saw the demon tossing the rack of energy cells into the apparatus. Buffy's eyes seemed to go wider than her face. Angel took her hand and started running.
"Go!" she screamed. "Get to the SUV, we have to get out of here before it all goes to hell."
Her friends didn't hesitate. Xander helped Wes with Faith while Gunn drove the SUV forward to meet them. Anya, Willow and Giles shoved into the vehicle with Gunn and Spike. Angel snagged his son, tossing him over his shoulder as he ran. Connor didn't so much as move. Gunn was already driving off as Angel propelled Connor through the open back window into the cargo area. He jumped on the bumper, holding a hand out to Buffy who had slipped in the muddy field. She kicked off and went through the window on top of Connor. Angel held on as an explosion rocked the vehicle, nearly flipping it. He looked back and saw the dragon vaporize along with about an acre of trees then there was nothing. No fire, no demon bodies, nothing but a new cavern in the forest floor.
Wearily, he climbed through the window as Buffy squeezed into the corner of the SUV's cargo area to give Angel room to move and help his son. Angel looked at Connor still lying face down on the floor, the demon pincher still in his leg.
"Is he okay?" Buffy asked.
Angel shook his head, rolling Connor onto his side. The boy's eyes were as vacant as the day Angel had rescued him from Lilah. "Faith?"
"Unconscious," Giles replied. "Willow, call the hospital. Let them know we're en route with a pregnant woman, haemorrhaging badly."
Willow nodded solemnly and did as she was told.
Angel looked at the claw that was through his child's leg. The smell of his blood and Faith's was driving him to distraction. "Connor, this will hurt a little." Angel withdrew the pincher, pitching it out the back window. His son never made a sound, didn't flinch; didn't give a sign he was even alive. Angel clamped a hand over the bleeding wound.
Buffy held out a strip of cloth. Angel looked at it and recognized it as part of Xander's shirt. Anya was cutting off another hank of it for them. Buffy tapped her forehead. "Angel, you and Spike both might want to..."
Angel realized he was in vamp face. "It's the Slayer's blood...we can't help it."
"Try because it's freaking us out," Xander said.
Angel did his best to control his inner beast as he bound his son's wound.
"Angel, Connor ki..." Buffy trailed off, unable to meet Angel's eyes.
"Whatever he did, no one will ever know," Angel said strongly, turning his gaze loose on the occupants of the vehicle. "The dragon ate the evidence."
"Angel, you can't mean-" Willow said, her eyes wide.
"That wasn't open to argument," Angel snapped. "Let's just concentrate on getting Faith to the hospital."
They all quieted. Angel shuffled his son into a sitting position, freeing up some floor space so he himself could sit. He pulled Connor against him and rested his cheek on the top of his son's head. "It's over. It'll be all right now," he whispered. Angel heard Connor sigh, the first sign of life he had evidenced since killing Lilah. He felt Connor snuggle into him and he wrapped his arms around the boy's slender body tightly. No one was ever going to hurt his child again, not if he had anything to say about it.
---
Buffy wasn't surprised Angel was still awake despite it being high noon. He was in a carefully shadowed portion of his former home, reading something. She could tell the way he squirmed in his seat he was only reading to keep his mind off everything else racing in his head. He looked up before she said a word.
"How's Faith?" he asked in a low voice.
"Stabilized. She's a Slayer. She'll pull through." Buffy went over and sat next to him. "Wes is crashed out at my place along with Lindsey and his brother, just in case you were wondering."
"She lost the baby?" Angel's eyes went sad, realizing Buffy was trying to dodge the topic.
She nodded, taking his hand. "I'm sorry, Angel."
He let his head drop back, his eyes closing. "It was for the best, Buffy. Not the way it happened, of course. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. But there were no good options for that baby. At least now she didn't have to kill it herself. She and Connor can believe it was a sacrifice to save the rest of the world from the spreading evil."
Buffy rested her head against his shoulder, more so he wouldn't see the look in her eye. She knew rationalization when she heard it. "They shouldn't have been there."
"And you and I should have known they would be. They're both rash and headstrong."
"And occasionally stupid as hell," Buffy added. "Like us."
"Way too much like us." Angel sighed.
"We were talking at my home, before I came here, about Connor and what he did," Buffy said hesitantly. She felt him stiffen under her cheek.
"And did we come to some grand conclusion?" he asked, the sneer in his voice filling the room.
"Connor killed Lilah," Buffy replied matter-of-factly.
"And what? I should turn him over to the authorities?" Angel snarled, pulling away from her. Buffy nearly fell over as he jumped to his feet to pace. "I will when you give over Willow for the killings she committed."
Buffy regained hers composure. "Willow said that herself. Giles said very few of us were guiltless. Barring Anya, Spike and you who've killed thousands, Faith herself is a murderess and she at least did some jail time. Giles was responsible for the death of his friend when they were young. Willow killed two people. I would have killed Faith to save you. Xander accidentally killed those people when he summoned Sweet and for some reason, Gunn and Fred kept exchanging guilty looks."
Buffy's eyes searched Angel's face for answers as to why his friends would look guilty. He only looked shocked so she gave up looking for answers and continued. "You can just about see the guilt in Lindsey's eyes but he said nothing, which no duh, him being a lawyer and all. His brother isn't speaking to him right now so I'm thinking if Lindsey didn't do the killing, he ordered it. His advice was just what you said, the evidence is gone. And it is by the way. I went and looked. Nothing but a big hole and a few inches of ash. There's no body, nothing to say Lilah's even dead. Lindsey said to keep our mouths shut and live with it." Buffy got up and caught up to the pacing vampire. "We're willing to do that. Only..."
Angel stopped and looked at her. "Yes?"
"Can Connor live with it?" Buffy hoped Angel could see her concern. "He seemed so... I don't know."
"Dru-like? He's a little better. He was talking to me some. He's sleeping now." Angel glanced back towards the room. His face found a new depth of grim. "But I think he can live with it better than I'm comfortable with."
"Then are we doing the right thing, letting him get away with it?" Buffy asked. "I don't want to see him jailed, Angel, or hurt but if he's a danger..."
"He isn't," Angel said, sharply.
Buffy crossed her arms. "So the little drama in the Suvie with the crazed look?"
"He had to kill his child, Buffy. Twice in two years, he had to make that sacrifice. There's no way you can understand that no matter how much you've lost," Angel said, his voice barely more than a haunted whisper. "And I wouldn't want you to understand. I never want you to know that type of pain."
Buffy reached up and caressed his cheek, a tender expression on her face. "How can he be all right with that?"
"He's not. That's what did him in today. Lilah was trying to murder him when he turned the pointy end back on her. He's not going to feel remorse for that. I don't blame him. She tortured him, raped him, and forced him into fight rings and probably dozens of things we don't even know about. She deserved what she got. I didn't want it to be at his hands but so be it." Angel sighed. "But it's going to leave a hole in him just the same. He's always going to wonder about that baby, and about Faith's, and there's nothing I can do to help him."
Buffy threw her arms around him. "If I can do anything to help him, just tell me."
Angel embraced her so hard he lifted her off her feet. "Thank you. I don't know what to do for him. Wes and Giles suggested a Watcher psychiatrist. That might be a good idea."
"You're not going to stay here," she said, letting him go, her eyes sad.
Angel caressed her hair. "In some ways, the hellmouth might not be a bad thing for him, plenty of monsters to fight. But for now, I'm taking him home to Los Angeles. Maybe we'll travel like I said we would. I need time alone to get to know my son. We barely know each other and I think if he's to heal, he's going to need that."
"I understand, believe me I do. If I thought I could trust Sunnydale to Faith, once she's well, I'd go somewhere with Dawn. She always gets shoved to the back of the line and now she's graduating and leaving me behind. She's going so far away to school. Part of me is glad. She'll be safer there but I'm going to miss her so much." Buffy's lip and chin trembled.
Angel cupped it, kissing her gently. "I know. If you need someone to talk to, you can always find me."
She smiled. "I know. I've always known that."
"You look exhausted." He rested his cheek against the top of her head. "Get some rest, Buffy."
She wiggled out of his grasp, smiling. "I was going to tell you that."
Angel nodded. "Now that I know Faith will be all right, I'll try to get some sleep. I just want to check on Connor one more time."
Buffy went with him into the room. Connor was curled up, almost cat-like asleep on the bed. "He looks peaceful," she said.
"As peaceful as he'll ever be." Angel put his hand on her shoulder. "If Wes is crashed at your place, why don't you take his bed. I'm just going to sit up with Connor a little longer."
Buffy didn't argue. She just shot him a tired but knowing look. She wasn't surprised when he slumped in the shadows of Connor's room. As she dragged into Wes' room, she knew Angel would sleep right where he was and be all the more content for it.