Trust

by Rob Sorenson

Chapter Thirty-two

“Ok, this day officially blows.” Dawn grumped, speaking through her teeth. The effect of Lilah’s paralyzing spell hadn’t managed to reach their lips and tongues, but their jaws – along with the rest of their bodies - were stock still.

Wesley slid his eyes in her direction. “Are you certain you’re all right? When Lilah threw that coffee in your face-”

“Luckily, it was yours.”

“I don’t under-“

“You practically take a pint of cream, remember? It was barely warm. Just…surprising. Plus, my eyes are all sting-y. Once I wash them out, I’ll be ok. Of course, that would require hand usage…”

“Think I’m getting some feeling back.” Spike interjected.

Faith glanced sideways. “Doesn’t look like you’re moving.”

“Yeah, well, feelin’ and movin’ are two different things, aren’t they? Didn’t say I was ready to start break dancing.”

There was a momentary silence. Fred spoke softly.

“I’d be happy to change the subject if it would help delete the visual.”

“Please.” Angel groaned.

“I’m still not clear on Lilah’s little story. Are we just supposed to accept her theory of demonic evolution?”

“Is a giant meteor more likely?” Cordy asked.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because…we know for a fact that meteors exist, for one thing.”

“So do alternate dimensions. Something extraterrestrial is more believable?”

“In this case…well, yes.”

“Again, I ask-“

“Cordy, the timeline makes no sense. If the dinosaurs were in some climactic battle to end life on this planet as it existed then, where did WE come from?”

There was another silence in the room; this time it was considerably longer. Finally Wes spoke slowly.

“The Old Ones…were cast out by man.”

Faith snorted. Wes’s mouth twitched slightly at the corners.

“By man, of course I mean the general term-“

“Whatever.”

“My point being, if Lilah’s story is to be believed, demons ruled the earth as a result of some sort of confrontation.”

Fred shook her head. “Humans and dinosaurs didn’t exist at the same time. How could there have been-“

“Gotta say I’m surprised you’d feel that way,” Spike interrupted, “you bein’ a scientist and all.”

She managed to squint slightly. “Meaning?”

“Who said the only forces of good in the universe were human?”

It was clearly a day for protracted silence.

“I think I’m starting to get some movement.” Faith said.

“Me too.” Angel offered.

“Yay for you.” Cordelia groused. “I haven’t felt this stiff since my Lycra pants shrunk.”

“I’m not getting anything either.” Dawn reported.

“It appears your recuperative powers are serving the three of you well.” Wesley said as he glanced at Angel, Faith and Spike.

“Spike, are you seriously proposing that there was a mystical battle for the earth involving dinosaurs?” Fred said, trying to keep the disbelief out of her voice.

“Any reason why that couldn’t be?”

There was a momentary hesitation. “Dinosaurs fighting demons?”

“Rewind a bit. Already answered that question.”

“Not as if every human is totally cool anyway.” Faith said quietly.

Spike smiled at her gently. “Yeah.”

“Still,” Fred maintained, “while some dinosaurs seem to have had the ability to communicate and work out basic problems, no one believes they had the same level of sophistication and learning capacity as humans.”

“Who says they needed it?” Spike responded. “Fight or die. That’s pretty much all this comes down to, doesn’t it? Plenty of animals get that concept.”

Faith was smiling a little. “Plus, who’d wanna fight a t-rex? They could fuckin’ throw down.”

Wesley was shaking his head now. “I won’t dispute your points…especially since I’ve no idea what it means to ‘throw down.’ One argument in support of Fred would be the usage of magic, which generally requires recitation skills. Dinosaurs surely didn’t communicate on that level.”

“What if the magic wasn’t around at that time?” Angel offered. Wes tried to shake his head, but didn’t manage.

“Not possible. The earth’s energy has been there since its creation. Harnessing that power, however…would require far more than basic fighting ability.”

Riley spoke for the first time. “Maybe that’s why they lost.”

Wesley gave that a moment. “Possibly.”

“Also, not all magic requires speech.” Dawn added.

“True.”

“All men are created equal.” Fred mused.

Cordy raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get Faith snorting again.”

“No, I was just thinking about what Spike said.”

He frowned. “I said that?”

“Sort of. Something about humans not having a monopoly on good. If the forces of evil won all those millions of years ago, why are we back to this? Shouldn’t it be over?”

Angel squinted. “Lilah was sort of vague about that. Something about every so often, this sort of thing happens in various dimensions-”

“That doesn’t explain the why.”

Wesley celebrated internally as he managed to incline his head toward Fred. “Go on.”

“What if we change the phrase from ‘all men’ to ‘all creatures’?”

Cordy grimaced. “Sounds kind of…PETA-ish.”

Fred went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “Every creature in every dimension when it first appears…is a clean slate. None good, none evil, just…existence.”

Spike sighed. “Afraid you’re losing me here, pet.”

“No, it’s actually pretty simple. Think of us as paper. When we’re born, the page is mostly blank. We have our physical genetics, yes…but emotionally everything is wide open. At some point, whether we realize it or not, we make choices. We write our own stories.”

Angel was staring at her now. “Such as?”

“Anything that makes us who we are. Some people can kill other humans with no trace of remorse, but most of us can’t. Why? Somewhere along the line, we decided between right and wrong. What if, when the human race began, it wasn’t a done deal whether we’d be generally good or evil? After the earth was destroyed, new creatures – like us – appeared. Still, no one – not even whoever is in control of balance in the Universe – can tell what sort of race we’ll become. We’re in charge of that.”

Wesley was nodding, his eyes widening slightly. “At some point in the early stages of our development, we decided that something must be done to eliminate the Old Ones from the earth. Hence our developed ability to harness magic – both light and dark – for the greater good.”

“Then comes the Slayer.” Faith put in.

Wesley nodded. “Among other things, yes.”

“Cool for humanity, I guess. Bet if you asked all those girls, though –“

“They wouldn’t want the responsibility. I’m simply making the point that a concerted effort was made to battle the forces of darkness…by humans.”

“Exactly.” Fred agreed. “This changed the balance of power.”

“Ok, but didn’t these things happen millions of years ago?” Dawn queried. “If the balance shifted, what took so long for them to create this big battle with Buffy, Willow and Xander?”

Fred took a deep breath. “Best guess? Humans aren’t the interdimensional poster children for absolute goodness. Now, though…something extraordinary must have happened.”

She glanced at Wesley, who nodded in agreement. “Yes. It has to be.”

Cordy rolled her eyes. “Translation, please?”

Wesley smiled. “I’m uncertain how to say this without sounding rather melodramatic.”

“Never stopped you before.” Angel said with a grin.

“Let me try.” Fred said softly. “The human race as we know it is about to take a major evolutionary step.”

Wesley nodded. “A step the forces of evil are determined to prevent. It’s-“

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

“The baby!” Willow exclaimed as her eyes snapped open. She’d fallen asleep in the easy chair behind Angel’s desk.

“Willow!”

She looked up, seeing Buffy in the doorway, hair slightly mussed. Her eyes were like saucers.

“Did you-“

“I think so. You?”

Willow nodded, blinking rapidly. Buffy quickly moved around the desk to kneel next to her.

“Willow!” Xander’s voice came from upstairs. “Are you-“

The women looked at each other. “We’re fine!” Buffy spoke for them, but Xander was already bounding down the stairs. He appeared in the doorway, breathing heavily. For a long few seconds, all the three friends did was stare at one another. Finally Xander found the will to speak.

“You didn’t happen to feel-“

“The baby kicked.” Willow interrupted, her eyes shining with tears. “You felt it too, didn’t you?”

“Holy Jesus.” He whispered. “How is this-“ Xander moved shakily toward the desk.

Buffy shook her head in wonder, staring at Willow’s belly. “Apparently we’re all…um…sharing the moment.”

Willow followed Buffy’s gaze. “It’s too early.”

“The baby shouldn’t be moving?” The Slayer was frowning with concern.

“No, it’s not that-“

“There have been ultrasounds showing a fetus moving at right around twelve weeks.” Xander said. “The mother just doesn’t feel it until the baby grows a little more.”

The two women stared at him. He shrugged. “Been reading up a little.”

Willow felt a surge of pride in her oldest friend. “C’mere.” She said, beckoning him toward her. He moved to the side opposite of where Buffy was kneeling. Willow silently reached out in both directions, gently placing Buffy and Xander’s hands on her slightly-rounded belly.

They gasped collectively as they felt another movement.

“Stereo.” Xander said. Willow raised an eyebrow. He smiled a little. “I felt it inside you and me at the same time. Which is just…”

“Out there.” Buffy finished. “I felt it too.”

No one moved or spoke for a long while, just holding each other’s hands over their unborn child. Finally Willow spoke.

“I think that’s it for a while. Sleeping, maybe?”

“Yeah. Probably.” Buffy agreed.

“No one-“ Xander cleared his throat and looked away. His friends frowned with concern. This time, Willow spoke for them.

“Xander are you-“

He looked up, his eyes showing the kind of intensity Xander rarely displayed on the surface. “No one hurts this child. Ever.”

Neither Buffy nor Willow knew what to say. They simply nodded. Xander took his hand from Willow’s and leaned back, slumping against the wall.

“Xander, are you all right?”

This time he wouldn’t meet their gaze, simply waving his hand.

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

“Ok…I’m gonna try to get up.” Faith said, her face set with determination.

Dawn frowned; all she’d managed to do so far was move her head a little. “Are you sure? Can you feel your legs?”

“I think I just wiggled one of my toes.”

“And…you think that’s going to be enough to hold you up?”

“Look, Dawn…we need to get outta here. If one of us can get at least get to the phone, we can call Willow to counter this shit.”

“Ok, ok. Down with the plan over here. I thought you might want to wait until you’re sure.”

“Waiting sucks ass.”

“Profound.” Fred said with a grin.

“Fine.” Dawn sighed. “Knock yourself out.”

“Probably will.” Angel said under his breath, drawing a glare from the Slayer. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Sorry.”

Faith took a few deep breaths, then lurched from her seat. After a precarious few moments, she reached awkwardly for the chair next to her and leaned to one side, leaving her face mere inches from Spike’s. The vampire moved back a bit…but not much, smiling slightly.

“Suddenly felt the need to invade personal space, did you?”

Faith scowled, her voice coming out in strained grunts. “Don’t…get any…funky ideas.”

“Only thing funky ‘round here is your breath. What the hell have you been eating?”

“Like that shit you use to bleach your hair smells any better.”

Spike had opened his mouth to retort when Faith suddenly stood up straight. She slapped at her thighs experimentally.

“Hey! I’m back!”

“Can you move your legs?” Angel asked.

“Let’s see.” She bent her knees slightly and jumped, nearly banging her skull against the vaulted ceiling before raising her hand to meet it instead. She landed neatly with a grin on her face.

“Yeah, I’m good to go. Try to get everyone on their feet…maybe you just need to get the blood flowin’.” She snatched her cell phone out of her pocket and tossed it to Angel, who barely got his hands up to catch it. “Call Willow and see if she can speed up the recovery for everyone.”

Spike, with considerable effort, lifted himself from his chair. “Where are you goin’?”

“Downstairs.” Faith walked toward the door. “I’ll pull the car around front. Maybe we can track Lilah some-“

She was interrupted by an explosion of light that caused everyone in the room to squeeze their eyes closed in shock.

“Aah! Cordy interjected. “Bulb flash!”

Spike had fallen sideways in surprise. “Bloody hell! What the – where’s Faith?”

“Mmmf.”

Everyone turned to face the back of the room; Faith lay spread-eagled near the sliding glass door some 10 meters away.

“Jesus,” Dawn exclaimed. “Are you ok?”

The Slayer sighed heavily as she slowly raised to her elbows. “Yeah. You know, I think I am now officially pissed off. What the fuck was that?”

“If I were to guess, I’d say it’s a spell.” Wesley mused. “Meant to keep us here.”

“Great. Dawnie, I’m workin’ my way to hating this Lilah bitch as much as you.”

“I’ll join the club.” Spike said, holding the cell aloft slightly. “Phone’s dead.”

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

“Is it not the most beautiful playhouse?” Drusilla asked with childlike wonder.

The Staples Center hosted up to two hundred thirty events per year, hosting diverse events such as professional wrestling, rock concerts and hockey games, when in season. It was best known, however, for being the shared home arena of two professional basketball teams, one of which was competing that night in a playoff game that had been sold out minutes after tickets had gone on sale. At full capacity, it held eighteen thousand five hundred souls.

When she closed her eyes, Dru could almost feel every one of them. Parents had waited in line for five hours just so their little ones could watch their heroes.

“Such good mommies and daddies. We shall reward them.”

“By killing them all?”

Drusilla squinted slightly as she turned to face the smiling former teenaged girl who had spoken; the sun was particularly bright that day, it seemed.

“It will be a joyous occasion, young minion. Long live the queen, for she shall rule the land.”

The young vampire dropped her head. “As you say, mistress.”

Drusilla placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come, child. We must fortify ourselves for the coming day; gentlemen callers will be coming for tea…and then we feast.”

********Three Hours Later***********

“Xander?”

Silence. Willow carefully leaned forward, touching his shoulder with her empty hand.

“Xander, you need to wake up.”

A light snore was her response. She sighed, giving him a light shake.

“Xand-“

He bolted upright, causing Willow to shrink back. “I never touched her!!”

“Hey. Easy. It’s ok.”

He looked around a moment before becoming aware of his surroundings, then flopped back down.

“Leave me alone.”

“Well…ok. If you really want to waste all the good food.”

One eye opened. “What was that?”

“I made pancakes. Fresh coffee, too.” She waved it beneath his nostrils.

“OW!”

“Oh, sorry. Did I spill?”

“No, but I think you singed my nose hairs. Jeez.”

“Well, at least you’re awake.”

“I know a much better way to go about that.”

Willow’s jaw dropped. “Xander Harris!”

“Hey, if I’m going to die today, maybe I deserve a little consideration.”

“Sorry, honey. I like sugar and spice in my coffee now. Come on, it’s late.”

He rolled to one side with a groan, glancing at the digital clock. “It’s one in the freakin’ morning!”

“Actually, it’s the other one.”

That finally woke Xander up completely. “Are you kidding?”

“We decided you might need the rest. You know, with last night’s…how are you feeling? Any dry mouth or whatever?”

He slowly got to his feet. “Nope, not headachy either. Looks like I got lucky.”

“Good. So…you want to get dressed?”

Xander, clad only in his boxers, quickly grabbed a sheet. “Sorry.”

Willow rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen you in less. C’mon, move it. Food burning issues.”

He stood back up and trotted to his dresser with the sheet still held in front of him. Using one free hand, he dug around for clothing. Willow couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ok, ok. Turning around.”

“Thank you.” Xander slipped on the sweat pants and tank top in a few seconds. “I’m good.”

Willow turned back to face him, then shook her head. Seeing her expression, Xander checked himself up and down. “Ok, can’t be the zipper, as I don’t have one.” He ran his fingers over his hair. “No rooster tails. I give up, what’s stare-worthy?”

“It’s just…you actually DO look good. In, like, ten seconds’ time.”

“Umm…yay?”

She sighed as they left his room. “Men.”

“And once again with the umm?”

Willow waved a dismissive hand. “Couldn’t be helped.”

They entered the kitchen together; Xander closed his eyes as Willow trotted toward the stove. “Hey, if the inside of my nostrils hadn’t been cauterized a minute ago, I’d say this smells great.”

“Stop whining and grab the butter.”

Xander opened the refrigerator. “As you wish, m’lady…hey, where’s the syrup?”

“Microwave.”

He poked his head above the door. “You warmed up the syrup for me?”

“You wanted it cold?”

“No…just-“

“Just don’t, ok?” She flipped the skillet, dropping three hotcakes on to a plate. “Breakfast is served. Look, I did animal shapes.”

Xander peered at the food. “What kind of scary version of Animal Planet were you watching?”

Willow glared, pointing. “From left to right, smart guy, that’s an elephant, a tiger and a horse.” Her voice faltered slightly as she took a longer look. “Ok, maybe one is sort of an abstract llama-“

“They look more like something I saw through a microscope in Miss Thompson’s biology class.”

“As if you ever actually took the time to look. Sit. Eat.”

Xander’s face expressed mock outrage. “I passed that class with flying colors!”

“You got a C-minus.”

“Right. Colors a flyin’.”

“In a Spruce Goose sort of way, maybe.”

After taking a huge bite, Xander pointed with his fork. “Ha! I actually get that reference, thank you very much. DiCaprio got that puppy off the ground, no?”

Willow rolled her eyes. “Yes, but the movie neglects to mention the vigorous rust-collecting that began soon after. It’s the Edsel of airplanes.”

“Ah, but the Edsel is a collector’s item, right?”

“Well…yes…what was the original topic?”

“Got me.”

They exchanged grins, shortly followed by another prodigous mouthful. Willow sighed heavily.

“Someday you’re going to choke on those.”

Xander responded with his mouth full.

“I’m training for the world championship.”

“Of bite-sizes?”

“More like total intake. You really need to watch ESPN2 late night more often.”

“Actually, Fox shows things like that during prime time.”

Xander actually stopped chewing. “That’s a joke, right?”

“Nope.”

“They can’t find anything else to put on the air?”

“Well, there was one show about a girl who worked in a morgue-“

“I saw that one! Man, that chick was hot. Faith would always come in and turn the channel if she knew I was watching.”

“Let me guess: ‘this show’s wicked stupid,’ right?”

“Might have been some curse variations thrown in on occasion.”

“Naturally. Anyway, they canceled the show.”

“And in its place they show eating contests?!”

Willow shrugged. “Maybe the apocalypse already happened, and we’re just dreaming all this.”

Xander resumed eating. “Either way, that little Japanese hot dog guy is gonna be toast.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“So how’s everything going in there?” He nodded toward her belly.

“Fine. No rumblies.”

Xander merely nodded and went back to his food. Willow shifted from one foot to the other, then turned back to face the stove.

“Spit it out.”

She turned back to face him. “Hmm?”

“You heard me.”

“Nothing in my mouth. See?” Willow opened wide and stuck out her tongue.

Xander put down his fork and simply stared. After a moment, she sighed heavily.

“I never know how to say certain things.”

“What do you-“

Willow began wringing her hands. “’Cause you have your pride, and that’s understandable. Even if there are certain realities that have to be addressed, the idea of hurting your feelings bothers me so much. That’s why I spend so much time searching for the right words, because no matter how much we all show love and respect, you still find a way to disrespect yourself and I just can’t perpetuate that any more than I already have over the years. I mean, even if it was totally unintentional.”

Xander looked down at his plate and grinned. “Gotta say I’ve missed hearing that.”

“You haven’t been feeling disrespected, have you? I promise none of us meant-“

He raised a hand. “Chill.” Xander rose from his chair and crossed the kitchen to meet her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I think under the current circumstances it might be best to put aside the legendary Harris insecurity and let fly. What is it you want to say?”

She met his eyes. “Ok. Later…when we fight…I want you to cover my blind side.”

Xander couldn’t help but smile.

“Or, to put it another way, stay behind you.”

A nod.

“Looks like we may have to put in a call to flowy-robed demon guy.”

Willow blinked in confusion.

“You know, the one who shot me with his magic stick.” He frowned at her expression.. “Perhaps I should rephrase.”

Willow’s face cleared. “Oh, you mean when you were…divided.”

“Right. Otherwise I can’t do what both you AND Buffy asked.”

She looked down. “So…she already-“

“Flattering, really. Everyone wants me to have their back.”

“I see. Well…um…if Buffy feels she needs you-“

Xander’s laugh stopped her.

“Maybe you two should draw straws on who gets the honor of standing over the faithful sidekick while he flops around helplessly. Just call me Jell-o Man. Able to vibrate tall buildings with a single convulsion.”

“Xand-“

“Come on. ‘If Buffy feels she needs me’? She knows what’ll happen if I’m left alone.”

Willow huffed. “You see? Here it comes.”

Xander put both hands up this time. “Hey, chock full of self-respect over here. You’re the one that brought up reality. In my mind, that should feature you two focusing on your own situations…whatever the hell they turn out to be.”

Willow reached out to touch his face. “Too much to ask.”

He took her hand and kissed it gently. “You spend all your time worrying about me, you know what’ll happen.”

“I can compartmentalize.”

“Riiight. Since I’ve no clue what that word means, let me offer you a scenario: what if it’s between me and our baby?”

Our baby. Xander and me, Willow thought, still not quite able to believe it. Talk about a fantasy flashback.

“We’re not talking about that.”

“Will-“

“It’s an unfair question.”

“No, it’s not. Anyone else should be a distant second. That’s how it has to be. Coincidentally, that’s how I want it, too.” He frowned at the skillet. “Speaking of seconds…”

Willow hesitated a moment, then pointed. “Sure. Extra batter’s over there.”

Xander walked to the stove, picking up the mixing bowl. “I’ll show you how to make animal shapes.”

“Please. I’m the one who taught you, mister.”

“Uh-huh.” He turned the mixing bowl slowly. “So where’s the Buffster this fine early afternoon?”

Willow frowned. “She said she was going to find something…“

THUNK!

“…in the basement.” She finished unnecessarily. Xander shook his head and resumed pouring.

“First, I shall amaze and astound by creating Tyrannosaurus Bisquickus…shortly followed by Giraffus Aunt Jemimus.”

Willow took a peek over his shoulder. “Hmm. Looks like Doofus Hungry Jackus so far.”

He waved a hand. “Silence! The master is at work!”

Buffy slipped through the double doors, carrying her weapons bag. “Sorry it took so long. Remind me to have a long talk with my sister about the proper place to store clothes.”

Willow scrunched her nose. “In the bag? Really?”

“Amazingly, yes.”

Xander sighed dramatically as he attempted emergency hotcake surgery. “A sweaty stake is a dangerous thing.”

Buffy frowned. “Luckily for her they weren’t dirty. Otherwise no place would be safe…Willow, what’s he doing there?”

“I’m not allowed to be here?”

“Buffy, I made him the first batch, but he dissed my skills.”

The Slayer set her bag down and walked purposefully toward the stove. “I don’t care if he-“ She stopped. “What did you say?”

Willow shrugged. “Trying to weave a little bit of Faith into my patter.”

“Ok, first, call your internal cable company and put a block on that channel. Second, we’re supposed to make breakfast this morning.” Buffy pointed. “Xander, go away.”

He looked forlornly at the stove. “I was making shapes.”

Buffy followed his gaze. “No worries. Willow and I can finish the amoeba cakes while you sit down.”

Xander glowered at a giggling Willow as he stomped past.

“What did I say?” Buffy looked from one to the other.

“I already ate, Buff.” Xander grumped.

“Ah, but wait’ll you see what I’m making.”

Willow scowled. “My part was just as good.”

Buffy bounded to the refrigerator. “Wasn’t his favorite, though.” She rummaged for a moment, then re-emerged with sparkling eyes. “Check this out.”

Xander smiled uncertainly. “Eggs. Well…I like ‘em, no question.”

“That’s not all. After making a little run to the store, I’ve also got cheddar cheese, ham, onions, sour cream and chives.”

His smile grew. “Seriously? The Xander Special?”

“Right here in my hot little hands.”

He leaned back in his chair. “Ok, officially hungry again.”

Willow folded her arms. “Foul.”

Buffy raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“You’re getting the last impression.”

“What are you-“

“You wasted time in the training room so I’d have to go first and Xander would have the taste of chives on his tongue when he decided!”

“Are you accusing me of cheating?”

“Hence the word ‘foul’. I heard you punching the bag.”

“That wasn’t wasting time! It was just…I can’t just walk past it, ok? It calls out to me.”

“Cheater.” Willow mumbled.

Buffy’s jaw dropped. “How dare you-“

Xander raised his hands. “Whoa! Rewind. Decided what?”

Willow spoke without breaking her staredown with Buffy. “I was attempting to educate our mutual friend-”

“Please.” Buffy rolled her eyes.

“-on what constitutes your favorite breakfast. Up to this point, I assumed everybody knew.”

“Everybody does know.” Again Buffy held up the ingredients.

“Guys, I actually like both-“

“As if you could make it for him anyway. Only Xander can make his own special omelette.”

“Ha! I’ll have you know I’ve been given lessons.” Buffy waved a dismissive hand. “Stand aside.”

Xander frowned. “When did I-“

“You didn’t.” Buffy turned back around to face him, suddenly feeling awkward. “Anya did.”

He smiled. “Really? When?”

She shrugged. “When we were all sort of crammed together at my house. It was during one of those thirty-second windows when I wasn’t making a speech or being a bitch.”

There was silence. Buffy looked from one to the other, trying to hide a smile as she turned back to the stove. “Ok, let’s not all be so quick to argue.”

Xander and Willow shared a little laugh. For a long minute, there was no sound in the room, save the whisking noises as Buffy worked the eggs. Finally Xander spoke quietly.

“Do I get to see a priest, too?”

Both women turned, looking confused. He spread his hands.

“Final conjugal visit, maybe? Or is that not traditional?”

Buffy turned around quickly. “We’re not talking about that.”

“Uh huh.”

Willow joined Buffy at the stove, preparing to flip the pancakes. “We had a disagreement, that’s all.”

Xander headed for the fridge. “Well, in that case, I shouldn’t be the only one enjoying a favorite breakfast. Will, don’t flip those yet.”

“Xander, we ate already. You’re supposed to be waiting for service.” Buffy protested.

He emerged, shaking a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. “Even if I put these in the batter?”

The Slayer’s eyes widened. “Get out! Angel has those?!”

“I’m going out on a limb and speculating they aren’t his. Anyway, I discovered them while retrieving the butter. So have we still eaten already?”

“Suddenly I’ve totally blanked out on the last two hours. Pour ‘em in there.” Buffy was beaming.

Willow pouted. “Everyone’s getting their favorite except me.”

Xander put an arm around her. “Well, you know, the whole pregnancy thing. Fresh out of pickle and ice cream blintzes.”

“I haven’t had weird cravings yet. Hey, do you guys think we’ll share that too?”

He thought a moment. “Can it get weirder than Buff putting Nestle’s Quik on her oatmeal?”

“Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you try it. And sit back down! Your chocolate mission is complete, and the omelette’s almost done.”

“Right.” Xander sat down, absently picking at the corner of the tablecloth. “So guys, about later-“

“We’re not talking about that.” They chorused.

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

It was a case of good news and bad; on the one hand, everyone in Lilah’s apartment had slowly regained full use of their bodies.

On the other, they couldn’t move beyond three feet of her front door.

Wesley rubbed his chin. “Clearly this is a form of binding spell.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “What gave you the first clue, Potter?”

Dawn snapped her gaze toward him. “He’s thinking out loud. Give him a chance.”

Spike raised his hands defensively. “Not like we’ve any other choice, right? Not one for confined spaces, is all.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Faith grumbled as she stepped up to the door. Fred spoke up nervously.

“You might want to be careful. It could throw you across the room again.”

The Slayer shrugged. “Didn’t hurt that much. Might weaken it some.”

“And you base that brilliant theory on what?” Cordy asked.

Faith glowered at her. “How about I test it on you?”

“Everybody calm down.” Angel said firmly. “It doesn’t do any good-“

“Whatever.” Faith interrupted. “We’ve all been able to move for four hours.”

“We all know that. Right now, we’re looking for ideas, not arguments.” He responded evenly.

“Yeah? So far, I’ve heard two ideas: jack and shit.”

“Have we tried the phones again?”

Spike nodded. “Nothing.”

“How about her computer?” Riley offered. “Maybe the spell wouldn’t block that.”

Faith gave it a moment of thought. “Guess you could try. Don’t see Willow checkin’ her email now, though.” She looked at the clock, swallowing hard. “They gotta go pretty soon.”

“I’ll look.” Fred offered, heading for Lilah’s study in search of a desktop.

Dawn was quietly discussing options with Wesley. “Counter spell?”

He shook his head. “With what ingredients? Moreover, which of us have the power to do it?”

“Together we might.”

He looked at her with a slight smile. “Possibly. We make a superb team.”

She gave him a quick kiss.

“Barf alert!” Cordy said.

Wesley ran his fingers through his hair. “Still, the issue of ingredients – or the lack thereof - remains. I doubt Lilah kept burma root lying around.”

They exchanged glances. Dawn shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt to look.” She turned to the group. “Guys? Have a minute?”

Spike tilted his head. “Minutes are all we have at this point.”

“Right. Ok, let’s all look to see if Lilah has any magical ingredients lying around.”

“Such as?” Riley asked.

Dawn ticked with her fingers. “Burma root, eye of newt…though salamander is a reasonable substitute-“

“Ewww.” Cordy interjected.

“-powdered rhino tusk, brown sugar, oak leaves, potpourri…stuff like that.”

The group fanned out in different directions, leaving Wesley and Dawn alone in the living room.

“Potpourri?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. She sighed.

“Thought it might help morale if they find something, at least. Plus, Willow always said counter spells are pretty stinky.”

He smiled. “Have I mentioned how much I love you today?”

She leaned into him. “I’d rather you just show me.”

“I’m afraid that plan wouldn’t meet with much enthusiasm among the group.”

“Faith wouldn’t mind.”

“I knew there was something about that woman I liked.”

As their lips met, Cordy re-entered.

“No amphibious body parts in the bathroom, but I think I may have to buy stock in Clinique if we ever get out of here. That woman must have to use a chisel against her face every night. Oh, and could you two possibly get a room?”

Dawn pulled away. “Not too many to choose from at the moment.”

Cordy grinned. “Being trapped in a luxury condo is a much better scenario for two than seven.”

“It IS a little MTV for my taste.”

“Unless the other six are, like, Chippendale dancers.”

Dawn stared off into space. “Yeah, that’d work.”

Wes frowned. “Sitting right here.”

In the kitchen, Angel and Faith were working their way through Lilah’s food. .

“What’s this crap?” She held up a can.

“It’s caviar.”

“Ugh. Fish eggs? Gotta be a spell ingredient. I’m puttin’ it aside.”

“All the clients Lilah entertains here, you’d think there’d be a drop of blood.” Angel grumbled.

“Hungry?”

He sighed. “Kind of, yes.”

“Might not want to share that with the rest of the crew.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

“Yeah. Well, if it comes down to it, a few of us can cut ourselves or something.”

“No.” His tone was firm.

She closed the refrigerator door and faced him. “Didn’t say I was opening up a vein right now. Worst case, is all I’m sayin’.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to think about it.”

Faith looked at the linoleum. “Runnin’ a little low on that right now.”

“Thinking?”

She looked up with a glare. He shifted uncomfortably. “Right. You meant the other part.”

“Clock’s running, Angel. Unless you got thoughts on how to deal with fifteen thousand unkillable demons.”

Angel opened the pantry door. “One problem at a time.”

Faith squatted to look under the sink. “Little late for that.”

He turned. “So you think it’s true? About siring vampires while wearing the Gem?”

“Don’t you?”

Neither said anything for a moment. Faith took a cursory glance inside a package of Handi-Wipes, then tossed them back into the cupboard as she spoke.

“I’m thinkin’ Dru could have already done it.”

“Done what?”

“Sired those hookers while wearin’ the ring. Then what?”

He shook his head. Faith stood with a questioning look on her face.

“What makes you think so?”

“Those aren’t the rules.”

“This is a game now?”

“To her it is. Always.” He closed the door. “This isn’t about ending the world.”

“So…she’s stupid along with crazy?”

“I’m not saying she dislikes the idea of apocalypse. Far from it. It’s just not her…primary concern.”

Faith’s frown cleared. “It’s you. She’s out for you.”

He met her eyes. “And Spike.”

“Funky way to go about it.”

“That’s Dru.”

She sighed. “She couldn’t just storm the hotel?”

He shook his head. “She’d want it to be more…fun.”

Faith had nothing to say to that, so she changed the subject. “There’s nothing in here we can use.”

Angel nodded in agreement. “Worth a try, I suppose.”

“Maybe Cordy’ll find some potpourri.”

He smiled slightly. “I doubt she bought that either. Nice of Dawn to throw it in, though.”

“Yeah.” She began walking out of the kitchen.

“They’ve gone by now.”

Faith stopped, keeping her back to him. “And?”

“You’ll see him again.”

“How do you know?”

“Buffy and Willow will watch over him. You know that.”

“Supposed to be my job.”

“Right now we have our own job to do.”

“Spare me the ‘mission comes first’ speech.” She snapped. “I’ve heard the song before.”

Angel said nothing for a long moment. Faith sighed and turned around.

“Look, I know you’re tryin’ to…Angel?”

He was staring at her with a vacant expression. She squinted.

“That better not be the hungry look.”

Angel blinked. “What? No. No…I’m having a thought.”

“Looks deep. Wanna share?”

He closed his eyes briefly before moving past her. “Not really, but come with me anyway.”

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

“I can’t believe we stopped to do this.” Willow said as the huge blueberry waffle was placed before her.

“Hey, it’s only fair.” Buffy chirped. “Plus, we had time to kill.”

Xander moaned. “This is the first time I’ve ever come in here and ordered water only.”

Buffy nodded. “A definite sign of the apocalypse.”

That brought the conversation to a screeching halt. Xander sobered quickly, fiddling with the lemon in his glass. Buffy cleared her throat loudly.

“So, I could eat some more chocolate chip pancakes. They have those here?”

“More?” Willow asked with her mouth full of whipped cream. “Jeez.”

“Hey. Big fight coming. Plus, Slayer metabolism.”

Xander nodded without smiling “Yeah, you guys do eat like horses.”

Buffy slapped him on the arm. “I’m telling Faith you said that.”

“Let’s hope we get the chance. And, by the way, OW!”

She put her head against his shoulder, watching Willow eat. “We’re all going to tell her.”

Xander shook his head doubtfully. “Ok.”

“Know why?”

“Tell me.”

“’Cause we’re just that damned good. Right?”

Willow gave Buffy a blueberry-stained thumbs up. Buffy turned her face toward Xander, putting her chin on his shoulder.

“See?”

“Charming me isn’t going to work.”

Buffy smiled widely. “Are you suuure?”

Xander couldn’t help but smile back. “Get away from me, Toll House breath.”

“Yeah, like that’s worse than onions and chives.”

“Hey, you’re the one who decided to get close.”

“I love you guys.” Willow sniffed. Buffy and Xander instantly stopped smiling.

“What’s wrong?”

Willow shook her head, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin. “Just…you know, pregnant lady crying for no reason.”

Xander sighed. “Actually, there’s plenty.”

Buffy took Willow’s hand sympathetically. “I don’t mean to rush you, but…” She glanced at the clock on the wall.

“Right. Let me get a box for the rest of this.”

Buffy nudged Xander. “See? She’s getting a box. Willow believes.”

“Ok, Buff. I’ve bought a first class ticket on the positivity train.” He smiled widely. “Better?”

The waitress came at that moment. Willow began scraping blueberries into the styrofoam while Buffy began toying absently with her fork.

“So guys-“

“Wait.” Xander held up a hand. “I feel a speech coming on.”

“Oh God, can we not do that this time?” Willow asked in a pleading tone. “We promise we understand what’s at stake.”

Xander nodded with enthusiasm. “Absolutely. Ready to fight to our dying breath. No motivation required.”

Buffy scowled. “I was going to say this one’s on me, but you know what?” She slid the check over to Xander. “You millionaires can afford your own.”

“Oh. Ummm…”

“Sorry.” Willow said quietly.

“Come on, was I really that bad?”

Xander and Willow exchanged uncomfortable glances.

“Well…”

Buffy held up a hand as she slid out of the booth. “Forget it. We don’t have time for you to come up with a tactful way to say how much I sucked.”

Xander felt bad now. “Buff, some of them weren’t bad.”

She stood with her arms folded. “Thanks for the ringing endorsement. Don’t forget to leave the tip.”

Willow dug through her fanny pack for some singles. “I’ve got it.” Xander nodded, then left them alone.

“Buffy, did you already tell him to stay with you?”

She shrugged. “Of course.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

Buffy closed her eyes. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me.”

“We need to communicate this stuff.”

“Sorry. So…which is he going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

Buffy just nodded. After a moment, Willow managed a grin. “You know, you could make amends by telling Xander to let me drive.”

“I don’t think so. We want to get there on time.”

“What’s the rush? Can they start an apocalypse without us?”

Buffy took Willow’s arm with a smile of her own. “Good point.”

“So I can-“

“No.”

Xander walked back toward them. “Are my girls ready?”

Buffy smiled. “We are.”

The original Scooby Gang left the International House Of Pancakes, prepared to face their destiny.

- End Chapter Thirty-two -

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