Adult-FanFiction.org : Buffy

The Shock of the Normal	By : QueenB Category: AtS/BtVS Crossovers > Het - Male/Female > Angel(us)/Buffy > Angel(us)/Buffy Views: 10695 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Buffy didn’t want to stay at the mansion that night and Angel didn’t blame her. They silently packed the bare essentials of clothing and set out for her home.
Buffy deliberately tried to keep from thinking about Spike’s end. He was dead; there was no point in dwelling on it. She would tell her friends about it, although she meant to hide the racier details.
She wasn’t sure how Dawn would handle the news. She knew Dawn had had a bit of a crush on Spike at one time; her sister might not be as thrilled about this as everybody else would be. Luckily she was still at Janice’s and would stay there until late Sunday.
Pushing it from her mind, she turned back to the problem of Angel’s son. Angel was going to have to face Wesley and she wanted to be there. His thoughts always turned ugly when he thought of the former Watcher. Angelus seemed much closer to the surface then and she didn’t want his nastier half beating on Wes no matter how much he deserved it. She just wanted to hear Wesley’s side because she honestly didn’t understand why he would do such a thing.
I’ll ask him that when I see him. She glanced at Angel’s still profile. To many others he appeared the essence of calm but she knew better. Even without the bond, she knew how angry and hurt he was at Wesley’s treachery. Maybe she should talk to the former Watcher alone first.
He shot her a quick glance. No, Buffy, it’s okay. Wesley and I need to sort this out otherwise we’ll never be able to work with each other again. That is, if I even want him to.
Any further conversation was cut short as they pulled up in front of the house. Buffy darted a quick eye at the sky. The heavens were lightening imperceptibly in the east; they’d cut it really close. As they ran to the doorstep, it was flung open by a very distraught Willow.
“Guys! Where have you been? Cordelia kept calling us. She said she tried ringing Angel on his cell but there was no answer and then she said you probably turned if off AGAIN and you so need to move into the 21st century and learn how to use modern technology. I wanted to send someone to the mansion and then I thought you guys might be busy and I didn’t want to interrupt, in case you both were, you know--”
Buffy interrupted before this could get out of hand. “Willow! Relax. What’s the big news?
Willow took a deep breath. “They found Wesley.”
__________
That news drove everything else clean out of Buffy’s mind. She forgot all about Angel’s recent injuries and Spike’s death as Willow filled her in on Cordelia’s message. Wesley had been discovered with his throat cut. An anonymous female had called 911 and reported his whereabouts. The slash had nearly severed his windpipe. The doctors proclaimed him extremely lucky; either the blood loss or the fluid flowing into his breathing tubes should have killed him.
Lorne had told Angel that Wesley had seen Holtz twice behind Angel’s back. He hadn’t said anything about Wesley turning the baby over to the former demon hunter. Angel had made that assumption on his own. This was beginning to look less and less like a bargain with Holtz and more like a simple kidnapping.
Angel listened to Cordelia’s explanation over the phone. Fred and Gunn had searched Wesley’s apartment and found the papers with Wesley’s notes on them. Many of them were written in some godforsaken language that none of them knew how to read but a few had been painfully clear. “The Father Will Kill the Son” had been scrawled in large letters; Wesley had believed that Angel would kill Connor. That’s why he took the baby.
Angel glanced out the window as he listened to Cordelia’s rambling explanation. Thanks to the encroaching dawn, he wouldn’t be able to make it to L.A. until later that night but that was all right. He wanted the entire day to think about what he was going to say to his former friend when he met him again.
Willow drew Buffy aside while Angel continued his low conversation with his seer. “Buffy, Tara and I have been thinking about a way to get Connor back and we think we’ve got a solution.”
“I’m all ears,” Buffy murmured. She didn’t know why she bothered; Angel would read her mind and know whatever she knew in a minute.
“It’s risky. But we couldn’t think of anything else and we’ll have to talk to the L.A. people--especially Wesley. Though I don’t know if he’ll be talky with his throat all sliced and all but maybe he can write. And we’ll need his help because we’ve got to plan this just right…”
“Willow, I’m sure all this is leading someplace. How about you just give me the short short version?” Buffy didn’t mean to sound impatient but she knew how important this was to Angel.
Willow blurted out, “Temporal fold.”
“Tempura what?” Buffy replied.
“Temporal fold. Tara makes one--just an itsy bitsy one, I swear!--that takes you back in time to before Connor was taken and you come forward here into the present with him. There should be a spatial fold too so you can commute between here and L.A. without having to grab a cab to get back here to Sunnydale.” The explanation tumbled out of the redhead and she paused a little to catch her breath.
Buffy wasn’t so certain this was such a good idea. “But won’t it cause one of those temporal paradoxy thingies they’re always babbling about on those sci fi shows?”
“Well, that’s where it gets a little tricky. That’s why we need to consult with everybody at A.I. and learn exactly what their movements were the night Connor was kidnapped.”
“Temporal folds aren’t to be indulged in lightly.” The quiet voice came over Willow’s shoulder and she jumped. Angel had evidently finished his conversation with Cordelia and ghosted silently to her side; she hadn’t noticed his presence.
“We know. We have to let everybody involved think Connor has actually been kidnapped so they behave exactly as they have in this timeline. Otherwise we might end up throwing things seriously out of whack.”
“And how do we do that?” Buffy asked.
Willow waved her over to the couch and picked up a small bundle. Buffy bent over it and recoiled slightly. Nestled in the folds of the blanket lay what looked like an figure made out of dirt with leaves and twigs plastered on its top. She could make out the humanoid shape of head, belly, arms and legs. Other than that it looked shapeless and sorta off-putting.
“Ooookay. I’ll bite. What’s that supposed to be?”
“What you’re looking at is the beginnings of a homunculus.” Willow jiggled the figure as if she expected it to start wriggling at her touch.
A man-shaped creature that can mimic the human form given the proper ingredients. Willow’s brow creased as she sensed the communication between Slayer and vampire. She couldn’t hear what was going on between the two but Tara had filled her in on the nature of the bond.
When Buffy turned to her again, the redhead raised her eyebrows. “Well? Angel give you the what’s what?”
“Yeah. If I’m guessing right, this is supposed to take baby Connor’s place. Hate to say it, Will, but I think Wesley is going to notice a few things are off.”
“Like I said, Buffy, this is the beginnings of a homunculus. I’m going to add some blood from Angel since he’s part of Connor and a glamour to make it look like Connor. A small spell to mask the odor and it’ll look and act just like a real baby. For the short time that Wesley had the kid, it should be enough to fool him.”
“It won’t fool me,” Angel countered. “No spell will keep me from knowing the difference between my son and that--fake,” he gestured at the clayey lump in Willow’s arms.
“I know that. That’s why we have to talk to Wesley and the others so we can keep you from seeing it.”
Buffy leaned back from the mud baby. “Right, Willow. I’m liking this plan. There’s just one thing. Who’s going to take this time safari?”
The redhead stared at her. “I thought that was obvious, Buffy. You’re the one going. You’re the only one with the speed to pull this off without anybody catching you. And if you run into a demon or other, you can totally whale on him.”
“Why can’t I go?” Angel demanded. It seemed he should be the logical one to rescue his son. “If I detect--I mean, if my past self detects Buffy’s scent or heartbeat anywhere near the hotel, he’ll get suspicious. He’ll know something’s up.”
Willow raised her eyebrows. “And if somebody sees you or senses you on the premises? How will you explain being split in two places? A lost twin brother showing up out of the blue?”
Thinking of Holtz’s reappearance in his life, Angel muttered, “Stranger things have happened.”
“Well, some of them are gonna start unhappening,” Willow responded. “But first we need to get in touch with your friends.”
__________
Angel spent a few hours in constant back-and-forth communication between L.A. and Sunnydale. Cordelia’s input wasn’t needed at all since she’d been on vacation with her boyfriend Groo at the time of the abduction. Angel had made the decision to call Dawn and let her in on what was happening; he was certain she’d want to know about their plan. Buffy had been about to veto it automatically. Then she paused and wondered why. It was the knee-jerk response to protect her sister from all things dangerous like magic. She had thought Dawn would still be wiggy about it after what Willow had nearly killed her after an evening spent at Rack’s den.
But Dawn wasn’t going to be making this trip and she had forgiven Willow for that particular slip. So why was she eager to protect Dawn from this? Was she afraid of the disappointment if it didn’t work? The disappointment would be far greater for Angel than Dawn. So the call was made and Dawn eagerly dumped the rest of her weekend with her friend with the excuse of a “family emergency.”
The plan was for Buffy to materialize in the tunnels under the hotel, make her way to Wesley’s car, switch the babies and head back to that same spot. She only had to memorize and chant a spell that would return her to the exact same place. Angel carefully outlined to Buffy the layout of the hotel so she wouldn’t be confused.
The only missing part of the puzzle was Wesley. He was still in critical condition and hadn’t regained consciousness from his attack. They couldn’t talk to him at all.
Buffy frowned as she paced up and down in the living room. She had informed every one of the Scoobies what she intended to do. Even though his help wasn’t actively needed, Xander had insisted on being present. Anya had remained, too. After nearly losing her fiancé, she was reluctant to let Xander too long out of her sight.
Dawn peered at the little dirt man lying on the couch. “So how does Buffy make the switch between Connor and the Play-Doh kid here?”
“Maybe she’s the one who slits Wesley’s throat and takes the kid from him,” Anya inserted brightly.
Buffy scowled at her. “I don’t think so, Anya. The last human I cut with a knife was Faith; I’m not repeating the experience if I can help it. Besides, whoever did the slice-and-dice on Wesley gave the baby to Holtz. I wouldn’t do that.”
Willow tapped her foot and tried to puzzle out the series of events. “We know Angel met Wesley in the hotel after Wesley attacked Lorne. So the baby has to be the real Connor then, otherwise Angel would know. Buffy can’t be anywhere in the hotel because Angel would sense her.”
“So the only person I can really get close to is Wesley.” Buffy huffed in exasperation and plopped down on the couch, ignoring the way the fake wobbled as she did so. She looked at Angel as she tried to figure things out. “Do you think Wesley took his car or a cab to take the baby?”
“He wouldn’t have taken a cab. He couldn’t have counted on it getting to the hotel in time. He would have taken his car.”
“Well, describe it to me. Maybe I can, I don’t know, hide nearby and do the switcheroo when he gets to his car.”
Xander didn’t see how that could possibly work. “How will you do that? You’d have to be super fast to dash in, switch the babies and get away before Weasley Wesley spots you. Any thoughts on that?”
Tara looked up from where she crouched assembling the enchanted circle. “Well, w-we could give Buffy a spell so she could open up Wesley’s car and get in before he brings in the baby. Then all she has to do is wait until he brings Connor and make the switch then. She can get out, back to the hotel and chant the return spell--hopefully before anybody sees her.”
“Another spell? I don’t know about this, Tara. You and Willow are the spellcasters here. I say one wrong line and I could end up turning Connor into a frog. And I still have to avoid having Wesley see me.”
“You could use a hand of glory--and an invisibility cloak. I got one in an old batch of orders. I could never sell it because it’s awkward to use and it shimmers slightly every time somebody moves in it so it’s really only good for people who are standing still.” Anya gave the news in a calm tone and then noticed everybody staring at her. “What? What did I say now? I’m not talking about sex so what’s with the looks?”
“You have a hand of glory and an invisibility cloak and you’re only mentioning it now?” Willow glared at her.
The ex-demon shrugged. “You never asked. Besides, it didn’t exactly come up in conversation.”
“Sex doesn’t usually come up in conversation but you never miss a chance to inject it into the flow,” the redheaded wiccan shot back.
Before Anya could retort, Buffy raised her voice. “Excuse me for asking but what exactly is a hand of glory?”
“It’s the severed right hand of a man who’s been hanged for murder. When it’s specially treated with herbs and the fat of a murdered or stillborn baby, it can be used for sending people to sleep or opening any lock. You can use it to pop open the car door and bingo! One kidnapped baby-to-go.” Anya beamed smugly at the disgusted faces surrounding her.
Xander shuddered exaggeratedly. “Do I even want to know how you know about that?”
Willow nodded as she put together a new plan. “That could work. All Buffy has to do is light a candle, place it in the palm of the hand, recite a short rhyme and hold it near the car door lock. It’s an easy one, too. It’s more like a kid’s nursery rhyme than anything else. That’ll spring the lock open in a jiff.”
“I’ll just get over to the Magic Box and pick them up.” Anya bounced out of her seat.
Angel intercepted her before she could get to the doorway. “Anya, why don’t you take the tunnel under Buffy’s house? It’s a much shorter route and you don’t have to worry about running into any demons on the way.”
She beamed at him. “That is a great idea. Good looks and brains, too.” She ignored Xander’s piqued expression and called for her boyfriend. “Coming, sweetie?”
“Be right there with you, honeybun. Good luck, Deadboy.” He shot Angel a smirk before ambling off after his girlfriend.
_________
During the walk in the tunnel gave Xander plenty of time to think and he was puzzled. Since when was Anya so eager to help unless she was somehow directly involved? And giving away items from the Magic Box without being asked first? Something was up.
“Okay, what’s the deal here, An? Why the charity act all of a sudden?”
“What do you mean? I’m just trying to help Angel get his baby back.” She ran to the basement shelves and began shoving aside boxes to search for the needed items.
“Uh huh. Is that all there is to it?” She located the hand of glory and absently tucked it under one arm and Xander’s mouth went dry. It was a revolting thing, no doubt about it. It was withered and brown and looked over a hundred years old. When was the last time someone got hung for murder, anyway?
“Well, it’ll be nice to have a baby around. I can get to hold it and feed it and rub its little belly. I heard babies like that. It’ll be good practice for when we get one of our own.”
Xander gulped and babbled, “Anya, I thought we discussed this. We just recently recovered from the train wreck that was our non-wedding. Don’t you think we should wait before picking out cribs?”
“Xander, I told you before. Don’t stress yourself over this. Babies take time to make and they really ruin a woman’s figure. I’d like to keep myself at a size 6 for awhile longer before getting unsightly stretch marks.” She brought up her hands, her fingers clenched together. “Aha! Got it!”
“Got what?” He couldn’t see anything in her hands at all. “Wait, is that the cloak of invisibility? Why can’t I see it?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Because it’s invisible, silly. That’s another reason I couldn’t sell it. It’s really easy to lose. If it falls off, you’ve got a dickens of a time finding it again. But you can see it a little. Watch.” She waved her two hands up and down and Xander saw it, a wavering, rainbow-colored rippling effect in the air before it vanished into nothingness again.
“Well, then, I guess we’re good to go. One hand of death and invisi-cloak coming right up.”
“That’s hand of glory, Xander.”
“Tell that to the guy who lost it.”
__________
Everything was in readiness. Because the fake-baby spell would last only a few short hours, they waited as long as possible before implementing it. A small circle was set up in the living room and Buffy stood within it wrapped in the invisibility cloak. The hood was down, leaving her head , so, so it that it appeared to float weirdly in mid-air.
Finally Tara completed the spell after adding Angel’s blood to the mud figure. Before everyone’s fascinated eyes, the dark earthy figure turned a fleshy pink. The bluntly formed arms and legs metamorphosed into dimply curved limbs ending in adorable baby hands and feet. The empty eye sockets became filled with limpid blue eyes. Baby clothes even appeared on the figure. Buffy didn’t know how they managed that last bit and Tara couldn’t explain the magical mechanics involved without making her dizzy.
Tara smiled proudly at the finished creation and placed it in Buffy’s arms. “W-what do you think, Buffy? Does he pass the mommy test?”
Buffy stared she cradled the squirming figure. Her rational side kept telling her this was nothing more than a magical creation, a thing without life. There was only a pale life force that would peter out and disappear in a few short hours leaving nothing but the inanimate dirt clod it actually was.
But it looked and felt so much like a real baby. It even had that milky, caramel-sweet new baby smell. The blue eyes stared at her and it cooed as it reached up towards the small blonde woman holding it tight. If the real Connor were anything like this, she would lose her heart completely.
Angel had left her to gain a normal life and ended up with everything she couldn’t seem to have: a splendid home, a well-paying job and a baby. It didn’t seem fair even if having a baby hadn’t made things easier for Angel. But if everything went according to plan, she would soon have Connor back with his daddy.
And what then? What role will I play in his life? From what he tells me, Cordelia was playing the mommy for baby Connor. What if he doesn’t like me? What if Cordelia doesn’t want to share? Angel’ll want Connor in L.A. where he can watch over him. When will I get to be with him? Do I even know how to take care of a baby?
Angel heard her mental distress and sent comforting thoughts her way. Don’t worry, Buffy. Humans are a lot more resilient than you think. Otherwise no baby could ever be put up for adoption; they’d want their real mothers and fathers too much. Connor will love you just as much as his daddy does. I intend to have you as much in his life as possible.
She gave him a grateful smile and glanced outside. The last rays of day were sinking into the west; it was time to get going. For the sake of ease, they had set her departure to coincide as much as possible with Wesley’s last known exit from the hotel. Just before they could activate the spell, Angel pulled out his cellphone and tossed it to her. “Here, Buffy. Take this. If you run into trouble there, you might need it.”
“Who would I call? I’m not supposed to be there, remember, Angel?”
“Just in case. You never know; you might have to get in contact with someone. Besides, I always have trouble with the damn things.”
She blew him a swift kiss as he silently wished her luck. Wrapped securely in the cloak, she chanted the spell and vanished from their sight.
__________
The air twisted in front of her and Buffy experienced a severe sense of vertigo. She staggered and nearly dropped the bundle she was holding. When her vision cleared, she found herself in the lobby of the Hyperion.
Crap! Tara screwed up. I’m supposed to be in the tunnels. Oh well, could be worse, I suppose. I could have wound up in the floor instead of on top of it. Brushing off the ugly picture that accompanied that thought, she took a long look around the space and resisted the urge to whistle. Will you look at this place? Angel told me it was big, but wow! Me and Dawn have definitely got to come here for a weekend soon.
She spun around as the door opened and tensed as Wesley came in. Angel had told her about Wesley’s lifestyle changes but the alterations in her ex-Watcher’s appearance still shocked her. He was dressed much more casually than when she’d known him. What happened to the suit and ties?
He also had a harried look on his face as if he hadn’t slept well in days. She saw him give a furtive glance around and then quickly begin packing some baby thiintointo a bag. Buffy’s gaze zeroed in on the bassinet nearby. That must be Connor in that little crib. Surely it couldn’t hurt to take a small peek…
“What are you doing?” Both the girl and the former Watcher froze at that voice and Buffy stared at the figure on the staircase. A green-faced, red-eyed demon was curiously eyeing Wesley. This had to be Lorne then…and he wasn’t talking to her because he couldn’t see her.
Buffy relaxed, trying to breathe quietly, as she listened to Wesley lie about his intention of taking the baby for a night with him and the demon rambling distractedly about Angel’s odd behavior and disappearance. That’s right. He went to see that lawyer woman, Lilah Morgan. That’s when he met that Sahjhan creep.
She looked on in shock as she saw Wesley--Mr. Weasley Wyndham-Pryce--attack and knock out the demon when Lorne figured out his plan. Will you look at that? Wesley’s learned to fight since he left our small burg. Wouldn’t Xander be impressed.
She shook off her stupefaction. If she remembered the sequence of events, Lorne would be lying unconscious behind the lobby desk when Angel had his last conversation with Wesley. That meant she had to get out of here while Wesley was still in his office.
Buffy dashed outside with the bogus baby in her arms. She scanned the street for the Wesley’s vehicle, nodding with approval when she saw the serviceable model. [That’s Wesley’s car? Nice wheels. I guess the detective demon business really pays off.] She held the hand of glory in front of her, lit the candle and softly chanted.
“Hand of glory, hear me speak.
Entry to this space I seek.
Ope the lock without the key.
So I say, so mote it be.”
There was a solid ‘chunk’ and then the door swung open. She grasped the handle and swung herself in, nervously waiting for the ex-Watcher’s arrival.
Wesley opened the other passenger side door and placed Connor inside the baby seat. Buffy watched in dismay as he tied down the infant with firm tugs into the miniature enclosure. How was she going to undo the elaborate ties, remove Connor and replace it with the Claymation lookalike without Wesley seeing?
As Wesley drove, she began slowly undoing the straps, praying that the car wouldn’t swerve, that he wouldn’t glance in the rearview mirror at an inopportune moment, that the real baby wouldn’t cry. When the straps were at last undone, she took a deep breath to steady herself. Okay, just one smooth motion, Buffy. You can do this.
She glanced at the man he in the front seat. He was evidently too tense and watchful of pursuers to notice any untoward activity in the back seat. With only a bit of fumbling she removed Connor and stashed him under the cloak. The other went into the baby seat. She couldn’t imitate Wesley’s precise crisscrossing of the straps; hopefully he’d be too worried about other things to notice.
She shrank back in the corner as Wesley stopped the car and removed the homunculus. She watched him disappear into his house and then she eased open the car door.
This was it. She could run or walk back to the hotel and recite the spell. But…she wanted to know what had befallen the ex-Watcher. His part of the story was a mystery and she wanted to be able to tell Angel whatever she could learn.
As she paused indecisively, she saw Wesley return with the false child; evidently he hadn’t noticed the switch. Then a red-haired woman came staggering across the park. Wesley pulled out a gun and spoke in a low menacing tone. “That’s close enough.”
Since when does Wesley carry a gun? Why didn’t Angel mention that? And who the hell is that? The woman was clutching her arm as if it was broken and her face sported a massive black eye and bruised jaw. Buffy felt something was off, though. She couldn’t put her finger on it but she instinctively knew this woman wasn’t to be trusted.
As she came closer, Wesley relaxed slightly as he took in her beaten appearance. “Justine?”
“He’s everything you said. It’s true.” The mysterious figure came closer and Buffy’s vague sense of worry escalated into screaming alarms. The woman continued, moaning from the pain of her injuries. “He didn’t keep his word. He took everybody and he went after the baby.”
Ah, that explained it. This must be one of Holtz’s little groupies. But it would take more than a few bruises to cause a fanatic to switch sides. Buffy opened her mouth to cry out a warning when she saw the woman get too close to Wesley.
The knife was out before either Buffy or Wesley could move and it cut across his flesh in one quick swipe as Justine shoved him out of her way. The unseen blonde could only watch as the other woman snatched up her prize and drove off in the car.
Wesley clutched his throat, his arm extended uselessly after the fleeing getaway vehicle. He collapsed onto the ground and Buffy heard the blood gurgling out of his neck. If she left now, Wesley would bleed to death; there was no way he could survive this. She jiggled Connor as the baby began to fuss and moved next to the unconscious man. Pressing one hand firmly over wound, she attempted to staunch the blood while she figured out what to do.
Of course! The cellphone! She laid Connor down on the ground nearby and fumbled inside the cloak for the cell. Anya was right about these things; they were more trouble than they were worth. She couldn’t see her hands while it was inside and she didn’t dare remove it lest somebody walk by and see her next to Wesley’s body.
“Hello? There’s an injured man in the park here. His throat’s been slashed and he’s losing a lot of blood. You have to get here right away.”
She could still see the blood flowing around her fingers. That was good; flowing blood meant pumping heart and pumping heart meant the wiry Englishman was still alive--at least for the moment. Buffy stayed with him until she heard sirens wailing in the distance.
Grimly, she waited until the ambulance parked and the paramedics jumped from the vehicle. As they raced towards the still Englishman, Buffy drew the cloak tightly around her once more as she made her escape with the silent baby.
__________
The others kicked their heels as they waited in the Summers living room. Anya had gotten the bright idea that the baby would need baby things and had headed out with Xander. Xander, being Xander, had stopped on the way back to pick up a pizza for everybody except Angel. Dawn munched absently on her leftover crust and stared once more at the empty circle on the living room floor. “How much longer is this going to take?”
“Relax, Dawn. Time is traveling in the past in synchronous motion with the present. If it’s taking her twenty minutes to do this there, then that’s how long it will take here,” Willow tried to be patient in her explanation.
Dawn had been fidgety ever since she arrived. She had pouted when Tara explained that it was safer to use the spell for only one person. It wasn’t as if the invisibility cloak could cover two people, anyway.
“But it’s been over an hour. How long does it take to snatch a baby from one incompetent ex-Watcher like this Wesley is supposed to be?” The novelty of having a baby around had lost its appeal for Anya. She was bored and wanted to go home to have orgasms with Xander.
“He’s not incompetent any more, Anya,” Angel replied. He forgot just how much out of touch the people in Sunnydale were. That was all going to change if they were going to be working together. So he tried passing the time by catching up with the others and filling them on things in L.A.
He marveled at the changes in Buffy’s friends and family. Willow had changed a great deal from the stammering, shy wiccan he’d known. There was confidence in her moves and an unmistakable aura of power about her. The quiet blonde who was her lover also radiated a quiet strength though she was much less sure of herself. She was almost like what Willow had been like when he’d first met the redhead five years ago.
Xander was the group’s heart and secret strength. The youth had felt dissatisfaction at being the only member of the Scoobies without supernatural abilities or knowledge. But Xander didn’t realize how much he gave to the others with his ability to lighten the darkest moments with his humor, his smile and his unshakable loyalty. He’d taken one of the worst beatings of his life from Spike and survived a relationship with Cordelia Chase to find love with the ex-demon perched by his side. The man was a hell of a lot tougher than he knew.
Anya--well, there was no deep mystery to her. She was a lot like Spike in some ways. Hurt by love, she’d tossed aside her humanity in one moment of foolishness. But she’d never really dealt with that original pain. She’d just spent 11 centuries helping other woman as broken-hearted as she get revenge on their males.
In a sense, she had perpetrated her original attack on her cheating boyfriend over and over again. He remembered how one of his childer, Penn, had done that. Vengeance never solved anything for people; it just kept the hatred and pain alive. Then when Xander had left her, she’d once more cast off her life as a human. She really needed to learn new coping skills if she was ever going to make it in the human world.
He found it difficult to believe that Dawn was merely magical energy in a mortal package. She was too much a typical teenager. She both yearned for attention and resented intrusion. Struggling to find her way in the world and dealing with being a magical tool and surrounded by extraordinary characters--it couldn’t be easy for her. The others would support her as much as they could but they were all busy making their way as adults in the world. They wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with her as she would like.
Angel hoped he could provide the attention she craved. After all, if he had his way, he was going to be playing a far larger role in her life very soon.
He missed Giles. Buffy’s Watcher and Angel had shared many quiet hours in the library researching demons and prophecies, exchanging notes about Angel’s past and the little bit of human history he’d managed to witness. He knew that Giles had occasionally experienced loneliness surrounded by so many youngsters impatient with or indifferent to the past. Giles had often welcomed Angel’s company as a refreshing change from the irritating gabble of the others.
But the murder of Jenny Calendar had changed all that. The relationship between him and the other man had taken a severe blow from which it would never recover. He could never make amends for that. But Angel wanted Giles to know how much he had always respected him for watching over Buffy.
The Watcher had probably given up a lot of his life to take charge of a willful, disobedient girl who had been nothing but a stranger to him when he first met her. He had done a masterful job. He would be proud of Buffy. Privately Angel wished that Giles were still here to see how well Buffy was handling the latest trials in her life.
How much like Giles was Wesley? Not a lot. Wesley had relaxed a lot of his original stuffiness but he still had a tendency to rely too heavily on books for information. In the end, he hadn’t trusted Angel. He hadn’t even trusted the other members of his team. He had let his fear of Angelus dictate his actions.
Buffy would have trusted him. She would have bullied the others into trusting him as well…or done the proper thing and killed him. It would have been a painful task for his beloved but she would have done it. Kidnapping an innocent child would have been a last resort for her.
Before he could harbor any more thoughts about Wesley, the circle lit up and Buffy abruptly reappeared. There was no puff of smoke or other cheesy effect. One moment the circle was empty; the next, it contained his darling Buffy--and one fussy, blue-eyed bundle. The others leapt up and began a chorus of welcomes and questions.
The petite woman staggered a little and grimaced at Tara. “Ooh, head rush. Warn me about that next time, will you? It’s worse than jet lag.”
The blonde wiccan spread her hands in apology. “Oh, d-did you experience some dizziness? Sorry, I didn’t expect that. I’ve never done this kind of spell before.”
“So I gathered,” Buffy said in a dry tone. “You goofed up. I found myself in the lobby instead of the tunnels.”
“R-really? That wasn’t supposed to happen. Sorry.”
Buffy flashed her a quick grin. “It’s no big. Anyway, I got our precious little package.”
Dawn bounded up to her. “Can I hold him, Buffy? Please? You wouldn’t let me touch the other one. I mean, it wasn’t here long enough. But I want to hold this one.”
“In a minute, Dawn. I think somebody else here deserves the privilege first.”
Angel hadn’t said a thing since her return but all his thoughts and emotions came churning through the bond. Without another word, she placed the baby in his arms. He cradled the small bundle and stared deeply into his son’s bright blue gaze. “Hey, Connor. Remember me? It’s your daddy.”
The baby reached up with one chubby fist and wrapped his little fingers around one of Angel’s. He smiled and burbled in the irresistible way of all human babies. Immediately all the women in the room crowded around, oohing and aahing over the tiny tot.
Buffy pushed her way gently to her lover’s side and gazed down into Connor’s face. “You would have been proud of him, Angel. He was as good as gold. He never cried out, not even after Wesley was attacked.”
Angel lifted his head and looked sharply at her. “Who did it? Did you see him?”
“Her. It was a redheaded woman. Wesley called her Justine. I think she’s one of Holtz’s insane followers. She didn’t mention Holtz’s name but she talked about how he took everyone after the baby. That was right before she slit Wesley’s throat.”
“Wow, sounds like this Holtz was one tough hombre. Good thing you don’t have to deal with him any more.” Xander commented.
“True. But the rest of his gang is still out there including this Justine. We’re probably going to have to deal with them sooner or later. Crazies don’t necessarily drift off just because their leader deserts them,” Angel replied absently. At the moment, he couldn’t really bring himself to care. He had his son back. Holtz and his new team of vamp hunters could go to hell as far as he was concerned.
Anya peered down at the baby and stifled a yawn. The charm of the little nipper wore off quickly since it didn’t seem inclined to do anything interesting. She tugged on Xander’s arm, drawing him towards the door. “Come on, Xander. Take me home and we can get to making babies of our own.”
“Anya, I thought I told you--!”
“I’m just teasing, Xander! Honestly, can’t you take a joke?”
Willow walked Tara to the door. “Thanks for helping, sweetie. It was really nice of you.”
“It was nothing. I mean, not that it was nothing. It was a really big something. I was just glad to help. Did you see how happy Angel looked when he saw Connor?”
Willow looked back at the others, their heads tilted over the tiny miracle in Angel’s arms. “Yeah. He’s a lucky man. They’re all lucky.”
Tara hesitated and then leaned in for a quick kiss on Willow’s cheek. “Maybe we’ll be lucky that way too, someday.” Before the astonished redhead could ask her what she meant, she opened the door and darted into the cool night air.
Dawn could do only so many silly faces over a baby. So she piped up with an obvious question. “What happens now? Do we set up a crib in Buffy’s room?”
Buffy and Angel lifted their heads and stared at each other. A crib with a baby in it. That would be so wonderful. Buffy could see all the plans he’d been making for the baby. [Whoa, Angel. Slow down! Why don’t you enjoy these moments? Babyhood and childhood go by so fast. Don’t be pushing the child into college before he’s even taken his first steps. Let him spend the night here. We have someplace to go in the morning.]
The morning? She could sense his apprehension with that idea.
Angel, we’ve wasted enough time. We need to see Wesley soon and get this over with. We can simply put you in the trunk and throw a blanket over you. Spike used to do it all the time.
Dawn’s eyes darted between the two of them. “What are you saying? It’s not polite to talk in front of people like that, you know. Is it about Connor? I should know these things!”
Buffy smiled at her inquisitive sister. “Connor’s staying here tonight, Dawn. I don’t think we should be carrying him back and forth so much in one night. We can make the journey to L.A. tomorrow morning. Angel and I have--an appointment to make.”
“This is about Wesley, isn’t it? You think he’ll be up to explaining what happened?”
Buffy shrugged. She wasn’t sure she’d like what Wesley had to say but knew they all needed to hear it. “We’ll see, Dawn. Did you get anything to eat?”
“Xander ordered in pizza. Anchovies, pineapple and mushrooms.”
Angel grimaced at Buffy. “Fish, fruit and fungus on one surface. That’s California for you. I’m going to put Connor to bed.” He paused. “I just realized. We don’t have any baby things for him here, do we?”
Buffy looked at Dawn. “Guess you should have gotten that instead of pizza, huh?”
“Actually, we did. It was Anya’s idea. She kept on talking about the baby. You should have seen Xander. He was so nervous, I thought he was going to faint,” the teenager replied.
“Great. Since you want to hold Connor, you can see if he needs feeding and changing.” Angel placed the baby in Dawn’s arms and the teenager’s face took on an expression of alarm.
“Me? But I’ve never…come on, Buffy! Shouldn’t you be doing this? I mean, you used to help mom with me?”
“Dawn, you told me once you were old enough to be a babysitter. So baby-sit. You can start by checking his diapers.”
Dawn grimaced and then brightened as something occurred to her. “If I can baby-sit, do I get paid?”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Did Anya ever get paid for watching you? Did Spike?”
“I’m not a baby!”
The smug expression on Buffy’s face didn’t escape Angel’s notice. “Well, you are only two years old.”
Dawn scowled. “That’s low, Buffy.”
“But all too true.” She lifted the baby out of her sister’s arms and looked over at Angel. He’d returned to his contemplation of his only child and he was bathing her in waves of affection for Connor. Let’s get this little guy ready for nappy time, shall we?
__________
Angel stood aside and watched Buffy ready the bed. She took off her clothes self-consciously and changed into a pink cotton nightie and panties. She didn’t feel it would be right to be naked with a baby in the bed with them.
Angel however had nothing more than the clothes he stood up in so he merely discarded his shoes and crawled into bed beside them. There really wasn’t much room for her, an oversized vampire and one baby on that small bed. But he was reluctant to spend any time away from either of them. In the dark, still space, he was acutely aware of his son’s breath and Buffy’s presence. He could smell her special vanilla fragrance permeating every corner of the room.
Angel?
Yes, beloved?
We’ll make this work, right?
He smiled; the words were so reminiscent of the time when he’d been briefly human. Sure we will. We’ve faced monsters, demons and apocalypses. How hard can raising a baby be compared to all that?
Her mental giggle tickled at his mind. You’ve obviously never seen Dawn in the midst of one of her tantrums. There was a brief silence. Then… Angel?
What?
Do you think I’ll have a baby with you someday? I mean, one of my own with you--after you Shanshu?
There was wistfulness and hope commingled with that thought. The idea of seeing Buffy pregnant with his child was unbearably enticing. Then he pushed the notion firmly aside.
I don’t know, Buffy. I don’t even know when that will happen. Remember what you just said about living for the present. You’ll be Connor’s mommy. The fact that you didn’t give birth to him will make no difference to me.
Thank you. You’re very sweet.
You too. Goodnight, Buffy.
Goodnight, Angel.
He waited and then raised his voice slightly. “Goodnight, Dawn.”
There was a scurrying noise in the hallway and then she called out, “I was just going to brush my teeth!”
Buffy opened her mouth to yell and then decided against it. No sense in waking the baby. She nestled closer to him, sniffing his curly, soft hair and drifted off to sleep.
Once again, Angel lay awake many hours into the night, watching over his two loves.

TBC
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The Shock of the Normal