TITLE: Waiting For the Day.

AUTHOR: Kelly Rowe

RATING: PG

DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Angel and all other characters (except those I make up) are the absolute property of Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy, UPN and Warner Bros (If I owned them, the events of Buffy season 4 or most of season 3 wouldn't have occurred).

SUMMARY: Sequel to Between the Days. The Council, leaving Buffy to make a deal with unlikely sources to get him back, kidnaps Angel.

SPOILERS: Until the Day and Between the Days. Better to have read them beforehand because it will make more sense, but not necessary.

TIMELINE: Three years after Between the Days.

DISTRIBUTION: You want it you can have it; just tell me where you put it.

PAIRINGS: Buffy/Angel, Cordy/Doyle, Giles/Jenny, Willow/Oz, Xander/Anya and Spike/Faith.

CATEGORY: AU, Action and Romance.

Lindsey McDonald stared at the worn photograph in his hand; it was just so ironic that he should finally fall in love and have it be with this particular woman. Not only because he could never have her, but also because of who and what she was. Totally disgusted with himself he tossed the photograph to the floor; it landed in front of his desk where Lilah Morgan found it a moment later.

“Again?” she asked looking at the photograph that she now held. “You’re going to get yourself killed over her. Which is good for my career and me, but not so good for you and yours. Do yourself a favour… forget that she even exists.”

Lindsey stared up at his colleague and nemesis. “You don’t care about anything but yourself, so why even bother to offer the advice. I would think you’d want rid of me… so you could claim the promotion” he said. “Besides, not all of us are like robots that can switch our emotions off at will.”

“Well, not all of us fall for the enemy either” she replied. “If I were you I’d become a robot real quick. That’s if you like living.” She walked away dropping Lindsey’s precious picture on the ground once more.

When he was sure she’d gone, he raced around his desk and picked up the picture. He gently traced the lines of her delicate face and knew for certain that he was a goner. Why had he fallen for the one woman that it was impossible for him to have? Why had he fallen in love with Buffy?

Meanwhile across town at the Hyperion, Buffy was in her and Angel’s bathroom throwing up again. Once her stomach had settled, she stood up and leaned on the sink for support. When she looked in the mirror she almost had a heart attack; she looked so pale and sickly. Whoever had said that pregnant women glow had never seen how she looked now. Not that she was unhappy about the baby, just the opposite in fact… she and Angel had been trying for a year. Buffy just couldn’t remember feeling this tired or sick when she was pregnant with Annika. When she finally exited the bathroom, she found a worried Angel waiting for her holding their three-year-old daughter.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” he asked concerned.

“Yeah… I just hate being sick,” Buffy told him taking Annika from him. “You’re coming to my appointment, right?”

“Of course I am. I’ll meet you at Dr. Martin’s office… I’ve just got a couple of loose ends to tie up on the Robertson case” he told her. When he saw the look on her face, he added, “I’ll be there.” He kissed her gently and said, “I love you. I’ll see you later.”

“Love you too,” Buffy called after him, as Annika joined in with “Bye Da.” As she watched him walk away, a bad feeling settled over her, one that had absolutely nothing to do with morning sickness… one that told her something bad was going to happen.

A couple of hours later Angel was exiting the Robertson’s apartment building, rushing to make Buffy’s doctor’s appointment. He’d never missed any of her appointments when she was pregnant with Annika and he wasn’t about to miss any of the new editions’ either. He entered the parking garage and headed towards his car. He was almost there when he heard footsteps, acting on instinct he whirled around but there wasn’t anyone there. He decided that it must be his overactive imagination and continued on. A moment later he heard it again, but this time before he could turn around he felt the pain of something smashing into his skull. He tried to fight off the pain and darkness, but it was useless and as he lost consciousness his last coherent thought was of his family.

Cordy watched in amazement as Doyle reverted to a toddler-like state as he played with Annika and her toys on the floor of the lobby. She knew how much Doyle adored his Goddaughter and how much he wanted to have children of his own to play with, but she just wasn’t ready. The truth was she didn’t know if she’d ever be ready for the responsibility, she just didn’t have all those maternal instincts like Buffy, in fact she freely admitted that she was fairly selfish. Her thoughts were interrupted when the phone rang, so that Doyle was disturbed in his regression she got up and answered it. “AD Investigations. We help the hopeless” Cordy said in her most professional voice.

“Cordy…” a scared panicky voice came down the line.

“Buffy? What’s wrong?” Cordy asked concerned by what she was hearing in her best friend’s voice.

“Have you seen Angel? He didn’t show up here… and when I call his cell phone, there’s no answer,” Buffy told her. The bad feeling that Buffy had, had that morning had intensified and she just knew that something terrible had happened to him.

“No, I haven’t seen him” Cordy replied. “Doyle and I just assumed that he was with you.”

“Oh… well… I don’t know…”

“Buffy come back home. If Angel isn’t here by the time you get back, we’ll go and look for him,” Cordy assured her.

Buffy sighed, “Okay, I’ll be there soon.”

Cordy hung up the phone and headed back to Doyle and Annika. Doyle looked up and saw the look on his wife’s face, “What’s wrong?”

“Angel’s missing.”

Angel awoke with a pounding headache and a feeling of weakness, like he couldn’t move. He was confused about what had really happened and where he was, all he could remember was bits and pieces. Then it all came rushing back, threatening to overwhelm him, there was the intense need to get to Buffy; the feelings of being watched… followed and then pain. He knew that he had to overcome his weakness, he had to escape and get to Buffy and Annika before whoever had him did. Suddenly a door off to the side of him opened and light flooded in blinding him, preventing him from seeing the person who’d attacked him… his captor.

“So we meet again,” a man said from the doorway.

The voice sounded so familiar to Angel, but he just couldn’t think through the pain to place it to someone.

The man stepped closer, still in the light. “You know you were surprisingly easy to catch… considering that you’re an abomination,” the man said.

When the man said that phrase Angel knew exactly who had him, and who was speaking to him. Two parts the organisation and its blind, but loyal disciple. “Wesley?” he whispered.

“You remember me. How touching?” Wesley mocked. He was slightly off balance; he hadn’t really expected Angel to remember him.

“A guy never forgets the one who tries to ruin his wedding day,” Angel replied wincing in pain from the echo in the room.

“I hate to break this to you. I wasn’t trying to ruin your day; I was trying to save my charge from destroying her life.”

“Buffy didn’t need saving,” Angel said softly.

Not liking the direction the conversation was taking Wesley tried to steer it back to his directive. “That’s all irrelevant now. Both you and she shall pay for not heeding my… the council’s warning. The child shall be raised in the proper environment,” Wesley told him staring at him in disdain.

“Annika… why?”

“She’s the chosen one.” Wesley turned to leave, when he got to the door he said, “I wouldn’t bother trying to escape, the solution we use doesn’t only take power away from slayers.” Then he left; leaving Angel to mull over all that occurred and what still had yet to happen.

Pike was standing outside the door, listening to what Wesley was telling that Angel-guy. He wasn’t exactly sure that he liked or agreed with what he’d just heard… he didn’t want any part in hurting Buffy or taking her kid away from her. Once Wesley was out of the room Pike asked him, “You’re really not gonna hurt Buffy… or the kid?”

“Buffy has to be made an example of,” Wesley told his young friend. “The child however is very special… important to us and to the future, she shall be spared her parents fate.”

“But Buffy will die? She gave up being a normal teenager to chase the forces of darkness for you and your council and you’re gonna repay her with death,” Pike replied in disgust.

Wesley sighed, “I knew you wouldn’t understand. This is for the greater good.”

“No, this is revenge. Your precious council can’t stand the fact that Buffy ditched them,” Pike told him.

“Shhh,” Wesley said, “Or Buffy and Angel won’t be the only executions that occur.”

Pike stared at Wesley’s retreating form and wondered what in the hell he’d gotten mixed up in and how he could get out of it.

Lindsey wasn’t paying any attention to the meeting or to anything Holland was saying. Instead he simply sat there and doodled Buffy’s name all over the legal pad in front of him. Suddenly he felt a sharp kick to his shin.

“I think that you’ll want to hear this” Lilah whispered to him with a smirk on her face.

Lindsey turned his attention back to the meeting, wondering what had made the cow next to him so happy.

“Good news,” Holland told the group. “It seems that a thorn in our side for the last few years is about to be removed… permanently. According to our sources, Angel has been captured by the Watcher’s council and scheduled for termination.”

“What about his wife… the slayer?” Lilah asked deliberately, to make Lindsey uncomfortable.

“She’ll soon be joining him,” Holland answered.

Lindsey felt the blood drain from his face at the shock of hearing that news, he didn’t want anything bad to happen to Buffy. Unfortunately he had no idea about how to stop what was going on and had no choice but to sit back and watch it happen.

Buffy had never felt so helpless in her life, not even when she’d lost her strength during the Cruciamentum. This time was so much worse, it was Angel who was missing and she didn’t know what to do or how to find him. All she knew was that Doyle was prowling the streets searching for him and that Cordy had called Kate, trying to get her to help. The whole situation was nuts, why would anyone want to hurt Angel? He was the sweetest man ever to walk the earth… well except for when he was Angelus… but that was over a hundred years ago. Had someone or something held a grudge against the demon for that long? She was brought from her thoughts when Annika started to squirm on her lap.

“Mama? Where Da?”

Buffy pulled her daughter closer to her. “Don’t worry Anni, he’ll be back soon,” Buffy said trying to convince not only her daughter, but also herself.

Seemingly satisfied with her mother’s answer, Annika climbed down from her mother’s lap to the floor to play. That’s when Cordy hung up and came over to them.

“Well?” Buffy asked anxiously.

“Kate’s coming over. She’s gonna fudge up a missing person’s report and ask some of her friends to keep an eye out for him,” Cordy told her.

“Okay,” Buffy managed to say through the tears that were threatening to come again.

Cordy put her arm around Buffy, trying to comfort her. “He’ll be fine Buff. Angel is smart and no matter what he always comes through it.”

“I hope your right,” Buffy replied turning all her attention back on Annika.

Angel lay there in his small uncomfortable bed, in the tiny, dark almost airless room. Even though he was in pain and was facing almost certain death form a group of self-righteous jackasses, he wasn’t worried about himself. All he was concerned with… all he thought about was his family, Buffy and Annika. Were they okay? He wasn’t so sure that they were, especially after that jerk that had been Buffy’s watcher had spoken to him. Angel knew that no matter what happened in the next few days, it would be him that would die, once the council found out that Buffy was pregnant again… they’d keep her alive… at least until she gave birth. Then the council would have both children… What did they want with children? Especially his and Buffy’s? The oracles had said that Annika was important, but they’d never mentioned why. Thinking like this had given him a headache and he closed his eyes hoping that it might help… it didn’t really, but it eventually allowed him to slip into a fitful sleep.

Pike sat in the small, dingy room at the council’s hideout and tried to figure a way out of this mess that he’d found himself in the middle of. He couldn’t and wouldn’t sit idly by while those British jackasses that Wes was involved with tried to kill Buffy and her daughter. The truth of the situation was that even though she’d never returned his feeling and had chosen the vampire, he was still in love with her and was going to protect her to the best of his limited ability.

Pike looked up towards the corner of the room, to the spot where he’d found the surveillance camera, even though Wes trusted him and had brought him into their little group, they didn’t trust him. Those council idiots thought he might have an attack of conscious, they knew him better than he knew himself… a frightening prospect. Even though it was fruitless, he couldn’t help but take a moment to blame Wesley for the entire mess, if he hadn’t reported her to the council… after four years no one had expected him to… but he had and now, it was a major disaster. Pike just lay there and silently began to plot his escape, so he could find and warn Buffy about what was happening… and also rescue… Angel, before it was too late for any of them.

Doyle pulled into his parking space next to the Hyperion and just sat there. He didn’t want to go inside and look at Buffy’s sad face, or listen to Annika ask endlessly where her Da was. Doyle didn’t want to have to go in and tell Buffy that he’d found Angel’s car, but no sign of Angel, that every street contact that he and Angel had didn’t know anything and that the host had just figured Angel wanted a night off from singing. Sighing Doyle slowly climbed out of his car, he knew that he couldn’t put it off forever; he had to go inside and talk to Buffy. He was almost to the lobby door when he spotted a suspicious car parked across the street, a familiar figure at its wheel, but before he could do anything it drove off. Doyle smiled wryly, he might not know where Angel was but he had a suspicion about who had him. He walked in and saw that Cordy was alone, holding a sleeping Annika. “Where is she?”

Cordy looked at him and whispered, “Shh. I just got her to take a nap.” Seeing the look across his face she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“No Angel… anywhere,” he told her. “I talked to everyone, but nothing”

“Buffy doesn’t need this,” Cordy replied shaking her head. “We don’t need this… he’s my best friend and a family man… they don’t just disappear.” Then she said, “What about…”

“The host?”

“Yeah.”

“Been there, sung Danny Boy,” Doyle answered, “Still nothin’.”

“Oh boy.”

Doyle looked at her carefully, “There’s more.”

“More?” Cordy said in disbelief.

Doyle nodded, “When I was comin’ in now… I saw Lindsey McDonald parked across the street.”

“Lindsey… Wolfram and Hart?”

“Can yer think of anyone else that would be after Angel?”

Cordy tightened her grip on Annika and wondered how she was going to break the news to Buffy, and how they were gonna get Angel back.

Buffy couldn’t sleep… at least not without Angel laying there right beside her, holding her in his arms. She had never realised just how much she had taken Angel’s constant presence and strength for granted. She had to find him; she needed to find him because without him she knew that she was half a person with half a heart and soul. Buffy heard raised voices coming from downstairs which suddenly were hushed, sending a chill coursing through her body to settle within her heart. She got up and headed downstairs to the lobby, even though she truly dreaded finding out what was going on, she needed to know. When she entered the lobby both Cordy and Doyle fell silent, which almost killed her emotionally.

“Well?” she asked Doyle cautiously.

Doyle couldn’t look at her, he didn’t know how he could tell her that he knew nothing but Angel was still missing. “Buffy” he began carefully, “I…”

Before he could finish Buffy cut him off, “He’s gotta be out there.”

Cordy rushed to say, “Of course he is. He’ll be fine he’s Angel.”

Buffy ignored her well-intentioned friend, “Any clues?”

“Well…” Doyle began, but was silenced by a glare from Cordy.

“Well what?” Buffy pushed.

Doyle swallowed, “Nothin’.”

Buffy looked at him with sad eyes and begged, “Please Doyle. If you know anything…”

“I saw Lindsey McDonald parked outside when I got home,” Doyle blurted out quickly and not meeting his wife’s eyes.

“Lindsey McDonald?” Buffy said in disbelief, “That slimy worm that works for Wolfram and Hart?”

“Yep.”

“Why would he…” Buffy started, but she suddenly realised what it meant. “He and his scummy law firm have Angel.”

“Well, that’s my theory,” Doyle replied.

“Theory my ass,” Cordy added, “Who else would want to kidnap Angel.”

“So what should we do?” Buffy asked.

Before anyone could answer, Kate walked in. “Did you find him?” she asked Cordy, ignoring Buffy’s presence.

Cordy rolled her eyes, four years and she still hadn’t bought a clue. Kate still actually thought that Buffy and Angel’s marriage was a reaction to his denial over his feelings for her. “No,” Cordy sniped, “Did you?”

“What do you think?” Kate began.

Buffy cut her off before she could start a war, “Shut up.” She took her daughter from Cordy and said, “Nothing, not even your petty grievances matter, not until we get Angel back. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” Cordy and Kate grumbled.

“So,” Doyle asked, “Anyone got a plan?”

Pike left his room, he knew that he had to get to Buffy in time to save her and he knew he’d never do it sitting on his ass feeling sorry for himself. He had to find a way out, a way to escape this prison. He wandered down an unexplored corridor hoping to find an escape route, but there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.

Suddenly he heard footsteps and voices approaching the area where he was, he dived into a shadowy doorway and listened into the conversation. There were two watchers, but he couldn’t quite tell which two – they all looked the same to him, they were laughing at Wesley. At his inability to control a simple girl and how as soon as they had disposed of the slayer and the ex-vampire, he was next, along with that moron he’d brought alone. The need to escape became more immediate, but also more difficult. Pike leaned back against the door, to give himself a moment to calm down, but instead of wood he felt nothing and he felt himself falling and then… nothing.

Twenty minutes later Buffy, Doyle and Kate found themselves standing outside of Lindsey McDonald’s apartment, waiting for him to answer his door. Doyle and Kate had wanted to go there alone, especially with Buffy being pregnant and under stress already, but stubborn Buffy had insisted on coming along which left Cordy as baby-sitter.

They hadn’t been here in more than a year, not since they’d rescued… well Buffy had rescued both herself and Lindsey from a Morlex beast in the sewers under Caritas. A whole year since they had, had to deal with Lindsey McDonald, who seemed to have acquired a crush on Buffy because of it and Wolfram and Hart. The door finally opened and revealed a surprised Lindsey. Doyle didn’t wait for an invitation, he just barged his way in and the others followed.

“Hey… you just can’t barge in here,” Lindsey objected, “Get the hell out.”

“No way,” Doyle replied angrily, “Not until yer give us Angel.”

“What? I don’t have him,” Lindsey answered.

Kate put on her tough cop attitude and took over the conversation, “Look we aren’t saying that you have him here or that you took him, but we know that your firm did. So hand him back NOW!”

Lindsey laughed, “It’s kind of hard to give back what we don’t have. We… and I am including the firm on this, don’t have him.”

Doyle didn’t believe him one bit and was quite ready to tear Lindsey into little pieces. “Look man...” he said advancing on the lawyer, who had stopped laughing. “Either yer give us Angel back or I rip yer a new hole.”

Buffy didn’t believe him either, but knew if Doyle was allowed to kill him that they’d never find out the truth. “Calm down Doyle,” she interceded. Then she turned towards Lindsey, using the crush he had on her against him, “Please Lindsey. If you know anything…”

Lindsey felt himself giving in. “I’m telling you the truth, we don’t have him.”

Buffy looked like she was going to burst into tears again, “That’s all?”

“No, they do know who has him,” Lindsey told her.

“Who?” Doyle and Kate asked in unison.

Lindsey took a deep breath and looked directly at Buffy, “The Watcher’s Council.”

“The council?” Buffy repeated with a confused look on her face.

“From our reports I’d say that your old watcher finally got around to reporting you” Lindsey answered.

“Wesley? The rat-faced jerk that was yer watcher?” Doyle asked in surprise. “I didn’t think he had the ba… guts.”

“What in the hell is the watcher’s council? And why would they want Angel?” Kate asked.

“The watcher’s council is group of British jerks who send fifteen-year-old girls out to slay vampires while they sit on the behinds,” Buffy told her. Then she asked Lindsey, “Why him and not me?”

“They do want you...” Lindsey said, “But he was the corrupting influence. The one that in their estimation turned away from your holy purpose.”

Buffy sat down on Lindsey’s couch and tried to calm herself down. It seemed that it was all her fault that Angel was missing, maybe she should’ve stayed with Pike and Wes… at least then Angel would be safe.

Lindsey saw Buffy teeter on the breaking point and wanted so much to be the one to rush over and comfort her, but he restrained himself. But he thought that Buffy didn’t know how he felt about her and didn’t want her to guess. However he was relieved when Doyle comforted the upset slayer.

“It’s okay. On the way home, we’ll drop by and beat up the rat-faced jerk and collect Angel,” Doyle told her.

“It’s not going to be that easy,” Kate reminded them.

Buffy sighed, “It never is.”

“I’ll help,” Lindsey volunteered.

Doyle looked suspiciously at the other man, “Why should we trust yer?”

“Yeah. Why should we?” Kate echoed.

“Because the firm may know where he is… and I’m the only one here with access,” Lindsey told them smugly.

“Okay,” Buffy agreed reluctantly, “But if this is a trick, I’ll let Doyle do whatever he wants to you. And I can guarantee that because of the mood he’s in, it won’t be pleasant."

Lindsey hurried down the empty corridors of Wolfram and Hart towards his office. He knew that he was risking his life… his very soul to help her find her husband, with absolutely nothing in it for him, except the chance to see her smile again. He quietly entered his office and was shocked to discover that Lilah Morgan was sitting at his desk. “Hey Lilah” he said trying to act like it was every day that he turned up for work at two o’clock in the morning, “How come you’re here so early?”

“Saving your worthless ass,” Lilah replied. “You are an idiot. The senior partner’s are having you watched and it’s only a matter of time before they sanction you for your little chat with the slayer.”

“What can they do to me?”

Lilah looked him in the eye; “Remember what they did to Rob Porter after his little chat?”

Lindsey shrugged her warning off and walked to his computer terminal. “You can’t stop me?”

“No, but they can. They restricted your access… level ten and below,” she told him.

“Damn!” Lindsey said banging his fist on the desk in a fit of temper. When he looked up he saw Lilah smiling, holding a computer disk. “What…”

“If you don’t know, I’m certainly not going to tell you.”

Lindsey tried to grab the disk from her, but she simply pulled it from his reach. “Give me it,” Lindsey demanded.

“Where it goes… I go...” Lilah told him.

“Why do you want to risk your life for the enemy?”

“An attack of conscious,” she said walking towards the door, praying he didn’t guess her secret.

“You… ha-ha!” Lindsey replied following.

When Pike finally awoke he was disorientated, all he could remember was that he fell or felt as if he had fell. He tried to see his surroundings, but it was impossible he was in total and utter darkness. There seemed to be a far off glow coming from the distance and slowly and carefully Pike made his way towards it… more out of curiosity than hope of escape.

He stumbled his way to the glow and discovered that it was a way out, it seemed to be a boarded up exit from the complex. It was the answer to every prayer he’d said in the last day, a way out, a way to get to Buffy and warn her about what’s going on and lastly a way to save his own ass. He pulled at the boards and found that they gave slightly, but not enough to allow him to escape. However he had an idea, he was going to return to his room, wait until all the watcher freaks were asleep and then return here with the tools for escape.

“Did he find the exit?” Oswald asked his assistants, Stevens and Jefferies. He had hoped that the loser Wesley had brought into their inner sanctum would have left by now, but apparently he was back in his room.

“Yes Sir” Stevens answered loyally and without a single reservation over their mission. “We saw him fall down the secret staircase. It was after he overheard our conversation… the one where we mention that he and Wyndham-Price are going to be killed when we are finished with the abomination.”

Oswald smirked either that Pike was the most stupid man on the face of the earth or he was up to something. “If he does manage to find his way out, he’ll deliver the slayer into our waiting hands and on our very own terms.”

“We do have some new information on the slayer and the group helping her,” Jefferies said.

“Go ahead.”

“It seems that two rogue employees from Wolfram and Hart are now aiding her in the quest for her husband,” Jefferies said monotone.

Another smirk lit Oswald’s face, “Is that all?”

“No sir. It seems that the slayer and the thing are expecting another child,” Jefferies informed him.

Oswald paled, “Send word to Headquarters of this. Until we hear back from them nothing must harm her.”

“Yes Sir!” Stevens and Jefferies said in unison.

Before they left Stevens asked “Should we inform Wolfram and Hart about their employees?”

“No,” Oswald said shaking his head for emphasis, “They might inadvertently harm the slayer or the child. Right now we need both of them.”

“Why do we need them Sir? Shouldn’t they suffer the fate of the abomination?” Jefferies asked innocently.

“That’s something you don’t need to know,” Oswald replied in a dismissive tone. He waited until they had left the room and then picked up the phone, “It’s all set.”

A few hours’ later Pike returned to the tunnel, this time with tools including a sledgehammer. He stumbled along the passage until he arrived at the now faint glow and broke open the boards that were preventing his escape. He climbed slowly and warily out of the opening, somehow expecting the noise to have alerted the watcher’s guards but it was all clear. He crept along the outside of the main building and then made a mad dash for freedom.

 After he was sure he was safe and no one had followed him, he headed to the Hyperion to do some confessing about his part in this and to beg for Buffy’s forgiveness. A little while later he found himself standing outside the Hyperion working up the nerve to face Buffy and offer to help. Eventually he went inside expecting to find Buffy there and instead he found the brunette he’d seen her hang around with holding Buffy’s little girl.

“Who are you?” she asked him suspiciously.

“I’m Pike,” he replied, “I have some information on Angel.”

Buffy was in a majorly foul mood. She felt sick, frustrated, angry and scared, plus she was totally pissed off about having to work with Lindsey and Lilah, the poster twins of evil. So when she walked into the hotel’s lobby and saw Pike sitting there chatting to Cordy, she just lost it. “You! I ought to rip your head off,” she yelled at him.

“Buffy,” Cordy said coming to Pike’s defence, “He knows where they are keeping Angel.”

“Sure he does,” Buffy said looking past Cordy to her one time best friend, “He probably helped kidnap him.”

“I didn’t. I had no idea what Wes and the others were up to until after,” Pike replied feeling guilty.

“Excuses, excuses.”

Pike was desperate for forgiveness and redemption. “I know where they have him and how to get in and out without being seen,” he told her.

“Why should I trust you or anything you have to say?” Buffy asked him.

“No reasons… but you have to if you want him back.”

Buffy sighed in resignation, because deep down she knew that he was right. Besides what did one more deal with the devil mean anyway, after all she already had Lindsey and Lilah helping.

“So… how much do you guys know?” Pike asked them when everyone had settled down.

Doyle spoke up first, “That the watcher’s council kidnapped Angel and is after Buffy.”

“And that they want to keep Annika,” Buffy added quietly.

Lindsey looked suspiciously at Pike. He knew who he was and also about his crush on Buffy. “What do you know?” he asked him.

“Just what you guys seem to… and where they are keeping him,” Pike said staring at Buffy.

“So what do we do now?” Kate asked as the group fell quiet.

Doyle stood up and said, “I say we go and get Angel.”

“Agreed,” Kate, said, “I’m in.” She was anxious to find out that Angel was all right.

Lindsey looked around at the small group, “So whose going to go and get him?” Lindsey silently hoped that he could stay behind with Buffy… to protect her, of course.

“Pike, me, Kate and yer,” Doyle said looking directly at Lindsey, spoiling his plans.

Lindsey decided that bravery was the only way he was going to be able to impress Buffy now. “Well then, let’s go.”

“Hurry up,” Oswald shouted at his fellow watchers. “It won’t be long before *Wesley’s friend* brings help to rescue our prisoner.”

Wesley felt all the eyes of his fellow watcher’s focus upon him and he swallowed nervously. “I’m sure that Pike wouldn’t… er… do that,” he replied lamely.

Oswald looked directly at Wesley with his menacing gaze. “Never forget Wesley, that all of this is your fault. If you had been able to control your charge, then none of this would have been necessary,” Oswald told him.

Wesley hung his head in shame; he knew that Oswald was correct everything had been his fault. It was because he’d never been able to fully live up to his responsibility and now because of him people were going to die. Wesley looked up in time to see several watchers dragging an unconscious Angel out of the building and loading him into a waiting van. He closed his eyes momentarily and prayed that all this horribleness would be over soon.

An hour later Pike, Doyle, Kate and Lindsey were checking the perimeter of the watchers compound. They were extremely suspicious over the lack of security around the place; if everything was so hush, hush shouldn’t there be guards. After a while they made their way into the nearest building, the one Pike had said Angel was being kept in and once they were inside they found… nothing and no one there.

“Where in the blue hell are the all the watcher creeps?” Doyle asked after they had reached Angel’s old room.

They couldn’t even find a clue that Angel or any watcher’s had been in the building ever.

“I don’t know. This place was crawling with them a few hours ago,” Pike replied confused.

Kate stated the obvious, “Not anymore.”

Lindsey didn’t comment, he simply wandered around the room Pike had shown them too. Eventually he spotted a wallet under an old chair, when he opened it he found the proof that Pike was in fact telling the truth. “Hey Irish drunken guy,” he said.

“My name is Doyle, Liny” Doyle replied walking over to him.

Lindsey ignored Doyle, “That Pike guy was right, they were here.”

“And how do yer know that?” Doyle asked him.

Lindsey handed Doyle the wallet, “That’s why.”

Doyle opened the wallet and gasped, when he’d recovered he said, “What are we going to tell Buffy?”

Buffy was freaking out; they’d been gone for more than two hours without a word. But it wasn’t just the waiting for news of Angel from them; it was also Lilah Morgan. The woman had been glaring at her since the group had departed and it was pissing Buffy off.

Finally she snapped, “What in the hell did I ever do to you?”

Lilah pretended she had no idea what Buffy was talking about. “What?” she replied.

“Oh please,” Cordy joined in, having wanted to bitch at her since she’d arrived. “You’ve been glaring at her for more than an hour.”

Lilah looked at the younger women with distaste. “You’re both delusional. I simply wouldn’t waste my energy glaring or anything else at you two little girls.”

Before either girl could reply, the lobby door opened and all of their attention was focused there. Unfortunately when they all marched in there was still no Angel. “Where is he?” she asked.

Doyle handed Buffy Angel’s wallet and said, “I’m sorry Buffy. They’d already gone by the time we got there.”

Buffy couldn’t believe it, he was gone again, she just stood there in shock and eventually she began to shake.

Seeing this Cordy rushed over and gave her a hug. “Doyle,” Cordy told her husband, “Call Giles and tell him what’s going on.”

“Sure princess” Doyle replied heading for the phone.

Two hours later a frantic Giles, plus the rest of the Scooby gang arrived at the Hyperion. “Where is she?” he asked not even bothering to greet the others. He was terrified for his daughter’s safety; ever since Doyle had called him he’d been desperate to see her and Annika… to make sure that they were okay.

“She’s upstairs, putting Annika to bed,” Cordy told him.

Giles rushed past everyone and ran upstairs to check on his daughter and granddaughter.

“So… what’s wrong with the old guy?” Pike asked feeling left out and confused.

“That old guy,” Jenny answered the newcomer’s question, “Is Buffy’s father.”

Pike raised his eyebrows in disbelief, “No way. Hank may be that old, but he’s way fat and totally balding.”

Cordy took pity on her newfound friend; “Hank is actually Buffy’s uncle. Giles… the guy who ran upstairs… is actually her real dad.”

Pike just stood there trying unsuccessfully to absorb the new information. “Okay,” he finally said still confused, “I’ll go along with that.”

“Buffy?” Giles called out to her as he entered her and Angel’s suite.

“Hey dad,” she whispered.

He turned and saw her in the doorway to Annika’s room. She looked terrible and he wasn’t sure how to make it all better, so he opened his arms and Buffy ran straight into them. He tried to comfort her by telling her that everything was going to be all right, but even he wasn’t sure that it would be.

“What if it’s not?” Buffy asked him with tears in her eyes.

Giles just kept on hugging her. “I still have a few contacts on the Watchers Council. They are sympathetic… to the slayer’s cause. They believe that the council is too restrictive in its raising and training of them.”

“They’ll help us?” she questioned.

Giles let go of her and looked into his daughter’s eyes, “They did agree to when I called them. In fact I am waiting for them to call with any information they could gather.”

Before Buffy could ask anything else, Cordy’s voice floated up the stairs. “Giles there’s a call for you.”

Angel was disorientated, he knew that he was in a new place, but he had no idea where it was or even if he was still in America.

“So you’re awake,” Wesley said entering the room and placing a tray on a small table near the bed, “Here’s your dinner.”

Angel’s throat felt dry and scratchy, but he still managed to voice a reply. “You watchers are actually feeding me… amazing,” he muttered hoarsely.

“Everyone’s entitled to a last meal” Wesley told him starting to leave.

Angel quickly spoke again, “How do I know that it isn’t poisoned?”

“You don’t,” Wesley replied closing and locking the steel door behind him.

Angel sat up slowly and looked dizzily around the room. From what he could tell it looked like a regular room, but there was something odd about it but he didn’t know what. It didn’t matter as soon as he felt a little clearer in the head he was going to try and escape. And to escape he needed to keep his strength up, he checked out the food and it seemed to be okay. He ate as much as he could manage and then tried to stand, but found he couldn’t. In fact all he felt like and was actually capable of doing was sleeping, they hadn’t poisoned him but they had drugged him.

Oswald was standing there observing Angel when Wesley entered the observation room. “It actually amazes me how stupid he is… for someone of his years,” he said.

“Remind me again. Why are we drugging him? He hasn’t caused any problems,” Wesley said in response.

Oswald looked at Wesley; “He was planning something.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Who do you think you are to challenge my authority? I am the leader of the council and until I retire, my word is law,” Oswald yelled.

“Sorry sir,” Wesley replied softly.

“We drugged him because we need to keep him here and to keep him quiet. At least until she arrives.”

Wesley was having major guilt and second thoughts about this whole operation. “What makes you think she’ll come. Buffy is not stupid,” Wesley said.

“Because we have him.”

“He’s where?” Buffy asked in disbelief.

Giles had just finished his phone call and everyone was hanging around the lobby waiting to hear what was going on.

“In London. The council’s old headquarters” Giles repeated.

Everyone was shocked into silence, including the two resident big mouths Pike and Lindsey.

Eventually Doyle spoke, “So when do we leave?”

“As soon as we can get a flight,” Giles told him, all the time staring at Buffy trying to gage her reaction.

Kate spoke next, “So who is going?”

“I am!” Buffy replied. Before anyone could comment, she added, “No matter what any of you say.”

“Me too,” Doyle said.

Giles spoke before there were any more volunteers. “I think that all should know the risks before…”

“Like certain death,” Xander spoke up, squeezing Buffy’s hand. “I know, but I’m still going. For Buffy’s sake.”

“Anyone else?” Giles asked.

“Me,” Pike and Lindsey said in unison.

Lilah stuck up her hand; “I would also like to go.”

“I’ll stay her and try to decode the disk,” Willow volunteered.

Cordy said, “I’ll stay here with Jenny and look after the agency and Annika.”

“Thanks,” Buffy said to one of her best friends.

Giles sighed, “I’ll call Faith and remind her to patrol and not just make out with Spike.”

“I’ll go and count the money the Magic Box makes,” Anya said kissing Xander on the cheek.

The group broke up as everyone went off to do last minute things, such as booking flights and packing. Buffy simply went upstairs and picked up Annika, she just stood there holding her daughter and promising to bring Angel back home as soon as she could.

Buffy had never been to England, but because of the tragic circumstances she couldn’t even bring herself to look out of the window at the scenery. She just leaned back against the seat, closed her eyes and tried to pretend that she was only a tourist and not here to save her husband from the evil Watchers Council. Unfortunately her mind and heart wouldn’t allow her to pretend, and seeing how upset and agitated she was getting Giles hugged her close.

“Are you going to be okay?” Giles asked her with concern. The second he thought she couldn’t handle anything he was going too personally shove her back on a plane to California.

“I’ll deal,” she replied sniffling. “I just wish that this was all over with. I just want to be back at home with Angel and Annika, waiting for the new arrival, not traipsing across the ocean to fight.”

Giles didn’t know what to say or do, so he just rocked her in his arms trying to comfort her like he did with his granddaughter. A few minutes later they arrived at their hotel and checked in and dividing their new roommates. Giles with Pike, Xander and Doyle with Lindsey, which left Buffy stuck with Lilah. Once they were as settled, as they’d get, Giles called a meeting and they all convened in Buffy and Lilah’s room.

“I need to make contact with my source,” Giles told the group.

“So when do we leave?” Buffy asked wanting to find out all she could first hand.

“You don’t,” Giles told her, “You, Lilah and Xander are going to stay here in case Willow or one of the others calls. Doyle and Lindsey will go and check out ‘The Lion’s Den’ to look for contacts, snitches and anything else they might find. And Pike shall go with me to meet my contact.”

“I have a question,” Lindsey said raising his hand like he was still in school. “Why do I have to be seen in public with stinky Irish guy?”

“So if yer get outta line, I can kick yer ass,” Doyle answered smiling an evil smile.

Giles ignored their bickering and concentrated on his daughter. “You do understand why I can’t let you go with us, don’t you?” he asked her.

“Sure,” she replied sulkily, “But I don’t like it.”

Sighing Giles turned back to the others, “Let’s go.”

Doyle was not in a happy mood. Not only had his best friend and business partner been kidnapped by a bunch of socially retarded Englishmen, his wife was in a whole other country, his best friend’s wife was on the verge of breaking down and now he was stuck with Lindsey McDonald, evil lawyer extraordinaire.

“So where are we actually going?” Lindsey asked him when they were almost at their destination.

Doyle sighed, “The Lion’s Den.”

“And?”

“It’s a pub,” Doyle replied trying to keep his temper in check.

Lindsey stared at him with his eyes wide in shock. “Your best friend is missing and you’re going drinking?” he asked in disbelief.

“No, yer moron,” Doyle answered, “It’s a demon pub. We might be able to get some information on Angel.”

“Oh.”

They completed the rest of the journey in silence. When they arrived and went inside the pub, the patrons turned their eyes on them and all conversations stopped.

Lindsey turned to Doyle and said, “This isn’t going to be easy.”

Doyle looked at Lindsey and rolled his eyes, even though he secretly agreed with him. He simply walked over to a table in the back with Lindsey in tow and waited for someone to serve them, thinking all the time that it was going to be a long night.

Giles was frustrated. He and Pike had been waiting in the cold cement-parking garage, for his contact to show up for over an hour and a half. He was about to give up and leave when he heard his name being hissed, in a hoarse whisper.

“Rupert.”

Giles swung around and noticed his contact, Alice Peterson hiding behind a parked car. “Aly? What are you doing?” he asked quietly.

Alice stepped into view; “They’re following me, just because we were once friends. Plus they also know I disagree with their methods.”

“Did you get the information?”

“Yes,” Alice said digging through her bag and pulling out a folder. She handed it to him, “It’s the best I could do they cut off my information. Well, mine and that guy, Wyndham-Price’s.”

Giles wasn’t listening; he was examining the information. “It’s perfect, more than I’d hoped for,” he told her. “Thank you and goodbye Alice.” Then he went to leave.

“Rupert,” she said grabbing his arm. “Take care. Something about this just doesn’t seem right.”

“I will,” he promised her, as he and Pike left.

Alice watched them go and once she was sure they were safe, she went to leave herself. That was when a single shot rang out; echoing throughout the garage and the lifeless body of Alice Peterson slumped to the ground.

Buffy was on the phone to Cordy when Doyle and Lindsey returned. At the sullen look on Doyle’s face she quickly figured out that they had nothing new to offer, so she handed the phone to Doyle and headed to the bedroom to cry in private. Unfortunately a crying woman, Lilah Morgan, already occupied the bedroom. Buffy knew she should leave quickly and forget she saw this, but she couldn’t stand to see anyone cry.

“What’s wrong?” she asked gently.

Lilah looked up in shock; she hadn’t heard anyone enter the room. She wiped at her eyes, “Nothing.”

“Fine!” Buffy said. She wanted to walk away, to pretend this hadn’t occurred, but her conscious wouldn’t allow her to. “Are you sure?” Buffy asked her.

“No” Lilah answered. Then she got vocal; “Lindsey is such an idiot. He picks you, thinking and I do mean thinking that he’s in love and… well, and I’m standing right in front of the guy.”

Buffy’s eyes widened, “You’re in love with Lindsey?”

“Why not? What’s wrong with him?” Lilah demanded.

“Nothing... I guess,” Buffy said sitting down, “I just never figured…”

“Neither has he.” Buffy was for once in her life at a total loss for words and before she could say anything she heard the outer door open and close.

Buffy rushed into the sitting area. “Well?” she asked Giles.

He held up a folder, “We got it.”

Wesley was sitting in the watcher’s observation room, simply staring at Angel. He was a surprising creature; since they’d moved him to London he’d been quiet and had seemed to give up the fruitless attempts to escape the confines of the room. Some reasons could of course be that he was just biding his time looking for the opportunity to escape or he figured that since they’d moved him here that Buffy and the child were safe… but they weren’t, the Council’s reach was beyond comprehension, as was Oswald’s authority.

Wesley had overheard Oswald use some of that power earlier, ordering the death of Alice Peterson. The most disturbing thing to Wesley was that no one tried to stop him; they just let him get away with everything no matter what he did. Wesley looked at Angel closely and wished he’d been stronger… that he hadn’t bowed to Council pressure and admitted that Buffy had gone rogue. He just wished he’d left well enough alone. But there was nothing he could do to change that was there?

**

“So do we all understand the plan?” Giles asked the group for the millionth time.

“What’s there to understand? We wait in our teams until it’s eleven and then we burst inside,” Pike replied.

Giles rolled his eyes at the younger man and went over to Buffy. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” he questioned concerned for her well-being.

“I’m fine and I’m going,” she told him determined to get her own way.

Giles sighed in defeat, “Okay, remember that’s Lilah’s your partner.”

“Oh joy,” Buffy mumbled grumpily.

“All right,” Giles said a moment later, “Let’s go rescue Angel.”

The second that Buffy’s watch said it was eleven; she and Lilah entered the building. Looking around at the dimly lit hallway, Buffy got another bad feeling. Something just wasn’t right about all this; it was too quiet almost like they were expected.

“Lilah?” Buffy said moving along after the other woman.

“What?” Lilah asked turning to look at Buffy.

“Something’s not…” Buffy was cut off when Lilah suddenly slumped to the ground.

Buffy tried to turn and get out, realising that it was a trap, but she found the exit blocked by Watchers with guns, the watchers she could take out but the guns… she couldn’t afford to let something happen to herself. At the sound of laughter she turned around and came face to face with a stranger.

“Welcome Buffy. We’ve been expecting you,” he told her.

That was the last thing Buffy heard, because someone behind her injected her with something and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Giles and the others all met up at the rendezvous, but all were empty-handed. To make matters worse Buffy and Lilah were still inside.

“Do you think they found him and can’t move the big lug?” Xander asked hoping that was the reason.

Doyle shook his head; “Buffy can move anything.”

“Maybe we should go inside and get them then,” Xander said worriedly.

“Agreed” Giles said also worried, “Any volunteers?”

Doyle and Lindsey agreed to go and went inside looking for the missing girls, while the others sat outside worrying. Ten minutes later they returned, Lindsey was carrying Lilah, but no Buffy.

Giles paled and with a trembling voice said, “They’ve got her.”

When Buffy finally regained consciousness and opened her tired, sore eyes she found herself staring into the chocolate brown orbs of Angel. “Angel?” she whispered in disbelief, like she was experiencing another dream or a hallucination. She didn’t think that the people that had kidnapped her would put her in with Angel.

“Hey sweetheart,” he whispered back, stroking her hair. “How are you feeling? They didn’t do anything to you did they?”

“No,” Buffy said trying to smile at him, but couldn’t, “I feel pretty lousy though.”

Angel looked at her like he couldn’t believe she was there either. “You’ll be okay it’s just what they drugged you with,” he replied, “It should wear off soon.”

“Drugs? Would it hurt…”

“The baby?” Angel questioned. Buffy nodded, biting her lower lip. Angel kissed her on the forehead; “I doubt it. If they want Annika, then they probably will want…”

“This one too,” Buffy finished for him. Then she tried to sit up, but was woozy. Angel held her until she felt steady and then helped her to stand up.

Suddenly the door swung open with force and in walked Wesley and that stranger that had drugged her. “It’s good to see you up and around, Buffy,” the stranger told her.

“Why don’t you go fu…”

“Well Wesley I can see why you failed. She is a spitfire and you’re… well… I have no idea,” he told Wesley. “It is unfortunate that she was chosen as the child’s mother.”

Angel glared at the two watchers; “Buffy is the best mother that any child could hope to have.”

“And what do you mean ‘the child’, she’s only a little girl” Buffy added.

The stranger laughed and said, “You have absolutely no idea about what your child is capable of, do you?”

“Uh… I don’t know either, Oswald,” Wesley spoke up.

Oswald rolled his eyes at Wesley and allowed his arrogance to overpower his common sense. “I guess that it can’t hurt to tell you, after all it’s not like any of you will get a chance to tell.” When he was sure that he was the centre of attention he continued. “Annika’s birth was prophesised over a thousand years ago. She is the one who will through her unique abilities start a chain reaction that will rid the world of all evil creatures.”

Buffy and Angel exchanged looks of worry, while Wesley asked, “What abilities?”

“Unknown,” Oswald replied simply. “But we are unwilling to allow the fate of the world to rest upon their shoulders. The child will be raised in the proper environment.”

“How can it be the proper environment to take a child away from her parents?” Angel asked.

“The proper environment is away from all danger and temptation,” Oswald said, “Parents have nothing to do with it.” He walked over to the door and called out, “Guards!”

“What’s this?” Buffy asked as several watchers burst into the room.

Oswald ignored her question, “Take him away.”

The watchers grabbed Angel, who still lacked the strength to fight them off. They dragged him from the room towards an unknown destination.

Wesley was shocked and horrified, “Where…”

“It’s time to rid the world of an abomination,” Oswald cut him off leaving the room where Wesley stood still in shock and Buffy was crying.

Sitting in Buffy and Lilah’s room, the groups’ emotions were running from depressed to angry. Everyone except Lilah blamed themselves for Buffy’s capture by the council. They were also angry over the fact that none of them could figure out a plan to rescue both Buffy and Angel.

The phone rang disturbing the group brooding it was Willow.

“What’s wrong?” Willow asked after hearing Giles’ voice.

“The council has Buffy,” Giles choked out in shame.

Willow’s end went silent as she told the others in LA what had happened. “I decoded the disk from Wolfram and Hart,” she said when she came back, “It’s a whole bunch of stuff on the council… including the location of their new headquarters.”

Giles sighed in relief, “Thank God.”

“Get a piece of paper and I’ll tell you the address,” Willow told him.

“Right away,” Giles replied, happy that they were closer to rescuing Buffy and Angel from the council and bringing them home.

An hour later the gang stood a little ways down the road from the watchers council’s new headquarters. They were afraid to get to close in case there was some sort of security system in place that would alert them to their presence. They were waiting for Willow to call with the security measures, so that they could hopefully save their friends and/or enemies, depending on who they were. Pike and Lindsey were acting like two idiots not wanting to wait, but to burst inside and take their chances.

When the others didn’t agree with them, they simply waited until the others were distracted and snuck away to do it their way. Only one person noticed them leaving and she followed them, not to help Buffy, but to make sure Lindsey didn’t do anything really stupid. It was almost twenty minutes later that Giles noticed they were missing and now he feared that they had to rescue not two people but five.

Pike and Lindsey stood outside one of the rear entrances to the council building; they were trying to gather up enough courage to enter. They almost crapped their pants when they heard a rustling noise behind them. Trying to be big, strong, brave men they turned around to face their foe and were immensely relieved to find that it was Lilah and not some monster.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lindsey asked her annoyed and yet strangely happy at her sudden appearance.

Lilah rolled her eyes at him; “Actually I came to save your pathetic rear end.”

“I don’t need any help,” Lindsey bitched back, as Pike tried not to laugh.

“Look neither one of you two is Superman,” Lilah presented her argument, “You need someone there to watch your backs.”

“She’s right,” Pike said to Lindsey.

Lindsey shrugged, “Whatever. Let’s just save Buffy.”

“And her husband,” Lilah added, “We wouldn’t want to forget him, would we?”

Both men glared at her, but grumbled, “Yeah.”

“Then let’s go,” Lilah replied smiling at them both with an evil grin.

Buffy was pretty well freaked out. Ever since they’d taken Angel she had been left alone, without even bothering to place someone in the observation area. She didn’t like being left all alone in a strange place, with nothing to do but worry about Angel, Annika and herself. She sat on the bed and wished that she’d listened to Giles and stayed in LA, given herself the home field advantage and not walked straight into such an obvious trap. Buffy heard a noise at the door and stood behind it, determined to not go without a fight, when the door was flung open she hit the first person to enter.

“Oof,” the person said falling to the floor.

Buffy knew that sound, “Pike?”

“Who else would be stupid enough to come in here to rescue you?” Pike replied struggling to his feet. “Besides the law twins.”

Lilah looked around, “Where’s Angel?”

“They took him away,” Buffy answered, “I’m not sure where they took him… or how long ago.”

Pike looked at Buffy’s sad face and made a decision. He turned to Lindsey and Lilah; “You two get her out. I’ll get Angel.” Before any of them could answer Pike took off, leaving Lilah and Lindsey to do what he’d ordered and get Buffy to safety.

“Let’s go,” Lilah said impatiently, “I don’t want to be caught by the British loonies.”

Lindsey took hold of Buffy’s arm and said, “Pike will get Angel out… I promise, but we have to leave.”

Buffy allowed herself to be led away by Lindsey and Lilah, all the time praying that everything would work out.

Pike scurried along corridor after corridor trying to locate Angel, so he could get the hell out of there and back to safety. He turned down another one and wondered what in the hell was going on with this place; it just shouldn’t be that quiet… unless something big was happening. He heard voices and footsteps and he headed in that general direction, but he only found a dead end. He was about to double back when two hands shot out of the surrounding darkness and grabbed him, causing Pike to scream.

“Oh do shut up,” Wesley told him as he released his hold.

Pike stared at his former friend, “Great. Are you gonna turn me in?”

“No,” Wesley answered him; “I want to help you.”

Pike stared at him in shock, “You do?”

“It took me awhile, but I finally figured it out. I was working for the wrong side,” Wesley replied.

“Well duh” Pike said, “Let’s just get Angel out of here.”

Wesley moved into the light and pushed a panel on the wall and a secret door opened. “Follow me,” was all Wesley said as he stepped inside and disappeared from view.

Giles had never been so relieved, as when Lindsey and Lilah appeared at the building’s entrance with Buffy in tow. He rushed forward and enveloped Buffy in his arms. “Are you all right?’ he asked her concerned.

“Yeah,” she sobbed, “But Angel’s still inside.”

Lindsey spoke up, “That Pike person went after Angel.”

“Is he stupid or something?” Giles asked no one in particular, “If they catch him, they’ll kill him.”

Lindsey just shrugged, “He didn’t give us an opportunity to argue with him.”

“He just ran off and left us to get Buffy out,” Lilah added.

“Of all the stupid…”

Doyle cut Giles off, “Xander and I will go get him and Angel out.”

“Sure,” Xander agreed.

Giles sighed but nodded his permission, “Be careful.”

“We always are” Doyle replied as he and Xander headed inside.

Pike and Wesley walked down a small, dark hallway towards a light. Pike went to ask where they were going, but was silenced by Wesley.

“Keep quiet,” Wesley told him, “If they hear us, we’ll be executed.”

Pike decided that it was a good idea to keep his big mouth shut. A few moments later they emerged into the light and Pike saw that it was another building hidden within the original one. “Wow,” he breathed out in awe.

“They have Angel in one of the side rooms,” Wesley said ignoring Pike.

“Lead on,” Pike said still preoccupied with looking around. Pike followed Wesley a few feet to where a new corridor intersected the current one and suddenly Wesley stopped. “What?”

“Shh,” Wesley told him. “I’ll distract the guard and you sneak up and hit him.”

Pike was confused, “Why can’t you just hit the guy?”

“I deplore violence,” Wesley replied walking towards the guard.

Angel heard noises coming from the outside of the door and figured that it was time for his execution. Deciding to do what was expected; at least until he spotted his chance to escape, he sat there and waited for them. However when the door opened and Wesley walked in he snapped and attacked Buffy’s former watcher. He was choking Wesley when someone pulled him off and he found himself looking at someone who was familiar, but he didn’t know where he’d seen him before.

“Hey,” Pike said, “Chill for a moment. We’re here to save you.”

Angel looked at Wesley and back to the guy in disbelief, “Then where’s…”

“Buffy,” Pike finished. “She’s outside; I told Lindsey and Lilah to get her out.”

“Lindsey?”

“Would you stop complaining and come with me. I promised Buff I’d get you out,” Pike told him.

But Angel didn’t move he just stared at Wesley. “I assure you that I am on your side” Wesley said earnestly.

Angel’s need to get to Buffy and away from the watchers overrode his natural repulsion and distrust and he followed them out.

Doyle and Xander were wandering around the seemingly endless corridors of the Watchers Council’s headquarters, searching for Angel and Pike. Unfortunately so far they had found absolutely nothing or no one and that’s what was freaking them out the most. It was just so quiet that something big had to be going on. They sped up their search, trying to find a clue to Angel’s whereabouts… or that Angel was alive at least.

“Do yer see anything?” Doyle asked Xander as they checked out another room.

“Nope,” Xander replied worriedly. He wasn’t really concerned over Angel’s loss, just over how Buffy would take it. Plus working with Doyle was uncomfortable, considering Doyle’s wife was his ex-girlfriend.

They were about to give up and head back outside to Giles and the others, when they heard an alarm, shouting and a shot rang out. Without any hesitation they turned and headed towards the noise.

Angel, Wesley and Pike were moving as quickly as they could along the hallway that connected the two buildings. They were almost to the end of it when they heard an alarm sound and the shouts of men about to follow them. That was when a feeling of dread washed over them and they knew that they were in deep trouble.

The alarm was deafening and it momentarily distracted them from escaping, while they covered their ears from the noise. They quickly recovered their wits and they continued on their way out of the hallway from the hidden area. When they reached the main building they ran towards the exit. Wesley led the way, but as they approached it they found themselves blocked in by watchers, they moved down an adjacent corridor but once again found themselves trapped. They tried to retrace their steps but found that way blocked off also. Wesley, Angel and Pike just stood there wondering what was going to happen, now that they had been caught.

From the crowd behind them Oswald emerged. “Wesley,” he said in a chiding voice, “I’m disappointed. Not surprised, but still disappointed.”

“I don’t care,” Wesley replied firmly. “I’m finally on the right side and it’s not the same one as the council’s on.”

“Then you’re going to die with them,” Oswald said smirking.

Pike stared at the guy, “You were gonna kill him anyway.”

“True, but now he gets to see it coming,” Oswald replied. He walked back into the crowd and ordered, “Take care of them.”

A watcher stepped forward with a gun, but before anything could happen Doyle dived at the gunman and knocked him to the ground, but unfortunately not before a single shot rang out. It was like watching a slow motion replay as they saw the bullet leave the gun and travel towards a target. There wasn’t time to avoid it and Angel slumped to the ground at impact, bleeding profusely.

“Grab him,” Doyle, yelled to Pike and Wesley, as he and Xander started to hit any watchers that approached.

“Shouldn’t we stop the bleeding?” Wesley asked.

“Later,” Doyle said, “We have to get outta here alive first.”

Wesley and Pike took hold of Angel, pulling the wound and started to drag him out. As they moved past Doyle and Xander, they grabbed his legs and the four men ran as quickly as they could towards the exit and safety, with the watchers on their tail.

A few precious seconds later they emerged outside the complex, just ahead of the watchers. There was a surprise waiting outside, a contingent of police officers waiting to take the bad guys into custody.

Doyle stared at the cops, “Why? Who?”

“Kate called them,” Giles replied, “She didn’t think we could handle it on our own.”

“And the worst thing is…” Xander said trying to keep hold of Angel, “She was right.”

An ambulance pulled up and Angel was quickly loaded in, followed by Buffy.

Doyle watched it speed off and said to Giles, “Thank the PTB that everything worked out okay.”

Wesley interrupted them, “I’m not so sure about that.”

“What do yer mean?” Doyle demanded worriedly.

“Oswald wasn’t among them,” Wesley replied.

Giles paled, remembering Oswald from his days with the council. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Damn,” Giles said looking around, his expression one of fright.

Doyle watched the two men and knew that although this crisis was seemingly over, the big bad had gotten away… and that meant that it wasn’t entirely over, there was always a chance that it could happen again. He prayed that if it did, it was a very long time from now.

Oswald was led into a large bright office, somewhere near Scotland Yard to meet Mr. X; the man who had been ordering him about for years. When Mr. X walked in, Oswald almost died of shock. “Lord Giles” he said in astonishment.

“Oswald,” Lord Giles replied shaking his head wearily. “You seem to have not only destroyed the new headquarters and gotten good men arrested, but you left something out on your reports on the rogue slayer.”

”What?” Oswald asked confused.

Lord Giles stared at him like he was a bug he was examining, “Like the fact that she is my granddaughter.”

Oswald’s face fell and he paled, he knew that he was a dead man. He had just messed with the family of one of the most powerful men in England.

“Take him away,” Lord Giles said to his bodyguards. “Oswald… for your sake I hope you’ve made peace with your maker.”

As Oswald was dragged from the office kicking and screaming, Lord Giles pulled out a photograph that had arrived only the day before. His son’s girlfriend had sent it to him, assuming he knew about Buffy no doubt, but he hadn’t until he read the letter accompanying it. The picture showed his son, granddaughter and great-granddaughter together. He smiled as he looked at it, now he had a direct and legal link to the chosen one, one that wouldn’t harm anyone and wouldn’t soil his hands either.

A week later…

Doyle and Angel were sitting in their office and they called in Pike and Wesley. Angel really wasn’t up to this chat; even with his advanced healing abilities his shoulder was still sore and his arm in a sling, but he’d insisted that it had to be done and Doyle gave in.

“So?” Pike said wondering what was up with them and why he had to be here.

Angel and Doyle exchanged a look and Doyle spoke. “We wanna offer yer both jobs.”

Wesley was stunned; “You want me… after all I’ve done?”

Angel smiled and moved, causing him to wince from the pain. “Sure,” Angel told him, “You did what was right in the end. Plus with your knowledge of demons… you’ll be a valuable edition.”

“In that case. I’d be honoured,” Wesley told them.

Angel turned to Pike, “Well?”

“No thanks,” Pike replied. “I think it’s time to move on. New place, new job… new life.”

“Well, if yer ever passin’ through…” Doyle told the younger man.

“Thanks,” Pike said getting up. He turned to Angel and said, “Take care of them… and tell Buffy goodbye for me.”

“I will,” Angel promised.

They watched him leave in silence, which Doyle broke when he asked, “Where are the law twins?”

Lindsey was loading up his truck with his belongings when he spotted Lilah approaching, with baggage. “Going somewhere?” he asked.

“Well since I have made Wolfram and Hart’s death list…” Lilah answered. “Where are you going?”

“Home,” was all he said.

“Want some company?” she asked him.

Lindsey didn’t answer; instead her grabbed her stuff and flung it in with his, then he opened the passenger door. “Are you coming?”

Lilah smiled at him, “Wouldn’t miss it.”

Lindsey got her settled and then climbed behind the wheel and together they headed away from LA, putting everyone and everything behind them.

THE END