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Author's Chapter Notes:
unbeta'd.
This chapter is unbeta'd at present, so please excuse any errors!


Chapter 28



Christine gulped loudly, realizing suddenly that she was standing there with her mouth completely agape, and quickly snapped it shut. She could feel a deluge of heat flood her cheeks, most likely shading her skin an unflattering, blotchy red and she worked frantically to pull herself together before she embarrassed herself.



Well, anymore than she probably already had.



"I... uh... thanks," Christine managed to stutter, knowing she was continuing to stare like a complete idiot, but unable to help herself. Her skin was practically humming where his hands continued to touch her body, even through the thick weight of the military-issue fatigues that kept her covered. She hadn't even realized she had forgotten to breathe until her lungs began to protest a serious shortage of oxygen, and Christine exhaled quickly, finding this man's close proximity was doing quite a doozy on her equilibrium.



"You're welcome," Angel answered quietly, finding himself reluctant to release this girl, even though he knew that her balance had been restored. He had acted on pure instinct, catching her ungainly dismount from the back of the truck after bitterly witnessing Spike carry Buffy across the tarmac towards the airplane. He had just barely caught her in time, his supernaturally-enhanced speed the only thing that had allowed him to do so.



And now he realized he was lost - floating adrift in a heavily lashed pair of guileless, doe eyes that were regarding him with the same sense of shock and wonder that he knew were mirrored in his own. Just when he was on the very brink of desolation and begrudging acceptance that Buffy would never be his, something had dropped into his arms to offer him salvation by an act of accidental clumsiness.



The spell was broken when her tiny burden squirmed gently, and Christine reluctantly tore her eyes away from the man before her, lamenting silently when he released her and took a step back, taking himself out of her personal space.



Cradling the baby more comfortably against her, Christine smiled tenderly at the still-slumbering newborn. Out of the corner of her eye, she abruptly noticed the state of her attire and mentally cringed. She looked like she'd bathed in blood - literally. Her fatigues were practically saturated after assisting with the birth of the little miracle in her arms, not to mention the unaccustomed battle and bloodshed she'd engaged in while helping to get Buffy out of that hellhole she'd been incarcerated in.



Christine's eyes darted back to her rescuer, finding herself discomfited to discover the intensity of his stare had not wavered. She smiled nervously up at him, more than feeling every speck of grime and gore that had collected on her person. "I, uh, better take this little princess to her daddy," she awkwardly informed him. "I'm actually kind of surprised he hasn't hunted me down already for taking so long."



The reminder of Spike had Angel tearing his gaze away from the soldier's face to settle upon the small, blanket-wrapped package in her arms. An unexpected flood of tender emotion poured through him as he studied the tiny, bud features of what was probably the closest thing he had to a living relative - in a convoluted demonic sort of way.



Spike and Buffy's baby.



Much to his surprise, the highly anticipated negative feelings he'd expected to harbor against this innocent being were kept at bay. Rather, he felt a sense of pride. Tenderness. Awe, even, An overwhelming sensation of fierce protectiveness towards this child struck him, and he gave in to his desire to touch the precious new life. Angel couldn't help but marvel at the softness of the baby's skin as he ran the tip of a finger gently down one tiny, soft cheek.



The unmistakable sound of a crossbow being cocked interrupted Angel's bonding moment. A growl of irritation left his throat at the lack of trust, wondering how long it would be - if ever - these mortals would stop doubting his evil intent. Not feeling especially trusting of their willingness to not shoot first, ask questions later, Angel deliberately stepped in front of Christine and the baby to shield them both from any potential threat, more than feeling the weight of multiple stares from around the hangar.



"What's the matter?" Christine asked, her brow pinched with confusion as she tried to peer around Angel. One minute, they had been sharing a definite moment over the baby, and the next? Well, one thing she could say, she most definitely did not possess his full attention. Or any of it, if she was going to get technical, and she managed to peek around him to discern what had captured his interest so intently.



When she witnessed the row of soldiers with their weapons trained on them, Christine flushed once more as she realized that most likely every person in the hangar had observed her reaction to being rescued, hoping she hadn't really been as awestruck as she thought she had.



"Oh, bloody hell, do you plan on standing there all day?" Giles snapped, reaching Angel's side in a few, quick strides. His nerves were strung taut as it was without having to worry about how the souled vampire fared in a building full of Council employees.



Angel sighed in annoyance at Giles' question. Having heard more than her fair share of sighs during the journey, Christine knew now, without a doubt, that this was the man who had been driving the truck.



No, not man. Vampire.



And to her surprise, she realized she had no issues with that. A small smile decided to play upon her lips as she followed the two men into the plane, the pit of dread that had been her stomach not long before was now experiencing something akin to excitement.



And for the first time ever, she felt truly free.



*****

The next several hours passed by quickly and in a completely surreal manner. But, at least Christine could say that she was clean again. Dressed in a borrowed pair of sweat pants with a matching sweat shirt that was much too large for her small frame, flattering was not a term she could have chosen to describe her attire.



But she wouldn't have traded it for anything.



The relief she'd experienced at shedding her camouflaged crust of deceit and betrayal had been indescribable, especially knowing the rough canvas would never touch her skin again. She had more than served her country, as far as she was concerned, knowing in the back of her mind that she was lumping every branch of military in the same diabolical category, but not caring enough to separate them in her regard.



Doing her best to wash up in the small, cramped bathroom aboard the Council luxury jet, Christine took a moment to study herself in the mirror, something she'd rarely indulged in. She had always downplayed her appearance, wanting to fade into the background rather than make any type of statement.



Idly, she wondered if the time for that was over. She had a new life in front of her - maybe it was time for a new 'her'.



After deciding that what she had to work with was probably hopeless, Christine exited the small bathroom and made her way down the narrow aisle. When her eyes immediately scanned the cabin occupants for the location of Angel, she didn't even try to deny or justify it. She hadn't had another opportunity to speak with him since they took off; Xander having ruined that plan by monopolizing him the second they'd been ushered onboard. For her, this keen sense of awareness to the vampire's presence was almost painful, not having felt anything of its magnitude since an unrequited crush in junior high school.



To her disappointment, her search came up empty. The section was vacant, save for a handful of Council muscle that hadn't been left behind at the hangar. She couldn't help the small sigh that escaped past her lips as she lowered herself back into the comfortable seat she'd vacated earlier in favor of the bathroom, snapping the seatbelt into place out of habit rather than out of any safety concern. She felt oddly restless instead of the expected exhaustion, wondering if she should go back and see if Buffy needed anything. She decided against it, already having been excused once she'd delivered the baby into Spike's waiting arms. Once that had been accomplished, there had been nothing left for her to do in the makeshift infirmary, finding the medical personnel extremely capable. When Spike had finally succumbed to sleep, she had taken a seat in the cabin.



Christine yawned.



She knew she could do with a bit of rest herself, the muscles of her body still aching in protest from being tazered. Looking out the window, Christine idly contemplated what England would bring.



"Can I sit here?"



Christine started at the unexpected interruption, her head snapping around to find Angel hovering in the aisle.



"Oh, uh, yeah. Sure." Christine gestured to the seat next to her, not able to tear her gaze away when Angel lowered himself into it.



Both were silent for a moment, finding it not in the least bit uncomfortable. Eventually, Angel broke the peaceful quiet.



"They're all asleep back there." He gestured to the back where the medical team had set up. "I was just checking on them."



Christine nodded. "Yeah. To say it's been a hard day is a bit of an understatement. Doesn't surprise me."



"Can't say as I disagree there." Angel's intense gaze zeroed in on her throat and he couldn't stop himself from reaching out to trace the mark he found there, his nostrils flaring with anger. "Spike bit you."



Christine knew it was a statement rather than a question and merely nodded, unable to help the tiny shiver that his touch produced. "Yeah, he did. He wasn't trying to kill me though."



"No?"



"No. He was kinda using me as his... decoy, I guess you could call it."



"What happened?" There was still a slight chill in his voice, and Christine found herself wanting to reassure him of Spike's innocence.



"They had taken Buffy away to induce her labor and Spike just used me to get their attention and to get them in the cell so he could escape and go find Buffy. I don't even think he drank anything, he just kinda bit me and then got mad at me because I wasn't acting scared and hysterical."



Angel looked confused. "Wait, why were you even in there? You were locked in the cell with him, right?"



Christine quickly realized that she was still pissed off about what her superiors had done because she could feel herself getting bent out of shape all over again, trying to figure the best way to describe her involvement. "They basically threw me in the cell to see if Spike would kill me or not."



Angel's jaw clenched with anger, and through his outrage, he realized that Spike deserved even more credit than he initially thought, recalling the way the other vampire had made sure that this girl made it into the back of the truck with the others while she had been unconscious.



"So he didn't try to attack you before that?"



"No." She smirked. "He was an asshole, I won't deny that, but he was mostly concerned about Buffy." She cocked her head to look at him. "How long have you known him?"



Angel sighed heavily. "Not long enough, apparently."



tbc


Chapter End Notes:
Chapter 29 will be posted shortly! Two years after this chapter was written but hey, better late than never :P



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