Chapter Twenty- Two- A Cry in the Dark

Willow arrived to hear commotion upstairs. She had been at the library, studying for an exam her professor had warned the students about. The red-head followed the voices to Buffy’s room. She pushed the door open to see Giles, Tara, Dawn, Spike, and Buffy. Buffy was in bed, a weird expression on her face. Her eyes were vacant, seemingly faraway.

“Hey, guys,” Willow said, her voice a little uncertain.

Giles glanced over. “Willow,” he acknowledged.

“What’s up?”

Buffy suddenly came out of her daze. “Giles dropped a bombshell on us, that’s what.” Her voice was harsh. “Alexis seems to be my daughter.”

Blinking, Willow tried to comprehend this. “What? How?”

Buffy crossed her arms. She turned to her mentor. “We were just getting to that.” She raised an eyebrow, expectantly.

Giles cleared his throat. “I found out a couple weeks ago. I found a prophecy. I deduced her origin by the passages. She will someday save us all from demons. She was telling the truth about that part. It told of how she would be born of a slayer and vampire given breath. I assume the words refer to Spike’s transformation.”

“Weeks! You knew for weeks!? And you had no intention of telling me!”

“Calm down, will you.” Giles took off his glasses. He sighed. “Alexis made me see that the information could drastically change the future. Which is most likely unavoidable now.”

“Who’s to say that that is a bad thing? We might all end up as millionaires now.” She let out a humorless laugh.

“Yes, but we don’t know for sure.”

“There’s something you could enlighten me on, watcher,” Spike spoke up. “How can Alexis be in two places at once? Didn’t you mention something about how there couldn’t be doubles?”

“Uh, normally that would be true. The risk of atoms colliding is too great. Alexis is able to exist in two forms because one is currently secluded in Buffy’s womb. There is no danger of Alexis touching herself. Buffy’s stomach serves as a barrier to . . .”

A moan escaped Buffy, interrupting Giles’s explanation. Spike went into action. He knelt by her side, looking her over. He brushed hair out of her face, searching her face.

“Are you in pain again, pet?” Spike asked.

She nodded, not able to form words.

Willow watched, confused. “What is wrong with Buffy?”

“Sh-She is feeling the pain that Alexis is. The future Alexis’s essence is the same as the one in this time. Someone is sapping it dry. Buffy can feel the baby’s peril,” Tara got out.

The red-head fixed her gaze on her ex-girlfriend. “Is there a way to stop it?”

Tara pondered this a moment. “M-maybe I can severe the link between mother and child.” She addressed Buffy. “I can’t heal Alexis. I’m sorry. I could make it so that you wouldn’t have to feel the pain, though.”

The slayer cupped her middle. Her eyes glistened. She shook her head.

“No. I won’t be able to feel her. And if I can’t . . .” Buffy took a shaky breath. “At least with the pain I know she is still alive.”

Spike took Buffy’s hand and squeezed it. He couldn’t stand the thought of Buffy being in so much agony. He couldn’t stand the thought of their daughter . . . Alexis suffering either.

He couldn’t believe it. He had been around Alexis for awhile now and hadn’t even had a suspicion. True, he had noticed something between them. They had some sort of bond. But he hadn’t realized . . . She was so strong and beautiful. Like her mother. Her eyes. His chest swelled as he imagined her gaze. Those blue orbs matched his own. Pride spread through him as the miracle of it all crashed down on him. He was a father. Buffy and he had given life to an amazing creature.

Pressure crushed Spike’s hand. He realized that it was Buffy. She was clenching him as another blow hit her. This time it wasn’t only a moan that came out of her, but a full out bellow.

“I can’t stand this,” Spike growled. He snapped his head to the side. He pointed at Willow and then at Tara. “One of you Wiccas, I don’t give a bloody damn who, is going to find my daughter.”

“I-I can’t,” Willow muttered.

Spike nodded. “Right then. Glinda, you’ve been elected.”

“I can try,” Tara replied.

Fire flared in his eyes. “You won’t ‘try’, you will ‘do’!”

Tara jumped, startled by the tone he used.

Spike looked away, ashamed. “Sorry, ducks. Didn’t mean ta . . .”

“N-no, it’s okay. I understand.”

“Do what you can. Please.”

“I will.”

Buffy collapsed against the pillows. The tremors of pain had ceased, leaving her exhausted. She was sweaty and her eyes fluttered, wanting to close.

“Spike,” Buffy whispered.

He stroked the side of her face. “What is it? Is there anything I can do?”

“Help her. Please, Spike,” she pleaded.

“We’ll find her and bring her home to us.”

Buffy held both his hands in her grasp. “I can feel her so strongly. I think she’s ready to give up. I’m . . .” Buffy let out a sob. “I’m afraid she’s dying.”

“No,” Spike said firmly. “She’s going to be all right. The good witch’ll do a location spell. Then we can storm in there and kick the git’s ass that stole our lil’ girl from us.”

A small smile formed on Buffy’s mouth. “I believe you.” She kissed his palm and then let him go. Her eyes closed.

He kissed her forehead. “Sleep, slayer. Everything will be right as rain when you wake up. Spike’ll fix everythin.”

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A while later Buffy awoke to feel Spike stroking her cheek. She forced her eyes open, focusing on his concerned features.

“We found out where she is,” he told her.

His words made her more alert. She sat up and then swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“What are you doing?”

Buffy got to her feet. Her legs were wobbly, but she managed to support her weight.

“I’m going to find my daughter, that’s what,” she declared in a determined voice.

The bleached-blonde grabbed her shoulders. He stared her hard in the face. “What if another attack hits? I can’t let you come, much too risky.”

She shook her head. She thrust his hands off her. “I am going!”

“Think rationally, slayer!”

She took a deep breath. “Fine. Get Tara in here. She can do that separating spell she was talking about. Then I can join the action without feeling Alexis’s pain.”

“Buffy . . .” Spike sighed.

“I can’t stay here just lying around. I’m the slayer, damnit. You have to understand.” Her hand touched her rounded belly. “She’s my little girl, Spike. Please.” She pleaded with her eyes.

How was it that he could never deny her anything? “Bloody hell. Okay. I’ll get the witch in here so that she can do her hocus pocus on you.”

Tara agreed to do the spell. Before performing the magic she informed everyone that it would deplete her reserves for the night, though. Afterward, Tara collapsed on the couch, exhausted. Buffy was left refreshed and ready for battle. She thanked the other woman tremendously for helping her.

Tara offered Buffy a tired smile. “You’re welcome.”

Dawn offered to stay with Tara. She already knew that her sister would not allow her to join the fight.

Buffy, Spike, Giles, and Willow suited up with weapons and headed out into the night.

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Alexis could hardly keep her eyes open. She had already passed out a couple times and fought doing so again. She watched the vampire and witch interact before her. There had also been a demon that had made a brief appearance. He was gross looking with gray skin. She deduced that it must be the Gestalt.

“Why have you stopped?” Judas angrily asked.

“Because,” Celeste replied,” Anymore could kill her.”

“That is our goal, or have you forgotten?”

“Yes, but we need her alive to drawl the slayer to us.”

Judas growled, frustrated. He was losing patience. This woman seemed to forget who was in charge.

Just then the door to his lair was thrown open. His head snapped to the side, taking in the commanding form of the slayer. She wore fitting black attire, crossbow in hand. Beside her stood a bleach-blonde man. He held a sword, a menacing look on his face. Two others were behind them, but Judas paid little attention to them.

Buffy pointed her weapon at Judas. She glanced around at his lair. It resembled a castle dungeon. “You could use a decorator,” she remarked. She smiled over at her companion. “Makes your crypt look like a palace.”

Spike smirked. It quickly dissipated when he noticed the girl hanging by her wrists. She raised her head, her eyes meeting his with hope. He took a step toward Judas, his sword raised. He was halted by Celeste, however. She made the blade slip out of his grasp, and cause him to freeze in place.

Willow’s eyes enlarged. She was very powerful. She noted the emerald eyes that gleamed with supremacy. This woman had been taken down the route of darkness and had let it consume her. She shivered.

“Spike!” Buffy called.

“I can’t move. The bint has me in her control,” Spike said.

A crooked, unnerving grin formed on Celeste’s mouth. “Watch your daughter die,” she told Buffy.

The witch aimed at Alexis. Things happened very fast then. Spike found that he could move again. She must not be able to concentrate on two things at once, he thought. He bolted forward, putting himself in the line of her attack instead. The electricity hit him. The bolts seeped into his skin, sucking at his essence.

“Spike!” Buffy shrieked.

The distraction allowed Judas to make his move. He rammed at Buffy. He tackled her to the ground. She kicked at him, getting him off of her. Normally she would have been able to jump back to her feet, but do to her pregnancy that wasn’t an option. She struggled to get up, which was a slow process. Judas recovered quicker. He grabbed hold of her, tossing her into the wall. She hit it hard, letting out a grunt.

Giles went into rescue mode. He came at Judas with a battle axe. The middle-aged man wasn’t a bad fighter. He was trained well in mortal combat. But this was a vampire of high ranking. Not a master yet, but definitely not your average fledgling. He cut the vampire across the chest, wounding him. He almost decapitated the vamp as well, but Judas blocked. The blade hit Judas’s arm instead.

Meanwhile, Willow rushed to Alexis’s aid. She knelt by the girl’s side.

“Are you all right?”

Alexis nodded.

“The key. Do you know where it is?” Willow urged.

“N-No. It’s . . . magically bound.”

Damnit, Willow silently cursed. She closed her eyes, waging an inner war with herself. Finally she came to a decision.

Willow put her hands over the manacles. She muttered a small incantation. It’s no big, she thought. I’m not calling on the forces of darkness or anything. The locks broke, freeing Alexis’s wrists.

The teen fell, not able to support herself. She looked off at the scene around her. “Oh my God,” she whispered.

“I know,” Willow said. “But everything is gonna be all right.”

Alexis shook her head. “No, it isn’t.” Tears sprung to her eyes. “You have to help them,” she insisted.

Willow stood up. She spotted Spike’s fallen sword and grabbed it.

“No,” Alexis begged. “They’re too strong. Use your magic. Please.”

The red-head evaluated her surroundings. Buffy was in a heap across the room. Spike was being consumed by Celeste. And Giles . . . At that moment she witnessed the watcher’s arm get twisted. Giles screamed out as bone snapped. Things weren’t going very well. In fact, they were certainly losing.

The room spun. She distantly heard Alexis plead with her again.

Wind from nowhere swirled around Willow. Blackness swallowed her vision.

“Hectate, hear my cry!”

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