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Extra Extra thanks to Meli for betaing this chapter wicked fast! :) She did a great job, as usual!!

Thank you to all of you for you reviews! Now the story starts getting good. Someone in the initiative gets it, and little William inflicts some damage of his own.

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Chapter 16 - Changes

Willow was thankful that Xander still had some commando gear leftover from the year they turned into their Halloween costumes. Although she had to use a belt to keep her camouflage from hanging too loosely off her, it would do the job. She had to admit though; Giles looked a little odd in his camouflage suit. Xander’s suit was the only real outfit that fit.

The three of them were an odd site. It seemed like a good idea at first to hide in the bushes and then rush to the car so they could follow Forrest to wherever Riley may be, ergo leading to Buffy.

“G-Man, I see him through my infrared goggles. Looks like he is on a phone or a walkie talkie.”

Giles removed his glasses and polished them in frustration. Willow just shook her head.

“What? Why are you all looking at me like that?” Xander said while he plucked some red berries out of Willow’s hair.

“Xander, perhaps it is because no matter how many times I ask you not to call me that horrid nickname you disregard my request.” Giles patiently explained, knowing it was falling on deaf ears.

“G-Man? Huh, never realized it bothered you so much. I’ll have to come up with something new for you. Like Rupster or …”

Xander did not get to finish his thought as Giles and Willow let out a simultaneous reply of “NO!”.

“Well I’m just saying, you guy’s should know me by now. Can’t take the Xan-man anywhere.” Xander looked through his infrared back into the house. “Looks like he’s packing for a trip.”

“And it looks like you folks aren’t out here camping.”

Willow, Giles, and Xander whipped around quickly to face an unhappy Maggie Walsh. A very unhappy and armed Maggie Walsh.

“Trying to foil my plans Miss Rosenberg?”

“No, no we were just out here checking out the neighborhood. You know, neighborhood watch program. Gotta keep it safe!” Willow mumbled nervously as she reached into her pocket for her bloodstone.

“You’re a bright young lady Miss Rosenberg. Just not bright enough to cover your trail as you hacked your way into the Initiative’s records. My hackers were easily able to lock on to your PC and whereabouts,” Maggie explained.

With their undercover work foiled, Giles was not pleased. “You have no business interfering in the life of my Slayer.”

Maggie sneered at the Englishman, “As a member of rank in the United States Government, I have all the right in the world to interfere in order to fulfill my mission. Which includes deporting you or eliminating you,” she paused for a moment as she looked around at each of them, “all of you.”

Maggie neglected to pay close attention during her little speech, as she was too focused on making her threat that the last words she heard were Willow’s whispered “So mote it be.”

In a flash, all that was on the ground were the clothes Maggie had been wearing.

“What did you do Willow?” Giles asked for once thankful that the witch had used her powers.

Willow leaned over and sifted through the pile of clothes until she found her prize.

“I made a new friend for Amy!”

Willow picked up Maggie the rat and put her into her backpack, “One down, one more to go!”

“While I’m grateful you saved us from the wrath of that woman, I’m afraid we can’t turn Forrest into a rat.” Giles said.

Willow just let Giles condescending tone roll off her. She knew that he just did not understand her. Xander interrupted her train of thought as he let them know that it appeared Forrest was finally making a move.

“He’s grabbing his keys and it looks like he’s heading for the door. Let’s go.”

Luckily, the three were able to fumble out of the bushes and make it to Giles’ car before Forrest made out of his front door. The commando would have heard the not so quiet rush to the car if he had been outside.

Of course, they did not realize that the only reason for the delay was that Forrest was on the phone with Riley discussing where Maggie could possibly be.

~~~*~~~

Riley was groggy, but he had managed to process what Forrest had told him. Walsh had not arrived at Forrest’s place. She was overdue by an hour and Forrest had no choice but to leave her behind in order to get to the helicopter in time.

Riley did not want to say it, but he knew that Buffy’s friends had to have interfered. ‘They may have gotten Maggie, but there is no way they’d be able to overpower both Forrest and I at the same time,’ he thought to himself. He sat up in the bed and threw his legs over the side to sit up. With fresh eyes, he looked around the room and shame filled him. This really was not the place to bring a lady, but it served its purpose. He still felt bad that he had left Buffy out in the SUV, but she was knocked out and there was no telling what she would do with her new fangs. Better to be safe than sorry.

He walked into the shower to freshen up before the drive. He looked around and saw the hard water stains permanently etched onto the tub and sink. About the only think that looked clean were the towels. ‘Get over it soldier boy,’ he thought, ‘you’ve bathed in the jungle with oversized bugs, snakes, and dirt.’ Riley reached past the soap scum encrusted shower curtain and turned the water to the shower on as hot as he could. As he began to strip down, he heard Cordelia screaming in pain. He rushed into the room to ready to attack whatever was hurting her.

Riley saw her clutching her head, and recognized that she was having a vision. He walked over to comfort her, but she gestured to him to keep his distance.

“Just go shower. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.” She whispered.

“What did you see?” Riley asked.

“I’ll tell you after. It hurts now; I need a few minutes to let the pain go away. Go shower.”

Riley began to reluctantly make his way into the shower, but not before he picked William up from Cordelia’s arms. As he lifted the small child up, he noticed the baby’s eyes flashed green before he felt little teeth piercing his skin.

Little teeth that hurt very badly piercing his skin, teeth that felt an awful lot like little fangs.

“Ow!” Riley yelled as he pulled William away and placed the baby on the bed. “He bit me!”

Cordelia just shook her head, not wanting to share too much information with Riley. “He’s probably pissed because you’ve kept him away from his mother.”

“But he has fangs!”

“Riley, just go shower.”

Riley scoffed at Cordelia and made his way into the shower.

~~~*~~~

“Good Boy!” Spike shouted.

“What the hell are you blabbering about Spike?” Angel asked.

“My little sprog, got so angry at the stupid soldier boy, he sunk his little fangs into him.” Spike said proudly. He looked over at Drusilla, who was staring at Spike with an evil grin across her face. “What the bloody hell are you thinking Dru?”

“You’re sprog didn’t just bite him my Spike, he marked him for vengeance. A vengeance he cannot escape. Every vampire will see or sense that bite mark and recognize that that man is marked for death for wronging the Aurelius clan. That is, if mummy doesn’t get him first.”

The car was silent for a moment as Angel and Spike took in Drusilla’s words.

“Bloody Hell! Buffy’s going to sense that our sprog has marked him and she’ll go after him to protect her child.”

Spike was very worried that Buffy would now react on natural instincts and not use her head. Angel had clearly come to the same conclusion as his foot pressed down on the accelerator a little harder.

~~~*~~~

Buffy felt her fangs descend from her mouth, she did not know what it was, except that her little William was upset and that she needed to protect him. That bastard Riley had been keeping him from her, and she did not know how much longer she could be without her son.

Riley had finished his shower and was preparing to send Cordelia out to the car with William. He had almost forgotten about Cordelia’s vision. Almost.

“So are you going to share with me what you saw?”

Cordelia sauntered over to Riley and threw her arms around him. “You’re going to be a hero. Those vampires are going to come after you and you’re going to win!”

Riley beamed with pride, he knew he had done the right thing all along, Cordelia’s vision just confirmed it.

“Well how about you get little William out to the car so we can get to Las Vegas and get this over with? I’ll go pay the hotel bill while you get settled in the car,” Riley said.

“No problem Riley. I’ll see you in the car,” Cordelia replied as she walked out the door. He never saw the smug smile on her face. She walked to the SUV and opened it up.

“Buffy it’s me. Look, I’ve got to be quick; he’s paying for the room so just listen. I just had a vision and told Riley he was going to win and all that. I lied. Spike, Dru, and Angel are on their way and they are so going to kick his ass. Ok I’m being quiet now, he’s coming.”

Riley opened the door and climbed into the driver’s side of the vehicle. As he drove away, the noise of the traffic drowned out the growling noise in the back of the SUV.

In addition, it was dark enough out that he did not notice that a certain Slayer managed to get free.