[A/N: Well, this is certainly shaping up and coming to a head a bit faster than I expected. Thanks to everyone who’s still hanging in with me. And to all of you that are still leaving reviews – gods, how I appreciate it. Thanks. I'm so sorry it took so long for an update, but hopefully, since the move is all but complete, things should be settling down and everything will follow from there. Thanks also to Spikeslovebite and Addie, without whom I’d be going nowhere. Title and quotes are as attributed.

Previously: Riley’s shown his true colors; Travers has pitched an idea; and Buffy’s labor has started. This picks up immediately following the last chapter, although it does skip around time-wise.

Book Three

Chapter Twenty No eternal allies

Death and taxes and childbirth!
There’s never any convenient time for any of them!
Scarlett O’Hara

Surprizes are foolish things.
The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable.
Mr. Knightley in Emma (Jane Austen)


Allies are always former or future enemies.
La margrave Josépha, Le Jugement de Dieu, (1952)



We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies.
Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.
Henry John Temple, 3d Viscount Palmerston, remarks in the House of Commons



Willow certainly wasn’t expecting the reception she got when she practically ran into the Magic Box. Moments after practically fleeing from Riley, she pushed open the door to be confronted with a scene she’d never have predicted. Dawn was the first to see her, and she sort of half-smiled, but didn’t say anything. Willow gaped like a guppy, her eyes flitting from one person to the next, hoping to find someone not openly hostile. Or even was paying attention to the fact she was there. She caught both Buffy’s and Faith’s eye, and though neither of the others smiled, at least Faith acknowledged her presence with a nod of her head.

It wasn’t until Wesley and Giles saw her hovering by the door that anyone said anything. Wesley broke off his conversation with Giles and Spike to approach her. “Willow? What’s wrong?”

She’d been standing just inside the doorway, trying hard to avoid searching through everyone for a glimpse of Tara. Willow jumped, having been caught off guard by Wesley. “Hey. Um. I . . . how come everyone’s here?”

“We’re in the middle of a couple of things.” Wesley struggled not to say something cutting. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Ah, actually, there’s something I need to let you know. Remember Warren? He’s missing. And I just ran into Riley Finn, Buffy’s ex-boyfriend, you know, or maybe you don’t know, but he’s from the Initiative and he’s here with a couple of other guys and it really doesn’t look good and I’m not sure why he’s here.” She finally took a breath when Wesley grabbed her arm, pulling her outside.

“Willow, relax.” The door closed behind them and Wesley moved off to the side, ensuring that Willow would follow him.

“We know about Riley.” He didn’t elaborate further and when she nodded her head, he continued. “Don’t worry about Warren, he’s being dealt with by the proper authorities.”

Willow waved her hands in the air. “Are you sure? Because it didn’t look like the police came and got him. It looked like he’d been kidnapped,” she protested.

“No, Willow, I’m sure. I made the call to the authorities myself.” Wesley neglected to mention that the authorities in question were Brachen demons he and Spike had recruited to help guard the Hellmouth, but he figured that was information Willow didn’t need to know.

She regarded him for a moment, her head tilted a bit as she tried to accept his explanation. “So the Initiative is the reason why everyone’s here?”

He didn’t want to give her more information, or give her hope that anyone inside would be willing to speak with her, since he highly doubted that would be the case. Wesley suspected that Buffy might be willing to see her, but probably not while in the midst of what was currently going on. “Yes.”

Ordinarily, Willow would have pushed, but something about Wesley’s posture warned her not to force the issue. With a longing look through the glass, Willow conceded. “Okay, Wes. I just wanted to let someone know. And I did. So I’ll just go now.”

Her smile was sad and the slump of her shoulders touched him. While he understood completely why the distance between the group and Willow hadn’t been bridged since the big fight, it suddenly struck Wesley just how hurt the red-head had been by the whole situation. Until now, he’d only been able to see things from Buffy’s or Tara’s perspective – and his own. But Willow seemed broken, adrift without any real anchor or connection and it moved Wesley to pity. Before he could re-think his actions, he reached out to stop her. “Willow?”

“Yeah?”

“Perhaps in a couple of days, maybe a week, you might be able to see the girls.” It was all Wesley could give her, the hint of hope, but evidently, it was enough. The tears pooling in her eyes were blinked away and she managed a tremulous smile.

“Thanks, Wesley.”

As he watched her go, Wesley caught sight of one of the soldiers – the shorter, blond one – standing in front of the Espresso Pump, obviously lost in thought.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Lieutenant? We’ve got some unusual activity.” Sloth radioed in, keying the frequency to Riley’s. “Two unidentified males and two unidentified females have entered the shop.”

Riley stopped in his tracks, unable to see the front door of the shop from his current vantage point. “Describe.”

“Older male, mid to late fifties, possibly older. Younger, early thirties. Female subjects, one in thirties, one in teens.”

“Very well, keep frosty. Report back upon their departure.”

“Roger and out.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


If the situation weren’t so dire, Giles might have laughed. Quentin Travers had the most unusual look on his face and it was clear, though the old man wasn’t quite aware of it, that Anya was running rings around him. He and Spike, on the other hand, had known exactly who to call upon to handle the negotiations for their side. And Anya was doing exactly as they’d hoped she would.

Nicholson was sitting between the two negotiators, rapidly recording all the concessions on both sides, with an occasional correction from either one. Travers had already agreed to pay Spike a salary in exchange for his assistance any time the Council needed someone with his particular skills. Anya had moved on from that rather quickly, launching into a convoluted deal which would cover Buffy’s insurance needs, as well as medical coverage for any of the rest of them should something arise. She was negotiating with a skill and savvy none of them, including Travers had ever witnessed before, and it caused a thrill of pride to run through Giles.

He glanced over at Spike, who was watching the proceedings closely. Spike’s jaw was clenched and Giles thought for a moment that it was in reaction to a particular point that Anya had just conceded, but when Spike’s attention shifted from the table to where Buffy was pacing, Giles knew something else was on his mind.

“Spike?” Giles dropped his voice to a near whisper, knowing the vampire would have no trouble at all hearing him. “What’s wrong?”

“Need to get her home, Rupes. She’s ready.” Spike didn’t look at the older Englishman, keeping his eyes on Buffy.

“What? Now?” Giles whipped off his glasses, peering at the still pacing Buffy. “Oh, good heavens. This is most inopportune.”

Spike chuckled. “Have you ever known babies to wait ‘til everyone is ready?”

“That’s beside the point. How far apart are the pains?”

“Hard to tell at this point. She’s got a higher threshold than most. But the witches told us to get movin’ while you were meeting with the boys from Brazil.”

“Good Christ.”

“Yeah. ‘S what I’m thinkin’.” The last was said with a wry tone, and Spike’s attention wavered for a moment when Wesley re-entered the shop. “We need to get movin’.”

No sooner had he spoken, when Buffy yelped, drawing everyone’s attention. She glanced down at her belly, one arm wrapping around herself reflexively. Spike was at her side in an instant, one arm supporting her around the waist, the other reaching for her free hand. “All right, kitten?”

“No. Not really.” She grimaced, then realized everyone was staring. “Sorry.”

Travers shook his head. “Is it time?”

“Almost.” Giles was the one who answered, since both Buffy and Spike were otherwise occupied.

Making a snap decision, Travers looked at his aide. “Nicholson, make arrangements for the surgeon to meet us at the house.”

“What?” Surprise was clearly evident on everyone’s faces.

Travers spoke again. “Have the surgeon meet us at Miss Summers’ residence. He’ll perform the surgery there.”

“Are you certain about this, sir?” But even as he asked, Nicholson was flipping open his cell phone, only hesitating while he waited for confirmation.

“Very. Make the call.”

The head of the Council turned his attention back to Anya. “Miss Jenkins, I commend you. You are one of the finest negotiators I have ever met. I’d like to engage upon further dialogue with you, in an effort to secure your exclusive services on behalf of the Council.”

“Me?” She looked aghast. “You want my exclusive services? For what purpose?”

“As a negotiator, of course.” Travers smiled at the girl, pleased that he’d turned the tables on her this once. “It would not be on a full-time basis, but similar to the agreement we’ve already discussed in regard to William’s contract.”

Anya stared at him for a few moments, busy calculating revenues and possibilities in her head. “This discussion will have to wait, Mr. Travers, but I believe we can come to some kind of an agreement that is mutually beneficial.”

Travers leaned forward and shook her hand. “Very well, Miss Jenkins. I look forward to having you as a part of my team.”

Nicholson interrupted. “He’s on his way, sir. However, there seems to be an issue of surveillance on the shop.”

“We already knew about that, Nicholson.” Giles spoke, gesturing to the others. “There are several Initiative operatives watching the premises, and we also believe they are outside the house.”

“Do you have safeguards already in place?” Travers asked the question, though he suspected the answer.

“We do. However we did not anticipate the onset of Buffy’s labor quite just yet. Right now our biggest concern is safety during the move.”

“How did you propose to get her away from the shop and home?”

Faith interjected, warily watching the other Slayer. There was something about the new girl that was rubbing her the wrong way. “We have a safe route, we just need a diversion so the commandos won’t realize until later that we’ve all gone.”

“I’m sure we can arrange that.”

He motioned Giles, Wesley, and Faith over, pointedly excluding the new Slayer and her Watcher. Neither one of them had any field experience, and their contributions would come only after the others had determined what actions they would be involved in. Conferring rapidly, the four, with some asides from Nicholson, quickly came up with a plan.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The radio crackled to life again. This time it was Lansome. “One male and one female teen entering the subject premises.”

“Identify.”

“Female subject is Dawn Summers. Male is unknown.”

“Very well. Report back when situation changes.”

“Over.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Do you know what we’re supposed to be doing?” Connor moved from the living room into the kitchen, following Dawn.

“Yeah, there’s a whole list of instructions Grace sent home with Buffy and Spike the other day.” She headed straight for the refrigerator, grabbing the long note that was on the front. “See? It’s all right here.”

The list was long and in a looping handwriting that was hard for Connor to follow at first. “So what’s it say?”

“We have to get old sheets on the bed upstairs, and take off the new blankets and stuff. Have to make sure we have plenty of warm water and stuff to sterilize the knife.”

“Anything else?”

Dawn perused the list, flicking off the items one by one. “Yeah, we have to get the babies’ stuff together, blankets, diapers, and stuff to clean them up. The biggest thing is making sure we have enough towels.”

“Want me to do that?” Connor took two brownies from the airtight container, swallowing them almost whole. “I can get all the bedroom stuff done while you get baby gear ready.”

“Kay.” She put down the list, then watched as he swiped another brownie. “Hey, save me some of those!”

Connor slid the container over the counter top. “There’s plenty left. I think Tara’s been in a domestic mode again. She’s been baking. There’s another cake in the cabinet, plus the cookies she made yesterday.”

“Wonder what’s up there. It’s like she’s gone weird with the homemaking stuff.” Dawn headed for the stairs, Connor trailing behind her. “Makes for mucho sweets for us.”

“Yeah. How many towels do you think we’re gonna need?”

“Dunno. Could be pretty messy though.”

“So I should get them all, just in case?” Connor opened the linen closet, looking at the shelves of towels and sheets. “Do I have to change the sheets too?”

“That’s what Grace said. Find the oldest sheets and put them on the bed.”

Connor rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

They were almost done when the phone and the doorbell rang simultaneously. “I’ve got the phone!” Dawn yelled from the babies’ room. “You get the door.”

“Sure, coz that’s what I am around here. . . the doorman.” Connor thundered down the steps, yelling at whoever was at the door, “I’m coming, hold your horses.”

He opened the door to find Grace and Kait, holding two large baskets and wearing big hats. “Hello, ladies, out for a stroll?”

They laughed, Kait brushing a kiss against his cheek as she entered, remarking, “You sound more and more like Spike every time I speak to you.”

He grinned, then took the basket from her. “That’s a good thing, right?”

Grace shook her head. “It’s a thing, kid. Spike’s not so bad, as far as vampires go. You could do worse.”

Kait shuddered, agreeing, “Too true. He could be just like . . . well, never mind. You’re fine.”

Before he could say anything else, Dawn was yelling from the top of the stairs. “Connor! Total change of plans!”

“What?” He stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting for her to come down. “What happened?”

“They got the Council to help. Some surgeon is gonna take out the chip. And they’re doing it today.”

The two witches shared a look, waiting for Dawn to elaborate. “That’s all I know. They’re gonna be here soon.”

“So are we not having babies today?” Connor’s confusion showed as he looked from one of the females to the next.

“No, we’ll probably be having babies today.” Grace patted his arm, leading him away from the stairs. “Any idea how soon the rest will be arriving?”

“In about a half hour or so.” Dawn shrugged. “At least that’s what I think.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Two unknown females just entered the residence.”

“Identify.”

“Subject one is a tall, African-American female. Approximate age, mid-forties.”

“Subject two is a short redhead, approximate age, mid-forties.”

“Any other identifying characteristics?”

“Both are carrying large baskets. And they are wearing hats, sir.”

“Hats?”

“Affirmative.”

“Over.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“That’s the plan?” Spike looked from one face to the other, shaking his head. “That’s the best you could come up with?”

“Given the time constraints and your own limitations, we have not much choice.” Wesley was the only one brave enough to point out the obvious.

“Sun’s down. We could do this a different way.” Spike absently rubbed a hand over Buffy‘s lower back. “Could send you lot with Buffy out through the alley an’ Rogue, Oxford, an’ I can head out the front door, weapons in hand.”

It was Buffy herself who rejected the plan. “No, I want you close.” She caught his free hand in hers. “Don’t want to – “

She actually didn’t have to finish what she was thinking, because he picked up on it, gauging accurately her unspoken need to have him close and to not be worrying about him while she struggled to get home. “Right. Okay, so we stick to the original plan, then?”

“It’s the best one we could come up with, on short notice.” Giles handed off weapons to Faith and Wesley. “I agree it’s rather short-sighted, but I feel it’s best if we keep your whereabouts questionable for as long as possible.”

Buffy rolled her eyes at his wordiness. “We have to do this sometime soon, people. I’m working on a really short time table.”

“Very well. Nicholson’s already alerted the surgeon, who is on his way. Travers, Spencer and Nicholson will be returning first to their hotel and then departing. Their task is to get the wetworks team on the Initiative soldiers, maintaining surveillance.” Giles paused for a moment as another pain worked its way through Buffy. “Oz, you don’t mind patrolling with Faith and Wesley, do you?”

“Nope. I’m cool.” His laconic response was predictable, however, he looked over at Tara and then back at Giles, reminding the other man of her presence.

“I’d imagine Tara will want to go with Buffy and Spike, just in case?” The blond nodded her agreement, trying to draw little attention to herself.

“Buffy, Spike, and Kennedy will be going through the tunnels to your house.” Faith handed a stake and a small sword to Kennedy, who was clearly not happy with having to travel with a vampire. “I believe Jenner should also accompany you.”

When the other Aurelian vampire merely nodded, Kennedy bristled further and moved away from both vampires. She voiced her complaint, immediately raising the ire of both of the other Slayers. “Why do I have to head into the tunnels? Why can’t one of the others go?”

Giles and Wesley both stared at her, eyes hard behind their lenses. However, when she started to complain further, it was Travers who spoke. “They have no idea who you are. I’d prefer to keep your abilities and your identity secret. If you were to go out prepared for patrolling, that would negate any advantage we might have.”

When she started pouting, Travers merely raised an eyebrow in her direction and any further resistance she might have exhibited deflated. After the brief interruption, Giles continued explaining the plan to Buffy. “Anya and I will stay here at the shop. We’ll close a bit earlier than usual and head over to your house. By which time, hopefully, the chip will be out and we’ll have something else to celebrate.”








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