Wrong:
Wrong
by Shirlz

After spending the longest two weeks of my life flat on my back in a hospital bed I had been allowed to come home. Mom had decided that Angel should be around so he was splitting his time between the apartment and our basement. Everyone was working flat out to find a way to erase the happiness clause and Angel was patrolling. I just sat at home growing bigger and more uncomfortable by the day.

I was now a week off my due date and I felt like a beached whale. For 17 weeks I had been unable to train or patrol and I was slowly going out of my mind. I also wasn’t happy that Angel was out there taking all the risks with no back up. ‘I’ was the Slayer and he was the one risking his life.

We’d had no luck with the curse either. Angel was beginning to worry. I’d tried to reassure him but to no avail. I guess it didn’t help that I was as concerned as he was.

Giles had arranged for his friend to deliver me. We all realised that I couldn’t just turn up at the hospital. The two weeks I’d spent there had been hard enough but luckily nothing had shown up. This pregnancy was becoming damn difficult!

"Are you alright Honey?"

Mom looked at me, her face wearing a troubled expression.

"I’m just thinking. We’re running out of time."

"Angel?"

"Yeah. Damn the Kalderash! When they go for vengeance they don’t do things by halves."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Worse. What can cause more happiness than the birth of a child? If we don’t find a way to bind Angel’s soul he’s going to leave me."

"LEAVE you? NOW???"

"He has to Mom, he doesn’t have a choice. If Angelus comes back it will be a case of kill or be killed. I’m not happy about it but I understand. We were stupid to think we could work it out."

She took me into her arms and stroked my hair. "Hush. I’m sure it’ll work out..."

...I got back to Buffy’s house at seven, having spent the day at the apartment going through some books Giles had leant me. Yet again there had been nothing of use in them. The situation was beginning to get desperate.

"Hi Joyce."

"Oh Hi Angel. Any luck?"

"No. Is Buffy ok?"

"She’s resting in her room."

"I’ll look in and say Hi before I go on patrol..."

...I became aware of cool lips on my forehead. The bed dipped under his weight.

"You awake Baby?"

"Mmm." I reached out for him. "Any luck?"

He took me into his arms. "No. I haven’t heard from the others so I don’t know if they fared any better."

I didn’t say anything what could I say? Instead I just clung to him.

"What about you? How’s your day been?"

"Oh I just spent it perfecting my impression of an airship."

"You’re a beautiful airship."

"You still can’t lie! But I love you for it. D’you feel like going to the Bronze later?"

"You up for it?"

"Angel, I’m bored senseless. I haven’t moved from this house in weeks or so it seems. Please can we go? Even if I just sit and drink soda."

I tried the pleading puppy dog eyes routine. It always worked!

"Ok Buffy, we’ll go to the Bronze. But you stick with me. And if there’s any activity you get the hell out of there and let me deal. Agreed?"

"How can I stick with you and.."

"BUFFY!"

"Ok, I promise..."

..."Giles?"

"Yes Willow?"

"I think I’ve found it."

"Sure you have Will."

"Shut it Xander!"

"May I?"

I nodded. Giles looked over my shoulder and studied the information on the screen.

"Well?"

"You’re right Willow. I’ll ring Angel whilst the rest of you gather together what we need. Time is of the essence..."

...I made my way downstairs, wincing at every step. My labour had started about an hour earlier. I noticed Angel on the phone. He looked shell-shocked.

"Angel?"

"Thank..thank you." He put the phone down.

"Angel?" I put my hand on his arm.

"They’ve found it!"

"Found what?" Realisation dawned. "The spell?"

"Yeah. We have to go over there. Are you ready?"

Another contraction washed over me. I fought to hide it from him. ‘NOT NOW! Now is SO not a good time’ I thought angrily to myself. This was about Angel. I was going to do this for him.

"Buffy? Are you ok?"

"Heartburn. Shall we go?"

Mom chose that moment to come out of the kitchen.

"What’s going on?"

"They’ve found the spell. Angel and I are on our way to the library."

"Let me grab my purse..."

...Buffy leant against the jeep and took a breath.

"Buffy?" I moved to her side.

"It is what you think it is Mom but I don’t want you to say a word. Angel has been there for me and supported me. I am going to do this for him."

"How long has it been?"

"An hour and a half max. I’m fine."

By now Angel had made his way round the car to us.

"Everything ok?"

She straightened up and took his arm. "Let’s do this..."

...The library was packed. I was surprised to see Cordelia and Doyle there.

"Guys?"

"Oh Hi Angel, Buffy, Mrs Summers."

"What are you doing here?"

"We came down this morning to help. The more people..well..you know."

"You don’t think we’d miss this!" Doyle clapped me on the back.

"I think we should get started." Joyce said. Buffy glared at her and I wondered why.

"Agreed."

Willow and Giles drew out a pentagram in salt and then marked the points with white candles. On the table they laid out herbs and, just in case, crosses, stakes, the crossbow and Holy water.

"Before we go any further," Giles said, "I need to ask all of you except for Buffy and Angel a question. Why are you doing this? Think hard about it. Everything we do must be done for the greater good. Whatever we put into this will come back to us threefold."

"Stop being so Giles and get to the point!" Xander snapped. Giles glared at him.

"If anyone here has any doubts that we should be doing this or if anyone cannot find it in their heart to believe that what we are doing is for the good of Angel then I want them to leave now. There’s enough evil on the Hellmouth without us creating more. This is very powerful stuff."

No one moved.

"Joyce? Xander?"

Xander spoke up first.

"I may not have been happy at first but I would have to be blind AND stupid not to see how much they love and care for each other. I hold no resentment towards Angel and I wish him and Buffy a happy life together with their child."

"Surprised much!" Cordy stated.

Buffy moved to him and hugged him. "Thanks." She then turned to Joyce, "Mom?"

"I think Xander said it perfectly..."

...Angel was stood in the middle of the pentagram. Willow and Giles had explained that this wasn’t a binding spell. The spell would remove Angelus from his body once and for all.

Just as we were positioning ourselves at the points of the pentagram the door to the library opened and in walked Whistler.

"Well, this is turning into a real family reunion."

"Don’t be like that Slayer. I had to come and see my boy.

"And you dressed for the occasion!" Cordy muttered. Whistler was his usual flamboyantly mismatched self.

"As much as I’d like to enjoy this touching scene..." Giles started. The fact that he used his ‘Ripper’ tone was enough to draw everyone’s attention back to the task at hand.

As Giles and Willow performed the Protection Ritual I had another contraction. They were getting stronger now and I didn’t know how much longer I was going to be able to fight against them so that Angel remained ignorant. I lit my candle and waited, praying to any God that would listen to hurry this along to a successful conclusion...

...I gave the signal for everyone to use their candles to light those at the corners of the pentagram. Doyle and Whistler stood at the side of the room alert and ready to step in should the need arise. Willow took up the first part of the incantation.

‘I exorcise thee
O creature of Shadow
In the Divine name of Hecate
And I cast out from thee
All impurities and unclean spirits
So mote it be’

Angel fell to his knees in game face. He roared in agony. I quickly took up the second part.

‘Blessed be this sacred symbol drawn in salt
In the name of the Goddess Hecate
Let all malignity and hindrance
Be cast forth hencefrom this man
And let all good enter herein
So mote it be’

Angel had stopped roaring and his face had settled back into his normal human features. Silently he slumped onto his side and lay still. Together, Willow and I began the final part.

‘I call Thee, O circle formed in perfect love and perfect trust
That Thou givest protection
A shield against all wickedness and evil
I do bless thee
In the name of Hecate
Goddess of Darkness
Goddess of the Moon
For the good of all, that it harms none
In accordance with the Divine
So mote it be...’

...I felt different. Although I wasn’t human I no longer had a battle for supremacy raging inside me. I pushed myself up into a standing position.

"How do you feel?" Willow asked nervously.

"Good."

"You’re not human but the demon is no longer in you."

"How does that work?" Xander enquired. "Surely if there’s no demon then Angel should be dead."

"This spell allows him to exist as before without the demon. He retains his vampiric abilities, his memories and knowledge of his time as Angelus but without the overwhelming guilt. He can go out in the sunlight and, most importantly, he can experience as much happiness as he likes."

"No bloodlust?"

"No bloodlust. Real human food."

"Thank you all so much..."

...Buffy sank to the floor, her hands balled into fists. I rushed to her.

"Now we worry about you Honey."

Angel hurried over to us. "What’s going on?"

"Help me get her into the office."

"Joyce???"

"She’s in labour Angel. She has been since long before we left to come here."

Giles joined us. "Why didn’t anyone say?"

Angel swept her into his arms and headed for Giles’ office.

"I made Mom promise. I wanted to do this for Angel..."

...He laid me down on the couch and took my hand.

"Giles. Contact your.."

"Don’t Giles. It’s too late for that. We’re going to have to cope with this alone." A look of horror spread over his face. I found the energy to laugh. "Mom and I will cope..."

...I put my head on the table and wrapped my arms around it so my ears were covered as another scream echoed round the room. "UGH! I am NEVER having kids."

"I don’t think Buffy’s exactly having a bundle of fun."

"How are you guys getting on with Kate?"

I groaned again. Doyle answered for us. "Avoiding her as much as possible."

"Which is so not easy when she’s always hanging around. She still thinks Angel’s coming back."

"As if!"

The sound of a baby crying filled the room. A minute or so later Angel came out of the office looking as if he was in a trance.

"Angel?" Whistler questioned.

"Buffy? Is she ok?" That was from Giles.

"I’m..a..Dad."

"Congratulations. Boy or girl?"

"Alesha. Alesha Summers..."

...Angel and I were back at Mom’s. He sat on the bed cradling Alesha.

"Thank you so much for everything."

"Thank you too Angel. If it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t have Alesha."

"I don’t just mean Alesha. You went through all that pain, kept it to yourself so that you could be there for me. I love you so much for everything you do for me and give to me."

"I love you too Honey. One thing though."

"What’s that?"

"You’re still going to take me to the Bronze!.."

The End

There you go...let me know if you enjoyed your visit to my Joss-less world...call back again some time ...there may be a sequal!!!

Go here for more of Shirlz's stories.

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