Diclaimer in Part One-a.

*****

Looking up from the book he was using to research demon manifestations, Wesley shook his head 'no' slowly at Angel, his mouth a grim line. Angel cursed softly under his breath and went to find Buffy in the courtyard.

"She's going to do it, isn't she?" Buffy asked without looking at him. "She can actually bring Angelus back."

"Uh ... yeah ... it looks that way," Angel said morosely. "Wes did some research and it looks like as long as they give a big enough tribute to the right demon gods, they can pretty much accomplish anything they want."

"But why?" Buffy said in anguish, her voice cracking. "Why now? Why with our son? If they've had the power to do this all along, why have they waited?"

Angel looked at the ground, shamed. "It's not that simple, Buffy. They've had the power to do it, yes, but not the opportunity."

Looking at him in confusion, Buffy said, "I don't understand."

"They have the power to summon Angelus to this dimension, but without a host to infect, he can't survive here for more than a few seconds."

"And in all this time they've never found some guinea pig they can stick him in?" she raged.

"It wouldn't work," Angel explained. "A demon molds to the form it's used to. Angelus was used to me, my body, my form. If they tried to summon him into another host, it wouldn't work. The demon would reject it and the host would die."

"But you can't be turned again."

"Not against my will, no," he agreed.

"What does this have to do with Jakob?"

Angel sighed heavily and sat down on one of the stone benches that ringed the courtyard. "Apparently, they think he's a close enough match to me physically for it to work ... or they're desperate enough to take that chance. I'm sure they would have a better chance of success if he were older, but they know we're looking for him, they can't afford to wait."

Buffy was quiet for long minutes, letting everything he'd just said sink in. "So if it does work, Angelus will be reborn in our son's body, destroying his soul ... and if it doesn't, Jakob will die anyway."

"As it stands now? Yes, that is what will happen."

"What do you mean as it stands now?" Buffy asked, studying his face. He wasn't looking at her. She knew his posture, he always looked like this right before he decided to do something 'for her own good'.

"They're desperate, Buffy. For whatever reasons, Wolfram and Hart think they need Angelus. Darla's motives are pretty straightforward. They think the ritual has a chance of working, but it is still a gamble. Jakob is close, but he's not me."

"What are you saying?" Buffy asked in a whisper.

Angel raised his head and met her gaze, holding it for several heartbeats. "I can't be vamped again, Buffy ... not against my will."

It didn't take her but a second to read between the lines. "You're not seriously considering -"

"I want to trade myself for Jakob. They'll make the trade, I know it. I've aged, but I'm still a better match."

Buffy stared at him, her face a mask of conflicting emotions as rage warred with anguish. "I just found you again!" Buffy yelled, tears streaming down her face. "Now you want me to let you go - to let you become Angelus again? I can't do it! I can't hunt you down and kill you again!"

He wanted to comfort her so badly, but he couldn't allow himself to. He could not waver on this, it was too important. Taking a deep breath, he stood and braced himself for the pain his words were going to cause her.

"You won't have to Buffy, you're not the Slayer anymore. Would you rather she have to hunt down and kill our child?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Buffy stared at him as if she'd been struck. All at once, her composure gave way and she was sobbing openly. Instinctively, Angel reached for her, comforting her gently.

"I love you, Buffy," he whispered, "but you have to let me do this. I've lived far longer than I should have already. I have you ... and our son. Jakob is just a boy, he has so much ahead of him."

Buffy cried harder knowing he was right and hating it with a bitterness that made her want to gag. How could she save him if it meant losing Jakob?

"I love you, Angel," she sobbed.

"I know," he replied, trying to memorize everything about the way she felt, the texture of her hair, the scent of her tears.

*****

Against his wishes - and their agreement - Buffy followed Angel to his meeting with Lilah and Darla. She was shocked as he walked up to the front doors of the law firm. Cursing under her breath, she headed around the building, searching for another way in. Angel may have decided that he was going to sacrifice himself for Jakob, but Buffy wasn't going to lose either of them if she could help it.

She also had a score to settle with Darla.

It took several minutes of searching, but Buffy finally found a maintenance tunnel which led under the building. Making sure she wasn't being followed, the former Slayer entered with as much stealth as possible. She ran towards the end of the tunnel, knowing from the quality of light filtering through that it must open up in to a wider space. Had she been thinking more clearly, she would have noticed it was too easy.

Buffy stifled a gasp as she reached the end of the tunnel. It opened up into an enormous cavern. What was this doing in the middle of downtown Los Angeles under a law firm? She stood staring in bewilderment for several long moments. Too late, Buffy noticed she wasn't alone. Her vamp sense hadn't alerted her to his presence. By the time she'd taken evasive maneuvers, the vampire was all over her, pinning her to the ground. Struggling as hard as she could, Buffy was doing nothing but amusing the vile creature.

"Tasty little thing," he hissed in her ear, grinding her body down into the stone floor with his own.

Buffy closed her eyes in disgust, but did not turn her face away. She wasn't about to expose her neck anymore than necessary to this thing. As she had aged, Buffy had known her Slayer powers were fading, but it had been so easy to dismiss the sensations. Being a housewife and mother in rural Iowa, how often did she need to play superhero anyway? It hadn't mattered that she was just a normal human, she'd even enjoyed it to some degree. Now, she would have given anything to have her strength back.

"Lucky for you she wants you alive," he explained with an evil laugh. "It's going to be one hell of a party when Angelus returns."

Buffy bit her tongue. The urge to tell him that if he even thought about touching her that Angelus would rip him limb from limb was almost overwhelming. Buffy knew Angelus hated her, but she also knew he viewed her as his property. He wasn't a demon who would take kindly to others playing with his toys. That tidbit of information, however, would not serve to help her escape this situation. The more bland she appeared, the better. Buffy gave in and quit fighting.

The vampire subdued her with little effort, not even bothering to tie her up. He simply restrained her by holding her two tiny wrists in one of his large, meaty hands as he dragged her down a rough stone corridor that branched off of the main cavern. It looked like it was hewn from solid rock.

"Move," the creature hissed as it continued to pull Buffy along at a rapid clip. He was obviously in a hurry for something. Buffy just prayed Angel hadn't been too late.

They walked for what seemed an eternity, although Buffy attributed the apparent unending nature of the journey to how uncomfortable she was. The vampire held her wrists high, causing her to bend at the waist as she stumbled quickly down the corridor to prevent her shoulders from being dislocated.

All at once, the dragging stopped and she stumbled as she was pushed violently into the cell. She spun around just in time to see the vampire swing the door shut soundly. How was she going to save anyone locked in a cell?

Just when things seemed their most dire, she heard Jakob say, "Mom?"

Buffy whirled around and for the first time, saw her only child sitting in the far corner of the cell. As she watched, he got to his feet as quickly as he could. She ran to meet him, hugging him to her tightly. She noted wryly that although he was her baby, her head didn't even reach his shoulder. When had he gotten so big? When was the last time he'd let her hug him without trying to break away?

Pulling back from the embrace, Buffy immediately began running her hands over his body, turning his neck and checking for bite marks, trying to reassure herself that he was indeed unharmed.

"Mom!" he said, grabbing her shoulders and looking in her eyes. "I'm alright. I swear."

"Oh, Jakob," she said, tears welling in her eyes as she hugged him again. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you."

Hugging her back, Jakob said, "I'm sorry I took off. Darla lied ... about everything. I think I finally got most of the real story from Faith."

Buffy looked at him again, "Where is Faith?"

Jakob pointed and Buffy turned around, seeing the second cell for the first time. Faith was seated on the ground, she waved in greeting, her face wearing a smile of wry amusement. Two former Slayers and there was nothing either of them could do.

*****

"You want to do what?" Lilah asked Angel. The imposing man was heavily restrained and surrounded by a crowd of guards.

"You heard me," he bit out, not about to repeat himself for dramatic effect.

"But you can't," Lilah said incredulously.

"Actually," Darla purred, appearing in the doorway, leaning seductively against the frame, "he can." Turning to the guards, she barked, "Take him to the chamber."

*****

Buffy wanted to speak with Faith, but as they heard someone approaching, all three went still, waiting.

Drusilla came into sight, a huge smile playing on her pale features. As her gaze fell on Buffy, the smile turned into a scowl.

"Another nasty little Slayer," the dark vampire hissed.

"Lunatic whore," Buffy shot back with a snarl.

Jake's jaw almost hit the floor and his eyes were wide with shock. He had *never* seen his mother act like this before. She was always so prim and proper.

Drusilla sniffed at the air and then hissed at Buffy again. "You smell like that horrible Angel creature," Dru bit out with venom.

Buffy didn't reply, but instinctively maneuvered herself so that she stood between Drusilla and Jakob. Almost a man or not, she was still his mother and she was going to do everything possible to protect him.

"Were you two all cuddled up like two little peas in a pod?" Drusilla asked the former Slayer.

"What do you want, nutcase?" Buffy growled at the vampire.

Drusilla laughed a tinkling happy laugh. "Nothing from you, you nasty little thing," she said, trying to scold Buffy. "Daddy is here and everything will be happy again. That nasty Angel creature will go away forever."

"Great," Buffy bit out, "I'm really happy for you."

Dru's attention was diverted by Faith, who was attempting to pry more information out of the vampire while she was still semi-lucid. Satisfied that Dru was occupied, Buffy turned to her son.

Jake looked at Buffy. "I thought they were taking me. What's going on?"

Buffy looked at him for several long moments, trying to decide how much to tell him. Knowing how much misery her withholding things from him in the past had caused, she decided to be completely honest.

"They don't need you anymore, Jakob."

His brow furrowed as he studied her distressed features. "What happened?"

Buffy blinked rapidly to stall the tears that were pooling. "They have Angel. He traded himself for you. He agreed to let them take him in return for your freedom."

Jakob stared at her blankly for several minutes. "I ... don't understand," he finally said.

"We couldn't ... he couldn't lose you, Jakob."

"He doesn't even know me," he mumbled in bewilderment.

"He's your father," she said quietly, one lone tear making it's way down her face. "He loves you."

The moment was disrupted by an armed guard opening the door to the cell.

*****

The lawyer looked at the blonde vampire skeptically as they made their way to the ceremonial chamber that had been prepared for Angelus' rebirth.

"Explain," she bit out, irritated there was more she hadn't been informed of. She should have known Darla's plan wasn't as simple as it seemed.

"He can't be turned against his will, but if he submits, it can be done. He's trading himself for his son because he knows we're taking a risk on it working with Jakob in the first place. Odds are it won't work and the boy will die. Daddy here can't deal with that. He'll do anything to protect the little bastard he had with the Slayer, even if it means sacrificing himself and becoming Angelus again."

Lilah looked at Angel carefully. It was obvious from his expression that Darla had read his intentions correctly.

"You'd do it all for a son you didn't even know existed until a few days ago?" she asked in disbelief.

Angel didn't answer, he just watched her carefully. He wasn't about to explain his motives or his emotions to some lawyer scum. He could not, however, hide his amazement as they entered the chamber which had been prepared for the ceremony. It was an enormous cave, maybe a hundred feet across and two hundred feet to the ceiling. The shape was circular with a giant fire burning on an elevated platform supported by stilts in the center of the room. A group of a dozen monks knelt in a circle around the fire, their heads bowed.

"Oh, Angel," Darla cooed, drawing him away from his inspection, "always the knight in shining armor. You'll be glad to know you'll be well rewarded for your sacrifice. I have a little present for you."

"You don't have anything I want," he said evenly to the blonde vampire, his disgust with her evident.

Darla didn't even flinch at the cut. "Oh, Angelus. Don't speak so soon. You haven't even seen what your present is."

Turning, Darla motioned to one of the guards that stood by the doorway. He, in turn, motioned to another guard. Several moments passed in which both Angel and Lilah grew impatient. Darla, paced towards Angel as she waited. She eyed him up and down. He was older, but still very attractive. She was confident the transference would work.

With a leer, she pulled at his shirt, tearing it from his body. As his chest was bared, she ran her hands over the muscled planes, leaning forward to sniff him. As her cold tongue snaked out to lick along his neck, Angel flinched, pulling away. Darla laughed.

There was a commotion in the outer hallway, Angel could only make out parts of it, but soon two guards came stumbling through the doorway doing their best to restrain a third person between them, struggling wildly.

"Angelus," Darla said smoothly. "I don't believe you've had the chance to meet your son yet, have you?"

Angel looked at the boy who had stopped struggling when he heard Darla's words. Jakob was staring at him, panting hard from the struggle. Angel looked at his son for the first time and terror like he had never known before gripped him.

"What do you think you're doing you vindictive bitch?" he yelled at Darla, his face contorting in rage. "You were supposed to release him!"

"He's a present ... but not for you, Angel. He's going to be my mate's first meal when he wakes."

A look of horror and anger crossed Angel's face. "I'll die first," he hissed, lunging towards the vampire. He was restrained by several guards who had to wrestle him to the floor.

"Your death was always part of the plan, lover," Darla said in return. "Begin the ritual."

As Angel looked frantically around the room, the monks began chanting in Latin and the fire grew more intense.

*****

"Move it scumbag," Gunn's voice boomed off the walls in the cell room.

Buffy spun, straining to see down the corridor which was at an awkward angle from her holding cell. As she watched, Lindsey came into sight, followed closely by Gunn who was holding a pistol to his back. Wesley brought up the rear.

"Get us out of here," Buffy said, trying not to yell too loudly.

"Workin' on it," Gunn replied tersely.

Wesley searched the room frantically for some sort of key to open the cell doors.

"Hurry," Gunn said impatiently.

"You're not going to find them," Lindsey interjected in bored amusement. "They never keep the keys down here."

"Who said that it was okay for you to open your mouth?" Gunn asked, punctuating his question with a smack to the back of Lindsey's head.

The lawyer growled and bit out. "You're going to be too late anyway. You have no idea where Darla is holding the ceremony. Do you have any idea how big the complex is? You're wasting your time."

*****

As the monks chanted, the fire began to take on an eerie blush tint. The air in the cavern became oppressive, suffused with magic. As Angel stared into the flames he could both see and feel the demon beginning to take shape. Angelus was returning to this world.

Angel looked at his son. It was obvious the boy was terrified, but he never let his gaze wander. Angel smiled in spite of the horror of the situation. Some part of him had feared he would never actually get to see the boy. He mouthed the words "my son". Jakob nodded slowly.

Angel's face took on a mask-like quality. He calmed, turning to face Darla with peace in his eyes. He spoke a series of words in Latin, clearly and loudly.

As he said the words, the color of the fire changed, turning first a dark blood red, and then getting lighter. Darla's brow furrowed and then she realized what he'd done. He'd withdrawn his consent. With a howl of outrage, she lunged at Angel, striking him in the face. The blow broke his nose, bloodying her hand and knocking him to the ground, where he sprawled unconscious, face first.

Grabbing one of the monks, she threw him with brutal force against the wall. "You didn't tell me he could do that," she hissed.

"You didn't tell us you were going to sacrifice the boy," their leader shouted in return. "If you had released the child as agreed this wouldn't have happened."

Darla glared at the monk for several seconds before turning to Jakob. The boy was still held by the two guards, but he was no longer struggling. He was staring intently at Angel's fallen form.

Darla's face was lit by a maniacal grin. With a wave, she dismissed the guards. She approached the boy slowly, closing in on him until her body was pressed against his, her lips at his throat. The boy didn't seem to notice her, all of his attention riveted on Angel.

"You've been here before, haven't you, Jakob?" she whispered, taking his hand in hers. "This is the place from your visions."

Jakob shook his head 'no', but his face displayed such anguish that Darla was certain she was correct.

"You know what you have to do, Jakob. You know your destiny. You must wake again."

Jakob looked at her with wild eyes. How many times had this very scenario played out before in his mind's eye. Out of force of habit, he looked at his hand, where Darla had touched him. It was stained with Angel's ... with his father's blood. He stared at it blankly.

"We can rule the world," she whispered. "It will be ours, yours and mine. We will have everything."

Jakob looked at the blood on his hand again, and then to Angel's crumpled form. The intricate Celtic tattoo on his shoulder was clearly visible. Turning from Darla, he slowly made his way towards the fire to where Angelus waited. Darla smiled.

With a moan, Angel woke turning in time to see Jakob walk towards the fire. His heart caught in his throat. He couldn't lose his son, not now.

Just as he opened his mouth to yell, the boy kicked over one of the bonfire's supports, toppling the platform away from himself. There was an anguished scream as the demon was pulled back to his own dimension. The cavern began to shake, the earth rolling like waves under their feet. The occupants scattered, but not all managed to escape the large chunks of rock being jarred loose from the ceiling.

Before the demon's scream had faded completely, Darla let loose with one of her own, as she closed in quickly on Jakob. The boy tried to defend himself, but he was no match for an enraged vampire of Darla's caliber. Leaping on him, Darla pinned Jakob to the ground, straddling him as her hands wound around his neck.

Looking around wildly, Angel grabbed a piece of debris from the toppled bonfire. The smoldering wood seared the flesh of his hand, but he didn't let go, making his way towards Darla. With a grunt, he lurched forward, stabbing the vampire through the back, piercing her heart. She erupted into ash. Angel quickly knelt next to his son.

Jakob blinked several times, choking harshly. He held up his hand, and Angel grabbed it tightly. Jakob squeezed it, but without much force. Angel didn't know what to say, there were so many things running through his head.

"My son," he said quietly.

Jakob looked at him with huge eyes that pooled with unshed tears. "Father ..." he rasped out and then to Angel's horror, his eyes rolled up in his head and he was still.

Angel felt frantically for a pulse and found one. Looking him over more carefully, Angel saw that there was blood pooling under the back of his head, probably from where he'd landed when Darla jumped him. Surveying the churning room, Angel cursed. Everything was still shaking, and the entire ceiling looked as if it were about to fall in. Hefting the boy over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, Angel made his way out of the cavern as quickly as he could manage.

*****

"What the hell is going on?" Buffy screamed as the entire structure jarred with movement.

"Earthquake?" Wesley offered lamely.

"Buffy plus earthquake equals bad," the former Slayer hissed. "Get me out of here."

"Almost got it," Gunn said from where he was trying to pick the lock. There was a huge shift as the earth moved again, Buffy instinctively covered her head with her hands as the ceiling threatened to give way.

"Move," Gunn shouted.

Looking up, Buffy saw that the latest tremor had knocked all of the cell doors open. She raced outside.

"Where are you going?" Wesley asked as she moved to run past him.

"I have to find them," Buffy said frantically.

"You'll never find them," Lindsey explained. "The cavern is deep under the building, it's probably already gone by now."

Buffy ignored his commentary. They had to be alright. She moved to pull away from Wesley, but he held her tightly.

"No," Faith said firmly, clamping her hand around Buffy's other arm. "We have to believe that they made their way out. This entire complex is going to come crashing down around our ears. We have to get outside."

"They're my family," she screamed. "I have to find them."

"No," Gunn said, motioning for the others to physically drag Buffy down the corridor. "Angel knows how to take care of himself. We have to trust him."

*****

It was dark when Faith and Wesley dragged Buffy from the building. The streets were swarming with people flushed from the nearby buildings. There were sirens and car alarms going off everywhere. And there was no sign of either Jakob or Angel.

*****

The powerful earthquake had knocked out phone service for miles. Unable to contact Cordelia, Buffy, Gunn, Wes and Faith were forced to head back to the Hyperion in search of news, gladly ditching Lindsey. It was a slow process.

*****

It was almost one in the morning before Buffy made it to the hospital. The building itself hadn't been damaged, but due to the fact that so many others in the city had been, it was filled to capacity.

Using whatever hunting abilities she still possessed, Buffy set about tracking down her missing mate and son. Cordelia had informed her that Angel had taken an injured Jakob to this hospital, but the former seer had no idea what shape either of them were in.

It took Buffy almost forty-five minutes to find the two, and amazingly enough they were in a real room rather than shoved in some waiting room corner as she'd feared. Creeping into the room quietly, Buffy quickly went to Angel's side. He was seated in an uncomfortable looking chair next to Jakob's bed watching the sleeping boy intently. As he heard Buffy enter, he quickly rose, embracing her tightly.

"Is he okay?" she asked frantically.

Angel nodded for her to go out in the hall, following closely on her heels. Closing the door to the room quietly, he turned to face Buffy.

"The doctors think he'll be fine," he said quietly. "He has a concussion and he had a deep laceration on his scalp that they had to stitch up."

"But he's okay?" Buffy asked, desperately needing reassurance.

Angel nodded. "Yeah, they think he'll be okay."

Buffy let loose all of the emotions she'd been holding at bay for the last several days, sobbing harshly. Without a word, Angel pulled her into his embrace and held her. When she calmed he told her what had happened with the ritual.

"Darla's dead," Buffy said with satisfaction as she studied Angel's bandaged hand.

"Yes, Buffy, she's gone. Forever."

"Good."

*****

During the night, several nurses and the doctor came to check on Jakob, routinely waking him up and asking him questions. The boy answered correctly, but still seemed disoriented.

Buffy was amused at the way the hospital staff spoke to Angel about Jakob's condition. She supposed it was natural, it was apparent the boy was his son, but she wasn't sure if Angel was prepared for all the rigors of parenting. He looked a little shell shocked. He was composed, but Buffy could tell he was still deeply shaken over almost losing Jakob.

"You'll get used to it," she whispered to him as a nurse left the room.

He looked at her with a horrified expression. "Is this a common occurrence for you?"

"Yes," she said honestly. "Jakob was constantly doing things he shouldn't have been doing when he was little. You have no idea how much time I've spent in hospitals with him for a broken arm or an infected dog bite."

Angel looked nonplussed. Buffy got the distinct impression that the idea of having to watch his son lie in a hospital bed any longer was Angel's idea of hell.

"Well, maybe he'll learn his lesson after this," Angel said seriously.

Buffy cocked an eyebrow at him. "Don't count on it."

*****

Jakob woke on his own just as dawn was breaking. He'd always been a fast healer and this was no exception. He winced slightly as he turned his head. He was going to be sore for a couple of days.

He was shocked at the sight that met him. Angel was asleep in a chair next to his bed with Buffy, also asleep, curled up on his lap, her head pillowed on his shoulder. They looked very peaceful. Jakob was sure he'd never seen his mother do anything like that with Riley. She'd always been very embarrassed by public displays of affection. But together, they looked so ... natural.

Angel blinked several times as he woke before his gaze settled on his son, who was watching him carefully. Angel smiled warmly.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.

The rumbling in his chest as he spoke woke Buffy who immediately turned her attention to her son. When she saw that he was awake, she leapt off of Angel's lap and was at Jakob's side.

"I'm okay," he said slowly. His throat was still bruised and it hurt to talk.

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