when3

They walked into the kitchen. Nanny Travers fed Connor baby food as he sat in his high chair, gurgling and smiling. �You must be Connor,� said Giles with a smile. He leaned down and caressed the baby�s cheek. �I�m Rupert Giles,� he introduced himself to the nanny.

Screaming rang out from upstairs. Giles took off running and dashed up the stairs. Tara sat in Buffy�s bed, hysterical. �Tara?� he inquired, taking her hands. He noticed the empty bed. �Where�s Spike?� She held out her clenched hand, and upended a few wisps of dust into Giles� palm. �Dear God,� he said his face blanching.

****

Angel peeled out of the hospital parking lot and pressed a cell phone to his ear. �Cordelia. Let me speak to Giles.� He paused. �Drusilla has Buffy.�

�Spike is gone,� the Englishman told Angel. �If what I understand of the claiming is accurate, that means Buffy must be dead.�

�Dru will turn her,� Angel said. �We need to find out where she�ll rise. It has to be somewhere with enough dirt to bury her, and it will have a view of the night sky.�

****

Drusilla carefully moved handfuls of dirt over the grave. �Good night, sleep tight,� she sang, �don�t let the bed bugs bite.� She continued her task until all that was before her was a smooth mound of dirt. She tilted her head back and looked up at the stars in the sky. �Star light, star bright,� she said ecstatically. �Shine brightly on my child tonight.�

****

�It�s a miracle,� cried Anya. �Oh, thank God.� She held Xander�s hand tightly as she peppered it with kisses.

�What happened?� asked Xander, his voice raspy. He sipped on water through a straw.

�You underwent surgery to remove a bullet from your lung,� the doctor explained. �You went into arrest on the table and have been on life support ever since.� He smiled broadly. �It really is a miracle that you�re moving and breathing on your own.�

�Where is Willow?� asked Anya. The Harrises shook their heads. �Where could she have gone?�

Willow sat in front of a computer in a darkened hospital administration office. �Nurseries Sunnydale,� she typed into a search engine. She waved her hand at the screen and a list of names and addresses popped onto the screen. �Stars Sunnydale,� she typed. More information appeared on the screen. �This is taking way too long,� she muttered to herself, impatiently.

She stood up and outstretched her arms, closing her eyes and spinning in a circle. �Locate,� she said as she spun. She focused on Buffy, and came up with nothing. �Locate,� she said, spinning faster. She focused on Drusilla, and images flashed into her mind. Sky. Lights. Street. House. Room. She watched Drusilla in her mind�s eye.

*Giles, Angel,* she said telepathically. *She�s at the mansion on Crawford Street.*

�I really hate it when she does that,� Giles muttered under his breath. He grabbed weapons and shoved them into a black bag.

�She�s supposed to have given up magic,� Angel said as he flicked on a butane torch. Blue flame burst out from the nozzle.

�Well, we�ll deal with that disastrous turn after we deal with this one,� replied Giles. He slid a stake into each sleeve of his shirt.

Cordelia walked up from the basement and handed them small glass globes filled with holy water. Each man tucked one a few into their pockets. �Don�t trip and fall on that or anything,� she said to Angel. �It�s to hurt the other vampires, not you.�

He shot her a look and his face softened when he saw her worried expression. �It will be all right,� he soothed.

�You guys are going to kill Buffy,� she pointed out. �How can anything be all right?�

�The Buffy we know is dead already. Being turned was her worst nightmare,� Giles said quietly. �It is our responsibility to prevent that from happening.�

****

Willow ran out of the hospital. �Open�, she said to a gray sports car. The door popped open and she slid inside. �Drive,� she commanded, and the car sped out of the parking lot.

****

�Oh, darling,� Drusilla said happily. �This will all be so wonderful.� She clapped her hands and twirled around.

The tall black haired vampire wrapped his arms around her. �Whatever makes you happy, my dark rose,� he said as he kissed her neck.