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Chapter Thirty-Nine

The next morning everyone gathered in the lobby, they were all out of sorts
and edginess from the lack of sleep ran high. Angel was ready to start
throwing things at Willows refusal to be anywhere near him. Any time he got
close to her shed back away and hide behind one of her friends, her eyes
were bloodshot and puffy from crying and it tore his heart out to see her so
miserable.

Willow felt like she was dying inside and could do nothing to stop it. She
thought that after her tears had dried up she would feel better but now, not
only did she still feel sick at the thought of Angel and Buffys love for one
another, her head hurt as well.

Spike was in a temper because he was unable to continue what he and Aria had
started the night before. She passed out the second her head hit the pillow,
he had tossed and turned all night, this time in his bed next to Aria and he
could definetly describe himself as sexually frustrated. At least he had
Slutty here to take out his anger on, when ever the stupid bint would say
anything he had something nasty to say to her.

Douglass was sick to her stomach and embarrassed. Angel and Spike had walked
in on her and Lindsey just as he was leaving and so they saw her crying. She
had never felt so guilty and ashamed of feeling a certain way before, it made
her cry even harder when Angel and Spike held her until she was finished.
They were giving her support for the torn emotions she had for an enemy and
her stomach didnt help. Certain smells set it off having her run to the
bathroom at neck breaking speeds.

Lindsey felt disoriented, at this time he was usually reporting to work. Any
time now someone was going to notice him missing, that is if they hadnt seen
the tapes from the previous night. This was it. He was truly leaving Wolfram
and Hart. A part of him was scared. He had given up so much to work for them.
His family had been the biggest thing he gave up and now everything he had
obtained by working there was going to be gone as well. He should have gone
back to his apartment to get some things but perhaps it was for the best that
he was making a new start with just the clothes on his back.

Everyone else was grouchy from over stimulation combined with only four hours
of rest. Knowing that Darla was out there, planning their demise and there
wasnt much they could do until they could find her. Douglasss friends
certain now after her third trip to the bathroom that she was indeed pregnant
were uncomfortable with who was the babys father.

"You cant expect us to just sit here and wait for Darla to make a move. We
need to find her and take her out." Cordelia drummed her fingers on her desk
in frustration knowing it was annoying the Hell out of Buffy.

"Yes, I can expect you girls to stay put." Angel snapped back. "Im not
willing to put you all in danger like that. Deal with it."

Wesley cleared his throat. "I think-."

"We dont care what you think!" The girls shouted in unison. Wesley looked
taken aback and glared at their rudeness.

"Maybe Angel and I should go look for her tonight, itd be like old times."
Buffy said, looking at Angel to gauge his reaction. Spike picked up his mug
of blood and was tempted to throw at the girl. Would she ever give up?

Angel looked at Buffy but refused to respond. Turning his back on her he
fought for control of his emotions, this was getting them no where. They
needed to be an united front not a bunch of squabbling children. The only
person who wasnt saying anything was Dawn, the poor girl just sat there
bewildered.

"I say we take a break from each other for a couple hours. We all need to
rest." Without word everyone rose and went separate directions

Giles had watched as the room emptied and his gaze returned to his daughter.
He tried to conjure what she had looked like as a child, he was sure that she
had to have been the most precious gift from God and he felt cheated. Angel
caught his eye and the vampire looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Douglass, I need to talk to you and Giles...alone." Douglass paused and
returned to her seat. Angel ran a hand through his hair and started to pace.

"Angel, I really dont think now is the appropriate time." Giles said one
thing but his eyes screamed something else. Angel gave the man a faint smile.

"Giles, I once took something that you loved very much away from you. Please
allow me to give you this." Giles looked at the vampire with tender regard
amazed that he had ever been able to forgive Angel, even though he knew it
had been Angelus. Nodding his consent, Angel turned his attentions back to
Douglass.

"We werent going to tell you this until it calmed down some but I think
its doing more damage than good by keeping you in the dark." Douglass
started to get worried at the seriousness of his tone. "You already knew that
Giles knew your Mother once." Douglass nodded. "He loved your Mother very
much." Douglasss eyes widened as she looked over at the man sitting near by.
"And Im sure he can tell you a lot about your Mother before she had you and
you probably can fill him in on your Mother after she had you." Angel stopped
and grabbed her hand giving it a squeeze. "I really have no idea how to say
this and make it any easier for you to understand. In Giless youth he had a
nickname." Douglass felt like his next words were going to change her life
forever and she almost wished hed stop talking but another part of her
already knew what he was going to say.

"Ripper." She whispered looking over at the man to acknowledge if she was
correct.

Giles felt tears in his eyes and cautiously reached out for her other hand.
Douglass felt her world turn upside down as her stomach lurched again,
ripping her hand out of Angels to put over her mouth she ran from the room
to the nearest bathroom.

"That went well." Giles felt his insides tighten at her rejection.