Life's Ever Changing Turns
by maryperk

Summary: What if? during Fool for Love. What if Buffy wasn't a raging ... you know what, even kinda flirty, and what if Riley showed up at the Bronze while Spike and Buffy were talking?
Chapter 12/Epilogue

"That was the wrong vehicle," General Gregor shouted at his knights. "This has been a disaster from the beginning."

"The time of the Beast has passed," Dante said quietly. "Do we still need to destroy the Key?"

"With the passing of the time of the convergence, I know where the Beast resides, General," the head mage said quietly. "If we eliminate the host, Glorificus will not be able to rise again. The Key will be obsolete."

General Gregor nodded while he tried to make a decision. Finally, he said, "Yes, destroy the Beast's host."

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Wesley glanced over his translations of the Nyazian Prophecies once more. He had translated another portion of the scroll after the initial part that spoke of Angel and Darla's child. However this was a part he didn't want to mention in front of Angel. Wesley shook his head as he thought about the broodier than usual vampire.

It had started with Wolfram & Hart's resurrection of Angel's sire Darla. Her subsequent turning by Drusilla had plunged Angel into darkness. Then, once he had found himself again, the knowledge that Buffy had truly moved on, and with Spike, had sent the dark-haired vampire running to a Tibetan monastery for the entire summer. Now, Darla was here pregnant with Angel's child despite his assurances that he hadn't succumbed to her charms.

Wesley reread the passage he had just translated for what had to be the tenth time. It appeared that not only was Angel's baby a part of the Nyazian Prophecies, but Buffy's was too.

"If the one born out of darkness to bring darkness blood bonds with the one born out of light to bring light, born together yet apart.."

Darla's loud groan echoed off the walls of the suite that Angel had placed her in.

"I think Darla's in labor," Fred called out.

"Is that what this pain is?" Darla snarled.

"Don't get huffy with me," Fred said. "You're the one having unprotected sex."

"I'm a vampire, you dolt," Darla grunted in pain.

"That's no excuse," Fred's pretty voice sounded slightly huffy to Wesley.

The ex-Watcher pulled out his cell phone, and he dialed Buffy's home number. After a few minutes, Dawn answered the phone.

"Can't talk now, Buffy's in labor. She's really cranky," the teen said as a greeting.

"Dawn, it's me ... Wesley. May I speak to Junia?" Wesley asked for the midwife attending Buffy's birth.

"Sure thing." Dawn dropped the phone. "Hey, Junia, it's Wesley."

Wesley heard Buffy's grunt of pain over the phone. It was echoed by one of Darla's on his end.

"Wesley, how may I help you?" Junia's voice filled the phone line. "We're quite busy here preparing for our little warrior."

"Darla's here. She's in labor too," Wesley said in a hurry, not wanting to postpone the telling of his news. "She and Buffy are connected." He placed a finger on the prophecy as he read it aloud to Junia.

"Oh my, that could be a problem," Junia murmured. "For you, not us. Vampires cannot give birth without magical intervention or surgery, provided you can find any that will work on a vampire. Unfortunately, Pete's out of this dimension right now or I'd send him over."

"I was afraid of that," Wesley replied.

"I need to check on Buffy. I'll be right back." Junia dropped the phone.

Wesley waited as patiently as he could until the midwife returned to her end of the line.

"Buffy's dilating fast. If they are indeed connected, it would explain why she is progressing so rapidly."

"We have other problems here," Wesley said softly. "I'll call when I can."

Junia gave Wesley her cell phone number just in case they moved Buffy to the hospital. Then she gave him the number of an alternate magic worker just in case he was able to talk Angel into using the person. After the midwife hung up, Wesley heaved a sigh. There was no way that Angel would allow any magic workers near Darla and the child. The vampire would assume that they were in cahoots with WRH. Wesley rose to his feet, and he went to join the discussion in the other room.

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Hours later, Wesley watched Angel cradle his newborn son in his arms. The tall, lanky Brit had suggested finding the magic worker that Junia had suggested, but both Angel and Darla had vetoed the idea. Angel because the reasons that Wesley had cited to himself earlier, and Darla because none of the shamans she had visited previously had given any indication that magic would help her.

Now Darla was dust, and Connor was motherless. Wesley wondered how Buffy was doing. He excused himself, found a private spot, and called Sunnydale.

"Junia," the ex-Watcher said when the midwife finally answered. "I was unable to convince either Angel or Darla to take your advice."

"How are they?"

"Darla dusted herself, and Connor's fine." Wesley tapped his leg in nervous tension. "How's Buffy?"

"She and little William are doing good too. Her pain lessened just seconds before young Will's birth. That must have been when Darla expired." Junia sighed. "William was here moments later."

"So, basically Connor and William were born at the same moment," Wesley murmured softly. "Born together, yet apart."

"Indeed," Junia replied. "I suggest you call Buffy next week. You and she might have your worked cut out for you..."

"Convincing our vampires that their children need each other," Wesley finished softly.

"Quite," Junia agreed.

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

It was several months later, and Wesley still hadn't come up with a way to approach Angel about Connor and William's intertwined destinies. He knew from Buffy that Spike wasn't happy about it either, but that the bleached blond vampire was slowly starting to accept the inevitable.

Wesley looked over his continued translation of the Nyazian prophecies. "'The father will kill the son'," he whispered. "That can't be, but..."

"Problem, Wesley?" Fred poked her head into the office. The young woman had progressed so far from the fearful mouse that had come home with them from Pylea.

"No, my dear." Wesley tried to look as normal as possible. "Just translating this prophecy. You know how hard that can be."

Fred nodded in understanding. "Can you watch Connor while the rest of us go out on a case?"

"Sure, just wheel him in here." Wesley gestured towards the bassinet in the other room.

"Thanks, Wesley." Fred gave him a happy grin.

The tall Brit gave a small smile. As soon as the rest of A.I. left the Hyperion, Wesley called Sunnydale. He was pleased to hear that Buffy and Spike, along with the now paroled Faith, would be happy to grant him and Connor asylum. Wesley bundled the baby up, placed him in the car, and they set off towards the Hellmouth.

Two hours later, Wesley knocked on Buffy's door. He and Connor were welcomed with open arms.

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At the same time, Angel and the other members of his team returned to the Hyperion hotel. At first, they thought that Wesley had retired to Connor's room, but it soon became clear that both were missing.

Fred found the translations that Wesley had been working on. When she handed the papers to Angel, the vampire growled and stormed out of the hotel. He realized that Wesley had taken Connor away, essentially kidnapped the boy.

"Why didn't Wesley tell us about this?" Fred asked. She was astonished that Wesley acted the way he had.

"Probably knew that would happen," Cordelia muttered as she pointed at the front door.

"Where would Wesley go though?" Gunn asked. "I don't think there are many who can protect him from Angel's wrath?"

"Buffy," Cordelia whispered. "He might have gone to Buffy's."

"Should we give them a call?" Gunn wasn't too sure about the suggestion.

"Do we have to?" Cordelia whined.

"I'll do it," Fred announced. The visit by the Sunnydale contingent was a distant memory for the tall woman. She knew that Cordelia had quite a history with the other group.

"Better you than me!" Cordelia grunted in an unladylike manner. "I have no desire to deal with either Buffy or Faith, thank you very much."

Both Fred and Gunn shuddered as they remembered the dark-haired Slayer's visit. She had laughed and laughed when she had heard about Buffy's new beau. Then Faith had chortled about the other Slayer's vampire fetish to which Angel had muttered 'only Aurelians'.

Fred nodded stoically before she went to the phone. She hoped it would be Willow that answered. Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed when she heard the voice on the other end.

"This better be good," Spike growled.

"I-it's Fred from Angel's team," the tall Texan stammered quietly. "We were wondering if Wesley and Connor were there?"

Fred could hear some mumbling in the background. For once, she wished she had vampire hearing.

"The Slayers say that if Angelus shows up to eat the hell-spawn..." Spike let out a sharp yelp. "... I mean the little sweetheart, they'll stake him right and proper."

"So, Connor and Wesley are there?" Fred cleared her throat.

"Give that back," Spike snarled. "Bloody forceful bints!"

Fred giggled to herself. Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley had told her and Gunn what a big bad vampire Spike really was, but to Fred he seemed quite domesticated.

"Better tell Angel that Boltz guy had better be gone too," Buffy growled into the phone.

"Holtz, pet."

Fred heard Spike snort in the background. "O-of course," she stammered.

"While you're at it, tell him that we all remember that Angelus likes to eat family first," Buffy continued. "He'll have to prove himself to me before he'll get Connor back."

"Connor's his child," Fred protested. "He loves him."

"As long as it's not for dinner," Buffy replied.

"I'll tell him." Fred grimaced at the thought of telling the news to Angel. As grateful as she was for her rescue from Pylea, she knew he walked dangerously close to the dark side. "I'll tell him," she repeated.

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

"She said what?" Angel said in a quiet, deadly voice.

"I'm not going to repeat it again," Fred said bravely. "I could tell she was serious, though."

"I have to get rid of Holtz and prove to Buffy that I'm not going to eat Connor?" Angel threw his hands up in the air. "This is just great. Why in the hell didn't Wesley just ask me what I was planning?"

"You've been awfully cranky since Buffy was here before." Fred edged away from the vampire. "Maybe he was worried you'd hurt him. Wesley, I mean."

"I'll never forgive him for this," Angel growled. "He is no longer welcome here."

"I'm sure he knows that." Fred looked at the doorway where Gunn and Cordelia had just appeared. "However, I'm pretty sure Buffy and the others will protect him just as much as they'll protect Connor. Don't do anything stupid."

"She's probably right," Cordelia muttered. "You know how Buffy is."

"Let's get this done." Angel went to the weapons cache. "I want Connor to come home as soon as possible."

The others nodded as they too went to pick out a weapon. Holtz and Lilah Morgan wouldn't know what hit them.

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

Several weeks later, Angel nervously stood outside of Buffy's house. He knew that she had been quite serious about keeping Connor if he couldn't prove himself to her. How he was so certain of that, he didn't know. Buffy had never seemed like the maternal type in Angel's opinion. So, why was she holding on to Connor so protectively against him?

Are you coming in, Peaches, or are you plannin' on standin' there broodin' all night?" Spike's voice sounded from an upstairs window.

Angel heaved a sigh. He didn't want to deal with Spike. He had hoped he would be in and out of Sunnydale with his son and skip the crap.

"Well?" Spike's voice reached Angel's ears again.

"I can't climb the tree," Angel muttered.

"Never stopped you b'fore." Spike bleached blond head poked out of the bedroom window. "Now get your poofy arse up here. It's your turn to change these nasty diapers, Gramps."