Chapter 9 Mother Knows Best

A/N: Ninth chapter of the series.

Disclaimer: Property of Joss Whedon and all parties responsible for airing the shows. Other original characters are mine, and some others will be explained as the story goes on.

Feedback: Sure, if you wish.

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London, England

The Watcher's Council

December 2017

"What did he say?" Buffy asked the moment Giles hung up his phone. Giles took off his glasses and heavily leaned back on his chair.

"Nothing, as usual." He replied. "I guess that means he'll do it. What I'm worried about is the way they'll do it."

"Or how Kennedy will react." Buffy finished Giles' thought. "Maybe I should go with them."

Giles seemed to ponder the idea, but quickly shook his head.

"I need you here." Giles said. "We don't know what is going to happen, when it's going to happen or if it even is going to happen. I want you to get ready for anything."

"Get ready for what? Like you said, we have no idea what we'll face." Buffy asked.

"You'll think of something, I'm sure." Giles answered. "We can only hope Cordelia gives us a heads up beforehand."

Buffy nodded. She hadn't prepared for battle in way too long. She didn't know how she could do it once more, after thirteen years of relative peace.

She rubbed her temples, thinking of how sometimes being leader sucked.

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Connor punched the training bag as hard as he could.

The young man, even though he was already in his thirties, looked as young as he'd been twelve or fourteen years ago. His hair was shorter and looked a lot like Angel's. He still kept in touch with his fake parents, but they had already accepted a long time ago he was meant for bigger things.

That didn't mean he didn't miss them sometimes.

He'd tried to find Angel for the past days, but it seemed his father didn't want to be found at all. Connor hated how his father sometimes reversed to the Angelus persona without even realizing it. It was just wrong how his father treated his wife.

True, Buffy wasn't all that smart, all that beautiful, but she'd been faithful, loyal, a great friend for him and a kickass mother for Annie.

He punched again; one, two, three times before the bag's chain finally gave up and the thing went flying away a good fifteen feet before landing.

Connor wiped the sweat off his forehead and sat on the floor. He looked around at the private training room, located in the sixth floor, next to most of the offices there. Only those of his family were allowed in there and he appreciated the sense of privacy it withheld. It helped him concentrate and focus on the problems at hand.

He remembered when Annie was born. It hadn't exactly thrilled him, but he'd been happy for Angel and Annie. He'd been asked to take her with him when Angel brought down the Circle of the Black Thorn. Connor ran his hands through his hair, and feared the mark of the Circle could be somehow controlling his father's actions.

But it was thirteen years after, and he knew the Senior Partners would not have waited so long to influence Angel.

"I'm all right if you're safe." His father had said. "But if you really want to help, keep Annie safe."

And safe he'd kept her. Even when slayers and Angel's friends had fallen, he'd managed to keep his baby sister safe, fighting in the sidelines.

Victory came, but at the cost of many lives. In the midst of it all, in the middle of the massive destruction and all of Angel's bad calls, Buffy had remained by his side, helping him and giving him support.

The only thing they didn't agree on was Buffy's need to use an old leather coat while she fought alongside Angel. His father had gone apeshit when he saw her with the coat, but Connor had later learnt the thing had once belonged to a slayer. It was only fit that a slayer wore it to ballet again.

Besides that, why in hell was Angel being such an ass with the woman of his dreams, as he so clearly had stated it before?

'Damned if I know.' Connor thought.

Wind picked up and Connor frowned. The training room was airtight and locked beyond all access. He attuned every sense to everything around and he couldn't pick up anything beyond the air swirling around.

Electricity filled the air and Connor relaxed, knowing it only meant a higher being was about to appear.

'Cordelia.' He thought, and he knew an awkward moment laid ahead, remembering what had happened between them.

An image, definitively female, began to appear in front of him. He took a step back, crossed his arms and waited for the figure to materialize.

Something wasn't quite right when Connor realized the woman wasn't as tall as Cordelia and her hair was longer than he remembered.

The figure appeared completely and Connor took a step back. The woman approached him and placed a hand on his face, caressing it.

"You sure have become a handsome man, Connor."

Connor couldn't find the words to reply. The woman smiled and held her arms open.

"Come give your mother a hug." Darla said, a smile appearing on her face.

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Darla's smile was honest and true.

She stared at her son, now a grown man. She'd truly wanted to see him grow, and she'd gotten a few chances while doing time in the netherworld. Connor had been her redemption while still growing inside of her. She had loved him and had shared a soul with him, giving her the chance to realize the damage she'd inflicted to the world in four hundred years of murder and pain.

She'd once tried to keep him from going down the wrong path; the path she had taken centuries before, being an unseen hand guiding him through the hard years of his youth, and she'd been thankful for every chance she got to see him.

"Open your eyes, Connor." Darla said, noticing how her son had closed his eyes and turned his head away from her. "What is it, son?"

"Last time you saw me." Connor said, his eyes still closed. "What I did. What you tried to stop me from doing. I..."

Darla once again placed her hand on her son's face.

"Look at me, Connor." She softly said. "Talk to me."

Connor slowly turned his head and opened his eyes. He met his mother's eyes and found none of the anger or hate he expected to see in them. He only saw a mother's love, a feeling he never thought he could receive from Darla, a soulless vampire.

"Still thinking of me as a vampire?" She asked, her smile never leaving.

"Not like that." Connor chuckled. "I think of you as a vampire because you had me while you were still one. Not a human. Who can honestly say his mother was a soulless vampire who gave her life for his own?"

"Don't think every kid can say that, but you'd be surprised." Darla replied.

Connor's answer was a questioning frown.

"Never mind." Darla continued. "I suppose you've all received the latest news."

"Yeah." Connor replied. "Another apocalypse. Getting tired of those, you know."

"I guess so." Darla answered. "But it's not that simple this time."

"It never is."

"The point is, we were not allowed to give all the info we received." She looked around the training room and found a small cot. She motioned to it and both went to sit on it. They remained like that for a while, enjoying each other's company.

"Huh." Darla suddenly said.

"What?"

"A vampire inside the Council." Darla chuckled.

"Not a vampire." Connor said, shaking his head. "A higher being, for the looks of it."

Both smiled, and remained in silence for a while, until Darla sighed.

"I'd like to stay with you longer." She said. "But I don't have much time."

Connor nodded, while Darla slowly stood up.

"Balance was torn, that much you know." She said. "Why it was broken, I cannot tell. You just have to know a large battle is coming."

"Great."

"There are things that may actually help us." Darla continued. "But I know it won't be that easy. There are several sides to this battle. The Powers That Be, the Senior Partners, the human army and a fourth, yet to appear party. The Powers and the Partners have had an uneasy truce for millennia, but it has now come to an end. They are assembling their armies on this plane before taking the fight to theirs."

"It's because of what Angel did, right?" Connor asked, also standing up. "When he brought down the Circle of the Black Thorn."

"That only bought you time." Darla replied. "It took them all this time to regroup and assess the damage caused because of the lack of Balance. It is known as the second war."

"Huh?"

"Balance was already disrupted." Darla answered. "The fight for Sunnydale was the first war."

Connor seemed more confused than before.

"Listen, you are part of this fight, whether you want or not." Darla said. "You will become a general in the army of the Powers. You'll have to be ready for it."

"You spoke of things that might help us." Connor interrupted. "What is it?"

"A choice that will not be yours to take." Darla said. "But it will affect your family. I can't tell you much, but you have to keep your sister safe."

"Of course." He replied. "You know it."

"The army assembled by the Senior Partners is a powerful one." Darla said. "This are bad news, I know, but I need you to be prepared, even if others aren't. The other higher beings trust too much, and I'm not sure if that is a good thing. This battle holds not only the future of this earth, son, but the fate of universe itself."

"I'll need help." He suddenly said. "That is what you're trying to tell me, right?"

"I won't be able to help you." She sadly said. "At least not physically."

"You will still be by my side, right?"

Darla nodded.

"There are some people you'll need by your side." She continued. "First of all, you'll need Annie by your side. You'll have to keep her sharp and in shape, even if her parents don't agree. She's crucial to it all. Second, Illyria and Wesley are powerful allies who will not stop to do what's right. Their knowledge will prove useful as well."

She fell silent after the last words. Connor sought an answer with his eyes.

Darla sighed again.

"Most of all, you need the key."

"Once again, huh?"

Darla gave him a sad smile.

"You'll need Dawn Summers by your side."