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Prologue....

Rome, 1979.

With squinting eyes, a man stood in front of an opened window, staring at the night sky.  His eyes were focused on one point of the sky in particular.  He was dressed in a brown robe and he had a long silver chair over his neck with a gold cross crucifix hanging on the chain.  The man's hands rested on the window sill as his eyes gazed at the full moon and the object above the moon.

The man in the robe shook his head several times and each time the image in the sky wouldn't fade away.  "The event we've feared for centuries has begun." the man whispered to himself, as no one else was in the room with him.  Turning from the window, he walked towards a shiny silver case that lay still on the table in the center of the room.

Flipping open both hatches at the top of the case, the man looked inside.  There were numerous smaller cone shaped cases inside.  The man with the dark hair picked one up, knowing it by heart as he was known as the only member of The Order of Makhali who constantly studied the ancient prophecies.  Taking the top off the cone shaped case, he took out a carefully rolled up scroll with ancient diagrams and ancient text painted and scribbled on it.  Unrolling it to a certain part of the scroll, the man returned to the window and glanced at the moon and what was above it and then at the diagram illustrated on the scroll.

Sighing in resignation, the robed man closed his eyes.  He stayed there with his eyes closed for several long and ominous minutes before he turned and headed to the lower chambers of the building where the Order of Makhali were based.  He wasted no time in getting where he needed to be.  He entered a wide circular chamber where other robed figures were sitting and speaking with each other.  At the very far side of the chamber was an elderly man in the same type robes.  The man had long white hair and a white beard and mustache.

The aura of respect and experience that surrounded him attested to his being the elder of the Order.  The man kneeled before the older man and bowed his hand.  "Forgive me for intruding." the robed man with the scroll intoned.

"What is it?" the older man said.

"Sir, it's happened.  The Eye of Bane has appeared." the robed man said, showing the scroll to them.

The other robed figures gathered near at hearing the man speak of the Eye of Bane.

"The Eye of Bane?" a different robed man said.

The man with the scroll nodded.  "Yes.  The Eye has appeared in the night sky."

A slightly heavier robed man stepped forward.  He had a white mustache and short white hair.  "If the Eye's appeared, then the countdown to HIS release has begun." 

"Yes," the Order's elder said, "when the Eye of Bane appears, twenty three years pass thee and the Dark Son of Dekhleti will rise to bring about the End of Dayz."

They all looked at each other.  What their elder had just spoken were the words transcribed into the prophecy that the robed man held in his hand.  Since the Eye of Bane appeared over the full moon, then it meant that in twenty three years time, the Dark Son of the demon Dekleti would rise from the depths of hell to bring about the End of Dayz on Earth.

"What can we do?" the robed man with the scroll asked.

The elder man leaned back in his chair.  "Us...we can do nothing.  We are not equipped to battle the Dark Son.  But we must make the Council of Watchers aware of our concern and aware of the prophecy.  When the day comes that the Dark Son rises, the Slayer will be called upon to deal with him.  We must have faith in her."

Silence reigned over the entire group of robed figures.  But the man with the white mustache narrowed his eyes slightly, not liking the elder's view on the matter.  Not liking it one bit.

Part 1

Sunnydale, 2002.

Willow Rosenberg knotted her hands together, rubbing her fingers over and over again.  She was nervous.  Actually, she was beyond nervous.  She hated being where she was and she hated it even more that her fiancée, Tara Maclay, had no idea that she was here.  The redheaded witch was wearing one of her favorite dresses.  It was the nice pink colored one she'd wore the day the demon Sweet had come to Sunnydale.  It was the day that Tara had sung that beautiful love song to her that Willow could still hear ringing in her ears.

As she smoothed her hands over the light fabric, she remembered why it was one of her favorites.  Tara had told her that night that she loved that dress.  Of course, it was the day before Willow thought her relationship with Tara ended completely.  But thankfully the redhead was wrong about that.  Willow looked up as the door across the room from her opened.

A nurse entered the waiting area of the clinic Willow was at and approached her.  "Miss Rosenberg?" the nurse questioned.

Willow rose.  "Yes?"

"Dr. Shaw can see you now." the nurse said, motioning Willow to follow her. 

Willow followed the nurse to a back room, where she entered.  Dr. Shaw was waiting there with a chart in her hand.  My chart. the redhead thought with a tingle of dread.  "Dr. Shaw." Willow said, looking like she was ready to bolt.

"Willow, relax." Helen Shaw told her.  "Have a seat."

Willow sat down on a plastic chair and regarded the doctor while Helen Shaw made a few marks on the chart before looking at the nervous redhead.  "How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.

"Nervous." Willow replied.

Dr. Shaw nodded.  "Alright, I'll get right to the point, Willow.  We ran the tests after you were here last and....well I'm kind of surprised by the results."

Willow tilted her head.  "What do you mean?"

Helen sighed, moving her rolling stool closer.  "Willow, you came in here last week because you were having stomach pains, remember?"

"Yeah." Willow was starting to worry.  She had woken up one day last weak with a painful stomach ache and she had later thrown up.  Tara had been downstairs at the time, so the redhead had been able to keep that secret.

"When you showed up here, all I figured we'd find was maybe you'd ate something that gave you a fever or something like that.  What I found in your test results are completely different." Dr. Shaw said.

Willow leaned forward.  "Is it that bad?"  The idea of something horrible happening right now was not an option for Willow.  With the wedding rapidly approaching and the fall semester of school almost there, Willow didn't need anymore complications in her life.

Dr. Shaw leaned back.  "Well, that depends on your viewpoint, I guess."

"What?" Willow was getting confused now.

Helen took a breath.  "Willow, you're pregnant."

Silence.  More silence.  Even more silence.  A little more silence followed, then Willow's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.  Wha...did she just....what did she say....I'm pre.....I'm preg....pregnant.  But....

Seeing Willow's disbelief, Dr. Shaw nodded.  "Yes Willow, you are pregnant."

Swallowing hard, Willow slowly shook her head.  "No...it's not possible Dr. Shaw.  I don't sleep with guys....well, not anymore.  I can't be pregnant.  I haven't been with a man in over three years.  You've made some kind of mistake."

"Willow, there is no mistake.  I've run the tests three different times to be sure.  You do have a life growing inside you.  The stomach pains you felt last week was the morning sickness that all expectant mothers go through." Dr. Shaw said as delicately as she could.  "Now, I need to tell you a couple things.  First, once you leave the clinic, you need to tell Tara about this.  She needs to know.  I'm going to give you some medication that will help you relax.  You don't need to over exert yourself."

"But....how did this happen?  I know how women get pregnant and I can tell you with absolute sureness that there was no guy involved." Willow stammered.

Dr. Shaw nodded.  "Well, I would think that Tara's involved in it."

Willow's eyes popped again.  "But......how...."

Dr. Shaw sighed, she knew Willow was a witch and she had thought the redhead would have known this by now.  "Willow, you're a witch, Tara's a witch.  Never mind how I know, I just do.  Listen to me, I've lived in this town for ten years now and I've seen some pretty amazing things.  And two women creating a child together isn't as far fetched as it sounds."

"It's not?"

"Absolutely not." the doctor said.  "First of all, there are powerful spells that can help two women have a child together.  I'm surprised neither of you have looked those type of spells up together."

"I didn't know those type of spells existed." the redhead said.  "When did we...do....what we did?"

Dr. Shaw looked at her chart again.  "The results of the test we did indicates that your child was conceived around the middle of June."

Willow let her mind drift to that time, trying to remember any of their nights together that could have been the night.  Her eyes widened as she remembered one night.  The night Willow had proposed to Tara.  That night, the two of them had made love several times and as Willow thought about it, she realized that the entire night had seemed more intense to both of them.  Slowly, a delighted smile broke across her face.

Dr. Shaw shared the smile.  "So, this is good news then?"

Willow nodded.  "Yes, very good news.  I just have to find out if it'll be good news to Tara."

Rising, the doctor squeezed her shoulder.  "Willow, she loves you and I'm sure she's going to be thrilled.  Give me five minutes and I'll have the relaxants ready."

After the doctor left the room, Willow closed her eyes and sighed happily.  When she thought things couldn't get better for them, things had to go and get better.  She was pregnant.  She was pregnant with Tara's child.  No, she corrected herself, she was pregnant with their child.  Their first child.  She rubbed her stomach and let her smile widen across her face.  She hoped her lover would welcome this news as happily as she was.  In her heart, she knew the answer to that.

---**---

Rights and lefts.  Lefts and rights.  A right left combination.  A left right combination.  The Vampire Slayer, Buffy Summers, used all those as she moved against the boxing bag that was suspended in the training room in the Magic Box.  She was wearing a single white tank top and a pair of dark black sweats as she worked on her fighting techniques.  The Watcher had offered to train with her, but she wanted to do this training session alone.

She needed to think.  As the month of July was winding down and it was less than four days from August, Buffy was considering returning to school with Willow and Tara.  Buffy had already taken over a year off.  She had been turned down from registration because she'd applied a little too late, but she blamed her being dead on that.  As she hit the bag, Buffy let her thoughts drift to a certain male about her age who also had a destiny that he hated.

Jacob.  The Slayer let her mind linger over the name.  She liked the way it sounded in her head.  It was like it fit him.  Jacob the Daywalker.  It sounded nice to Buffy's ears.  Buffy sighed before she began her kicking combinations against the bag.  Her feelings for Jacob hadn't changed in recent weeks.  In fact, they seemed to get stronger as she found herself thinking more about him with each day.  Jacob had returned to Sunnydale after putting Amy in that monastery in the mountains.  He hadn't been back long, just a couple weeks, but Buffy found herself wanting to spend more and more of her time with him.  She couldn't explain it.  She just felt something for him that she hadn't felt since Angel.

She didn't even count her history with Spike.  She shuddered just thinking of the blonde vampire.  Especially the last moment she'd seen him.  She shook her head, wanting to get rid of the thoughts of Spike.  Almost being raped by someone you were beginning to trust was a blow to the heart.  Even though her feelings weren't love, Buffy had felt something for Spike and what he'd almost done to her felt like a savage betrayal.  She was glad he wasn't in Sunnydale anymore, but she was pretty sure he'd be back one day.  She made sure to be ready when that day came.  She let herself continue to think about Jacob.

From everything she'd been told from Giles about Jacob, the Daywalker wasn't ready or willing to let himself settle down with anyone until he found the vampire responsible for his mother's attack.  Buffy felt sympathy for how Jacob came to be, but she knew that it couldn't be prevented because his destiny, like hers, was laid out before he was born.  It was something he was fated to become and as much as he hated it, he had to fulfill his destiny, just like she did.

The outer door of the training room slowly opened and Buffy turned to see who stood there.  She smiled slightly at the visitor.  "Jacob, hey."

Jacob nodded at her as he entered.  He was wearing a pair of his normal black pants with his black short sleeved shirt on.  He looked around the recently repaired and rebuilt training room with appraising eyes.  "This is a nice training room." he mentioned.

"Yeah, I've always liked it." Buffy said.  "Giles and Xander helped arrange it for me."

"Well, it's a nice one I must say." Jacob said, stopping in front of her.  "So, how long have you been training today?"

"I've been going at this bag for a couple hours." Buffy replied.  "It's getting kind of old, though.  But I needed it.  I've had a lot to think about."

"Really?" Jacob said, picking up a sword and twirling it with expert ability.

Buffy watched him move with the sword for a few moments.  "Yeah, a lot to think about." she murmured, watching him.

Realizing he was being watched, he stopped moving the blade in circles and looked at her.  "Wh...why are you looking at me like that?"

Buffy shook her head, snapping out of her gaze.  "Sorry, just thinking."

"Mind if I ask about what?" Jacob asked.

"You." came the honest answer, much to her own surprise.

Jacob looked just as surprised.  He looked at the floor.  "Buffy..."

"I know." she sighed.  "I've talked to Giles about you.  Finding your mother's attacker is your top priority, right.  No time to have a relationship until it's done."

"No, that's not all there is to it." Jacob said.  "Buffy, I like you.  Hell, I more than like you.  I won't lie, I have feelings for you.  Where they came from I don't know.  I just know that whenever I try to leave Sunnydale, I always end up coming back because I wanna see you." he said.  "It's just....I've dedicated the better part of my life searching for the vampire who made me what I am.  I have a lot swirling emotions running through me right now.   I just need some time to sort through what I want to do."

Buffy nodded, accepting that as as close to an answer as she could get.  She walked over and grabbed a separate sword.  "You wanna test your skills against a real opponent?" she asked.

He laughed.  "Sure, bring it on Slayer."

"Here I come Daywalker." Buffy said with a smirk as she clashed her sword against his.

---**---

Tara Maclay entered the Magic Box.  The bell at the top of the door rang to prove her entrance into the magic store.  Anya, who was standing behind the counter, looked up as she entered and waved a hello at her.  Tara waved back as she walked towards the center of the room, where the circular table was situated.  "Hey Anya." Tara greeted the vengeance demon.

"Hello Tara." Anya said.  "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but why are you here?"

Tara shrugged as she sat down.  She was wearing her pink jeans and her pink mixed colored shirt that she'd worn at this very Magic Box when Buffy had came in and given them a false thanks for bringing her back.  She had her hair hanging free, no restrictions holding them in a ponytail.  She liked her hair when it was blowing in the breeze.  "I got bored sitting at home.  Dawn's out with that Clem guy and I know Buffy's busy.  Willow's taking care of something, she wouldn't tell me what.  So, I decided to come down here."

Anya walked over and sat down across from the witch and rested her hands on top of it.  She studied the blonde haired woman.  "How are those chest pains doing?" she asked.

Tara leaned back in her chair.  "They're coming a little less frequently now."

"Is that a good thing?" Anya asked, interested.

"I don't know.  The last time they started hitting me less frequently was just before a major one hit me.  I'm just kind of worried that the same thing's happening here."

"What does your doctor tell you?" the vengeance demon asked.

Tara looked at her knees.  "Dr. Shaw keeps telling me to just keep taking my medicine."

Anya nodded, realizing Tara didn't want to talk about it.  The demon wouldn't force her.  "You wanna help me shelve some books?"

Tara nodded, accepting the change in topic.  She rose and walked over to where there were some boxes of books lying on the floor.  Pulling over a chair, she began going through them and putting them on the shelves.  About fifteen minutes later, she had gotten through one box of the books and half of another box when the bell jingled.  Tara looked over and smiled as her girlfriend walked in.  As Willow made her way over to her, Tara could see that the redhead was absolutely beaming with giddy happiness.  She wondered what that was about.

Tara was on her feet as Willow reached her.  Without saying anything, the redhead raised her hands and gently wrapped them in Tara's blonde tresses.  Regardless of the snickering Anya behind them, Willow locked her lips with Tara's for several long seconds, giving her lover a resounding kiss with her lips and tongue.  After hearing Anya's throat clearing, Willow reluctantly pulling back.

"Now that was a kiss!" Anya exclaimed, surprised that Willow had done it.

Willow kept her gaze on Tara's face as the blonde's eyes were shut as she had enjoyed the kiss thoroughly.  Stroking Tara's cheek, Willow let a smile light up her face as Tara reopened her eyes.  "Hey baby." Willow said.

"Hey." Tara replied, letting her hands rest on Willow's hips.

Willow rubbed the back of Tara's neck as she smiled.  "There's something I need to tell you."

Tara's eyebrows lifted.  "Yeah?  What is it?"

Willow led her lover over to the table and they sat down.  "I don't want to tell you here.  Why don't we go out tonight?  We can go to that restaurant you like."

"What's the occasion?" Tara asked.

"Ah ah!" Willow shook her finger at her.  "You're gonna have to wait until tonight."

"Okay, just tell me one thing.  Is it good news?" Tara asked.

Willow smiled.  "I definitely think so.  You'll just have to wait until tonight."

The two women leaned forward and kissed.  As they broke the contact, the door to the training room opened and Buffy exited with Jacob.  Both of their skin was slick with sweat from the training the two of them went through.  Buffy was very impressed with Jacob's ability with the sword.  And although Buffy was slightly better at the sword than Jacob was, Jacob had her beat when it came to hand to hand combat.  She hadn't found a sparring partner this good since Angel.  And Jacob was slightly better than Angel had been.

"Hey guys." Buffy greeted her two friends.

"Hey Buffy." Willow greeted.

"Hello Jacob." Tara said.

"How are you guys doing?" Jacob asked.

"We're doing good." Tara answered.  "Willow wants us to go out tonight, so don't expect us back for a few hours."

Buffy nodded.  She was going to head to the house to shower, but Willow rose and grabbed her arm.  "Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

Buffy nodded.  "Okay."

"I'll be right back, baby." Willow told her lover.

Tara watched Willow lead Buffy away and sighed.  She really hated not knowing what Willow was going to tell her tonight.  Oh well. Tara thought to herself.  She'd find out tonight when they had their dinner.  She started chatting with Jacob.

In the training room, Willow pulled Buffy to a stop in the center of it.  "Alright Will, what's going on?" the Slayer asked.

Willow bit her bottom lip.  "You remember last week when I went to see the doctor?"

"Of course.  You had me cover for you with Tara, which is something I didn't like to do.  Keeping secrets from your girlfriend is not a wise decision Willow." Buffy told her.

Willow sighed.  "I know.  But it's only going to be until tonight.  I went back to the doc's office today to find out the results of the tests they ran and Dr. Shaw told me something...something very unexpected."

"Oh really.  What would that be?" Buffy asked, totally unprepared for the response.

Willow smiled.  "Buffy, I'm pregnant."

Buffy staggered backwards at the news.  "Pregnant?" she whispered.  She was at a loss as to what to say.  Willow was pregnant.  Willow was PREGNANT!  Buffy's eyebrows hiked up to her hairline.  "Wow, uh.....is this.....I mean....are you happy about it?"

"At first, it was kind of a shock, but the more I think about it, the more I can't wait to have this baby and raise it with Tara." Willow said.  Feeling the need rush over her, she pulled her friend into a hug.  Buffy hugged her back, happy to see her best friend in such high spirits.

"I'm happy for you Will.  This is you and Tara's doing, right?  I mean, no guy involved?"

Willow shook her head.  "No, there's no guy involved here.  The night I proposed to Tara is the night I think it happened.  I remember everything was more intense that night than any of the others.  We've made love plenty of times, but that night.....every touch, every caress....it was so much more powerful than anytime before."

Buffy smiled at her friend, patting her on the cheek.  "I'm happy for you Will.  And since you're happy about it, let me warn you.  Aunt Buffy is going to be babysitting that little toddler, got it?"

"I got it." Willow smiled, feeling the warmth of her happiness fill her.  Tonight would be perfect.  She'd tell Tara and they would return to the house and probably make love.  Well, if Willow had anything to say about it, they'd definitely be making love.

---**---

At an undisclosed location, four figures stood.  Each figure stood on each side of a square made out of blood.  The first figure was a woman with short dark hair.  She had creamy white skin and pale blue eyes.  Like the others, she held her arms outstretched above her head, palms facing outward.  To her right was a man about her same height with short black hair and he was of Oriental descent.  His right hand had a ring on the pinky finger.  To the woman's other side stood a large beef of a man.  He was a black man with a mostly bald head.  He had long black hair that started at the back of his head.  He had dark eyes.  And across from the woman was a white man a little taller than she was.  He had white hair and green eyes.

All four of them had their hands above them as they waited for the perfect moment to do what they came here to do.

"It is time." the woman said, her voice crisp and commanding.

"Let's do it, then." the black man intoned.

"By the powers of darkness, here our call." the Oriental man said.

"By the lords of hell, unlock your doors." the white haired man said.

"Give to the Earth that which it most fears." the black man intoned.

"Release the Dark Son.  His time has come.  Release the Dark Son." the woman said in a clear and rich voice.

Multicolored spectrals of energy crackled from their palms and started shooting together, the combined energies forming a small ball of energy.  The ball of energy began to grow in size and the four figures began moving back as the ball enlarged.  Moving back until they were enough feet away, they lowered their arms as they awaited the event to transpire.

The ball of energy began to metamorphisize right in front of them.  It slowly turned from being a ball of energy to forming a circular vortex.  As the four of them watched with rising emotions of elation, a figure exited the portal and landed on his hands and knees.  The figure had the appearance of a man, bare naked.

Raising his head, the man slowly rose to his bare feet, staring at the four of them.  His body was nicely built, with strong muscles throughout his body.  He had incredibly short hair, very pale looking hair, and it was cut like most military officer's have their hair cut.  Moving forward, the woman grabbed the black robe with the ancient writings on it and draped it over his shoulders.  "Dark Son, welcome to Earth." she said.

The bare naked man allowed her to cover his flesh with the robe. His lips turned upward into a smile as he glanced at them.  "It's good to finally be here." he said.  "We have much to do.  Let's get started."

He slowly began walking towards the vehicles the four men used.  The others smiled wickedly at each other.  The Dark Son had risen from hell and it was now just a matter of time before the End of Dayz was brought forth.  The end of the world was coming and they couldn't be happier.

---**---

Night time fell over the city of Sunnydale.  The streets were mostly silent, the people not wanting to be there as that was the time when vampires and demons liked to come out to look for fresh meat to feast on.  Inside one of the busier restaurants, however, two familiar people were sitting at a dinner with a romantic setting, eating dinner.  Willow Rosenberg and her finacée, Tara Maclay, sat across from each other, enjoying their dinner.

At the moment, Buffy was out patrolling and Anya was spending some time over at Xander's.  Buffy had given Dawn the okay to head over to Janice's for the night.  And the witches, as Willow had promised, were at the restaurant.  Willow hadn't changed her outfit, she still wore the pink dress.  Tara, on the other hand, had chosen to dress up for the night out.  She'd changed into one of her crimson red dresses with the different patterns sown at different places on it and the pink top with the darker pink leaves designed on it that she'd wore all the way back when that spirit they'd created with the spell that brought Buffy back.  She hadn't worn it since then and she thought now would be the perfect chance.  She had her hair pulled back into a single ponytail.

The redhead had ordered a lasagna dinner meal with a side order of corn and rise.  Tara had ordered the chicken tender dinner with a side order of fries with a side order of corn with it.  Both women were drinking some champagne with their meal.  Tara eyed her lover over the rim of her glass.  "So um.....you kinda implied tonight was a special night.  Is there some reason why?" the blonde asked.

Willow looked up and tried hard not to smile.  "Before I go into that, I need to ask you something."

Dipping a fry into the ketchup, Tara ate the fry.  "Go ahead and ask away darling."

Willow smiled at the compliment.  "Do you remember that talk we had last year?"

"Which one are you talking about?" Tara asked, sipping her champagne.

Willow leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs.  "That time I suggested us having a child one day." she said, managing to keep the gaze of her lover.  She had been trying all day to come up with the right way of asking, but now that the time was here, all she really wanted to do was grab Tara by the shoulders and say 'I'm pregnant'.  But she knew she had to work it into the conversation first.

Tara's face stilled as she recalled the conversation.  Willow had indeed broached the subject with her and the blonde could remember the length and detail that they had gone to in speaking with each other about it.  Back then, there hadn't been any problems between them, no abuse of magic, no putting a spell on Tara, nothing.  They had been completely happy and at peace with each other.  Tara smiled at the memory.  "Yes, I remember that talk Will." Tara replied.

"And.....do you.....do you still feel that way?" she asked, needing Tara's answer.

Tara furrowed her brow.  "Of course I do.  Willow, I do want to have a baby with you.  Things are going so well between us and I can't wait until we have a baby."

Willow let one end of her lips turn into a smile.  "I'm glad you feel that way." she said.  "I sort of have something to tell you."

Part of what Willow was trying to say was already clicking in Tara's mind, but she couldn't give voice to it until she heard Willow say it.  "Okay."

Willow took a deep breath.  "Tara, last week.....last week I had a case of some stomach pains and I went to see Dr. Shaw."

"Are you okay?" concern evident in Tara's voice.  Dr. Shaw had become Tara and Willow's personal doctor and they agreed to only go to her if there was an emergency.

Willow nodded.  "Yeah.  Dr. Shaw did some tests and I had to go see her again today.  That's where I was this morning.  I didn't want to tell you until I found out what was wrong."

Tara swallowed, feeling a small tingle in her stomach that was telling her that her entire world was about to shift.  She gazed into her lover's eyes.  "What did Dr. Shaw find out?"

Willow reached out with her right hand and grabbed Tara's left, interlacing their fingers.  She gave Tara a full cheek to cheek smile.  "Tara...baby......I'm pregnant.  You and I are going to have a baby."

Tara was completely still, save for her chest as she breathed through her mouth.  Tara's eyes were a bit widened as the news registered with her.  In some small way, this was the news she had been expecting to hear, but to actually hear it....that was something different all together.  She rubbed Willow's fingers with her own as she stayed silent, just mesmerizing the moment.  Pregnant.  Willow's pregnant.  Willow's pregnant.  Willow's pregnant. the thought kept going through her mind, not really believing it.  Several moments passed before a small delighted smile passed over her face, the happiness she was starting to feel lighting up her entire face.  Willow's pregnant!!!!

Willow relaxed somewhat and began to return the smile as she saw the delight coursing through her lover's body.  Then, Tara did something that Willow was suddenly unprepared for.  Using the fingers that were interlaced with hers, Tara pulled Willow closer to her, meeting her lips halfway in a sizzling and heated kiss.  They were half standing over their dinner and champagne as they thoroughly kissed each other with a passion that they usually shared in their room.  Tara's right hand rose up and cupped the back of Willow's neck, pushing her mouth against her own.  When Willow parted her lips, Tara immediately pushed her tongue inside Willow's warm mouth and the kiss took on new heights for them both.

Willow let herself drown in the sensations caused by this heated kiss.  She kissed Tara back with just as much passion as the blonde was kissing her with.  She moved her lips against Tara's and let her tongue gently mesh with her lover's.  The kiss lasted only a few more moments before they both reluctantly broke off their lips.  Tara rested her forehead against Willow's and took deep breaths.  They were lucky their table was in the far corner or they would have gotten stares from the more prejudiced members of Sunnydale's society.

Sitting back down, Tara let her eyes close as she basked in the glow that the kiss brought to them.  Her eyes were only shut for a few moments before a sound made her eyes flutter open.  Willow had moved from sitting across from her to moving her chair and sitting to Tara's left.  Without speaking, Willow brought her right arm and wrapped it around Tara's shoulders, rubbing Tara's right arm.  Tara melted into Willow's arm, laying her head down on Willow's shoulder and letting out ragged breaths.

It wasn't just the kiss that was making her silently cry.  It was the knowledge, just knowing, that she and Willow had done with science says is an impossibility.  They had come together through their love and their connection, their very bond, and created a life within Willow.  A life that both witches knew even now that they would love and cherish for the remainder of their lives.  Willow embraced Tara, cradling her in her arms as she let the blonde cry on her shoulder.

A few minutes later, Tara raised her head and raised her hand to wipe the tears off her cheeks.  Willow intercepted the hand and shook her head when the blonde gazed at her.  Willow smiled and took her left hand and gently began wiping the tears away and rubbing Tara's cheek with her fingers.  Willow let her hand stay there and she gazed lovingly at her lover, the holder of her heart and keeper of her soul.  "I love you." she whispered, leaving a gentle kiss on her lover's lips.

Tara let a smile graze her face as she kissed Willow back.  "I love you too." she murmured, basking in the closeness between them.  The closeness she'd thought she'd lost.

The two women enjoyed the rest of their dinner and didn't rush things at all.  They knew when they returned to the house, they'd be able to take their time and thoroughly love each other well into the night.  And they were looking forward to each and every moment of it.

---**---

Moving through the cemetery at a leisurely pace, Buffy Summers carried her stake in her right hand.  She was wearing one of her usual slaying outfits, a light blue top with her blue jeans over her legs and her black leather jacket over the shirt.  Her golden crucifix hung around her neck as she moved.  Beside her, Jacob walked with just as much calm and peaceful clarity.

He was wearing his usual.  He had his black pants and his black short sleeved shirt on.  He had his armored vest over his shirt and he had his carefully carved wooden stakes attached at different places on his vest and pants.  He had his wooden bulleted gun in it's holster at his waist as he walked with the Slayer.  Jacob hadn't originally planned to go out patrolling with Buffy, but he felt himself wanting to spend more and more time with her and by going out on patrols with her, it gave him the time to spend with her.

Without realizing it, Buffy was heading towards the sector of the cemetery that the vampire named William the Bloody usually hanged around, otherwise known as Spike.  In fact, his crypt was just ahead and Buffy didn't want to be here.  She so didn't.

"Something wrong Buffy?" Jacob asked.

She shook her head.  "No, I'm okay.  I'm just....I don't know."

He nodded, not wanting to push her.  "Hey, does anybody live there?" he indicated the crypt, where there was a light shining from the inside.

Buffy nodded, hoping it was Clem and not Spike inside.  "Yeah, there's a friendly demon named Clem that lives there right now."

They were now only a few feet from the entrance.  They stayed silent as they gazed at the door.  Jacob wasn't sure what to do and Buffy was just wishing to be anywhere but here.  A moment later, the door to the crypt swung open and Clem was standing there, looking at them.  "Oh!  Buffy, how are you?" the demon asked.

"I'm good." Buffy replied.

Clem looked at Jacob, who was watching him with caution.  "Oh hi.  I'm Clem." he held out his hand.

Taking it with growing hesitation, Jacob squeezed it.  "Jacob."

"What are you doing Clem?" Buffy asked.

"Oh!  I was watching Passions on NBC.  Or rather, a rerun.  They're starting to show them at night now.  It's pretty amazing." Clem said.

"Right." the Slayer replied.

"Do you guys wanna come in?" Clem asked, being friendly.

"No, I'm on patrol and Jacob here is helping me out." Buffy said, starting to walk away.  Jacob began to follow her.

Clem just smiled as he watched them walk away.  He turned back to the crypt and swung the door shut.  He walked back over to where the chair was and moved passed it.  He walked over to where the tomb was that led to the underground chamber.  He banged on the wall a couple times.  "They're gone!" he yelled downward.

As Clem turned back to the television to continue watching Passions, a figure in black clothing and blonde hair emerged.  He walked to the window and gazed out, seeing Buffy and Jacob moving further and further away from the crypt.  Clem noticed him watching.  "That guy that's with her, his name's...."

"I know who he is." the figure said.

"You do?" Clem asked.

The vampire known as Spike turned around and looked at Clem.  "Yeah.  That's Jacob, the Daywalker.  He's been searching for me his whole life.  He just doesn't know it, yet."

Clem just nodded, slouching down in the chair as Passions came back on.  Spike turned back and kept his eyes locked on the figure that he came back to Sunnydale for.  "I'll have you soon, Buffy.  Just you wait." Spike whispered.

---**---

One day ended and another day began in Sunnydale.  As usual, people went about their day, not knowing the dangers that may lay ahead, not knowing the dangers that Sunnydale's personal superhero, Buffy Summers, would soon face.

It was around ten o'clock in the morning and the entire Scooby Gang were gathered at the Summers House.  Willow and Tara were seated at one end of the couch, cuddled together.  Willow was leaning against the end of it with Tara pressed up against her.  The others didn't seem to mind or pay much attention to the lovers affections since they'd gotten used to it.  Xander and Anya sat next to the lovers and Dawn sat down in one of the chairs.  Giles was seated at a table across the room and the only two standing were Buffy and Jacob.

They had gathered for one simple reason.  Although they had dealt with Tara's stalker, Reese Maxwell, and made sure he would be in a psyche ward for a long time, they hadn't had a chance to even acknowledge the older man who had been assaulted.  The man that had hurried to Xander's car and tried to warn the Slayer about someone who was coming.  They still had no information on whoever or whatever it was that was coming.

"Giles, do we know anything about what this man might have been talking about?" Buffy asked.

Giles held his glasses between his teeth.  He removed them.  "No." he shook his head.  "Whoever this man was......he could have been talking about a lot of things.  There are a lot of powerful enemies that hasn't yet stepped foot in Sunnydale.  I'm truly at a loss here."

"Is there any way we can research this?" Tara asked.

Giles shook his head again.  "If we don't even know where to begin, there's really nothing we can do now."

Buffy huffed with frustration.  "Giles, I'm not ready to constantly having to keep my guard up while some unknown menace takes it's freaking time to get here.  I won't!"

"Buffy, you need to calm down." Jacob told her, noticing as she stopped looked at him as he said it.  "First of all, what all did this man say to Xander.  Just that he's coming.  He needed to warn the Slayer.  If this is guy...or thing really is coming, we don't need to overstress ourselves worrying about it.  Whatever this thing is will show itself sooner or later."

Buffy slouched her shoulders as she plopped down between Xander and Tara on the couch.  She crossed her arms over her chest, not liking the situation one bit.  Jacob put his hands on his hips as he watched her, his face going wistful for a moment before he returned it to his normal expression.  No one in the room seemed to notice it, but Giles did and seeing it concerned the Watcher greatly.

"Why don't we all just enjoy the day." Giles said.  "Willow and Tara have school to get ready for, Anya, isn't it time to open the Magic Box?"

The demon nodded.  "That's right.  I should go ahead and head down there.  Wanna join me, Xander?"

"Of course." Xander said, rising and following Anya out of the house.  The others slowly rose.

Buffy headed upstairs, needing to make a few calls to some of her allies in the demon part of the city.  All that was left was Willow, Tara, Dawn, Giles, and Jacob.

"We're going to head to the University." Willow said, taking her lover's hand and leading them away.

Dawn looked at the Daywalker and the Watcher and shrugged, heading up the stairs.  With just Giles and Jacob remaining, it was an awkward silence.  Jacob started to open his mouth to say something, but Giles beat him to it.

"What are you thinking?" Giles whispered in an angry tone.

Jacob looked surprised.  "What?"

"You know what I'm talking about, damn it!" Giles said.  "How can you just mess around with Buffy's emotions like this?"

"Rupert, I'm not playing with her emotions.  I've been very straightforward with her." Jacob told him.

"Have you?" Giles stated.

Jacob nodded.  "Yes, she knows and understands about my personal quest.  She knows I can't settle down with anyone until I find my mother's attacker."

Giles sat down on the chair.  "Jacob, the past year has been very devastating for Buffy.  You know that already.  She has strong feelings for you.  Stronger than I've ever seen her have before.  Angel, Riley, the feelings she had for them are nothing compared to what she's finding for you.  I believe she's falling for you."

Jacob closed his eyes, already acknowledging that truth to himself.  He'd felt her feelings when he first saw her.  At first, it was just the thought of thinking he was handsome, or cute, but the longer he stayed in Sunnydale, the more she was wanting to be near him and the more he found himself wanting to be near her.  "Well, then this isn't going to please you much either," Jacob said, "I think I'm falling in love with her."

Giles rose and walked closer to the Daywalker.  "Let me ask you this, if you believe you will love her soon, are you prepared to drop your search and remain here to have a future with her?"

Neither Jacob nor Giles knew it, but Buffy was listening to their conversation from the top of the stairs, hidden in the shadows.  She'd just finished her last call and was heading downstairs.  When she heard them talking, she just let herself listen.

"I don't know." Jacob said honestly.  "When I came here to help you out with Deacon, I wasn't expecting to......I wasn't expecting to find myself drawn to her.  My mission to find the vampire that made me what I am has been the most important thing to me for so long.  I'm very confused right now Rupert.  I don't know what to do."

Giles put a hand on Jacob's shoulder.  "Jacob, you have to find out what you want before you even think about indulging in your feelings for Buffy.  She's very fragile right now, and I know you are just as fragile.  I don't want to see either of you hurt here.  Search your heart Jacob.  If you really still want to find the vampire, then you must leave Sunnydale at once.  But, if you think you can move forward with Buffy and put your quest aside, then tell her."

Jacob swallowed, too choked up to say anything.  Nodding, he turned and headed out of the Summers House.  He had a lot of thinking to do.

Giles waited a few moments, then he headed out, going out the entrance at the kitchen.  Buffy slowly began walking down the steps, her emotions swirling within her.  She was hoping against hope that Jacob would stay and give their potential relationship a fair chance.  But at the same time, she did want him to find his mother's attacker and she would support his decision.  Shaking her head, she headed out of the house as well.

---**---

The being known as the Dark Son stood in the center of what was once a construction site.  It had been abandoned when those funding it couldn't continue paying for it.  The construction company abandoned the site and the site itself had become the haunts for vampires and stray demons.  Now, it was the headquarters for the Dark Son and his Knights of Dekhleti.  The Dark Son was now fully covered with a nice suit he'd picked out himself.

He wore a dark violet colored dress shirt with a tie of the same color.  Over his shoulders and down side was a solid black dress blazer.  A pair of black dress pants completed his outfit and he ran his human fingers over the texture of his clothing, liking the style very much.  Behind him, his four Knights stood, anxiously awaiting his first commands to them.  The four Knights had been waiting for this moment, the rise of the Dark Son, for eons of years.

They were Immortal, they couldn't be killed save for chopping off their heads.  They had been on Earth when the Dark Son had tried to rise to Earth the last time.  That had been over two thousand years ago.  The Vampire Slayer of that time had stopped them.  And now that he was here, the Dark Son wanted to destroy the Slayer and any who would dare oppose the End of Dayz.

He turned around and looked at his Knights.  First, his eyes fell on the man with bleached white hair.  The man wore an awfully lot of jewelry around his neck and many rings on his fingers.  His clothing was fluffy and very strange to the Dark Son.  Including the dark red top hat he wore.  His name was Zeke and although his appearance was a bit freaky at times, Zeke was one of the toughest fighters, mortal or not, in the entire world.  That was the reason the Dark Son tolerated his presence.

The Dark Son's eyes roamed to the next member of the Knights.  This man was the huge black man with the mostly bald head.  His name was Rayzor and the Dark Son smiled, remembering what first drew him to the large black man.  Before he had become an Immortal, Rayzor had been a vicious animal of a man, slaughtering hundreds of people with his blades and feeling absolutely no guilt or remorse for it.  His capacity for darkness and evil excited the Dark Son.  And Rayzor had fully accepted his role in the Knights.

Next, the Dark Son's eyes roamed over the Oriental Immortal named Jin Kane.  Jin Kane was probably the best warrior alive on Earth.  He had served under Emperor Chin and many other rulers.  He had, at one time, served for Ghangus Khan.  Jin was an honorable man and he believed in many things that normally, the Dark Son would frown upon but he respected Jin's abilities a great deal and thus, he welcomed Jin Kane into the Knights.

And finally, the Dark Son met the eyes of the woman named Faithlyn.  He liked her most of all because she was a temptress.  She was a seductress and she loved to make her victims beg for sexual release before she ended their existence.  That's what the Dark Son liked about her, her ability and method of torture.  She didn't use pain and agony to torture her victims, instead, she would use her body as an instrument.  She would tease and seduce her victim until they were ready to beg for her mercy, then she would take them out.

There was just one thing that the Dark Son didn't like about her.  Early on, before she became Immortal, the Dark Son watched her as Faithlyn's desires for women took over and she would claim woman after woman after woman.  She would fuck a woman senseless, then move onto another.  She took so much pleasure from so many women, but she never seemed satisfied.  And she wouldn't touch a man, even after she became an Immortal.  The Dark Son just couldn't understand the attraction she felt for women.  He didn't really care either, how she tortured her victims, which were mostly women, was of no concern of his.

He walked towards them, slowly.  Stopping only a few feet away, he looked at each of them in their eyes before he spoke.  "My friends." he enunciated the words.  "This is a glorious occasion.  Finally, after so many years, the world will finally see the End of Dayz."

"It's been so long." Rayzor said, his dark voice intoning.

"Yes it has." the Dark Son said, moving around the area.  They watched him.  "We have so much to do in such little time.  The Slayer, where is she?"

"The Vampire Slayer is in a town called Sunnydale." Faithlyn answered.

He turned to face them.  "Well, the Slayer's on the Hellmouth.  How interesting." he said.  "How far is this Sunnydale from here?"

"Just about an hour's drive." Zeke said.

The Dark Son looked at them.  "Then, we must head out.  Tonight, we confront the Slayer and find out if she's going to be a threat."

They nodded.  The Dark Son motioned for them to get ready.  As Faithlyn passed, he motioned for her to stop.  He gazed at her.  "Faithlyn, a moment please?"

"Yes, Dark Son." she said.

He stared at her.  "How many followers do we have?"

"Every vampire that can sense your existence has pledged their devotion to your order." Faithlyn told him.

"Good.  Good.  And what about human?"

"There is a strong base of support throughout the world who are devoted to your rise.  When the time comes, they will come together to let themselves known."

The Dark Son stopped.  "I want you to send the word out to whatever vampires in Sunnydale are on my side.  I want the Slayer to be dead after tonight."

"As you decree, Dark Son." Faithlyn replied, going to ensure his order.

---**---

Willow sighed, her fingers moving with a knowledgable speed as she typed on the keyboard in front of the computer monitor.  She was typing both her and Tara's resumes since both witches were going to start looking for jobs in their respective fields of study.  This year of college would officially be their last as they were now seniors.  They were anxiously awaiting the moment when they graduated and began their life together, their future past college.

She missed her lover already.  Tara had gone to the fourth floor of the Computer Center they were in to speak with her advisor.  Oddly enough, her advisor was a Professor in English, but his office was in the Computer building.  She was just getting her schedule of classes finalized and then she'd rejoin her lover.  They weren't going to stay long, just until Willow finished the resumes and Tara finished speaking with her advisor.

A sound to her right interrupted her train of thought.  She stopped typing and looked up.  A woman stood there, looking at her with an expression of uncontrolled lust in her eyes.  She had dark hair and blue eyes and she had a striking figure that even Willow could notice.  She smiled her full red lips at Willow as she leaned against the semi-wall that separated Willow's computer to another computer.  "Hello." she said with a smile.

Feeling flattered by the interest, Willow smiled back.  "Hi."

The woman extended her hand.  "My name's Angie, what's yours."

Willow leaned back in her chair. "Willow."

"That's a pretty name.  It suits you.  And I must say, a pretty name for a pretty woman."

Willow looked down.  She liked being complimented and it was very flattering, but she liked it better when it was coming from Tara and not some stranger.

"My, you're a bit shy, aren't you?" Angie asked.

"With people I don't know, you betcha." Willow replied.

"Well, maybe we should hang out sometime and that way, you'll know me."

Willow bit her lip, wishing her lover was there.  "Afraid I can't do that, Angie."

A look of disappointment came over Angie's face.  She'd really been looking forward to having a night of passion with the redhead.  After all, she'd been watching her for a few days now.  "Why not?" she asked.

Willow held up her left hand, displaying her engagement ring.  "I'm engaged to a woman I love very much."

Angie frowned.  "Well, I just thought I'd say hi to you.  Because I do find you very attractive."

"As you should." came a voice behind Angie as the woman turned around.

Tara stood there for a moment, just watching Angie before she moved passed her to where Willow stood.  "Hey baby." Tara said, giving her lover a kiss.

Willow, never one to shy away from her lover's kisses, returned the kiss with a little passion and quite a bit love.  As their kiss ended, they both glanced to Angie, but the woman was gone.  They saw her leaving the first floor in a huff.  "Thanks."

"For what?" Tara asked.

"Well, for starters, for kissing me.  But mostly for getting rid of that woman." Willow said.

"What, don't you enjoy having a woman flattering you." Tara teased.

"Only if it's you Tara.  Only if it's you." Willow replied as she finished the resumes.

A few moments later, they had the resumes printed and headed out of the Computer building.  As they exited, Tara felt her hand gently grabbed and held by Willow's.  The blonde's lips curved upwards in a smile as she squeezed the hand that held hers.

---**---

That night, Buffy and Jacob moved through the cemeteries, out on patrol.  The recent time since Jacob's return had created a routine that both chosen warriors had pretty much kept to.  Jacob would accompany her on patrol, staking whatever nasties came out and attacked them.  All the while, they would chat about many different things while doing so.  The night was slow and there weren't very many vamps out and demons seemed to be nowhere as well.  So the two were pretty bored as they slowly moved through the holy ground.

"So, you do this every night?" Jacob asked.

Buffy glanced at him.  "Most of the time yeah.  I do take some nights off every once in a while."

Jacob nodded as his gloved fingers moved over the wooden stake he held.  "Well, it's good that you don't let being the Slayer run your life."

"And what about you?  You don't seem to take too much time for yourself." Buffy pointed out.

Jacob was silent for a few moments.  "I've always had one thing on my mind.  Find that vampire responsible for what I am.  Every time I've taken one of them out, I get a little piece of the life I could have had back.  Up until I came here, my whole life's been about finding that vampire.  Now....now there's a lot of other things I find myself considering.  Things I would never have thought of before."

"Good things?"

"Definitely good things." Jacob told her, glancing her way.

Both stayed silent as they continued to move through the cemetery.  After a few more minutes of moving, Jacob suddenly stilled, his head tilting as he used his advanced senses.  He could hear and feel a faint rumbling coming closer.  It was too faint for Buffy to notice, though.

"What is it?" Buffy asked.

"SSShh." he motioned.

He continued to listen to the sound, feeling the rumbling getting closer and closer until they both could see where the rumbling was coming from.  Ahead of them, there were two motorcycles roaring their way, carelessly moving through the cemetery.  Jacob and Buffy recognized that they weren't going to be allies and they readied themselves for the confrontation that was sure to follow.

The two motorcycles stopped about twenty feet from them.  The roaring of the motorcycles continued for a few more moments before the engines were shut off and the two individuals driving the cycles moved off of them and slowly began to approach the Slayer and the Daywalker.

They still had their helmets over their faces, so neither Buffy nor Jacob could see who was underneath.  Stopping just ten feet from them, the two figures removed their helmets.  One of them was a large black man and the other was a white man with dyed white hair.  Both looked supremely confident as they glanced at the two chosen ones.

"And who might you two be?" Buffy asked.

Instead of answering, the large black man removed his leather jacket.  He had two triangular shaped blades that he grabbed from his waist and kept them in his hands as his partner pulled out a wooden bat with steel nails protruding at the top of it.  Both of them began to close in near Buffy and Jacob.

Jacob reached behind him and unsheathed his sword, twirling it in his hands as he anticipated the battle.  Buffy grabbed her stake and prepared for the battle.

Continue on to Part 2