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Part 3
She drove in silence, her blue eyes fixed on the road ahead. Her mood was a mixture between joy and sadness as she traveled from her so-called boyfriend's house to her home. She had just come from telling Jared that she was six weeks pregnant with his child. And, much to her chagrin, the news hadn't gone over well.
Perhaps it was fortunate that Stefanie was struck with a shortness of breath at the time she was, for it forced her to pull over to the side of the road for a few moments. She exited the car, walking around to sit awkwardly on the front bumper. She wrapped both arms around herself, breathing in the cool night air. Then, with a smile, she looked down at her small, smooth stomach, thinking once more of the baby growing within her.
To the casual observer, Stefanie would appear to be just another normal teenager who'd had the bad luck to get herself knocked up. But that was far from being the case. Less than a year ago, she believed she had been doomed to live out her existence as a vampire and a Slayer. Then, through a series of miracles, she had become human once more.
Because of her years as a creature of the night, Stefanie had a wisdom to her that would be found extraordinary to anyone. She may have the body of an eighteen year old, but her mentality extended to a woman in her mid-forties. And, since she had longed for a child of her own for so long, she had decided there was no need to wait.
Her only regret was the lack of a boyfriend who would support and love her and the baby. How different this was from the 1960s, Stefanie mused, when men were obligated to marry their girlfriends should this happen. "Oh, well," Stefanie whispered, laying one hand gently over her abdomen. "I can do without... I'm just glad I have you, honey."
Stefanie had been about to get back in her car and leave when she noticed another vehicle buried halfway in a ditch ahead of her. Curious, she walked over, carefully striding down the incline to check on the driver. "Oh, my God! Xander!" Stefanie cried upon seeing him.
Her voice worked to rouse him, and he turned his head in her direction, blinking his eyes open. After a moment, he focused on her, rubbing his head. "Where am I?" he asked.
Stefanie bit her lip, one hand resting on the door. "It's going to be okay," she reassured him. "Just hang on. I'm going to call for help."
"No," he said suddenly, reaching out and grabbing her by the wrist. He paused for a moment, struggling to get his words out. "Chase... Cordelia Chase. Call her!"
Stefanie stared at him in confusion a moment, then nodded. When he released his grip, she took a step back, retrieving the flip-phone from her purse that Buffy had insisted she carry. Once she was out of his hearing range, she placed a call to Giles, her current guardian, instead, telling him her location and imploring him to come for her and Xander...
Buffy and Willow were silent for the first few minutes after they left the apartment to search for Willow's missing husband. They drove through the streets of Sunnydale, both staring straight ahead and not saying a word.
Finally, Buffy spoke. "Are you mad at me?" she asked.
Willow looked down a moment, contemplating this. "No," she said quietly. "Why would I be?"
Buffy sighed. "I don't know... Maybe because it's kind of my fault in a way. I should have known! I mean, I saw how different Xander was behaving back then. I should have had some clue!"
Willow looked over at her blonde friend, trying hard to read her expression. "Are you mad at him?" she questioned at last. "Angel, I mean?"
Buffy gave this a lot of thought. "I don't know," she responded, shaking her head. "It's hard to be mad at someone you care about... But the least he could have done is told me. It wasn't fair of him to keep a secret that big." She paused, tears stinging her eyes. "I wonder what other secrets he's kept, if any."
"You could ask him," Willow suggested. "He may drop his guard long enough to tell you, Buffy."
Buffy shook her head. "No," she said at last. "That would mean asking him more about his past... I still don't know all of it, Willow, even after all these years. That's the one thing he'll never share." She paused a moment, then glanced briefly at her redheaded friend. "You said Cordelia was the one who told you. How did she find out?"
Willow sighed. "When Cordy was Miss Evil Vampiress and Angel was being held prisoner by Lorenzo," she said. "Cordelia just happened to read his mind at one point. As a demon, she had planned to tell Xander and I right off to upset us, but... Anyway, she and Xander were arguing about something, and it just slipped out. I'm sorry it did."
Buffy remained silent, waiting to see if Willow would go on, but she didn't. With a sigh, the Slayer said, "We'll find him, Willow. And we'll make sure things work between you two. You and Xander deserve each other, and there is nothing that could convince me otherwise!"
Willow smiled at Buffy's show of confidence. But before she had time to give a reply, the phone resting between the two girls' seats started ringing.
Buffy sighed, reaching down and hitting the receive button. "Speak to me," she said loudly, in a cheerful tone.
"Buffy, I'm glad I caught you," came Giles' voice. "Listen, Stefanie and I have found Xander..."
Willow perked up. "That's great!" she said joyfully. "Giles, tell us where you are! We'll come to you."
There was a pause on the other end. "I'm not so sure that would be a good idea, Willow... Buffy, it's better that you come alone. I'll explain when you get here." There was a click a second later, signaling that Giles had hung up.
Buffy and Willow exchanged confused glances, both wondering why Giles was acting so strangely. However, there was no way that Buffy was about to abandon her friend without all the facts. "I'll give it a half hour, then call him back," Buffy said. "Pretend that I dropped you off." She reached for Willow's hand, clasping it tightly in hers. "Xander and you are going to be just fine. You can count on it, Willow..."