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In the initial aftermath of the quake, all of Sunnydale was silent save for car alarms here and there, half the town left in ruins and most of its inhabitants reeling from shock. Then, a series of sirens began to rock the night, either from paramedics, police, or fire trucks.
As she came to in the sewer tunnels, finding her legs pinned beneath a piece of concrete that had broken off from overhead, Buffy found the noise and activity emanating from above oddly comforting. At least it told her the world was alive and still going on up there.
Buffy sat up with a groan, rubbing at the back of her head and hardly surprised when her fingers came away tinged with her own blood. She took a moment to reorient herself, then moved to grip the edge of the concrete, attempting to lift it off. However, try as she might, Buffy discovered it was too heavy and too massive for her to move alone.
"Great!" Buffy said, settling back with a moan. "I can battle creatures with ten times my strength, I can avert apocalypses without batting an eyelash, and I can even fit a relatively normal life into my activities. But I can't free myself from under a large rock."
While looking around and trying to settle on a thought, any thought, that would keep her entertained until help arrived, Buffy almost overlooked the gap in the tunnel above her. It wasn't large enough for anyone passing by to spot her unless they really did a close examination. However, it would provide an easy entry to the sunlight, which was due to come in less than seven hours.
Buffy started to panic, but then realized that Giles and Angel knew where she was and should be coming to her aid sooner or later. "Just make it sooner, guys," she whispered to herself, her eyes remaining focused on the hole above her...
Stefanie awoke with a groan, moving her head from left to right and coughing out the dust she felt in her throat. She found herself leaned against the wall to one side of the doorframe, both hands placed casually over her swollen abdomen, when she opened her eyes. And, looking around, she found Jenny scanning the area where the stairs had been, taking note of the mound of dirt and debris that blocked their exit.
Stefanie shifted slightly, letting out a louder moan when a pain seized her in the pit of her stomach, catching Jenny's attention. It instantly had the elder woman back at her side. "Are you okay, Steffi?" she asked, stroking the girl's forehead. "Nothing broken?"
Stefanie struggled to her feet with Jenny's help. "Not that I know of," she replied, caressing her stomach and the baby within her with one hand. She coughed once more, then said, "I'm sorry I dragged you down here... If it weren't for me, we'd have been safe at home when this hit..."
Jenny shook her head. "Steffi, you shouldn't blame yourself for this. It won't improve the situation... Besides, who says home would have been safer than here?"
Stefanie contemplated this a moment, then nodded. At that point, she seemed to notice something was amiss. "Oh, God, what about Ivory? She was with you when... when I called..."
Jenny quickly put the younger girl's fears to rest. "I dropped her off at Xander and Willow's before coming here. With any luck, all three of them are okay." She moved to the half-buried couch, brushing the dust off it as best she could, but that didn't improve it much.
Stefanie bit her lip. "And Jared?" she was almost afraid to ask. "Did you see him on your way in?"
Jenny shook her head. "But I wasn't really looking at any of the bodies," she said with a heavy heart. In an attempt to cheer the younger girl up, she added, "Maybe he got out before the vampires struck. We can always hope."
When Stefanie remained silent, Jenny went back to her task of cleaning the couch, then gave up and went to the doorway and through to the other room. She was pleased to find that this one was cleaner and it too had a cozy-looking, slightly smaller couch.
Jenny motioned Stefanie in, inviting her to lie down. "We'll just rest here until help comes... At least we have enough oxygen to last, huh?"
Stefanie smiled slightly, then yelped when another pain seized her as she lay back against the cushions. To Jenny's ensuing questions, she said, "I must have sprained something when I passed out... Sure hurts like hell though."
Jenny took a step closer, her eyes full of quiet concern. "I don't know," she said slowly, kneeling by Stefanie's side. "As far along as you are in your pregnancy, I think we should be considering more than a sprained back."
Stefanie took a moment to let that sink in. "You think I might be in labor," she asked incredulously. "No, I can't be. It's five weeks too soon for that."
Jenny paused. "It's a narrow possibility, but it's still likely," she replied. "Women give birth prematurely all the time, Steffi. So I wouldn't dismiss it that easily."
The younger girl bit her lip, shifting slightly to make herself more comfortable. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see," she replied, letting out yet another pained cry not two minutes after that.
Jenny leaned closer, taking one of Stefanie's hands in her own. "I'd say it's official at this point," she said calmly. "Like it or not, you're going to be having this baby now..."
One of the first things Xander was aware of following the quake was the sound of Ivory wailing from her spot on the floor. The sixteen-month-old girl sat across from him and Willow, her small face lined with tears. After the shock she had just gone through, he didn't blame her.
After a moment, Xander looked down at Willow, brushing her hair back and examining the welt that was forming on her forehead. The two of them had been in bed when it hit, and his wife had, unfortunately, gotten hit with a lamp before she could move. But he had carried her and Ivory to safety right away following this.
"Willow?" Xander whispered, worried when she didn't stir right off. He tried again, but still nothing, making him look for a pulse. He found it strong and steady as usual, but still went to call an ambulance just in case.
However, that proved to be a dead end, as the operator informed him that there was a mounting waiting list for EMS services. Hanging up the phone, Xander hurriedly got dressed, picking up Ivory in one arm and supporting Willow with the other. It took some effort, but he managed to get both out to the car.
Within moments, Xander had Buffy and Angel's daughter strapped into the car seat and Willow settled comfortably into the passenger seat. With that accomplished, he got into the car, driving as fast as he dared for Sunnydale General...
Giles and Angel remained hidden in the shadows watching a police vehicle drive past, both in shock and disbelief over what the once glorious town of Sunnydale had been reduced to. Anywhere they looked, signs of the destruction were clearly evident. And Giles recognized some of it as being the setting of his dream the night before.
However, his worry over the quake and the damage it had left did not outweigh his worry over Ethan still being on the loose. "I guess it's too much to hope that he was staked by a loose branch," Giles said abruptly. "Which means we've got to find Buffy before he does."
Angel nodded. "I'll do it," he replied. "Judging by how things look up here, the tunnels are liable to be a wreck... And I can manuever through them better at this point anyway." He started off in one direction, then stopped and turned. "You should go back to the library, see if anything's salvagable there." At Giles' startled look, Angel added, "It'll give you something to do until she and I get back... Besides, Ethan clearly said he was after her, not you." He paused, lingering a moment longer to say, "I'm not going to let him harm her, if I can help it."
Giles nodded reluctantly and headed off in the direction of the school, praying this wouldn't be the last he saw of either Buffy or Angel...