To Kill the Usurper or Succumb to Failure [tw]

Buffy nodded, listening to his explanation. She thought both names sounded beautiful in their own way, even without knowing the meaning. To her, whatever meaning a name had wasn't really important. What was important was how that name had a meaning to those around them. She had always found her own name strange, but her mother was rather eccentric, and it showed in the names that her children had gotten. "My father wanted to name me Elizabeth, but my mother said that it was not a name that would fit me, so she suggested Buffy and it kinda just was my name; Buffy is even the name listed on my birth-certificate, but my father insists on calling me Elizabeth and my brother Alexander, although his name is Xander," she explained. Her father was the only one to ever call her Elizabeth, even though it had never been her name. She sighed softly, looking at the ceiling once more. "I know my name is weird, but I think it kinda fits in that it doesn't really fit in anywhere," she said, shrugging lightly. Yawning, she hi her mouth in the blanket, her body moving more lazily at this point. She was clearly able to drift off at any moment.

Alyssa looked at the celestial as he explained he cared little for the fenix, revealing to her that it was the child inside of her that he was interested in. She should've known, should've spotted the way he had warned Buffy but only because it was to protect the child. "So you are protecting the unborn child? What are you hoping to gain from it? A family of your own? - Your other half isn't around, so I'm guessing you must be lonely," she said in a relaxed voice. If the celestial thought he had even a small claim to that child, he would be wrong. It would have the blood of Bael in it, and therefor belong to her family. As he asked why she wouldn't explain she looked away, not really caring for the way he sounded almost taunting. But when he mentioned her son, she grabbed his wrist, looking in to his eyes with a warning gaze. "My child is no concern of yours, so keep your mouth shut about him," she snared under her breath. In many regards she was very much like a lioness, keeping her cub safe from threats. She let go of the celestial, scoffing lightly as she shook her head. She had lost some control there, but she was quick to regain it. "The blood of Bael works differently depending on whom you drain it from," she said in a calm fashion, crossing her arms as to control her movements. "While my son bears both mine and my brother's, it is still very much his own," she said, gritting her teeth slightly. She had a feeling like they needed to head back right now. "But Amos wasn't created out of love ... So the boy might never fully be able to handle his own potential," she said, frowning. She had never loved Baal, not in that way. The only reason that they had done what they did was because of the comfort and loneliness that came with being of a different blood. "But potentially, given the right circumstances and ingredients, the blood of Bael could create something powerful enough to destroy the world as we know it," she explained. [/

Buffy didn't feel like she could get an easy rest, but she would have to at least try and get some sleep. Drifting off to a dreamworld that felt almost nightmarish, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. She was used to having her usual prophetic dreams, but this was something else. Almost like an omen. A warning of sorts, but she had a hard time following along as it seemed like every turn she made, it just opened up for a new line of questions that needed answers.

Alyssa frowned slightly at his words about family. Perhaps it was something that no celestial even understood fully, but she digressed. After her flare up she remained mostly silent, except for explaining the brief meaning of her bloodline. His words made her look away, scoffing under her breath. Why wouldn't she value love when she clearly couldn't have it? If it was something not meant for her, could she not see it as a power that was beyond her reach? She had been broken down by Simeon, each of her lovers killed, and as she had turned to Baal she had found one time where her indiscretion hadn't ended up with someone dying. That was perhaps why she loved her son so much. He had been born and despite everything horrible that Simeon had done, he had allowed her to keep her son. "Well with every great destroyer comes a great healer, so perhaps that would create it's own balance, but who truly knows at this point," she said, breathing out as she utterly ignored the cashier. Moving outside again she barely noticed her surroundings, caught up in her mind as she tried to go through everything. "I'll give you some of my blood, but only because I need this information," she finally agreed.

Amos sighed to himself as the fenix seemed to drift off, turning his head to the window as his relaxed expression seemed to change to something more distressed. He was worried for what was to come, since it didnt make sense that some random dude that wasnt even a daemon had fetched Baal. His head was already working around the information it had collected and things werent looking good. He made a deep sigh, closing his eyes as his healthy hand tightened around the wounded one, making him inhale sharply in pain once more. His eyes fluttered a little as a tear ran down his cheek in response to his squeeze that he quickly removed because he wasnt really crying due to sadness.

The bag was quickly packed and the cashier paid before Trent nodded at her words, "Who would this great healer be then? A pureblooded child of Verity's blood?" he asked with his head tilted a little. He felt like they were speaking in metaphors and speculation about something that might not even be. "If your gods were truly interested in balance, you wouldnt have been created," he then said to conclude his point, grabbing the bag before they went out on the street again. He noticed her lack of awareness which made him a little interested as in why. She seemed protective of the house where the fenix and daemon was, but she wasnt fearful that they could be followed? The thought vaporized when she finally gave in to his terms, a smile spreading on his face as he corrected the bag in his arm. "Your blood? Is that really that valuable to you when you've created something much much bigger? What about that son of yours?" he changed his terms, wondering if he was pushing his luck, but then again he wasnt really kidding with withholding the information if he didnt get exactly what he wanted.
"I'll let you think about it," he said before she could reply, turning his head forward as they got back to the quiet empty street. Getting back into the house, he unloaded the bag on the table, giving her some things that had to go in the fridge without asking for her help, "Thank you," he said like he had though.

When Amos heard the door open and the set of footsteps go past the livingroom, he just felt himself sink down into the chair, turning his eyes down to his hand that he quickly tried to stuff in his pocket, gritting his teeth in pain when the fabric wasnt cooperating with the searing pain from the blisters.

Alyssa was not one to be paranoid, and perhaps that would be her downfall, but if Simeon had wanted her followed it would have been since the temple. She decided not to comment on Trent's words, finding that his opinion didn't really matter. But when he mentioned Amos, she looked at him with a gaze that could've stricken fear in to anyone. As he said he would let her think about it, she shook her head. It wasn't even something to consider. "He is not mine to give or take, he is his own person," she said, almost hissing at the celestial, but she was speaking the truth. She was tired of her only son always being a bargaining point for others. He was a good kid, sure he got in to trouble, but that was a given with daemon younglings. Before walking inside she checked up with Delilah, who still didn't seem too keen on the celestial. Emmy was probably out getting some souls for the empusas to keep up their energy, she hoped they would bring some for Amos as well. Unloading the things she just did, however the human food she found weird had to be stored in a cooling box. Looking at some different things that he handed her before placing them inside the fridge. His thank you didn't even make her react. Deciding to walk in to the living room, she spotted Amos' painful expression, frowning as she was with him in a heartbeat, grabbing his hand and inspecting it. "My sweet boy, what have you done?" she demanded in a harsh tone, looking at how the blisters were spreading. "Celestial! Get in here!" she yelled, not caring if she woke Buffy up. She needed her son tended to, she needed an explanation.

"Guess I'll ask him then," he shrugged at her hiss. Even if he was annoying her, it wasnt going to make him stop from saying whatever he wanted to say. In a way he liked the company of the empusa because she wasnt quite like the rest of the mortals as he called everyone - Even the immortals.
Amos looked up as his mother stepped in and he knew she would see right through him. His hand was inspected faster than he could have hid it and her harsh words made him sigh. He knew she was just worrying, but he wasnt sure what to tell her, "I think the artifact burned me when I.... well. I touched his arm, nothing else," he said, mumbling a little and stumbling over his words but despite the fact that he was telling nothing but the truth, he felt a little ashamed for not thinking straight. He looked at his own hand while his mother called for the celestial and soon the hard-looking man was in the living room looking at his hand.
"It's Trenton, not celestial," Trent said in a tired tone as he grabbed the young daemon's hand to look at it. Looking at the blisters that slowly spread, he narrowed his eyes with a frown before he lifted his eyes to look at Amos. "Hmm," he pondered as he released his grip and pinched his lips shortly. "The artifact burned you?" Trent asked without having heard the boy's mumble. A few more hums were made as Trent thought about it. He then grabbed Amos' hand and pulled him to his feet without saying a word. Amos gritted his teeth a little as Trent wasnt exactly mindful of the way he was handling his grip around the young man's wrist. He was dragged to the kitchen where Trent finally let go to look around. He grabbed some antiseptic, frowning a little at the bottle before nodding to himself, "Let's try," he said before screwing the lid off to pour over Amos' fingers. It didnt seem to help much as Amos started to scream the moment the fluid hit him and Trent quickly grabbed his wrist to keep it still. "Oh come onnnn. You'll be fine" Trent assured him in a harsh tone, thinking it was a bit of an overreaction, but he hadnt really seen something like this before. Soon the blisters seemed to fall off with a bit of skin to follow which made Trent's face wince in disgust, but the skin underneath looked fine, maybe a little sensitive. Amos was heaving for air as he looked at his hand, his shoulders trembling a little from the pain he had felt when the wound was cleaned. He lifted his other hand to remove some tears that had made their escape down his cheeks.

Alyssa looked at her son, her eyes a bit hard, but she knew that her son could recognize the worry underneath. As Trent came back in, it was the first time she heard the man actually react to something she said. She hesitated, but finally let the celestial take a look at Amos' hand. It didn't look particularly nice, but she hoped that the man would have some answers. In any case, she didn't like the rough way that he was handling Amos, moving with them out to the kitchen, she grabbed her son's other hand, trying to calm him down, but it didn't seem to help. Alyssa was not used to feeling useless or powerless, so right now she just stared at Trent, hoping for him to fix whatever mess her son had made. Amos' screams hurt her deep down, she felt like she couldn't protect her only son, and he was hurting. However none of those emotions ever showed on her stoic face, giving Amos' hand a squeeze when she wanted so dearly to give him words of comfort. However it had been proven time and time again that Alyssa could not show emotions when strangers were around. Hell, she even had a problem when it was other daemons from her own order. She hoped that Amos knew that she was there for him, that she would in fact not leave his side, unless he wished so.

Buffy was awakened by the loud commotion, sitting up, she felt disoriented, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Walking out in to the kitchen she saw Trent pouring the antiseptic over Amos' hand, staring at the guy's hand in pure surprise, as she had to turn her face away as the skin and blisters started to peel. Shivering a bit, she leaned against the doorframe, shaking slightly because she felt so famished and tired at the same time. The stress of the day was getting to her, and all she could do was just stand there. That was until she saw Amos' tears, although the young man quickly tried to get rid of them, she had seen them clearly. The empath in her wanted to go over and wipe away his tears, tell him something comforting, but it wasn't really her place. Perhaps her hormones really were getting to her. Instead she walked over to a small cabinet, right above the stove. From it she grabbed some fine gauze as well as some cleaning wipes. She couldn't pretend to know a lot, but her brother had taught her a thing or two about wrapping up wounded parts of the body. Fingers could be tricky, but Xander had been a great teacher. "Do you want me to wrap it?" she asked carefully, making Alyssa frown as she looked to the fenix. It was clear that the empusa felt like the fenix was overstepping, but in the end it would be up to Amos.

Feeling his mother's hand hold his other hand was comforting and he knew deep inside that she wanted to show that she cared, but in the moment his mind was fully occupied with the burning feeling that spread around in his hand like he had been whipped a hundred times with a belt at the same spot over and over. It was excruciating and there was nothing he could do to stop it when Trent was holding his hand still. When it was done and the blisters and dead skin had fallen off, he gasped for air, turning his eyes to look at the fenix that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Trent released his firm grip that had left a mark around Amos' wrist in a fine red mark. The daemon moved his shaking hand for the fenix to bind, leaning his head towards his mother's arm as he felt a little warm and clammy after all that, unable to find any words to say that would make sense at this point. Trent looked at the hand for a bit before he nodded to himself, "Well done, kid" he said, clapping Amos' shoulderblade before looking at Buffy. "There's food in your fridge now. I'll go wake up your sleeping beauty," he said in a toneless voice before moving out of the kitchen.

Baal had just been caught in a dreamless sleep which was what to be expected when Trent had rather crudely forced him to rest. The celestial touched his neck and his eyes flew open as he grabbed his hand firmly, "Souls." he demanded in a cold tone, Trent just scoffed at him and pulled his hand out of his grip - As firm as the grip may have been, the daemon was weakened and Trent knew that. "Not your fucking nanny, am I?" he hissed before he placed a hand on the daemon's chest. "Lay still or I'll make you sleep again," he warned the daemon. Closing his eyes he fell silent for a bit as he frowned a little to himself. "I really dont get why it's not killing you. It's supposed to," he said, opening his eyes to look at Baal. He grabbed his wrist to inspect it, but he couldnt see the soulmark. Clever fucking work, he thought to himself in a dejected manner.

Buffy walked closer, looking at how Amos leaned on his mother. She sent the celestial a small nod at his words, a little confused at the nice gesture, but she had learned that the man worked in strange ways. Carefully the fenix began to rinse off the antiseptic, hopefully removing the burning sensation with the wipes. Inspecting it briefly, she thought that she might need to get in to contact with Aiden and Xander, perhaps they knew something about skin behaving like this with the artifact. She put the thought aside for now, looking at Amos before she started to wrap his hand in the gauze. She made sure it was sturdy, but not too tight, and still so that he could use his hand. When she was done, she secured the gauze with some sports tape. "All set," Buffy said in a sweet voice, stepping away to place the rest of the supplies back in the cupboard once more. She had to lean against the counter for a while, gathering her strength as she closed her eyes. Buffy was never one to complain, not even when she was in pain, but right now she felt so drained. It was like no matter what she did, she wouldn't get any rest. However she had to keep going, she had to make some food for herself and then get some rest. She wanted to prove to everyone that she was capable of doing so, that she wasn't just some weak bystander that happened to get pregnant in her late teens. Breathing out she walked a little unsure on her feet to the fridge.

Alyssa inspected her son's hand after Buffy was done, sighing as she could almost taste how weak the fenix was. Why was she helping a daemon, when she clearly needed to look out for herself? As Buffy looked to struggle, something in the empusa clicked, perhaps because she had felt the pain of pregnancy and being alone in it. She looked at Amos briefly. "Are you strong enough to help her in to the living room?" she asked, if not she would call for Emmy to come and help. Once Buffy was guided back to sit down, Alyssa got to work on cooking up a meal for the fenix. The empusa couldn't brag about her knowledge in the food department, however she had seen enough to know the basic rules. Deciding to go with something simple, she put some rice in a boiler and started to chop up a mixture of the different vegetables that Trent had brought. Once that was done she dumped it in to a wok pan, frying it nicely. While it was cooking she looked at the apples that Trenton had picked up, touching one of them as she inspected the fruit. Alyssa had never been a real fan of apples, but it seemed like Buffy was. Why was she taking a liking to those around her in the house? Did it have some sort of seraph thing to it that made everyone soft? Gritting her teeth she placed the apple back and looked at the boiling rice with a void expression.

Delilah came in to the room where Trent and Baal was, in her hand a small selection of souls, however the empusa knew better than to try and feed it to the summoner. Instead she handed it to the celestial, before resuming her round in the house, giving each daemon a soul or two, depending on their status of health.

Buffy shook her head as he thanked her, because in her eyes it was the least she could do. "You don't need to thank me, I'm just happy that I could actually do something," she said, sitting down in the sofa as she grabbed the blanket from earlier. She placed it around herself, making sure to keep warm as she just gestured for Amos that it was fine that he went out to help his mother. Buffy found the whole dynamic between everyone in the house rather strange, and she felt a little bad for thinking that she just wanted some time alone and for some silence to befall.

Alyssa looked at her hand that her son grabbed, breathing out as her eyes lingered on his touch. She loved her son, but he was sometimes too reckless for his own good. She could understand how curious he was, to finally see his father, but it was just the wrong time to be exploring everything at once. "I should have known ... I should have stayed and made sure you wouldn't be tempted," she said in a calm voice. Of course she would always be worried, mostly because today there had been made so many threats against them. Her eyes finally moved to look at Amos'. "But in the end I guess I can never be there all the time," she said, frowning slightly, turning her attention back to the stir fry as she moved the veggies around. "How are you feeling about all of this? I know I am not a perfect mother, but do you long for a father figure? Am I not enough anymore?" she asked, however she wasn't mad or sad. She merely wanted to understand what her son wanted and what he needed, because it was her duty as his mother to provide him with what he needed. She knew she had been busy lately, but Amos had never seemed to mind, and they saw each other every day, or at least whenever his schooling allowed for it.

Hearing the commotion made Delilah step back in, being handed the souls with a surprised gaze. Alyssa heard it all, letting go of her son's hand to move to the bedroom, walking in as Trent wiped his lips. She of course could guess what had happened. "You will not hurt him for acting on instinct," she simply said, looking at the celestial with a firm gaze before looking to her brother. He looked almost crazed, or at least something of the likes. She could feel a pull of sorts, the dark energy that seemed to want to draw her in. "How are you holding up?" she asked Baal, but she didn't really seem to care too much.

Alyssa wouldn't lie and say that his confirmation didn't make her a little more calm, but she had always wanted to give him everything. "Of course," she replied when he suggested they waited until they got home. It wasn't that she wouldn't risk talking about it, but she knew how her son could react, especially if he got emotional. She let him take over the cooking as she exited, walking to the bedroom. Her brother had never looked this famished, not even when he had been punished by the order. What surprised her most was the fact that Baal didn't ask for souls, but wanted to know about Buffy. It made Alyssa silent for a while, clearly surprised, before she seemed to snap back to it. "She's too weak for you to see her right now," she simply stated. If Amos had a hard time, she could only imagine a hungry daemon like Baal having trouble. Trenton did say there was a way, and it made Alyssa look to the celestial with a frown. Separating her lips to make a reply before another commotion happened outside in the hall.

"Where is he? I demand to see where he is!" Nova said, fighting against being held back by Emmy. Alyssa stepped out in the hallway, staring at the celestial with a void gaze, scoffing as she saw the flowery dress that the woman was wearing. "I knew you wouldn't be far away," she simply said, but she didn't disclose wether she found it good or bad. "Where is Trenton?" she demanded to know, making Alyssa role her eyes. "Celestial, your mate is here," Alyssa called out in a calm voice.

"Weak?" Baal asked with a frown as he looked up at her. Clearly it wasnt really what he had wanted to hear and now the distress was creeping up on him. He wanted to see her and hold her close to his heart so he could whisper her sweet nothings of how everything was going to be fine - Even if it wasnt. But he knew that he couldnt touch her, not when the artifact was in his heart to absorb whatever dark energy he touched.
The commotion made Trent turn his head but it was like he knew she had been on her way since Baal sucked a part of his soul. Alyssa went and he looked down at Baal who was still sitting on the floor, "You stay away from the fenix, alright?" he warned him before Alyssa called out for him. Frowning he went to the door but before he went out, he had to take in a deep breath and calm himself. Stepping out in the hallway, he tried to make a calm smile but he knew he was in trouble, and even more had his whole demeanor from crude and cold changed to something warmer and fuzzy. "Helluu lovely~. You look.... good despite the angry frown," he tried to greet her in a cute tone, keeping his distance as he closed the door behind him. "What brings you here?" he asked like he was genuinely confused, keeping the smile on his lips.

Alyssa stood, arms crossed as Emmy still held on to the new arrival, however as Trent seemed to soften up, it made the empusa raise one of her brows slightly. Nodding at Emmy she released the celestial female, making Nova run to Trent, wrapping her arms around him and pressing herself close. Nova could feel her eyes water as she hid away her face in her counterpart's chest, but she wasn't touching his skin, only his clothes. After a while it was like she came to her senses, stepping away, her face a little red and her breathing showing that she had been running. "How dare you," she mumbled under her breath, shaking her head as she decided it wasn't going to help talking to him. At least not with other people around. Nova did care, however she had used so much time pretending that she didn't, and now she felt as if her secret was out. Instead of standing in the hallway, she walked in the direction of where she felt Buffy was. Walking in to the living room, she stood for a while, looking at the fenix with a soft gaze. She could see how radiant she had become, like her body was beaming with life, even if she was weak right now. "Hi," she said in a soft spoken voice, sitting down next to the fenix, sighing as she really just wanted to help out a bit.

Alyssa kept her face stoic as she watched the whole ordeal with the celestials unfold. Once the female one walked in to Buffy she herself breathed out, looking at Trent. "What was your idea with Belial?" she asked.

He had expected her to give him a firm slap or something else to remind him that he had screwed up, so when she ran to him and he didnt get to feel that burning pain across his face, no he felt her arms around him and the sweet press of her wanting to be close to him. His smile faded as he looked far beyond puzzled, lifting his hands to wrap his arms around her. Her mumble made him swallow hard as he looked down at her. "I'm sorry," he said in a low sincere tone before he realized that it wasnt just the two of them. He was still utterly confused so as she went to check on the fenix, he stood for a while and stared into the room. He turned his head to Alyssa when she spoke and made a deep sigh, "Well if we could somehow constrain him with some kind of thing that would work like a straitjacket," he said in a ponderous tone, glancing towards the living room. Having Nova around was already starting to distract the celestial, especially because he worried whether she would be able to fend off the hungry summoner in the bedroom.

Nova felt her heart flutter, like it had finally been beating right, but moving away from Trent had been the right move in her own eyes. So as she joined the fenix, she could smell the food getting cooked, and it made her worry a little less. She could still feel it as though part of her had been slipping away, and it was not an emotion she ever wanted to feel again.

Alyssa could sense how the male celestial got distracted, walking closer to him she nodded at his suggestion. "I don't know where we could get a straitjacket, but perhaps something else could do? Chains and robes?" she suggested, looking to the door to the bedroom that was still closed. "But we need to find a way to make the artifact submit to him ... Or perhaps expel it from him in some sort of way?" she suggested. Narrowing her eyes she looked at Trent. "What about that ability of yours, could you not just hold him back with that?" she asked. She wanted to know what his powers could do, mostly so that she knew what to stay clear off. Walking past him she looked over her shoulder. "I could help you with your lady problem," she said calmly, but under her breath before she walked in to look at Belial.

Alyssa shrugged at his words about it being difficult, mostly because she knew. If the artifact in reality had bound itself to her brother's heart, then there was no turning back. Unless they could get a hold of it's creator, which could prove troublesome in its own right. She digressed, walking in to the bedroom as she looked at Baal, standing still and mumbling words that she could somewhat make out. "It sounds like he's trying to conjure something, but I can't make out what," she mumbled under her breath. She took a step forward, however as Trent grabbed her arm, she gritted her teeth, staring at the celestial with a cold gaze. "Let go of me," she almost hissed before she ripped herself out of his grip. She was certainly not in the mood for him to be holding her back like that. Even less when she felt like she needed to be on guard.

Buffy had finally gotten something to eat, thanking Amos for the food after she had eaten, she placed a hand on her stomach. Despite everything, she felt a little stronger now, at least it seemed that way. Nova frowned as she could feel something was wrong, getting up and moving to the bedroom door. She saw it was closed, frowning as she placed an ear to the door, listening on the faint whispers. Her eyes widened a bit before she decided to step away from the door, feeling someone behind her. Turning around she saw the fenix, staring at the door as if something was compelling her there. "I need to see him," Buffy pleaded in a soft voice, stepping around Nova, however the celestial blocked the fenix, getting pushed up against the door. "You need to rest," she replied in a lowered voice, making Buffy shake her head. "I can't rest before I've seen him, and there's so much going on that even if I tried I would be woken up over and over," she said, pleading in her tone. Nova breathed out, moving her hand behind her to turn the handle. Stepping inside the bedroom, Nova kept herself in front of Buffy, the fenix peeking over to see her daemon almost frozen in place. Buffy couldn't contain herself, making a quick move that surprised Nova, meaning that she now was closer to Baal than needed be. "My daemon," she whispered softly. If the other's were yelling at her, she didn't care, reaching her hand forward to touch his cheek. "My Belial," she pleaded softly, stepping closer to him and placing her lips against his. She trusted him blindly, even if he wasn't truly in control, she knew he would never hurt her.

It was as if everything was alright once she felt Baal close to her once more, she could finally breathe. He returned the kiss with the utmost gentleness, making her sigh softly as their lips parted ways. His words made her eyes look down shortly, feeling almost ashamed to say that she was hurting, but it had only been because she had been so worried. And still were. "As long as I have you close, I'll heal," she whispered, but for some reason she felt much stronger as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Everything just seemed to make more sense as she had him near. "I really need to sleep, but it's been hard with all this noise in our small home," she said in a soft voice, looking up at her daemon with a tired face. It was painted on her, how sleep deprived she really was.

Nova could feel Trent's hand in hers, but for some reason she didn't mind it right now. It was as if her skin longed to feel more of him, even if she kept telling herself that it would never happen. "Their bond is stronger than anything I've seen before," Nova whispered to Trent, feeling like she was a bit stunned in the moment. She didn't feel herself getting drained, so Baal clearly hadn't hurt the child, which was a relief in it of itself. She slowly felt more aware, looking down at the hand that held Trent's. It felt so right, like nothing she had ever experienced before, but just as much as it felt right, just as much she was afraid. Afraid of getting tied to something that she would never be able to unravel herself from again. Removing her hand from his, she looked away, wrapping her arms around herself to hold herself. "Maybe we should let them be? Buffy needs the rest, and I can't sense any danger in them getting that rest," she said in a thoughtful voice.

Alyssa frowned at Nova's words. "That would be rather careless, even for a celestial - Just leave them be and hope for the best? I think not," Alyssa said in a firm voice, looking at her brother for a brief moment of time. Shaking her head as if she couldn't allow it. "What if he loses control? Hurts her or the child?" she argued.

Buffy frowned as the other's spoke about Baal's abilities of restraining herself, making her sigh as she looked up in to his eyes. "I can't sleep if you're not there," she whispered at him, pleading that he would at least stay with her. The fenix felt so weak, because she had never relied on someone as much as she did on Baal right now. Of course the thought of him potentially hurting her or their child was bone chilling, but she trusted him. And she knew that she would never blame him if he were to actually hurt her by accident. She was trusting of him, relying on him to be there for her. "I love you," she said, looking at him, as if they were the only two in the room. Many things could be said about Buffy, but one thing was for sure, she was strong-willed.

Nova looked at Trent with a skeptic look in her eyes. Of course she knew what it could potentially mean, but she didn't care if she lived or died; She was just selfish enough to not want to be alone. "We can take turns keeping watch then," she said, feeling sad for the couple that now had to be watched. "I mean, the two of us are probably the only ones, besides Buffy, that could potentially touch him, right?" she argued. She didn't like this, she wasn't physically strong like Trent was, but she was rather agile. Taking a deep breath she looked at the couple, eyeing down to Buffy's stomach. Nova couldn't hide how jealous she was, how much she wished that could've been her with a child on the way, but alas it would never be in the cards for her. Biting the inside of her cheek she looked away, feeling like the vision of the couple was hurting her a bit. She couldn't get blinded by her jealousy, thankfully, but she could beat herself down about it. Grabbing at her own arms, she made sure to hold herself a little tighter, her knuckles turning white at the pressure.

Alyssa was about to object at Nova said that it would only be the celestials to keep guard, but it made sense. None of the daemons could touch Baal without getting burned, or maybe something even worse. Amos had merely grazed Baal's arm, and the blisters had wanted to spread like wildfire. "Fine, but alert us if you need to," she said. She knew that sacrificing one of her most trusted was not something she willingly did, but if it came down to it, she would have to. It was a burden to decide, but it was what she needed to do as the leader.

He listened to her whisper but it just made his expression turn sad as he ran his thumb along her cheek, pinching his lips together while he thought about his words before he were to speak them. She said she loved him and as heartwarming as it was to hear the words again, he just couldnt risk her life like this, even if it was all his body wanted. "It's too risky for me to stay with you," he said in a soft tone, leaning his head to her forehead to kiss her skin gently. "I dont know what it is inside of me. And I wouldnt want to find out whether it wants to harm you or not," he argued, cupping her face gently. "We've talked about this," he whispered gently, knowing his words were hurting but he had clearly already made up his mind. "I know I'm leaving you at your weakest. But I have to trust my feelings on this," he said in a heavy tone as the others seemed to discuss who were to keep guard. He just looked at his sister, "We need to find Simeon," he said, wrapping his arms back around Buffy to hold her close like it would be the last time, but it wasnt because he thought it would come to that. He just feared that it would be a while before he could see her again, but he tried not to make it too obvious.

Trent frowned at the daemon's determination, before he looked at Nova. He could sense her jealousy and a part of him wished that he could offer her what he couldnt and just see her happy. But there were pressing matters at hand, "Well if Buffy wont be in any trouble, then I'd assume my work here is done," he just said, crossing his arms. He had done his part to help and he wasnt exactly that generous when it came to lending out hands. Though he did look at the empusa and consider it for a moment, but no longer than a moment.

Buffy took a deep breath, trying to hold herself together as he said he couldn't, even if he wanted to. It felt like a tear a her, but she knew that it was what had to happen. They needed to figure out what to do, but her mind was so clouded at this point by the lack of sleep, that she just leaned against him as he wrapped his arms around her once more. Breathing in his scent seemed to calm her, making her body more tired as it felt safe in his embrace. "Stay with me until I fall asleep then," she pleaded, mostly because she knew she would be out like a light if Baal simply held her hand. Kissing his chest a little lazily, she tried to stay awake as she stood there in his arms, feeling his warm breath against her hair and hear the sound of his breathing. In reality she was slowly drifting off to sleep as she stood here, her eyes closed and her breathing getting heavier.

Frowning at Trent's words, Nova tried to ignore how indifferent he was to those around him. "I'll stay at the house, making sure everything is fine," she said, taking a deep breath as she looked at the tired fenix. Sometimes she wondered what her counterpart would do if it hadn't been for her. Her eyes moved to Trent, her gaze a little sad as she knew he probably wouldn't stick around. "You can do as you please," she said, moving over to guide Buffy in to bed.

Alyssa looked at her brother, wondering if he was even strong enough to face Simeon in this state. At least without souls. "Finding him is easier said than done, but my best guess would be that he has resigned to one of the hideouts for your order," she said in a calm voice, narrowing her eyes at Trent. She didn't care if he was going to help or not, because she hadn't expected him to. This was daemon business, not something other races needed to be involved in. She trusted the celestials even less now that this whole idea with them being connected to the child was out in the open. "Are you sure you can handle this?" she asked in a serious voice, looking at Baal up and down.