Title: Afterlife
Part title: The portal

Author: GMB loves Angel

Spoilers: Iwry (as always), the last four eps of Angel season 2, the bachelor party, Hero, the gift... that's kinda it...

Rating: PG-13

Timeline: A few months after the gift...

Authors notes: This fic series will go between two worlds. Here's my version of what happened after the gift... I admitt it I'm completely hung up in Pylea... Iwry happened a season after than it did in the show...

Life at the little cottage turned out to be a good one. Doyle showed her around. There were so much beauty around her. Large trees, with branches you could lie under if you wanted to escape the sun. There were large meadows with the softest grass one could imagine. She got to go everywhere. He refused her to go with him when he went into town, though. She got a bit irritated, but he explained to her again and again about the human, demon hostility in this dimension. She gave in and found her own fun instead. She was happy that she had found such a good friend in Doyle.

Her baby grew safely in her womb. Kicked a lot every day, just to remind her that she wasn't alone. Every day was a step closer to her becoming a mother. She was looking foreward to it, but also wondered how it would be like to raise a baby in this dimension. But it wasn't just joy. Now that it got closer and closer to the arrival, Doyle suddenly refused her going out on her own.

- Why?

- It's not safe. I've told you over and over again about the rivaling between humans and demons. Up until now you've been safe, but this close to the birth, you are more woundrable. Before the human slaves were freed there were demons who made money catching humans and selling them as slaves. Because of the new law, they aren't out in the open, but they still do this. A human baby is worth a lot of money to them. After the baby's been born you're in focus to protect it, but when you give birth, you have no way in defending it. I've heard a little human hunting in the woods near here. They might come to the cottage.

- Oh my God, what am I gonna do?

- I have a plan, calm down. We have to go to the deathwalk clan.

- A demon clan? You gotta be kidding? I thought you said there were hostility between humans and demons. How can you be sure this is safe?

- We simply tell them the truth, that you're carrying Angel's baby. They think of him as a true warrior and respect him, so they'll respect you too. They can protect you.

Buffys eyes suddenly grew wide.

- Then we better hurry, because that felt like the beginning of a contraction…

- Oh God. We'll go right now. Hope you can keep it in until then.

- Doyle I'm not a carton of milk. The baby won't just drop out of me. It'll take hours…

- All right, gees

, you don't have to go all hormone on me…

- Doyle, she said, grabbing his hand hard. - I'm about to push a watermelon through a hole the size of a lemon. I'm going to be all hormone in a few hours… Get used to it.

- Man, what a grip, he mumbled, when she let go of his hand.

Luckily the deathwalk clan didn't live too far away from the cottage. They arrived with Buffy leaning on Doyle as a contraction began.

- What are you doing here, cow scum?

- We ask for help. This girl is having a baby.

- Why should we help?

- Because she's having Angel's baby.

- You mean 'Angel - the drackon killer', a young warrior asked in awe.

- That's the one.

- Then welcome here. Any friend of Angel's is a friend of us, the warrior replied. - Mom, can you help the girl?

He shouted to a bearded covered demon. 'Mom?' Buffy mouthed to Doyle. He just nodded. Angel had done the same when he was there. He let her over to the demons, who took her into a room. Women only. Doyle stayed outside with the men. Before the wailing from a newborn pierced the nightly quiet every male in a mile's radius was asleep. The demon mother, gave Buffy her little infant. It was a girl. A perfect little girl. At that moment she was the happiest girl alive. She fell asleep with her baby in her arms.

When she woke up she saw that the baby had been placed in a crib. She wanted to get up, but wasn't allowed. Instead she had to stay the whole day in bed, eating and resting. Her daughter did the same.

Buffy woke up in the middle of the night, hearing her daughter cry. A strong wind met her. She opened her eyes and noticed what she remembered was a portal. She leaped out of the bed to get her baby, but the portal closed before she made it to the crib. The baby was gone. Tears welled up in her eyes and that whole night she cried out in the night.

- Why!?!