It had been a little more than a year since the last time she saw him. She wished she could rewind, so that she wouldn't be sitting here in a cold, wet, alleyway, with him lying limp in her lap.
She arrived too late to be of any help. Spike was dead. And now she was staring down at Angel, who seemed to be going the same way as Spike.
"Why are you bleeding so much? Why the hell aren't you healing?" Buffy cried. "Angel, get up. Please get up," Buffy repeated.
Buffy was shaking. "Come on Willow. Come on," she muttered, praying that her friend received her message.
Willow and Buffy had been able to communicate with each other, just by thinking, and Buffy had just sent her a desperate message a few minutes earlier. There was nobody around to help Angel, not even a hospital left standing (not that that would do him much good) so Buffy needed her friend, a witch.
Buffy had arrived in L.A. not fifteen minutes ago. She had come to help Angel in the Apocalypse. But she was too late. Everything was gone and destroyed.
"Angel. Listen to me. You need to open your eyes. I need you to look at me... Please don't give up... I haven't seen you in over a year. We haven't even spoken since Sunnydale... You don't get to go. I'm not ready for you to not be here. We never really got to work things out. We didn't get to say everything we wanted to say.
"I don't really know where we stand, if we could really work out again. But I know I still love you, and I need you to live, not just to see if we could be beautiful together again, which I think we could be, but because I need to know that you're still here... What do you need? What can I do to get you up? How can I make you heal? How do I make you strong again?" she sobbed. "You can't leave me, Angel."
It had started raining again, the first drop landing on Buffy's neck, suddenly causing her to come to a realization. Her blood. Give Angel her blood. Her blood made him strong before, brought him back from near death... Maybe it would work again.
"I'm gonna make you better, Angel, just open your eyes please," she begged.
She received no answer. She slapped his face. "Get up!" she yelled, and slapped him again.
Still no response. "You need to be awake. I need you to drink. Get up," she said, practically whispering.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Willow.
"Thank God," Buffy mumbled. "Will, you've got to get him up."
"But-"
"Will, please, no questions. Just get him up. I think I can fix the rest," she said frantically.
"Okay."
Buffy remained quiet while Willow chanted some sort of spell. When she stopped, nothing happened.
"Willow. Why isn't he getting up?" Buffy questioned, nervously.
Willow did not answer her, she only grabbed hold of her hand, and of Angel's.
Before Buffy knew what had happened, all three of them were no longer outside. They were in Willow's apartment in Rome.
Willow brought Angel over to the bed, and finally answered Buffy. "You have to give the spell a bit of time, Buffy. He should be getting up, but I can't guarantee that he'll be awake for long. Buffy, he looks like he's almost dead. I think he's gonna die."
"As long as you can get him up, I'm pretty sure I can guarantee that I'll make him better."
"What are you-" Willow never bothered to finish her sentence, she already knew Buffy's plan. "Your blood," was all she said.
Buffy nodded.
"Are you sure?"
"I made him drink from me before, and I'm still standing. I trust him with my life," Buffy said, quietly.
Willow just nodded. "Do you want me to leave for awhile?" she asked awkwardly.
"Yeah. That would probably be best," Buffy admitted.
"Okay," Willow said nervously, walking out the door, and shutting it behind her.
Buffy sat down on the chair beside the bed, and waited in silence.
Angel finally began to stir. Buffy took a deep breath, and let the tears fall down her face.
"Buffy-" Angel whispered.
"It's me," she replied, wiping away her tears.
"You came?"
"I wouldn't leave you to fight the Apocalypse alone. I only found out this morning. I came as soon as I heard... I'm sorry I couldn't have been here sooner. I'm so sorry," she said, taking a seat beside him on the bed.
"I didn't think I was going to see you again... I can go now. Now that you're here. I think I was waiting for you. Now that I've seen your face again, I can go happy."
"There's not going to be any going happening here. There's only going to be you getting strong again."
"I don't think I'm gonna heal from this. You don't need to lie for me, Buffy. I'm serious. You're here, I'll go happy. Just stay with me till I go, won't you?" Angel said, trying to smile.
"I'm staying with you, but you're not gonna die. I'm gonna heal you. I did it before. I can do it again."
"Buffy, not again. I will not drink you again. The last time I could have killed you. You almost died."
"Yet here I stand," she answered.
"Just let me go. I should have died a long time ago."
"No," Buffy said stubbornly, turning to face him.
Angel got up slowly, and tried to walk away.
Buffy started to laugh and cry at the same time. "It's Graduation Day all over again... I won't let you die. I need you to live. And I'm not saying that because I'm ready to get back together with you. I'm saying that because I need to know that no matter what happens with us, that you'll still be around. Even if I leave tomorrow and don't see you again for years, I'll know that you're still here, that you're still with me," she said, getting up, standing in front of him.
"I'll always be with you," he said, taking her hand.
"Drink. Please," she said, tears flowing again.
"No."
"I lost Xander and my sister not even two months ago. One of my best friends and my little sister are dead. I've got Willow and Giles left. I will not lose you," she said, smacking him.
"I'm so sorry about Dawn and Xander," Angel said, completely ignoring her slap, and hugging her close instead, his heart suddenly breaking for her pain.
"Just do it, Angel. I trust you. You won't let me die, so just drink... Don't feel bad. You're not taking advantage, I'm offering... Don't you want to live?.. Don't you want a bit more time with me?" she asked, looking straight into his eyes.
"I do." He so badly wanted more time with her, even if it could only be as friends.
"Here's the solution, then," Buffy said, pulling her shirt off her shoulder, revealing her neck.
Angel saw the scar that was there, the one he had given her when he drank from her on Graduation Day. He touched the scar gently. "Did it hurt a lot?" he asked her quietly, feeling guilty.
"For a second or two, but then it went away quickly... Angel, seriously, we don't have a lot of time. If you don't drink, you will die. So you're either going to drink on your own, or I'm going to kick your ass and make you drink."
Angel didn't move.
"Fine," Buffy mumbled. "You asked for it," she said, punching him hard, not once but four times, finally bringing out the vampire in him.
She looked at him, grabbed his head, and smashed him down into her neck, just as she did all those years ago.
She flinched in pain as he bit into her, grabbing his shoulder, but soon the pain was gone. She was on the bed now, Angel over her... She remembered feeling like this the last time. As she felt the transfer of blood between herself and Angel, she started to drift into a state of real peace and relaxation, bliss even, like all the pain was going away... She was getting tired now. Ready to sleep. The energy left her body now, she gave in, and closed her eyes.
Angel felt Buffy go limp, and this brought him back. He got off of her quickly. He felt strong again... He looked at her neck, and it was stained with blood.
"Buffy," he said, scared.
She didn't answer.
He didn't know where they were exactly, but he would find a hospital. He slid his arms underneath her, and was about to pick her up.
"I don't need a hospital. I just want to lie down, Angel. A little rest and I'll be fine," she said, barely managing a whisper.
Angel sighed in relief, getting up.
"Where are you going?" Buffy whispered.
"I'll be right back. I'm not leaving. I want to find a cloth... to clean up your- neck."
"Willow has some in the closet near the front door," Buffy told him quietly.
"We're at Willow's? We're in Rome?" Angel asked.
"Yeah-"
"You know what, tell me later. I just want to get you cleaned up and rested first ."
"No arguments from me," she said, closing her eyes.
Angel found the cloths and a bowl he filled with warm water. He came back in the room, and sat next to Buffy. She was already sleeping. He dipped one of the cloths into the warm water and put it on her neck, cleaning away most of the blood.
He felt sick with himself. What a disgusting creature he was. To have to drink her blood to live, it was wrong. Why do you even care about me, Buffy? I know why I love you, but I'll never understand why you still care about me, why you ever did... Thank you," he whispered, putting a new cloth on her neck.
