Title: The Last Straw
Author: Settiai
Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and other related characters are all properties of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other related corporations. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: This takes place in "Earshot," right around the time that Buffy faints.
Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.
E-mail: settiai@teenmag.com
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He could tell that something was wrong with Buffy Summers right away. She wasn't the type of person who would just drop her lunch tray in the middle of the cafeteria and then just stand there looking around her. No, there was definitely something wrong with her.
Now she was moving from student to student, grabbing their faces and looking into their eyes. What was wrong with her? She was usually calm and collected, even when the world around her was going crazy. But now, it seemed like she was losing her mind. It was almost like...
All of his thoughts stopped abruptly when she grabbed him and looked into his eyes. It was as if she was trying to look into his very soul. Just as quickly as she had grabbed him, she let go. His mind was still in shock though, and just one solitary thought sprang into his head. "She touched me."
He suddenly felt his mind clear as her hands suddenly went up to her ears. Her face was twisted into a look of agony, and there was a wild look in her eyes. Automatically, he raised his head just a bit to try and catch sight of some of her friends. He had no clue what to do to help her, but they sure would. Mr. Giles, Xander, Willow, Oz... Even possibly Cordelia. One of them would know what to do - but none of them were there. Not that he could see, at least.
After a moment of looking around fruitlessly, he turned his head back towards Buffy. Her hands were still covering her ears, but she didn't seem to be holding them to her face nearly as tightly. In fact, she was dropping them back down to her sides.
He breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It looked like she was going to be fine after all. His breath caught in his throat, however, as her beautiful eyes sank back into her head. It looked almost like she was about to...
She slowly sank down to the floor, her face so pale now that it appeared white. Some of the other students had noticed her now, and they were practically jumping from their seats to come and stare at her in shock. It wasn't every day that someone fainted in the middle of the cafeteria. Now, dead bodies in the cafeteria, hundreds of snakes popping up in the cafeteria... Those things were usual occurrences, but not girls fainting. Especially when the girl was Buffy Summers.
He suddenly realized that no one was helping her. There were lots of people around now, including several teachers and the weird lunchlady. None of them were helping her though. Quickly, he pushed himself a little higher in the air by forcing himself to stand on the tip of his toes. One of her friends had to be around there somewhere.
A rare smile came to his lips as he caught sight of Xander, Willow, and Oz walking into the cafeteria. He should go over and tell them about... No, they saw the crowd from over there. Now they were heading towards where Buffy was laying.
He watched as Willow's eyes went wide. Now she was turning to her boyfriend, telling him to go get Mr. Giles. Oz was pushing his way through the crowd, trying to get back to the door. Willow and Xander were both down on their knees now, kneeling beside Buffy. There were worried looks on their faces as they looked down at her.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice in the crowd surrounding Buffy. Cordelia was there now, trying to see what was going on. He watched as a slightly annoyed look appeared on her face when she saw Buffy. Now she was standing over the girl's still body, saying something to Xander and Willow that he couldn't hear. He could take a guess about what she had said though, considering the angry looks on both of their faces.
Oz was back now, followed closely by Mr. Giles. The librarian was leaning over Buffy now, an extremely worried look shining in his eyes. Now, he was picking Buffy up - he was going to move her somewhere. Her friends were standing up now, looking at Mr. Giles with worry shining in their eyes. All of them except for Cordelia, at least. He concentrated for a moment, trying to hear exactly what she was saying. "...severe her spinal cord, or something."
He couldn't help but roll his eyes at he remark. He watched for a moment as they walked away. It looked like they were carrying her outside. For a moment he stood there, unsure of exactly what to do. As the crowd around him dispersed though, he made up his mind.
With a slightly worried look on his face, he pushed past the lunchlady who was still standing in the middle of the cafeteria looking around at the students. As he went past, he heard her say something about 'vermin.' He shot her a quick look, but he didn't say anything as he stepped out of the cafeteria.
His eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright sun outside. Once they had adjusted though, he let his gaze drift across the school's campus. He grinned slightly as he caught sight of Mr. Giles, Xander, Willow, Oz, and Cordelia gathered around a now-awake Buffy. Quickly he headed towards them.
By the time that they had reached them, Buffy was standing up weakly. She tried to take a few steps, but she stumbled and almost fell back down to the ground. Mr. Giles caught her just in time though. "...with a semi-automatic."
He started just a little when he heard Xander's words. What were they talking about? He didn't have a chance to find out though. They were splitting up now, Giles and Buffy heading towards a parked car and the others heading back to the school. "Are you okay?"
Buffy didn't seem to hear him. She just kept on walking, listening to whatever Mr. Giles was saying. He felt his heart sink. God, he had been so stupid. What had he expected? Of course she wouldn't notice him.
His mind sprang back to whatever Xander had been talking about. Something about a semi-automatic... He looked down at his feet for a moment, millions of thoughts playing through his mind. Slowly, he lifted his head back up.
There was a determined look in his eyes now, something that most people had never seen before on his face. He looked at the car where Mr. Giles and Buffy were now sitting. He watched them for a moment, a hint of doubt running through his mind. It faded, however, as someone shoved past him.
When they hit him, he let out a quiet moan as a pain ran through his stomach. For a moment, he looked down at the ground. As he looked back up, the determined look was back in his eyes. He whispered quietly to himself. "That's the last straw. Tomorrow, you'll gonna see just what Jonathon Levinson can do."