TITLE: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
EMAIL: godfathershawn@earthlink.net
AUTHOR: Alex Queirolo and Shawn Carter
SUMMARY: Buffy has a dream that she's not going to survive a coming battle and decides to go to Los Angeles to settle up some old scores.
TIMELINE: Post EPIPHIANY, Post THE BODY
ADDITIONAL NOTES: The title is from James Taylor.
It's been awhile since I've done any writing. Shawn keeps pushing me around so I decided to come back and see if I could still do it. So we finished this piece. Shawn and I. Of course now with Greenwalt's comments..well..who knows anymore..
***********
The little red head watched her friend pace the room anxiously. She wanted to reach out and grab her but wondered truly if she'd actually catch her. "Buffy.."
"I know, I know.." the tiny Slayer mumbled, coming to an abrupt halt and turning to face her friend.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Willow queried. "Why Dawn called me practically in tears..she's really freaked.."
"I know.." Buffy said, remorse in her eyes. "I didn't mean to scare her.."
"Well you're scaring me," Willow said softly, reaching out to touch her old friend. "What's going on?"
"I had..I had a dream, Wills.."
"You always have dreams," Willow replied gently, knowing somehow that this was a very delicate situation. She had been woken up at two in the morning by a near hysterical 14 year old girl who had been terrified that her older sister was being hurt. Dawn couldn't take it.
"Yeah..dreams." Buffy murmured. Then she looked up and Willow saw tears in her friends' eyes. "I dreamed I was going to die. The last time I did that..I did die."
"But you came back.."
Buffy swallowed hard and gasped out her friends' name. Willow just reached across and took Buffy in her arms. "Hey..hey..okay..okay."
She looked up to the doorway and saw the Slayers' little sister standing there. The poor girl has already been through so damn much. Her mothers' death had shaken her to the core. Hell, it had shaken them all but Dawnie..she was still just a child.
"Buffy?" the girl asked, sounding so much like a little girl. She took a deep breath, wanting desperately to be strong for her older sister.
Buffy looked up at her and smiled sadly. She made a quick desperate motion to wipe the tears away from her eyes. "Hey.."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Buffy said with a sad smile. She pulled Dawn down to she and Willow. "Just a dream..wigged me a bit. I'm okay."
"You promise?" Dawn queried, wanting so desperately to be the small child in pigtails. The one with two parents and a normal sister.
Buffy held for a moment, her mind whirling. Finally she replied with a soft smile, "Yeah, I promise. You get back to bed."
Dawn frowned at her, considering reminding her sister that she wasn't ten but finally relented. She gave her sister a quick hug and then moved away. Once the door closed, Buffy turned to Willow.
"I wonder how many times mom lied to me. You know? The doctor said mom knew that there was always a risk of..you know..what happened. She didn't tell me.."
"She was trying to protect you."
Buffy nodded, acknowledging the words. "I know. And now I'm protecting Dawn."
Willow squeezed her friends' shoulder, bothered by the deep resignation in it. The lines around Buffy's eyes spoke volumes. So it was true after all, you really could age rapidly..even overnight. "It was just a dream."
Buffy smiled sadly," No, Will..I..I dunno." She took a deep breath. "Even so..there's something I need to do.."
Willow lifted an eyebrow, "Talk to Angel?"
"It's about time isn't it?" Buffy replied, nodding. "But there is something else.."
***
He rubbed her shoulders, pressing his thumbs into her blades. She sighed contented and dropped her head back. "You're drooling," he said with a grin.
Her eyes snapped up. "Am not! I do NOT drool." Cordelia Chase spun on him to regard him with her well practiced gaze of ice. He just laughed. "Dammit Gunn!"
"Sorry..sorry. The lady asks for a back rub and then bitches her way through it.."
She scowled at him and then reached back and grabbed his hand, "Did anyone tell you that you could stop rubbing?"
"No, mistress..so sorry.."
"Do I even want to know?" Angel asked, coming into the office. His eyebrow was lifted and his lip quirked upwards in amusement. "Should I.."
"Whatever you're thinking..stop." Cordelia said quickly. "And fire this man.." she cut herself off with a moan as he rubbed his thumbs in circles around her neck muscles. "On second thought," she purred.
Angel shook his head and made his way over to the coffee pot. Pulling it off the warmer, he frowned. "Who was in charge of coffee?"
"Wesley.." they both replied.
"And where's Wesley?"
"It's his day off," Gunn said with a smirk. "Would you stop squirming?"
"Would you stop talking and do your job?"
"Am I being paid for this?"
"You get my presence.."
"Shit..I quit."
She turned and fixed him with a squinted glare. He just smirked. "Rub.."
"Yes ma'am."
Angel shook his head and chuckled. He moved over to the desk and began to make his way through the current files. He stopped and read one, lifting his eyebrow and then shaking his head in exasperation.
"The Miller case?" Cordelia queried, eyes closed.
"Is this woman insane?"
"You have no idea," Gunn replied. He was about to elaborate when the phone rang. Gunn glanced over to Cordelia who has her eyes closed. "You gonna get that?"
She sighed and picked it up," Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless." There was a grief pause and then she handed the phone back towards Angel. "It's for you."
"Who is it?" he queried, pouring coffee grains into a filter.
"Buffy," Cordelia replied. She looked up at Gunn. "Rub..Coco."
"Coco? The black man is Coco?"
"Oh just rub.." she looked over at Angel. "Hey lover boy..lover girl..."
"Right..yeah.." Angel said, reaching for the phone. He stopped. "Does she sound hurt.."
"Angel.."
"Right." He took the phone from her and then took a very deep if not un-necessary breath. "Buffy?"
"Hi," she said, almost shyly.
"Hi, are you okay?" he asked, deeply worried. The last time he had seen her had been the night of her mothers' funeral. That had been less than a month ago so he could well imagine that she was still in quite a good deal of emotional pain.
"No..Angel..I had a dream.."
He felt dread grip her. When Slayers had dreams, bad things tended to happen. "Wha...what happened.."
"Can I come there?" she asked, her voice low. "Can I come see you?"
He blinked. "Of course..yes. Yes. "
"Thanks. I need your help with something.."
"Anything. Just ask."
"I want to see Faith."
He nodded slowly. This was bad. Very bad. Not that she wanted to see Faith at all..no that was something that would have had to happen eventually. No, rather it was her desperation to do so that told him that something was amiss. "Okay, tomorrow is visiting day if that's okay?"
"Yeah..that's good."
When will you be here?"
"Tomorrow morning..is that okay?"
"Of course. I'll see you then."
"Okay." There was a pause on the line. "Angel?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you, Angel. I love you." And then she hung up.
He stared at the phone for a long moment, swallowing hard. Closing his eyes, he repeated the words back to her in his head. I love you too my beloved. Always.
EMAIL: godfathershawn@earthlink.net
AUTHOR: Alex Queirolo and Shawn Carter
SUMMARY: Buffy has a dream that she's not going to survive a coming battle and decides to go to Los Angeles to settle up some old scores.
TIMELINE: Post EPIPHIANY, Post THE BODY
ADDITIONAL NOTES: The title is from James Taylor.
It's been awhile since I've done any writing. Shawn keeps pushing me around so I decided to come back and see if I could still do it. So we finished this piece. Shawn and I. Of course now with Greenwalt's comments..well..who knows anymore..
***********
The little red head watched her friend pace the room anxiously. She wanted to reach out and grab her but wondered truly if she'd actually catch her. "Buffy.."
"I know, I know.." the tiny Slayer mumbled, coming to an abrupt halt and turning to face her friend.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Willow queried. "Why Dawn called me practically in tears..she's really freaked.."
"I know.." Buffy said, remorse in her eyes. "I didn't mean to scare her.."
"Well you're scaring me," Willow said softly, reaching out to touch her old friend. "What's going on?"
"I had..I had a dream, Wills.."
"You always have dreams," Willow replied gently, knowing somehow that this was a very delicate situation. She had been woken up at two in the morning by a near hysterical 14 year old girl who had been terrified that her older sister was being hurt. Dawn couldn't take it.
"Yeah..dreams." Buffy murmured. Then she looked up and Willow saw tears in her friends' eyes. "I dreamed I was going to die. The last time I did that..I did die."
"But you came back.."
Buffy swallowed hard and gasped out her friends' name. Willow just reached across and took Buffy in her arms. "Hey..hey..okay..okay."
She looked up to the doorway and saw the Slayers' little sister standing there. The poor girl has already been through so damn much. Her mothers' death had shaken her to the core. Hell, it had shaken them all but Dawnie..she was still just a child.
"Buffy?" the girl asked, sounding so much like a little girl. She took a deep breath, wanting desperately to be strong for her older sister.
Buffy looked up at her and smiled sadly. She made a quick desperate motion to wipe the tears away from her eyes. "Hey.."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Buffy said with a sad smile. She pulled Dawn down to she and Willow. "Just a dream..wigged me a bit. I'm okay."
"You promise?" Dawn queried, wanting so desperately to be the small child in pigtails. The one with two parents and a normal sister.
Buffy held for a moment, her mind whirling. Finally she replied with a soft smile, "Yeah, I promise. You get back to bed."
Dawn frowned at her, considering reminding her sister that she wasn't ten but finally relented. She gave her sister a quick hug and then moved away. Once the door closed, Buffy turned to Willow.
"I wonder how many times mom lied to me. You know? The doctor said mom knew that there was always a risk of..you know..what happened. She didn't tell me.."
"She was trying to protect you."
Buffy nodded, acknowledging the words. "I know. And now I'm protecting Dawn."
Willow squeezed her friends' shoulder, bothered by the deep resignation in it. The lines around Buffy's eyes spoke volumes. So it was true after all, you really could age rapidly..even overnight. "It was just a dream."
Buffy smiled sadly," No, Will..I..I dunno." She took a deep breath. "Even so..there's something I need to do.."
Willow lifted an eyebrow, "Talk to Angel?"
"It's about time isn't it?" Buffy replied, nodding. "But there is something else.."
***
He rubbed her shoulders, pressing his thumbs into her blades. She sighed contented and dropped her head back. "You're drooling," he said with a grin.
Her eyes snapped up. "Am not! I do NOT drool." Cordelia Chase spun on him to regard him with her well practiced gaze of ice. He just laughed. "Dammit Gunn!"
"Sorry..sorry. The lady asks for a back rub and then bitches her way through it.."
She scowled at him and then reached back and grabbed his hand, "Did anyone tell you that you could stop rubbing?"
"No, mistress..so sorry.."
"Do I even want to know?" Angel asked, coming into the office. His eyebrow was lifted and his lip quirked upwards in amusement. "Should I.."
"Whatever you're thinking..stop." Cordelia said quickly. "And fire this man.." she cut herself off with a moan as he rubbed his thumbs in circles around her neck muscles. "On second thought," she purred.
Angel shook his head and made his way over to the coffee pot. Pulling it off the warmer, he frowned. "Who was in charge of coffee?"
"Wesley.." they both replied.
"And where's Wesley?"
"It's his day off," Gunn said with a smirk. "Would you stop squirming?"
"Would you stop talking and do your job?"
"Am I being paid for this?"
"You get my presence.."
"Shit..I quit."
She turned and fixed him with a squinted glare. He just smirked. "Rub.."
"Yes ma'am."
Angel shook his head and chuckled. He moved over to the desk and began to make his way through the current files. He stopped and read one, lifting his eyebrow and then shaking his head in exasperation.
"The Miller case?" Cordelia queried, eyes closed.
"Is this woman insane?"
"You have no idea," Gunn replied. He was about to elaborate when the phone rang. Gunn glanced over to Cordelia who has her eyes closed. "You gonna get that?"
She sighed and picked it up," Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless." There was a grief pause and then she handed the phone back towards Angel. "It's for you."
"Who is it?" he queried, pouring coffee grains into a filter.
"Buffy," Cordelia replied. She looked up at Gunn. "Rub..Coco."
"Coco? The black man is Coco?"
"Oh just rub.." she looked over at Angel. "Hey lover boy..lover girl..."
"Right..yeah.." Angel said, reaching for the phone. He stopped. "Does she sound hurt.."
"Angel.."
"Right." He took the phone from her and then took a very deep if not un-necessary breath. "Buffy?"
"Hi," she said, almost shyly.
"Hi, are you okay?" he asked, deeply worried. The last time he had seen her had been the night of her mothers' funeral. That had been less than a month ago so he could well imagine that she was still in quite a good deal of emotional pain.
"No..Angel..I had a dream.."
He felt dread grip her. When Slayers had dreams, bad things tended to happen. "Wha...what happened.."
"Can I come there?" she asked, her voice low. "Can I come see you?"
He blinked. "Of course..yes. Yes. "
"Thanks. I need your help with something.."
"Anything. Just ask."
"I want to see Faith."
He nodded slowly. This was bad. Very bad. Not that she wanted to see Faith at all..no that was something that would have had to happen eventually. No, rather it was her desperation to do so that told him that something was amiss. "Okay, tomorrow is visiting day if that's okay?"
"Yeah..that's good."
When will you be here?"
"Tomorrow morning..is that okay?"
"Of course. I'll see you then."
"Okay." There was a pause on the line. "Angel?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you, Angel. I love you." And then she hung up.
He stared at the phone for a long moment, swallowing hard. Closing his eyes, he repeated the words back to her in his head. I love you too my beloved. Always.