C H O S E N
The Insane Works of Dani aka Pandora147
Author's Note:
I have become one of the authors who crap me off so much. It's been ages since I updated this! Ducks at the stuff being thrown. Umm yeah… The Someday Trilogy: This Moment is my priority, I think the majority of you who read this (at least, those who review) also read Someday so hopefully you are understanding of this. But my muse for this just took a small vacation over to Someday land and I kept coming to write this and just being so, so, so blank which is scary because I've never experienced that kind of writers block and I suddenly have a sudden empathy for people who experience this.
For those familiar with Angel: the Series – so I have concluded that this is set post Angel Season 5 Episode 11 – Damage. This is the episode with Dana the crazy Slayer where Andrew is in LA. Let's pretend that Angel happened up until Damage, and then from there its just all loose – I'm not going to go into Angel characters massively, but if I ever wind up bringing them in, don't be thinking 'hang on, isn't Angel off befriending the Circle of the Black Thorn now, he can't be in Albuquerque!'
Also, a Buffy tibbit – Spike and Giles are British. The rest are American. And I am Australian. I am doing my very, very, very best to emulate the speech patterns of these really diverse characters but its not very easy. But yeah… so when I'm having Spike and Giles use words like 'prat' and 'git' and 'Berk' – no, I'm not British. They are. Haha.
7. I Must Be Dreaming
Just in my mind
Not in real life
I must be dreaming
'Bleed (I Must Be Dreaming)' Evanescence
Buffy was the epitome of strength and courage. She'd led the charge into the Hellmouth that fateful day, led a team of shit scared girls and somehow instilled within them that they had a chance in hell. She'd dealt with the death of her mother and proceeded to raise her younger sister all alone, with nothing more than the occasional cheque in the mail from their father. She had technically died twice – defying the odds to be brought back each time.
That was Buffy in life in general. Defying the odds.
However the last thing Spike would have anticipated would be his strong, courageous Slayer fainting at the sight of his presence.
"Buffy! Buffy!" Spike's urgent tone came. He slapped her gently on the face. "Buffy! Rise and shine, love."
Nothing.
Spike began to panic a little, and he glanced around in search of the rest of the Scooby gang. As he'd been lurking in the distance of the morgue, awaiting the time when the staff would all have left for the day, he'd sensed Buffy's presence as she drew near – which was one of the perks of vampiric enhanced senses. He'd sensed her Watcher, and the little bit, and the useless Whelp – and then there was Buffy. Instead of running and hiding from her like a part of him wanted to, he'd been struck by a sudden intense desire to get the big reveal over and done with.
It had been a good few months since he'd been brought back, a good few months that he'd been hanging about 'helping' Angel at Wolfram and Hart. It was a miracle that Buffy hadn't already somehow heard of his resurrection; and he'd known it would only be a matter of time until she found out.
Evidently, it was meant to be now.
Gabriella was the first to hear the panicked British accent calling for help. She was the first to leap to her feet and defy Buffy's instructions to 'wait here' and head straight in the direction of the call. Troy was the first of the remainder of the group to follow, and the whole group fell into line, treading carefully but quickly around the building toward where the original noises had been coming from – and toward the voice they'd heard calling out.
"Spike," Giles said calmly.
"Oh good, Rupert," Spike said, for the first time in a long time feeling grateful to see the old man.
"What happened?" Xander asked, also calmly. He knelt beside Buffy, while Giles was rifling through the pack he'd been carrying.
"Spike," Dawn breathed – in a similar tone to that which her older sister had used.
Spike swallowed, and managed to throw the younger Summers' a smile.
"Nibblet."
"I… I don't understand," Dawn stammered.
"Uh… yeah. It's… complicated," Spike said tactfully.
"What the hell happened and why did she faint?" Gabriella demanded.
Spike took a moment to observe the two unfamiliar faces – the brunette girl who had just spoken, and the sandy haired boy who was clutching to her arm. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I don't know who you are, but it seems the Slayer's just had a bit of a shock, is all."
"A bit of a shock?!?! What the hell Spike!" Dawn exclaimed, having moved from her initial state of being completely blown away into a place of demand – needing to understand.
"She's coming to," Xander said, from where he and Giles had calmly attended to Buffy's needs, retrieving a pack of smelling salts.
A sharp intake of breath from Buffy indicated that she'd awoken. Spike rushed to her side.
"Pet?" he said urgently.
"Spike?" she whispered, a hand reaching up to touch the side of his face, as though checking that he was actually there and present.
"It's me, luv, it's me. I'm here. You din't…. it was real. I'm real."
"You… you're back?" Buffy asked groggily, still regaining her bearings.
"Yeah luv, I'm back," Spike confirmed.
"How… what… when… I don't…" Buffy stammered, sitting upright.
"Take it easy, Slayer," Spike warned, and held out his hand to assist her in standing up right.
"I don't understand. You're… vampires don't just come back to life!" Dawn exclaimed.
"He's a vampire?!" Troy exclaimed, taking a few steps back warily.
"Uh, yes but… it's… complicated," Buffy said, rubbing her head. She then looked a little harder at Spike, and reached out to touch his arm. "Are you really you? I'm sorry but I just…"
"I'm me, pet. I'm not the First. I'm not any other kinda nasty tryin' to play with your mind."
"You're Spike? You're my Spike? Prove it to me!" Buffy said, hands on hips. "Tell me something that only I would know."
Spike cocked his head, his tongue pushing at his cheek slightly as he thought of many things which had happened with Buffy that no one else would know about. Things that he couldn't exactly announce in front of a crowd of people who were watching the interaction take place.
The truth was that Buffy had known it was him the moment she saw him – there was something that was just so innately Spike that no ghost or demon could possess. And if there had been any doubt in Buffy's mind that it was him, that expression, that very movement of the cock of the head and the tongue pushing against his cheek was enough to confirm it.
"I could tell you many things, pet. I could tell you that shirty is, in fact, a real word. I could tell you that the scar on your hand there is from your hand being lit on fire – sorry 'bout that, by the way. I could tell you all 'bout the best night of my life… of all my lives. Of my life as a human, of my life as a vampire… and this second time around life I seem to have been given."
"It's really you," Buffy whispered, tears pricking at her eyes.
She spontaneously threw her arms around Spike, embracing him in a tight hug. Spike was more than a little surprised, but also welcomed the hug. There was no doubting that her slim figure felt perfect within his arms.
"Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to interrupt!" Troy said, stepping into the centre. He grasped onto Buffy's arm, and pulled her back. "A few days ago, my girlfriend develops some super human strength and you people arrive in town and tell us that she's some…. Vampire slayer. And you go on to tell us all about vampires and how they kill and turn people and about the weapons that you can use to kill them. And now, we're here – outside the morgue, I should add – trying to determine whether this person who was killed has been turned by a vampire. And now, the head Slayer is hugging a vampire and crying because he's alive?!"
"Troy it's… it's very complicated," Buffy said. "See there was… there was an amulet."
"A what-ulet?" Troy said blankly.
"An amulet. A magical amulet," Buffy specified.
"An object which brings good luck or protection to its owner," Gabriella explained softly. She too was curious, and confused, and Troy's outburst had in many ways mirrored many of her thoughts – but she was more patient. Within the past few days she'd developed an innate trust within Buffy, and knew that things would be explained in more detail when the time was right. Troy on the other hand, was requiring answers immediately.
"Well really, before the amulet there was the soul. See, Spike is a vampire, but… he's different. He has a soul."
"Why?" Troy asked, arms folded across his chest.
"Uh… also complicated," Spike said uncomfortably. Because I went to Africa, faced torture and trials, all because I sought my soul to become worthy of the woman I loved.
"What does that mean? You have a soul? Big deal."
Buffy sighed. "Okay, well, I guess to explain, I have to go back and talk about the chip."
"A potato chip?" Troy enquired.
"No, a computer chip," Buffy said, her tone strained. "It was in his head. And…"
Troy was shaking his head, at the point of being unable to comprehend any of what he was being told. "A computer chip gave him a soul?"
"No!"
"Buffy," Giles intervened. "Uh… perhaps this isn't the time or place to be explaining the… the grey within the black and white, to Troy and Gabriella."
Buffy nodded, and turned back to Spike, her eyes brightening as she once again took in his features.
"I can't believe you're back. I don't… I don't understand."
"I don't quite understand everything myself," Spike admitted. "I think that in this crazy world we live in, sometimes 's better to not question things, and just go with it. I've been given another chance, another chance to do good. All that matters is that I'm back, and for real."
"Really for real?"
"Really for real, Buff," Xander spoke up from behind.
Buffy spun around, hands on hips as she looked at Xander carefully. "You… you knew about this already?" she asked incredulously.
Xander winced. "Uh… sorta."
"We decided that perhaps we shouldn't tell you, that it wasn't our place to tell you," Giles cut in, defending Xander.
"You knew too?!" Buffy exclaimed.
"I can't believe you both knew that Spike was alive and didn't tell us!" Dawn chimed in.
"How did the pair of you know? I certainly didn't tell you," Spike said.
"Andrew," Giles explained simply. "From when he was in LA. He told us."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Stupid Berk."
"Andrew knew?" Buffy said incredulously, now looking between Spike, Xander and Giles with her hands on her hips. "From when he was in LA? That was like, almost a month ago. You've been in LA for almost a month and I'm only just being told that you're back? You've kept it from me for almost a month?!?!"
Spike decided in that moment that it was best to come completely clean – there was no point in trying to conceal the truth, because inevitably at some point it would come out.
"Uh… actually… I've been back a bit longer," Spike said tactfully. "When I first came back, I was like incorporeal… a ghost. And I couldn't leave LA, literally."
"So when did you first come back then?" Buffy asked.
Spike hesitated. "Uh… a few months ago."
"A FEW MONTHS AGO?!?!" Dawn's shrill exclamation came, causing those around her to wince from the decibel she'd reached.
"Dawn…" Xander said quietly, warningly.
Buffy's own eyes were wide. "Months?"
"Uhh… yeah. Months," Spike confirmed.
"So… I send my strongest warrior in to battle, you get killed, you come back to life and a few months later, I find out? And surely you weren't planning to run into me here, you didn't know we were in town, did you?"
"No. But when I got here… I sensed you were here. And I din't run, surely I get points for that."
"So when you had this big battle thing last year which made all these girls Slayers, you were fighting along side a vampire…" Troy said dubiously.
Buffy sighed in exasperation, the judgement in Troy's tone seeping through. She turned to Troy. "Look. I don't know you all that well. But you don't know anything about this situation. It's very complicated and I'm sure someone will give you the Cliff's Notes later. But right now, you can just take your tone and sit down, okay?"
Buffy then turned back to Spike, and without warning, her hand rose and she struck him with an open palmed slap across the cheek. Over the past seven years, Buffy and Spike had been in countless fights. They'd punched and kicked, they'd used all sorts of weapons, they'd fought almost to the death. Buffy was strong and Spike was almost as strong – and he had taken all sorts of wrath from her, he'd withstood all sorts of violence.
But somehow, it was her girlish slap across the cheek that caused more pain than any sort of pain she'd caused him before.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were back?" Buffy demanded, her voice low, almost a whisper.
Spike glanced around at the people who were trying to act like they weren't there, to disappear into the trees. "Uh Slayer… why don't we hash this out later, luv?"
"Are you here, at the morgue, for the same reason that we are?" Giles asked.
Spike nodded. "There was some suspicious supernatural activity picked up in this region, and the Forehead sent me to have a look into the situation."
"The Forehead? You… You've been working with Angel?" Buffy said, putting the pieces together.
"Uh, yeah. I sorta… appeared at Wolfram and Hart. That's where I was when I first came back, and then Fred – one of the birds that's working with Peaches – she's all sciencey and was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. And then I just stuck 'round."
"You've been back for months, working with Angel… Angel knew you were back. The two of you knew that you were back. And none of you told me…" Buffy said incredulously.
Spike cleared his throat, and turned back to Giles. "Yeah, so I did a bit'f research today 'n thought I'd start by swinging by here to try to work out whether these deaths are supernatural. Check out the body."
"We're not all really needed for that. I'm sure that if it turns out we do have a siring situation, that between myself, Xander, Dawn, Gabriella and Troy, we can handle it. How about we all go inside and look into it, and we can leave these two to… talk," Giles said tactfully.
"Good idea," Xander agreed.
Dawn glanced forlornly at where Spike and Buffy were standing across from one another, their stance somewhat defensive. Buffy observed her sisters stare and went over, and caressed her arm.
"I'll tell you about it later, you won't miss out on finding out what's going on," Buffy said quietly.
Dawn nodded, and allowed Giles to usher her away with Xander, Gabriella and Troy. The fivesome moved quietly, doing a careful circumference of the building, keeping their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. When they came back to their starting position, Buffy and Spike had both vanished from within eyesight and earshot.
"Okay, I know that I'll get the Cliff's Notes version of all this later but can I just clarify, in the form of the Cliff's Notes of the Cliff's Notes – so… Spike is a vampire?" Troy queried.
"Yes," Xander answered.
"And we're not killing him, because…."
Xander smirked. "I like this kid."
"Because of the soul," Giles answered, ignoring Xander. "And because… well, because if we did, Buffy wouldn't react very well."
"Troy? Why don't we just focus on the task at hand," Gabriella said softly. "And worry about that later. So. Are we going in? And… how are we going to get in, exactly? Do we just… break in? Don't you think they have security systems and alarms and cameras?"
Xander nodded. "The answer is yes, but that we've already looked into it and the solution is fairly simple." He gestured toward the electricity meter box that they could see from where they were standing.
"Cut the power," Troy said, nodding.
"What if they have a back up power system?" Gabriella said dubiously.
"They don't. Not at night," Giles said.
"How do you know this?" Gabriella asked.
"We have our ways," Xander said elusively.
"All right then, let's get in there and do this," Troy said, moving straight toward the power box.
Giles grasped his arm. "You can't just run off half cocked, you git. We do this carefully – especially without a Slayer with us."
"We have a Slayer, Gabriella is here," Troy said, rolling his eyes.
"A trained Slayer," Giles clarified. "All right, so I suggest that myself and Dawn go around to the other side of the building to watch for any individuals who may be approaching from the distance. Xander, you go over with Troy and Gabriella to the electricity meter. Show them how to do it, but you all need to keep your eyes and ears open."
If Gabriella had allowed herself to think about the overall situation, she may had burst into tears or perhaps into hysterical laughter. Gabriella was a good girl, a good student, she'd never ditched class, she'd never cheated in a test, she'd never shoplifted a candy from the convenience store. And here she was, out lurking outside the morgue in the dark, planning to cut the electricity to the building to facilitate breaking and entering so they could investigate a vampire situation.
She quietly stood back, observing as Xander demonstrated with switches and cords – and looked up in amazement as the dim lighting that was emitting from the buildings night lights faded away, an eerie silence falling over the area without the hum of various machinery on standby inside.
The fivesome met up just around the side of the building, near a side door.
"Now what?" Troy asked expectantly. "Do we break a window? Ooohhh can I do it?!"
"No, we don't break a window. We go through the door," Dawn said.
"How?" Both Troy and Gabriella asked simultaneously, knowing it would be locked.
Xander gestured to Gabriella. "You will be able to get us through their."
"What, do I have some like, magical floating through walls ability," she joked.
"No. You'll be strong enough to break the lock," Giles said.
Dawn reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of gloves to put on, and then said, "Buffy kinda does it like this." The younger Summers sister demonstrated Buffy's normal movements, the force and angle at which she'd turn and tug at the door handle and it would magically break open. "Except, you know, that would work."
Gabriella took a deep breath and glanced sideways at Troy, who smiled encouragingly. "Okay. Okay, I can do this." She grasped onto the handle, tugging once, twice, and then on the third time, the lock broke and the door swung open. Gabriella smiled triumphantly. "There."
Buffy and Spike had moved just across the street from the morgue. With Spike's super vampire senses, he would still be able to hear if any kind of trouble had broken out – and Buffy knew that Dawn would have her cell phone out and ready to speed dial Buffy's number if something happened to go wrong.
"I was scared," Spike said bluntly, opening the conversation. "I could give you a million excuses Buffy. Peaches is the one who discouraged me from seeking you out, who said that finally maybe you could move on. And yeah, that was true, a part of me knew that you deserved more than anything I could ever offer you. I could tell you that I was just so wrapped up in my work at Wolfram and Hart – but the truth is that I don't trust Angel as far as your sister could throw him. Yes I'm working with his company but I'm aware that there's some dodgy stuff going on, and I don't blame Andrew for any of his attitude when he was in Los Angeles. No, the reason I didn't come find you was because I was scared."
"Scared of what?!"
"Scared of… of us. Scared because everything that happened during those last few days before I…. before the big battle… scared because if there was ever a time when I could think that maybe something could happen between us, it would have been after everything that happened. And I guess a part of me prefers living with the memory of those few days, than the idea of coming to find you and…"
"And being rejected?" Buffy supplied quietly. "How do you think I felt? Telling you that I love you, and having you insist that I don't? Do you really… after everything that happened, do you really think that I'd just throw those words around casually? Oh, poor Spike, he's about to die, maybe I should say something nice for him to hear before he goes?"
"I din't think it was like that," Spike said quietly. "I guess I thought… maybe that in that moment, you felt like you loved me. I believe that you felt it at the time but pet… I couldn't know it was real. And… I wanted you to get out. If I'd said it back… would you have left? And let me just stay?"
Buffy paused, and contemplated. "No. I would have… dragged you out, or something."
"Exactly. And I can't explain it to you, but I just had to do it. And you, of all people, should understand that, luv."
"I do understand that. But I just… I still… months Spike? You… you really thought that I wouldn't find out? Especially after you saw Andrew, and found out that we've been keeping an eye on what's happening at Wolfram and Hart? I shouldn't have found out this way, not like this."
"You're right. I'm a coward and an idiot," Spike said bluntly. "And I want to change that. Seeing you now… I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have let Peaches make me second guess myself, my instinct from the start was to run and find you. If I hadn't have been forced to stay in Los Angeles while I was all ghostie like, I woulda come found you straight away."
"I just… I can't believe you're here," Buffy breathed, her eyes wide as she took in his form. "I can't… I thought…"
"I know luv, I know," Spike said gently.
The two stood in silence, staring at one another in bewilderment, just allowing themselves to become immersed in the simple fact that they were both together, there, at the same time.
Spike was broken from his reverie – by the sound of a crash coming from inside of the morgue. His ears pricked up, he tensed slightly.
"What, what did you hear?" Buffy asked immediately.
"How fresh is your new Slayer?" Spike asked immediately.
"A couple of days."
"We should get over there, just in case. Better to be safe than sorry."
Spike's intervention turned out to be completely unnecessary. The crash had sounded from inside of one of the rooms in the morgue, just as Gabriella and the others had entered into the facility. Gabriella took charge, marching straight in the direction of the sound. The fledgling vampire had already rose, Giles quickly identifying that it was indeed the woman who had been reported as among the mysterious deaths. His identification process took place whilst Gabriella was in the midst of pummelling her. At first she'd just been in her human guise, prowling about and snarling slightly, and Gabriella had taken a moment to realise that it was in fact a vampire. It had been easier in the cemetery when the guy had been in game face. But the moment she changed, Gabriella knew what she had to do.
Her technique wasn't very polished, but as Giles observed the young Slayer in action, he couldn't help but smile at the potential that he saw within her. The sheer determination, the bravery she exhibited despite the timid nature she'd displayed outside. Under pressure, when it truly counted, she was a warrior, there was no doubting it.
Buffy and Spike arrived just in time to see Gabriella thrust the stake through the heart of the vampire, a cloud of dust appearing. Second time around, Gabriella wasn't quite as frightened by what she had done. It was all a bit of a blur, but on a certain level, it was sinking in that doing this was a part of who she was now.
"So… we have a situation with a whole bunch of turnings on hand in Sunnydale," Dawn said.
"Quite possibly," Giles mused.
"So, she went well?" Buffy asked brightly.
"She was awesome," Troy declared proudly, an arm giving his girlfriend a half hug. "She just like, fully charged in there and knew exactly what she had to do."
Gabriella glanced at her watch. "Um, I have a curfew. How much longer are we going to be here?"
"Uh, let's go outside shall we, have a quick discussion," Giles said.
The group shuffled out of the morgue, grateful to be back outside away from the depressing vibe that existed within the building, and began to move back toward the park to cut back toward their vehicles.
"So Gabriella. We have a lot to discuss with you," Giles began – and then paused as he gave Spike a slight side eye.
Spike cleared his throat, aware of the glance. "Okay, I'm obviously not a part of this. Uh… look. I know that none of you particularly trust Angel and his mob – and neither do I. I work with him so that I got given an all expenses paid trip out here away from him, and a Ferrari to drive around. If you're doing the whole research thing tomorrow, I'm in, I want to work with you on this. I've got a lot of information that the old Watcher – Wesley – sent with me. It might work better to compile our resources."
"Um… how can I contact you?" Buffy asked, a little awkwardly.
Spike dug around in his coat pocket, until he pulled out a sleek shiny Sidekick. "Uh… I don't quite know how to use it, but if you call me, then I know to press that button and it'll answer."
"What's your number?" Buffy asked.
Spike stared at her blankly. "Number?"
"Phone number?" she prompted, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh. Right. Um… I should know that, shouldn't I?"
She rolled her eyes and took the item from his hand, her fingertips brushing against his skin for a moment as she did. Her eyes flickered up, meeting his for a brief second, before looking away to look at his phone. She dialled her own number from his phone, and waited until her phone began to ring in her pocket before hanging up. She then slid out her own cell phone, ensuring that his number was now displayed in her missed calls. Buffy quickly punched a few buttons on his phone before handing it back to him.
"Okay, I have your number now. And you have mine… if for some reason you decide to learn how to use the thing."
Spike nodded. "Great. Uh… I'll be out and about tonight. You know, in the cemeteries. If you are around."
Buffy nodded. "Maybe. I'll see."
"Great. Well uh…" Spike glanced around at the group, attempting to sound light. "Nice seeing you all. And… well, not really meeting the two of you but… yes."
Troy didn't say anything, just glared slightly at the vampire that he wasn't quite trustworthy of yet. He was still wrapping his head around the 'vampires are real my girlfriend has to kill them' concept, let along moving onto the 'but some vampires aren't entirely evil so we don't kill them' concept.
"Spike?" Dawn said, somewhat hesitantly.
"L'il Bit?" Spike intoned, stepping closer to her.
"Is this for real this time? You're not gonna go and leave us again, are you?"
Spike sighed. "I have no plans on going anywhere. And if they come about, I'd like to think I'll be able to give you fair warning."
"Okay." That was all Dawn needed, and she wrapped her arms around Spike in a tight hug. Spike was somewhat surprised, and blinked at the sensation of her warm hug in shock before allowing his arms to hug her back. She stepped away. "If Buffy doesn't call you, I'll steal her cell phone and call you."
Spike grinned. "You do that, Nibblet."
And with that, black leather coat flapping in the breeze, Spike trudged away from the group.
"So, are you gonna explain about that now?" Troy prompted immediately.
"Later," Buffy said shortly. "Remember, you're not even meant to be here. I wouldn't be showing attitude."
Troy rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
Gabriella's fingers were laced through Troy's and she squeezed his hand. She didn't care what they thought – Troy was meant to be there, right by her side. There was no other place that he was meant to be.
"Okay, Gabriella. This seems almost ideal, that as we're working on this situation here in Sunnydale, it will be like a practical training course for you, seeing what the work of a slayer is like at ground level," Giles said. "During this time, I think it's best that we conduct some basic training sessions as soon as possible, just to arm you with some of the basic techniques of the craft of self defence – and of attack."
"Uh… okay," Gabriella said.
"We also will need to discuss the best way of informing your mother about the scenario…"
Gabriella let out a slight hack. "My mother?" she squeaked. "You want… you want…. You want to tell my mother? That there are vampires and that her daughter is some Slayer."
"I know that seems crazy but it's going to make your life a whole lot easier," Buffy assured her. "How did you get permission to come here tonight?"
Gabriella bristled. "I told her I had to go do some photocopying at the library and was going to stay study. And she wasn't home when you picked me up."
"Exactly. Those excuses wear thin sooner or later," Buffy said.
"Uh… we can talk about it, but… for now, I'll just do this my way, thanks," Gabriella said awkwardly.
"Okay, we can do that," Xander said quickly, not wanting Buffy or Giles to push her.
"I wasn't kidding about my curfew, I really have to go,'' Gabriella said quietly.
"I'll drive you," Troy said straight away.
"Why don't we come pick you up from school tomorrow, what time do you finish?" Giles asked.
Gabriella cleared her throat, and glanced sideways at Troy. "Uh…"
"I can drive her wherever you want her to go," Troy said firmly.
Gabriella didn't protest and merely shuffled further into Troy's side, and none of the others were willing to protest. It seemed that his acceptance of her Calling was going to be a large part of her own acceptance of it – and seeing what she was capable of was going to contribute toward his acceptance.
"Okay then. We can meet at our hotel then, do you…"
"I remember where it is," Troy said.
"Bring work out clothes," Buffy advised Gabriella, the younger Slayer nodding in understanding.
"Okay. I will. Thanks for tonight," Gabriella said awkwardly. "It was uh… well fun isn't the word. Educational, I guess."
"Yeah, thanks for letting me tag along, it was awesome," Troy said, already shifting to split off and walk faster toward his truck.
"See you guys later," Gabriella called behind her shoulder, before snuggling further into Troy's side as the couple beelined toward his beat up truck.
Giles arms folded across his chest as they slowed down, watching the younger pair walk off into the distance.
"Must be nice," Buffy said quietly. "Having someone to support you so unconditionally."
"Do you think its good, that she is relying upon him so heavily?" Giles intoned.
Buffy shrugged. "I know that these first weeks are the hardest, and I know how hard it is doing that without anyone there with you."
"There's support and there's…" Xander began to say, trailing off. "What if he gets too involved?"
"I don't think you're one to talk Xander, I never saw you stepping back from being right in the front line," Buffy pointed out.
"His involvement just seems different. He's not only there supporting her with the cause, but also just with herself, emotionally."
"We'll just need to keep an eye on it. Make sure he doesn't become a liability," Giles said carefully.
Twenty minutes later, Troy was pulling up outside of Gabriella's house, just minutes short of her curfew.
"Home safe and sound," Troy said quietly.
Gabriella nodded. "I'm just imaging my mom asking how it went, referring to the study. 'Yeah mom it went well, I slayed my second vampire ever'," Gabriella said sarcastically.
Troy couldn't help but crack a grin. "She would faint. Or laugh, thinking you were joking."
"Yeah."
"How are you feeling?" he asked, biting his lip lightly.
"Uh… surreal. I still keep waiting to wake up. Each minute the scenario becomes more surreal… but I become a little bit more aware that I'm not gonna wake up."
"I think you're being so brave. I don't know how you're coping with it. I'd be… I don't think I could do it," Troy confessed.
"I do it coz I have to, I guess. There's no choice but to deal with it."
"Doesn't change that I'm proud of you."
Troy leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers softly. She reciprocated his kiss, her tongue trailing along his lower lip and nudging his mouth to part slightly, allowing their tongues to caress and play and dance. They pulled apart, foreheads resting together.
"Troy?" Gabriella whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for coming tonight. Thank you for knowing… for knowing that I needed you."
"You're welcome."
"You'd better go. You'll be late," Gabriella said, glancing at the time.
"Do you want me to sneak over?"
Gabriella hesitated. "Want you to? Kinda. But… I think I need to be alone tonight. I think its important that I can be alone for a while."
Troy nodded. "If you change your mind… I'm a text or a phone call away. Or you can just call me, and we can just talk. If you need me."
"I always need you," Gabriella murmured. "And even when you're not there… I know that I have you."
A/N - If anyone still cares about this, pretty please let me know that you're not too angry with me and you understand that I'm not completely evil and that I just... was really naughty with not writing this for ages... *Bats eyelashes.* -Dani xo