ooooooooooooooooo Here's the new chapter. Review and enjoy!
"She's right through there," Oz said to Buffy, pointing inside of a tent.
Oz said he knew a healer, but her tent looked a little freaky, like she was into some weird types of magic.
"Hi," Buffy said awkwardly.
"Hello," the healer answered. "What can I do for you?"
"It might just be nothing, but this doesn't usually happen to me... I've been getting these bad cramps and shooting pains in my stomach. It's really painful. And I'm absolutely used to pain, but it's usually on the outside, and not taking over me from the inside," Buffy told the woman.
"Well let me see. Do you mind?" the woman asked, pointing at Buffy's stomach.
"No, go ahead," Buffy said weirdly.
The woman lifted up Buffy's shirt, and put her hand on Buffy's stomach. The look on her face changed almost instantly.
"Well that would explain the cramps and pain," the healer said.
"What would explain the cramps and pain?" Buffy asked.
"The baby," the healer smiled.
"What baby?" Buffy asked.
"Your baby. The one that will begin to quickly grow inside of you soon. You're pregnant," the healer said calmly.
"No I'm not," Buffy told her.
"Yes you are."
"Trust me, I can't be pregnant."
"Have you not had sexual relations recently, let's say within the past month, give or take a few days?"
"That's really not your business," Buffy said. "You must be mistaken. I'm not pregnant. Thanks for trying to help, I guess. I'll be going now," Buffy said, turning to leave.
"I am not mistaken, and you need to stop being so immature, thinking you are always right."
"It's not immature when I know I'm right and you're wrong," Buffy yelled at the woman.
"Is everything okay in there?" Angel called from the outside.
Neither Buffy nor the healer answered.
Angel came in. "I heard you yelling. What's wrong?" he asked Buffy.
The healer took a quick look at Angel, and a new smile formed on her face.
"There is nothing wrong," the healer told him, and then turned back towards Buffy. "You should accept that you're-"
"Lady, if you finish that sentence, so help me God, you will regret it for the rest of your life," Buffy threatened.
"You should tell him, you know. It's only right," the healer said, ignoring Buffy's outburst.
"Tell me what?" Angel asked.
"Nothing. We're leaving now," Buffy said, grabbing Angel's arm and quickly leaving the tent.
"What the hell happened in there?" Angel asked.
"I said it was nothing, okay? So let's drop it. The woman is just stupid. She doesn't know anything," Buffy said, very annoyed. "Don't ask me again, please."
Buffy turned to Oz. "I think it's about time that we meet that pack of yours, isn't it?" she said, changing the subject.
"Sure," Oz said, sensing that something was wrong.
Buffy was freaking out silently. She couldn't be pregnant. Besides Angel, Buffy hadn't been with anyone intimately in more than a year (which Willow had loved to tease her about). She couldn't be having a baby, that wasn't a possibility with her and Angel. The healer was mental, that was all there was to it.
They walked for about ten minutes until they came to a massive cabin on the outskirts of the town.
"Welcome to our casa. Come on in guys," Oz said, ushering Buffy and Angel inside.
"Everyone, this is Buffy and Angel. Buffy, Angel, this is everyone."
"Hi," Angel said.
"Oz, I think we can use a bit more than 'everyone'. I'd kinda like to know the names of the people I'm going to ask for big favours. I know you said you were pretty sure everyone would help, but I think it would be best if they all decide for themselves."
"Forgive me, Buffy," Oz smiled. "Okay here we go. That's Shayla, he's Pedro, that's Ong-Lee, she's Alessia, he's Mike, Dayna, Mario, Charlie, Rena, Claus, Ernie, Ronaldo, Yasmine, Chris, Xavier, and Athena." There were so many more, but Buffy could not remember their names.
"Nice to meet you," Buffy said.
"Willow was right," the one Oz called Shayla, said. "I like you already."
"Thanks," Buffy said.
"Willow told us a lot about you two," Ong-Lee said to Angel.
"Only good stuff, I hope," Angel joked.
Ong-Lee nodded his head.
"I wish we could have come here to meet you all under better circumstances, but unfortunately, that's not the case... You all know what happened to Wi- Willow. Two more of my friends died also, Xander and Faith. They were all killed by the same creature. A creature my Watcher is sure is the first to be sent of many in the Apocalypse. This creatureis sent to cause fear and mayhem among people, making them worry that something really bad is coming, only never to be followed up by anything, or so it seems.
"The records of the last incident like this say that the next attack didn't come for close to a year, and that's the reason we managed to get over here. Because we believe we have time, to build some kind of defence. All we know is that it can be stopped. We don't know how, so we need all the help we can get. We're here to ask you for your help, because I have no desire for the world to end. You guys are really powerful at the full moon, and that's when this stuff always seems to happen.
"Before you make up your minds, I should tell you this, just in case it would affect your decision... We'd need you to come back to Rome with us. I know it's asking a lot, so I just wanted you to know everything first."
"It's not like I'm tied to this place, so you can definitely count me in," Dayna said.
"I'm in," Ong-Lee chimed in.
"Me too," Shayla said.
Soon everyone had said they would come and try to help, except Rena.
"I don't even know you. All I know is that you're the Slayer. Whoop-di-doo, like Slayer means anything anyway. And telling me the sob-story about your friends doesn't make me care any more. I met Willow, and she was nothing special-"
Buffy knew she wasn't in her own territory and that she was a guest, and that attacking one of the group's fellow werewolves probably wouldn't sit well with the rest of them, but she didn't care.
Buffy lunged at Rena from across the room, taking her down with ease, her hand wrapped around Rena's throat.
Surprisingly, nobody was coming forward to defend Rena.
"If you ever talk about Willow like that again, so help me God, girl, I will snap you in half without blinking once. And don't think that I can't, because Slayer does mean something. Got it?" Buffy said, anger boiling inside.
"You can leave," Oz, Ong-Lee, and Dayna all told Rena.
None of the others chimed in to say that she should stay.
"You don't have to help if you don't want to. Being a coward is your choice, but I can't believe that you have the nerve to say something like that. First of all, Buffy's our guest, second of all Willow was her best friend. Thirdly, Willow was good to us, and did you forget what she meant to Oz, or are you so self-centred that you forgot all that?" Shayla asked.
Buffy finally got off of Rena.
"I'm sorry," Rena said to Buffy, even though Buffy could tell that she didn't really mean it.
"And I'm sorry to you also, Oz. Please, everyone, don't make me leave."
Everyone seemed to be looking to Buffy.
"Hey, this is your turf, not mine. This is your decision," Buffy said, through clenched teeth.
Angel came over to Buffy, and whispered in her ear. "Let's take a walk. Let them decide whatever, and you come walk your anger off."
Buffy nodded, wanting to get of there for a few minutes.
"We're taking a walk," Angel told Oz. "We'll be back."
Oz nodded.
"Stupid bitch," Buffy muttered when she and Angel got outside.
"Don't worry. I don't think they're taking it easy on her in there," Angel told Buffy.
"Willow's nothing special. The nerve of her. How dare she? Willow was special, she was amazing. She was my Willow," Buffy said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Rena had brought out a lot of emotions, causing Buffy to break her silent promise to Willow that she wouldn't cry for her anymore. But she couldn't hold it in. Nobody was allowed to talk badly about Willow, nobody.
"I know how amazing she was," Angel said quietly, hugging Buffy. "Don't let a dummy like Rena get to you. Her opinion means less than nothing. And really, think about it, if that's what she thought about Willow, she didn't know her well at all, and that right there, is her loss, okay?"
Buffy took a deep breath, and nodded. "Okay," she said.
After a few minutes, Buffy finally mumbled. "I'm ready to go back in."
She started back towards the cabin.
"Not so fast," Angel said, turning her around.
"Don't worry, as long as she doesn't piss me off again, I won't break her in half," Buffy promised with a glint in her eye that said she really would enjoy doing that.
"Not that," Angel told her.
"Then what?" she asked.
"This," he said, leaning down to kiss her.
"Mmm. This I like," Buffy mumbled, her fingers tangled in Angel's hair.
Before long Shayla, Dayna, Ong-Lee and Rena had come outside, to call Buffy and Angel back in.
Buffy and Angel broke apart reluctantly.
"Sorry," Shayla apologized.
Buffy gave her a little smile.
"We're going to eat. Come on and dig in," she said.
"We'll be in in a couple minutes," Buffy promised.
They went back inside, leaving Buffy and Angel alone once again.
Buffy reached into her back and pulled out a jar, handing it to Angel. "I knew you wouldn't remember to get yourself any, so I picked up some more for you... Drink up," she said.
"I'm good for now. Maybe later," he said.
"How is it that after everything, all this time, after this," she said, pulling her shirt aside, revealing the scar Angel had left on her neck, after drinking from her, "you're still uncomfortable drinking in front of me?"
Angel didn't answer her, he just stared at the scar.
Buffy was going to cover it back up, but Angel stopped her hand.
"Don't," he said, running his fingers across the scar. He felt the difference on her skin, it was bumpier than the rest.
Buffy tried not to let the shiver he was sending through her body take over.
"I'm sorry," he told her, still looking at the mark he left her with.
"Why? You're here and I'm here, and I don't think that's anything to be sorry about," she told him gently. "Now would you just drink what I bought you?" Buffy said. "I'm kind of hungry. And I'm not going in till you drink. So unless you want me to starve, you're gonna drink so I can go inside and stuff my face. Okay?" Buffy said.
"Yeah, yeah," Angel mumbled.
He picked up the jar, and began to drink.
After a few minutes they both went back inside.
"Dig in," Dayna said, pointing at the table.
"I think I will," Buffy grinned, heading for the table, leaving Angel chatting with Oz.
"I'm sorry for Rena, she's definitely the worst of our bunch. She doesn't think before she speaks," Renaldo said.
"Well, the rest of you are great," Buffy smiled at him, piling some food onto her plate.
Shayla came over to the table.
"Sorry about- out there, again," she said.
"That's alright, I can make out with Angel another time," Buffy joked.
Shayla smiled a genuine smile. Buffy liked this girl.
"You must be the one that Willow used to tell me about," Buffy told her. "She never mentioned any specific names, but it's gotta be you. She said you were really sweet and smart. She said you knew some magic, I believe."
"Yeah, I do know some. Mostly it's stuff related to the body and overall health."
"That's cool," Buffy said.
"Tell me if I'm out of line, which I probably am, but how is it that you can be with Angel? Not that I can't see what's to like. There's plenty to like," Shayla asked, and not unkindly,
Buffy sensed that. She really was just asking a question.
"You know he's a vampire, I'm assuming?" Buffy said.
"Yeah, I do, but not everyone else knows."
"Is that what you mean when you ask how I can be with Angel, the whole vamp thing?"
Shayla nodded.
"I can be with Angel because he is one of the best men I know. Because when I look at him, I don't see the vampire. It's not Slayer and Vampire with us. It's more than that, deeper. I love him. I've loved him since I was sixteen. And because he loves me more than any other guy could," Buffy said, without hesitation. She felt comfortable with Shayla, telling her this didn't feel weird.
Shayla smiled. "Sixteen?"
"Yeah," Buffy grinned. "Around eight years now. We've had our time apart, but we're back on track."
"That's good," Shayla said genuinely, as she and Buffy watched Angel from the table. "I've got to say it again. But I'm really sorry for Rena and her stupid mouth. I wish I could say that she didn't mean it, but she did. I won't lie to you because I really like you. She has something against you, and it's the same thing she had against Willow.
"You and Willow are fully human. You don't have these changes you have to go through involuntarily, and she resents you for it. You have control over things that we as werewolves don't always get to have. So she opened her big stupid mouth and tried to take some sort of control away from you. She's jealous," Shayla admitted.
"It's not my fault that I'm not a werewolf," Buffy said. "Is it only pure humans she's got a problem with? She's over there trying to start a conversation with Angel, and she seems not to hate him."
"Angel is a vampire and she knows that. Most vampires don't have a choice in being turned, I don't know what Angel's story is, but that's why she doesn't hate him. She believes he had no choice in becoming the way he is," Shayla explained. "Honestly, don't worry about it. I just wanted you to know why she acts the way she does. She's not worth your time."
Buffy kept her eyes on Rena. She kept on trying to talk to Angel, who wasn't really paying attention to her. This, Buffy liked. What she saw next, though, she did not.
Rena began to run her fingers down Angel's arm, and tried to whisper something in his ear.
Angel moved away from her and told her to back off.
Buffy left the table and made her way towards Rena and Angel.
Rena kept moving closer, trying to touch him, and Angel kept pushing her away. "Take a hint," he said, annoyed with Rena. "I'm not interested."
This girl was pissing Buffy off beyond belief. Talking badly about Willow, and now trying to make the moves on Angel when she knew full well that he was with Buffy.
Buffy got over to Angel and Rena, and grabbed Rena's arm away from Angel. "He told you to back off... Didn't your mother teach you not to touch what isn't yours?" Buffy said icily.
"Why exactly isn't he mine?" Rena taunted.
"Because he's mine," Buffy shot back.
Angel was laughing on the inside, he knew he shouldn't be, but it was okay. He couldn't stand that stupid Rena chick. But he was getting a kick out of Buffy's jealousy.
Buffy was ready to knock the bitch out, she was taunting her on purpose, she wanted Buffy to hit her. And Buffy really did want to kick her around a bit, but she pushed that urge aside as a new round of cramps and pain washed over her.
"Stay the hell away from him, and keep your damn hands to yourself," Buffy warned Rena, as she tried to hide the pain she was in, walking out the door.
"Or what?"
"Or I'll break every finger on both of your hands, so that you have nothing left to touch him with."
That seemed to shut Rena up.