Chapter Six
The Miracle
A/N Again, doesn't really need introducing but hello anyway. Seriously people who are still reading this, I thank you. This one will be a bit shorter I think but wordy perhaps, I don't know yet, I write these before the chapter. Nope apparently is as long as usual. Sorry. Please R & R.
Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2002
It was chaos. Xander staring through the pale glass as his fists rattled against it. He watched the mishmash of driven nurses, almost train like as they swarmed around him, brushing past him, through the many doors behind the glass. There was so much noise, the heavy drumming and beeping and shouting of words Xander didn't understand. There was still blood on his shirt, blood on his pants, blood on his shoes. There was still blood on her too. Spattered over her chest where wires and tubes were stuck into her soft flesh. He'd never seen her so helpless, she always healed so quickly, the life rushing back into her features as the blood dried and peeled away. This time was different, there was no sudden jumping up, no life behind her eyes.
The beeping continued, more words jumbled around inside Xander's head, they were talking too fast and pointing at her heart, Xander's brain stupidly reminded him about one of his jokes, that time when they couldn't speak and Giles was explaining something in graphic detail. She lay flat on the slab still being poked and prodded, her eyes shut, there was nothing he could do to stop it. She was going to die.
The bullet lodged in her chest began to squirm, wriggling under her skin, it looked like some sort of worm working its way out. Then the lights went, crashing out into darkness. His hands fidgeted with the rim of the glass pane, then he saw it. Out of the darkness, in one corner of the theatre room, a Tinkerbelle light, Willow would have called it. It floated gently through the air, its path interrupted as the chaos stopped, everything stopped. The heart monitor beeped its last then silenced into a blank line of lifelessness.
The tears rained down Xander's cheek now, he couldn't hold them back any longer, she was dead. Buffy, his best friend was dead. Again. It felt like this time hurt the most. They'd all been cheated, given another year with her when she was really gone to the world. He'd seen her die three times now, the first was years ago and he'd revived her, she'd been ok, almost instantly. The second was out of their control, she'd made a choice, saved them all from hell. She'd been a saint, a martyr replaced by Buffy-like software and terrible puns. Then she was back again, another win for the Buffster, he thought as his head bowed. He looked at the floor but saw nothing, blinded by watery tears. And now she was dead from something human. And it was his fault. He'd seen the gun, he'd seen it first and he hadn't said anything. He could've saved her, but no, he was stuck being useless, stupid old idiot Xander.
The Tinkerbelle light floated through the spectacle of stunned doctors, the unexplained light was nothing like anything they'd ever seen before. Many gasped and stepped backwards; forgetting their duties at once like they knew what was about to occur. Buffy's body convulsed, a single sign of life emerged as the light dived inside her throat, but she didn't gasp or gulp. She just lay still, the rise and fall of her chest resuming as he eyes flickered open, blinking. She lifted her head, the long gasps erupting from the medical staff made Xander stare back into the room.
He pushed through the doors with a start, staring manically as someone flicked the lights back on. It was some sort of miracle, Xander looked up, he'd heard a mention of Powers, you know upstairs. But he'd never quite believed it until that moment. He rushed forward to hug Buffy tightly. The blood pressing its stain into his chest, not that it mattered now.
She asked questions, what had happened? Why was she there? Who? But Xander just answered with a joke like usual, "you know, this dying thing's funny once, maybe twice." She gave him a weak smile, pulling back from his hold.
"Yeah sorry, I guess I thought the same old jokes are still funny." He tittered, wavering on the edge of a laugh as he helped her off the table. Leading her hand out of the room, she wanted to go home, rest for a bit. See Dawn. "Oh God Dawn. What did you tell her?" Buffy said hurriedly, her breathing becoming flustered again. "She's already suffered enough."
"Willow and Tara were here when we arrived, actually Will mentioned Tara had broken her arm but I'm not entirely sure how, I didn't have time for the whole story, maybe it was something to do with them being back together..." He trailed off as Buffy gave him another concerned look, clearly she was still worrying about Dawn. "Ohh, um Dawn. No, don't worry Willow and Tara went home to be there with her, I'm not sure how much they told her."
Dawn's tears were drying on her cheeks now, between Tara's hugs and numerous cups of hot chocolate with plenty of marshmallows, she felt mainly better, still teary though. Now the three of them were settled comfortably on the couch, cartoons blazing across the screen as Willow glanced over at her love. Dawn was laying still awake on their laps, sniffling a little, Willow leaned over and stroked her fingers down Tara's soft cheek, grateful that she wasn't alone. She'd break down herself if she was, but it hadn't quite sunk in for Willow yet, she just felt like they were waiting.
Tara nuzzled into her touch, gently kissing Willow's hand, her hand laced through Dawn's hair, keeping her calm. "What do you want for dinner?" She said quietly, it was an open question to anyone who wanted to answer. It was so blunt that it made Willow's neck snap towards her in an instant.
"Um, I'm not really sure, I don't really feel like eating." She replied, shaking her head softly.
"Grilled cheese." Dawn said interrupting before Willow could waffle on. Before Tara could dwell on it for too long, they heard the latch on the door opening. Willow expected it when she heard Xander's heavy boots on the doormat. None of them moved from the couch, they stayed entangled in their web of comfort, all expecting Xander to either tell them bad news or say Buffy had been kept in overnight.
But all three of their heads craned around the look over when they heard Buffy's voice. "Oh guys, seriously what's with all the doom and gloom." Dawn jumped up, leaping into Buffy's arms she mumbled random 'sorrys' about everything she'd ever messed up. Then Dawn realising she may be making a scene stepped back from Buffy to sit on the arm of the couch.
"Err, Will what's been..." Buffy began to say before she felt the redhead press her into another hug, a smile etching a little way onto her face.
After a few more hugs, some grilled cheese and an explanation of what happened at the hospital, the gang all sat around the dining table trying to figure out their next step. By now it was early evening, around four, but because it was almost summer, still pretty much daylight outside. It seemed like an endless day but...
"So wait, I don't think we ever heard the story. Time to spill, Tara how'd you break your arm? Was it a sex thing?" Xander said, it had been bugging him all day quite frankly and everyone else in their haste to find out how Buffy was had forgotten all about Tara's white casted arm.
"Xander!" Buffy said loudly before slapping him lightly on the forearm. He exclaimed in an 'oi' before looking back at Tara for the story.
Willow took Tara's outstretched uninjured hand in her own, giving it a light squeeze before she began the story. "No Xander it was not a sex thing." Willow said, emphasising her 'g' and giving him one of her looks that meant 'don't be ridiculous boy' something she'd started when they were very little but previously had been because of food or something foolish he'd likely done.
"Um well we were walking past the cemetery last night." Tara started, she looked a little nervous about the retelling, deep down it had shaken her without her notice. She'd called on some very powerful magicks and it had changed her slightly. There was a confidence in her own ability she hadn't had before, but a fear that it would consume her, like it had Willow, the rules seemed not for her to break.
"And Warren found us, he had this crazy black spirit or something, and he attacked us." Willow interjected taking over for her part of the story, getting partly excited about the researching they would inevitably do next. "But then, Tara did this spell calling on the power of Gaia and the earth spirits to help and she defeated it with this big white ball of energy. She was amazing." Willow looked into Tara's eyes, they were like little sapphires that burned even brighter when she smiled. She leant their heads together smiling sweetly, and thinking about all the ways she could prove how amazing Tara really was, running her hand up Tara's thigh underneath the table, until Willow remembered they were surrounded by other people. She blushed only slightly, but enough for Dawn to notice and giggle at them.
"Well, anyway." Tara continued, glancing at the many slightly confused and intrigued faces around the table. "I got a bit thrown, landing on a headstone doesn't really work well with bones." No one had really questioned why Willow was the one standing back not doing any spells during this whole debacle. They all new, assumed anyway. It was good that they did, they assumed she wouldn't, that was good. She'd quit for love and she was sticking to it, however hard it was. And she worried, with Tara becoming more powerful, what would her role be? Why would they need her? How would she be useful without magic?
"What do you think it was? The spirit I mean." Buffy said, piping up for the first time in a while, she was still tired, being shot didn't do the best for the whole keeping awake thing. It broke Willow's spiralling train of thought, causing her to look up, clenching Tara's hand tighter.
"Ohh I'm pretty sure it was a Caligo demon." Tara said proudly, she smiled as she explained. "They appear to us as a dark mist, possessing people, a true evil form, but they can be defeated with an act of true goodness."
Buffy gave Willow one of those seriously-where-did-you-find-her? looks. Willow raised her eyebrows and mouthed the words oh, I don't know, heaven.
"So who should we get first, Spike or Anya?" Buffy asked, jumping up. She felt a sudden wave of energy, her life returning to her slowly, she glanced around the stunned room a bit before continuing. "I mean, we should probably find out more about this thing and what happens to person after its gone, you know. Warren, he's still out there. And I hate to say it Xander but Anya really could be a big help with this demon stuff." It was several moments before anyone said anything. Buffy's sudden urge to carry on with the mission surprised them all. And to be honest they all kinda wanted a break for a bit.