Title: Any Day Now
Author:
Rating: PG-13 to R
Summary: It's the sequel to Serendipity's spectaular story "When Stars Collide". We kind of went bonkers and changed the plot (i.e., swerved in a completely different direction so it's hardly recognizable but the origins are still important), so cave spectator! (Some nifty Latin for those of y'all that aren't geeks.) Anyway, have fun. Read. And the story is named after the song "Any Day Now" by Bif Naked.
Part II
Buffy walked around a bit aimlessly, knowing where she was heading but not wanting to, at least not while Angel was there. She knew the two were in love–she could tell by the slightly giddy expression on Willow's face whenever she saw Angel–and Angel himself had admitted to Buffy that he'd fallen for Willow, the night when Willow died.
Buffy didn't know how long Angel would be at Westminster Drive, but she was hoping not long. She really wanted to talk to Willow–she wasn't sure about what, exactly, but she knew she wanted to.
After meandering through the mall for two hours, not really looking, not buying anything, Buffy decided that Angel couldn't be there any longer. She walked out of the mall.
Worried, she glanced at the sky. It was getting dark early. She'd need to walk fast. She reached into her mini-backpack and got out her stake and cross. Looking at the necklace with the cross attached, she felt a wave of sadness. Angel had given her that necklace. Shaking her head to clear it of those melancholy thoughts, she slipped the necklace around her neck and clutched her stake tightly.
She was nearly at Willow's house when a very large vampire jumped out of the shadows, aiming for her neck. She went through the drills: kick, punch, left, right, jump, kick again. Finally he was down, and she neatly staked him. Bending over the little dust pile, leaning on her knees, breathing hard, she didn't hear the quiet footsteps of four more vamps coming up behind her.
Suddenly a leaf cracked. Buffy heard it, and heard the muffled curse that came with. She also saw the four vamps all launching themselves at her at one time. Then she saw what they were carrying: each had a long, metal pole that glinted evilly in the moonlight.
That's what they killed Willow with! Long metal poles! Buffy froze for a second, then the adrenaline of fear kicked in and she ran towards Willow's house. The vamps followed, close behind.
The balcony! The balcony is the only way I'll get inside in time! Buffy ran around the side of the house and jumped as high as her Slayer powers would let her, grabbing onto the bottom of the balcony. She swung her legs up and caught the railing. Good, nearly there. She pulled herself onto the side and sat there for a second, breathing hard.
Then she heard the scrambling noises on the wall below and knew the vamps were climbing up. She jumped to her feet again and started to bang on the balcony door.
The curtains were closed, mostly. But through a tiny crack in the sweeps of cloth hiding Willow's room, she saw Willow.
And Angel.
Her bottom lip began to tremble a little and she wiped droplets from her eyes as she took in the scene: Willow. In Angel's lap. In Angel's lap . . . They were kissing. She saw the tenderness in Angel's touch as he stroked Willow's hair. He used to touch my hair like that . . . She noticed the way Willow wrapped her arms around Angel's neck. I used to do that . . . He used to be mine . . . Buffy just stood there, on Willow's balcony, dejectedly watching her best friend make out with her old boyfriend. Then the more urgent matters caught up with her mind as a clawed hand grasped the railing. Buffy frantically began beating on the doors again, after trying the knob crazily and discovering it was locked. Through the crack in the curtains, she saw Willow and Angel look up, startled.
Willow leaned down and touched noses with Angel and smiled. Then she got out of his lap and walked quickly to the door. Angel followed, a questioning look on his face.
C'mon . . . Buffy dug her fingernails into her palms as the vamp got nearly all the way onto the balcony. Couldn't he at least come up face first, and then I could kick him or stake him or something nice like that? Then Willow opened the doors.
"Buffy! Hey . . . what's up?" Buffy pointed. "Oh, I see," said Willow, nervously eyeing the pole that the vamp used to lever himself up with.
"What?" Angel pushed past them and then he saw the threat, too. "Spike's guys," he murmured as he stalked to the edge of the balcony. He calmly grasped the pole and yanked the vamp up by the shirt. "Who sent you? Spike?" The vamp nodded. "Buffy?" asked Angel sweetly without turning around.
Buffy gulped. "Yeah?"
"Stake, please." Buffy lowered her eyes and picked up the stake from where she'd dropped it on the balcony. The vamp shook his head fiercely and howled before he turned into dust and rained on the other three below.
"Quick," said Willow. "Inside, before they start vaulting up here and--" As she said it, the three of them did vault up, and Angel pushed Buffy and Willow inside and slammed the door in the ugly faces of Spike's henchmen.
There was some hammering on the balcony door, but the vamps couldn't get in and everyone there knew it–they hadn't been invited. Buffy turned from staring defiantly out from between the curtains at the waiting vamps and found Angel's arms wrapped around Willow's waist. He was bent down with his chin resting on her shoulder, and he was whispering something–probably something mushy, thought Buffy jealously–in her ear.
Willow herself was shaking a little from fear and tears had come into her eyes. That was one thing Buffy couldn't feel bitterness towards Willow for–Willow had been quite literally killed by vamps who held poles exactly like that only two weeks before, and she felt no pressing need to reinact the experience.
"Well!" said Buffy semi-cheerfully. "That was quite a party!"
Angel took his chin off of Willow's shoulder to look at Buffy, confused, but Willow kept staring at the floor, shaking and crying. "What are you talking about, Buffy?" Angel asked.
"The makeout party! You know, that was in occurance but suddenly came to a halt when I knocked?"
Angel had the decency to look a little ashamed, and Willow glanced up from her invisible patch of extreme interest on the floor to look Buffy in the eye.
"Buffy, don't act like this," begged Willow. "Please."
Buffy couldn't look Willow in the eye anymore. She stared at her feet in their Skechers, and wiggled her toes nervously.
"Angel?" whispered Willow. "Could you find something interesting to do in the den for a couple of minutes? Buffy and I need to talk . . . about everything."
He nodded and touched her cheek. They stayed like that for a few moments and then remembered that Buffy was there. He walked out of the room and closed the door. They could hear his footsteps down the hallway.
"So . . ." Willow began. "Buffy, I know you're hurt . . ."
"Hurt doesn't even begin to describe it," Buffy hissed. "I mean, he told me he loved you. I knew. I did. But can't you take it slow? What about me? I did exist, didn't I? For several months? A year? Two years!? We were together! We were an us'. And just because you came along and happened to restore his soul, he feels obligated to--"
"Buffy, I restored his soul for you," Willow said quietly. "I made it permanent for him and for you and for me and for Giles and Xander and Jenny, who's not even here anymore, and for everyone in Sunnydale who might have been hurt by him, and everyone who was."
"I'm saying that you should take it slow, because you'll get hurt."
"Get hurt? Buffy, his soul is permanent, he's mostly human for God's sake--"
"What I'm saying is he'll get tired of this little game. Don't you see, Willow? He's in this out of gratitude and because you roped him into this. He may have a permanent soul. He may have a heartbeat, and may go out in the sun. I don't know. It doesn't matter to me anymore, does it? But I'm willing to bet that when you were dying, you told him you loved him, didn't you?"
Willow, tears coming to her eyes, nodded.
"Right. I thought so. I may not get good grades, but I'm not stupid, either. So here's what I think--what was he supposed to do? He's broodboy, remember? He'd feel guilty for a century at least for not telling you he felt the same way. So that's why he's here. He doesn't love you. He loves me. He's just too scared to say it."
Willow stood, staring at the girl that had used to be her best friend. "I think you'd better go, Buffy," she said quietly.
"Fine," the Slayer said, and made for the window.
"The front door," Willow whispered. "The vamps with their poles are still waiting on the balcony."
Buffy turned and left.
Her footsteps on the stair were loud, and Angel, who'd been pacing in the living room, came out in time to see her cross the hall to the front door. He was in front of it before she could reach for the knob. "What did you tell her?"
Buffy smiled at him. It was a cold smile. "Just the truth." Then she pushed past him and was gone.
Angel stood, confused, before the door for a moment, then ran up the stairs. "Willow?"
He stopped for a split second in the door to her bedroom. She was curled up on the floor, leaning a little against her bed, crying her heart out. "Willow, sweetie..." Angel was beside her in a moment, his arms around her.
Willow indulged in the feel of him for a moment before she remembered... What was he supposed to do?...He doesn't love you. He loves me. He's just too scared to say it...He's in this out of gratitude...He doesn't love you...
"Oh, God," she whispered, and stiffened in his arms. He felt the change in her position and drew back a little, hurt.
"What did she say to you?" he asked.
She sniffled. "It's okay, Angel."
"What?"
"You can leave. I understand..."
"What are you talking about?"
"Buffy told me, Angel. And I get it. Really. You can stop pretending..."
"What did she tell you?" It was all Angel could do to keep from growling.
"Just the truth." It was the same thing Buffy had said.
"What. Did. She. Tell. You."
Willow let out a broken sigh and began to cry again.
"I love you, Willow," Angel said worriedly, hoping that would help. It made her cry more.
"No, no... you don't...."
"Willow!" Angel couldn't have been more surprised. "What did Buffy say? Exactly."
"That... you were here... with me... because you felt obligated to be..." she stopped to catch her breath. "And that you really love Buffy..."
Oh, God. She didn't. She couldn't... But apparently Buffy could lie to her best friend. And she had, quite effectively.
"Willow, I love you," Angel said, pulling her into his arms. "I swear."
She was too tired to pull away. Her sobs were quieter, just deep, quick breaths, and tears down her cheeks. Angel desperately tried to kiss them individually away. "Ssshhhhh..." He gently began to comb her hair with his fingers. After a while, she began to absently lean into his caress, and soon her breathing grew slower and even. She fell asleep in his arms.
With a sigh of relief, Angel lifted her into bed. She curled up even smaller, and hugged her pillow. She looked so... lost.
Angel thought about that for a moment and got another flush of love for the small redhead as he realized she was lost without him. "Oh, Willow," he murmured, "I feel the same way." He smiled down at her, and then, finally, kicked off his shoes and climbed into her bed behind her, gently laying one arm on her waist.
During the night, she snuggled into his chest.
Willow woke up in the morning with Angel's arms around her, and with her cheek pressed to his chest. She sighed as she remembered everything Buffy had said, and then her breakdown the night before. Angel, sensing her shift in position, lifted his chin from the top of her head. "Are you okay, Willow?"
"What I said before---"
"–Is, by dictionary definition, bullshit. I love you. I'm not with you out of obligation or guilt. I don't love Buffy–and even if I did love her, and not you, which is NOT true, what she said to you last night would have completely altered my opinion of her, which it did anyway I thought she was a better person than that."
Willow sighed and settled back into Angel's arms. He kissed the top of her head and looked thoughtfully out her windows.
* * *
Giles quietly mused the actions of the teenagers–and vampire–in the library.
Willow and Angel had entered together, holding hands, which was unsurprising, considering the information he'd received through Xander. Buffy, however, instead of looking sorrowful as he had expected, looked positively outraged, and looked ready to charge her best friend.
Best, Giles thought a little worriedly. From the look on Buffy's face, I'd guess former best. I thought she was more mature than that
Xander and Amy had immediately disappeared into the stacks, which had obviously hurt Cordelia a lot. She'd stayed in her spot for a moment, breathing hard, until the tears came. Then she ran off to the bathroom. Willow, distraught, had immediately gotten up from her perch on the arm of Angel's chair and run after her. They were both gone for a good half an hour, but they returned together. Cordelia's hairstyle had been altered–it was pulled back in several braids and a ponytail–Giles wasn't sure how to describe it, exactly, but he'd heard somewhere that, when upset, females found having their hair brushed comforting, so he silently thanked Willow and the stars and returned to his Codex.
Giles sneaked a glance at his Slayer. Buffy was in the same position as she had been twenty minutes ago, staring at the same page. Her expression was angry as her eyes traveled the length of the text. Finally, she sighed and tossed the book aside, picking up another.
Giles, confused, dragged the book over to his side of the table and opened the huge volume to around the same section as what Buffy had been reading. After pawing through a couple of pages, he found what Buffy had been looking at, and froze.
From the Shadow of the Light
Comes Love of Dark, who shines so bright
Firewitch, who saved the Dark
And made It Good from in her heart
Now the former Shadow rises
Leaves behind all that She prizes
Except the Darkness, the one she Loves
She is wrapped with Powers from Above
The Light shall fall to make the next
Soon after she has read this text
The Shadow the Light shall become
But must give the Light to a precious One
The precious One she's known from birth
Dark or the One–which will come first?
The choice by Shadow will be made
The plan set, the Game played
The One has a Heart he holds dear
But to lose himself is his greatest fear
The Heart the Shadow keeps as friend
And all Four will battle till the End
The End approaches ever faster
To halt It means to stop the Master
The First one, killed at Harvest time
The Second one still plots his crime
The Choice is made, the Game is ready
The Sacred Four continue steady
And when Stars scream and Boulders weep
Three will live but One will sleep
"Buffy."
She jumped a little in her seat and looked up. "Giles?"
"I found something. Would you like to see it?"
"Um I kinda think I might have found somethingmaybe later?"
"Oh, no, Buffy, I insist. You were looking at it a little while ago, and is probably vital, although you didn't realize it. Come here and let me explain my suspicions."
Warily, Buffy rose from her seat across the table from him and came over to look at the book. As Giles had expected, she paled and stiffened. "Wh-what do you think it means?"
"Well it really doesn't bode well for you, Buffy." This was true, as well as extremely unfortunate. Giles had a bit of trouble holding onto his anger for his Slayer as he fully realized what the prophecy meant. "Get the others over here, would you? We'll dissect it verse by verse."
Buffy's eyes narrowed, but she reluctantly went to bring the others over. Cordelia looked up as she climbed the stairs to the stacks, and Giles and Willow both saw, at the same time, that she'd been crying again. The redhead gently kissed her boyfriend on the forehead and made her way towards Cordelia. She had been sitting right next to the stacks, and Buffy, walking down the stairs after trying to break up Xander and Amy's current makeout session, bumped into Willow.
"Sorry," Willow murmured, looking down. Buffy held her chin up and pushed by. Willow looked as if she'd been slapped, and stood quite still for a moment, but then she collected herself and bent to Cordelia.
Giles watched all this with raised eyebrow, and when Buffy came back over to sit down, he said, "I didn't see you tell Cordelia, Willow, or Angel that I wanted them over here."
"Angel's a vampire," Buffy hissed. "He can hear you."
"Willow can't," Giles pointed out amiably. "I think you need to speak with her anyway."
"Giles, this isn't your business!" Buffy exclaimed.
"Yes, it is," Giles said calmly. "It's my library, and you are my charge, and the tension in here is killing me."
"We're getting along fine, Giles," Buffy said tightly, through her teeth.
"No, you're not."
"Leave me alone about this. I'll take care of it my own way."
"Staking Angel or slapping Willow or ignoring both of them until this prophecy takes place is not even remotely prudent."
"You don't even know what it means."
"Yes, I do. And so do you."
"This isn't your destroyed love life, Giles. You have no idea how I feel"
"No. I don't. But do you know how Willow felt after what you said to her? About Angel?"
Buffy slammed her hands down on the table. "How do you know about that?"
"I asked Angel, and he told me."
"He had no right to"
"Look, Buffy, I'm not going to argue this with you anymore. You know what's right. You fight for it everyday. You were doing what was right before Willow and Angel fell in love, and, if you don't mind my being blunt, do you want to be on murderous terms with your best friend when this prophecy takes place?"
"Just say it, Giles. I'm gonna die again, aren't I? And this time, for good?"
"Oh, Buffy" At a loss for anything else to do, he held out his arms for a hug, but she just stared at him for a long moment before turning and walking over to Willow.
"Wills?" Willow looked up, practically afraid to meet Buffy's eyes because of the hatred that would lie there. To her surprise, there wasn't quite as much as had been there five minutes ago. "We need to talk."