Part III
She looked up as he walked through the door into the small room that they used as an eating area. As always there was the impulse to run to him, and then the familiar impulse to check it, but they were alone and Buffy was free to do whatever she wanted. She was in Angel's arms in a minute. But something wasn't right.
"What's wrong?" she asked him.
"Nothing," he said.
"Only you don't have a nothing face. You have a something face," Buffy said.
"I need to talk to you," Angel said, carefully taking her by the arms and sitting her down.
"I got a call from the Watcher's council this morning."
"What could they possibly want?" Buffy said, a feeling of hysteria rising up in her throat. Keep those hormones in check, she warned herself, you don't have to be scared of the council anymore.
"They want me to be a watcher."
"What?!" Buffy said.
"A new slayer needs to be trained and Giles doesn't feel up to it," Angel said, quickly.
"You can't be a watcher Angel! Do you realize who those people are?!" Buffy said, a million memories flooding back on her.
"I'm not going to be like them," Angel said. "I want to help and show the slayer that she's not just an instrument..."
"Wait," Buffy said, her throat beginning to constrict," I'm the slayer and nothings happened to me so it must be... Faith." Buffy's mind screamed for oxygen as Angel started to speak.
"There was a prison riot," he said. "And she just didn't have the will anymore. There was nothing any of us could have done." Tears started streaming down Buffy's cheek. Her head was in her hands and she felt Angel come near to comfort her, but she didn't want him right now.
"The phone," she said, suddenly realizing that it had been ringing for awhile. Angel reluctantly left to answer it, when he came back Buffy was gone. He went to their bedroom and found her curled up, as far as she was able to, on the bed. He came and cradled her.
"When you were a slayer, the first couple of years, didn't it bother you that Giles didn't realize you were a person as well as a slayer and that you weren't just a flash on the horizon, it wasn't fair for you to die young?"
"It did," Buffy said, her voice muffled.
"And you dealt with it, but you wouldn't wish it on another slayer right?"
"I had help," Buffy said, turning over. "I had you," she said, reaching her hand out to his face.
"Buffy, I need to do this--"
"No," Buffy said. " We do a lot of things because we need to, but you want to do this and I want you to too." Angel surrounded her in his arms.
"Want to go eat with everyone?" he said, after a while.
"Let's stay here for a while longer," Buffy said. Angel heard a small sob come from her as the tears started again.
"What's wrong?" he asked, tenderly.
"Faith..." Buffy said, burying her head in his chest and crying.
She looked up as he walked through the door into the small room that they used as an eating area. As always there was the impulse to run to him, and then the familiar impulse to check it, but they were alone and Buffy was free to do whatever she wanted. She was in Angel's arms in a minute. But something wasn't right.
"What's wrong?" she asked him.
"Nothing," he said.
"Only you don't have a nothing face. You have a something face," Buffy said.
"I need to talk to you," Angel said, carefully taking her by the arms and sitting her down.
"I got a call from the Watcher's council this morning."
"What could they possibly want?" Buffy said, a feeling of hysteria rising up in her throat. Keep those hormones in check, she warned herself, you don't have to be scared of the council anymore.
"They want me to be a watcher."
"What?!" Buffy said.
"A new slayer needs to be trained and Giles doesn't feel up to it," Angel said, quickly.
"You can't be a watcher Angel! Do you realize who those people are?!" Buffy said, a million memories flooding back on her.
"I'm not going to be like them," Angel said. "I want to help and show the slayer that she's not just an instrument..."
"Wait," Buffy said, her throat beginning to constrict," I'm the slayer and nothings happened to me so it must be... Faith." Buffy's mind screamed for oxygen as Angel started to speak.
"There was a prison riot," he said. "And she just didn't have the will anymore. There was nothing any of us could have done." Tears started streaming down Buffy's cheek. Her head was in her hands and she felt Angel come near to comfort her, but she didn't want him right now.
"The phone," she said, suddenly realizing that it had been ringing for awhile. Angel reluctantly left to answer it, when he came back Buffy was gone. He went to their bedroom and found her curled up, as far as she was able to, on the bed. He came and cradled her.
"When you were a slayer, the first couple of years, didn't it bother you that Giles didn't realize you were a person as well as a slayer and that you weren't just a flash on the horizon, it wasn't fair for you to die young?"
"It did," Buffy said, her voice muffled.
"And you dealt with it, but you wouldn't wish it on another slayer right?"
"I had help," Buffy said, turning over. "I had you," she said, reaching her hand out to his face.
"Buffy, I need to do this--"
"No," Buffy said. " We do a lot of things because we need to, but you want to do this and I want you to too." Angel surrounded her in his arms.
"Want to go eat with everyone?" he said, after a while.
"Let's stay here for a while longer," Buffy said. Angel heard a small sob come from her as the tears started again.
"What's wrong?" he asked, tenderly.
"Faith..." Buffy said, burying her head in his chest and crying.