&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Sunnydale Hospital
Sunday, 6:30 am
Angel arrived at the hospital and handed Giles a piece of
paper. "What's this?" Giles asked.
"The counter-spell," Angel replied. "Wesley's got the book, and he's
doing the spell on Willow right now. He's convinced it's what we're
looking for."
"Well, then. Now, I just need to be able to get in to see Buffy..."
Giles said.
"Follow me," Angel said. "I'll get you in."
"Angel?" Cordelia stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Okay, just
making sure this isn't a return case of 'grr'. But I'm convinced so
go ahead," she said with a smile.
He rolled his eyes at her and went down the hall, with Giles close on
his heels. A nurse tried to stop him as they reached the door to
Buffy's room. "Sir, you can't--"
"OOOWWW!" Cordelia yelled, clutching her head. The nurse ran to her,
having forgotten about Angel and Giles. Angel saw Cordelia wink at
him, and he smiled and pulled Giles into Buffy's room.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Giles' Apartment
Sunday, 7 am
"So how much longer do we have to wait to see if it worked?" Xander
asked. Wesley had finished the spell, and Willow was silent, but not
responsive. Oz was holding her, sitting on the couch.
"It'll work," Oz said. "She's stopped screaming, I consider that a
good sign."
"Is he really dead?" Anya asked, indicating the headless body of Adam.
"And where's his head?"
"Charlie took it," Oz said. "Something about throwing it in the river
to make sure he wouldn't be able to find it if he decided to get up."
At Anya's panicked look, he added, "I'm pretty sure she was joking."
"Whose head's in the river?" Willow mumbled as she slowly opened her
eyes.
"Hey, Willow, welcome back," Oz said, smiling.
"I'm back," she agreed. She turned her head and saw Xander, and added,
"I'm not the only one," with a grin.
"Hey, Wills," Xander said, breathing a sigh of relief. "You okay?"
"Been better," she frowned. "Not too bad for a Hellmouth adventure,
though." She looked around and asked, "Where's Buffy?"
"She's at the hospital, but Giles is taking care of her," Oz said.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Adam had some Warlock friends, and I'm afraid you and Buffy were
subject to a curse," Wesley replied. "How much do you remember?"
"General excruciating pain," Willow replied. "Not something I care to
talk about. I'm okay though, just really tired. Where's Adam?"
"He's the one whose head's in the river," Xander answered with a grin.
"Oh, how did that happen?" Willow asked.
"Angel cut it off while saving Xander's life," Anya said.
"Um, yeah," Xander said. "I'm going... outside."
"He's handling that well," Willow said when Xander disappeared.
"He'll be okay," Anya said. "He was ready to come home, Willow. He was
really kicking himself that we weren't here sooner. You know Xander,
he thinks if he'd been around he would have been able to stop you from
getting cursed."
"That's our Xander," Willow smiled. "Willow wants to get up now," she
said, and Oz helped her stand. "I'm going to go outside and yell at
him for leaving, and then see if he needs my best-friend skills."
"Guys? I could use some help disposing of the body of the big bad
demon," Charlotte said.
"I can help, my van might come in handy. If that's all right with
you?" Oz asked Willow.
"Go ahead," Willow said. "Oh, Oz?"
"Yeah, Baby?"
"I knew you were there the whole time," Willow said, and kissed him
impulsively, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thanks," she added,
with a smile.
"Where else would I have been?" Oz replied with a smile of his own.
"Okay, we got that settled, so you go do...whatever it is you are
going to do to the headless demon. Why don't you guys meet the rest
of us at the hospital? I'd like to make sure Buffy's okay," Willow
said.
"Sounds like a plan," Oz said. "Just don't overdo it, okay?"
Willow gave him a skeptical look, "Let's see. Between Xander and Buffy
and Giles--"
"Never mind," Oz interrupted with a grin. "I get it, you'll be in good
hands."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Hospital
Sunday, 7 am
"I'm fine," Cordelia said to the nurse, who was hovering. "I am," she
insisted, batting the nurse away. "I got something in my eye, okay?"
She stifled a giggle as the nurse gave her a death look and returned
to her station by Buffy's room.
"Don't do that!" Doyle yelled at her then. "You scared the hell outta
me!"
"Sorry, what else are my acting abilities good for, if not annoying
annoying people?" Cordelia said with a grin. "Come on, Doyle. You're
not _really_ mad, are you?" she asked as she slid her arms around his
neck and kissed him.
"What was I mad about?" Doyle asked a minute later.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Cordelia replied, laying her head against
his chest. "Can we go home when we know that Buffy's okay?" she asked.
"Home?" Doyle asked. "Which home would that be?"
She looked up at him, and said, "Insecure much?" she asked with a
raised eyebrow. "You should know by now that I consider wherever you
are as much home as my place in L.A. I love you, Alan Francis Doyle,
even if I don't fall all over myself saying it twenty-four hours a
day."
"I know you do, Darlin'," Doyle replied with a smile. "I love you
too. I just enjoy dragging it out of you occasionally...Ow!" he
added, as she hit him playfully.
"Oh, shut up, you big baby," she giggled, and kissed him again to shut
him up.
&&&&&&&&&
"Are you sure about this?" the doctor asked Joyce for the tenth time.
Giles had asked her to take Buffy off the life-support, not wanting
anything to interfere with the counter-spell.
"Just do it," Joyce said. "I know what I'm asking, if you take her off
the life-support she'll wake up."
Angel sat by Buffy's bedside, holding her hand. He didn't move as the
doctor walked over to disconnect the life-support machine. He heard
Joyce usher the doctor back out and Giles begin the spell, but what he
couldn't block out of his head was the sound of the long beep from the
heart monitor indicating that Buffy's heart had stopped.
&&&&&&
End of part 11
Sunnydale Hospital
Sunday, 6:30 am
Angel arrived at the hospital and handed Giles a piece of
paper. "What's this?" Giles asked.
"The counter-spell," Angel replied. "Wesley's got the book, and he's
doing the spell on Willow right now. He's convinced it's what we're
looking for."
"Well, then. Now, I just need to be able to get in to see Buffy..."
Giles said.
"Follow me," Angel said. "I'll get you in."
"Angel?" Cordelia stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Okay, just
making sure this isn't a return case of 'grr'. But I'm convinced so
go ahead," she said with a smile.
He rolled his eyes at her and went down the hall, with Giles close on
his heels. A nurse tried to stop him as they reached the door to
Buffy's room. "Sir, you can't--"
"OOOWWW!" Cordelia yelled, clutching her head. The nurse ran to her,
having forgotten about Angel and Giles. Angel saw Cordelia wink at
him, and he smiled and pulled Giles into Buffy's room.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Giles' Apartment
Sunday, 7 am
"So how much longer do we have to wait to see if it worked?" Xander
asked. Wesley had finished the spell, and Willow was silent, but not
responsive. Oz was holding her, sitting on the couch.
"It'll work," Oz said. "She's stopped screaming, I consider that a
good sign."
"Is he really dead?" Anya asked, indicating the headless body of Adam.
"And where's his head?"
"Charlie took it," Oz said. "Something about throwing it in the river
to make sure he wouldn't be able to find it if he decided to get up."
At Anya's panicked look, he added, "I'm pretty sure she was joking."
"Whose head's in the river?" Willow mumbled as she slowly opened her
eyes.
"Hey, Willow, welcome back," Oz said, smiling.
"I'm back," she agreed. She turned her head and saw Xander, and added,
"I'm not the only one," with a grin.
"Hey, Wills," Xander said, breathing a sigh of relief. "You okay?"
"Been better," she frowned. "Not too bad for a Hellmouth adventure,
though." She looked around and asked, "Where's Buffy?"
"She's at the hospital, but Giles is taking care of her," Oz said.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Adam had some Warlock friends, and I'm afraid you and Buffy were
subject to a curse," Wesley replied. "How much do you remember?"
"General excruciating pain," Willow replied. "Not something I care to
talk about. I'm okay though, just really tired. Where's Adam?"
"He's the one whose head's in the river," Xander answered with a grin.
"Oh, how did that happen?" Willow asked.
"Angel cut it off while saving Xander's life," Anya said.
"Um, yeah," Xander said. "I'm going... outside."
"He's handling that well," Willow said when Xander disappeared.
"He'll be okay," Anya said. "He was ready to come home, Willow. He was
really kicking himself that we weren't here sooner. You know Xander,
he thinks if he'd been around he would have been able to stop you from
getting cursed."
"That's our Xander," Willow smiled. "Willow wants to get up now," she
said, and Oz helped her stand. "I'm going to go outside and yell at
him for leaving, and then see if he needs my best-friend skills."
"Guys? I could use some help disposing of the body of the big bad
demon," Charlotte said.
"I can help, my van might come in handy. If that's all right with
you?" Oz asked Willow.
"Go ahead," Willow said. "Oh, Oz?"
"Yeah, Baby?"
"I knew you were there the whole time," Willow said, and kissed him
impulsively, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thanks," she added,
with a smile.
"Where else would I have been?" Oz replied with a smile of his own.
"Okay, we got that settled, so you go do...whatever it is you are
going to do to the headless demon. Why don't you guys meet the rest
of us at the hospital? I'd like to make sure Buffy's okay," Willow
said.
"Sounds like a plan," Oz said. "Just don't overdo it, okay?"
Willow gave him a skeptical look, "Let's see. Between Xander and Buffy
and Giles--"
"Never mind," Oz interrupted with a grin. "I get it, you'll be in good
hands."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Hospital
Sunday, 7 am
"I'm fine," Cordelia said to the nurse, who was hovering. "I am," she
insisted, batting the nurse away. "I got something in my eye, okay?"
She stifled a giggle as the nurse gave her a death look and returned
to her station by Buffy's room.
"Don't do that!" Doyle yelled at her then. "You scared the hell outta
me!"
"Sorry, what else are my acting abilities good for, if not annoying
annoying people?" Cordelia said with a grin. "Come on, Doyle. You're
not _really_ mad, are you?" she asked as she slid her arms around his
neck and kissed him.
"What was I mad about?" Doyle asked a minute later.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Cordelia replied, laying her head against
his chest. "Can we go home when we know that Buffy's okay?" she asked.
"Home?" Doyle asked. "Which home would that be?"
She looked up at him, and said, "Insecure much?" she asked with a
raised eyebrow. "You should know by now that I consider wherever you
are as much home as my place in L.A. I love you, Alan Francis Doyle,
even if I don't fall all over myself saying it twenty-four hours a
day."
"I know you do, Darlin'," Doyle replied with a smile. "I love you
too. I just enjoy dragging it out of you occasionally...Ow!" he
added, as she hit him playfully.
"Oh, shut up, you big baby," she giggled, and kissed him again to shut
him up.
&&&&&&&&&
"Are you sure about this?" the doctor asked Joyce for the tenth time.
Giles had asked her to take Buffy off the life-support, not wanting
anything to interfere with the counter-spell.
"Just do it," Joyce said. "I know what I'm asking, if you take her off
the life-support she'll wake up."
Angel sat by Buffy's bedside, holding her hand. He didn't move as the
doctor walked over to disconnect the life-support machine. He heard
Joyce usher the doctor back out and Giles begin the spell, but what he
couldn't block out of his head was the sound of the long beep from the
heart monitor indicating that Buffy's heart had stopped.
&&&&&&
End of part 11