&&&&&&&&
Sunnydale
Spike's Mansion
11:30 am
Buffy watched, speechless, as Cordelia took on a mother-hen quality
none of the Scoobies had ever seen. Cordy said to Angel, "Wesley and
I will take you somewhere else, Angel, it's okay. This place probably
isn't where you want to be right now, and believe me that everyone
shares that sentiment. But we're not going back to L.A."
Raising a warning hand to stifle his protests, she added, "Not with
unfinished business, Angel. And you know better than to argue with me
when my mind is made up."
Xander's humorless laugh drew everyone's attention. "This is just too
rich. Yet again, everyone falls all over themselves out of sympathy
for Dead-Boy. And I think I just might vomit if I have to watch any
more. I've gotta get out of here," he muttered and limped to the
doorway.
Angel looked up at him, and winced, remembering everything he had done
to cause Xander's current physical state.
Anya caught up with Xander and put his arm around her shoulders,
saying, "Come on. I'll take you home."
"Xander?" Willow blocked them at the door. Her eyes pled with him to
understand.
"You did that, didn't you," he said softly, reading the look on her
face. When she hung her head guiltily, he sighed, "I never thought the
day would come Wills, when you'd choose a demon over your best
friend." He pushed past her and walked out the door, leaning on Anya
for support.
Willow went to stop him, "Wait, Xander, that's not true!"
Oz had been standing nearby, and he grabbed her by the arm. "Willow,
listen to me. You need to let him go. He just needs time."
"But--"
"Trust me, Baby. It'll be okay. He needs to be mad for a while. It
will work out, though," he said gently, brushing the tears from her
face.
"I hope you're right," Willow said, and fell into Oz' arms, letting
him comfort her.
*********
Wesley had slowly approached Angel, still wary. "We can go to the
hotel down the street for a while. I know Cordelia's probably tired,
and I'm exhausted. We all need some time to recover."
"Good plan, Wesley," Cordelia nodded. Then she remembered the stab
wound, and said, "Angel? How's the wound?"
"It's fine," Angel said. "Healed actually," he said, looking at her
pointedly.
"Don't lecture," Cordelia muttered. "Not yet anyway." She helped him
stand, and the three walked to the door past the completely shocked
Slayer, who was so lost in her own thoughts, she barely registered
anyone's presence.
"Oh, um..." Cordelia stopped suddenly, realizing that she knew Angel
could go outside. Willow had or probably would figure it out. But she
realized Angel didn't want Buffy to know, for some reason. Just one
of many things she planned to give him a piece of her mind
about. "Spike's car," Angel said. "I'm sure the keys are still in the
kitchen."
Wesley ran to the kitchen, and came back with the keys and Angel's
coat. Angel smiled his gratitude, threw the coat over himself and
preceded the two to the car.
"Buffy?" Giles said, walking up to the girl. "Huh?" she said, shaking
her head to clear it. "Where's--"
"Not gone yet," Giles assured her. "You'll have time to talk to him
later. Right now, why don't we get you to the hospital to look at that
nasty gash on your arm."
Buffy looked down at her right arm, surprised that she had forgotten
all about it. "I guess so," she shrugged.
"I know so," Giles insisted, and she Giles and Oz left the mansion.
&&&&&&&&&&&
Giles' house
1 pm
"I'm telling you, Giles, they're either memories or visions. If
they're memories, I don't know what they're coming from. But they
almost got me killed!" Buffy insisted. She Giles, Willow, and Oz had
returned to Giles' house, after the doctor had stitched and bandaged
the the cut on Buffy's arm.
Giles sighed tiredly, "I'm not doubting you, Buffy. I just agree with
Willow that you need to talk to Angel about this. If he can't offer
any help, Willow and I will do some research."
"Talk to him?!" Buffy yelled. "He wouldn't even look at me. He didn't
want _my_ help, he wanted Cordelia's!"
"Buffy, we've been through this before," Willow replied. "He's in
torment over what just happened, and most of what he did was directed
at you in some way. So it's just his guilt making him avoid you.
Cordy and he have obviously gotten very close, and she's less
threatening to him--"
"What do you mean--"
"I mean," Willow interrupted Buffy's interruption, "they're friends.
That's all they are, there's no confusing baggage that goes along with
them. You and he, though, I think you two hold the title for the most
baggage ever in a relationship. That's all I'm saying. It's just
easier for him to turn to Cordelia right now."
"I'm sorry, Willow," Buffy apologized, calming down. "This day's just
been...well, I don't need to tell you guys. You were there too.....Do
you think Xander's going to be okay?" she asked with concern.
Willow sighed, "Well, he isn't answering his phone. Anya is, and she
has told me all ten times that I called that he, and this is a quote,
'didn't want anything to do with the slayer or the other members of
the scoobies, and if he ever saw angel, he'd stake him.' So yeah,
he's doing great."
"I'm so sorry, Will," Buffy said. "I mean, I'm grateful that you saved
Angel's life, but I'm sorry that Xander got hurt. I'm sorry that
Angelus did what he did to him. It's really my fault. He did it in a
roundabout way to get to me. I think his logic was probably something
to the effect of hurt Xander to get to you to get to me."
"The funny thing is, Buffy, I actually did it to help all of us.
Things have not been the way they should be with the three of us,"
Willow said. "So I saved Angelus, because I knew that if Xander
killed him, you and Xander's friendship would be over. But I guess I
didn't realize that Xander would take it as an Angelus or him
decision."
"Hopefully Oz is right, and he just needs time," Buffy said. "And
you're right about the fact that things haven't been right lately,
Willow. And if anyone's to blame for that, it's me. I owe you, and
Giles," looking to Giles, "and Xander a mega-apology.
"I should never have kept what I knew about the Initiative from you
guys for so long. I should never have gone to work with them, either,
not when I knew what they were doing to the demons. I mean, my
calling as a Slayer isn't to torture the things and leave them
helpless. Sure I kill them, but I do it relatively quickly.
"And I shouldn't have let Riley get in the way of our friendships.
You and Giles and Xander have always been there for me, even when
I've treated you guys like dirt. Riley was just....oh, I don't
even know what Riley was. Temporary insanity?
"I guess what I'm asking, is if you two could ever forgive me?"
"I forgave you a long time ago, Buffy," Willow said, and the two
hugged. "Temporary insanity is allowed, but only once in a lifetime,
okay?"
"Fair enough," Buffy answered with a smile. "Giles?"
"Of course you're forgiven, Buffy," he said with a smile.
"Good, I feel almost much better. I'll feel much better when
everthing's worked out with Xander, though. Right now, though, I have
someone else I need to visit," Buffy said.
End 17
Sunnydale
Spike's Mansion
11:30 am
Buffy watched, speechless, as Cordelia took on a mother-hen quality
none of the Scoobies had ever seen. Cordy said to Angel, "Wesley and
I will take you somewhere else, Angel, it's okay. This place probably
isn't where you want to be right now, and believe me that everyone
shares that sentiment. But we're not going back to L.A."
Raising a warning hand to stifle his protests, she added, "Not with
unfinished business, Angel. And you know better than to argue with me
when my mind is made up."
Xander's humorless laugh drew everyone's attention. "This is just too
rich. Yet again, everyone falls all over themselves out of sympathy
for Dead-Boy. And I think I just might vomit if I have to watch any
more. I've gotta get out of here," he muttered and limped to the
doorway.
Angel looked up at him, and winced, remembering everything he had done
to cause Xander's current physical state.
Anya caught up with Xander and put his arm around her shoulders,
saying, "Come on. I'll take you home."
"Xander?" Willow blocked them at the door. Her eyes pled with him to
understand.
"You did that, didn't you," he said softly, reading the look on her
face. When she hung her head guiltily, he sighed, "I never thought the
day would come Wills, when you'd choose a demon over your best
friend." He pushed past her and walked out the door, leaning on Anya
for support.
Willow went to stop him, "Wait, Xander, that's not true!"
Oz had been standing nearby, and he grabbed her by the arm. "Willow,
listen to me. You need to let him go. He just needs time."
"But--"
"Trust me, Baby. It'll be okay. He needs to be mad for a while. It
will work out, though," he said gently, brushing the tears from her
face.
"I hope you're right," Willow said, and fell into Oz' arms, letting
him comfort her.
*********
Wesley had slowly approached Angel, still wary. "We can go to the
hotel down the street for a while. I know Cordelia's probably tired,
and I'm exhausted. We all need some time to recover."
"Good plan, Wesley," Cordelia nodded. Then she remembered the stab
wound, and said, "Angel? How's the wound?"
"It's fine," Angel said. "Healed actually," he said, looking at her
pointedly.
"Don't lecture," Cordelia muttered. "Not yet anyway." She helped him
stand, and the three walked to the door past the completely shocked
Slayer, who was so lost in her own thoughts, she barely registered
anyone's presence.
"Oh, um..." Cordelia stopped suddenly, realizing that she knew Angel
could go outside. Willow had or probably would figure it out. But she
realized Angel didn't want Buffy to know, for some reason. Just one
of many things she planned to give him a piece of her mind
about. "Spike's car," Angel said. "I'm sure the keys are still in the
kitchen."
Wesley ran to the kitchen, and came back with the keys and Angel's
coat. Angel smiled his gratitude, threw the coat over himself and
preceded the two to the car.
"Buffy?" Giles said, walking up to the girl. "Huh?" she said, shaking
her head to clear it. "Where's--"
"Not gone yet," Giles assured her. "You'll have time to talk to him
later. Right now, why don't we get you to the hospital to look at that
nasty gash on your arm."
Buffy looked down at her right arm, surprised that she had forgotten
all about it. "I guess so," she shrugged.
"I know so," Giles insisted, and she Giles and Oz left the mansion.
&&&&&&&&&&&
Giles' house
1 pm
"I'm telling you, Giles, they're either memories or visions. If
they're memories, I don't know what they're coming from. But they
almost got me killed!" Buffy insisted. She Giles, Willow, and Oz had
returned to Giles' house, after the doctor had stitched and bandaged
the the cut on Buffy's arm.
Giles sighed tiredly, "I'm not doubting you, Buffy. I just agree with
Willow that you need to talk to Angel about this. If he can't offer
any help, Willow and I will do some research."
"Talk to him?!" Buffy yelled. "He wouldn't even look at me. He didn't
want _my_ help, he wanted Cordelia's!"
"Buffy, we've been through this before," Willow replied. "He's in
torment over what just happened, and most of what he did was directed
at you in some way. So it's just his guilt making him avoid you.
Cordy and he have obviously gotten very close, and she's less
threatening to him--"
"What do you mean--"
"I mean," Willow interrupted Buffy's interruption, "they're friends.
That's all they are, there's no confusing baggage that goes along with
them. You and he, though, I think you two hold the title for the most
baggage ever in a relationship. That's all I'm saying. It's just
easier for him to turn to Cordelia right now."
"I'm sorry, Willow," Buffy apologized, calming down. "This day's just
been...well, I don't need to tell you guys. You were there too.....Do
you think Xander's going to be okay?" she asked with concern.
Willow sighed, "Well, he isn't answering his phone. Anya is, and she
has told me all ten times that I called that he, and this is a quote,
'didn't want anything to do with the slayer or the other members of
the scoobies, and if he ever saw angel, he'd stake him.' So yeah,
he's doing great."
"I'm so sorry, Will," Buffy said. "I mean, I'm grateful that you saved
Angel's life, but I'm sorry that Xander got hurt. I'm sorry that
Angelus did what he did to him. It's really my fault. He did it in a
roundabout way to get to me. I think his logic was probably something
to the effect of hurt Xander to get to you to get to me."
"The funny thing is, Buffy, I actually did it to help all of us.
Things have not been the way they should be with the three of us,"
Willow said. "So I saved Angelus, because I knew that if Xander
killed him, you and Xander's friendship would be over. But I guess I
didn't realize that Xander would take it as an Angelus or him
decision."
"Hopefully Oz is right, and he just needs time," Buffy said. "And
you're right about the fact that things haven't been right lately,
Willow. And if anyone's to blame for that, it's me. I owe you, and
Giles," looking to Giles, "and Xander a mega-apology.
"I should never have kept what I knew about the Initiative from you
guys for so long. I should never have gone to work with them, either,
not when I knew what they were doing to the demons. I mean, my
calling as a Slayer isn't to torture the things and leave them
helpless. Sure I kill them, but I do it relatively quickly.
"And I shouldn't have let Riley get in the way of our friendships.
You and Giles and Xander have always been there for me, even when
I've treated you guys like dirt. Riley was just....oh, I don't
even know what Riley was. Temporary insanity?
"I guess what I'm asking, is if you two could ever forgive me?"
"I forgave you a long time ago, Buffy," Willow said, and the two
hugged. "Temporary insanity is allowed, but only once in a lifetime,
okay?"
"Fair enough," Buffy answered with a smile. "Giles?"
"Of course you're forgiven, Buffy," he said with a smile.
"Good, I feel almost much better. I'll feel much better when
everthing's worked out with Xander, though. Right now, though, I have
someone else I need to visit," Buffy said.
End 17