Part 11
Angel looked back at Buffy's surprised yell, and his heart
sank. "Shit!" he yelled, and drew his pistol. "What the hell?!" he
yelled at Sonny's other men. "Good job watching her!"
He caught several pairs of eyes whose expressions
said, "Oops." "Spread out and someone get a good shot," he hissed at
them.
"Let her go," Angel yelled at Rivera. He approached several feet, gun
pointed at them. He cursed as he realized Johnny was using Buffy as a
human shield. "I'M NOT KIDDING YOU, RIVERA! LET HER GO NOW!" he
yelled.
Johnny laughed at him, shrugging insolently. "I know, I know. You're
gonna kill me, right, Angel-boy? Maybe. But not before I kill the
bitch first."
Buffy tried to stay calm, determined not to beg this asshole for her
life. It wouldn't do any good, any way. She struggled against the arm
around her, and then stomped on his foot. He howled in reply, but
then she heard the click as he cocked the trigger. "Johnny, let go,"
she said quietly. "You can't want to do this."
Johnny laughed. "You kidding me? You know what happens to people who
turn on me or any of my guys. A bullet in the head is too good for
you."
She looked over at Angel, and could see the rage in his eyes directed
at Johnny. He met her eyes, and his face softened. "You're going to
be okay," he said to her.
She tried to smile, but failed. "Somehow I don't think so," she
replied.
"Buffy, you will!" he insisted. "Trust me, I promise you'll be okay,"
he added.
"I do trust you. But you shouldn't promise things you can't follow
through on," she replied.
"I don't," Angel said.
"Shut the HELL UP!" Johnny screamed. Buffy felt the arm around her
loosen for a moment as his anger was directed at Angel, and she
prayed that Angel would take advantage of the opportunity. She went
limp, and heard Johnny mutter "What the hell?" as she started to slip
through his arm. She then heard a loud crack, followed by more, as
she fell to the ground on her knees. She put her arms over her head,
hoping none of the bullets found her.
Time appeared to her to run incredibly slowly. The sound of gunshots
finally stopped, and she looked up to where Angel had been. She saw
Angel running toward her, and she remembered hearing Johnny fall
behind her moments earlier. She turned, curious to see if he was dead.
"No!" Angel distracted her by yelling, and pulled her into his arms.
He carried her away, saying, "You don't want to see that."
Buffy nodded, and mumbled, "Okay," pressing her face to his chest.
She heard him talk to someone, probably giving orders, but didn't
bother to pay attention. She felt numb, and tried to convince herself
she wasn't dead. As he continued walking again, she looked up. They
were heading down further into one of the neighborhoods, she wasn't
sure where they were. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"Someplace where we'll be safe until the cops have come and gone,"
Angel replied. He looked down at her. Her face was pale, and her eyes
were devoid of anything at the moment. He knew she was probably in
shock, at least she didn't appear to be injured from the gunfight. He
sighed with relief at that realization.
He didn't know where she'd gotten the idea to play-faint like that,
but was glad she had. It had given him the opportunity to get a shot
at Johnny. He aimed for the kill shot to the head, and hadn't missed.
That had brought out Johnny's men, and he and the others had managed
to fend them off. They'd run off, eventually, leaving Sonny's men to
deal with the mess.
Is he...?" Buffy looked up at him, unable to say the word.
"I'm pretty sure he is," Angel said, as they reached one of Sonny's
apartments. He unlocked the door, and carried Buffy in, followed by
several men. The others had remained behind, to get rid of Johnny's
body at his orders.
Angel walked into another room, the bedroom, and set her down on the
bed. He noticed she started shaking then, and sat down, pulling her
back into his arms. "It's okay," he tried to calm her, stroking her
hair. "He can't hurt you anymore, you're safe."
"I guess not," Buffy nodded. "Thank you," she added, looking up at
him. She saw his confused expression, and said, "You saved my life
back there."
"Oh," Angel shook his head. "I promise you'd be okay," he reminded
her with a smile.
"Well, I won't doubt you again," she replied and laid her head back
on his chest.
"Buffy, I have to call Sonny," Angel said finally.
"I know," she nodded, pulling away and giving him a small smile. "I'm
okay." Angel looked at her questioningly. "I'm not upset," she
said. "Maybe I should be, but I think I'm mostly just relieved right
now. That we're both okay. Nobody else got hurt, did they?"
"None of the guys were hurt," Angel said. "I'll be back when I finish
the phone call." He stood up and walked out to the living room,
pulling out his cellphone.
Buffy looked around at the room. She imagined it was one of many that
Sonny kept for just those unplanned situations where someone needed
to hide. It was clean enough, and Buffy felt tired suddenly. She
looked through the doorway, and saw that Angel and three of Sonny's
men were talking. She heard the sirens then, but none of them went
near their hiding place. She yawned, and looked at the bed. *Just a
few minutes* she told herself, before curling up under one of the
blankets.
********
Angel looked back at Buffy's surprised yell, and his heart
sank. "Shit!" he yelled, and drew his pistol. "What the hell?!" he
yelled at Sonny's other men. "Good job watching her!"
He caught several pairs of eyes whose expressions
said, "Oops." "Spread out and someone get a good shot," he hissed at
them.
"Let her go," Angel yelled at Rivera. He approached several feet, gun
pointed at them. He cursed as he realized Johnny was using Buffy as a
human shield. "I'M NOT KIDDING YOU, RIVERA! LET HER GO NOW!" he
yelled.
Johnny laughed at him, shrugging insolently. "I know, I know. You're
gonna kill me, right, Angel-boy? Maybe. But not before I kill the
bitch first."
Buffy tried to stay calm, determined not to beg this asshole for her
life. It wouldn't do any good, any way. She struggled against the arm
around her, and then stomped on his foot. He howled in reply, but
then she heard the click as he cocked the trigger. "Johnny, let go,"
she said quietly. "You can't want to do this."
Johnny laughed. "You kidding me? You know what happens to people who
turn on me or any of my guys. A bullet in the head is too good for
you."
She looked over at Angel, and could see the rage in his eyes directed
at Johnny. He met her eyes, and his face softened. "You're going to
be okay," he said to her.
She tried to smile, but failed. "Somehow I don't think so," she
replied.
"Buffy, you will!" he insisted. "Trust me, I promise you'll be okay,"
he added.
"I do trust you. But you shouldn't promise things you can't follow
through on," she replied.
"I don't," Angel said.
"Shut the HELL UP!" Johnny screamed. Buffy felt the arm around her
loosen for a moment as his anger was directed at Angel, and she
prayed that Angel would take advantage of the opportunity. She went
limp, and heard Johnny mutter "What the hell?" as she started to slip
through his arm. She then heard a loud crack, followed by more, as
she fell to the ground on her knees. She put her arms over her head,
hoping none of the bullets found her.
Time appeared to her to run incredibly slowly. The sound of gunshots
finally stopped, and she looked up to where Angel had been. She saw
Angel running toward her, and she remembered hearing Johnny fall
behind her moments earlier. She turned, curious to see if he was dead.
"No!" Angel distracted her by yelling, and pulled her into his arms.
He carried her away, saying, "You don't want to see that."
Buffy nodded, and mumbled, "Okay," pressing her face to his chest.
She heard him talk to someone, probably giving orders, but didn't
bother to pay attention. She felt numb, and tried to convince herself
she wasn't dead. As he continued walking again, she looked up. They
were heading down further into one of the neighborhoods, she wasn't
sure where they were. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"Someplace where we'll be safe until the cops have come and gone,"
Angel replied. He looked down at her. Her face was pale, and her eyes
were devoid of anything at the moment. He knew she was probably in
shock, at least she didn't appear to be injured from the gunfight. He
sighed with relief at that realization.
He didn't know where she'd gotten the idea to play-faint like that,
but was glad she had. It had given him the opportunity to get a shot
at Johnny. He aimed for the kill shot to the head, and hadn't missed.
That had brought out Johnny's men, and he and the others had managed
to fend them off. They'd run off, eventually, leaving Sonny's men to
deal with the mess.
Is he...?" Buffy looked up at him, unable to say the word.
"I'm pretty sure he is," Angel said, as they reached one of Sonny's
apartments. He unlocked the door, and carried Buffy in, followed by
several men. The others had remained behind, to get rid of Johnny's
body at his orders.
Angel walked into another room, the bedroom, and set her down on the
bed. He noticed she started shaking then, and sat down, pulling her
back into his arms. "It's okay," he tried to calm her, stroking her
hair. "He can't hurt you anymore, you're safe."
"I guess not," Buffy nodded. "Thank you," she added, looking up at
him. She saw his confused expression, and said, "You saved my life
back there."
"Oh," Angel shook his head. "I promise you'd be okay," he reminded
her with a smile.
"Well, I won't doubt you again," she replied and laid her head back
on his chest.
"Buffy, I have to call Sonny," Angel said finally.
"I know," she nodded, pulling away and giving him a small smile. "I'm
okay." Angel looked at her questioningly. "I'm not upset," she
said. "Maybe I should be, but I think I'm mostly just relieved right
now. That we're both okay. Nobody else got hurt, did they?"
"None of the guys were hurt," Angel said. "I'll be back when I finish
the phone call." He stood up and walked out to the living room,
pulling out his cellphone.
Buffy looked around at the room. She imagined it was one of many that
Sonny kept for just those unplanned situations where someone needed
to hide. It was clean enough, and Buffy felt tired suddenly. She
looked through the doorway, and saw that Angel and three of Sonny's
men were talking. She heard the sirens then, but none of them went
near their hiding place. She yawned, and looked at the bed. *Just a
few minutes* she told herself, before curling up under one of the
blankets.
********