Part 10:
A/N: I promise, I'm not putting any more people in this story! It takes too much time to get through all the character development. Anyway, thanks to all who have been reviewing. And if this part is a bit confusing, it's because I don't have a clue what I'm doing here...Oh, thoughts are now in italics. (Or they should be anyway. Let me know if it doesn't work.)
Disclaimer: Must I do this every time? They're not mine, yadda yadda yadda.
"For the Lord himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
All Buffy could do was stand and stare in shock as she faced her dead Watcher. A million thoughts raced through her mind at once. People don't die and come back...he's a vampire...Lothos must have turned him or something. Oh God, help me! This is entirely my fault!
The instant Buffy uttered the name 'Merrick', Willow's eyes widened in fright. Hadn't Buffy and Giles both said that this was the name of Buffy's dead Watcher? The redhead noticed a slight movement out of the corner of her eye and saw Xander move closer to Buffy as though protecting the Slayer. It was hard to miss the glint of malice, yet pure confusion, in his chocolate brown eyes.
"Hello Buffy. It has been a long time," Merrick finally said, breaking the silence. "It's good to see you."
"Uh huh...I mean it's good to see you too. Especially since I thought you were dead!"
Merrick cleared his throat, glancing meaningfully at Pike. "Um, yes...well. I am terribly sorry about that, my dear. But it was a necessary step to take. Your true Powers weren't awakened until you had a reason to fight. And that was to avenge my 'death'".
Willow and Xander gulped audibly. Monica looked as though nothing out of the ordinary were happening, and Pike was staring at the ground, rocking back and forth on his heels.
Finally paying him notice, Buffy looked at her old friend with kindness. "Hey, Pike." She said softly. "You look a lot better than when I last saw you."
He grunted in response. The last time he had seen Buffy was last year when she helped him defeat the Rock demon, Grayhewn. (If you haven't read "Sins of the Father", go out and buy it or check it out from the library. You know, "where the books live". Anyway, it's really good! And it explains that last line) "Last time you saw me, I had almost been turned to stone. Thanks Willow, by the way. I don't think I thanked you properly before."
"You're welcome," she replied quietly. Seeing Pike wasn't such a shock; after all, she had met him before. What was nagging on the edges of her mind was that they were standing here, idly chitchatting, while Giles lay in a lone hospital bed, maybe dying. "Um, you guys? As much as I hate to bring up this lovely family reunion, we have a Watcher to attend to."
Everyone seemed to come out of a trance as they realized there were more important things to do that day than stand and stare at each other. "Of course," Monica said, jumping in. "We'll take my friend Tess' car. She lent it to me for the day."
I wonder if Tess is an Angel too? Buffy thought to herself as they went out into the bright daylight. Squinting her eyes against the sun, she noticed a beautiful red convertible sitting in front of the sidewalk.
Xander stared at the thing of beauty before him. He would give his eyeteeth for a car like that. "Wow." That was all he could say; no other words came to mind. If he had one left. Xander could have sworn he felt his brains dribbling out his ears when he saw the car.
Buffy and Willow snickered. "Boys. A car is all it takes to reduce them to bumbling fools."
"It's sad, really." Willow replied, her eyes on her best friend. "But, you know what they say… 'Simple minds, simple pleasures'." With that, Willow and Buffy grinned at each other and climbed in the backseat of the car.
After a rather uncomfortable silence, Buffy leaned forward to speak to Merrick. "I thought you were dead. I mean I saw you die. What happened? What did I miss?"
Buffy's former Watcher shifted in his seat so he could see her better. "Have you heard of Immortals Buffy?"
She nodded slowly in reply. "I think so, yeah."
"I am an Immortal. The only one in the Council of Watchers actually. You see my job is to begin the Slayer's training, then 'die' and another Watcher is sent to the girl. It prepares her for whatever may come."
"You mean it prepares me to face death, don't you?"
"Um...well, yes. If you want to put it that way."
Xander decided to pipe up. "I think she just did."
Willow nudged him hard in the side, trying to tell him to stay out of it. Xander looked at her, questions in his eyes. When he saw the rather meaningful look she gave him, Xander nodded and zipped his lips, not saying another word until they got to Sunnydale Memorial Hospital.
Buffy and Willow nearly dove out of the car before Monica had actually parked it. The young Angel cringed as she heard the door hit the neighboring car. Tess isn't gonna like hearing about that one, she thought to herself. If there was one thing that Tess was protective of, besides her 'Angel babies', it was her car.
The Scoobies rushed inside, heading straight to the reception desk. The nurse on duty, Marilyn, looked up at them. Her glasses had a nasty habit of sliding down her nose, so she finally decided to take them off and set them on the desk. "How may I help you?" She asked in a southern drawl, focusing on Merrick.
Noticing this, he stepped forward. "We are looking for a Mr. Rupert Giles. He was brought in this afternoon? Could you tell us what room he's in?"
Marilyn actually looked apologetic. "I remember them bringing him in. He looked really familiar, so I thought I'd ask about him. They put him in ICU, and Dr. Isaacs said it didn't look good. If he makes it through the night, they're considering that a miracle." She heard the girls gasped and looked in their direction. What she saw made her weep for these people. The blonde looked absolutely stricken, as if her world had just crashed around her. The redheads eyes seemed to triple in size and began to water. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears she knew would come. "I am so sorry. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know. He's upstairs one level, to the left and down the hall. It's room 229."
They nodded in thanks and walked towards the elevator. Monica mumbled a quick thank you to Marilyn and followed the others. It was silent as a tomb as they made their way to Giles' room. Only 1 Person Allowed at a Time, a sign was posted on the outside of the door to room number 229.
"Buffy, why don't you go ahead?"
She shook her head slowly. "No, I think I'm gonna be a while," the Slayer replied. "You go ahead, Xander."
He placed his hand on the doorknob, turning it slowly, as though reluctant to enter the room. When he finally did, Xander was shocked by what he saw. Rupert Giles was completely surrounded by wiring and tubing. He was pale and sickly looking, a large bruise covering the entire right side of his face. His arm was in a cast, help close to his chest, and the incessant beeping of the heart monitor was echoing in the sterile room.
Xander pulled up one of those comfy hospital chairs and placed by Giles' bed. He just sat there for about five minutes, thinking about what he could say. "Hey, G-man." He began softly. "I wanted to let you know something that I told Wills earlier. See, I haven't had the best home life. In fact, you could say that it sucks. My dad is a drunk, so of course I got beat up on a lot. I hid it pretty well, didn't I?
"I was telling Wills, when were sitting in your house, that you were the first man I have ever respected. You would lay down your life for all of us. My dad never even held my hand crossing the street." He had to pause for a minute, as his voice suddenly caught in his throat. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Xander took the Watcher's hand. "I wanted to let you know how much you mean to me; to all of us. If you don't pull through this, we will miss you, but most of all, your legacy; your love for all of us, will be remembered. Thank you Giles. Thank you for loving us." He rose slowly from the chair and strode over to the door. His hand on the knob once again, Xander turned to look at the man who had made such a huge impact on his life. Then he walked out the door and into the hallway.
"Will, you want to go next?" He looked in his best friend's direction, knowing how difficult this would be.
She nodded and walked into room 229. Pulling up the same chair Xander had sat in only minutes before, Willow took her mentors hand and held it tightly. Whimpering slightly, she started talking to him. "So I guess this will be a lot more serious than Xander was, huh? He told me some pretty private stuff today, so I won't say anything. If he did already, well then, I'm proud of him. I'm not really sure what you say to someone who's in a coma. 'Been there, done that?'
"There's something you need to know. It's not really a secret, so you don't need to carry it to the grave or whatever." Willow paused, realizing what she had said. "I'm sorry. I am such a dork. Anyway, that thing you need to know. You're my family. I mean, if you actually go and decide to die, I'll consider myself orphaned. Until I met you and Buffy, nobody really bothered to care about me. I was just a shy bookworm, surrounded by 'geekdom'. When I started helping you guys save the world, I felt like I had a purpose. You saw my potential; what I could be, and you fed me with knowledge, love and kindness. I will never forget how I felt each time you asked me to look up something on that 'dread machine'. You've taught me a lot about who I am, and who I could be. For that, I am eternally grateful to you. I love you, Giles…Dad. I love you, Dad."
Willow walked out the door in the same manner as Xander, pausing at the door, and looking at the man on the bed. Once in the hallway, Willow sat in the same chair she had been in before and nudged Buffy. "You can go in now," she told her best friend.
"Thanks Wills. I don't know how long I'll be, so if you guys want to grab something to eat, go ahead." Buffy rose from her place on the chair, and walked to the very place she didn't want to be at that moment. Why was it Giles? I don't know if I can do this. Buffy squared her shoulders and entered her Watcher's room.
Instead of sitting, Buffy just stood there, watching the rise and fall of his chest, hearing the beep…beep…beep of the heart monitor. The Slayer tried to fight back tears, but found the effort futile. Giving in, Buffy seemed to fold upon herself, the racking sobs taking her to the floor. After what seemed like forever, Buffy finally collected her thoughts and sat in the plastic chair by Giles' bed. Taking his hand, just like Willow had, she began to speak.
"Geez Giles. Why did you go and do something like this? Seems like you're the one who's had the most concussions in the group. And that's saying something, since I'm the Slayer. I know that's why you put yourself on the line. You do it to protect me; to protect all of us. That's my job! See, this is how this is supposed to work: the Watcher is supposed to outlive the Slayer. Remember that whole short life span thing?
"That's another thing. I know the reason I'm still actually living is because of you. You challenged me, and you showed me what it means to be the Chosen One. When we first met, I wanted nothing to do with you. I think it was because you reminded me of Merrick, and I hadn't lost him that long before I met you. Speaking of Merrick, guess who showed up on your doorstep when we were leaving? Yep, my dead Watcher. Not as dead as I thought he was. I guess he's an Immortal who trains the new Slayer and then stages his death to 'prepare her for what may come'. In other words, that's how he shows the girl what it's like to lose someone close to you.
"The thing is, if I felt that way after I had lost Merrick, just imagine how I would feel if I lost you. I'm sure you've heard this from the other two already, but there isn't anyone in my life who I can go to and tell anything without being judged. Last year, when you found out that Angel was back, and we were sitting in your office after that lovely intervention in the library. You told me that I had no respect for you, or the job you perform. My heart shattered in a million pieces in that single moment. The last thing I ever wanted to do was lose your trust. I can only imagine what you were thinking, or how you were feeling, and for that I apologize. I know I should have said something as soon as I knew, but I wasn't even sure what was going on. You have no idea how hard that was, keeping such a secret. I felt like my life was falling apart. I've always known you were a great man, Rupert Giles. But the one moment when I knew for sure was when you put aside all your hatred for Angel and helped me save him at Christmas and at Graduation.
"When you went all ballistic on us after Angelus killed Jenny, and I found you at the warehouse, well, what I said? It still holds true. I can't do this without you. It's not just because you're my Watcher. You're so much more than that. You are the one reason that I still go out there and fight every night. You're the only man I look up to. And you are the father I never really had. Actually, when I found out that you and mom had, um…well, you know. Anyway, when I found out, it kind of wigged me for a bit. But the more I thought about, the more I knew I would be ok if you ever got together. Because you're my dad. It's as simple as that." Buffy paused, wiping away the tears that were streaking down her face.
She started to speak again, her voice now soft and raspy from crying. "One more thing, Giles. You can't die. I just won't let you. We need you here, not off in some Great Beyond, or in Heaven." The beeps seemed to slow even as she spoke. Suddenly, the room felt very small and very empty. "Giles? Do you hear me?! You cannot die! God, don't leave me! I can't do this alone! I need you, Rupert Giles!" Buffy Anne Summers couldn't go on any further. She just slid on the bed, holding him as best as she could. And a little piece of her life began to slip away as the beeps turned into a whine that would not end.
A/N: OK, wow. I didn't that would be so long, or so sad. I've got a lump in my throat as I write this. I wanted to thank all who reviewed. I checked my email today and I had 10 more reviews in just an hour and a half! So thanks to:
Louie Pastiche: Wow! 3 Reviews! I'm impressed. I hadn't even thought about Andrew maybe knowing about Joyce's future condition. You got my wheels turning!
Superfan: You had me really confused. Are you reading this as though it takes place in the 5th season? Because it takes place in the last half of 4th season. If you were clear on that, then just ignore me!
Papa Wheelie: I've been toying with this idea for a while. Thanks much!
Zantac the Barbarian: I'm glad you approve (no sarcasm, I promise) Some of it will stay the same, but that's all I'll say.
Dr. P.G. Thirteen: That is one of the best compliments I could get. Thank you!
In the next part, more Angel and the LA gang. They're heading to Sunnydale, so expect more angst in the B/A relationship. Also, I will be nice and conclude this wonderful cliffie!
A/N: I promise, I'm not putting any more people in this story! It takes too much time to get through all the character development. Anyway, thanks to all who have been reviewing. And if this part is a bit confusing, it's because I don't have a clue what I'm doing here...Oh, thoughts are now in italics. (Or they should be anyway. Let me know if it doesn't work.)
Disclaimer: Must I do this every time? They're not mine, yadda yadda yadda.
"For the Lord himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
All Buffy could do was stand and stare in shock as she faced her dead Watcher. A million thoughts raced through her mind at once. People don't die and come back...he's a vampire...Lothos must have turned him or something. Oh God, help me! This is entirely my fault!
The instant Buffy uttered the name 'Merrick', Willow's eyes widened in fright. Hadn't Buffy and Giles both said that this was the name of Buffy's dead Watcher? The redhead noticed a slight movement out of the corner of her eye and saw Xander move closer to Buffy as though protecting the Slayer. It was hard to miss the glint of malice, yet pure confusion, in his chocolate brown eyes.
"Hello Buffy. It has been a long time," Merrick finally said, breaking the silence. "It's good to see you."
"Uh huh...I mean it's good to see you too. Especially since I thought you were dead!"
Merrick cleared his throat, glancing meaningfully at Pike. "Um, yes...well. I am terribly sorry about that, my dear. But it was a necessary step to take. Your true Powers weren't awakened until you had a reason to fight. And that was to avenge my 'death'".
Willow and Xander gulped audibly. Monica looked as though nothing out of the ordinary were happening, and Pike was staring at the ground, rocking back and forth on his heels.
Finally paying him notice, Buffy looked at her old friend with kindness. "Hey, Pike." She said softly. "You look a lot better than when I last saw you."
He grunted in response. The last time he had seen Buffy was last year when she helped him defeat the Rock demon, Grayhewn. (If you haven't read "Sins of the Father", go out and buy it or check it out from the library. You know, "where the books live". Anyway, it's really good! And it explains that last line) "Last time you saw me, I had almost been turned to stone. Thanks Willow, by the way. I don't think I thanked you properly before."
"You're welcome," she replied quietly. Seeing Pike wasn't such a shock; after all, she had met him before. What was nagging on the edges of her mind was that they were standing here, idly chitchatting, while Giles lay in a lone hospital bed, maybe dying. "Um, you guys? As much as I hate to bring up this lovely family reunion, we have a Watcher to attend to."
Everyone seemed to come out of a trance as they realized there were more important things to do that day than stand and stare at each other. "Of course," Monica said, jumping in. "We'll take my friend Tess' car. She lent it to me for the day."
I wonder if Tess is an Angel too? Buffy thought to herself as they went out into the bright daylight. Squinting her eyes against the sun, she noticed a beautiful red convertible sitting in front of the sidewalk.
Xander stared at the thing of beauty before him. He would give his eyeteeth for a car like that. "Wow." That was all he could say; no other words came to mind. If he had one left. Xander could have sworn he felt his brains dribbling out his ears when he saw the car.
Buffy and Willow snickered. "Boys. A car is all it takes to reduce them to bumbling fools."
"It's sad, really." Willow replied, her eyes on her best friend. "But, you know what they say… 'Simple minds, simple pleasures'." With that, Willow and Buffy grinned at each other and climbed in the backseat of the car.
After a rather uncomfortable silence, Buffy leaned forward to speak to Merrick. "I thought you were dead. I mean I saw you die. What happened? What did I miss?"
Buffy's former Watcher shifted in his seat so he could see her better. "Have you heard of Immortals Buffy?"
She nodded slowly in reply. "I think so, yeah."
"I am an Immortal. The only one in the Council of Watchers actually. You see my job is to begin the Slayer's training, then 'die' and another Watcher is sent to the girl. It prepares her for whatever may come."
"You mean it prepares me to face death, don't you?"
"Um...well, yes. If you want to put it that way."
Xander decided to pipe up. "I think she just did."
Willow nudged him hard in the side, trying to tell him to stay out of it. Xander looked at her, questions in his eyes. When he saw the rather meaningful look she gave him, Xander nodded and zipped his lips, not saying another word until they got to Sunnydale Memorial Hospital.
Buffy and Willow nearly dove out of the car before Monica had actually parked it. The young Angel cringed as she heard the door hit the neighboring car. Tess isn't gonna like hearing about that one, she thought to herself. If there was one thing that Tess was protective of, besides her 'Angel babies', it was her car.
The Scoobies rushed inside, heading straight to the reception desk. The nurse on duty, Marilyn, looked up at them. Her glasses had a nasty habit of sliding down her nose, so she finally decided to take them off and set them on the desk. "How may I help you?" She asked in a southern drawl, focusing on Merrick.
Noticing this, he stepped forward. "We are looking for a Mr. Rupert Giles. He was brought in this afternoon? Could you tell us what room he's in?"
Marilyn actually looked apologetic. "I remember them bringing him in. He looked really familiar, so I thought I'd ask about him. They put him in ICU, and Dr. Isaacs said it didn't look good. If he makes it through the night, they're considering that a miracle." She heard the girls gasped and looked in their direction. What she saw made her weep for these people. The blonde looked absolutely stricken, as if her world had just crashed around her. The redheads eyes seemed to triple in size and began to water. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears she knew would come. "I am so sorry. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know. He's upstairs one level, to the left and down the hall. It's room 229."
They nodded in thanks and walked towards the elevator. Monica mumbled a quick thank you to Marilyn and followed the others. It was silent as a tomb as they made their way to Giles' room. Only 1 Person Allowed at a Time, a sign was posted on the outside of the door to room number 229.
"Buffy, why don't you go ahead?"
She shook her head slowly. "No, I think I'm gonna be a while," the Slayer replied. "You go ahead, Xander."
He placed his hand on the doorknob, turning it slowly, as though reluctant to enter the room. When he finally did, Xander was shocked by what he saw. Rupert Giles was completely surrounded by wiring and tubing. He was pale and sickly looking, a large bruise covering the entire right side of his face. His arm was in a cast, help close to his chest, and the incessant beeping of the heart monitor was echoing in the sterile room.
Xander pulled up one of those comfy hospital chairs and placed by Giles' bed. He just sat there for about five minutes, thinking about what he could say. "Hey, G-man." He began softly. "I wanted to let you know something that I told Wills earlier. See, I haven't had the best home life. In fact, you could say that it sucks. My dad is a drunk, so of course I got beat up on a lot. I hid it pretty well, didn't I?
"I was telling Wills, when were sitting in your house, that you were the first man I have ever respected. You would lay down your life for all of us. My dad never even held my hand crossing the street." He had to pause for a minute, as his voice suddenly caught in his throat. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Xander took the Watcher's hand. "I wanted to let you know how much you mean to me; to all of us. If you don't pull through this, we will miss you, but most of all, your legacy; your love for all of us, will be remembered. Thank you Giles. Thank you for loving us." He rose slowly from the chair and strode over to the door. His hand on the knob once again, Xander turned to look at the man who had made such a huge impact on his life. Then he walked out the door and into the hallway.
"Will, you want to go next?" He looked in his best friend's direction, knowing how difficult this would be.
She nodded and walked into room 229. Pulling up the same chair Xander had sat in only minutes before, Willow took her mentors hand and held it tightly. Whimpering slightly, she started talking to him. "So I guess this will be a lot more serious than Xander was, huh? He told me some pretty private stuff today, so I won't say anything. If he did already, well then, I'm proud of him. I'm not really sure what you say to someone who's in a coma. 'Been there, done that?'
"There's something you need to know. It's not really a secret, so you don't need to carry it to the grave or whatever." Willow paused, realizing what she had said. "I'm sorry. I am such a dork. Anyway, that thing you need to know. You're my family. I mean, if you actually go and decide to die, I'll consider myself orphaned. Until I met you and Buffy, nobody really bothered to care about me. I was just a shy bookworm, surrounded by 'geekdom'. When I started helping you guys save the world, I felt like I had a purpose. You saw my potential; what I could be, and you fed me with knowledge, love and kindness. I will never forget how I felt each time you asked me to look up something on that 'dread machine'. You've taught me a lot about who I am, and who I could be. For that, I am eternally grateful to you. I love you, Giles…Dad. I love you, Dad."
Willow walked out the door in the same manner as Xander, pausing at the door, and looking at the man on the bed. Once in the hallway, Willow sat in the same chair she had been in before and nudged Buffy. "You can go in now," she told her best friend.
"Thanks Wills. I don't know how long I'll be, so if you guys want to grab something to eat, go ahead." Buffy rose from her place on the chair, and walked to the very place she didn't want to be at that moment. Why was it Giles? I don't know if I can do this. Buffy squared her shoulders and entered her Watcher's room.
Instead of sitting, Buffy just stood there, watching the rise and fall of his chest, hearing the beep…beep…beep of the heart monitor. The Slayer tried to fight back tears, but found the effort futile. Giving in, Buffy seemed to fold upon herself, the racking sobs taking her to the floor. After what seemed like forever, Buffy finally collected her thoughts and sat in the plastic chair by Giles' bed. Taking his hand, just like Willow had, she began to speak.
"Geez Giles. Why did you go and do something like this? Seems like you're the one who's had the most concussions in the group. And that's saying something, since I'm the Slayer. I know that's why you put yourself on the line. You do it to protect me; to protect all of us. That's my job! See, this is how this is supposed to work: the Watcher is supposed to outlive the Slayer. Remember that whole short life span thing?
"That's another thing. I know the reason I'm still actually living is because of you. You challenged me, and you showed me what it means to be the Chosen One. When we first met, I wanted nothing to do with you. I think it was because you reminded me of Merrick, and I hadn't lost him that long before I met you. Speaking of Merrick, guess who showed up on your doorstep when we were leaving? Yep, my dead Watcher. Not as dead as I thought he was. I guess he's an Immortal who trains the new Slayer and then stages his death to 'prepare her for what may come'. In other words, that's how he shows the girl what it's like to lose someone close to you.
"The thing is, if I felt that way after I had lost Merrick, just imagine how I would feel if I lost you. I'm sure you've heard this from the other two already, but there isn't anyone in my life who I can go to and tell anything without being judged. Last year, when you found out that Angel was back, and we were sitting in your office after that lovely intervention in the library. You told me that I had no respect for you, or the job you perform. My heart shattered in a million pieces in that single moment. The last thing I ever wanted to do was lose your trust. I can only imagine what you were thinking, or how you were feeling, and for that I apologize. I know I should have said something as soon as I knew, but I wasn't even sure what was going on. You have no idea how hard that was, keeping such a secret. I felt like my life was falling apart. I've always known you were a great man, Rupert Giles. But the one moment when I knew for sure was when you put aside all your hatred for Angel and helped me save him at Christmas and at Graduation.
"When you went all ballistic on us after Angelus killed Jenny, and I found you at the warehouse, well, what I said? It still holds true. I can't do this without you. It's not just because you're my Watcher. You're so much more than that. You are the one reason that I still go out there and fight every night. You're the only man I look up to. And you are the father I never really had. Actually, when I found out that you and mom had, um…well, you know. Anyway, when I found out, it kind of wigged me for a bit. But the more I thought about, the more I knew I would be ok if you ever got together. Because you're my dad. It's as simple as that." Buffy paused, wiping away the tears that were streaking down her face.
She started to speak again, her voice now soft and raspy from crying. "One more thing, Giles. You can't die. I just won't let you. We need you here, not off in some Great Beyond, or in Heaven." The beeps seemed to slow even as she spoke. Suddenly, the room felt very small and very empty. "Giles? Do you hear me?! You cannot die! God, don't leave me! I can't do this alone! I need you, Rupert Giles!" Buffy Anne Summers couldn't go on any further. She just slid on the bed, holding him as best as she could. And a little piece of her life began to slip away as the beeps turned into a whine that would not end.
A/N: OK, wow. I didn't that would be so long, or so sad. I've got a lump in my throat as I write this. I wanted to thank all who reviewed. I checked my email today and I had 10 more reviews in just an hour and a half! So thanks to:
Louie Pastiche: Wow! 3 Reviews! I'm impressed. I hadn't even thought about Andrew maybe knowing about Joyce's future condition. You got my wheels turning!
Superfan: You had me really confused. Are you reading this as though it takes place in the 5th season? Because it takes place in the last half of 4th season. If you were clear on that, then just ignore me!
Papa Wheelie: I've been toying with this idea for a while. Thanks much!
Zantac the Barbarian: I'm glad you approve (no sarcasm, I promise) Some of it will stay the same, but that's all I'll say.
Dr. P.G. Thirteen: That is one of the best compliments I could get. Thank you!
In the next part, more Angel and the LA gang. They're heading to Sunnydale, so expect more angst in the B/A relationship. Also, I will be nice and conclude this wonderful cliffie!