Wild
Is The Wind
Chapter 06
Disclaimer - I do not own any of BtVS or AtS characters. They all belong to
the Joss Pack. Other non BtVS or AtS characters are all mine.
Part 6/???
Distribution - FINNatics and my site - The Claddagh Fanfiction Archive. Other
people please ask me first I will probably say yes.
Timeline: Set some time after "In the Woods"
SPOILERS: Anything before IN THE WOODS
Rating: PG maybe... I am not that good with Ratings
AUTHOR'S NOTE 1 - No... I am not crazy. And yes... this is a Riley fiction.
AUTHOR'S NOTE 2 -It is not a Buffy/Riley shipper fanfiction. I am still a
B/A hopelessly shipper... I ship B/A, Cordy/Doyle, Willow/Oz... see... all
the broken couples : )
AUTHOR'S NOTE 3 - * * denotes internal thought.
Teaser: Changes in Riley's life lead him to Brasil.
Dedication: To Lisa, for all the "inquiring mind" and beta stuff,
Nicole, Chris and mimi for the wonderful support and feedback.
Feedback: If I beg... will you send it to me? claddagh@angel.vg / sgavino@gbl.com.br
Los
Angeles - Angel Investigations
Buffy
opened her eyes at the sound of Angel's movements. She forced her eyes to
get used to the darkness of the room and noticed that he was still asleep
inside the cage. Maybe it was just a bad dream that made him toss around so
heavily, breathing like a scared animal.
*
Breathing. He's breathing.*
She
crawled slowly into the cage's direction and sat by its side, observing her
love toss and turn in what seemed to be a terrible nightmare. She stretched
her hand and as it was almost touching his chin, she retracted it. She knew
she was not allowed to touch him yet.
*
Yet.*
Buffy
let her tired body fall into the floor, but kept her eyes opened staring at
Angel. She knew it was already time to phone Giles and explain him the whole
situation, but she was not in the mood. Taking a deep breath, she raised and
headed to the stairs, she needed to talk to Wesley again and only then she
would be able to tell Giles that he should not expect her back any sooner.
With
fast steps she covered the distance between Angel's apartment and the office
and arrive just in time to hear Wesley talking to Cordelia about Angel's conditions:
"No,
beloved, this is not a permanent condition." He was explaining with all
his British calm.
"What?
After all the work we've done here you're telling me that this is not permanent?
Give me a break, why can't he be like a normal vampire that had his soul bounded?"
Realizing
that she was making no sense again, Cordelia threw her hands to the air in
despair. Wesley walked to her and caressed her hair speaking tenderly.
"What
if you just let me explain it all to you before you jump into conclusions?"
Buffy
gave a little laugh and decided to announce her presence.
"Cause
she is Cordelia Chase, Wesley. She always jumps into conclusion, and this
is part of her charming personality." Buffy looked into her high school
friend's eyes and added. "That is what makes us love her."
Cordelia
looked puzzled at the little slayer and could not keep her thoughts to herself.
"Wesley,
things must really be worse than I've thought... Buffy is saying that she
loves me." Cordelia paused and touched Buffy's chin. "And she isn't
even with high temperature."
Both
Wesley and Buffy laughed at the May Queen's remarks.
"No
Cordy," Wesley spoke, "Buffy is happy and when we are happy we tend
to love everybody." He flashed Buffy a smile.
Now
Cordy looked suspiciously at the both of them.
"So,
if Buffy is happy and you are happy... Angel's soul is permanent!" Cordy
smiled widely. "But, wait a minute... you told me it was not a permanent
thing!" She pointed her finger at Wesley.
"His
actual condition is not permanent. He is in pain and suffering just like he
was when he came back from hell." Buffy answered. "This is the thing
that is not permanent, although we don't know how many time it will take him
to heal."
The
silence that followed this statement was not a comfortable one. Cordelia raised
from her chair and headed to the coffee machine as Wesley tried to find the
correct words to convince Buffy to phone Giles.
"Buffy,
er..."
She
raised her hazel eyes to the former watcher and now Angel's best friend.
"I
know... I gotta talk to Giles. Do you mind if I use Angel's office?"
She
did not wait for an answer and as she headed to the office and closed the
door behind her, Cordy spoke her mind.
"Once
the slayer, always the slayer."
Buffy
leaned her body against the closed door. She knew that talking to Giles was
the right thing to do, but she did not want to listen to his worried voice
lying to her that everything was alright in the Hellmouth. She knew they must
be having a hard time, fighting evil without her, but just this once she had
to do what her heart urged her to. She'd lost Angel twice already and she
was not eager to lost his once again, just like she had lost Riley.
Riley.
She thought of him now and then, and she missed his silent support. But she
knew that it was better that way, that they could never had been happy after
what she learned about his dark side. He needed someone who had never ever
dreamt that he had been able to pay a vampire to suck his blood. And Buffy
knew she was not that someone.
*
Trip to memory lane is over, it is time to talk to Giles. *
Sunnydale
The
phone rang only twice before Giles answered it.
"Magic
Box, may I help you? Buffy?!!"
Xander
and Anya gather around Giles as he spoke to the slayer.
"We
are all fine here, don't worry." Xander pocked a finger into the watcher's
wound and he frowned heavily. The younger man whispered:
"Tell
her you are hurt!!"
Giles
turned his back on Xander and remained in silence for a while. When he spoke
his voice was full of concern.
"I
understand. No, don't worry, we are handling the demons down here, in fact
we are having a little help from the ex-Initiative guys. Riley? No, not him,
but Graham and his soldiers have been helping us."
Giles
raised his eyes to Xander who was making signs in order to convince him to
tell Buffy that Riley was coming back. Giles simply ignored him as he said
his goodbyes to Buffy.
"I
am sure, stay in Los Angeles and take care of Angel. We can work things out
down here. Me too. Good bye."
As
he put the receiver down, Giles spoke directly to Xander.
"We
can not tell Buffy that Riley is coming back. She needs to help Angel into
this painful transition. Do you understand Xander? I do not want you to phone
Buffy and tell her anything about what is happening in Sunnydale."
Xander
was not satisfied but agreed with Giles.
"Okay,
you are the watcher here. I jut hope you know what you are doing."
Graham rolled the chair into his house. A dark haired woman was at the kitchen
fixing some food. He stopped at the doorway and wondered why he kept her there,
why he tried to make her look like a normal woman when he knew it would never
work that way. She sensed his presence and turned her face into his direction,
and at that moment he knew why. She had the most wonderful eyes he had ever
seen, and she never looked at him as he was a crippled man.
*
Although I am a crippled man. *
She
run to him and sit carefully on his lap, covering his face with butterfly
kisses. Her hair smelled like violets and Graham let himself he kissed and
hugged until she bit him on the neck and let out a cry of pain falling from
his lap and staying on the floor holding her head in her hands.
He
tried to reach her, but he was not able to. The only thing he could do was
whisper.
"I
am sorry, Drusilla. I really am..."
Graham
stood there looking at the vampiress laying helpless on the floor. The only
thing that kept her from leaving him was the chip that was in her head, and
somehow into that crazy head of hers she that he had no way of surviving on
the world outside.
Ever
since the Initiative captured her, Graham took Drusilla as his responsibility
and inch by inch he felt attracted to the sweet madness that possessed her
mind. He ended up bringing her to live with him a few weeks before he get
himself hurt by the demon that was now terrifying Sunnydale. Drusilla took
care of him when he came back and he could not help blessing that godamned
chip. As her sobs subside, she started to mumble:
"The
golden boy is coming back. He is so lonely and felling so tortured. The golden
boy has a chosen one... again."
Graham
was already used to Drusilla's visions and as she laid her head on his knee
he asked her.
"Are
we talking about my friend Riley?"
She
shook her head and Graham added.
"He
has no interest in the slayer anymore, Drusilla. Now he has a new girlfriend."
She
giggled and went on talking.
"The
golden boy has a chosen one, pet. A chosen one that is not strong... yet.
And they will suffer..." She threw her head backwards and started to
sing:
"Suffering
and suffering, in the name of love, in the name of duty, the sacred duty..."
Drusilla
stopped brusquely and asked.
"Graham,
do you like gypsies? Cause sometimes they can be naughty and tricky. Take
care with gypsies."
With
that she raised from the floor and get back to the kitchen, leaving Graham
alone to think about all she had said. And into his mind he knew that she
must could have some reason. He looked at his watch, it was time to get Riley
in the LAX airport.
TBC
