A Deathly Romance (CH. 6)
El Tengo de Buffy...Verse 2
Disclaimer: I know it takes awhile until it gets to the actual song, but it's worth it. El Tengo de Buffy (Spoof of El Tengo de Roxanne) is sung by the entire Scooby core.
Giles looked up from the counter once he heard the bell ring but was surprised to find it was Dawn. Ever since Buffy's death and return from the grave, Dawn had remained withdrawn from the group. He tried to offer solace, anything but she resolved she could handle things on her own. She smiled at him, glancing at Willow and Xander. They smiled hello but didn't say anything.
"Um, I just came in because I was wandering...Do you guys know where Buffy is?"
The Englishman frowned, "Shouldn't she be at home?"
Dawn shrugged, looking down. "She didn't come home last night from patrol."
Xander nodded, shutting a book closed. "That's not right. She's Buffy."
"Then she wasn't with any of you guys last night?" Dawn questioned.
"I went out on patrol with her last night. I stayed with her even though Anya wanted to go home. I felt something was bothering her but she wouldn't give."
Willow raised an eyebrow. "And you left her to her thoughts?"
"Better leave her alone than crowd her."
Willow frowned, glancing knowingly at Giles. "You don't think she ran away, do you? I mean, she's done it before."
"Run away where? Where could she go?" Dawn cried, bracing herself.
Giles shrugged as someone else entered the Magic Box. He nodded to the blonde girl, smiling thankfully. Buffy walked forward, smiling at the guys. Oddly, she was still wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the night before. "Hey." She whispered, looking down.
Dawn crossed her arms at her, glaring. "Where were you? You didn't come home last night."
"I did, Dawn. I just...there was something I needed to do; something I needed to take care of." Buffy paused, gasping, "This is hard; this is really hard."
Willow smiled reassuringly at her. "Whatever it is, we'll understand."
"I really wish that were true, but it's more complicated than that."
The Wicca shrugged, "Can't be that complicated. If it was, you wouldn't have come here, standing before us, prepping us for whatever bad news."
Buffy laughed, scratching her head. "Well, it's pretty bad." She paused, gazing at Giles. "God, I don't want to this...I'm dying."
They all stared back at her as if she spoke some foreign language. They knew she had died before, but this, it sounded unreal. Almost not human; not Buffy.
"Guys, did you hear me?"
Xander smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah, we heard you. You said you were dying - which we all know is impossible since you've already been dead. You can't die again. That's stupid."
"Well, I'm stupid then." Buffy retorted, dropping onto a chair next to Willow. "I don't want this to happen. I don't. I love you all, I do but I'm sorry."
"Maybe there's some spell or something Willow can do to help you; to make you feel better or..." Dawn began but once she saw the expressions on her friends faces, she backed down. "Damn." She mumbled.
Buffy smiled at her sister, grateful she was determined to keep her alive. "Dawn, I know you don't want me to die. The first time, for you, was pretty traumatic."
She huffed, "That doesn't even begin to describe how I felt that day and after."
No one spoke after that. Willow knew something was wrong. She told Giles but he didn't want to believe it. She didn't blame him but now her suspicions were correct, the Wicca was beginning to wish she were wrong from the start. They just sat there, fidgeting until Anya appeared from the back with a smile on her face, punctual as ever and oblivious to solemn feeling in the room.
"Hello, Buffy. How are you feeling today?" she questioned with a smile on her face.
Buffy laughed slightly herself, glancing at Willow. "Deathly, but thank you for asking."
"Wonderful. I'm glad you feel deathly!"
Xander glared at her and she quieted down, unsure what was going on. Xander only held her close for comfort. Buffy nodded, "I better go."
"Wait! You can't just go. We need to talk about this." Giles blurted out.
She shrugged, "There's nothing to talk about. I'm dying and that's the end of it."
"It bloody well is not!" he spat back, causing Buffy to stare intensely at him. "I'm just saying, there are things you haven't told us...like how long this has been going on and how do you know, for one?"
"What's there to know, Giles?! Tell me. I'm dying. I don't have a choice. I can't rewind time and ask for another chance. This is my time."
He stubbornly nodded no, bracing his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "Buffy, I will not lose you again. I cannot lose you again. You are my daughter, my family and I refuse to let you go."
She bit her lip, taking hold of his hand, "You don't really have a choice. I don't really have a choice." Buffy glanced once at her friends, before starting for the door.
"Buffy, you don't have die like this." Giles sang. "Walk this cold road alone. You don't care if your choice is wrong or if it is right." He continued, glancing at Xander. "Buffy, you don't have to die like this."
Buffy glanced back at him, meeting his pleading eyes. She felt his pain. She was carrying the same pain, but that's what her life had been like for years. Carry the pain; bear it and live with it. But how could she lay that pain on her friends? How could she leave this world like that?
Dawn nodded, walking over to Giles. "Buffy, you don't have to die alone, tonight. You don't have to leave this world in a fright."
"Death's eyes upon your face; His hand upon your hand; His lips caress your skin. IT'S MORE THAN WE CAN STAND!" Willow cried as the rest of the Scoobies sang.
"Why does my heart cry?"Giles mused, pacing.
Dawn began to cry, watching Buffy. "Buffy. Buffy. Buffy, my sister. My hero."
Giles stood up to Buffy, staring down at her with a determined face. "Destiny you can't fight! You're free to leave us but just don't deceive us!"
"...And please believe us when we say -- WE LOVE YOU!" they sang, raising their arms.
Silence fell over the shop as Willow sang in Spanish and Xander cried Buffy's name.
"You don't have to die alone, tonight. You don't have to waste away, tonight."
"BUFFY!" Xander cried again.
Anya took hold of Xander's arm, holding it close to her breast. "You don't have to die alone, tonight."
"BUFFY!"
Giles nodded, "You don't have to waste away tonight!"
"BUFFY. BUFFY! BUFFY! BUFFY! BUFFY!" Dawn cried.
"Why does my heart cry? A destiny you can't fight" Giles mused, staring lovingly at her.
"BUFFY! BUFFY!" Dawn moaned, falling to pieces all over.
"We love you! We love you! We love you! We love you!" they all cried, ending abruptly, falling to silence again.
Buffy huffed, exiting the shop without a word. Giles nodded, watching the door close. "Buffy, you don't have to die alone, tonight."
TBC
Disclaimer: I know it takes awhile until it gets to the actual song, but it's worth it. El Tengo de Buffy (Spoof of El Tengo de Roxanne) is sung by the entire Scooby core.
Giles looked up from the counter once he heard the bell ring but was surprised to find it was Dawn. Ever since Buffy's death and return from the grave, Dawn had remained withdrawn from the group. He tried to offer solace, anything but she resolved she could handle things on her own. She smiled at him, glancing at Willow and Xander. They smiled hello but didn't say anything.
"Um, I just came in because I was wandering...Do you guys know where Buffy is?"
The Englishman frowned, "Shouldn't she be at home?"
Dawn shrugged, looking down. "She didn't come home last night from patrol."
Xander nodded, shutting a book closed. "That's not right. She's Buffy."
"Then she wasn't with any of you guys last night?" Dawn questioned.
"I went out on patrol with her last night. I stayed with her even though Anya wanted to go home. I felt something was bothering her but she wouldn't give."
Willow raised an eyebrow. "And you left her to her thoughts?"
"Better leave her alone than crowd her."
Willow frowned, glancing knowingly at Giles. "You don't think she ran away, do you? I mean, she's done it before."
"Run away where? Where could she go?" Dawn cried, bracing herself.
Giles shrugged as someone else entered the Magic Box. He nodded to the blonde girl, smiling thankfully. Buffy walked forward, smiling at the guys. Oddly, she was still wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the night before. "Hey." She whispered, looking down.
Dawn crossed her arms at her, glaring. "Where were you? You didn't come home last night."
"I did, Dawn. I just...there was something I needed to do; something I needed to take care of." Buffy paused, gasping, "This is hard; this is really hard."
Willow smiled reassuringly at her. "Whatever it is, we'll understand."
"I really wish that were true, but it's more complicated than that."
The Wicca shrugged, "Can't be that complicated. If it was, you wouldn't have come here, standing before us, prepping us for whatever bad news."
Buffy laughed, scratching her head. "Well, it's pretty bad." She paused, gazing at Giles. "God, I don't want to this...I'm dying."
They all stared back at her as if she spoke some foreign language. They knew she had died before, but this, it sounded unreal. Almost not human; not Buffy.
"Guys, did you hear me?"
Xander smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah, we heard you. You said you were dying - which we all know is impossible since you've already been dead. You can't die again. That's stupid."
"Well, I'm stupid then." Buffy retorted, dropping onto a chair next to Willow. "I don't want this to happen. I don't. I love you all, I do but I'm sorry."
"Maybe there's some spell or something Willow can do to help you; to make you feel better or..." Dawn began but once she saw the expressions on her friends faces, she backed down. "Damn." She mumbled.
Buffy smiled at her sister, grateful she was determined to keep her alive. "Dawn, I know you don't want me to die. The first time, for you, was pretty traumatic."
She huffed, "That doesn't even begin to describe how I felt that day and after."
No one spoke after that. Willow knew something was wrong. She told Giles but he didn't want to believe it. She didn't blame him but now her suspicions were correct, the Wicca was beginning to wish she were wrong from the start. They just sat there, fidgeting until Anya appeared from the back with a smile on her face, punctual as ever and oblivious to solemn feeling in the room.
"Hello, Buffy. How are you feeling today?" she questioned with a smile on her face.
Buffy laughed slightly herself, glancing at Willow. "Deathly, but thank you for asking."
"Wonderful. I'm glad you feel deathly!"
Xander glared at her and she quieted down, unsure what was going on. Xander only held her close for comfort. Buffy nodded, "I better go."
"Wait! You can't just go. We need to talk about this." Giles blurted out.
She shrugged, "There's nothing to talk about. I'm dying and that's the end of it."
"It bloody well is not!" he spat back, causing Buffy to stare intensely at him. "I'm just saying, there are things you haven't told us...like how long this has been going on and how do you know, for one?"
"What's there to know, Giles?! Tell me. I'm dying. I don't have a choice. I can't rewind time and ask for another chance. This is my time."
He stubbornly nodded no, bracing his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "Buffy, I will not lose you again. I cannot lose you again. You are my daughter, my family and I refuse to let you go."
She bit her lip, taking hold of his hand, "You don't really have a choice. I don't really have a choice." Buffy glanced once at her friends, before starting for the door.
"Buffy, you don't have die like this." Giles sang. "Walk this cold road alone. You don't care if your choice is wrong or if it is right." He continued, glancing at Xander. "Buffy, you don't have to die like this."
Buffy glanced back at him, meeting his pleading eyes. She felt his pain. She was carrying the same pain, but that's what her life had been like for years. Carry the pain; bear it and live with it. But how could she lay that pain on her friends? How could she leave this world like that?
Dawn nodded, walking over to Giles. "Buffy, you don't have to die alone, tonight. You don't have to leave this world in a fright."
"Death's eyes upon your face; His hand upon your hand; His lips caress your skin. IT'S MORE THAN WE CAN STAND!" Willow cried as the rest of the Scoobies sang.
"Why does my heart cry?"Giles mused, pacing.
Dawn began to cry, watching Buffy. "Buffy. Buffy. Buffy, my sister. My hero."
Giles stood up to Buffy, staring down at her with a determined face. "Destiny you can't fight! You're free to leave us but just don't deceive us!"
"...And please believe us when we say -- WE LOVE YOU!" they sang, raising their arms.
Silence fell over the shop as Willow sang in Spanish and Xander cried Buffy's name.
"You don't have to die alone, tonight. You don't have to waste away, tonight."
"BUFFY!" Xander cried again.
Anya took hold of Xander's arm, holding it close to her breast. "You don't have to die alone, tonight."
"BUFFY!"
Giles nodded, "You don't have to waste away tonight!"
"BUFFY. BUFFY! BUFFY! BUFFY! BUFFY!" Dawn cried.
"Why does my heart cry? A destiny you can't fight" Giles mused, staring lovingly at her.
"BUFFY! BUFFY!" Dawn moaned, falling to pieces all over.
"We love you! We love you! We love you! We love you!" they all cried, ending abruptly, falling to silence again.
Buffy huffed, exiting the shop without a word. Giles nodded, watching the door close. "Buffy, you don't have to die alone, tonight."
TBC
