Part 19 - Don't Leave Me
Saturday 11 am
"Hey Mom," Buffy wandered down from her room to find her mother in
the living room. "I need to go...somewhere, but I was wondering if
you wanted to go to the Mall or something in a little while?"
Joyce looked at Buffy in confusion. "You aren't spending any time
with Xander this weekend?"
"Um," Buffy turned and walked into the kitchen on the pretense of
getting a drink. While her back was turned, she brushed the tears
from her eyes. "He's working," she lied. She turned back to face her
mother, and said, "So?"
"I'd love to, Honey. We'll have to be back by six, though. Giles and
I have plans."
"I know, he mentioned it," Buffy replied. "To explain why he wouldn't
need me to check in with him. But I'm still Patrolling, so I'd have
to be ready to go out by sundown anyway," she shrugged.
"That's all you're doing tonight?" Joyce frowned. "What about Willow?"
"Uh, she's ... um ... busy too?" Buffy ventured.
"Buffy, I'm not taking sides here. But he's really depressed. Next
weekend you and I will do something, I promise. Okay?"
"Sure, Will. Just take care of Xander. I'm glad he has such a great
friend looking out for him.
"You sure you're okay with it?"
"Positive. I'll call you."
"Okay," Joyce looked at her searchingly. "I need to do a little work,
but it should only take an hour."
"That's all it'll take for my errands," Buffy replied. "I'll be
back."
**************
Buffy walked down the street toward the Mansion. She wasn't sure why,
but a nagging voice was telling her something was wrong.
She walked past Angel's car, and noticed the boxes inside. She felt a
lump in her throat. He couldn't be doing this. She walked into the
Mansion without knocking. She saw the suitcase sitting half-packed on
the couch, and stared at it disbelief.
She looked up as Angel walked down the hallway, a stack of clothing
in his arms. He stopped short as his eyes met hers. "Buffy, I..." he
looked away, and sighed, moving over to the suitcase.
"You're leaving?" she asked, almost a whisper. She didn't trust her
voice, as she felt the tears threatening to fall.
Angel turned away from her and looked at the fire roaring in the
fireplace. "I was hoping to be gone already when you found out," he
said.
Buffy walked further into the room, and gripped the back of the couch
for support. "Why?" she asked, a sob escaping her. "Why are you
leaving me?"
Angel turned to face her, and she saw the tears in his eyes. "Buffy,
please don't. I can't do this anymore. It's killing me, and it's
killing you."
"Angel, you can't go. I NEED YOU!" Buffy pleaded, ignoring the tears
that fell.
"You don't," he whispered. "You'll be okay without--"
"NO!" she cut him off. "DON'T LEAVE ME!"
************
Saturday 12 pm
Xander arrived at the Mansion, the absolute last place he wanted to
be. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't just give her up. Now, he
wasn't sure what he wanted to accomplish being here. But he had made
it this far, he wasn't turning back.
*Maybe we could have a man-to...deadboy... chat? It'll go something
like this: "Hey Deadboy." "Hello Xander." "I love her." "Oh, well
that makes everything different. I won't stand in your way, then."
*Or not.* Xander shook his head at his stupidity. *Dad was right,
you're a moron.* He turned to go, when he heard her.
"NO! DON'T LEAVE ME!"
Xander winced. He didn't think he could hurt anymore than he already
did, but he'd been wrong. He turned back and looked in the
window near the front door. Buffy's back was to him, but he saw
Angel's face.
*I so did not want to identify with him right now.*
Xander saw how sad Angel was, and grudgingly admitted he knew that
expression. It was the hopeless feeling of being in love with someone
and not knowing how to make it work. He'd seen it in the mirror too
many times to count.*
"Great, I can't even hate him now," he muttered with a sigh.
"Angel, please. You can't leave me," Buffy said, and Xander noticed
her voice was more under control. "There has to be a reason you
stayed here all this time, instead of disappearing before I saw you.
What was it?"
"I ..." Angel looked away, and started pacing. "I should have left.
But I couldn't. I came to Sunnydale originally to help you, with the
Slaying. So when I came back from... a part of me wanted to stay
here, in case you needed me - my help."
"I do need you," Buffy replied. "And I'm not talking about personal
stuff right now, I'm talking about the Ascension. I don't know if
you've ever heard of it, but it's not something I can fight alone.
I'm going to need all the help I can get."
Xander had heard enough. Buffy wasn't willing to let Angel go. She
was playing it from an angle of needing his help with the Ascension,
but Xander suspected that was a front. She still loved Angel. If he'd
doubted it before, he didn't now. He turned away from the window and
walked back to his house. He couldn't shake the feeling that the only
way this could end was in good-bye.
************
Saturday 11 am
"Hey Mom," Buffy wandered down from her room to find her mother in
the living room. "I need to go...somewhere, but I was wondering if
you wanted to go to the Mall or something in a little while?"
Joyce looked at Buffy in confusion. "You aren't spending any time
with Xander this weekend?"
"Um," Buffy turned and walked into the kitchen on the pretense of
getting a drink. While her back was turned, she brushed the tears
from her eyes. "He's working," she lied. She turned back to face her
mother, and said, "So?"
"I'd love to, Honey. We'll have to be back by six, though. Giles and
I have plans."
"I know, he mentioned it," Buffy replied. "To explain why he wouldn't
need me to check in with him. But I'm still Patrolling, so I'd have
to be ready to go out by sundown anyway," she shrugged.
"That's all you're doing tonight?" Joyce frowned. "What about Willow?"
"Uh, she's ... um ... busy too?" Buffy ventured.
"Buffy, I'm not taking sides here. But he's really depressed. Next
weekend you and I will do something, I promise. Okay?"
"Sure, Will. Just take care of Xander. I'm glad he has such a great
friend looking out for him.
"You sure you're okay with it?"
"Positive. I'll call you."
"Okay," Joyce looked at her searchingly. "I need to do a little work,
but it should only take an hour."
"That's all it'll take for my errands," Buffy replied. "I'll be
back."
**************
Buffy walked down the street toward the Mansion. She wasn't sure why,
but a nagging voice was telling her something was wrong.
She walked past Angel's car, and noticed the boxes inside. She felt a
lump in her throat. He couldn't be doing this. She walked into the
Mansion without knocking. She saw the suitcase sitting half-packed on
the couch, and stared at it disbelief.
She looked up as Angel walked down the hallway, a stack of clothing
in his arms. He stopped short as his eyes met hers. "Buffy, I..." he
looked away, and sighed, moving over to the suitcase.
"You're leaving?" she asked, almost a whisper. She didn't trust her
voice, as she felt the tears threatening to fall.
Angel turned away from her and looked at the fire roaring in the
fireplace. "I was hoping to be gone already when you found out," he
said.
Buffy walked further into the room, and gripped the back of the couch
for support. "Why?" she asked, a sob escaping her. "Why are you
leaving me?"
Angel turned to face her, and she saw the tears in his eyes. "Buffy,
please don't. I can't do this anymore. It's killing me, and it's
killing you."
"Angel, you can't go. I NEED YOU!" Buffy pleaded, ignoring the tears
that fell.
"You don't," he whispered. "You'll be okay without--"
"NO!" she cut him off. "DON'T LEAVE ME!"
************
Saturday 12 pm
Xander arrived at the Mansion, the absolute last place he wanted to
be. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't just give her up. Now, he
wasn't sure what he wanted to accomplish being here. But he had made
it this far, he wasn't turning back.
*Maybe we could have a man-to...deadboy... chat? It'll go something
like this: "Hey Deadboy." "Hello Xander." "I love her." "Oh, well
that makes everything different. I won't stand in your way, then."
*Or not.* Xander shook his head at his stupidity. *Dad was right,
you're a moron.* He turned to go, when he heard her.
"NO! DON'T LEAVE ME!"
Xander winced. He didn't think he could hurt anymore than he already
did, but he'd been wrong. He turned back and looked in the
window near the front door. Buffy's back was to him, but he saw
Angel's face.
*I so did not want to identify with him right now.*
Xander saw how sad Angel was, and grudgingly admitted he knew that
expression. It was the hopeless feeling of being in love with someone
and not knowing how to make it work. He'd seen it in the mirror too
many times to count.*
"Great, I can't even hate him now," he muttered with a sigh.
"Angel, please. You can't leave me," Buffy said, and Xander noticed
her voice was more under control. "There has to be a reason you
stayed here all this time, instead of disappearing before I saw you.
What was it?"
"I ..." Angel looked away, and started pacing. "I should have left.
But I couldn't. I came to Sunnydale originally to help you, with the
Slaying. So when I came back from... a part of me wanted to stay
here, in case you needed me - my help."
"I do need you," Buffy replied. "And I'm not talking about personal
stuff right now, I'm talking about the Ascension. I don't know if
you've ever heard of it, but it's not something I can fight alone.
I'm going to need all the help I can get."
Xander had heard enough. Buffy wasn't willing to let Angel go. She
was playing it from an angle of needing his help with the Ascension,
but Xander suspected that was a front. She still loved Angel. If he'd
doubted it before, he didn't now. He turned away from the window and
walked back to his house. He couldn't shake the feeling that the only
way this could end was in good-bye.
************
