Part 37 - The Truth Revealed
Buffy looked in dread at Angel, leaning unconscious against her. She
wondered idly if that was the correct term. *Are vampires ever not
unconscious?* She then wondered why she was thinking such ridiculous
things when the situation was obviously worse than she'd thought.
"Xan? What is he keeping from me?" Buffy asked, looking up at him.
"The arrow was poisoned," Xander replied. "He didn't want you to
worry, because it won't kill him. He doesn't know of a poison that
can."
"I hope he's right" Buffy said. "Help me get him to his bed?" Xander
nodded, and between the two of them, they carried/dragged Angel to
his room, putting him in bed.
Buffy stood back, watching Angel. He was moaning now, and breathing
heavily. He was obviously suffering, and it hurt her to see it. She
looked over at Xander, then, and could tell that he wasn't enjoying
seeing her distress over Angel's situation. She hoped that he could
deal with it long enough for them to get Angel well. Then they'd
talk, and sort things out.
"He'll be okay," Xander tried to comfort her, laying a hand on her
arm.
Buffy nodded, still watching Angel. "He has to be. Xan--"
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Xander said, kissing her on the
cheek tenderly. "You need to take care of Angel, I understand that.
Would you like to stay here, while I go get Giles?"
"You'd do that?" Buffy turned to him, in surprise.
"Sure, I would," Xander shrugged. "That and get some blood on my way
back."
"Thank you," Buffy said gratefully, hugging him.
"No problem," Xander nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
He then left, heading toward Giles' apartment.
Buffy sat next to Angel, "I wish I knew how to help you, Angel. Wake
up and tell me how to help you," she pleaded.
Angel's eyes opened, and he looked over at her. "Buffy?"
"I'm here," she said, taking his hand. "How much do you remember?"
"Just how much I'm gonna kill Spike," Angel muttered.
"Not if I get to him first," Buffy replied with a grin.
"Where's Xander?"
"He went to get Giles," Buffy answered. "We thought maybe he or
Willow could help us figure out what the poison was."
Angel looked at her in surprise. "How--"
"Do you think I'm that stupid?" She questioned angrily.
"That's not what I--"
"No? What do you _think_ it feels like, knowing you'd keep something
like this from me?!" she demanded.
"I didn't want you to worry," Angel replied sadly.
"You don't get a say in the matter, Angel," Buffy said with a
sigh. "Just because we're not together anymore, doesn't mean I don't
care. And because I care, I couldn't not worry about you, don't you
see that?"
Angel nodded, "I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Buffy shrugged. "I just wish people would stop trying to
protect me from things like this."
"Point taken and understood," Angel said with a smile.
"Good," Buffy said, taking his hand again.
"Still, you shouldn't be here," Angel said with a frown. "What if
Spike comes back?"
"You seriously think I'm leaving you, helpless to defend yourself
against him?" Buffy asked quizzically. "Does the phrase 'when hell
freezes over' mean anything to you?"
Angel laughed, which dissolved into a long coughing fit. Buffy put
her arm around his shoulders, helping him sit up. It finally passed,
and he slumped against her tiredly.
"How do you feel?" she asked, brushing the hair back from his
forehead.
"Strange. I haven't been sick since... I was alive."
"Yeah, bet you don't miss that," she said.
"I'm burning up," Angel said.
She nodded, and helped him sit back against the headboard. She then
went to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth. She brought it back and
pressed it to his face. "Better?" she asked.
"Much," Angel said with a sigh, closing his eyes.
"Angel?" Buffy asked, but he didn't reply and she guessed he'd passed
out. He was still breathing heavily, but she found the sight
strangely comforting. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to tell if he
was still with her or not.
********************
Giles' house
Midnight
Xander ran all the way to Giles' apartment, and entered without
knocking. The distressed look on Giles' face reminded him that he had
Angel's dried blood on his shirt.
"Angel's hurt," he panted, trying to find his breath again. " Arrow
was poisoned. We need..." He had to stop to catch his breath.
"Call Willow," Giles suggested. "She can analyze it."
Xander nodded, and walked over to the phone, dialing the
number. "Will? Sorry to call so late, but I need you to meet me at
the school chemlab. We've got something for you to analyze. Thanks,
I'll explain when I get there."
"Where's Buffy?" Giles asked.
"Mansion. He's in bad shape," Xander replied.
"You go meet Willow, I'll go to the Mansion and stay with Buffy,"
Giles said. "Xander, are you okay?"
"I'll live," Xander shrugged.
Giles looked at him for a moment, before nodding. He guessed that any
physical pain Xander was feeling was secondary to the emotional. He
knew it wouldn't be easy for the boy to see his girlfriend worrying
about her ex.
"Giles, could you stop at the bloodbank on your way over there?"
Xander asked. "We're thinking human blood will go farther in healing
Angel than anything else."
"Of course," Giles replied. "And Xander, be careful. I can't help
feeling that Spike is enjoying seeing us all split up around town
like this."
"Got it," Xander nodded, before leaving again.
*************
Buffy looked in dread at Angel, leaning unconscious against her. She
wondered idly if that was the correct term. *Are vampires ever not
unconscious?* She then wondered why she was thinking such ridiculous
things when the situation was obviously worse than she'd thought.
"Xan? What is he keeping from me?" Buffy asked, looking up at him.
"The arrow was poisoned," Xander replied. "He didn't want you to
worry, because it won't kill him. He doesn't know of a poison that
can."
"I hope he's right" Buffy said. "Help me get him to his bed?" Xander
nodded, and between the two of them, they carried/dragged Angel to
his room, putting him in bed.
Buffy stood back, watching Angel. He was moaning now, and breathing
heavily. He was obviously suffering, and it hurt her to see it. She
looked over at Xander, then, and could tell that he wasn't enjoying
seeing her distress over Angel's situation. She hoped that he could
deal with it long enough for them to get Angel well. Then they'd
talk, and sort things out.
"He'll be okay," Xander tried to comfort her, laying a hand on her
arm.
Buffy nodded, still watching Angel. "He has to be. Xan--"
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Xander said, kissing her on the
cheek tenderly. "You need to take care of Angel, I understand that.
Would you like to stay here, while I go get Giles?"
"You'd do that?" Buffy turned to him, in surprise.
"Sure, I would," Xander shrugged. "That and get some blood on my way
back."
"Thank you," Buffy said gratefully, hugging him.
"No problem," Xander nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
He then left, heading toward Giles' apartment.
Buffy sat next to Angel, "I wish I knew how to help you, Angel. Wake
up and tell me how to help you," she pleaded.
Angel's eyes opened, and he looked over at her. "Buffy?"
"I'm here," she said, taking his hand. "How much do you remember?"
"Just how much I'm gonna kill Spike," Angel muttered.
"Not if I get to him first," Buffy replied with a grin.
"Where's Xander?"
"He went to get Giles," Buffy answered. "We thought maybe he or
Willow could help us figure out what the poison was."
Angel looked at her in surprise. "How--"
"Do you think I'm that stupid?" She questioned angrily.
"That's not what I--"
"No? What do you _think_ it feels like, knowing you'd keep something
like this from me?!" she demanded.
"I didn't want you to worry," Angel replied sadly.
"You don't get a say in the matter, Angel," Buffy said with a
sigh. "Just because we're not together anymore, doesn't mean I don't
care. And because I care, I couldn't not worry about you, don't you
see that?"
Angel nodded, "I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Buffy shrugged. "I just wish people would stop trying to
protect me from things like this."
"Point taken and understood," Angel said with a smile.
"Good," Buffy said, taking his hand again.
"Still, you shouldn't be here," Angel said with a frown. "What if
Spike comes back?"
"You seriously think I'm leaving you, helpless to defend yourself
against him?" Buffy asked quizzically. "Does the phrase 'when hell
freezes over' mean anything to you?"
Angel laughed, which dissolved into a long coughing fit. Buffy put
her arm around his shoulders, helping him sit up. It finally passed,
and he slumped against her tiredly.
"How do you feel?" she asked, brushing the hair back from his
forehead.
"Strange. I haven't been sick since... I was alive."
"Yeah, bet you don't miss that," she said.
"I'm burning up," Angel said.
She nodded, and helped him sit back against the headboard. She then
went to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth. She brought it back and
pressed it to his face. "Better?" she asked.
"Much," Angel said with a sigh, closing his eyes.
"Angel?" Buffy asked, but he didn't reply and she guessed he'd passed
out. He was still breathing heavily, but she found the sight
strangely comforting. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to tell if he
was still with her or not.
********************
Giles' house
Midnight
Xander ran all the way to Giles' apartment, and entered without
knocking. The distressed look on Giles' face reminded him that he had
Angel's dried blood on his shirt.
"Angel's hurt," he panted, trying to find his breath again. " Arrow
was poisoned. We need..." He had to stop to catch his breath.
"Call Willow," Giles suggested. "She can analyze it."
Xander nodded, and walked over to the phone, dialing the
number. "Will? Sorry to call so late, but I need you to meet me at
the school chemlab. We've got something for you to analyze. Thanks,
I'll explain when I get there."
"Where's Buffy?" Giles asked.
"Mansion. He's in bad shape," Xander replied.
"You go meet Willow, I'll go to the Mansion and stay with Buffy,"
Giles said. "Xander, are you okay?"
"I'll live," Xander shrugged.
Giles looked at him for a moment, before nodding. He guessed that any
physical pain Xander was feeling was secondary to the emotional. He
knew it wouldn't be easy for the boy to see his girlfriend worrying
about her ex.
"Giles, could you stop at the bloodbank on your way over there?"
Xander asked. "We're thinking human blood will go farther in healing
Angel than anything else."
"Of course," Giles replied. "And Xander, be careful. I can't help
feeling that Spike is enjoying seeing us all split up around town
like this."
"Got it," Xander nodded, before leaving again.
*************
