Part 41 - Dilemma, Part Two
Buffy fell asleep at some point, her head on Xander's knee.
Xander stayed awake, though, gazing at her, feeling the need to
memorize her every feature. It was eight a.m, which meant, at
best, Angel had two more hours to live if Willow and Oz didn't
find another cure. He was scared to death of that possibility,
feeling that if that happened he was going to lose Buffy forever
and there was nothing he would be able to do to stop it.
Buffy jolted awake suddenly, with a little cry. "Hush, Buffy,
you're okay," Xander soothed her. "You're in the mansion with
me, Giles and Angel."
"The Mansion?" Buffy said in confusion. She finally remembered,
and a cloud fell over her face. "What time is it?"
"Eight," Xander replied.
"Oh, God, only two hours left?" she said, tearfully.
"Or fourteen," Xander pointed out the more optimistic figure.
"There's no way of knowing that," Buffy replied, looking away.
Xander had nothing to say to that, so he remained silent, still
running his fingers through her blond locks. *Willow and Oz will
find another cure.* He tried to convince himself.
He heard footsteps behind himself, and turned to see Willow and
Oz standing there, Willow looking pale and sad. His heart sank
as he felt his hopes dashed instantly. "No, please no," he said.
"I'm so sorry," Willow said tearfully. "If there was another
cure, we'd have found it. We went through the entire library.
Twice." She wished she had better news, knowing that this news
meant this situation couldn't end any way but badly. The only
question which remained was how badly.
"So that's it then, there's nothing else?" Buffy asked, looking
at Willow.
"Slayer's blood is the only known cure," Willow admitted, hating
the look of complete resignation she saw in Buffy's face. "But
you're not thinking about..."
Buffy turned away again, looking into the fireplace. "I don't
know," she said so softly they could barely hear her. "Maybe I
am," she admitted.
"NO!" Giles yelled so loudly she jumped and looked at him. "I
FORBID IT! YOU WILL NOT GIVE YOUR LIFE TO SAVE THE LIFE OF THAT
MURDERER!"
"You forbid it???" Buffy replied, growing angrier by the moment.
"YOU forbid it?!! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO ORDER ME AROUND!"
"I'M YOUR WATCHER!!!!"
"FIRED!!!" Buffy screamed back, getting right into his face.
"You don't have the power to order me around anymore, but you
never did in the first place," she said quietly. "Because.
You're. Not. My. Father." She smirked.
Giles stepped back suddenly as if he'd been hit. "I won't let
you," he said calmly then, and pulled out a stake.
Buffy threw him against the wall and then advanced on him. "You
touch him, and so help me I will kill you," she promised
angrily.
The others stepped in finally, Xander grabbing Buffy by the arms
and pulling her away, and Willow and Oz stepping in between her
and Giles.
"STOP IT!" Willow screamed, tears in her eyes. "DON'T YOU SEE,
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT SPIKE WANTED?! HE KNEW THIS WOULD BE THE
ONLY CURE!" She brushed the tears away, adding, "The only thing
that could tear this little family of ours apart forever."
Buffy slumped back against Xander, saying, "I don't know what to
do...."
"Only you can answer that question," Willow said with a sigh.
"But I think I speak for all of us, when I say that we don't
want you to die. You have too much left to do, Buffy. Who'll
stop the Ascension if you're gone?"
Buffy didn't answer, thinking that the next Slayer would do that
just fine. "I need to speak to Angel, alone," she finally said.
"Oh, now _that's_ a brilliant idea, when he hasn't been coherent
for hours," Giles argued.
"This is important, Giles," Buffy said as civilly as she could
manage. "I think I'll be able to get through to him for long
enough to talk to him."
"I won't leave you alone with him," Giles replied firmly.
"I need you, all of you, to trust me," Buffy pleaded. "I promise
I won't make any major decision before talking to you first."
She looked at Willow, and Oz. They paused before nodding, and
walking out. "Giles, please?" she asked.
Giles sighed, then said, "Very well. Don't prove me wrong in
trusting you," he requested. He looked at her a moment,
hesitating, before walking out of the Mansion.
Buffy then turned to look at Xander, questioningly. "I know I
can trust you," he answered her unspoken question.
"Thank you," she replied with a smile, and kissed him gently.
"You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with," she
whispered in his ear, reminding him of their earlier
conversation.
Xander nodded, and said, "Just... whatever you decide... you can
tell me. You know that, don't you?"
"I do," she said, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly.
"I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"
"Yeah," Xander said, ignoring the screaming voices in the back
of his mind telling him not to leave her alone. If they were to
be anything to each other, they had to trust each other, he knew
that. As hard as it was, he managed to walk out of the Mansion,
and back to his house alone.
***********
Buffy fell asleep at some point, her head on Xander's knee.
Xander stayed awake, though, gazing at her, feeling the need to
memorize her every feature. It was eight a.m, which meant, at
best, Angel had two more hours to live if Willow and Oz didn't
find another cure. He was scared to death of that possibility,
feeling that if that happened he was going to lose Buffy forever
and there was nothing he would be able to do to stop it.
Buffy jolted awake suddenly, with a little cry. "Hush, Buffy,
you're okay," Xander soothed her. "You're in the mansion with
me, Giles and Angel."
"The Mansion?" Buffy said in confusion. She finally remembered,
and a cloud fell over her face. "What time is it?"
"Eight," Xander replied.
"Oh, God, only two hours left?" she said, tearfully.
"Or fourteen," Xander pointed out the more optimistic figure.
"There's no way of knowing that," Buffy replied, looking away.
Xander had nothing to say to that, so he remained silent, still
running his fingers through her blond locks. *Willow and Oz will
find another cure.* He tried to convince himself.
He heard footsteps behind himself, and turned to see Willow and
Oz standing there, Willow looking pale and sad. His heart sank
as he felt his hopes dashed instantly. "No, please no," he said.
"I'm so sorry," Willow said tearfully. "If there was another
cure, we'd have found it. We went through the entire library.
Twice." She wished she had better news, knowing that this news
meant this situation couldn't end any way but badly. The only
question which remained was how badly.
"So that's it then, there's nothing else?" Buffy asked, looking
at Willow.
"Slayer's blood is the only known cure," Willow admitted, hating
the look of complete resignation she saw in Buffy's face. "But
you're not thinking about..."
Buffy turned away again, looking into the fireplace. "I don't
know," she said so softly they could barely hear her. "Maybe I
am," she admitted.
"NO!" Giles yelled so loudly she jumped and looked at him. "I
FORBID IT! YOU WILL NOT GIVE YOUR LIFE TO SAVE THE LIFE OF THAT
MURDERER!"
"You forbid it???" Buffy replied, growing angrier by the moment.
"YOU forbid it?!! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO ORDER ME AROUND!"
"I'M YOUR WATCHER!!!!"
"FIRED!!!" Buffy screamed back, getting right into his face.
"You don't have the power to order me around anymore, but you
never did in the first place," she said quietly. "Because.
You're. Not. My. Father." She smirked.
Giles stepped back suddenly as if he'd been hit. "I won't let
you," he said calmly then, and pulled out a stake.
Buffy threw him against the wall and then advanced on him. "You
touch him, and so help me I will kill you," she promised
angrily.
The others stepped in finally, Xander grabbing Buffy by the arms
and pulling her away, and Willow and Oz stepping in between her
and Giles.
"STOP IT!" Willow screamed, tears in her eyes. "DON'T YOU SEE,
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT SPIKE WANTED?! HE KNEW THIS WOULD BE THE
ONLY CURE!" She brushed the tears away, adding, "The only thing
that could tear this little family of ours apart forever."
Buffy slumped back against Xander, saying, "I don't know what to
do...."
"Only you can answer that question," Willow said with a sigh.
"But I think I speak for all of us, when I say that we don't
want you to die. You have too much left to do, Buffy. Who'll
stop the Ascension if you're gone?"
Buffy didn't answer, thinking that the next Slayer would do that
just fine. "I need to speak to Angel, alone," she finally said.
"Oh, now _that's_ a brilliant idea, when he hasn't been coherent
for hours," Giles argued.
"This is important, Giles," Buffy said as civilly as she could
manage. "I think I'll be able to get through to him for long
enough to talk to him."
"I won't leave you alone with him," Giles replied firmly.
"I need you, all of you, to trust me," Buffy pleaded. "I promise
I won't make any major decision before talking to you first."
She looked at Willow, and Oz. They paused before nodding, and
walking out. "Giles, please?" she asked.
Giles sighed, then said, "Very well. Don't prove me wrong in
trusting you," he requested. He looked at her a moment,
hesitating, before walking out of the Mansion.
Buffy then turned to look at Xander, questioningly. "I know I
can trust you," he answered her unspoken question.
"Thank you," she replied with a smile, and kissed him gently.
"You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with," she
whispered in his ear, reminding him of their earlier
conversation.
Xander nodded, and said, "Just... whatever you decide... you can
tell me. You know that, don't you?"
"I do," she said, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly.
"I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"
"Yeah," Xander said, ignoring the screaming voices in the back
of his mind telling him not to leave her alone. If they were to
be anything to each other, they had to trust each other, he knew
that. As hard as it was, he managed to walk out of the Mansion,
and back to his house alone.
***********
