Buffy ran all the way to the cemetery. She was as mad as hell and tears of rage cascaded down her cheeks. She was angry not only at Anya but at herself. Not to mention Xander.
*He always has to stick up for her* she thought, and angrily kicked a stone, sending it spiralling through the air. *Why did she have to come back anyway.*
"Why can't you all just leave me alone" she yelled into the night. She stormed through the graveyard hoping to find something to take her anger out on. She cursed to herself as she walked.
"Poor little Anya, so fucking defenseless." Then, starting to imitate her..."Xander, help me...my problems have escalated so I thought I'd throw myself at you in the hope that you and your friends could become monster food instead..."
Her tirade was interrupted by the sound of someone clapping.
"Slayer, I'm impressed...such a convincing performance" the figure said.
"And who the hell are you?" she demanded, spinning to face the voice. "No don't tell me...you're death", she said sarcastically.
The demon before her was faceless. That was to say his head was basically skinless, the bone like a mask on his visage. The rest of his body was almost normal, apart from the fact that his skin was an ashen grey color. He was wearing a black cape with a hood and looked like some kind of ancient druid, except he had two bone-like protrusions coming from his head, which looked to Buffy an awful lot like horns. By no means defenseless, in his hand he held a scythe...which looked awfully sharp.
"Can't you guys ever be creative...I mean talk about horror movie stereotype. Please! Always with the black, why not spice it up...like a nice floral pattern for example, or..."
"SILENCE" the creature yelled. "I am from the 'Diables de Mort' and have been sent to give you a message from my master."
"If you mean Bricklayer, or whatever his name is, tell him to give it to me himself. Or better yet, take it up with Anya...I'm sure she'd luuuuv to hear from you!"
The creature looked enraged, but still he didn't attack.
Buffy was slightly confused by this tactic. "Look...are we going to fight or are you just going to talk me to death?...'cause frankly...one cryptic guy in my life was enough!"
That did it. The creature ran at her full speed. Buffy got out of his path at the last minute, spinning and delivering a well timed kick to his chest area. He sprawled backwards, but quickly regained his feet. This time he tried to attack with his scythe. She dodged his blow and, grabbing a tree branch, used her uneven bars gymnastics training to launch herself through the air kicking at the arm that held the scythe. Her foot connected with his elbow, and he dropped the scythe, but not before her thigh connected with one of his bony horns and tore a large gash in her flesh.
She ignored her pain and, while he was momentarily disoriented, she took the opportunity to deliver the final blow, driving a stake through his heart.
"And by the power of his hand you shall both die...you...have...been...warned" he managed to get out before his body dissolved and all that was left was a puddle of black blood which slowly seeped into the ground.
Buffy stood up and dusted herself off. "Damn, why can't anything go my way," she said as she examined her thigh, which was almost as painful as her arm which was still throbbing in protest from the night's activities.
Her anger had subsided and all that remained was an empty feeling. The feeling that she had lost everything, and that nothing would be the same again.
A tear trickled from the corner of her eye and rolled down her face. *Why do I have to be so damn impulsive* she berated herself. She turned her thoughts back to the scene at the library. *It isn't really Anya's fault...so why am I behaving like this? I can't just desert her...what was I thinking?* She was confused by all these thoughts running through her head. The emotions of the day's events overcame her and she started sobbing as she ran the whole way home, trying to escape the confusion of her thoughts.
********************
Xander was walking Anya home. He had been silent the whole way, which was unusual for him.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
"Huh?..Oh yeah...hey, shouldn't it be me asking you that question!"
"Oh, I'm fine..." she looked at him again, "look, are you sure you're ok?"
He just nodded. Anya figured she may as well just come out with it.
"You thinking about Buffy?"
That grabbed his attention. "No I wasn't", he replied defensively.
Anya raised her eyebrows. "Well, so maybe I was. I mean, I just don't understand what's gotten into her lately."
"I think it's me." Anya thought out loud.
"No, don't say that Anya. Whatever problems she has with you, she just has to deal".
Anya just looked at him in amazement. "Wow Xander, thanks, I don't know what I'd do without you."
He pulled her into his embrace and as they parted their eyes connected. Anya leaned in and pressed her lips against his. He responded, kissing her back until something inside him clicked and he backed out of her embrace.
"Anya, I'm sorry...I can't do this."
Anya looked up at him and saw the sadness and confusion in his eyes. He didn't want to hurt her.
"You love her don't you" she stated simply.
"Who?"
"Buffy"
Xander bowed his head. "I'm sorry."
She reached out her hand and tilted his head back up to face her. "Don't be...If it's meant to be.."
"No, you see, that's just it...it's obviously not meant to be."
"What do you mean?"
"Buffy doesn't feel the same way", he mumbled, the thought depressing him further, while angering him that he still cared about her so much.
Anya looked at him questioningly. *Can't he see her jealousy*, she thought.
"Xander, I don't know what to say, I mean Buffy..."
"No Anya. It's pointless. She loved Angel, and even though he's not around anymore she still doesn't see me as anything but her 'Xander shaped friend', if even that." His despair turned to anger.
"And you know what Anya. It hurts. It hurts that while I have to accept dead-boy, she can't even accept you as my friend".
Anya put a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be ok, Xander. It'll all work out."
He looked at her gratefully. "Oh Anya, how can you be so calm when all of this is going on."
Anya smiled at him. "Years of practice, I guess...and boy do I mean years!"
Xander laughed. "Thanks Anya."
"For what?" she smiled at him. "All in a day's work!"
"Since when?"
"Let's just say, becoming human has its drawbacks!"
Xander punched her playfully.
Anya put up her hands in surrender..."just kidding...I'm totally kidding!"
They embraced again before the two of them continued their trek home.
*He always has to stick up for her* she thought, and angrily kicked a stone, sending it spiralling through the air. *Why did she have to come back anyway.*
"Why can't you all just leave me alone" she yelled into the night. She stormed through the graveyard hoping to find something to take her anger out on. She cursed to herself as she walked.
"Poor little Anya, so fucking defenseless." Then, starting to imitate her..."Xander, help me...my problems have escalated so I thought I'd throw myself at you in the hope that you and your friends could become monster food instead..."
Her tirade was interrupted by the sound of someone clapping.
"Slayer, I'm impressed...such a convincing performance" the figure said.
"And who the hell are you?" she demanded, spinning to face the voice. "No don't tell me...you're death", she said sarcastically.
The demon before her was faceless. That was to say his head was basically skinless, the bone like a mask on his visage. The rest of his body was almost normal, apart from the fact that his skin was an ashen grey color. He was wearing a black cape with a hood and looked like some kind of ancient druid, except he had two bone-like protrusions coming from his head, which looked to Buffy an awful lot like horns. By no means defenseless, in his hand he held a scythe...which looked awfully sharp.
"Can't you guys ever be creative...I mean talk about horror movie stereotype. Please! Always with the black, why not spice it up...like a nice floral pattern for example, or..."
"SILENCE" the creature yelled. "I am from the 'Diables de Mort' and have been sent to give you a message from my master."
"If you mean Bricklayer, or whatever his name is, tell him to give it to me himself. Or better yet, take it up with Anya...I'm sure she'd luuuuv to hear from you!"
The creature looked enraged, but still he didn't attack.
Buffy was slightly confused by this tactic. "Look...are we going to fight or are you just going to talk me to death?...'cause frankly...one cryptic guy in my life was enough!"
That did it. The creature ran at her full speed. Buffy got out of his path at the last minute, spinning and delivering a well timed kick to his chest area. He sprawled backwards, but quickly regained his feet. This time he tried to attack with his scythe. She dodged his blow and, grabbing a tree branch, used her uneven bars gymnastics training to launch herself through the air kicking at the arm that held the scythe. Her foot connected with his elbow, and he dropped the scythe, but not before her thigh connected with one of his bony horns and tore a large gash in her flesh.
She ignored her pain and, while he was momentarily disoriented, she took the opportunity to deliver the final blow, driving a stake through his heart.
"And by the power of his hand you shall both die...you...have...been...warned" he managed to get out before his body dissolved and all that was left was a puddle of black blood which slowly seeped into the ground.
Buffy stood up and dusted herself off. "Damn, why can't anything go my way," she said as she examined her thigh, which was almost as painful as her arm which was still throbbing in protest from the night's activities.
Her anger had subsided and all that remained was an empty feeling. The feeling that she had lost everything, and that nothing would be the same again.
A tear trickled from the corner of her eye and rolled down her face. *Why do I have to be so damn impulsive* she berated herself. She turned her thoughts back to the scene at the library. *It isn't really Anya's fault...so why am I behaving like this? I can't just desert her...what was I thinking?* She was confused by all these thoughts running through her head. The emotions of the day's events overcame her and she started sobbing as she ran the whole way home, trying to escape the confusion of her thoughts.
********************
Xander was walking Anya home. He had been silent the whole way, which was unusual for him.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
"Huh?..Oh yeah...hey, shouldn't it be me asking you that question!"
"Oh, I'm fine..." she looked at him again, "look, are you sure you're ok?"
He just nodded. Anya figured she may as well just come out with it.
"You thinking about Buffy?"
That grabbed his attention. "No I wasn't", he replied defensively.
Anya raised her eyebrows. "Well, so maybe I was. I mean, I just don't understand what's gotten into her lately."
"I think it's me." Anya thought out loud.
"No, don't say that Anya. Whatever problems she has with you, she just has to deal".
Anya just looked at him in amazement. "Wow Xander, thanks, I don't know what I'd do without you."
He pulled her into his embrace and as they parted their eyes connected. Anya leaned in and pressed her lips against his. He responded, kissing her back until something inside him clicked and he backed out of her embrace.
"Anya, I'm sorry...I can't do this."
Anya looked up at him and saw the sadness and confusion in his eyes. He didn't want to hurt her.
"You love her don't you" she stated simply.
"Who?"
"Buffy"
Xander bowed his head. "I'm sorry."
She reached out her hand and tilted his head back up to face her. "Don't be...If it's meant to be.."
"No, you see, that's just it...it's obviously not meant to be."
"What do you mean?"
"Buffy doesn't feel the same way", he mumbled, the thought depressing him further, while angering him that he still cared about her so much.
Anya looked at him questioningly. *Can't he see her jealousy*, she thought.
"Xander, I don't know what to say, I mean Buffy..."
"No Anya. It's pointless. She loved Angel, and even though he's not around anymore she still doesn't see me as anything but her 'Xander shaped friend', if even that." His despair turned to anger.
"And you know what Anya. It hurts. It hurts that while I have to accept dead-boy, she can't even accept you as my friend".
Anya put a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be ok, Xander. It'll all work out."
He looked at her gratefully. "Oh Anya, how can you be so calm when all of this is going on."
Anya smiled at him. "Years of practice, I guess...and boy do I mean years!"
Xander laughed. "Thanks Anya."
"For what?" she smiled at him. "All in a day's work!"
"Since when?"
"Let's just say, becoming human has its drawbacks!"
Xander punched her playfully.
Anya put up her hands in surrender..."just kidding...I'm totally kidding!"
They embraced again before the two of them continued their trek home.
