Part 14:
"Soooo…any creepy nasties we should be worrying about?" Xander looked at Buffy who was off in dream world.
"Hmm?"
"Earth to the Buffster! Earth to the Buffster! I SAID: any nasties we should be worried about?"
"Oh! No. I guess we should be worrying about that though, huh?" Buffy woke from her trance, her fingers still playing with her cross. Willow looked at her strangely, noticing that Buffy had started wearing that cross again, the cross that she had vowed never to wear again.
"Where's Riley? I thought he'd be here." Willow watched as a flicker of pain crossed her face.
"He, ah, is out of town for the rest of the week."
"Oh, okay." Willow nodded but the look on her face told a different story.
Giles and Claire watched the conversation with amusement, knowing exactly why Riley wasn't there and why Buffy was wearing Angel's cross. Well, having a pretty good idea anyway.
"Oh damn!" Everyone jumped when Xander let out this little outburst, all being so engrossed in their own thoughts. "You have school tomorrow don't you?"
Tara, Willow and Buffy all nodded their heads.
"Great! Another boring week." Xander looked so glum that Buffy decided to change the subject.
"Any ideas on what kind of demon we're up against yet Giles?"
Giles jumped, confused, thinking he had missed part of the conversation. "Ah, the demon, yes…what demon would that be?" He asked sheepishly.
"Claire's demon. You know, big ugly stalking guy?" Buffy gave Giles a weird look. "The one you saw the other night when Claire stayed here."
"Oh! THAT demon! Yes, of course. I think it might be a, umm, Certius demon."
"Got any info. on it?"
"Ah, well, I know there is a book on it somewhere here, I just haven't found it."
Hearing that Xander groaned and headed towards Giles' bookshelves along with Tara while Willow headed to the computer. Buffy watched them for a few minutes then stood up.
"Well while you guys go into complete study mode, I'm gonna head off for patrol. I'll at the graveyard if you're after me."
With that she left the room awfully quick, something Xander commented on straight away.
"Maybe she just wants to get this demon thingy." Tara said, her eyes not leaving the book she was searching.
"Maybe. She's been acting really weird lately though, don't you reckon?"
Giles and Claire chucked each other a look and thought the same thought at the same time.
"Umm, I forgot to tell Buffy something important about this demon that I remember reading. Can you carry on here until I get back?"
"Sure thing Giles." Willow replied. "Hurry back though, or Xander will start to raid your fridge like he did last time."
The ex-Watcher chucked Xander a look. "He better not if he knows what's good for him." Xander grinned sheepishly and Giles left, hurrying after Buffy.
Claire waited around a few minutes before yawning and glancing upstairs.
"Gosh! I'm really tired. I went to bed really late last night, waiting to see if Buffy had killed the demon. Do you guys mind if I take a nap upstairs?"
Willow looked at Claire sympathetically. "Sure, go ahead. You don't really know what to look for anyway hey?"
Claire gave Willow a grateful look, grabbed the bag she had bought with her and headed up the stairs.
"See you guys later."
"Night Claire!" The others chorused, their eyes not leaving their books (or in Willow's case screen).
Reaching the top of the stairs, Claire headed, not for the bedroom, but for the window at the end of the hall. Opening it, she chucked her bag out first then climbed out, using the branches of the tree there for steps.
****
"Come on Angel! Where are you?" Buffy muttered under her breath. She had been waiting for at least half an hour, walking around the graveyard mindlessly. She staked a few vamps here and there but that was about it.
She sat down on a gravestone, swinging her legs, her mind wandering again to the many memories she shared with Angel.
"You're doing it again."
Buffy jumped, but didn't turn around, knowing exactly who was there.
"Ever think I was doing it on purpose?"
"You don't know that I wasn't just some vampire hanging around, waiting for the Slayer."
Buffy smiled cheekily as she turned to face Angel. "You are."
Angel pretended to be hurt. "Just some vampire am I?"
"No…you're my vampire!" Buffy leaned forward to kiss Angel, something she had wanted to do in a long time. She could feel the passion between them, their time apart hadn't changed that at all. But to her surprise Angel pulled away.
"Buffy, we can't…I mean, what about Riley?"
"He's gone Angel. We ended it last night. Well actually, he did."
"Buffy, I'm sorry."
"I'm not."
"In that case…" Angel leaned forward to kiss his one true love, the love he had been denied for so long. In just that one kiss, memories came rushing back and they stood there for only God knows how long, both just enjoying the closeness of the one they love.
Hidden in separate bushes, both Claire and Giles watched this exchange with tears threatening to spill forward. Giles for the fact his Slayer, his Buffy, was finally truly happy again and Claire because she could feel the love her parents had for each other and knew that she was the product of the love. She watched as Buffy and Angel pulled apart and Angel took Buffy in his strong arms.
"Buffy?"
"Hmm?"
"I have something for you."
"What?" Buffy turned around to face Angel and gasped when she saw what he held on the palm of his hand. He gently picked up her hand and slipped the cool metal ring around her finger, heart facing inwards. He looked deep into her eyes, asking a question that brought back a flood of memories for both of them.
"Still my girl?"
Buffy smiled, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
"Always."
****
Claire sighed, knowing at last that her job was done. She looked across at Giles hiding in the bushes, tears flowing down his cheeks. She closed her eyes, waiting to be pulled away, her whisper barely audible.
"See you soon Mum and Dad. And nice meeting you…Giles."
She felt a tug and slowly everything began to go black. But there was something she heard before darkness blanketed her…
"Well done Claire…"
THE END!
"Soooo…any creepy nasties we should be worrying about?" Xander looked at Buffy who was off in dream world.
"Hmm?"
"Earth to the Buffster! Earth to the Buffster! I SAID: any nasties we should be worried about?"
"Oh! No. I guess we should be worrying about that though, huh?" Buffy woke from her trance, her fingers still playing with her cross. Willow looked at her strangely, noticing that Buffy had started wearing that cross again, the cross that she had vowed never to wear again.
"Where's Riley? I thought he'd be here." Willow watched as a flicker of pain crossed her face.
"He, ah, is out of town for the rest of the week."
"Oh, okay." Willow nodded but the look on her face told a different story.
Giles and Claire watched the conversation with amusement, knowing exactly why Riley wasn't there and why Buffy was wearing Angel's cross. Well, having a pretty good idea anyway.
"Oh damn!" Everyone jumped when Xander let out this little outburst, all being so engrossed in their own thoughts. "You have school tomorrow don't you?"
Tara, Willow and Buffy all nodded their heads.
"Great! Another boring week." Xander looked so glum that Buffy decided to change the subject.
"Any ideas on what kind of demon we're up against yet Giles?"
Giles jumped, confused, thinking he had missed part of the conversation. "Ah, the demon, yes…what demon would that be?" He asked sheepishly.
"Claire's demon. You know, big ugly stalking guy?" Buffy gave Giles a weird look. "The one you saw the other night when Claire stayed here."
"Oh! THAT demon! Yes, of course. I think it might be a, umm, Certius demon."
"Got any info. on it?"
"Ah, well, I know there is a book on it somewhere here, I just haven't found it."
Hearing that Xander groaned and headed towards Giles' bookshelves along with Tara while Willow headed to the computer. Buffy watched them for a few minutes then stood up.
"Well while you guys go into complete study mode, I'm gonna head off for patrol. I'll at the graveyard if you're after me."
With that she left the room awfully quick, something Xander commented on straight away.
"Maybe she just wants to get this demon thingy." Tara said, her eyes not leaving the book she was searching.
"Maybe. She's been acting really weird lately though, don't you reckon?"
Giles and Claire chucked each other a look and thought the same thought at the same time.
"Umm, I forgot to tell Buffy something important about this demon that I remember reading. Can you carry on here until I get back?"
"Sure thing Giles." Willow replied. "Hurry back though, or Xander will start to raid your fridge like he did last time."
The ex-Watcher chucked Xander a look. "He better not if he knows what's good for him." Xander grinned sheepishly and Giles left, hurrying after Buffy.
Claire waited around a few minutes before yawning and glancing upstairs.
"Gosh! I'm really tired. I went to bed really late last night, waiting to see if Buffy had killed the demon. Do you guys mind if I take a nap upstairs?"
Willow looked at Claire sympathetically. "Sure, go ahead. You don't really know what to look for anyway hey?"
Claire gave Willow a grateful look, grabbed the bag she had bought with her and headed up the stairs.
"See you guys later."
"Night Claire!" The others chorused, their eyes not leaving their books (or in Willow's case screen).
Reaching the top of the stairs, Claire headed, not for the bedroom, but for the window at the end of the hall. Opening it, she chucked her bag out first then climbed out, using the branches of the tree there for steps.
****
"Come on Angel! Where are you?" Buffy muttered under her breath. She had been waiting for at least half an hour, walking around the graveyard mindlessly. She staked a few vamps here and there but that was about it.
She sat down on a gravestone, swinging her legs, her mind wandering again to the many memories she shared with Angel.
"You're doing it again."
Buffy jumped, but didn't turn around, knowing exactly who was there.
"Ever think I was doing it on purpose?"
"You don't know that I wasn't just some vampire hanging around, waiting for the Slayer."
Buffy smiled cheekily as she turned to face Angel. "You are."
Angel pretended to be hurt. "Just some vampire am I?"
"No…you're my vampire!" Buffy leaned forward to kiss Angel, something she had wanted to do in a long time. She could feel the passion between them, their time apart hadn't changed that at all. But to her surprise Angel pulled away.
"Buffy, we can't…I mean, what about Riley?"
"He's gone Angel. We ended it last night. Well actually, he did."
"Buffy, I'm sorry."
"I'm not."
"In that case…" Angel leaned forward to kiss his one true love, the love he had been denied for so long. In just that one kiss, memories came rushing back and they stood there for only God knows how long, both just enjoying the closeness of the one they love.
Hidden in separate bushes, both Claire and Giles watched this exchange with tears threatening to spill forward. Giles for the fact his Slayer, his Buffy, was finally truly happy again and Claire because she could feel the love her parents had for each other and knew that she was the product of the love. She watched as Buffy and Angel pulled apart and Angel took Buffy in his strong arms.
"Buffy?"
"Hmm?"
"I have something for you."
"What?" Buffy turned around to face Angel and gasped when she saw what he held on the palm of his hand. He gently picked up her hand and slipped the cool metal ring around her finger, heart facing inwards. He looked deep into her eyes, asking a question that brought back a flood of memories for both of them.
"Still my girl?"
Buffy smiled, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
"Always."
****
Claire sighed, knowing at last that her job was done. She looked across at Giles hiding in the bushes, tears flowing down his cheeks. She closed her eyes, waiting to be pulled away, her whisper barely audible.
"See you soon Mum and Dad. And nice meeting you…Giles."
She felt a tug and slowly everything began to go black. But there was something she heard before darkness blanketed her…
"Well done Claire…"
THE END!