What You Are (Part 2/?)
AUTHOR: Rebecca Parker
EMAIL: Buffonian@aol.com
RATING: PG
SPOILERS: Seasons 1-4
FEEDBACK: Of course! I slacked off on writing this part so I'll need lots of
warm, gooey, ooey feedback to make me not make the same mistake again!
DISTRIBUTION: FINNatics, of course. All others please ask.
DISCLAIMER: Joss owns all. I own nothing but these two brain cells floating
around.
DEDICATION: To Emmy, my evil twin. To Jen, my fearless leader. To Jodi, my
compadre in smut and confusion over the male species, to Ben, my source of
confusion over the male species, and to Caro, the gal who needs to get her
talented ass to IRC more often!
NOTE: I know this part is short, but I wanted to get it out at lunchtime.
Cross your fingers…if it's not too busy for the rest of the day, maybe I'll
have the next part out when I get home tonight!


"What do they mean, she's gone?" Xander asked, pacing the living room of
Giles' apartment for the tenth time. "She was really bad, Giles. I didn't
think she was going to make it."
"Yes, well apparently a tall blonde man in his 20's carried her out," Giles
said, wiping his glasses clean.
"OK so it's either Riley or Brad Pitt, and since Pitt's honeymooning in Oahu
with Aniston…"
"Yes, it's obviously Riley, but I don't understand why."
"Will she be OK?" Willow asked, her nervous hands clasped together with
Tara's. "How did the doctor say she was before he took her?"
"That's the odd part," Giles said, sighing. "They wouldn't tell me."
"Because you're not family?" Tara asked?
"But they told Giles before," Xander answered. "He got the full update.
Unless their policy changed in the last half hour or so, something fishy is
going on." "Xander, that doesn't have to be true," Willow said, her
shaking voice contradicting her words. "They could have…realized the error
of their ways. Giles isn't family…"
"Yes. I am," Giles interrupted, a stern look on his face.
"I know. I'm sorry. I just…when I think of what could be going on…Giles,
what if Riley has another chip inside him? Don't the Army people usually have
a contingency plan?"
"The chip so nice they installed it twice?"
"I'm not kidding, Xander," Willow said, getting to her feet and breaking
contact with Tara. "They could have activated it and he's taken Buffy to be
made into a new breed of Adams or something!"
"Willow," Giles said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I don't
believe that to be a possibility. Riley went through extensive X-rays and
nothing was found. Not to mention all my sources tell me the Initiative has
closed down for good. It was quite an embarrassment for the government and
it's all very 'hush-hush' now. I don't see them bringing the project back
to life, if you'll pardon my pun."
"Then what's going on?" Willow asked, frowning. "Why would Riley take
Buffy from the hospital when she was in such critical condition? And why
won't they tell us how she is?"
"I don't know," Giles said, exasperated. "But you can be damn sure I'm
going to find out."

*****

"Riley?" Buffy called out, her voice weak and distant. She stirred in
his arms, bracing for the pain that she was sure would come, but didn't.
"What's going on?" she asked, opening her eyes and blurring viewing her
boyfriend above her.
"Shh," Riley said, his hand reaching down and softly brushing against
her soft skin. "You don't have to speak if you don't feel up to it."
Buffy looked around, everything more in focus now as she shook off the
last remnants of the sleep that had somehow overtaken her. "Where are we?
What happened? Last I remember, I was…there were too many…"
"I know," Riley said, fighting back the choking feeling in his throat as
he remembered first seeing her in the hospital only an hour or so before, her
body covered in blood. "Are you ok tho? How do you feel?"
"I feel," Buffy said, moving out of the comfort of Riley's arms, "I
feel fine. I feel like I did when…when I died by the Master. Stronger," she
said, her voice shaking. "Did I die? What happened? I know I was hurt but I
don't have a bruise on me. I don't understand."
Riley frowned, pulling Buffy back into his arms. "You were hurt pretty
badly. You had bites all over you Buffy. I won't lie…it didn't look good.
But somehow, and I don't understand how, but somehow you healed yourself."
"How long was I gone for? If I've healed already its been..days?"
"No," Riley said, quietly.
"Months?" she asked. "It can't have been months. I can't have lost all
that time," she said, her voice shaking with fear.
"It wasn't months."
"What…what are you telling me?" she asked, grasping his hand firmly.
"You healed…almost instantaneously. It was less than an hour, I think,"
Riley said, looking into her eyes with automatically clouded over with
confusion.
"That's not possible," Buffy said, grabbing hold of Riley's wrist and
glancing at his watch. "8:30. I went on patrol at 7," she said, her voice
unbelieving. "I don't understand. This is the same day?"
"The very same," he said, running his fingers through his blond hair,
his confusion as frustrating as her own.
"What am I doing here? Why aren't I in the hospital?"
"I…I took you out of there. Buffy, they were just as surprised as you
are that you healed so quickly. They wanted to do tests…"
"Tests? Like boy in a bubble type tests?"
"I don't know and that's why I took you out of there. I know that this
must have something to do with your slayer powers so I got you out of there
and brought you back to my room." Buffy stood up, pacing the length of his
room, a million thoughts careening inside her head, trying to understand what
was going on. "Not to sound predictable but…"
"This is a job for Giles?"
"I am predictable, huh?"
"Only on this issue. On all others, as proved tonight, I don't think
I'll ever be able to figure you out, Buffy Summers."
Buffy frowned. "I don't want to be a mystery to you, Riley," she said,
her voice shaky.
"Hey," Riley said, taking her chin in his hand. "I like a little mystery
every now and then. And I'd love you no matter what. You do know that,
right?"
Buffy nodded, her eyes teary from a million different emotions at once.
"I know, Riley. You know I feel the same way. I just…I'm scared. I'm scared
that I don't know who or what I am anymore."
"Listen, we'll talk to Giles and we'll find out what's going on, ok?"
"Ok," she said, nodding. "Let's go."


To be continued…