Part 2/?
Liam starred in shock at the recently catonic Buffy, who sat up slowly in the hospital bed.
'She called me Angel. Only people who know me call me that.'
"Angel?" She asked again, pulling Liam back into reality.
"No, Liam." He corrected. "Dr. O'Connor."
"No, you're Angel!" She screamed in frustration.
"People call me Angel." He offered.
"Really? I'm not crazy?" She asked, looking hopeful.
"No, you're not." He assured her. She sat quietly. Angel attempted to stand, but she pulled him back down.
"Stay." She commanded.
"I was just going to get your mother." He said, but sat down upon her wishes.
"You left me before, you're not leaving again." She said, holding his hand tightly.
Angel nodded, knowing he must remind her of someone in her mind. "Buffy. I'm Dr. Liam O'Connor, you don't know me. Whatever is in your mind, it's not real. You have to understand. It's just made up."
"No!" She cried out. A nurse rushed in and looked shocked. She quickly bustled out of the room to tell Buffy's mother and father.
Joyce came running into the hospital room and grasped Buffy, who hadn't let go of Angel. "Buffy." She breathed. "I knew you'd come back." Tears rolled down the elder Summers' face. Hank stood to the side. After Joyce finally let go of Buffy, he gave her a quick hug. Hank had never been much for words or emotions.
"Mom." Buffy managed to whisper.
"Are you back, Buffy, for good?" Joyce asked, as the tears began to slow.
Buffy thought about it for a moment. She looked left towards Angel, who smiled gently, and then to her mother again. "Yes." Tears came fast, and she roughly wiped them away.
"Will you get rid of those horrible people in your mind?" Joyce asked, grasping her other hand.
Buffy thought again for a moment. She wanted to stay here. Here, was Angel, and her mother, and her father. Back in Sunnydale was only hurt and pain, and Spike. "Yes."
"Oh thank God!" Joyce cried, as she reached for Buffy again. They shared a heart-felt hug, and Hank joined in. Angel managed to remove his hand from Buffy's, and quietly exited.
'She knew me. How? It makes no sense. I can't push, but I have to find out who she thinks I am.'
Angel, as his family and friends, and now Buffy, called him, had always wanted to be a doctor. He specialized in schizophrenia, and psychology. He'd grown up in a loving family, but had always managed to screw things up. Before he was even old enough to drink, he'd be at a bar getting drunk with all his football buddies. Things had come crashing down upon him when his father kicked him out of the house. He had lived on the streets in New York, and had finally come to terms with the rest of his family after his father died. He's managed to finish high school, and go on to college, putting everything behind him. But, now, he could still remember the feeling of hating his father, and it being returned. Angel shook his head, not wanting to reopen painful wounds by thinking about them. The important thing was that Buffy knew him. She knew him in her mind, and he had to find out why, and how.
*
After Joyce and Hank left the room, Buffy sat quietly.
'I've sacrificed everything. I can't go back, ever. Angel's here, but he acts as if he doesn't even know me. Why? I love him with all my heart. Why is he here and not in L.A? I can't understand it. My mind is so full of things.' A knock on the door brought Buffy out of her thoughts.
"Come in." She called.
"Buffy." Angel greeted.
"Angel. I know you must think I'm crazy, but I know you. You know me. I love you. And you used to love me." She spilled.
"Buffy, shh, calm down. That was all in your mind. You're here now, this is real. You're in the real world." Angel sighed; he didn't want to break her heart by telling her he didn't know her, or that he didn't love her. But he had to. "Before this morning, I had no idea who you were. The nurse assigned me to your case this morning."
"My case?" Buffy flared. "I don't have a case. I'm perfectly sane! It's you who're crazy! Can't you see, I love you? Angel, we saved the world together. You can't just forget that overnight!" She curled up into a tight ball, and hugged her knees to her chest. "I love you." She whimpered. Tears streamed down her cheek, for not the first time that day.
"I'm sorry," Angel sighed again. "I didn't mean you're *case.* I meant that you have a file, that tells what happened to you." Angel stammered, this really wasn't going well.
"My file! It tells what happened! I *know* what happened. I'm the Slayer, yet I chose to live in this alternate reality. For you! You're my soul mate. I *love* you. I've only ever loved you." The tears came heavily, and he couldn't help but let her lean against his shoulder.
"Buffy, how can I make you understand? I'm not someone from you mind. I've lived here forever, you, you've been in and out of this reality, and you've latched onto people in you mind." He argued with her, knowing he'd get no farther.
"What makes you think this is the real world? How do you know that you're not supposed to be some where else? How do you know anything?" She asked quietly.
"I suppose I don't." He caved in, as he placed a firm hand on her back. Slowly, and gently, he rubbed her back as she continued to cry.
"That's what I thought." She smiled for the first time. "You never really know. Never."
"But, if I never really know, how do I know this isn't where I'm supposed to be?" Angel countered, hoping to make her forget about the made up people in her mind.
"I never really thought about that." She confessed. "But, I suppose, I'm supposed to be where I am, where I am, and that would be here." She said, confusing herself in the process.
"Good. You're making improvement." Angel commended, sharing a small laugh with her.
"If there any chance that I'll be able to go home soon?" She asked.
"There's a pretty good chance. We just have to make sure you don't relapse back into your schizophrenic world. You have to show lots more improvement." Angel explained.
"Oh," she said. "I don't want to go back there. Pain is there. Spike is there, and he's painful. I hate him. I want to stay here, with you." She smiled again.
Angel left soon after, to let her be with her family. On his way home, he couldn't shake her from his thoughts.
'She's so pretty. Maybe, maybe if things were different. Maybe then we could have a chance. But, she's my patient. I couldn't do that. I can't just ignore her though, she says she loves me, or me in a different world. I can't help but be drawn to her, there's just something. I need to learn more about her.'
His soul ached for her, and he began to realize it. He wanted to be with her. He liked her, he loved her. And in some strange way, he knew that they were soul mates.
TBC...If you like!!
Liam starred in shock at the recently catonic Buffy, who sat up slowly in the hospital bed.
'She called me Angel. Only people who know me call me that.'
"Angel?" She asked again, pulling Liam back into reality.
"No, Liam." He corrected. "Dr. O'Connor."
"No, you're Angel!" She screamed in frustration.
"People call me Angel." He offered.
"Really? I'm not crazy?" She asked, looking hopeful.
"No, you're not." He assured her. She sat quietly. Angel attempted to stand, but she pulled him back down.
"Stay." She commanded.
"I was just going to get your mother." He said, but sat down upon her wishes.
"You left me before, you're not leaving again." She said, holding his hand tightly.
Angel nodded, knowing he must remind her of someone in her mind. "Buffy. I'm Dr. Liam O'Connor, you don't know me. Whatever is in your mind, it's not real. You have to understand. It's just made up."
"No!" She cried out. A nurse rushed in and looked shocked. She quickly bustled out of the room to tell Buffy's mother and father.
Joyce came running into the hospital room and grasped Buffy, who hadn't let go of Angel. "Buffy." She breathed. "I knew you'd come back." Tears rolled down the elder Summers' face. Hank stood to the side. After Joyce finally let go of Buffy, he gave her a quick hug. Hank had never been much for words or emotions.
"Mom." Buffy managed to whisper.
"Are you back, Buffy, for good?" Joyce asked, as the tears began to slow.
Buffy thought about it for a moment. She looked left towards Angel, who smiled gently, and then to her mother again. "Yes." Tears came fast, and she roughly wiped them away.
"Will you get rid of those horrible people in your mind?" Joyce asked, grasping her other hand.
Buffy thought again for a moment. She wanted to stay here. Here, was Angel, and her mother, and her father. Back in Sunnydale was only hurt and pain, and Spike. "Yes."
"Oh thank God!" Joyce cried, as she reached for Buffy again. They shared a heart-felt hug, and Hank joined in. Angel managed to remove his hand from Buffy's, and quietly exited.
'She knew me. How? It makes no sense. I can't push, but I have to find out who she thinks I am.'
Angel, as his family and friends, and now Buffy, called him, had always wanted to be a doctor. He specialized in schizophrenia, and psychology. He'd grown up in a loving family, but had always managed to screw things up. Before he was even old enough to drink, he'd be at a bar getting drunk with all his football buddies. Things had come crashing down upon him when his father kicked him out of the house. He had lived on the streets in New York, and had finally come to terms with the rest of his family after his father died. He's managed to finish high school, and go on to college, putting everything behind him. But, now, he could still remember the feeling of hating his father, and it being returned. Angel shook his head, not wanting to reopen painful wounds by thinking about them. The important thing was that Buffy knew him. She knew him in her mind, and he had to find out why, and how.
*
After Joyce and Hank left the room, Buffy sat quietly.
'I've sacrificed everything. I can't go back, ever. Angel's here, but he acts as if he doesn't even know me. Why? I love him with all my heart. Why is he here and not in L.A? I can't understand it. My mind is so full of things.' A knock on the door brought Buffy out of her thoughts.
"Come in." She called.
"Buffy." Angel greeted.
"Angel. I know you must think I'm crazy, but I know you. You know me. I love you. And you used to love me." She spilled.
"Buffy, shh, calm down. That was all in your mind. You're here now, this is real. You're in the real world." Angel sighed; he didn't want to break her heart by telling her he didn't know her, or that he didn't love her. But he had to. "Before this morning, I had no idea who you were. The nurse assigned me to your case this morning."
"My case?" Buffy flared. "I don't have a case. I'm perfectly sane! It's you who're crazy! Can't you see, I love you? Angel, we saved the world together. You can't just forget that overnight!" She curled up into a tight ball, and hugged her knees to her chest. "I love you." She whimpered. Tears streamed down her cheek, for not the first time that day.
"I'm sorry," Angel sighed again. "I didn't mean you're *case.* I meant that you have a file, that tells what happened to you." Angel stammered, this really wasn't going well.
"My file! It tells what happened! I *know* what happened. I'm the Slayer, yet I chose to live in this alternate reality. For you! You're my soul mate. I *love* you. I've only ever loved you." The tears came heavily, and he couldn't help but let her lean against his shoulder.
"Buffy, how can I make you understand? I'm not someone from you mind. I've lived here forever, you, you've been in and out of this reality, and you've latched onto people in you mind." He argued with her, knowing he'd get no farther.
"What makes you think this is the real world? How do you know that you're not supposed to be some where else? How do you know anything?" She asked quietly.
"I suppose I don't." He caved in, as he placed a firm hand on her back. Slowly, and gently, he rubbed her back as she continued to cry.
"That's what I thought." She smiled for the first time. "You never really know. Never."
"But, if I never really know, how do I know this isn't where I'm supposed to be?" Angel countered, hoping to make her forget about the made up people in her mind.
"I never really thought about that." She confessed. "But, I suppose, I'm supposed to be where I am, where I am, and that would be here." She said, confusing herself in the process.
"Good. You're making improvement." Angel commended, sharing a small laugh with her.
"If there any chance that I'll be able to go home soon?" She asked.
"There's a pretty good chance. We just have to make sure you don't relapse back into your schizophrenic world. You have to show lots more improvement." Angel explained.
"Oh," she said. "I don't want to go back there. Pain is there. Spike is there, and he's painful. I hate him. I want to stay here, with you." She smiled again.
Angel left soon after, to let her be with her family. On his way home, he couldn't shake her from his thoughts.
'She's so pretty. Maybe, maybe if things were different. Maybe then we could have a chance. But, she's my patient. I couldn't do that. I can't just ignore her though, she says she loves me, or me in a different world. I can't help but be drawn to her, there's just something. I need to learn more about her.'
His soul ached for her, and he began to realize it. He wanted to be with her. He liked her, he loved her. And in some strange way, he knew that they were soul mates.
TBC...If you like!!