Buffy didn't even know what to think as she faced the gun. She looked up at
the vampire with blank eyes as he pulled the trigger.
'Since when are vamps allowed to have guns,' Buffy finally thought ideally, falling to the ground. They say that when you die your life flashes in front of your eyes, but for Buffy all she saw was Angel's face.
"Angel," she gasped and coughed up blood. She heard a click and slowly her turned head and looked up at the gun barrel.
Then there was only darkness.
***The Next Evening***
"What?" Willow choked out before the phone slipped from her hands. She put her hand to her mouth and started to sob. Oz immediately ran over and picked up the phone as Willow collapsed into his arms.
"I'm sorry. What did you just say to the woman on here before?" Oz went completely white as he handed the phone to Giles. Willow and Oz slid to the floor together.
"Oh My Lord." Giles listened to the voice on the phone. "Yes, yes. Joyce Summers. No, I'll tell her myself. Yes. Yes. I'm sorry too." He hung up the phone carefully and turned to look at the weeping Willow. Oz was carefully holding her in his arms, staring off into space, as they sat together on the floor of the library.
Suddenly the door of the library flew open a happy Xander pulling a reluctant Cordelia in with him. He's grin faltered as he stared at the scene in front of him.
"Who died?" That set Willow off on another round of sobbing.
"Xander," Giles started, taking off his glasses, momentary stopping trying to figure out the easiest way to tell him. He decided on the most direct way. "Xander, t-t-the police called. They f-f-found -" He stopped again, not being able to bring himself to saying it. "They found Buffy. She was shot last night near the pier. They think it was gang violence."
Xander's face hardened with anger. "What! No, it couldn't be. She's the slayer. This couldn't of happened to her." He stormed over to the phone. "Call them back. Tell them they made a mistake. This can't happen." Xander suddenly stopped and slammed his fist into the counter. Cordelia started to walk over to him but stopped as he picked the phone up and threw it across the room.
"Xander!" Giles snapped. "Stop it. Trashing the library isn't going to solve anything." He looked down at his glasses and put them back on. "They need someone to go down and identify the body, I'm going to go with Joyce. I'll be back in a while." He turned to leave to go get his keys in his office.
"I'll go," came Willow's broken voice. "Let me come with you," she repeated, much stronger this time, standing up.
"Do you really want to?" Oz asked, looking into her eyes. Willow looked at him and seemed to toughen up. "If you go, I'll go." Willow nodded.
"Thanks. I have to. I have to tell if it's her. It might not be. It might not." She broke off with a sob but quickly stopped. "Crying is not going to solve anything," she said, more to herself then anyone else. "First things first. We have to ID the body. If it isn't even her, then we have to know where she is." She turned her head to the library door, as did everyone else, as if by some miracle she would walk through the door.
The door opened and everyone gasped.
"Angel!" Willow cried, surprised. Angel looked even more pale then normal.
"Buffy. I mean, did she check in today? Is she here?" Angel's hollow voice echoed in the library.
Suddenly Xander's fist came out of no where and punched Angel squarely in the nose. Angel's head shot back and he cupped his now bleeding nose and said nothing. Giles handed him some tissue and he pressed it against his nose.
"He didn't break it," Giles offered. Angel nodded.
"Xander!" Cordelia said, punching Xander hard on the arm. He didn't seem to notice.
"This was your fault! If you had been there!" Xander screamed at Angel. Angel seemed to sink into himself and turned to look at Giles.
"It's true, isn't it? They found her. She's -" Angel couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
"Yes. The police called just a few minutes ago, they found her by the pier. But how -" Xander's voice interrupted him.
"Yeah, Angel. How did you know?" He snarled. "How do we know you didn't suck her dry and then shot her to cover it up?"
"Xander," came Willow's voice, trying to calm him down. Angel seemed straighten up.
"I didn't kill her! I wasn't even there!" He shouted, then sank back into himself. "I should have been there though. I should have been watching her back. I could feel her. I felt her -" He said to himself, still unable to admit that she was dead. "You're right about that Xander, I should have been there. But I didn't kill her." He said calmly to him.
"Then who did!" Xander screamed at him. "Who did?" He repeated much more calmly.
The phone rang cutting the tension in the room. Giles went to pick it up. "Hello? Oh, hello Joyce. Yes, we'll be over right away. Willow's coming. As well as Oz. They wants to. Yes, yes. In a few minutes." Giles hung up without saying goodbye.
"Time to go Willow, if you still want to," Willow nodded. He looked over at Angel and he gave the barest hint of a nod. Giles nodded back and walked out of the library, with Willow and Oz followed behind. Angel looked at Xander for a minute and left as well.
Xander watched the door swing shut and suddenly grabbed Cordelia's arm. "Xander let go of me," she cried.
"Cordelia, shut up." She did giving Xander a strange look and walked with him out of the library.
'Since when are vamps allowed to have guns,' Buffy finally thought ideally, falling to the ground. They say that when you die your life flashes in front of your eyes, but for Buffy all she saw was Angel's face.
"Angel," she gasped and coughed up blood. She heard a click and slowly her turned head and looked up at the gun barrel.
Then there was only darkness.
***The Next Evening***
"What?" Willow choked out before the phone slipped from her hands. She put her hand to her mouth and started to sob. Oz immediately ran over and picked up the phone as Willow collapsed into his arms.
"I'm sorry. What did you just say to the woman on here before?" Oz went completely white as he handed the phone to Giles. Willow and Oz slid to the floor together.
"Oh My Lord." Giles listened to the voice on the phone. "Yes, yes. Joyce Summers. No, I'll tell her myself. Yes. Yes. I'm sorry too." He hung up the phone carefully and turned to look at the weeping Willow. Oz was carefully holding her in his arms, staring off into space, as they sat together on the floor of the library.
Suddenly the door of the library flew open a happy Xander pulling a reluctant Cordelia in with him. He's grin faltered as he stared at the scene in front of him.
"Who died?" That set Willow off on another round of sobbing.
"Xander," Giles started, taking off his glasses, momentary stopping trying to figure out the easiest way to tell him. He decided on the most direct way. "Xander, t-t-the police called. They f-f-found -" He stopped again, not being able to bring himself to saying it. "They found Buffy. She was shot last night near the pier. They think it was gang violence."
Xander's face hardened with anger. "What! No, it couldn't be. She's the slayer. This couldn't of happened to her." He stormed over to the phone. "Call them back. Tell them they made a mistake. This can't happen." Xander suddenly stopped and slammed his fist into the counter. Cordelia started to walk over to him but stopped as he picked the phone up and threw it across the room.
"Xander!" Giles snapped. "Stop it. Trashing the library isn't going to solve anything." He looked down at his glasses and put them back on. "They need someone to go down and identify the body, I'm going to go with Joyce. I'll be back in a while." He turned to leave to go get his keys in his office.
"I'll go," came Willow's broken voice. "Let me come with you," she repeated, much stronger this time, standing up.
"Do you really want to?" Oz asked, looking into her eyes. Willow looked at him and seemed to toughen up. "If you go, I'll go." Willow nodded.
"Thanks. I have to. I have to tell if it's her. It might not be. It might not." She broke off with a sob but quickly stopped. "Crying is not going to solve anything," she said, more to herself then anyone else. "First things first. We have to ID the body. If it isn't even her, then we have to know where she is." She turned her head to the library door, as did everyone else, as if by some miracle she would walk through the door.
The door opened and everyone gasped.
"Angel!" Willow cried, surprised. Angel looked even more pale then normal.
"Buffy. I mean, did she check in today? Is she here?" Angel's hollow voice echoed in the library.
Suddenly Xander's fist came out of no where and punched Angel squarely in the nose. Angel's head shot back and he cupped his now bleeding nose and said nothing. Giles handed him some tissue and he pressed it against his nose.
"He didn't break it," Giles offered. Angel nodded.
"Xander!" Cordelia said, punching Xander hard on the arm. He didn't seem to notice.
"This was your fault! If you had been there!" Xander screamed at Angel. Angel seemed to sink into himself and turned to look at Giles.
"It's true, isn't it? They found her. She's -" Angel couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
"Yes. The police called just a few minutes ago, they found her by the pier. But how -" Xander's voice interrupted him.
"Yeah, Angel. How did you know?" He snarled. "How do we know you didn't suck her dry and then shot her to cover it up?"
"Xander," came Willow's voice, trying to calm him down. Angel seemed straighten up.
"I didn't kill her! I wasn't even there!" He shouted, then sank back into himself. "I should have been there though. I should have been watching her back. I could feel her. I felt her -" He said to himself, still unable to admit that she was dead. "You're right about that Xander, I should have been there. But I didn't kill her." He said calmly to him.
"Then who did!" Xander screamed at him. "Who did?" He repeated much more calmly.
The phone rang cutting the tension in the room. Giles went to pick it up. "Hello? Oh, hello Joyce. Yes, we'll be over right away. Willow's coming. As well as Oz. They wants to. Yes, yes. In a few minutes." Giles hung up without saying goodbye.
"Time to go Willow, if you still want to," Willow nodded. He looked over at Angel and he gave the barest hint of a nod. Giles nodded back and walked out of the library, with Willow and Oz followed behind. Angel looked at Xander for a minute and left as well.
Xander watched the door swing shut and suddenly grabbed Cordelia's arm. "Xander let go of me," she cried.
"Cordelia, shut up." She did giving Xander a strange look and walked with him out of the library.