TWENTY-THREE
Buffy didn't know how long she was falling, but she did know when she hit
the ground. It didn't hurt as much as she expected it to. She touched her
arm lightly and noticed in surprise that the pain had subsided. She massaged
her arm gently.
She got up and dusted herself. Glancing downwards, it struck her that her
apparel had changed once more, this time into a long-sleeved black shirt
with matching black pants and shoes. She looked up, trying to see where she
fell from. There was nothing above her but blue skies and fluffy clouds,
which Buffy thought was kind of nice… in a Disney kind of way.
The scene was a vast contrast from the previous one. It was a bright
garden, the sunshine flooding the place which gave the place a warm and
homely feeling. Buffy wrapped her arms around herself and walked around. She
felt so comfortable here… so safe. There was a pathway winding down the
garden, beautiful trees growing beside it, their heavy foliage giving shade
from the heat of the sun, without making it dark or gloomy.
Buffy stepped unto the gravel pathway, her shoes scratching against the
stone. She heard birds chirping but she couldn't see any. A butterfly
fluttered at her face for a few seconds before flying off to settle on a
rose.
Buffy followed the pathway, enjoying the scenery. She had almost forgotten
about her previous encounter with Karakos, and all feelings of danger, worry
and anxiety slowly faded from her with each step she took.
The pathway ended at a fountain. She took a close look it, admiring the
artwork. It was made out of marble, and it had a sculpture of a woman in the
center. Buffy thought she looked familiar, but she couldn't figure out who
she was. The sound of the water spurting from the fountain seemed somewhat
in place with the atmosphere, a sort of quiet, unchallenged serenity.
Buffy sat on the ledge of the fountain and dipped her hand into the water.
Its coolness pleased her. She spent several minutes swishing her hand back
and forth in the water mindlessly. It was the best feeling she had felt in
years.
"Careful," said a voice from behind her, "You'll get your sleeves wet."
Buffy turned around. It was Xander. He looked so different that she almost
didn't recognize him. Her face lit up when she finally did. She jumped up
and ran towards him, hugging him tightly. "Xander."
"Buffy."
She pulled herself from him and looked over him thoroughly. He was dressed
from head to toe in white. He had on a loose white shirt and a nice pair of
white slacks. The sunlight bounced off the silver buckle on his belt. There
was something else that was different about him, but Buffy couldn't tell. He
looked more… mature. The first word Buffy thought of was 'attractive', but
she wasn't about to say that out loud.
"I've been looking for you," said Buffy.
"Did you look hard?"
"I guess so," she answered. She motioned to the scenery. "It's nice here."
"I try my best."
It was then that Buffy realized that she was totally out of place in the
garden. She was the only one clad entirely in black, contrasting greatly
with her surroundings. Buffy wondered if her apparel had anything had a
deeper meaning to it, but she tried not to think about it. She rolled up her
sleeves and sat back at the fountain.
Xander took a seat next to her. "You look nice."
"Thanks," Buffy smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. She looked down
at her clothes. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"
"I'm not sure," said Xander. "I used to be. But now I'm … I don't know."
Buffy placed her hand on his arm. "We… we have… you have to …" She couldn't
find the words to fit her request , but he seemed to understand her.
"I can't."
"Don't say that."
They were interrupted by a tremor, and Buffy nearly fell into the fountain.
It was then she noticed that there was a high wall at the far end, circling
around and enclosing the garden. As the earth shook and moved, she noticed
the wall inching towards them slowly. It stopped after a while, and
everything went still.
"What was that?" she asked.
"It's him," said Xander, splashing the water in the fountain unconsciously.
"Everyday he gets closer."
"Karakos?"
Xander nodded. "The wall keeps him out. But everyday he gets closer."
"Then stop him."
"I can't," he said. "Pretty soon he'll be here. And then he'll be
everywhere."
"You have to stop him," Buffy repeated. "You can't stay here forever."
"I won't. He'll come. And he'll claim us."
"Not if I have anything to do with it," said Buffy, standing up. "I won't…
I can't stand here and watch this. If you want to give up, fine. But I
won't." She turned to go.
"Don't go." Xander called out softly to her.
Buffy turned around and looked at him. For a moment she wanted to tell him
how she felt, after her experiences - after the thoughts, the memories…
"It's been lonely," said Xander, almost in a whisper. "Since he came."
"Xander," Buffy walked up to him. "You have to get him out. Please."
"Why do you care so much?" said Xander, suddenly on the offensive. He
looked away from her to the sculpture in the middle of the fountain.
"Okay," said Buffy. "I admit it. I've been a pretty crappy friend for, oh
say, all my life. Scratch that, I'm a crappy person. I'm selfish, I'm
inconsiderate, I'm snobby, I'm spoilt, stuck up and sometimes I can be a
real bitch."
Buffy caught Xander giving a small smile, but he reverted to his serious
face when he noticed that she was looking at him. Buffy put her hand on his
shoulder. "But I think … I think… let's say I've seen some things that have
really opened my eyes. And I'm ready to say that I… care about you. A lot.
And I'm not about to see you lose your mind just after I've had my life
changing realization."
Xander looked at her. "That's not enough."
"I know," said Buffy, "But I'll work on it… and …"
"I meant that he'll still beat you," said Xander. "How you feel now, or how
you've felt - it doesn't matter. He'll beat you. He's already beaten me."
"No."
"He's won," said Xander. He pointed to his surroundings. "This is all I
have left. And soon he'll have that too."
"We can…"
"We can't do anything," said Xander. "Stop fooling yourself. Your positive
attitude isn't going to beat him."
"You're right," said Buffy. "Not when you're such a downer. It's your mind,
Xander. Take it back."
"You don't think I've tried?" Xander's voice rose slowly. "Do you think I
enjoy this? Do you think all I do is sit around waiting for you to come to
the rescue?"
"No, I… didn't mean it that way."
Xander looked down and then looked back at her. "No… it's okay. I…
shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry."
"You just can't stay mad at me, can you?" said Buffy with a smile.
"Not for long," admitted Xander. "Not here anyways."
Another tremor shook the garden and Buffy tumbled to the ground. The wall
closed in on them, and Buffy got up. "I have to stop him."
"I told you - you can't."
"I have to." Buffy turned around. She spotted a grilled metal gate at the
far end of the garden and headed towards it. She tugged at it but it was
locked. However, after the third try the gate slowly opened on its own.
Buffy had more complex things on her mind than to wonder about the gate. She
took a deep breath and took a step forward.
Xander got up and called after her desperately. "Buffy! BUFFY!"
But he was already too late.
- - - -
Buffy didn't know how long she was falling, but she did know when she hit
the ground. It didn't hurt as much as she expected it to. She touched her
arm lightly and noticed in surprise that the pain had subsided. She massaged
her arm gently.
She got up and dusted herself. Glancing downwards, it struck her that her
apparel had changed once more, this time into a long-sleeved black shirt
with matching black pants and shoes. She looked up, trying to see where she
fell from. There was nothing above her but blue skies and fluffy clouds,
which Buffy thought was kind of nice… in a Disney kind of way.
The scene was a vast contrast from the previous one. It was a bright
garden, the sunshine flooding the place which gave the place a warm and
homely feeling. Buffy wrapped her arms around herself and walked around. She
felt so comfortable here… so safe. There was a pathway winding down the
garden, beautiful trees growing beside it, their heavy foliage giving shade
from the heat of the sun, without making it dark or gloomy.
Buffy stepped unto the gravel pathway, her shoes scratching against the
stone. She heard birds chirping but she couldn't see any. A butterfly
fluttered at her face for a few seconds before flying off to settle on a
rose.
Buffy followed the pathway, enjoying the scenery. She had almost forgotten
about her previous encounter with Karakos, and all feelings of danger, worry
and anxiety slowly faded from her with each step she took.
The pathway ended at a fountain. She took a close look it, admiring the
artwork. It was made out of marble, and it had a sculpture of a woman in the
center. Buffy thought she looked familiar, but she couldn't figure out who
she was. The sound of the water spurting from the fountain seemed somewhat
in place with the atmosphere, a sort of quiet, unchallenged serenity.
Buffy sat on the ledge of the fountain and dipped her hand into the water.
Its coolness pleased her. She spent several minutes swishing her hand back
and forth in the water mindlessly. It was the best feeling she had felt in
years.
"Careful," said a voice from behind her, "You'll get your sleeves wet."
Buffy turned around. It was Xander. He looked so different that she almost
didn't recognize him. Her face lit up when she finally did. She jumped up
and ran towards him, hugging him tightly. "Xander."
"Buffy."
She pulled herself from him and looked over him thoroughly. He was dressed
from head to toe in white. He had on a loose white shirt and a nice pair of
white slacks. The sunlight bounced off the silver buckle on his belt. There
was something else that was different about him, but Buffy couldn't tell. He
looked more… mature. The first word Buffy thought of was 'attractive', but
she wasn't about to say that out loud.
"I've been looking for you," said Buffy.
"Did you look hard?"
"I guess so," she answered. She motioned to the scenery. "It's nice here."
"I try my best."
It was then that Buffy realized that she was totally out of place in the
garden. She was the only one clad entirely in black, contrasting greatly
with her surroundings. Buffy wondered if her apparel had anything had a
deeper meaning to it, but she tried not to think about it. She rolled up her
sleeves and sat back at the fountain.
Xander took a seat next to her. "You look nice."
"Thanks," Buffy smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. She looked down
at her clothes. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"
"I'm not sure," said Xander. "I used to be. But now I'm … I don't know."
Buffy placed her hand on his arm. "We… we have… you have to …" She couldn't
find the words to fit her request , but he seemed to understand her.
"I can't."
"Don't say that."
They were interrupted by a tremor, and Buffy nearly fell into the fountain.
It was then she noticed that there was a high wall at the far end, circling
around and enclosing the garden. As the earth shook and moved, she noticed
the wall inching towards them slowly. It stopped after a while, and
everything went still.
"What was that?" she asked.
"It's him," said Xander, splashing the water in the fountain unconsciously.
"Everyday he gets closer."
"Karakos?"
Xander nodded. "The wall keeps him out. But everyday he gets closer."
"Then stop him."
"I can't," he said. "Pretty soon he'll be here. And then he'll be
everywhere."
"You have to stop him," Buffy repeated. "You can't stay here forever."
"I won't. He'll come. And he'll claim us."
"Not if I have anything to do with it," said Buffy, standing up. "I won't…
I can't stand here and watch this. If you want to give up, fine. But I
won't." She turned to go.
"Don't go." Xander called out softly to her.
Buffy turned around and looked at him. For a moment she wanted to tell him
how she felt, after her experiences - after the thoughts, the memories…
"It's been lonely," said Xander, almost in a whisper. "Since he came."
"Xander," Buffy walked up to him. "You have to get him out. Please."
"Why do you care so much?" said Xander, suddenly on the offensive. He
looked away from her to the sculpture in the middle of the fountain.
"Okay," said Buffy. "I admit it. I've been a pretty crappy friend for, oh
say, all my life. Scratch that, I'm a crappy person. I'm selfish, I'm
inconsiderate, I'm snobby, I'm spoilt, stuck up and sometimes I can be a
real bitch."
Buffy caught Xander giving a small smile, but he reverted to his serious
face when he noticed that she was looking at him. Buffy put her hand on his
shoulder. "But I think … I think… let's say I've seen some things that have
really opened my eyes. And I'm ready to say that I… care about you. A lot.
And I'm not about to see you lose your mind just after I've had my life
changing realization."
Xander looked at her. "That's not enough."
"I know," said Buffy, "But I'll work on it… and …"
"I meant that he'll still beat you," said Xander. "How you feel now, or how
you've felt - it doesn't matter. He'll beat you. He's already beaten me."
"No."
"He's won," said Xander. He pointed to his surroundings. "This is all I
have left. And soon he'll have that too."
"We can…"
"We can't do anything," said Xander. "Stop fooling yourself. Your positive
attitude isn't going to beat him."
"You're right," said Buffy. "Not when you're such a downer. It's your mind,
Xander. Take it back."
"You don't think I've tried?" Xander's voice rose slowly. "Do you think I
enjoy this? Do you think all I do is sit around waiting for you to come to
the rescue?"
"No, I… didn't mean it that way."
Xander looked down and then looked back at her. "No… it's okay. I…
shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry."
"You just can't stay mad at me, can you?" said Buffy with a smile.
"Not for long," admitted Xander. "Not here anyways."
Another tremor shook the garden and Buffy tumbled to the ground. The wall
closed in on them, and Buffy got up. "I have to stop him."
"I told you - you can't."
"I have to." Buffy turned around. She spotted a grilled metal gate at the
far end of the garden and headed towards it. She tugged at it but it was
locked. However, after the third try the gate slowly opened on its own.
Buffy had more complex things on her mind than to wonder about the gate. She
took a deep breath and took a step forward.
Xander got up and called after her desperately. "Buffy! BUFFY!"
But he was already too late.
- - - -