see parts 1-7 for disclaimers:
Part 8
Marilyn Manson's "Last Day's On Earth" floated through the Sunnydale Cemetery. The song emniated from the speakers of a small CD player sitting on a tomb stone beside Willow Rosenburg. The red headed girl sat there quitly scanning the graveyard around her. A slow smile appeared on her face.
" I knew you would come."
Buffy shrugged, "I couldn't let you stay out here by yourself."
Patting the ground beside her Willow said, " Sit down, you've been sitting out there watching me for so long your legs must be very tired."
A blush crept onto the slayer's face. "How did you know I was out there?"
"I felt your eyes on me. I can always feel your eyes on me."
The blush in Buffy's cheeks only deepened, she knew what Willow meant. Whenever she felt the girls eyes settle onto her the hairs on the back of her neck would raise and she would loose all ability to breath and function. It surprised her that Willow felt the same thing.
"Isn't that guy Xander supposed be here with you."
" He's on a food run. After about an hour he starts to get hungry."
Buffy suddenly felt anger rise in her chest, " He left you here all alone! When his best friend died here just last night! Some friend!"
Willow just raised an eyebrow, "Gee Summers didn't know you cared."
"I- I- I don't...I mean ... Look I just don't want to see you get hurt."
Willow laughed then shrugged her shoulders. Reaching over she turned off the CD player. "What's up Summers, why did you come here?"
Glancing down at her hands Buffy sighed, "Because I had to. I have to tell you the truth Willow, and after I tell you you'll probably hate me for the rest of my life. And even though the thought of you hating makes me feel like crying, I have to tell you this."
"Sounds heavy."
"I- I- I am responsible for your friend Jesse's death. I was here last night, I saw him being taken away, I could have saved him but instead I ran. Its all my fault that your here tonight instead of with him and Xander at the Bronze having fun."
Willow's face drained of color as she stood, backing away slowly away from Buffy. Her eyes began filling with tears and her body started to shake. Quickly Buffy jumped up moving towards her newly found and quickly lost friend.
"Don't you dare touch me you bitch!" The words erupted from Willow's throat in a loud angry scream.
Buffy jumped back as if she had been slapped her eyes filling, "I'm sorry I didn't mean...I-I- I'm just so sorry."
"Don't you dare cry. You don't get to cry; you don't deserve tears. I don't understand you Summers, I thought that you liked me- that we had something going on. Then you tell me that you let my friend die! You were right, I do hate you."
"Willow I know that nothing I can say or do will ever bring Jesse back or make my letting him die go away. I was afraid and selfish and his death is now on my hands. I know that, I also know that you have no reason to forgive me for it. But believe Willow it will never happen again. I won't let it. I am the slayer and I know now that that isn't something I can forget. Because when I do innocent people like Jesse will die. And I can't take anymore innocent blood on my hands."
Willow's face twisted into a mask of bitterness, "I am so glad you came to this revelation Buffy, I just wish that Jesse didn't have to die so that you could. Now since you obviously know about what happened here last night I want you to tell me everything that happened here. Starting from when you first saw him and ending at how and why he is dead."
Buffy shook her head, " I can't do that Willow. I would be putting you in danger. Knowing the how and the why of Jesse's death will only put you in harms way. The only thing you need to know is that it is my fault and that nothing like it will ever happen again so long as I'm alive."
"No Summers that is not all I need to know. You will tell me what happened to Jesse or YOU will be the one in great danger. I believe you when you say that this is your fault, but that just isn't a good enough answer. My friend is dead and I want to know why. Now tell me dammit!"
Buffy looked at Willow for a moment. "You better sit down." Willow moved over to a tombstone and perched there. "You might find this a little hard to believe...the thing that killed Jesse was a vampire." Willow opened her mouth to protest. "Look I know that its hard to take in but its the truth. Jesse was killed by a vampire... that's where those puncture wounds in his neck come from. They're really bite marks from the vamps fangs. I slay vampires. That's what a vampire slayer is. One girl in the world is cursed with the duty to kill all those things that go bump in the night, vampires especially."
Willow just sat there staring at her. She couldn't be serious, this was a big story to keep her from the truth. Vampires! Did Buffy really think that she was that stupid.
Buffy sighed, " Look I can tell that you don't believe me but that's not important right now. What is important is that your friend Xander is walking around this town right now on his own. We have to find him before a nasty does."
***********
Xander Harris walked quickly down the street, back towards the cemetery. It had taken him longer than expected to get the supplies Willow had requested from the store. After running into Percy and his friends in the check out line it had taken him five minutes to collect all of his purchase which the football team had thrown aside before going after him.
Xander really hated being everyone's punching bag. It was a position he had earned 8 years ago on the first week of first grade. He had been sitting in the sand cracking jokes with Jesse when he had heard a the crying of a little girl. It was a small redhead over by the swings, she was surrounded by Percy and all his friends. They were rich kids from the other side of town and had made it clear from the start that they didn't like commoners in their school.
Even though Xander was a good three inches shorter than Percy he had rushed over to the swings ready to defend the young girls honor. A few minutes after they had finished beating the crap out of him Jesse and the girl had shown up. Her with the medical supplies neccesary to clean his wounds.
With a look if awe she said, "That was the bravest thing I've ever seen."
Xander had fallen for her at that moment. Willow had been the first person to ever think of him as extraordinary, and for that he had loved her more than anything in the world. It had hurt him deeply when she had 'outed' herself to him two years ago, knowing that now they would never be anything more than friends. And now this Buffy girl showed up and it was obvious that Will was attracted to her, hell the first time she had shown up at the Bronze Xander had been sure they would rip the clothes off one another.
"Xander get down!"
The young boy dropped to the ground at the command of the fiery red head. He stayed there until another voice a slightly familiar one told him that he could get up. Willow was seated on the ground across the street from him and Buffy, the other voice he had heard, was moving swiftly towards him carrying a crossbow in her hands.
"Come on Xander we have to move." With that she pulled up off the ground and started back over to Willow. "I should have talked you to out of this, its not safe. We have to get you somewhere where they can't get to you."
When they reached Willow Buffy released Xander's hand and pulled the redhead into her arms. If Xander was surprised by the small blonds strength he deemed it wise not to say anything. "What's wrong with Wills?" Buffy glanced from Willow to Xander, "She saw something that frightened her and its taking her a little while to adjust."
" So where is it exactly that you are taking us?"
"Back to the school."
"School! Look I don't know about you but school isn't exactly my idea of a safe place."
"Its not ideal but I have weapons there and someone who can help me get you both home with hopefully no more danger."
"Buffy, that's your name right, I can take care of Willow and myself just fine. So why don't you just hand her over and we can all call this a night." Xander reached toward the girl in Buffy's arms only to have her jerked away. "Look I really don't care what you want to do. Its not safe out here and I will keep Willow out of danger. If she comes out of this trance thingy she's in and finds out you were out here alone, she'd try to follow you. Therefore by keeping you out of trouble, I am keeping her safe. So you will going with us to the library and there is not a damn thing you can do about. Now shut up I need to focus."
********
End Part 8