Note: Another chap. Hope you like it.
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See the Light
Two things he noticed. Xander's silence and the fake smiles Buffy put on to entertain Willow. He could tell they were hiding their feelings. Xander and Willow went to get their lunches as Buffy leaned her crutches against the table.
"How you doing?" Oz asked. Buffy shrugged as he took a seat, placing his lunch bag in front of him.
"Okay. I'm dealing. My leg is healing. It's all good." Buffy lied. He didn't push.
"That's good." He replied taking a bite out of his sandwich. He chewed and swallowed. "Band's playing tonight, you guys should come. Could be a blast."
She shook her head. "I think I just want to catch up on my sleep. Thanks though."
He shrugged as Willow took a seat. Buffy put on a brave smile and waited for Willow to do more drilling. Xander sat next to Oz and Buffy. Taking an extra tray from under his, he started to divide the food into two piles. One for Buffy and one for him. No wise cracking came from his still lips. Oz figured they'd come around in time as long as Buffy didn't blow like she did last time. But he figured she had learned her lesson. Running away wasn't a good thing. Especially with great SAT scores.
"So, Oz is playing tonight." Willow said nervously. All Willow wanted to do was make everything better. She didn't understand that they didn't want her to act so nervous around them. She also didn't understand that there was always time for silence. The Slayer liked silence. He wasn't sure why Xander stayed silent, he usually went all babbly like Willow. It made them a pair, a duo.
"I already asked. I think both of them are too tired though." Oz nodded with understanding. He wasn't sure if they had been to Hell and if they had, what it was like. But he was sure they deserved a break. "Anyway, it's not like my show ever really changes."
"Oh I like your shows." Willow grinned.
"I'm not really hungry right now... I think I'm going to head over to the library." Buffy stood up. She threw her bag over her shoulder and picked the crutches up. Grabbing her tray, she slowly made her way to the trash can.
"You want me to come and help?" Willow offered. Buffy smiled slightly.
"Nah, I just need a little time to... go over something with Giles. Slayer-Watcher stuff. Thanks anyway." She waved and made her way out the cafeteria. Cordiela came with her troops and stopped in front of Buffy. Even he winced, wondering what Cordiela would do.
Surprisingly, the brunette took Buffy's bag and headed out with her, leaving the troop behind. Now that was the most amazing thing he had seen in a while.
"Wow, what's up with Cordiela?" Willow asked as surprised as he was.
Oz turned back to his lunch and Willow who sat in shock.
"Is this bad, she doesn't want me but she has Cordiela help her?" Willow asked confused.
"I think she just needed time to herself." Xander nodded. Oz figured the guy would know. He gave them all credit. Even with their outer appearances, all could be pretty cool sometimes. Even Cordiela. "Which reminds me, I need to talk to my science teacher. I missed a test. Need to make it up. See you two later."
Xander got up, nodded to them and went to the trash can to throw away his tray.
"Is something wrong with me? None of my friends want to hang out with me anymore. All of them will barely even talk to me." Willow sighed. "Last night I called and I got one word out of Buffy and two words out of Xander."
"Give 'em time. They'll come around." Oz assured her.
* * * * *
"Oh Buffy, you've returned to school. How is your... uh leg? Are you feeling better?" Giles asked closing the book in front of him and glancing up at her. She shrugged while sitting down and leaning her crutches onto the study table. He was relieved that she looked much better. Her color had come back and the scratches faded.
"I'm holding up." She replied quietly.
The girl had gone through a lot. More then any Slayer should have to. Buffy kept her connections instead of throwing them all away for the Slayer business. She still loved the people around her and that may be the reason why she had become quite an item in the Watcher's council. He wasn't even sure how she had managed stay sane for this long. All the pain and anguish that she had endured. Who knew what lay ahead of her, but he did know she would handle it no matter what.
Giles put his hand on her shoulder. She was more then just a Slayer to him, in some sense, she was like his daughter. He wanted to shield her from the evil, but he couldn't. They both had duties they had to withhold.
"Well that's very good." He nodded. "You do know that I am here for you... If you'd like to... uh... talk... that is."
Buffy shrugged. "I'm okay. Handling very well. In fact, soon I'll get the cast off and probable be able to patrol next week. Don't worry."
"Oh well, take as much time as you need." Giles told her as he headed over to the check out desk. He started to look over some of the papers on his desk. "Willow and Oz are helping me patrol."
He looked up from the papers and noticed that Buffy wasn't paying attention. Her eyes gazed off into another place. A place he wouldn't be able to follow. For as long as he had known her, he knew that she wasn't much of talking about how she felt. In fact, that was probable why she was so miserable.
Buffy was the Slayer. In the watchers council's eyes, she has had a great career. But the council sat on the other side of the world. They couldn't see how much she had endured to get here. Her silence spoke volumes.
The bell rang snapping Buffy out of her daze. She looked over at him and gave a tight lipped smile. "Guess I better boogie to my next class. I'll probable go straight home, so I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?"
"Ah yes, tomorrow."
* * * * *
"Hey Xander." Willow grinned as she sat down next to him. The Bronze was packed and the music played so loud people had to yell just to hear each other. Xander sat by himself looking at his empty plastic cup.
He wasn't in the mood to talk, especially not to bright eyed, bushy-tailed Willow. It was hard enough to keep dreaming about what happened. Willow tried too hard to make everyone feel better. It didn't help. He wondered if that was how Angel felt when he got back.
Instead of yelling at her, the way he wanted to get Willow off his back, he just kept staring at his cup hoping she'd get the hint. Instead she ignored it and smiled at Oz who played on stage. "How ya doing?"
"There is a reason for my singleness and for my quietness. Can't you take a hint?" Xander growled impatiently. Willow looked at him hurt and then stood up.
She looked at him. "Sorry." And then she walked towards the stage.
Xander sighed and threw his cup down to the ground. Everybody asked how he was doing and of course he had to tell them he felt fine. If he didn't they would feel sorry for him. He didn't like that one bit. He didn't want to be like Lucy and look all helpless. That just wasn't him. How could he act okay if he wasn't?
"You're going to drive yourself nuts if you push your friends away and don't talk to anyone." a voice came from the dark. He didn't even look up because he knew who it was.
"Yeah well, better than having people ask if I'm okay every five seconds." Xander said as Angel sat on the couch next to him. The guy probable knew what he was talking about, but the guy was Angel. The guy he most despised and not just because he had swept Buffy off her feet. Oh no. The vampire had killed Jenny and tortured everyone else. "Buffy's not here."
Angel shrugged as if he hadn't come here to look for her. "Wasn't looking for her."
"Then what are you doing?" Xander asked. "I'm not looking for sympathy."
"And I'm not looking to give any." Angel replied rubbing his hands together. "No matter how much you hate me, listen to me. You're going to lose friends if you act like this. People don't know how to act around you. Sure they don't know what you went through, but they want to help because they're your friends. Hell is harsh. It's a world without hope, without feeling. The world down there, time goes slowly. A day on Earth is like a hundred down there. I know all that, but you have to remember, you're alive. Be happy about that. Don't let this pull you down."
"And where did the wise one learn this? From a crackerjack box?" Xander mumbled sarcastically.
"No, you guys taught me that. Buffy taught me that. Whistler taught me that. That is the wisdom from living so long. Learn it fast, before everyone turns their back on you." Angel told him with a small smile. Xander wanted to pop him in the face. He knew the dead guy was right, but he wouldn't admit it.
Angel got up and disappeared into the darkness without another word.
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See the Light
Two things he noticed. Xander's silence and the fake smiles Buffy put on to entertain Willow. He could tell they were hiding their feelings. Xander and Willow went to get their lunches as Buffy leaned her crutches against the table.
"How you doing?" Oz asked. Buffy shrugged as he took a seat, placing his lunch bag in front of him.
"Okay. I'm dealing. My leg is healing. It's all good." Buffy lied. He didn't push.
"That's good." He replied taking a bite out of his sandwich. He chewed and swallowed. "Band's playing tonight, you guys should come. Could be a blast."
She shook her head. "I think I just want to catch up on my sleep. Thanks though."
He shrugged as Willow took a seat. Buffy put on a brave smile and waited for Willow to do more drilling. Xander sat next to Oz and Buffy. Taking an extra tray from under his, he started to divide the food into two piles. One for Buffy and one for him. No wise cracking came from his still lips. Oz figured they'd come around in time as long as Buffy didn't blow like she did last time. But he figured she had learned her lesson. Running away wasn't a good thing. Especially with great SAT scores.
"So, Oz is playing tonight." Willow said nervously. All Willow wanted to do was make everything better. She didn't understand that they didn't want her to act so nervous around them. She also didn't understand that there was always time for silence. The Slayer liked silence. He wasn't sure why Xander stayed silent, he usually went all babbly like Willow. It made them a pair, a duo.
"I already asked. I think both of them are too tired though." Oz nodded with understanding. He wasn't sure if they had been to Hell and if they had, what it was like. But he was sure they deserved a break. "Anyway, it's not like my show ever really changes."
"Oh I like your shows." Willow grinned.
"I'm not really hungry right now... I think I'm going to head over to the library." Buffy stood up. She threw her bag over her shoulder and picked the crutches up. Grabbing her tray, she slowly made her way to the trash can.
"You want me to come and help?" Willow offered. Buffy smiled slightly.
"Nah, I just need a little time to... go over something with Giles. Slayer-Watcher stuff. Thanks anyway." She waved and made her way out the cafeteria. Cordiela came with her troops and stopped in front of Buffy. Even he winced, wondering what Cordiela would do.
Surprisingly, the brunette took Buffy's bag and headed out with her, leaving the troop behind. Now that was the most amazing thing he had seen in a while.
"Wow, what's up with Cordiela?" Willow asked as surprised as he was.
Oz turned back to his lunch and Willow who sat in shock.
"Is this bad, she doesn't want me but she has Cordiela help her?" Willow asked confused.
"I think she just needed time to herself." Xander nodded. Oz figured the guy would know. He gave them all credit. Even with their outer appearances, all could be pretty cool sometimes. Even Cordiela. "Which reminds me, I need to talk to my science teacher. I missed a test. Need to make it up. See you two later."
Xander got up, nodded to them and went to the trash can to throw away his tray.
"Is something wrong with me? None of my friends want to hang out with me anymore. All of them will barely even talk to me." Willow sighed. "Last night I called and I got one word out of Buffy and two words out of Xander."
"Give 'em time. They'll come around." Oz assured her.
* * * * *
"Oh Buffy, you've returned to school. How is your... uh leg? Are you feeling better?" Giles asked closing the book in front of him and glancing up at her. She shrugged while sitting down and leaning her crutches onto the study table. He was relieved that she looked much better. Her color had come back and the scratches faded.
"I'm holding up." She replied quietly.
The girl had gone through a lot. More then any Slayer should have to. Buffy kept her connections instead of throwing them all away for the Slayer business. She still loved the people around her and that may be the reason why she had become quite an item in the Watcher's council. He wasn't even sure how she had managed stay sane for this long. All the pain and anguish that she had endured. Who knew what lay ahead of her, but he did know she would handle it no matter what.
Giles put his hand on her shoulder. She was more then just a Slayer to him, in some sense, she was like his daughter. He wanted to shield her from the evil, but he couldn't. They both had duties they had to withhold.
"Well that's very good." He nodded. "You do know that I am here for you... If you'd like to... uh... talk... that is."
Buffy shrugged. "I'm okay. Handling very well. In fact, soon I'll get the cast off and probable be able to patrol next week. Don't worry."
"Oh well, take as much time as you need." Giles told her as he headed over to the check out desk. He started to look over some of the papers on his desk. "Willow and Oz are helping me patrol."
He looked up from the papers and noticed that Buffy wasn't paying attention. Her eyes gazed off into another place. A place he wouldn't be able to follow. For as long as he had known her, he knew that she wasn't much of talking about how she felt. In fact, that was probable why she was so miserable.
Buffy was the Slayer. In the watchers council's eyes, she has had a great career. But the council sat on the other side of the world. They couldn't see how much she had endured to get here. Her silence spoke volumes.
The bell rang snapping Buffy out of her daze. She looked over at him and gave a tight lipped smile. "Guess I better boogie to my next class. I'll probable go straight home, so I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?"
"Ah yes, tomorrow."
* * * * *
"Hey Xander." Willow grinned as she sat down next to him. The Bronze was packed and the music played so loud people had to yell just to hear each other. Xander sat by himself looking at his empty plastic cup.
He wasn't in the mood to talk, especially not to bright eyed, bushy-tailed Willow. It was hard enough to keep dreaming about what happened. Willow tried too hard to make everyone feel better. It didn't help. He wondered if that was how Angel felt when he got back.
Instead of yelling at her, the way he wanted to get Willow off his back, he just kept staring at his cup hoping she'd get the hint. Instead she ignored it and smiled at Oz who played on stage. "How ya doing?"
"There is a reason for my singleness and for my quietness. Can't you take a hint?" Xander growled impatiently. Willow looked at him hurt and then stood up.
She looked at him. "Sorry." And then she walked towards the stage.
Xander sighed and threw his cup down to the ground. Everybody asked how he was doing and of course he had to tell them he felt fine. If he didn't they would feel sorry for him. He didn't like that one bit. He didn't want to be like Lucy and look all helpless. That just wasn't him. How could he act okay if he wasn't?
"You're going to drive yourself nuts if you push your friends away and don't talk to anyone." a voice came from the dark. He didn't even look up because he knew who it was.
"Yeah well, better than having people ask if I'm okay every five seconds." Xander said as Angel sat on the couch next to him. The guy probable knew what he was talking about, but the guy was Angel. The guy he most despised and not just because he had swept Buffy off her feet. Oh no. The vampire had killed Jenny and tortured everyone else. "Buffy's not here."
Angel shrugged as if he hadn't come here to look for her. "Wasn't looking for her."
"Then what are you doing?" Xander asked. "I'm not looking for sympathy."
"And I'm not looking to give any." Angel replied rubbing his hands together. "No matter how much you hate me, listen to me. You're going to lose friends if you act like this. People don't know how to act around you. Sure they don't know what you went through, but they want to help because they're your friends. Hell is harsh. It's a world without hope, without feeling. The world down there, time goes slowly. A day on Earth is like a hundred down there. I know all that, but you have to remember, you're alive. Be happy about that. Don't let this pull you down."
"And where did the wise one learn this? From a crackerjack box?" Xander mumbled sarcastically.
"No, you guys taught me that. Buffy taught me that. Whistler taught me that. That is the wisdom from living so long. Learn it fast, before everyone turns their back on you." Angel told him with a small smile. Xander wanted to pop him in the face. He knew the dead guy was right, but he wouldn't admit it.
Angel got up and disappeared into the darkness without another word.
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