Hank hated what this was doing to Joyce. She spent hours each day sitting by Buffy's bedside, just talking as if she could hear her. Supposedly, coma patients could, but he'd always doubted that. He just wanted everything back to the way it was before Buffy thought she was this Slayer girl. He missed her. He missed what their life had been. They had been so happy. There had been fights between him and Joyce, but that was part of any normal marriage.
"Please Buffy," Joyce begged. "Please fight it. Come back to us baby. You're a survivor. You can do this. For me. For your father. Please fight it."
"I can't," Buffy whispered.
"Huh?" Willow said. "Can't what?"
Buffy looked up and found everyone looking at her. It had happened again. Her mother's voice seemed to be interrupting her thoughts more and more these days. She was beginning to lose track of what was real and what wasn't more often. But hadn't that 'cure' Willow had made put a stop to this? Sure, she wasn't drifting into that institution anymore, but the voices still remained.
"Nothing," Buffy mumbled as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "What were we talking about?"
Willow let it drop as Dawn started rambling on about a movie she wanted to see. But she could tell something was up that Buffy wasn't telling them.
"Yeah, sure," Buffy was saying, but her heart wasn't in it.
"Yay," squealed Dawn as she jumped up and ran off to find something to wear.
"Is everything ok Buffy?" Willow asked after she'd left.
"Perfectly," Buffy replied. "I have to patrol. Can you and Xander take Dawn to ..."
"Of course we can, but shouldn't you rest?"
"Yeah Buff," Xander agreed. "You look worn out."
She smiled. "I'm fine. Honestly I am. Enjoy the movie, and explain to Dawn?"
"Okay," Willow said finally. "Be careful."
"Always am," Buffy replied as she gathered up her weapons. She suddenly knew what she had to do.
Spike prowled around his crypt like a caged tiger. She was under his skin now. He needed her and thought that she needed him too. Why couldn't she just admit it? Why wouldn't she give in and love him too? He missed her, so much. The feel of her in his arms. The scent of her hair. The way her body writhed under his.
'Snap out of it,' he told himself as he reached into the fridge and pulled out a jar of blood. He was beginning to like it cold. It had taken some getting used to, but now it was the way he mostly drank it. Plus it took to long to warm up.
"I knew you'd be back," he said without turning around.
Buffy stood in the doorway watching him.
"Couldn't keep away could you Slayer?"
'You must fight it Buffy. Fight the ones holding you there. Only then can you come back to us.'
"I have to..." she said softly.
"Have to what luv?" Spike asked, putting the blood down and wandering slowly over to her. "You want me. Why can't you just admit it?"
Buffy looked up at him. Her eyes caught his. Spike didn't like what he saw there.
Nothing.
"Buffy..?"
"Its too hard. I can't do this anymore. I need to go home. I have to," she said as gently, she slide the stake through Spike's heart. "I'm sorry."
His eyes widened as he felt it penetrate his body.
"...love you..." he said as his body slowly turned into dust.
Buffy closed her eyes and covered her ears.
"No no no NO!!!!" she screamed as she fell to the floor beside the pile of ashes that was once Spike.
"Please baby. You have to come back. You have so much to do. There's so much for you out here. You can't stay in your dreams forever," Joyce pleaded as she clung to her daughter's lifeless hand.
"Joyce, stop doing this to yourself," Hank said as he gently squeezed her shoulder. "You heard what the doctor said. She's never coming back. She'll stay locked in that coma, in her own world, maybe forever."
Joyce looked up at her husband with tearfilled eyes. "I have to hope...to believe...that she will return to us. Its the only thing that keeps me going."
"I know hunny," he replied, kissing her gently on the forehead. "Its late. We should get going."
Joyce nodded. She was about to release Buffy's hand when...
"Hank, it moved. Buffy's hand, it moved."
He looked and saw that Buffy's fingers were slowly moving.
"NURSE!" he yelled.
"Please Buffy," Joyce begged. "Please fight it. Come back to us baby. You're a survivor. You can do this. For me. For your father. Please fight it."
"I can't," Buffy whispered.
"Huh?" Willow said. "Can't what?"
Buffy looked up and found everyone looking at her. It had happened again. Her mother's voice seemed to be interrupting her thoughts more and more these days. She was beginning to lose track of what was real and what wasn't more often. But hadn't that 'cure' Willow had made put a stop to this? Sure, she wasn't drifting into that institution anymore, but the voices still remained.
"Nothing," Buffy mumbled as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "What were we talking about?"
Willow let it drop as Dawn started rambling on about a movie she wanted to see. But she could tell something was up that Buffy wasn't telling them.
"Yeah, sure," Buffy was saying, but her heart wasn't in it.
"Yay," squealed Dawn as she jumped up and ran off to find something to wear.
"Is everything ok Buffy?" Willow asked after she'd left.
"Perfectly," Buffy replied. "I have to patrol. Can you and Xander take Dawn to ..."
"Of course we can, but shouldn't you rest?"
"Yeah Buff," Xander agreed. "You look worn out."
She smiled. "I'm fine. Honestly I am. Enjoy the movie, and explain to Dawn?"
"Okay," Willow said finally. "Be careful."
"Always am," Buffy replied as she gathered up her weapons. She suddenly knew what she had to do.
Spike prowled around his crypt like a caged tiger. She was under his skin now. He needed her and thought that she needed him too. Why couldn't she just admit it? Why wouldn't she give in and love him too? He missed her, so much. The feel of her in his arms. The scent of her hair. The way her body writhed under his.
'Snap out of it,' he told himself as he reached into the fridge and pulled out a jar of blood. He was beginning to like it cold. It had taken some getting used to, but now it was the way he mostly drank it. Plus it took to long to warm up.
"I knew you'd be back," he said without turning around.
Buffy stood in the doorway watching him.
"Couldn't keep away could you Slayer?"
'You must fight it Buffy. Fight the ones holding you there. Only then can you come back to us.'
"I have to..." she said softly.
"Have to what luv?" Spike asked, putting the blood down and wandering slowly over to her. "You want me. Why can't you just admit it?"
Buffy looked up at him. Her eyes caught his. Spike didn't like what he saw there.
Nothing.
"Buffy..?"
"Its too hard. I can't do this anymore. I need to go home. I have to," she said as gently, she slide the stake through Spike's heart. "I'm sorry."
His eyes widened as he felt it penetrate his body.
"...love you..." he said as his body slowly turned into dust.
Buffy closed her eyes and covered her ears.
"No no no NO!!!!" she screamed as she fell to the floor beside the pile of ashes that was once Spike.
"Please baby. You have to come back. You have so much to do. There's so much for you out here. You can't stay in your dreams forever," Joyce pleaded as she clung to her daughter's lifeless hand.
"Joyce, stop doing this to yourself," Hank said as he gently squeezed her shoulder. "You heard what the doctor said. She's never coming back. She'll stay locked in that coma, in her own world, maybe forever."
Joyce looked up at her husband with tearfilled eyes. "I have to hope...to believe...that she will return to us. Its the only thing that keeps me going."
"I know hunny," he replied, kissing her gently on the forehead. "Its late. We should get going."
Joyce nodded. She was about to release Buffy's hand when...
"Hank, it moved. Buffy's hand, it moved."
He looked and saw that Buffy's fingers were slowly moving.
"NURSE!" he yelled.