Chapter Thirty-Five
Buffy sobbed softly in Angel's arms as he explained giving his life back in order to protect her. "You shouldn't have." Buffy said.
"Shh." Angel soothed her. "It's going to be okay."
"You worked so hard for redemption." Buffy cried. "And you lost it because of me."
"I would do anything for you." Angel said, holding her tighter. "Anything."
Buffy stayed in Angel's embrace. "I just, I can't lose you again." She said, fresh tears rising in her eyes. "I can't."
"You won't." Angel said. "I'll always be here for you Buffy."
"I love you so much." Buffy said, pulling Angel into a passionate kiss.
-
Spike lay on the cot in the basement. His head ached, both from the internal fight with The First and the external fight. Not to mention Angel knocking him unconscious. He had carefully put on clean clothes and chained himself to the wall for safety. Gunn and Rondell stood at the top of the basement stairs for added protection.
Faith sat on the couch and cringed as Wesley brought the iodine-covered cloth to her head. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain, but she blinked them away.
"Hold this." Wesley said gently, moving Faith's hand to the cloth. Wesley began bandaging the wounds on her leg.
"How's Buffy?" Faith asked.
"Giles bandaged her up." Wesley replied. "She's upstairs with Angel right now."
"What happened to him?" Faith asked.
"He did it to protect her." Wesley said. "To protect the both of you." He emphasized, bringing his hand to her chin. "You know the two of you shouldn't have gone off alone."
"I know." Faith said, staring into Wesley's eyes.
"You could have been killed." Wesley said, as he placed the ice pack over Faith's right eye.
"I know." Faith said again. "But I'll die fighting before I let this thing win."
"If you're going to die fighting, make sure you win." Wesley said, moving his hand down Faith's neck. "Tell me when it hurts." He smiled.
Faith closed her eyes against the pain as Wesley moved his hands over her arms, legs and torso. She flinched and moaned, but refused to scream out from the pain.
"Faith?" Wesley asked softly.
"I'm fine." Faith breathed.
"Are you sure?" Wesley asked.
"Five by Five, Wes." She said as she pushed his hand away. "You better help Giles with the others."
Wesley nodded and moved off.
"How you holding up?" Gunn asked as he sat next to Faith.
"Fine. You?" Faith inquired.
"Great." Gunn replied, touching the stitches on his forehead. "Fred did a bang up job stitching me up."
"Where is Fred?" Faith asked.
"Helping with the others." Gunn motioned into the dining room.
"I though you were on watchdog?" Faith said. "Crazy Spike and all."
"Rondell and the boys are guarding the door." Gunn said. "Not to mention the slayers having a good meal in the kitchen."
"Food." Faith smiled.
"Hungry?" Gunn asked.
"I could eat." Faith smiled.
"Well, let me take you to dinner." Gunn said as he stood. He held his hand out for Faith and helped her off the couch. "I think Chez Summers is serving the cereal of your choice."
"Yummy." Faith said sarcastically.
-
Anya shoved box after box through the back door. Fred slid it over to Xander who began unpacking the contents.
"What's all this?" Giles asked.
"The grocery store left it for us." Anya said. "Along with a thank you note."
Giles lifted the piece of paper and read. "Dear occupants, Ralph's grocery appreciates the hard work you are doing to keep our town safe. Please find enclosed enough non-perishables to keep your family fed. There is also a crate of refrigerated and frozen goods waiting for you at the store. Thank you for everything you are doing, Samuel Martin, General Manager."
"That's so cool." Dawn said, digging through the boxes. "There's bread and rolls and cereal and, oh, those little boxes of raisins."
"The manager at the Hardware store sent over a ton of wood and a couple of nice carving kits." Xander said.
"The sporting goods store on Mercer sent over a box of knifes and a nice crossbow." Kennedy said.
"And one of the magick shops sent over a note saying whatever we needed was on the house until the demons were pushed back." Willow said.
Giles nodded and moved to help bring the goods inside.
-
Dawn ran up the stairs. "Buffy, you have to see all the presents in the kitchen!" She called as she flung open the door to Buffy's room.
Buffy pulled out of Angel's embrace. "What's going on, Dawn?"
"The kitchen is overflowing with gifts from everyone. Groceries and weapons and wood and all kinds of stuff." Dawn said excited.
Buffy grinned.
-
Giles and Wesley sat at the table enjoying their first hot meal in weeks. Buffy sat across from Giles and nursed a bowl of soup along with a giant sandwich. Faith and Gunn talked softly over their meals. Dawn stacked a collection of snack foods in the middle of the table and eyed the sweets as she ate.
Angel watched from the shaded hallway as everyone sat down to a meal. His drank a tall glass of pig's blood and looked over the weapons from the sporting goods store.
Giles was the first to break the silence in the dining room. "After we eat, everyone needs to rest." He said fatherly. "We have at least eight hours till the sun sets and The First can try their spell again. Everyone sleeps."
Everyone nodded as they continued their meal.
"Then what?" Dawn asked, her mouth full.
"Dawn, don't talk with your mouth full." Buffy said flatly.
Dawn smirked.
Buffy returned the smile.
"Tonight, we fight." Giles said.
"Our target's got to be The First." Buffy said.
"Stopping them from opening the Hellmouth's just as urgent." Faith said.
"I agree." Buffy nodded. "But we take The First, we take their leader."
"Thus causing chaos in the ranks." Giles said.
"Demons don't usually work together." Wesley chimed in. "Not the way they were last night. We remove The First, hopefully they won't continue fighting."
"Or at the very least, they won't be fighting together." Giles concurred.
Buffy sobbed softly in Angel's arms as he explained giving his life back in order to protect her. "You shouldn't have." Buffy said.
"Shh." Angel soothed her. "It's going to be okay."
"You worked so hard for redemption." Buffy cried. "And you lost it because of me."
"I would do anything for you." Angel said, holding her tighter. "Anything."
Buffy stayed in Angel's embrace. "I just, I can't lose you again." She said, fresh tears rising in her eyes. "I can't."
"You won't." Angel said. "I'll always be here for you Buffy."
"I love you so much." Buffy said, pulling Angel into a passionate kiss.
-
Spike lay on the cot in the basement. His head ached, both from the internal fight with The First and the external fight. Not to mention Angel knocking him unconscious. He had carefully put on clean clothes and chained himself to the wall for safety. Gunn and Rondell stood at the top of the basement stairs for added protection.
Faith sat on the couch and cringed as Wesley brought the iodine-covered cloth to her head. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain, but she blinked them away.
"Hold this." Wesley said gently, moving Faith's hand to the cloth. Wesley began bandaging the wounds on her leg.
"How's Buffy?" Faith asked.
"Giles bandaged her up." Wesley replied. "She's upstairs with Angel right now."
"What happened to him?" Faith asked.
"He did it to protect her." Wesley said. "To protect the both of you." He emphasized, bringing his hand to her chin. "You know the two of you shouldn't have gone off alone."
"I know." Faith said, staring into Wesley's eyes.
"You could have been killed." Wesley said, as he placed the ice pack over Faith's right eye.
"I know." Faith said again. "But I'll die fighting before I let this thing win."
"If you're going to die fighting, make sure you win." Wesley said, moving his hand down Faith's neck. "Tell me when it hurts." He smiled.
Faith closed her eyes against the pain as Wesley moved his hands over her arms, legs and torso. She flinched and moaned, but refused to scream out from the pain.
"Faith?" Wesley asked softly.
"I'm fine." Faith breathed.
"Are you sure?" Wesley asked.
"Five by Five, Wes." She said as she pushed his hand away. "You better help Giles with the others."
Wesley nodded and moved off.
"How you holding up?" Gunn asked as he sat next to Faith.
"Fine. You?" Faith inquired.
"Great." Gunn replied, touching the stitches on his forehead. "Fred did a bang up job stitching me up."
"Where is Fred?" Faith asked.
"Helping with the others." Gunn motioned into the dining room.
"I though you were on watchdog?" Faith said. "Crazy Spike and all."
"Rondell and the boys are guarding the door." Gunn said. "Not to mention the slayers having a good meal in the kitchen."
"Food." Faith smiled.
"Hungry?" Gunn asked.
"I could eat." Faith smiled.
"Well, let me take you to dinner." Gunn said as he stood. He held his hand out for Faith and helped her off the couch. "I think Chez Summers is serving the cereal of your choice."
"Yummy." Faith said sarcastically.
-
Anya shoved box after box through the back door. Fred slid it over to Xander who began unpacking the contents.
"What's all this?" Giles asked.
"The grocery store left it for us." Anya said. "Along with a thank you note."
Giles lifted the piece of paper and read. "Dear occupants, Ralph's grocery appreciates the hard work you are doing to keep our town safe. Please find enclosed enough non-perishables to keep your family fed. There is also a crate of refrigerated and frozen goods waiting for you at the store. Thank you for everything you are doing, Samuel Martin, General Manager."
"That's so cool." Dawn said, digging through the boxes. "There's bread and rolls and cereal and, oh, those little boxes of raisins."
"The manager at the Hardware store sent over a ton of wood and a couple of nice carving kits." Xander said.
"The sporting goods store on Mercer sent over a box of knifes and a nice crossbow." Kennedy said.
"And one of the magick shops sent over a note saying whatever we needed was on the house until the demons were pushed back." Willow said.
Giles nodded and moved to help bring the goods inside.
-
Dawn ran up the stairs. "Buffy, you have to see all the presents in the kitchen!" She called as she flung open the door to Buffy's room.
Buffy pulled out of Angel's embrace. "What's going on, Dawn?"
"The kitchen is overflowing with gifts from everyone. Groceries and weapons and wood and all kinds of stuff." Dawn said excited.
Buffy grinned.
-
Giles and Wesley sat at the table enjoying their first hot meal in weeks. Buffy sat across from Giles and nursed a bowl of soup along with a giant sandwich. Faith and Gunn talked softly over their meals. Dawn stacked a collection of snack foods in the middle of the table and eyed the sweets as she ate.
Angel watched from the shaded hallway as everyone sat down to a meal. His drank a tall glass of pig's blood and looked over the weapons from the sporting goods store.
Giles was the first to break the silence in the dining room. "After we eat, everyone needs to rest." He said fatherly. "We have at least eight hours till the sun sets and The First can try their spell again. Everyone sleeps."
Everyone nodded as they continued their meal.
"Then what?" Dawn asked, her mouth full.
"Dawn, don't talk with your mouth full." Buffy said flatly.
Dawn smirked.
Buffy returned the smile.
"Tonight, we fight." Giles said.
"Our target's got to be The First." Buffy said.
"Stopping them from opening the Hellmouth's just as urgent." Faith said.
"I agree." Buffy nodded. "But we take The First, we take their leader."
"Thus causing chaos in the ranks." Giles said.
"Demons don't usually work together." Wesley chimed in. "Not the way they were last night. We remove The First, hopefully they won't continue fighting."
"Or at the very least, they won't be fighting together." Giles concurred.
