"It doesn't feel as pleasurable anymore," Anya said matter-of-factly.
Xander reached over and held Anya, caressing her.
"I know," He said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Time will change it."
"I hate waiting! We're always waiting -- for evil, for war, for someone to save us -- why do we wait?"
"Because there's nothing else we can do. The only power we have is to not do anything."
"I had more than that -"
"You didn't have me."
Anya relaxed in his arms a bit more. "A very valid point. We'll be ok?"
"I promise," Xander said sincerely, looking deep into Anya's beautiful worried eyes.
* * *
Tara awoke to find Dawn standing at the door, her eyes red and bloodshot, lips pouting like Buffy's always had when she was upset.
"Dawnie, honey?" Tara asked, fearing Dawn's response. "What's wrong?"
"Where's Willow?" Dawn asked in a guttural, angry voice.
"She's in LA. She'll be back tomorrow-" Tara raised her arm to look at her watch "-or later today. What's going on?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to know where everyone was."
"Dawnie, come here," Tara said, patting the bed.
Dawn backed away slightly, and Tara's face fell into a disappointed frown, but when tears began to fall from Dawn's eyes, she ran to the bed to cry.
"Aww, Dawnie." Tara said sadly, holding Dawn's heaving body close to her. "It's ok, Dawnie. It's gonna be ok-"
"How can you say that?" Dawn cried, suddenly getting up and turning angry. "It's MY fault she's dead. It's never gonna be ok; at least not for me. You didn't kill anybody, YOU'll be fine."
"Dawn, who told you it's your fault?"
"Nobody. I just know it."
"No, Dawnie," Tara said, shaking her head vigorously. "It's not true-"
"It is. But it doesn't matter, it's done. I can't change the past."
Dawn quickly walked out the door, the door shut behind her. Tara was left in her bed, with a sad, doe look in her eyes. She had no idea what she could possibly do.
* * *
"Vampires beware!" Buffy-bot yelled cheerfully out into the night.
"Buffy-bot!" Willow exclaimed as she approached the bot. "How's patrolling?"
"Very well," The bot answered with her static grin. "I'm playing 'hide and stake' with the vampires tonight."
Willow smiled.
"I'm glad you're having a good time," Willow said as she reached for the back of the bot's head. "And I'm glad the vamps are having a dead time."
"Yes. No one can defeat the-"
Willow turned off the bot as Angel and Faith walked into the graveyard.
"Buffy," Angel said, utterly confused.
"-Bot," said Willow. "Just a robot."
Angel came up to touch the Buffy-bot tentatively.
"It's her," he said, amazed. "It's just like her-"
Willow gently took Angel's hand and brought it away from the bot.
"It's just a robot. It's not her."
"Did you make her? After she died?"
"No, it was this guy, Warren. She was there for the big Glory fight.she really helped. Looking back, it's kind of a good think Spike -"
"Spike? What did he have to do with this?" Angel asked, his countenance getting less broody and more moody.
"Well he's the reason she was made-"
"What kind of reason, Willow?" Angel asked, getting impatient.
Willow looked down and avoided Angel's eyes, muttering something quietly, so Angel just barely heard with his powerful vampiric hearing.
Angel angrily skulked off.
"What did you say, Willow?" Faith asked. "What the hell did you say?"
"Something I probably shouldn't have," Willow said, not taking her eyes off the path Angel walked to Spike's crypt
* * *
Tears were in Spike's eyes as the credits for 'Passions' rolled on the TV screen in front of him. But he wasn't looking at that, he was looking at a small picture in his hands. A girl. A beautiful strong girl whom he had loved - and failed.
He got up angry, hurt, and slammed a fist into the wall. His tears streaming even stronger, he let out a scream. A scream that made his head hurt so badly he wanted to detach it from his body. Anything to ease the pain, anything to make it not hurt so bloody much!
"I've got strong medicine for tears," Angel said as he walked into Spike's crypt with a torch lighted high with fire.
Xander reached over and held Anya, caressing her.
"I know," He said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Time will change it."
"I hate waiting! We're always waiting -- for evil, for war, for someone to save us -- why do we wait?"
"Because there's nothing else we can do. The only power we have is to not do anything."
"I had more than that -"
"You didn't have me."
Anya relaxed in his arms a bit more. "A very valid point. We'll be ok?"
"I promise," Xander said sincerely, looking deep into Anya's beautiful worried eyes.
* * *
Tara awoke to find Dawn standing at the door, her eyes red and bloodshot, lips pouting like Buffy's always had when she was upset.
"Dawnie, honey?" Tara asked, fearing Dawn's response. "What's wrong?"
"Where's Willow?" Dawn asked in a guttural, angry voice.
"She's in LA. She'll be back tomorrow-" Tara raised her arm to look at her watch "-or later today. What's going on?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to know where everyone was."
"Dawnie, come here," Tara said, patting the bed.
Dawn backed away slightly, and Tara's face fell into a disappointed frown, but when tears began to fall from Dawn's eyes, she ran to the bed to cry.
"Aww, Dawnie." Tara said sadly, holding Dawn's heaving body close to her. "It's ok, Dawnie. It's gonna be ok-"
"How can you say that?" Dawn cried, suddenly getting up and turning angry. "It's MY fault she's dead. It's never gonna be ok; at least not for me. You didn't kill anybody, YOU'll be fine."
"Dawn, who told you it's your fault?"
"Nobody. I just know it."
"No, Dawnie," Tara said, shaking her head vigorously. "It's not true-"
"It is. But it doesn't matter, it's done. I can't change the past."
Dawn quickly walked out the door, the door shut behind her. Tara was left in her bed, with a sad, doe look in her eyes. She had no idea what she could possibly do.
* * *
"Vampires beware!" Buffy-bot yelled cheerfully out into the night.
"Buffy-bot!" Willow exclaimed as she approached the bot. "How's patrolling?"
"Very well," The bot answered with her static grin. "I'm playing 'hide and stake' with the vampires tonight."
Willow smiled.
"I'm glad you're having a good time," Willow said as she reached for the back of the bot's head. "And I'm glad the vamps are having a dead time."
"Yes. No one can defeat the-"
Willow turned off the bot as Angel and Faith walked into the graveyard.
"Buffy," Angel said, utterly confused.
"-Bot," said Willow. "Just a robot."
Angel came up to touch the Buffy-bot tentatively.
"It's her," he said, amazed. "It's just like her-"
Willow gently took Angel's hand and brought it away from the bot.
"It's just a robot. It's not her."
"Did you make her? After she died?"
"No, it was this guy, Warren. She was there for the big Glory fight.she really helped. Looking back, it's kind of a good think Spike -"
"Spike? What did he have to do with this?" Angel asked, his countenance getting less broody and more moody.
"Well he's the reason she was made-"
"What kind of reason, Willow?" Angel asked, getting impatient.
Willow looked down and avoided Angel's eyes, muttering something quietly, so Angel just barely heard with his powerful vampiric hearing.
Angel angrily skulked off.
"What did you say, Willow?" Faith asked. "What the hell did you say?"
"Something I probably shouldn't have," Willow said, not taking her eyes off the path Angel walked to Spike's crypt
* * *
Tears were in Spike's eyes as the credits for 'Passions' rolled on the TV screen in front of him. But he wasn't looking at that, he was looking at a small picture in his hands. A girl. A beautiful strong girl whom he had loved - and failed.
He got up angry, hurt, and slammed a fist into the wall. His tears streaming even stronger, he let out a scream. A scream that made his head hurt so badly he wanted to detach it from his body. Anything to ease the pain, anything to make it not hurt so bloody much!
"I've got strong medicine for tears," Angel said as he walked into Spike's crypt with a torch lighted high with fire.
