Part 3
A/N: I want to thank everyone for the great reviews so far, but it's only 3 o'clock in the morning, and I'm too tired to do it personally. Thank you, again,
Andi
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Buffy stood up straighter and looked over in the direction Spike had left, her head quirked in curiosity. She then looked over at the Scoobies and smiled.
"Good golly gosh! You look like you've seen a ghost!" She quipped.
Giles was the first to stand up, as Xander had miraculously fallen back into the clutches of semi-catatonia.
He came up to her and slowly raised a hand to her face, which Buffy caught and pushed back down.
"Nuh-uh. No touchy. If you want to know something about me just ask. God- Well rather NOT if you know what I mean-But what is it with you guys and touching me? Ever since I came back you've all been manhandling me like you're trying to reassure yourselves that I'm real. Well I AM. So you can all quit with the pseudo-cuddling." She spat, grabbing the bag of blood and then walking out the door in the direction she had seen Spike go.
"No soul," squeaked Willow.
Xander put his arm around her and started rocking her back and forth as she cried into his shoulder, tears streaming down his own face as well.
.....................................................
"Spike?" Dawn asked groggily as soon as she saw that there was an absence of bodies in the bed.
"Right here, Nibblet." He said from the corner of the room.
"Where is she?" She asked, worried.
"Probably looking for me."
"Oh."
"Don't worry, 'Bit, she's not going to leave. She may not have a soul, but I don't think she could force herself to drink human blood from a non-dead body." He walked over and lay down next to her, putting his hands over his eyes and rubbing them tiredly.
A loud sigh broke through the din hanging over the room, and they both looked over to the doorway to see Buffy standing there.
"Look, I'm sorry. It's not like I have an owner's manual here. Without the soul it's like I've lost my spell-check. Words pop out of my mouth before I even think. And aren't you not 'sposed to care what you say if you're lacking in the instant-brood department? Shouldn't I be ripping all of your throats out or something?" During her small speech, she had begun to go into hysterics, small tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
Spike got up and dragged her over to the bed. "Get some sleep. We'll research your semi-conscience in the morning."
As he lay down beside her, she curled up in a little ball and reached out to take his hand, seemingly not noticing the other body settled against her. Dawn sat up and looked over her now-undead sister and brushed the hair out of her face.
"I love you, Buffy, vampire or not." She said softly.
Buffy looked up at her and smiled sadly. "Love you too, Dawnie."
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The next morning, the phone rang in the kitchen. Giles picked it up.
"Hello?" He said.
"Hi, this is Robin Wood, I was just wondering if Buffy was coming in today."
Giles sighed. "No, she isn't. She's dead."
From the other end of the line came only silence, and then the nearly inaudible "What?"
"She has been turned. I really must be going, but no, I don't think Buffy will be going to work anymore. Good-day." With that, he hung up the phone.
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Buffy was standing in the foyer about half a foot away from a large patch of sunlight when Willow came up beside her.
"It doesn't like me, Wills. Thinks I'm evil. It mocks me." She said sadly.
"I'm so sorry. I can never-"
"Everyone's always sorry. Can't you see that this isn't your fault? This is just the God-damned twisted minds of whoever up there controls destiny." She cut Willow off. Suddenly she let out a strangled laugh. "Don't they think I've been put through enough?"
Buffy put her head down on Willow's shoulder and sniffled. "I don't have a soul, dammit, I shouldn't have to feel this way!"
Willow kissed the top of her head and said, "Maybe you're just too good of a person to lose all of your soul. Maybe your soul is YOU, and without at least part of it, you'd be nothing."
Buffy squeezed her eyes shut and said, "I'm going back upstairs. Gotta find a way to get all of these feelings out of me. 'Cuz, really, to live with only half of a soul for all your life? It can really drive a person schitzo."
Willow patted her on the shoulder and pulled away. Buffy smiled at her. "Thanks for, you know, being you. I appreciate that." She then walked back up the stairs and into her room.
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Willow walked into the kitchen just as Xander was talking to Giles.
"-Don't know what we're going to do. Should we stake her? I couldn't do it. I just; she's so much like our Buffy, and so not. She doesn't have a soul, but she does." Xander trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"She's scared." Willow said. The two men looked over at her with confused looks.
"She's scared." She repeated. "Scared and confused and feeling unwanted. She doesn't know her strength; her weaknesses define her as something she should kill, and she's feeling alone. And we're not making it any better."
Giles looked over at her and said, "I know. And I don't think any of us could stake her, even if she started killing."
Xander just sighed and put his head down on the island. "What are we going to do?"
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A/N: Hmmm. What shall happen? Review and find out.
A/N: I want to thank everyone for the great reviews so far, but it's only 3 o'clock in the morning, and I'm too tired to do it personally. Thank you, again,
Andi
.....................................................
Buffy stood up straighter and looked over in the direction Spike had left, her head quirked in curiosity. She then looked over at the Scoobies and smiled.
"Good golly gosh! You look like you've seen a ghost!" She quipped.
Giles was the first to stand up, as Xander had miraculously fallen back into the clutches of semi-catatonia.
He came up to her and slowly raised a hand to her face, which Buffy caught and pushed back down.
"Nuh-uh. No touchy. If you want to know something about me just ask. God- Well rather NOT if you know what I mean-But what is it with you guys and touching me? Ever since I came back you've all been manhandling me like you're trying to reassure yourselves that I'm real. Well I AM. So you can all quit with the pseudo-cuddling." She spat, grabbing the bag of blood and then walking out the door in the direction she had seen Spike go.
"No soul," squeaked Willow.
Xander put his arm around her and started rocking her back and forth as she cried into his shoulder, tears streaming down his own face as well.
.....................................................
"Spike?" Dawn asked groggily as soon as she saw that there was an absence of bodies in the bed.
"Right here, Nibblet." He said from the corner of the room.
"Where is she?" She asked, worried.
"Probably looking for me."
"Oh."
"Don't worry, 'Bit, she's not going to leave. She may not have a soul, but I don't think she could force herself to drink human blood from a non-dead body." He walked over and lay down next to her, putting his hands over his eyes and rubbing them tiredly.
A loud sigh broke through the din hanging over the room, and they both looked over to the doorway to see Buffy standing there.
"Look, I'm sorry. It's not like I have an owner's manual here. Without the soul it's like I've lost my spell-check. Words pop out of my mouth before I even think. And aren't you not 'sposed to care what you say if you're lacking in the instant-brood department? Shouldn't I be ripping all of your throats out or something?" During her small speech, she had begun to go into hysterics, small tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
Spike got up and dragged her over to the bed. "Get some sleep. We'll research your semi-conscience in the morning."
As he lay down beside her, she curled up in a little ball and reached out to take his hand, seemingly not noticing the other body settled against her. Dawn sat up and looked over her now-undead sister and brushed the hair out of her face.
"I love you, Buffy, vampire or not." She said softly.
Buffy looked up at her and smiled sadly. "Love you too, Dawnie."
.....................................................
The next morning, the phone rang in the kitchen. Giles picked it up.
"Hello?" He said.
"Hi, this is Robin Wood, I was just wondering if Buffy was coming in today."
Giles sighed. "No, she isn't. She's dead."
From the other end of the line came only silence, and then the nearly inaudible "What?"
"She has been turned. I really must be going, but no, I don't think Buffy will be going to work anymore. Good-day." With that, he hung up the phone.
.....................................................
Buffy was standing in the foyer about half a foot away from a large patch of sunlight when Willow came up beside her.
"It doesn't like me, Wills. Thinks I'm evil. It mocks me." She said sadly.
"I'm so sorry. I can never-"
"Everyone's always sorry. Can't you see that this isn't your fault? This is just the God-damned twisted minds of whoever up there controls destiny." She cut Willow off. Suddenly she let out a strangled laugh. "Don't they think I've been put through enough?"
Buffy put her head down on Willow's shoulder and sniffled. "I don't have a soul, dammit, I shouldn't have to feel this way!"
Willow kissed the top of her head and said, "Maybe you're just too good of a person to lose all of your soul. Maybe your soul is YOU, and without at least part of it, you'd be nothing."
Buffy squeezed her eyes shut and said, "I'm going back upstairs. Gotta find a way to get all of these feelings out of me. 'Cuz, really, to live with only half of a soul for all your life? It can really drive a person schitzo."
Willow patted her on the shoulder and pulled away. Buffy smiled at her. "Thanks for, you know, being you. I appreciate that." She then walked back up the stairs and into her room.
.....................................................
Willow walked into the kitchen just as Xander was talking to Giles.
"-Don't know what we're going to do. Should we stake her? I couldn't do it. I just; she's so much like our Buffy, and so not. She doesn't have a soul, but she does." Xander trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"She's scared." Willow said. The two men looked over at her with confused looks.
"She's scared." She repeated. "Scared and confused and feeling unwanted. She doesn't know her strength; her weaknesses define her as something she should kill, and she's feeling alone. And we're not making it any better."
Giles looked over at her and said, "I know. And I don't think any of us could stake her, even if she started killing."
Xander just sighed and put his head down on the island. "What are we going to do?"
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A/N: Hmmm. What shall happen? Review and find out.
