Burt entered the underground first. Faith was right behind him and
Tyler brought up the rear.
They were silent as they walked through the corridor.
They reached the cavern that housed the giant screechers. Burt went closer and found that all the screechers were present. He picked out the spots he wanted the explosives and returned to the others.
Tyler and Faith were waiting impatiently for Burt to come back. They made small talk and got more and more impatient.
"Where in the hell is he?" Faith asked Tyler.
"Be patient. Burt just wants to make sure the explosives will be in the right position. If we get the explosion right, there will be no need to fire a shot." Tyler answered.
"Yeah, well I don't have to like waiting!" Faith snapped back. "We have to get those things before they change."
"We will. Don't worry. Are all slayers this impatient?"
"No, just me." Faith shot back.
Tyler let out a small laugh. At that moment, Burt returned.
"Are you ready?" Burt asked.
"We've been ready!" Faith exploded. "Where in the hell have you been?"
Burt grinned at her tone. "Why? Were you worried?" Burt teased.
Faith just gave an unladylike snort.
Burt grinned again and began to explain where he wanted the explosives planted.
~~ * ~~
Buffy and Angel were making good time back to the cavern. They hadn't spoken much, but both were in deep thought.
Angel looked over at Buffy. God, how he missed her. He missed her smile, he missed her eyes, he missed the way she said his name. No one said his name like she does. He looked at her again. He could see the age she had acquired. Her eyes were so old for someone so young. He could see every heartache she ever had in her eyes. No, she wasn't the girl he fell in love with. She was all woman now.
While Angel was stealing glances at her, Buffy was stealing glances at him. He was still gorgeous. Time hadn't changed him, except for a little more pain that was visible in his eyes. So much had happened, so many things had been said. Buffy didn't know if they could ever get past that. She didn't try to delude herself. She still loved him, she would always love him. She just didn't know if they had a future together.
~~ *~~
Faith and Burt had no problems setting their explosives and returned to the meeting spot to wait for Tyler. He arrived a few minutes later. Everything was set and ready to go.
"Well, this is the moment of truth." Burt said with a grin. Faith wondered if she should be concerned about his obvious enjoyment in blowing things up. She was distracted from her thoughts by the arrival of Buffy and Angel.
"Hey, guys. We didn't miss the big finish did we?" Buffy asked.
"No." Faith replied. "We were just about to start. Any problems with the other screechers?"
"No. We took care of that and came back to see if you guys needed an assist."
"Well, if everything goes as planned we won't need it." Burt interjected, anxious to get the show on the road.
"Five, four, three," Burt started the count down. "Two, one!" A giant explosion ripped through the end of the cavern. Rock, debris, and parts of screechers rained around them.
When the debris stopped falling the five of them went to admire Burt's handy work. There were parts of screechers lying in the midst of the fallen rock. It looked as though Burt's plan had worked.
Burt moved away from the others. He had seen something on the far end of the cavern. He moved closer and to his horror saw a giant screecher that hadn't been killed by the explosion.
He started yelling for the others and backing up, thanking the Lord he hadn't removed heat duster.
The screecher must have caught sight of some kind of heat because he let out a scream and headed for Burt. Luckily, the debris scattered everywhere hindered his approach.
The screecher had almost reached Burt when out of nowhere Faith appeared. She had a broad sword and no heat duster. The screecher immediately left his pursuit of Burt and went after Faith.
"Faith!" Burt yelled. "What in the hell are you doing?"
"Trust me." Faith yelled back.
Faith kept moving back toward the entrance of the caves. Every now and then she would swipe at the screecher with her sword, sometimes drawing blood and making the creature scream.
Burt wondered if she had plan. Of course she had a plan. She was a vampire slayer after all. Still, Burt hoped it was a good plan.
The cave began to narrow. Faith was now watching for Buffy and Angel. Where in the hell did they go? Just as Faith was started to get nervous, she saw Angel out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head the other way to see Buffy, sword in hand.
"O.K. guys, NOW!" Faith yelled and lunged toward the screecher. As Faith lunged for the screecher, Buffy and Angel came from either side of the screecher. They met at the screecher and three swords pierced its skin, two in the side and one in the front. The screecher screamed in agony for a moment then collapsed, dead.
The three of them removed their swords and headed back to Burt and Tyler who stood in disbelief.
"Ya know what guys?" Faith asked. Without waiting for answer she continued. "We make a pretty good team."
"That we do, Faith." Angel answered.
Burt rushed forward to reach them. He resisted the urge to hug Faith, instead opting for yelling at her.
"What the hell was that? You could have been killed!" Burt yelled.
Faith looked at him calmly. "Yeah, what else is new?" was her only reply.
Buffy decided to break this up before it got ugly. "Come on guys, let's get out of here. We need to let the others know we're all right."
The five of them made another quick sweep of the area to make sure all the screechers were dead and then made their way back to the surface.
~~ * ~~
They arrived back at the hotel to a very worried group of people. Nancy, Jody, and Rosalita were pacing in the lobby when they arrived. They noticed no one in the group was wearing heat dusters and headed outside to greet them.
Burt filled them in on the entire story while everyone else listened. He didn't embellish. He gave the report as a soldier might, with only necessary details, not leaving anything out.
That evening everyone was still at the hotel. They didn't have anything to do, seeing how the National Guard still wasn't letting anyone through. Twitchell, who nobody had missed, had left the night he arrived. He called his men and had an electric car, which produced no heat, to pick him up. He had called to say the road would be opened as soon as the military made a sweep of the area and made sure the screechers were all dead.
"Typical." Faith said. "The 'authorities' let someone else do all the work then come in and try to take credit for saving the day."
Burt agreed.
Buffy left for the kitchen and Angel followed. He found her starting dinner for everyone.
He wanted to speak, but had no words. So, he just helped her cook. They finished the meal in silence, each of them lost in their thoughts, and called everyone else to come and eat.
"Do you have anything to eat?" Buffy asked as they waited for the others.
"Yeah. I've got a couple of bags left in my room."
"Go get a bag and I'll heat it up in the microwave."
Angel wasn't comfortable with the thought of eating in front of everyone. They had pushed his being a vampire to the back of their minds in the time of crisis but now that the crisis was over he wasn't sure he would be accepted.
Buffy knew what he was thinking. "Go. They won't say anything. You helped save this valley. This valley is their life. Anyone who helps defend it becomes part of it. You're one of us now."
Angel still wasn't sure, but he didn't want to argue with Buffy.
Dinner was a festive occasion. Everyone laughed and talked and went back over the battle.
Angel sat quietly, listening to those around him, as he sipped his blood. Everyone noticed what he was drinking, but no one said anything. They acted like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Eventually the conversation turned to vampires and Angel was forced to explain the facts to everyone. He grimaced when he had to correct them about the things they thought they knew. Things they had learned from the movies or books.
~~ * ~~
Buffy lay on her bed. She was thinking about the past few days and everything that had happened.
Buffy sensed Angel before he knocked on the door. She opened the door just as Angel was poised to knock.
"Hi." Angel said.
"Hi, come in."
Angel walked into the room and looked at Buffy. She was dressed in a cotton nightgown that barely reached her knees. It was an off white color that clung to her curves.
"Buffy, I just wanted to." Angel began but was cut off in mid- sentence by Buffy.
"Angel, don't. As much as we may we want things to be different, they aren't. There have been things said by both of us that we can't take back. Things have happened that can never be changed."
Angel looked crestfallen. Buffy didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to try anything again. He decided right then, he was leaving the next morning.
Angel was so deep in his thoughts he didn't notice Buffy had stopped talking and moved closer to him.
Her face in front of his jerked him out of his thoughts. Buffy grinned, knowing he hadn't heard her last sentence.
"I don't want to talk." Buffy repeated. "Sometimes words don't say what I need to hear."
Buffy put her hand on the back of his neck and brought his lips down to hers. Angel didn't need to be told twice. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss.
"God, how I've missed this." Buffy whispered. She pulled away. "We need to stop this."
"No, we don't." Angel replied. "The only reason for us to stop is because you want to."
Buffy understood. She wanted to ask, but found her curiosity was taking a back seat to her desire.
She didn't say anything. Instead, she kissed him again.
~~ * ~~
The next chapter will be the end and will probably be fairly short. Will Buffy stay with Angel? Will she go back to LA? What will the ending be? Stay tuned for the conclusion of "Tremors - Buffy Style". Thanks for reading. I hoped you enjoyed.
They were silent as they walked through the corridor.
They reached the cavern that housed the giant screechers. Burt went closer and found that all the screechers were present. He picked out the spots he wanted the explosives and returned to the others.
Tyler and Faith were waiting impatiently for Burt to come back. They made small talk and got more and more impatient.
"Where in the hell is he?" Faith asked Tyler.
"Be patient. Burt just wants to make sure the explosives will be in the right position. If we get the explosion right, there will be no need to fire a shot." Tyler answered.
"Yeah, well I don't have to like waiting!" Faith snapped back. "We have to get those things before they change."
"We will. Don't worry. Are all slayers this impatient?"
"No, just me." Faith shot back.
Tyler let out a small laugh. At that moment, Burt returned.
"Are you ready?" Burt asked.
"We've been ready!" Faith exploded. "Where in the hell have you been?"
Burt grinned at her tone. "Why? Were you worried?" Burt teased.
Faith just gave an unladylike snort.
Burt grinned again and began to explain where he wanted the explosives planted.
~~ * ~~
Buffy and Angel were making good time back to the cavern. They hadn't spoken much, but both were in deep thought.
Angel looked over at Buffy. God, how he missed her. He missed her smile, he missed her eyes, he missed the way she said his name. No one said his name like she does. He looked at her again. He could see the age she had acquired. Her eyes were so old for someone so young. He could see every heartache she ever had in her eyes. No, she wasn't the girl he fell in love with. She was all woman now.
While Angel was stealing glances at her, Buffy was stealing glances at him. He was still gorgeous. Time hadn't changed him, except for a little more pain that was visible in his eyes. So much had happened, so many things had been said. Buffy didn't know if they could ever get past that. She didn't try to delude herself. She still loved him, she would always love him. She just didn't know if they had a future together.
~~ *~~
Faith and Burt had no problems setting their explosives and returned to the meeting spot to wait for Tyler. He arrived a few minutes later. Everything was set and ready to go.
"Well, this is the moment of truth." Burt said with a grin. Faith wondered if she should be concerned about his obvious enjoyment in blowing things up. She was distracted from her thoughts by the arrival of Buffy and Angel.
"Hey, guys. We didn't miss the big finish did we?" Buffy asked.
"No." Faith replied. "We were just about to start. Any problems with the other screechers?"
"No. We took care of that and came back to see if you guys needed an assist."
"Well, if everything goes as planned we won't need it." Burt interjected, anxious to get the show on the road.
"Five, four, three," Burt started the count down. "Two, one!" A giant explosion ripped through the end of the cavern. Rock, debris, and parts of screechers rained around them.
When the debris stopped falling the five of them went to admire Burt's handy work. There were parts of screechers lying in the midst of the fallen rock. It looked as though Burt's plan had worked.
Burt moved away from the others. He had seen something on the far end of the cavern. He moved closer and to his horror saw a giant screecher that hadn't been killed by the explosion.
He started yelling for the others and backing up, thanking the Lord he hadn't removed heat duster.
The screecher must have caught sight of some kind of heat because he let out a scream and headed for Burt. Luckily, the debris scattered everywhere hindered his approach.
The screecher had almost reached Burt when out of nowhere Faith appeared. She had a broad sword and no heat duster. The screecher immediately left his pursuit of Burt and went after Faith.
"Faith!" Burt yelled. "What in the hell are you doing?"
"Trust me." Faith yelled back.
Faith kept moving back toward the entrance of the caves. Every now and then she would swipe at the screecher with her sword, sometimes drawing blood and making the creature scream.
Burt wondered if she had plan. Of course she had a plan. She was a vampire slayer after all. Still, Burt hoped it was a good plan.
The cave began to narrow. Faith was now watching for Buffy and Angel. Where in the hell did they go? Just as Faith was started to get nervous, she saw Angel out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head the other way to see Buffy, sword in hand.
"O.K. guys, NOW!" Faith yelled and lunged toward the screecher. As Faith lunged for the screecher, Buffy and Angel came from either side of the screecher. They met at the screecher and three swords pierced its skin, two in the side and one in the front. The screecher screamed in agony for a moment then collapsed, dead.
The three of them removed their swords and headed back to Burt and Tyler who stood in disbelief.
"Ya know what guys?" Faith asked. Without waiting for answer she continued. "We make a pretty good team."
"That we do, Faith." Angel answered.
Burt rushed forward to reach them. He resisted the urge to hug Faith, instead opting for yelling at her.
"What the hell was that? You could have been killed!" Burt yelled.
Faith looked at him calmly. "Yeah, what else is new?" was her only reply.
Buffy decided to break this up before it got ugly. "Come on guys, let's get out of here. We need to let the others know we're all right."
The five of them made another quick sweep of the area to make sure all the screechers were dead and then made their way back to the surface.
~~ * ~~
They arrived back at the hotel to a very worried group of people. Nancy, Jody, and Rosalita were pacing in the lobby when they arrived. They noticed no one in the group was wearing heat dusters and headed outside to greet them.
Burt filled them in on the entire story while everyone else listened. He didn't embellish. He gave the report as a soldier might, with only necessary details, not leaving anything out.
That evening everyone was still at the hotel. They didn't have anything to do, seeing how the National Guard still wasn't letting anyone through. Twitchell, who nobody had missed, had left the night he arrived. He called his men and had an electric car, which produced no heat, to pick him up. He had called to say the road would be opened as soon as the military made a sweep of the area and made sure the screechers were all dead.
"Typical." Faith said. "The 'authorities' let someone else do all the work then come in and try to take credit for saving the day."
Burt agreed.
Buffy left for the kitchen and Angel followed. He found her starting dinner for everyone.
He wanted to speak, but had no words. So, he just helped her cook. They finished the meal in silence, each of them lost in their thoughts, and called everyone else to come and eat.
"Do you have anything to eat?" Buffy asked as they waited for the others.
"Yeah. I've got a couple of bags left in my room."
"Go get a bag and I'll heat it up in the microwave."
Angel wasn't comfortable with the thought of eating in front of everyone. They had pushed his being a vampire to the back of their minds in the time of crisis but now that the crisis was over he wasn't sure he would be accepted.
Buffy knew what he was thinking. "Go. They won't say anything. You helped save this valley. This valley is their life. Anyone who helps defend it becomes part of it. You're one of us now."
Angel still wasn't sure, but he didn't want to argue with Buffy.
Dinner was a festive occasion. Everyone laughed and talked and went back over the battle.
Angel sat quietly, listening to those around him, as he sipped his blood. Everyone noticed what he was drinking, but no one said anything. They acted like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Eventually the conversation turned to vampires and Angel was forced to explain the facts to everyone. He grimaced when he had to correct them about the things they thought they knew. Things they had learned from the movies or books.
~~ * ~~
Buffy lay on her bed. She was thinking about the past few days and everything that had happened.
Buffy sensed Angel before he knocked on the door. She opened the door just as Angel was poised to knock.
"Hi." Angel said.
"Hi, come in."
Angel walked into the room and looked at Buffy. She was dressed in a cotton nightgown that barely reached her knees. It was an off white color that clung to her curves.
"Buffy, I just wanted to." Angel began but was cut off in mid- sentence by Buffy.
"Angel, don't. As much as we may we want things to be different, they aren't. There have been things said by both of us that we can't take back. Things have happened that can never be changed."
Angel looked crestfallen. Buffy didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to try anything again. He decided right then, he was leaving the next morning.
Angel was so deep in his thoughts he didn't notice Buffy had stopped talking and moved closer to him.
Her face in front of his jerked him out of his thoughts. Buffy grinned, knowing he hadn't heard her last sentence.
"I don't want to talk." Buffy repeated. "Sometimes words don't say what I need to hear."
Buffy put her hand on the back of his neck and brought his lips down to hers. Angel didn't need to be told twice. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss.
"God, how I've missed this." Buffy whispered. She pulled away. "We need to stop this."
"No, we don't." Angel replied. "The only reason for us to stop is because you want to."
Buffy understood. She wanted to ask, but found her curiosity was taking a back seat to her desire.
She didn't say anything. Instead, she kissed him again.
~~ * ~~
The next chapter will be the end and will probably be fairly short. Will Buffy stay with Angel? Will she go back to LA? What will the ending be? Stay tuned for the conclusion of "Tremors - Buffy Style". Thanks for reading. I hoped you enjoyed.