A/N: And here we are with the third installment of Taking Turns =) Sorry it
took so very long. Between camps and summer jobs, and most recently the
start of school, I've hardly had time to write.
I'm loving all yew folks who are dropping a note of encouragement. All the sappy compliments really keep me going, and so far it's looking good. Please continue R&R'ing. Being my first fic and all, it's really appreciated. I'll stop my blabbering now and get on with the story =D
~~~~~~
It was white. Too white. And it reeked of perfection. The walls were spotless; the floors, waxed and glossy. Along with the smell of disinfectants and medication, came the strong scent of pain, misery and death.
A typical hospital. The thought raced through Buffy Summers' head as she paced the main hallway of the third floor recovery wing. She had been in a hospital quite a few times during her life; rarely for reasons pertaining to her own health (except that time when a bad case of the flu had thrown her into a sanitized prison).
But each time, her stomach twisted and her heart skipped a beat.
It was never a happy or joyous event. Hospitals were always bad news.
Buffy slowed down and swallowed deeply before pushing open the waiting room doors and scanning the roomy space for the all too familiar face she had come here to see.
And see him she did - sitting in a corner chair, well out of the sunlight's reach. And it seemed he was going to be stuck there for the next few hours, at least until the sun was low enough for him to retreat.
She had to go through with this now, or never, and although the thought of bailing was tempting, she stepped forward.
"Angel." The name came out bitter - harsher then she'd expected.
His head shot up and he smiled warmly, wasting no time in bringing her into his arms. If he'd missed the tone of her greeting or chosen to ignore it was hard to decide.
"I'm so glad you're okay."
His hold on her tightened, but she did nothing to return in. She stood there, limp in his arms, and merely thought, "If only you knew."
After a minute of embracing his true love, and noting her lack of response, Angel finally let go. Urging her into one of the metal waiting room chairs, he sat down across her and let the silence sink in.
"What'd ya wanna talk about?" Buffy forced a smile, and failed to hold it for more then 5 seconds. Angel played with his hands and sighed.
"I know this might not be a good time, with all you've been through and all, but."
She blinked and waited.
"What happened down there, Buffy? How'd you stop it. We've all been wondering, and frankly you were the last one out."
And she blinked again, only to clear her eyes of the visual that instantly flooded them.
So they were curious as to what went on those last few moments of Sunnydale's existence?
Buffy would have rolled her eyes, had the situation not hit so close to home. So instead she settled for speaking the truth.
"I did nothing. It wasn't me. I didn't save us. I certainly didn't stop it."
Angel sighed. Giles had already warned him about this. Her watcher has asked him to have this talk with Buffy. For her own good.
He had to get Buffy talking. He had to help her move on - start a new life. With him hopefully.
"Don't say that. You had as much to do with this as anyone. If it weren't for you, we'd all be gone now."
Buffy shook her head, desperately holding back a sob. She couldn't cry now. Now here. In front of him. In front of them all.
"No. You wouldn't know. Yew weren't there."
"Well, explain it to me." Angel pushed on, hoping she could take the bait.
Her anger was slowly replacing her sadness. With a breath to steady her voice, she locked eyes with the man - the vampire - she once loved with all her heart. Now that special place was reserved for someone else.
Someone she couldn't have anymore.
"Spike's the one who saved us. And you all know it. You just won't accept it."
Another time, another place, and Angel would have smiled. But it was Buffy sitting there, nearing a nervous break down. This was for her own good, he repeated in his mind.
"No Buffy. *You* won't admit it. Yew won't accept the fact that he's gone now. But you're still here. As are your friends. And you have to move on."
Funny. The exact words Giles had used on her about an hour ago. And since then she'd barely uttered a syllable to him.
"Oh, what. You and Giles rehearse this speech together, did'ja? Well I won't hear it, Angel."
She stood to leave but he was a second faster. His hands held her still.
"Buffy. You can't do this to yourself. You have a normal life ahead of you now. It's what you've always wanted. Enjoy it."
Her eyes were cold daggers.
"It's what I wanted *then.* Things are different now."
"Then let's talk about it." Was he always this stubborn?
"It's none of your damn business, Angel." She shrugged out of his grasp and walked out of the waiting room.
"You can't keep this up forever!" The doors swung open and Angel trailed after her.
"For once in you life, Angel. Leave when I *want* you to leave." Buffy didn't bother stopping., knowing that the words would hurt.
And they did. But it only made Angel more determined. "He's not coming back, Buff. He's gone for good this time. Accept it and move on!"
The tears fell freely now that Angel had stopped pursuing her. She quickened her pace and ran straight into the bathroom, locking the door behind her and collapsing to the ground in a mass of sobs.
Damn them all. How could they act as if it were nothing?
Why couldn't they understand?
There had to be a way to get him back. There had to be a chance he would return.
Buffy would stop it nothing to be with him now.
~~~~~~
The sun beamed down on the massive canyon. Dust flew into the air with every gust of wind. Heat waves danced into the cool air as the red rocks baked in nature's oven.
A loose stone rumbled down the side of the giant hole, creating a miniature rock slide.
The pebbles settled again. But something was different. Something didn't belong.
A hand lay motionless, covered in dry blood and dirt, only now uncovered by the shift in the landscape.
Everything seemed to freeze as the fingers of this hand twitched and violently grasped the hot sand and rock that held it down.
A plate of metal reflected a direct beam of light. Once bold letters were starting to fade.
"Welcome to Sunnydale"
~~~~~~
I'm loving all yew folks who are dropping a note of encouragement. All the sappy compliments really keep me going, and so far it's looking good. Please continue R&R'ing. Being my first fic and all, it's really appreciated. I'll stop my blabbering now and get on with the story =D
~~~~~~
It was white. Too white. And it reeked of perfection. The walls were spotless; the floors, waxed and glossy. Along with the smell of disinfectants and medication, came the strong scent of pain, misery and death.
A typical hospital. The thought raced through Buffy Summers' head as she paced the main hallway of the third floor recovery wing. She had been in a hospital quite a few times during her life; rarely for reasons pertaining to her own health (except that time when a bad case of the flu had thrown her into a sanitized prison).
But each time, her stomach twisted and her heart skipped a beat.
It was never a happy or joyous event. Hospitals were always bad news.
Buffy slowed down and swallowed deeply before pushing open the waiting room doors and scanning the roomy space for the all too familiar face she had come here to see.
And see him she did - sitting in a corner chair, well out of the sunlight's reach. And it seemed he was going to be stuck there for the next few hours, at least until the sun was low enough for him to retreat.
She had to go through with this now, or never, and although the thought of bailing was tempting, she stepped forward.
"Angel." The name came out bitter - harsher then she'd expected.
His head shot up and he smiled warmly, wasting no time in bringing her into his arms. If he'd missed the tone of her greeting or chosen to ignore it was hard to decide.
"I'm so glad you're okay."
His hold on her tightened, but she did nothing to return in. She stood there, limp in his arms, and merely thought, "If only you knew."
After a minute of embracing his true love, and noting her lack of response, Angel finally let go. Urging her into one of the metal waiting room chairs, he sat down across her and let the silence sink in.
"What'd ya wanna talk about?" Buffy forced a smile, and failed to hold it for more then 5 seconds. Angel played with his hands and sighed.
"I know this might not be a good time, with all you've been through and all, but."
She blinked and waited.
"What happened down there, Buffy? How'd you stop it. We've all been wondering, and frankly you were the last one out."
And she blinked again, only to clear her eyes of the visual that instantly flooded them.
So they were curious as to what went on those last few moments of Sunnydale's existence?
Buffy would have rolled her eyes, had the situation not hit so close to home. So instead she settled for speaking the truth.
"I did nothing. It wasn't me. I didn't save us. I certainly didn't stop it."
Angel sighed. Giles had already warned him about this. Her watcher has asked him to have this talk with Buffy. For her own good.
He had to get Buffy talking. He had to help her move on - start a new life. With him hopefully.
"Don't say that. You had as much to do with this as anyone. If it weren't for you, we'd all be gone now."
Buffy shook her head, desperately holding back a sob. She couldn't cry now. Now here. In front of him. In front of them all.
"No. You wouldn't know. Yew weren't there."
"Well, explain it to me." Angel pushed on, hoping she could take the bait.
Her anger was slowly replacing her sadness. With a breath to steady her voice, she locked eyes with the man - the vampire - she once loved with all her heart. Now that special place was reserved for someone else.
Someone she couldn't have anymore.
"Spike's the one who saved us. And you all know it. You just won't accept it."
Another time, another place, and Angel would have smiled. But it was Buffy sitting there, nearing a nervous break down. This was for her own good, he repeated in his mind.
"No Buffy. *You* won't admit it. Yew won't accept the fact that he's gone now. But you're still here. As are your friends. And you have to move on."
Funny. The exact words Giles had used on her about an hour ago. And since then she'd barely uttered a syllable to him.
"Oh, what. You and Giles rehearse this speech together, did'ja? Well I won't hear it, Angel."
She stood to leave but he was a second faster. His hands held her still.
"Buffy. You can't do this to yourself. You have a normal life ahead of you now. It's what you've always wanted. Enjoy it."
Her eyes were cold daggers.
"It's what I wanted *then.* Things are different now."
"Then let's talk about it." Was he always this stubborn?
"It's none of your damn business, Angel." She shrugged out of his grasp and walked out of the waiting room.
"You can't keep this up forever!" The doors swung open and Angel trailed after her.
"For once in you life, Angel. Leave when I *want* you to leave." Buffy didn't bother stopping., knowing that the words would hurt.
And they did. But it only made Angel more determined. "He's not coming back, Buff. He's gone for good this time. Accept it and move on!"
The tears fell freely now that Angel had stopped pursuing her. She quickened her pace and ran straight into the bathroom, locking the door behind her and collapsing to the ground in a mass of sobs.
Damn them all. How could they act as if it were nothing?
Why couldn't they understand?
There had to be a way to get him back. There had to be a chance he would return.
Buffy would stop it nothing to be with him now.
~~~~~~
The sun beamed down on the massive canyon. Dust flew into the air with every gust of wind. Heat waves danced into the cool air as the red rocks baked in nature's oven.
A loose stone rumbled down the side of the giant hole, creating a miniature rock slide.
The pebbles settled again. But something was different. Something didn't belong.
A hand lay motionless, covered in dry blood and dirt, only now uncovered by the shift in the landscape.
Everything seemed to freeze as the fingers of this hand twitched and violently grasped the hot sand and rock that held it down.
A plate of metal reflected a direct beam of light. Once bold letters were starting to fade.
"Welcome to Sunnydale"
~~~~~~