Chapter 15
Angel tentatively pushed Buffy's door open, unsure what to expect. He'd been gone longer than expected, and Buffy had every right to be angry, but, knowing her, was probably worried instead. No doubt, she'd be struggling to sit up and make herself useful. What he actually saw took him completely by surprise, and Giles noticed.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Giles pushed around Angel's body to see what had stopped the vampire in his tracks.
Buffy lay almost entirely still, a peaceful figure breathing regularly. If not for the hint of a grimace that marred her face and the slight sheen of sweat that had broken out on her forehead, she would have appeared to be in no pain whatsoever. Giles and Angel, however, knew better.
Angel crossed the room and sat beside his beloved, taking her right hand and encompassing it protectively in both of his.
"I'll do whatever's necessary to help Bufy," he murmured. "Even sacrifice my soul."
* * * * * * "Hi, guys," Willow fairly whispered as she walked morosely into the library.
"Ya know, Will, we were thinkin', this 'thing' that involves Buffy and Angel? Could it, sort of, maybe. get in the way of Crystal's counter spell? 'Cause if so than it's not worth it. I'm not loosing my best friend for that freak!" Xander said, ignoring Willow's quiet welcome in the same way that she let his comment about Angel slip temporarily.
"Oh, no!" the Wiccan laughed. "I told you, I need to talk to them about it first. I haven't even started getting the things for it yet!"
"Things for it? Okay, here's where you get me lost. What things for what?" Cordelia asked with her usual lack of tact.
"I'll tell you if they say yes," Willow retorted gently, "but right now we have to concentrate on making Buffy better. Oz, you remember what I asked you to learn?"
Oz nodded and recited a string of Latin words.
"Okay, as Oz is saying that, Giles'll scatter the rose petals. Xander, you sprinkle salt over the petals, and Cordy, you follow Xander 'round the circle pouring water over the petals and the salt. Angel will help Buffy drink the potion before kissing her as she swallows. It's relatively simple in theory, but remember, there's a lot that could go wrong."
She turned to Oz. "While you're talking, I'll be saying something else and putting the finishing touches on the potion. There'll be crosses and holy water all round the library and by the entrance - but don't lay those down until Angel's here. Crystal will be trying to stop Spike and Dru causing any interruptions. Okay. I think that's everything."
Willow drew a nervous breath, and jumped when the 'phone shrilled loudly in the silence of the musty tombs of the library.
* * * * * *
Groaning, Buffy stirred. Her eyelids fluttered open.
"Hey, honey," Angel whispered lovingly.
"Hey." Buffy smiled back at him wanly, exposing her current helplessness.
"Giles is here. He's going to explain the spell Willow found that'll make you better. I'll be back soon okay?"
Buffy nodded, so Angel crossed the room to let the Watcher in. He glanced back as he opened the door, almost wishing he didn't but needing to all the same.
The Slayer was petrified. It wasn't supposed to be this way.
* * * * * * Giles stood in shock. He hadn't even thought to move up the stairs. One shaking hand clasped the note that had been tied to the brick in Buffy's living room as myriad ludicrous thoughts ran through his head. The only rational thought he could form was that something had to be done, though he had no idea what.
"Giles?" Angel arrived in the living room only to be silently passed a note on a torn piece of paper. He skim-read it, but even the jist told him enough that he glanced sharply up at the librarian.
"You know what this means? They want her, Giles, and they've recaptured the kid from the cave to do it. She'll go after him, and they know it. But I can't let her do it, Giles, I just can't!"
Although he was fairly sure what Angel was getting at, Giles felt he had to ask anyway, if only to make the vampire more aware of his presence. Angel's answer confirmed his suspicions.
"It'll kill her."
* * * * * * "We have Kevin. Tell the Slayer she must come, alone and unarmed, to our cave or we will torture him to death." The line went dead.
* * * * * * Giles left Buffy to rest, having explained the spell to her in detail. Angel went in and sat silently beside her sleeping form, aware that she was not really resting.
Buffy reached out as if to grab something, and seemed to be pushing against something as though she were restrained. Tears slipped down her pale cheeks even as she slept and she cried out but one heart-wrenching word;
"No!"
Angel knew from the aura coming off the Slayer that she was having a prophetic dream, or he would have woken her and held her to him; comforted her. But he knew how important this dream could be; knew that she had to see it through. If she didn't the results could be fatal.
A fresh wave of fear shot through her tiny frame and the intensity of her sobs became almost maniacal. As she reached the peak of terror in the dream, she was jolted from it and her eyelids whooshed open.
"What did you dream?" Angel hated having to ask when her hazel eyes oozed terror and tears.
"You remember the dream I was telling you about in the cemetery? Before. Before all this began?" Still weeping, she struggled to regain her composure.
"You had the same dream?" Angel inquired, already knowing the answer would be yes, and that that would provide the final piece of evidence that the dream was prophetic, even without the heavy aura that surrounded his beloved when she had a prophetic dream.
Melancholy, Buffy nodded. Angel spotted the glistening build up of tears welling in her eyes and crushed her to him, comfortingly stroking her back and murmuring nonsense into her ear. At that moment, more than any other, and for no obvious reason, he wished they could be together; wished they could take their relationship all the way. But that would make him happy, which, in turn, would lead to Buffy's persecution and death. Angel was not going to let that happen.
Buffy sniffled as her warm tears dampened Angel's shoulder through his top.
"Shh. It'll be okay." Angel rocked her tenderly and kissed her hair. "It'll be okay."
* * * * * *
Kevin cringed. It wasn't fair! That girl, whoever she was, whatever being the 'Slayer' meant, did not deserve to die. Hers was the kind of beauty that should grace this earth for all eternity. Kevin, heedless of the fact that she was 18 while he was just 14, had hoped she would notice him until her boyfriend had shown up. Now, though, he just prayed that she couldn't care less about him and his miserable life, so that she would not risk her own life to save him.
Not that his life was really that miserable. He knew fun; had had good times. He remembered happiness and a mother's love. He'd been turned down for a part in an anti-spot cream commercial, but been offered a place in the best drama school in the state. He'd fallen and hurt his wrist, but it had gotten him out of a handwriting test when he was younger.
He'd been captured by monsters, but glimpsed the girl of his dreams.
Oh, yes, he'd seen her all right. Seen her get tortured, seen the torment she suffered at the hands of some of nature's most revolting creatures. Seen the primal terror in her eyes. Seen enough to know she was no ordinary person. So who was she?
One thing Kevin did know about her was that she wasn't going to get hurt for him. He would make sure of that - he just wished he knew how.
Angel tentatively pushed Buffy's door open, unsure what to expect. He'd been gone longer than expected, and Buffy had every right to be angry, but, knowing her, was probably worried instead. No doubt, she'd be struggling to sit up and make herself useful. What he actually saw took him completely by surprise, and Giles noticed.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Giles pushed around Angel's body to see what had stopped the vampire in his tracks.
Buffy lay almost entirely still, a peaceful figure breathing regularly. If not for the hint of a grimace that marred her face and the slight sheen of sweat that had broken out on her forehead, she would have appeared to be in no pain whatsoever. Giles and Angel, however, knew better.
Angel crossed the room and sat beside his beloved, taking her right hand and encompassing it protectively in both of his.
"I'll do whatever's necessary to help Bufy," he murmured. "Even sacrifice my soul."
* * * * * * "Hi, guys," Willow fairly whispered as she walked morosely into the library.
"Ya know, Will, we were thinkin', this 'thing' that involves Buffy and Angel? Could it, sort of, maybe. get in the way of Crystal's counter spell? 'Cause if so than it's not worth it. I'm not loosing my best friend for that freak!" Xander said, ignoring Willow's quiet welcome in the same way that she let his comment about Angel slip temporarily.
"Oh, no!" the Wiccan laughed. "I told you, I need to talk to them about it first. I haven't even started getting the things for it yet!"
"Things for it? Okay, here's where you get me lost. What things for what?" Cordelia asked with her usual lack of tact.
"I'll tell you if they say yes," Willow retorted gently, "but right now we have to concentrate on making Buffy better. Oz, you remember what I asked you to learn?"
Oz nodded and recited a string of Latin words.
"Okay, as Oz is saying that, Giles'll scatter the rose petals. Xander, you sprinkle salt over the petals, and Cordy, you follow Xander 'round the circle pouring water over the petals and the salt. Angel will help Buffy drink the potion before kissing her as she swallows. It's relatively simple in theory, but remember, there's a lot that could go wrong."
She turned to Oz. "While you're talking, I'll be saying something else and putting the finishing touches on the potion. There'll be crosses and holy water all round the library and by the entrance - but don't lay those down until Angel's here. Crystal will be trying to stop Spike and Dru causing any interruptions. Okay. I think that's everything."
Willow drew a nervous breath, and jumped when the 'phone shrilled loudly in the silence of the musty tombs of the library.
* * * * * *
Groaning, Buffy stirred. Her eyelids fluttered open.
"Hey, honey," Angel whispered lovingly.
"Hey." Buffy smiled back at him wanly, exposing her current helplessness.
"Giles is here. He's going to explain the spell Willow found that'll make you better. I'll be back soon okay?"
Buffy nodded, so Angel crossed the room to let the Watcher in. He glanced back as he opened the door, almost wishing he didn't but needing to all the same.
The Slayer was petrified. It wasn't supposed to be this way.
* * * * * * Giles stood in shock. He hadn't even thought to move up the stairs. One shaking hand clasped the note that had been tied to the brick in Buffy's living room as myriad ludicrous thoughts ran through his head. The only rational thought he could form was that something had to be done, though he had no idea what.
"Giles?" Angel arrived in the living room only to be silently passed a note on a torn piece of paper. He skim-read it, but even the jist told him enough that he glanced sharply up at the librarian.
"You know what this means? They want her, Giles, and they've recaptured the kid from the cave to do it. She'll go after him, and they know it. But I can't let her do it, Giles, I just can't!"
Although he was fairly sure what Angel was getting at, Giles felt he had to ask anyway, if only to make the vampire more aware of his presence. Angel's answer confirmed his suspicions.
"It'll kill her."
* * * * * * "We have Kevin. Tell the Slayer she must come, alone and unarmed, to our cave or we will torture him to death." The line went dead.
* * * * * * Giles left Buffy to rest, having explained the spell to her in detail. Angel went in and sat silently beside her sleeping form, aware that she was not really resting.
Buffy reached out as if to grab something, and seemed to be pushing against something as though she were restrained. Tears slipped down her pale cheeks even as she slept and she cried out but one heart-wrenching word;
"No!"
Angel knew from the aura coming off the Slayer that she was having a prophetic dream, or he would have woken her and held her to him; comforted her. But he knew how important this dream could be; knew that she had to see it through. If she didn't the results could be fatal.
A fresh wave of fear shot through her tiny frame and the intensity of her sobs became almost maniacal. As she reached the peak of terror in the dream, she was jolted from it and her eyelids whooshed open.
"What did you dream?" Angel hated having to ask when her hazel eyes oozed terror and tears.
"You remember the dream I was telling you about in the cemetery? Before. Before all this began?" Still weeping, she struggled to regain her composure.
"You had the same dream?" Angel inquired, already knowing the answer would be yes, and that that would provide the final piece of evidence that the dream was prophetic, even without the heavy aura that surrounded his beloved when she had a prophetic dream.
Melancholy, Buffy nodded. Angel spotted the glistening build up of tears welling in her eyes and crushed her to him, comfortingly stroking her back and murmuring nonsense into her ear. At that moment, more than any other, and for no obvious reason, he wished they could be together; wished they could take their relationship all the way. But that would make him happy, which, in turn, would lead to Buffy's persecution and death. Angel was not going to let that happen.
Buffy sniffled as her warm tears dampened Angel's shoulder through his top.
"Shh. It'll be okay." Angel rocked her tenderly and kissed her hair. "It'll be okay."
* * * * * *
Kevin cringed. It wasn't fair! That girl, whoever she was, whatever being the 'Slayer' meant, did not deserve to die. Hers was the kind of beauty that should grace this earth for all eternity. Kevin, heedless of the fact that she was 18 while he was just 14, had hoped she would notice him until her boyfriend had shown up. Now, though, he just prayed that she couldn't care less about him and his miserable life, so that she would not risk her own life to save him.
Not that his life was really that miserable. He knew fun; had had good times. He remembered happiness and a mother's love. He'd been turned down for a part in an anti-spot cream commercial, but been offered a place in the best drama school in the state. He'd fallen and hurt his wrist, but it had gotten him out of a handwriting test when he was younger.
He'd been captured by monsters, but glimpsed the girl of his dreams.
Oh, yes, he'd seen her all right. Seen her get tortured, seen the torment she suffered at the hands of some of nature's most revolting creatures. Seen the primal terror in her eyes. Seen enough to know she was no ordinary person. So who was she?
One thing Kevin did know about her was that she wasn't going to get hurt for him. He would make sure of that - he just wished he knew how.