"Dude, you just don't give your ex a scare like that." Xander was grinning
while Willow went to help the limp Buffy who was lying on the floor.
"Sorry... I uh thought you were mirages, figments of my...uh.... imagination." Riley stuttered.
"I was just kidding, you have anywhere we can put Sleeping Beauty?" Xander asked while he watched Willow revive Buffy.
"Yes, we can put her in my tent at camp. I can carry her." Riley smoothed his hair. He walked over to Buffy and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He, Xander, and Willow went to the camp while Giles and Anya decrypted the carvings on the seal.
"I don't know this dialect, you?" Giles asked the very concentrated Anya.
"It says, it says, the end is coming, the Muldangis shall rein above the humans as was the past, all hell will come, as it did before, hell will envelope all of Earth, till time comes again. Only she of great power and strength can save the race, save the species from extinction. Only she." Anya finished the prophecy and wiped her forehead.
"Oh as always dear." ------------------------ "Rye, who's that fair maiden in your arms? A local?" Graham joked when he saw the small blonde in his best friend's arms.
"I wish." Riley muttered under his breath. Then, Graham saw Willow, Buffy's friend and he knew.
"So your prophetic dreams came true, buddy? Lucky." Graham shrugged and followed his friend. Riley softly laid Buffy down on his cot and he sighed.
"Riley, I can stay here if you need to do something." Willow told him.
"I think I should be here when she wakes, we have a lot to talk about." He replied.
"Like how she ran after the helicopter calling your name." Willow whispered to herself and shrugged.
"Hmm? She ran after me? I thought I heard something, but it was like a sound-mirage, the thing I desired most." Riley remembered the muffled shouts; he'd heard small parts, not the words as a whole.
"It's always mirages...." Willow trailed off and she left the room.
Hours later.........
The Slayer stirred she was itchy, itchy on a very unsteady cot. She had a large headache and she could feel a bruise forming on her cheek. When she sat up she itched her arm and sighed, looking around, but she didn't see him.
"Yea, that's my reaction every morning." The voice said, Buffy turned to its owner.
"Riley...."
"Hi...."
"Where am I?"
"My tent, you're at camp. You fainted, at the seal."
"You scared me. Damn it, Giles."
"Hmmm?"
"I knew something like this would happen. I'd see you or find you were dead or something. I told him...."
"You didn't want to come...."
"It'd be too painful to see you, you understand, right? Then again, I'm overjoyed that we're talking."
"Me too."
"Riley...."
"Yes?"
"I ran after the helicopter. I'm sorry, I just wanted you to know."
"You're sorry? Buffy, you don't know how guilty I feel for not coming to you up front, instead of...."
"Doing what you did? Riley, you were my boyfriend, I should've come to you."
"Now I see you were over-occupied, I shouldn't have assumed."
"Riley, I was such a fool, I should've taken comfort in you." She sighed and put her head on his chest. "I wish it never happened."
"Be careful, there's a former vengeance demon within a mile from here that just might grant it. Me too. I want it back. I want the before Faith times back. Before the madness and uncertainty. It was so simple."
"It was, part of me wants that back and another likes this part." He kissed her on the forehead.
"Riley, I'm so tired. I need a nap."
"Okay, I'll go patrol."
"No. Can you stay here with me? Please?"
"Sure. I'll use Graham's."
"No. Right here." She pointed to the bed.
"Buffy, this really isn't the time or the place for that."
"Can you just hold me? No more, unless you really want to?"
"Sure." He said simply and lied down next to her wrapping his arms around her. Taking in her stale vanilla perfume. He knew it had been days since she had changed or had taken a bath, but he wasn't deterred. This is what he'd been dreaming of for months, and now it wasn't a dream, but a reality.
He was thinking he'd nodded off again, he pinched himself and she was still there, still sleeping. He'd kiss her, grabbing at any chance he could, to just touch her, watch her, smell her, be near her. It was simple.
"Sorry... I uh thought you were mirages, figments of my...uh.... imagination." Riley stuttered.
"I was just kidding, you have anywhere we can put Sleeping Beauty?" Xander asked while he watched Willow revive Buffy.
"Yes, we can put her in my tent at camp. I can carry her." Riley smoothed his hair. He walked over to Buffy and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He, Xander, and Willow went to the camp while Giles and Anya decrypted the carvings on the seal.
"I don't know this dialect, you?" Giles asked the very concentrated Anya.
"It says, it says, the end is coming, the Muldangis shall rein above the humans as was the past, all hell will come, as it did before, hell will envelope all of Earth, till time comes again. Only she of great power and strength can save the race, save the species from extinction. Only she." Anya finished the prophecy and wiped her forehead.
"Oh as always dear." ------------------------ "Rye, who's that fair maiden in your arms? A local?" Graham joked when he saw the small blonde in his best friend's arms.
"I wish." Riley muttered under his breath. Then, Graham saw Willow, Buffy's friend and he knew.
"So your prophetic dreams came true, buddy? Lucky." Graham shrugged and followed his friend. Riley softly laid Buffy down on his cot and he sighed.
"Riley, I can stay here if you need to do something." Willow told him.
"I think I should be here when she wakes, we have a lot to talk about." He replied.
"Like how she ran after the helicopter calling your name." Willow whispered to herself and shrugged.
"Hmm? She ran after me? I thought I heard something, but it was like a sound-mirage, the thing I desired most." Riley remembered the muffled shouts; he'd heard small parts, not the words as a whole.
"It's always mirages...." Willow trailed off and she left the room.
Hours later.........
The Slayer stirred she was itchy, itchy on a very unsteady cot. She had a large headache and she could feel a bruise forming on her cheek. When she sat up she itched her arm and sighed, looking around, but she didn't see him.
"Yea, that's my reaction every morning." The voice said, Buffy turned to its owner.
"Riley...."
"Hi...."
"Where am I?"
"My tent, you're at camp. You fainted, at the seal."
"You scared me. Damn it, Giles."
"Hmmm?"
"I knew something like this would happen. I'd see you or find you were dead or something. I told him...."
"You didn't want to come...."
"It'd be too painful to see you, you understand, right? Then again, I'm overjoyed that we're talking."
"Me too."
"Riley...."
"Yes?"
"I ran after the helicopter. I'm sorry, I just wanted you to know."
"You're sorry? Buffy, you don't know how guilty I feel for not coming to you up front, instead of...."
"Doing what you did? Riley, you were my boyfriend, I should've come to you."
"Now I see you were over-occupied, I shouldn't have assumed."
"Riley, I was such a fool, I should've taken comfort in you." She sighed and put her head on his chest. "I wish it never happened."
"Be careful, there's a former vengeance demon within a mile from here that just might grant it. Me too. I want it back. I want the before Faith times back. Before the madness and uncertainty. It was so simple."
"It was, part of me wants that back and another likes this part." He kissed her on the forehead.
"Riley, I'm so tired. I need a nap."
"Okay, I'll go patrol."
"No. Can you stay here with me? Please?"
"Sure. I'll use Graham's."
"No. Right here." She pointed to the bed.
"Buffy, this really isn't the time or the place for that."
"Can you just hold me? No more, unless you really want to?"
"Sure." He said simply and lied down next to her wrapping his arms around her. Taking in her stale vanilla perfume. He knew it had been days since she had changed or had taken a bath, but he wasn't deterred. This is what he'd been dreaming of for months, and now it wasn't a dream, but a reality.
He was thinking he'd nodded off again, he pinched himself and she was still there, still sleeping. He'd kiss her, grabbing at any chance he could, to just touch her, watch her, smell her, be near her. It was simple.
