Chapter 2: Old Loves
"No! Buffy! Please NO!!" Dawn burst into hysterical sobs after Buffy's grip on her tender fingers loosened. Dawn looked around for someone to tell her this wasn't real. That Buffy was just playing dead. By no one said anything. Willow had collapsed into Xanders arms who was also crying. Dawn looked behind her at Angel. She tried to make eye contact with him but he was staring at Buffy's empty face and tears were making rivers down his pale cheeks. She crawled into his arms and was angry when she found little comfort from the crying vampire. She couldn't move because she was shaking too much so she just stayed there, crying into his shoulder.
Fifteen minutes later they were all still crying but had silently decided to take Buffy's limp body back to the Hyperion and break the news to everyone.
It was late and everyone in the hotel was asleep so there were no questions about the body they carried up the stairs and into Buffy's old room. Dawn couldn't bring herself to step foot in there, fearing she would never be able to stop crying. As Dawn looked in from the doorway she saw Willow fall to her knees at the bedside, whimpering things like, "Not again.. No, no.. Please no!" And Xander stood next to her obviously in shock. Dawn quietly walked downstairs, trying to think of anything but her dead sister. She saw Angel sitting at his desk drinking blood like a drunken man. Dawn walked up to him.
"You can't possibly still be hungry." She said through sobs. She looked at all the empty mugs on his desk.
"This can't be happening." Angel ignored her statement. "No.. Not now.. Not after.. No." Angel whispered.
"Please tell me she's not really.. She's still.. Right? Please.." Dawn was looking at Angel from her new position on her knees in front of his desk.
Angel didn't know what to say. "I.. I'm.. I'm sorry Dawn.." he muttered. He got up from where he was to go embrace the hurting Key but she was too fast and ran up the stairs, past Buffy's room and into her own, which was three rooms down.
Kelly woke up when the door to her room at the Hyperion was opened and slammed shut. She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was 1:03 in the morning. She was about to yell at her roommate when she heard her crying uncontrollably into her pillow. She had gotten used to Dawn crying at night ever since the battle against The First. Sometimes she even did it herself, when she dreamt about her parents. After listening closely to Dawn, Kelly realized that this wasn't crying from a memory. This was about something that happened just recently. Kelly rubbed her eyes and then sat up in her bed. "Dawn, honey, what's wrong?" she asked slowly, then yawned loudly.
Dawn sniffed and then turned around to face her best friend, Kelly. "Sorry I woke you." She said, drying her eyes for a second.
"Why are you crying so hard?" Kelly asked curiously.
Dawn thought about not telling her until tomorrow. She really didn't feel like talking about it right now. Then she figured that she would find out sooner or later. "It's.. Buffy.." Dawn started crying again and Kelly rushed to her side, giving her friend a will needed hug. "She's.. She was patrolling.. And.. She's dead, Kelly. She got bit.. And.. She died, right there in our hands.. She died." Dawn admitted it to Kelly and herself. Her sister was gone forever this time. There was no bringing her back. She was gone. The two teens sat like that before an idea popped into Kelly's head.
"Well.. Can Willow do her magicks and.. You know.." she suggested, still holding Dawn tightly. They had become like sisters over the past few weeks, and Buffy was like a mother. The Bringers had killed Kelly's dad, mom, and sister when they came to get her and realized that Buffy had already gotten to her.
"No. She would never. Now that she knows that Buffy belongs in Heaven." Dawn answered.
"So.. She's.. Gone." Kelly stated.
"Yeah.. my Buffy's gone.." Dawn and Kelly fell asleep holding each other and didn't wake up the next day until Xander knocked on the door. The girls stirred, yawned, and sat up as he came in the room.
"There's someone downstairs who wants to talk to all of us." He said quietly. He obviously didn't get enough sleep last night, if any. The dark circles were as bad as Buffy's were and hers took a month to get. His eyes were red and swollen from crying.
While Dawn quickly got up to hug him, Kelly stretched and asked, "What time is it?"
Still hugging Dawn, he replied, "7:34."
"Uhhnn.." Kelly rolled over and closed her eyes. Whoever it was, was going to have to wait.
Xander would usually have laughed buy with the recent events he just said, "Come on, kiddo, he can't stay long." Dawn squeezed him one last time before she let go to help Kelly get out of bed.
"Yeah, yeah." Kelly got up and shooed Xander out of the room so they could get dressed.
"Just don't take an hour and a half like usual. He really can't stay long." Xander said and then he shut the door behind him.
* * *
"NO!! NO, NO, NO, NO!! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!! NOT AGAIN NO!!!" the figure screamed as it bounced from one fluffy wall to another. "WHY ME!! WHY!! I DON'T BELONG UP HERE YET!! YOU DON'T NEED ME, THEY DO!!" it tried to point down but realized it didn't have hands, or arms legs, or a body. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?" it screamed.
"Calm down Elizabeth." A voice said. Buffy spun around trying to see who it was. All she saw were at least ten other fluff's like her.
"WHY AM I HERE!! I WANT TO BE WITH HER. I NEED TO BE WITH DAWN!"
"We realize that Elizabeth, but you died. Again. And you are here. With us." They said.
"And me." Said someone from behind her.
Buffy spun around and saw her mother floating towards her. If Buffy was still human a tear would have rolled down her cheeks. But instead Buffy heard the thunder stop and it began to rain. "Mom?"
"Yes honey.. Concentrate real hard on a picture of yourself and you will appear that way." Joyce said, realizing that Buffy was still a ball of fluff.
Buffy did as she was told and became Buffy shaped again. Except she had wings and her face was glittering with golden shimmer. She was wearing a white flowing gown with gold sparkles randomly scattered over it. "Woah.. mom, tell them I don't belong here! I need to be with Dawn!! She needs me!" Buffy spun around, looking at herself in awe.
"But I need you here." Joyce said slowly.
Those words took Buffy by surprise. "Why weren't you here the last time I was in heaven?"
"I was.. It was just.. I saw Willow preparing to take you down again so I didn't think.. I didn't want to see you if you were just going to leave me again." Joyce realized something and then her words became hurried. "It's your choice honey. Please I don't have long here before they realize that I'm here." Joyce looked up and Buffy saw the ten fluff's above them, they were gathered into a tight circle, talking about something in hushed voices. "Please." Joyce said desperately then disappeared.
"I'm sorry, mom." After those words and a tear sliding down her cheek Buffy went berserk. She started screaming louder than ever and then she turned back into a fluff. She bounced off the walls and continued screaming. "I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! I WANT TO GO DOWN TO EARTH! I WANT TO BE WITH MY FRIENDS AND WITH MY DAWN!"
"Shush up, girl." A darker cloud appeared from the opposite side of the 'room'.
"Don't you tell me to do ANYTHING!" Buffy flung herself at the cloud and it was scattered. This caught the attention of the other clouds, which were discussing something in their circle, above Buffy.
"Elizabeth, it takes a lot of skill and determination to do that." One of them said, it was a light pink color and its voice was high and sort of squeaky.
"Not to mention, Power." A blue one said. Its voice was deep and commanding.
"Maybe we were wrong about you. Earth really could use someone like you." A yellow one said that, it had a voice quite like Buffy's. Before Buffy could respond to any of those comments the clouds disappeared just as her mother had. Buffy went crazy again, bouncing off walls and screaming. It was what seemed like days to Buffy, but was really only hours, before she decided to sleep. She went to the bottom of her 'room' and buried herself in the cloud, finding it to be extremely comfortable, maybe a little too comfortable. Buffy laughed at the thought and then fell asleep instantly. She woke up after a long, and well needed, sleep to find a bright white cloud looking down on her. Buffy concentrated and turned into an Angel again.
"What do you want." She said, stretching her wings and arms.
"Ha ha ha.. I always did love your attitude. I used to watch you during your battles with the vampires of the Earth." The fluff said and then it took form. It was a tall, old man. He had white hair and was very tall. He wore what looked like a sheet for clothing and it was tied on with a golden chain.
"Let me guess, the Powers That Be?"
"Second in Command." Said the man. "But I'm not here to introduce myself. It takes a lot of power to make another Angel disappear, even in their cloud form." He informed Buffy.
"And?"
"And that means you are higher than an Angel."
"Oh really.. and why does that concern me? I don't even want to be here. I want to be downstairs, with my sister.." Buffy began to plead. "She needs me." Tears were forming in her eyes.
"Elizabeth, please. I can't stand the puppy eyes."
Buffy put on her best puppy eyes ever but she didn't have to pretend that much because she really was crying. She couldn't stand this place. The majority of it reeked of her mom. But in the other part, Buffy looked over at the darker corner, it smelled of Spike. And she couldn't stand that. She wouldn't be able too. Just then a form burst through the empty corner. It was a dark cloud, almost black. Buffy was about to charge at it again but it distracted her when it said, "Buffy?" she could recognize that accent anywhere.
"SPIKE!" Buffy flew over to the cloud just as it was turning into an Angel. He was dressed in red, the same outfit as the other guy.
"William, what are you doing here?" the man asked.
"None of your bloody business, not that you don't know anyway." Spike glared at the man then turned to Buffy and embraced her as if he thought she would float away if he let go. "I can't stand it here, Buffy. I can't. It smell's too much like.. you."
"And mine of you." She said but silenced him with a kiss. "I missed you." She said. She looked into his blue orbs and saw complete joy, and a little bit of surprise from the kiss.
"This place is driving me crazy, love." He said, resting his head on her shoulders.
"I've been bouncing off the walls. I can't stand it here. Dawn needs me, Spike. I can feel her."
"Yeah.." Spike waved his arm and the clouds next to them parted to reveal a birds eye view of the inside of the Hyperion Hotel.
"Oh God.." Buffy said as she saw Angel carry her dead body back to the hotel. She looked at Xander, who was carrying a sobbing Willow. And then at Dawn, who could barely walk. She kept falling down and banging the ground with her fists.
"It's a tough site to see. But it was harder to watch you loose your touch when you sat in bed for thirty days." Spike said, a tear sliding down his cheek.
"I don't know what to do, Spike. My mom said it was up to me whether or not I want to stay here." Buffy let that sink in. "And I want to stay, I really do. But.." Buffy couldn't finish her sentence because Spike was floating up to the giant man.
"IT'S OUR BLOODY CHOICE??? YOU SAID I HAD TO STAY HERE!! YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT CHOOSING!" Spike was yelling at him.
"Spike.." Buffy said, trying to calm him down but it was too lat, he was pissed.
"William, Joyce said it was her choice." He said, putting emphasis on 'her'. "She never said anything about you."
Spike realized what he said and sank back down to Buffy. "Spike.."
"Go, just bloody go. But remember, I love you, pet. You are all I feel. All I know." Spike said, hugging Buffy tight to him.
"I'll be leaving my heart with you. You stole it from me and I can't live without it.. Without you." Buffy said into his shoulder.
Spike didn't know what to say to that. He just rocked her in his arms. Loving every second of it, he didn't want it to end. Having every memory of her is so much different than having the real thing in his hands.
"Spike.. you don't understand. I.. I love you. I really do.. and I want to be with you.. but.." Buffy paused.
"Always a but."
"Dawn needs me Spike."
"Bloody well figures!" he said.
"Well you can't leave your heart behind now, can you?" the man said, he had been listening to their heart wrenching conversation.
"What do you mean?" Spike said, hoping he heard the big man right. But before he could answer he saw Buffy disappear and he fell forward. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER?" Spike spun around and dug at the spot where she was.
"The same thing I've decided to do with you." Spike cocked his head at him but before he could say anything he felt a pull in his stomach and then everything went black.
"No! Buffy! Please NO!!" Dawn burst into hysterical sobs after Buffy's grip on her tender fingers loosened. Dawn looked around for someone to tell her this wasn't real. That Buffy was just playing dead. By no one said anything. Willow had collapsed into Xanders arms who was also crying. Dawn looked behind her at Angel. She tried to make eye contact with him but he was staring at Buffy's empty face and tears were making rivers down his pale cheeks. She crawled into his arms and was angry when she found little comfort from the crying vampire. She couldn't move because she was shaking too much so she just stayed there, crying into his shoulder.
Fifteen minutes later they were all still crying but had silently decided to take Buffy's limp body back to the Hyperion and break the news to everyone.
It was late and everyone in the hotel was asleep so there were no questions about the body they carried up the stairs and into Buffy's old room. Dawn couldn't bring herself to step foot in there, fearing she would never be able to stop crying. As Dawn looked in from the doorway she saw Willow fall to her knees at the bedside, whimpering things like, "Not again.. No, no.. Please no!" And Xander stood next to her obviously in shock. Dawn quietly walked downstairs, trying to think of anything but her dead sister. She saw Angel sitting at his desk drinking blood like a drunken man. Dawn walked up to him.
"You can't possibly still be hungry." She said through sobs. She looked at all the empty mugs on his desk.
"This can't be happening." Angel ignored her statement. "No.. Not now.. Not after.. No." Angel whispered.
"Please tell me she's not really.. She's still.. Right? Please.." Dawn was looking at Angel from her new position on her knees in front of his desk.
Angel didn't know what to say. "I.. I'm.. I'm sorry Dawn.." he muttered. He got up from where he was to go embrace the hurting Key but she was too fast and ran up the stairs, past Buffy's room and into her own, which was three rooms down.
Kelly woke up when the door to her room at the Hyperion was opened and slammed shut. She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was 1:03 in the morning. She was about to yell at her roommate when she heard her crying uncontrollably into her pillow. She had gotten used to Dawn crying at night ever since the battle against The First. Sometimes she even did it herself, when she dreamt about her parents. After listening closely to Dawn, Kelly realized that this wasn't crying from a memory. This was about something that happened just recently. Kelly rubbed her eyes and then sat up in her bed. "Dawn, honey, what's wrong?" she asked slowly, then yawned loudly.
Dawn sniffed and then turned around to face her best friend, Kelly. "Sorry I woke you." She said, drying her eyes for a second.
"Why are you crying so hard?" Kelly asked curiously.
Dawn thought about not telling her until tomorrow. She really didn't feel like talking about it right now. Then she figured that she would find out sooner or later. "It's.. Buffy.." Dawn started crying again and Kelly rushed to her side, giving her friend a will needed hug. "She's.. She was patrolling.. And.. She's dead, Kelly. She got bit.. And.. She died, right there in our hands.. She died." Dawn admitted it to Kelly and herself. Her sister was gone forever this time. There was no bringing her back. She was gone. The two teens sat like that before an idea popped into Kelly's head.
"Well.. Can Willow do her magicks and.. You know.." she suggested, still holding Dawn tightly. They had become like sisters over the past few weeks, and Buffy was like a mother. The Bringers had killed Kelly's dad, mom, and sister when they came to get her and realized that Buffy had already gotten to her.
"No. She would never. Now that she knows that Buffy belongs in Heaven." Dawn answered.
"So.. She's.. Gone." Kelly stated.
"Yeah.. my Buffy's gone.." Dawn and Kelly fell asleep holding each other and didn't wake up the next day until Xander knocked on the door. The girls stirred, yawned, and sat up as he came in the room.
"There's someone downstairs who wants to talk to all of us." He said quietly. He obviously didn't get enough sleep last night, if any. The dark circles were as bad as Buffy's were and hers took a month to get. His eyes were red and swollen from crying.
While Dawn quickly got up to hug him, Kelly stretched and asked, "What time is it?"
Still hugging Dawn, he replied, "7:34."
"Uhhnn.." Kelly rolled over and closed her eyes. Whoever it was, was going to have to wait.
Xander would usually have laughed buy with the recent events he just said, "Come on, kiddo, he can't stay long." Dawn squeezed him one last time before she let go to help Kelly get out of bed.
"Yeah, yeah." Kelly got up and shooed Xander out of the room so they could get dressed.
"Just don't take an hour and a half like usual. He really can't stay long." Xander said and then he shut the door behind him.
* * *
"NO!! NO, NO, NO, NO!! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!! NOT AGAIN NO!!!" the figure screamed as it bounced from one fluffy wall to another. "WHY ME!! WHY!! I DON'T BELONG UP HERE YET!! YOU DON'T NEED ME, THEY DO!!" it tried to point down but realized it didn't have hands, or arms legs, or a body. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?" it screamed.
"Calm down Elizabeth." A voice said. Buffy spun around trying to see who it was. All she saw were at least ten other fluff's like her.
"WHY AM I HERE!! I WANT TO BE WITH HER. I NEED TO BE WITH DAWN!"
"We realize that Elizabeth, but you died. Again. And you are here. With us." They said.
"And me." Said someone from behind her.
Buffy spun around and saw her mother floating towards her. If Buffy was still human a tear would have rolled down her cheeks. But instead Buffy heard the thunder stop and it began to rain. "Mom?"
"Yes honey.. Concentrate real hard on a picture of yourself and you will appear that way." Joyce said, realizing that Buffy was still a ball of fluff.
Buffy did as she was told and became Buffy shaped again. Except she had wings and her face was glittering with golden shimmer. She was wearing a white flowing gown with gold sparkles randomly scattered over it. "Woah.. mom, tell them I don't belong here! I need to be with Dawn!! She needs me!" Buffy spun around, looking at herself in awe.
"But I need you here." Joyce said slowly.
Those words took Buffy by surprise. "Why weren't you here the last time I was in heaven?"
"I was.. It was just.. I saw Willow preparing to take you down again so I didn't think.. I didn't want to see you if you were just going to leave me again." Joyce realized something and then her words became hurried. "It's your choice honey. Please I don't have long here before they realize that I'm here." Joyce looked up and Buffy saw the ten fluff's above them, they were gathered into a tight circle, talking about something in hushed voices. "Please." Joyce said desperately then disappeared.
"I'm sorry, mom." After those words and a tear sliding down her cheek Buffy went berserk. She started screaming louder than ever and then she turned back into a fluff. She bounced off the walls and continued screaming. "I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! I WANT TO GO DOWN TO EARTH! I WANT TO BE WITH MY FRIENDS AND WITH MY DAWN!"
"Shush up, girl." A darker cloud appeared from the opposite side of the 'room'.
"Don't you tell me to do ANYTHING!" Buffy flung herself at the cloud and it was scattered. This caught the attention of the other clouds, which were discussing something in their circle, above Buffy.
"Elizabeth, it takes a lot of skill and determination to do that." One of them said, it was a light pink color and its voice was high and sort of squeaky.
"Not to mention, Power." A blue one said. Its voice was deep and commanding.
"Maybe we were wrong about you. Earth really could use someone like you." A yellow one said that, it had a voice quite like Buffy's. Before Buffy could respond to any of those comments the clouds disappeared just as her mother had. Buffy went crazy again, bouncing off walls and screaming. It was what seemed like days to Buffy, but was really only hours, before she decided to sleep. She went to the bottom of her 'room' and buried herself in the cloud, finding it to be extremely comfortable, maybe a little too comfortable. Buffy laughed at the thought and then fell asleep instantly. She woke up after a long, and well needed, sleep to find a bright white cloud looking down on her. Buffy concentrated and turned into an Angel again.
"What do you want." She said, stretching her wings and arms.
"Ha ha ha.. I always did love your attitude. I used to watch you during your battles with the vampires of the Earth." The fluff said and then it took form. It was a tall, old man. He had white hair and was very tall. He wore what looked like a sheet for clothing and it was tied on with a golden chain.
"Let me guess, the Powers That Be?"
"Second in Command." Said the man. "But I'm not here to introduce myself. It takes a lot of power to make another Angel disappear, even in their cloud form." He informed Buffy.
"And?"
"And that means you are higher than an Angel."
"Oh really.. and why does that concern me? I don't even want to be here. I want to be downstairs, with my sister.." Buffy began to plead. "She needs me." Tears were forming in her eyes.
"Elizabeth, please. I can't stand the puppy eyes."
Buffy put on her best puppy eyes ever but she didn't have to pretend that much because she really was crying. She couldn't stand this place. The majority of it reeked of her mom. But in the other part, Buffy looked over at the darker corner, it smelled of Spike. And she couldn't stand that. She wouldn't be able too. Just then a form burst through the empty corner. It was a dark cloud, almost black. Buffy was about to charge at it again but it distracted her when it said, "Buffy?" she could recognize that accent anywhere.
"SPIKE!" Buffy flew over to the cloud just as it was turning into an Angel. He was dressed in red, the same outfit as the other guy.
"William, what are you doing here?" the man asked.
"None of your bloody business, not that you don't know anyway." Spike glared at the man then turned to Buffy and embraced her as if he thought she would float away if he let go. "I can't stand it here, Buffy. I can't. It smell's too much like.. you."
"And mine of you." She said but silenced him with a kiss. "I missed you." She said. She looked into his blue orbs and saw complete joy, and a little bit of surprise from the kiss.
"This place is driving me crazy, love." He said, resting his head on her shoulders.
"I've been bouncing off the walls. I can't stand it here. Dawn needs me, Spike. I can feel her."
"Yeah.." Spike waved his arm and the clouds next to them parted to reveal a birds eye view of the inside of the Hyperion Hotel.
"Oh God.." Buffy said as she saw Angel carry her dead body back to the hotel. She looked at Xander, who was carrying a sobbing Willow. And then at Dawn, who could barely walk. She kept falling down and banging the ground with her fists.
"It's a tough site to see. But it was harder to watch you loose your touch when you sat in bed for thirty days." Spike said, a tear sliding down his cheek.
"I don't know what to do, Spike. My mom said it was up to me whether or not I want to stay here." Buffy let that sink in. "And I want to stay, I really do. But.." Buffy couldn't finish her sentence because Spike was floating up to the giant man.
"IT'S OUR BLOODY CHOICE??? YOU SAID I HAD TO STAY HERE!! YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT CHOOSING!" Spike was yelling at him.
"Spike.." Buffy said, trying to calm him down but it was too lat, he was pissed.
"William, Joyce said it was her choice." He said, putting emphasis on 'her'. "She never said anything about you."
Spike realized what he said and sank back down to Buffy. "Spike.."
"Go, just bloody go. But remember, I love you, pet. You are all I feel. All I know." Spike said, hugging Buffy tight to him.
"I'll be leaving my heart with you. You stole it from me and I can't live without it.. Without you." Buffy said into his shoulder.
Spike didn't know what to say to that. He just rocked her in his arms. Loving every second of it, he didn't want it to end. Having every memory of her is so much different than having the real thing in his hands.
"Spike.. you don't understand. I.. I love you. I really do.. and I want to be with you.. but.." Buffy paused.
"Always a but."
"Dawn needs me Spike."
"Bloody well figures!" he said.
"Well you can't leave your heart behind now, can you?" the man said, he had been listening to their heart wrenching conversation.
"What do you mean?" Spike said, hoping he heard the big man right. But before he could answer he saw Buffy disappear and he fell forward. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER?" Spike spun around and dug at the spot where she was.
"The same thing I've decided to do with you." Spike cocked his head at him but before he could say anything he felt a pull in his stomach and then everything went black.