Chapter Five
Buffy scrubbed her hands over her face. "Ok, let me get this straight. I've got to worry about the Master, the oldest vampire in recorded history, and an invisible girl who wants to off random people in school?" Buffy said looked up at Giles.
"That is correct," Giles said.
Buffy grumbled and lay down on the table. She really wasn't feeling up to this. She'd gone by Derek's house last night and drank too much beer with Brandon, Sheila and Derek. Derek had been sniffing PCP. She'd caved in after a few beers and done a little bit. She'd only thought tequila chased away the slayerness of her life. PCP blasted it into next week. "How the hell am I supposed to fight an invisible girl, Giles?"
"I believe you might actually have to learn to listen," Giles said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Oh bite me. Did anyone even ask me if I feel like listening?" Buffy grumbled and sat up. "Okay so, tonight Cordy and all her groupies are doing some decorating for the prom queen junk. I really had other things to do," like see Brandon, Jose Cuervo and Angel dust "but I can come up here and stay with Cordelia, make sure things run smoothly and maybe catch Marcie all at the same time. Although, Cordelia is the victim here, are we sure we want to save her?" Buffy asked.
That earned her a glare from Giles.
Buffy sighed. "Okay I know Serious Buffy, I'm on it Giles, relax with the glares your face will freeze like that."
*
Buffy watched as the agents took away Marcie. It looked odd. They were holding onto something no one could see. Buffy shook her head and looked up at Giles. "So, invisible girl taken care of, can I go now?"
Giles sighed. Buffy insisted on having a social life. She refused to see the importance of the Master and what it meant to her, Sunnydale and even the world. "I suppose so, but the council just sent me a volume I want to pursue and discuss with you. It's the Codex and the most accurate text we have on prophecies. I found a reference to it and the Master in another book."
"Promise, I'll come pursue and discuss dusty old books with you," Buffy placed her hand over her heart and smiled at Giles. She glanced around. Her skin was itchy and she needed a shot of tequila or three right about now. She waggled her fingers at Giles and dashed off toward Derek's house. If she hurried she'd get there before the party really started.
*
Buffy woke up to the phone ringing in her ear. It was Saturday morning and her mom was already at the gallery. Buffy groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. There were a thousand little Chinese men in her head doing karate kicks. Demons were playing tug o' war with her stomach and she was pretty sure someone was spinning the earth. The phone continued to shrill. She grabbed it convinced anything would be better then that noise in her sound sensitive head.
"Hello," she groaned.
"Buffy, it's Giles. I wonder if perhaps you could come up to the library."
Buffy groaned again and squeezed her eyes shut. "Giles can it wait?"
"I'm sorry, Buffy. It really can not," Giles said.
"Okay, give me a few. I'll be right up there," Buffy hung up the phone and got out of bed. Her stomach flipped and she stood stock still and tried to take deep breaths. Once it passed she got into the shower and soothed the Chinese men doing the karate kicks in her head. She got out and twisted her wet hair into a messy bun. She pulled on a tank top and a pair of loose cargo khakis. She jammed her feet into flip flops and added the darkest pair of sunglasses she could find.
It was a short and torturous walk to the library. By the time she got there the Chinese men had returned in full force along with the tug of war demons. She stopped and got a cold cola out of the soda machine, hoping the caffeine would chase away some of the side affects of Jose and PCP mixed. Angel dust, Buffy thought. Derek had told her it was also called angel dust. She smiled and her marble angel from the cemetery came to mind. She went and talked to him almost every night after patrols and before she went to Derek's.
Buffy pushed the doors to the library open and walked in. Giles stood before the table with his head bowed. He had his glasses off and he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. He looked worn out and exhausted. Buffy frowned and walked over to him.
"Giles, what's up? You look upset," she said.
"If you would sit down," Giles said.
Buffy cast him a look but curled up in a chair, "Okay so what's the dire?"
"Last night sometime there was an accident apparently. I suspect Marcie had something to do with it," Giles said.
Buffy swallowed hard and placed her hand over her lurching stomach.
"This morning the janitor found Willow and Xander in the basement. The door was locked from the outside and the gas had been turned on," Giles said softly.
"But they're okay? I mean they're at the hospital and they'll have to stay awhile but they're okay, right?" Buffy gripped the arms of the chair hard to keep from sliding out of it onto the floor.
"Buffy, they-they were there all night with the gas on. I'm afraid- I'm afraid they're both dead," Giles said.
"No!" Buffy shouted and stood up quickly. A wave of dizziness overcame her and she fell to her knees and threw up the contents left over in her stomach from the night before.
"Buffy, I am truly sorry. I know you three were close," Giles said and paced uncomfortably.
"They-why-what were they doing here?" Buffy finally found the voice to ask.
"Studying, I was in the office reading the Codex and didn't even notice when they left. I'm terribly sorry-if I had-"Giles stopped.
Buffy swallowed her tears. She shook her head, "No, I'm the slayer. I should have stopped it. I could have-I should have stopped her," she said dejectedly.
"Buffy, you were protecting Cordelia. She was the only one we thought Marcie was going after. I had no idea, you had no idea she would hurt Xander or Willow," Giles said.
Buffy shook her head. The walls were closing in on her. She couldn't breathe and she had to get out of her. "I've got to go, I-I've got to go," Buffy ran out of the library.
She found her self in the cemetery. She crawled on top of the crypt with her angel and curled herself into the niche left by his broken wing. As soon as she was there the flood of tears started. She sobbed and yelled. The marble angel watched her with immeasurably sad eyes. The sunlight gave the marble warmth that she wasn't used to feeling and it was comforting. Somehow it made him seem a little more like her Angel and she wondered briefly when she had started thinking of this angel as hers and with a capital A and why. She swiped at her face with the backs of her hands. She laughed bitterly. She needed real arms around her not the imaginary marble arms of some fictional Angel she'd made up. She jumped from the top of the crypt and gave her Angel one last glance and then ran to Derek and Brandon's house.
She pounded on the door until Derek answered. It was obvious she'd woken him up. She looked up at him with blood shot, red rimmed eyes.
"Is Brandon here?" She asked.
"Yeah, but he's asleep in his room. I'll go get him," Derek started to turn.
Buffy stopped him with a hand on his arm and shook her head. "Don't. I'll just go in," she said.
She pushed past Derek into the apartment and then stood there like an idiot. She'd never been to Brandon's bedroom. She had an idea of which door it was but didn't know. Derek just pointed to a door and Buffy tried to smile at him. The smile never made it past her broken heart.
Buffy opened the door and slipped inside the room. She paused a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. Brandon had put aluminum foil over the windows so that the room was pitched into almost total darkness at any given time.
The room was fairly neat, for a guy's room. Brandon was sprawled out on his stomach, blankets twisted and thrown all over the bed. He roused a little and glanced up when he heard the door shut. He sat up sleepily, pulling the sheets and blankets to his waist.
"Buffy?" He asked.
With that one word she fled to him. She scrambled in his lap and clung to him like a life preserver. Brandon's arms went around her. Her body was already trembling with tears and he could feel the wetness gathering on his bare chest.
"Oh, God, Babe, what happened?" Brandon asked. His voice was still rough and husky with sleep.
She shook her head against his chest and continued to cry. He stroked her hair and made shushing noises. He wasn't exactly good with crying women but this was Buffy and he was strongly beginning to suspect he was in love with her. It was almost impossible not to be. She was like a little girl lost most of the time, so scared and so defensive about everything that it made you want to protect her, shield her from whatever it was that haunted her. Occasionally you'd get a glimpse of her smile, of the person she might be or could have been and it was everything you could do not to promise her the world if only she'd smile like that one more time.
After a time, Buffy looked up at him, hazel eyes glistened with tears and somehow she managed to make red and swollen beautiful. She was a broken girl and he wanted to fix her no matter what that meant. He smoothed strands of hair wet from her tears back from her face and placed a kiss on her forehead. He didn't ask what was wrong. He and Buffy had an agreement. He didn't push her to talk about anything she didn't want to and she didn't leave. Her lower lip trembled and Brandon was suddenly very aware that he was naked under the blankets.
"Hold on a sec, Babe. I'm gonna put on some shorts," he started to slide away from her and she grabbed his arm with her surprising strength. She'd always been careful to shield him from her strength.
"No, don't," she said pulling him closer to her. She pushed him back into the sheets. "Make me feel alive, Brandon. Do you know how long it's been since I felt alive?"
Buffy scrubbed her hands over her face. "Ok, let me get this straight. I've got to worry about the Master, the oldest vampire in recorded history, and an invisible girl who wants to off random people in school?" Buffy said looked up at Giles.
"That is correct," Giles said.
Buffy grumbled and lay down on the table. She really wasn't feeling up to this. She'd gone by Derek's house last night and drank too much beer with Brandon, Sheila and Derek. Derek had been sniffing PCP. She'd caved in after a few beers and done a little bit. She'd only thought tequila chased away the slayerness of her life. PCP blasted it into next week. "How the hell am I supposed to fight an invisible girl, Giles?"
"I believe you might actually have to learn to listen," Giles said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Oh bite me. Did anyone even ask me if I feel like listening?" Buffy grumbled and sat up. "Okay so, tonight Cordy and all her groupies are doing some decorating for the prom queen junk. I really had other things to do," like see Brandon, Jose Cuervo and Angel dust "but I can come up here and stay with Cordelia, make sure things run smoothly and maybe catch Marcie all at the same time. Although, Cordelia is the victim here, are we sure we want to save her?" Buffy asked.
That earned her a glare from Giles.
Buffy sighed. "Okay I know Serious Buffy, I'm on it Giles, relax with the glares your face will freeze like that."
*
Buffy watched as the agents took away Marcie. It looked odd. They were holding onto something no one could see. Buffy shook her head and looked up at Giles. "So, invisible girl taken care of, can I go now?"
Giles sighed. Buffy insisted on having a social life. She refused to see the importance of the Master and what it meant to her, Sunnydale and even the world. "I suppose so, but the council just sent me a volume I want to pursue and discuss with you. It's the Codex and the most accurate text we have on prophecies. I found a reference to it and the Master in another book."
"Promise, I'll come pursue and discuss dusty old books with you," Buffy placed her hand over her heart and smiled at Giles. She glanced around. Her skin was itchy and she needed a shot of tequila or three right about now. She waggled her fingers at Giles and dashed off toward Derek's house. If she hurried she'd get there before the party really started.
*
Buffy woke up to the phone ringing in her ear. It was Saturday morning and her mom was already at the gallery. Buffy groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. There were a thousand little Chinese men in her head doing karate kicks. Demons were playing tug o' war with her stomach and she was pretty sure someone was spinning the earth. The phone continued to shrill. She grabbed it convinced anything would be better then that noise in her sound sensitive head.
"Hello," she groaned.
"Buffy, it's Giles. I wonder if perhaps you could come up to the library."
Buffy groaned again and squeezed her eyes shut. "Giles can it wait?"
"I'm sorry, Buffy. It really can not," Giles said.
"Okay, give me a few. I'll be right up there," Buffy hung up the phone and got out of bed. Her stomach flipped and she stood stock still and tried to take deep breaths. Once it passed she got into the shower and soothed the Chinese men doing the karate kicks in her head. She got out and twisted her wet hair into a messy bun. She pulled on a tank top and a pair of loose cargo khakis. She jammed her feet into flip flops and added the darkest pair of sunglasses she could find.
It was a short and torturous walk to the library. By the time she got there the Chinese men had returned in full force along with the tug of war demons. She stopped and got a cold cola out of the soda machine, hoping the caffeine would chase away some of the side affects of Jose and PCP mixed. Angel dust, Buffy thought. Derek had told her it was also called angel dust. She smiled and her marble angel from the cemetery came to mind. She went and talked to him almost every night after patrols and before she went to Derek's.
Buffy pushed the doors to the library open and walked in. Giles stood before the table with his head bowed. He had his glasses off and he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. He looked worn out and exhausted. Buffy frowned and walked over to him.
"Giles, what's up? You look upset," she said.
"If you would sit down," Giles said.
Buffy cast him a look but curled up in a chair, "Okay so what's the dire?"
"Last night sometime there was an accident apparently. I suspect Marcie had something to do with it," Giles said.
Buffy swallowed hard and placed her hand over her lurching stomach.
"This morning the janitor found Willow and Xander in the basement. The door was locked from the outside and the gas had been turned on," Giles said softly.
"But they're okay? I mean they're at the hospital and they'll have to stay awhile but they're okay, right?" Buffy gripped the arms of the chair hard to keep from sliding out of it onto the floor.
"Buffy, they-they were there all night with the gas on. I'm afraid- I'm afraid they're both dead," Giles said.
"No!" Buffy shouted and stood up quickly. A wave of dizziness overcame her and she fell to her knees and threw up the contents left over in her stomach from the night before.
"Buffy, I am truly sorry. I know you three were close," Giles said and paced uncomfortably.
"They-why-what were they doing here?" Buffy finally found the voice to ask.
"Studying, I was in the office reading the Codex and didn't even notice when they left. I'm terribly sorry-if I had-"Giles stopped.
Buffy swallowed her tears. She shook her head, "No, I'm the slayer. I should have stopped it. I could have-I should have stopped her," she said dejectedly.
"Buffy, you were protecting Cordelia. She was the only one we thought Marcie was going after. I had no idea, you had no idea she would hurt Xander or Willow," Giles said.
Buffy shook her head. The walls were closing in on her. She couldn't breathe and she had to get out of her. "I've got to go, I-I've got to go," Buffy ran out of the library.
She found her self in the cemetery. She crawled on top of the crypt with her angel and curled herself into the niche left by his broken wing. As soon as she was there the flood of tears started. She sobbed and yelled. The marble angel watched her with immeasurably sad eyes. The sunlight gave the marble warmth that she wasn't used to feeling and it was comforting. Somehow it made him seem a little more like her Angel and she wondered briefly when she had started thinking of this angel as hers and with a capital A and why. She swiped at her face with the backs of her hands. She laughed bitterly. She needed real arms around her not the imaginary marble arms of some fictional Angel she'd made up. She jumped from the top of the crypt and gave her Angel one last glance and then ran to Derek and Brandon's house.
She pounded on the door until Derek answered. It was obvious she'd woken him up. She looked up at him with blood shot, red rimmed eyes.
"Is Brandon here?" She asked.
"Yeah, but he's asleep in his room. I'll go get him," Derek started to turn.
Buffy stopped him with a hand on his arm and shook her head. "Don't. I'll just go in," she said.
She pushed past Derek into the apartment and then stood there like an idiot. She'd never been to Brandon's bedroom. She had an idea of which door it was but didn't know. Derek just pointed to a door and Buffy tried to smile at him. The smile never made it past her broken heart.
Buffy opened the door and slipped inside the room. She paused a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. Brandon had put aluminum foil over the windows so that the room was pitched into almost total darkness at any given time.
The room was fairly neat, for a guy's room. Brandon was sprawled out on his stomach, blankets twisted and thrown all over the bed. He roused a little and glanced up when he heard the door shut. He sat up sleepily, pulling the sheets and blankets to his waist.
"Buffy?" He asked.
With that one word she fled to him. She scrambled in his lap and clung to him like a life preserver. Brandon's arms went around her. Her body was already trembling with tears and he could feel the wetness gathering on his bare chest.
"Oh, God, Babe, what happened?" Brandon asked. His voice was still rough and husky with sleep.
She shook her head against his chest and continued to cry. He stroked her hair and made shushing noises. He wasn't exactly good with crying women but this was Buffy and he was strongly beginning to suspect he was in love with her. It was almost impossible not to be. She was like a little girl lost most of the time, so scared and so defensive about everything that it made you want to protect her, shield her from whatever it was that haunted her. Occasionally you'd get a glimpse of her smile, of the person she might be or could have been and it was everything you could do not to promise her the world if only she'd smile like that one more time.
After a time, Buffy looked up at him, hazel eyes glistened with tears and somehow she managed to make red and swollen beautiful. She was a broken girl and he wanted to fix her no matter what that meant. He smoothed strands of hair wet from her tears back from her face and placed a kiss on her forehead. He didn't ask what was wrong. He and Buffy had an agreement. He didn't push her to talk about anything she didn't want to and she didn't leave. Her lower lip trembled and Brandon was suddenly very aware that he was naked under the blankets.
"Hold on a sec, Babe. I'm gonna put on some shorts," he started to slide away from her and she grabbed his arm with her surprising strength. She'd always been careful to shield him from her strength.
"No, don't," she said pulling him closer to her. She pushed him back into the sheets. "Make me feel alive, Brandon. Do you know how long it's been since I felt alive?"