For disclaimer, etc. see Chap 1
Please review; anyone who does gets a cookie shaped in the character of their choice, chocolate flavour if they PUNCTUATE CORRECTLY.
***
"HOLY SATSUMAS!" yelled Andrew, backing against the window glinting with the evening sun and plastering his hands against the wall.
Once again, Angel raised his hands to calm the gathering. "People! PEOPLE! Calm down, this is Skip. He works for the Powers that be, as a kind of messenger and guard and various other things. Look, everyone stay to hear what he has to say, and then I want anyone not requested to stay by Buffy or Cordelia to leave. Do a little research- especially into the gouges in Buffy's arms and torso. I don't think that can be right, the Powers wouldn't do something like that."
"Yeah, well, you've obviously never been picked on by the Powers, have you." muttered Buffy darkly.
"OK, people, could we get back to topic?" Skip waved his axe for attention. "Now, I have to scold you for once again undoing the Powers' work." He scowled at Willow. "But it's only because you have before that you got away with it this time. This wonderful warrior," he bestowed a beaming smile on Buffy, "has been dragged from her reward because of your own selfishness. It is as a favour to her, and a sign of our gratitude for continuing to fight, that we allowed you to show Miss Chase the way home. Although, we don't exactly approve of your method of avoiding suicide. Anyway, Cordelia may stay here, but little witch, don't mess with us again. Also, Slayer, you may want to do something about that blood." He vanished.
He may as well have not bothered with the last few words. The entire room was still reeling from the news of how close Buffy had been to killing herself. Willow, already tottering slightly, had staggered back into Xander's arms. Her face was pale. "Su- suicide?" she gasped.
Angel, who had been as shell-shocked as the rest, regained control. "People! Out! My people, show Xander, Ayri, Dawn, Andrew, Faith, and Giles to their rooms." He ordered. The majority obeyed, but Spike refused to leave, Faith looked rebellious, and Ayri seemed hesitant. Xander turned to her, and gently tugged her along with him. "Sweetie, they're in good hands. You need to give them some room to breathe now." He reassured her, not entirely sure she had understood, but Ayri followed him willingly enough after that. Xander could already tell that the secondary Slayer and the ghostly vamp weren't going to surrender, so he didn't bother. He eased the door shut behind them, leaving Willow, Buffy, Faith, Spike, Cordelia and Angel in the room.
Angel's nostrils tugged his mind towards Buffy, who was still streaming blood. The bleeding had slowed, but she had lost enough already that whenever she shifted, blood lapped over the edge of her clothing and onto the floor. Faith had been trying to hold her still (but wasn't being very firm; she seemed terrified of hurting Buffy) while Spike attempted to stop the bleeding with his over shirt, but Buffy kept brushing them away, apparently unconcerned about being drenched in her own blood. Angel wondered if she even realized what she was doing to the two vampires. The scent bordered the line between bliss and agony, especially when it was mingled with Buffy's personal smell. It reminded him of when he had drunk her blood until she was nearly drained. He went to her and firmly took her shoulders from Faith as Spike began ripping strips from his T-shirt for bandages. Spike shot him a grateful look, but saved face by roughly complaining, "You're in poufter heaven with your big, shiny gay building and dozens of penis-mobiles, but you can't get your," he paused in his work to make quotation marks in the air with his fingers, "love of your unlife a completer of proper sodding bandages?"
Angel felt chastised, and realizing his foolishness in hanging around thinking all this time, silently buzzed for a healer. Spike was surprised, but diligently finished wrapping Buffy's cuts up, before sweeping the flowers from a vase and dunking a remaining scrap of cloth in it. He used it to get the worst of the drying blood off Buffy's skin. Finally, they all say on the edge of Cordelia's bed in a circle.
Willow, her face tearstained, spoke first. "What did he mean about suicide? Please, Buffy tell me the truth. I need to know."
Buffy took a deep breath from her position between Spike and Angel, who were both alternating between glaring at each other jealously and smiling protectively at her. "When I came back," she began, "I didn't have anything to live for. I didn't enjoy anything; there were all the bills and taking care of Dawn and the authorities, and I was empty inside. I didn't feel... anything. I was so numb, and voided, and I was still... dead. The only thing I could feel was the cold. It was so cold..." She drifted off into a morbid, reflective gloom. "Except Spike. I didn't love him, I barely liked him, but I trusted him, and he was funny, and he was my equal, and his love warmed me." She looked away. "And I used it. I abused it. Because I knew he wouldn't ask anything he didn't want anything, he was giving and giving and never taking. So I abused it. And that's what led to... to why he left to get his soul. He was amazing. His demon was tempered by love, and a gentle one as demons go, but it could only take so much... Thank you." She murmured, turning to the platinum vampire.
His arm rose of its own accord to brush a stray, blood-matted strand of hair from her honey face. "Anytime." he replied, helpless.
Cordelia looked between them before bringing her gaze to Angel and Willow. "Hello? Anyone planning on filling in Coma!Cordy?"
"I'm not too sure myself," Angel said quietly, his gaze steadily on the two blondes.
Buffy's face drifted from Spike to the rest of the group. She smoothed her skirt and settled on her knees. She looked up at Angel, and said, without the slightest tremor, "When I came back from... heaven, I began sleeping with Spike, but I was abusing him. I broke up with him after a while, but Spike..." She seemed confused and upset. Buffy didn't know how to say what had happened without it sounding like she resented or feared or approved of what Spike had done, and someone was sure to take offence. He sensed it, and made to cover her hand with his, but thought better of it. He didn't know who Buffy was going to choose. One minute he was so sure it would be him, and then she shared an intimate look with Angel and he was sure he was just a friend. He took over, holding Angel's eyes with not a little trepidation.
"I tried to rape Buffy."
Cordelia instantly let out a shrieking gasp of part horror, part sympathy, part disbelief and part indignant women's rights protestor, all in one extraordinary noise. Spike tried to bore a hole in the bed with his gaze alone. He had known how horrified the Scoobies were, but he hadn't been there when they first found out and were steaming mad. Plus, none of them could hold a candle to this Chase girl when it comes to anger and guilt- making, he silently bet. He ventured a peek at Angel to escape her venomous gaze, and instantly knew he was in deep shit.
The elder vampire was in full game face; Angelus was occupying his eyes, furious over the treatment of his mate, and the entire being seemed taller, and larger, and loomed more darkly than ever. "YOU DARE DISRESPECT MY MATE THIS WAY, WILL?" he roared. Spike closed his eyes and then opened them again stubbornly. He would take it; he deserved it, and much more. But he didn't want it, he wanted it to be over, he wanted everyone to know and accept it and is OK with him. He inwardly cringed, and then mouthed 'Fuck you!' at himself for being weak and soulful, and then cringed again.
And then she was there, standing petite and defiant in front of him. She looked Angel straight in the eye, commanding, "Angel. This happened years ago. It had been dealt with; Spike had been forgiven. Back off. Let it go."
When Angel replied, it was in the same magnificent, shattering roar, but his time it held a hint of doubt. "HE DOESN'T DESERVE FORGIVENESS!"
"Forgiveness isn't something you deserve, it's something you need," she replied calmly with a hint of wistfulness. Her matter-of-a-fact and accepting tone suddenly cowed Angel, and he bound Angelus again, in a moment become not small, but his normal size, and his face was human again.
"OK," said, Cordelia, clearly thinking they had digressed, however shocked she was, "So what we know is that I came back in return for Buffy's suffering, and the fact that she'd been to the place I was gave you a ticket in, so to speak?"
"No. The place I was in was different. You said yours was boring; as much as I'd wanted peace and rest, which I had, there were things to do in mine. Not in relation to this world, and they were games or anything. I don't remember them all that well, but we could do whatever we wanted." Buffy corrected in a low voice.
Faith stared at her in surprise. "You saw where Cordelia was? I thought you just granted the spell access. Red, you see anythin'?"
Willow shook her head negative, but Cordelia told the rest when it became obvious Buffy wasn't going to. "She came in to where I was, and she took my hand and said that she was here to bring me back. She seemed so... natural in there, surrounded by light and peace." She gave a little laugh. "You wouldn't think so, would you, when you see her in battle."
"Or pissed off," muttered Spike under his breath. Buffy elbowed him with a hint of a smile on her face.
Faith eyed the furrows in Buffy's flesh. "But what's with all those wounds, if that was such a good place?"
"Maybe they're sexy wounds," muttered Spike. At this Buffy elbowed him again with a grin spreading across her face, and couldn't keep down some giggles.
Cordelia titled her head. "Huh? I'm missing something. Explainy, please?"
"Um, when Spike was in psycho-obsesso mode-"
"HEY!"
"Well, it's true. Anyway, he had a robot made that looked just like me, only it worshipped him and spoke in really superficial, bright way. He had a made to play chess with," she suddenly hiccupped with laughter again.
This time all of them looked at her curiously. "That's what we told Dawn," Buffy said, getting her chuckles under control. She became serious again. "But, yeah, why do I have them? They couldn't have been part of the spell. There wasn't any evil in that place."
Cordelia suddenly bent her head, her eyes shut. Angel whispered to the newcomers about her visions. She lifted her head again, her neat, nurse- braided hair dangling, eye's expressive. "That was a freaky-deaky vision. Skip spoke to me in his head." She glanced around the gathering. "Something evil was guarding the higher plane, trying to stop you bringing me home."
Please review; anyone who does gets a cookie shaped in the character of their choice, chocolate flavour if they PUNCTUATE CORRECTLY.
***
"HOLY SATSUMAS!" yelled Andrew, backing against the window glinting with the evening sun and plastering his hands against the wall.
Once again, Angel raised his hands to calm the gathering. "People! PEOPLE! Calm down, this is Skip. He works for the Powers that be, as a kind of messenger and guard and various other things. Look, everyone stay to hear what he has to say, and then I want anyone not requested to stay by Buffy or Cordelia to leave. Do a little research- especially into the gouges in Buffy's arms and torso. I don't think that can be right, the Powers wouldn't do something like that."
"Yeah, well, you've obviously never been picked on by the Powers, have you." muttered Buffy darkly.
"OK, people, could we get back to topic?" Skip waved his axe for attention. "Now, I have to scold you for once again undoing the Powers' work." He scowled at Willow. "But it's only because you have before that you got away with it this time. This wonderful warrior," he bestowed a beaming smile on Buffy, "has been dragged from her reward because of your own selfishness. It is as a favour to her, and a sign of our gratitude for continuing to fight, that we allowed you to show Miss Chase the way home. Although, we don't exactly approve of your method of avoiding suicide. Anyway, Cordelia may stay here, but little witch, don't mess with us again. Also, Slayer, you may want to do something about that blood." He vanished.
He may as well have not bothered with the last few words. The entire room was still reeling from the news of how close Buffy had been to killing herself. Willow, already tottering slightly, had staggered back into Xander's arms. Her face was pale. "Su- suicide?" she gasped.
Angel, who had been as shell-shocked as the rest, regained control. "People! Out! My people, show Xander, Ayri, Dawn, Andrew, Faith, and Giles to their rooms." He ordered. The majority obeyed, but Spike refused to leave, Faith looked rebellious, and Ayri seemed hesitant. Xander turned to her, and gently tugged her along with him. "Sweetie, they're in good hands. You need to give them some room to breathe now." He reassured her, not entirely sure she had understood, but Ayri followed him willingly enough after that. Xander could already tell that the secondary Slayer and the ghostly vamp weren't going to surrender, so he didn't bother. He eased the door shut behind them, leaving Willow, Buffy, Faith, Spike, Cordelia and Angel in the room.
Angel's nostrils tugged his mind towards Buffy, who was still streaming blood. The bleeding had slowed, but she had lost enough already that whenever she shifted, blood lapped over the edge of her clothing and onto the floor. Faith had been trying to hold her still (but wasn't being very firm; she seemed terrified of hurting Buffy) while Spike attempted to stop the bleeding with his over shirt, but Buffy kept brushing them away, apparently unconcerned about being drenched in her own blood. Angel wondered if she even realized what she was doing to the two vampires. The scent bordered the line between bliss and agony, especially when it was mingled with Buffy's personal smell. It reminded him of when he had drunk her blood until she was nearly drained. He went to her and firmly took her shoulders from Faith as Spike began ripping strips from his T-shirt for bandages. Spike shot him a grateful look, but saved face by roughly complaining, "You're in poufter heaven with your big, shiny gay building and dozens of penis-mobiles, but you can't get your," he paused in his work to make quotation marks in the air with his fingers, "love of your unlife a completer of proper sodding bandages?"
Angel felt chastised, and realizing his foolishness in hanging around thinking all this time, silently buzzed for a healer. Spike was surprised, but diligently finished wrapping Buffy's cuts up, before sweeping the flowers from a vase and dunking a remaining scrap of cloth in it. He used it to get the worst of the drying blood off Buffy's skin. Finally, they all say on the edge of Cordelia's bed in a circle.
Willow, her face tearstained, spoke first. "What did he mean about suicide? Please, Buffy tell me the truth. I need to know."
Buffy took a deep breath from her position between Spike and Angel, who were both alternating between glaring at each other jealously and smiling protectively at her. "When I came back," she began, "I didn't have anything to live for. I didn't enjoy anything; there were all the bills and taking care of Dawn and the authorities, and I was empty inside. I didn't feel... anything. I was so numb, and voided, and I was still... dead. The only thing I could feel was the cold. It was so cold..." She drifted off into a morbid, reflective gloom. "Except Spike. I didn't love him, I barely liked him, but I trusted him, and he was funny, and he was my equal, and his love warmed me." She looked away. "And I used it. I abused it. Because I knew he wouldn't ask anything he didn't want anything, he was giving and giving and never taking. So I abused it. And that's what led to... to why he left to get his soul. He was amazing. His demon was tempered by love, and a gentle one as demons go, but it could only take so much... Thank you." She murmured, turning to the platinum vampire.
His arm rose of its own accord to brush a stray, blood-matted strand of hair from her honey face. "Anytime." he replied, helpless.
Cordelia looked between them before bringing her gaze to Angel and Willow. "Hello? Anyone planning on filling in Coma!Cordy?"
"I'm not too sure myself," Angel said quietly, his gaze steadily on the two blondes.
Buffy's face drifted from Spike to the rest of the group. She smoothed her skirt and settled on her knees. She looked up at Angel, and said, without the slightest tremor, "When I came back from... heaven, I began sleeping with Spike, but I was abusing him. I broke up with him after a while, but Spike..." She seemed confused and upset. Buffy didn't know how to say what had happened without it sounding like she resented or feared or approved of what Spike had done, and someone was sure to take offence. He sensed it, and made to cover her hand with his, but thought better of it. He didn't know who Buffy was going to choose. One minute he was so sure it would be him, and then she shared an intimate look with Angel and he was sure he was just a friend. He took over, holding Angel's eyes with not a little trepidation.
"I tried to rape Buffy."
Cordelia instantly let out a shrieking gasp of part horror, part sympathy, part disbelief and part indignant women's rights protestor, all in one extraordinary noise. Spike tried to bore a hole in the bed with his gaze alone. He had known how horrified the Scoobies were, but he hadn't been there when they first found out and were steaming mad. Plus, none of them could hold a candle to this Chase girl when it comes to anger and guilt- making, he silently bet. He ventured a peek at Angel to escape her venomous gaze, and instantly knew he was in deep shit.
The elder vampire was in full game face; Angelus was occupying his eyes, furious over the treatment of his mate, and the entire being seemed taller, and larger, and loomed more darkly than ever. "YOU DARE DISRESPECT MY MATE THIS WAY, WILL?" he roared. Spike closed his eyes and then opened them again stubbornly. He would take it; he deserved it, and much more. But he didn't want it, he wanted it to be over, he wanted everyone to know and accept it and is OK with him. He inwardly cringed, and then mouthed 'Fuck you!' at himself for being weak and soulful, and then cringed again.
And then she was there, standing petite and defiant in front of him. She looked Angel straight in the eye, commanding, "Angel. This happened years ago. It had been dealt with; Spike had been forgiven. Back off. Let it go."
When Angel replied, it was in the same magnificent, shattering roar, but his time it held a hint of doubt. "HE DOESN'T DESERVE FORGIVENESS!"
"Forgiveness isn't something you deserve, it's something you need," she replied calmly with a hint of wistfulness. Her matter-of-a-fact and accepting tone suddenly cowed Angel, and he bound Angelus again, in a moment become not small, but his normal size, and his face was human again.
"OK," said, Cordelia, clearly thinking they had digressed, however shocked she was, "So what we know is that I came back in return for Buffy's suffering, and the fact that she'd been to the place I was gave you a ticket in, so to speak?"
"No. The place I was in was different. You said yours was boring; as much as I'd wanted peace and rest, which I had, there were things to do in mine. Not in relation to this world, and they were games or anything. I don't remember them all that well, but we could do whatever we wanted." Buffy corrected in a low voice.
Faith stared at her in surprise. "You saw where Cordelia was? I thought you just granted the spell access. Red, you see anythin'?"
Willow shook her head negative, but Cordelia told the rest when it became obvious Buffy wasn't going to. "She came in to where I was, and she took my hand and said that she was here to bring me back. She seemed so... natural in there, surrounded by light and peace." She gave a little laugh. "You wouldn't think so, would you, when you see her in battle."
"Or pissed off," muttered Spike under his breath. Buffy elbowed him with a hint of a smile on her face.
Faith eyed the furrows in Buffy's flesh. "But what's with all those wounds, if that was such a good place?"
"Maybe they're sexy wounds," muttered Spike. At this Buffy elbowed him again with a grin spreading across her face, and couldn't keep down some giggles.
Cordelia titled her head. "Huh? I'm missing something. Explainy, please?"
"Um, when Spike was in psycho-obsesso mode-"
"HEY!"
"Well, it's true. Anyway, he had a robot made that looked just like me, only it worshipped him and spoke in really superficial, bright way. He had a made to play chess with," she suddenly hiccupped with laughter again.
This time all of them looked at her curiously. "That's what we told Dawn," Buffy said, getting her chuckles under control. She became serious again. "But, yeah, why do I have them? They couldn't have been part of the spell. There wasn't any evil in that place."
Cordelia suddenly bent her head, her eyes shut. Angel whispered to the newcomers about her visions. She lifted her head again, her neat, nurse- braided hair dangling, eye's expressive. "That was a freaky-deaky vision. Skip spoke to me in his head." She glanced around the gathering. "Something evil was guarding the higher plane, trying to stop you bringing me home."