Chapter 3
"Drusilla's still out there, Giles! What if she wants revenge? We can't protect Buffy, not while she's in hospital! D'you know how hard it was to convince them to let Angel see Buffy? They're not gonna let any of us stay with her. At best they'll get the police in, and we both know that won't help!"
"Calm down, Willow!" Giles ordered. "Nothing will happen to Buffy, especially if you worry Angel. And that's all you'll gain from panicking about this, Willow. A worried vampire looking out for Buffy when he doesn't need any more stress!" With that, the clearly upset librarian dismissed Buffy's friends and returned to his job at Sunnydale High.
* * * * * *
Did he want to do this? To put Buffy in danger so that he was free of his fear of true happiness? Wasn't he supposed to suffer? And wasn't her life more important than any single moment of pure bliss? God, could he do this to her? Should he do this to her? Angel knew Buffy would want him to, that she wouldn't care about the risks, and he didn't think he could let her agree to it. i I can't let her risk her life like that! She'd come too close to death too many times; next time she might not be so lucky. i/
* * * * * *
Willow searched the newspaper for any deaths that resembled something Drusilla might do. Giles may not care about the vampiress, but she certainly did! Her eyes nearly missed the article.
i 23 teens and the driver of the bus they were on were found dead earlier today. Several had their eyes gorged out and all but the driver appeared to have been stabbed in the neck with a barbecue fork. The driver's neck was broken. As there was no RTA, the police are confused but say they have the matter under control, issuing this statement;
"We believe that this is a single occurrence, and do not expect another incident like this. We are working to find the perpetrator, and encourage the public to come forward with any information which may help." i/
Willow dropped the article and left the house.
* * * * * *
Celia screamed. Her head shook from side to side, her entire body tensed as she struggled hopelessly to escape.
A six-year old Buffy simply stood there, staring in horror.
* * * * * *
Angel sat gazing tenderly at the still, silent blonde in front of him. His face was drawn into a heavy frown; Buffy was inoti/ happy.
* * * * * *
i No! No! i/ the six-year-old whimpered as her cousin's form fell limply to the hospital bed. i No! i/
* * * * * *
Willow pounded on the door before noticing the note that sat half in, half out of the letterbox. She snatched it up and ripped it open, quaking from nerves only heightened by the letter being addressed to the 'Scoobies'. Giles never called them that!
i Oh, God, Giles, why are you acting so weird lately?i/
* * * * * *
Giles walked calmly into the cave where they'd found Buffy, bowing to gracefully placing a kiss on the back of Drusilla's hand. When he stood at full height once more, he fixed his eyes on the floor and waited to be addressed.
"Where is she?" the vampiress asked quietly, despair from losing Spike leaking into her words, and apparently her visions as well.
"Sunnydale District Hospital, Ma'am. They only had plans to keep her in until tomorrow, but I talked them into keeping her longer. She'll be there for the next week or so."
"Good," she murmured, smiling. She rose her voice as if addressing an army. "You may go."
* * * * * *
Celia was dead. She'd been killed right there in front of her six-year-old cousin. Though Buffy hadn't known it at the time – she still didn't know – she had killed her cousin's killer when she was 17. Not that knowing would have made reliving her cousin's hospital death any easier.