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Part 8
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"What the Hell did you do to her?!" someone screamed at him. Angel knew without looking that it was the boytoy.
"I didn't do anything to her," Angel nearly snarled at the insipid man.
"Angel? What...Buffy!" Willow ran to where he was still holding Buffy in his arms. Angel briefly took note of the lack of surprise in Willow's eyes at his presence, and quickly realized Buffy must have told her about him.
"Who the Hell are...Angel?" The name finally clicked in Lindsey's head. "You're Angel?"
"What happened?" This time it was Cordy who spoke as the entire group closed in on him and the limp Slayer he cradled close to his body.
"I was talking to her outside and she passed out," he explained tersely.
"Let's get her upstairs," Doyle ordered worriedly. He met Lorne's eyes for just a moment before he ran over to the elevator and pulled the gates open.
Angel ignored the boytoy's movement to grab Buffy out of his arms and strode quickly to the elevator. Freeing one of his hands, he pulled the gates closed before anyone else could enter. Grateful to be away from the group's prodding, if only for a minute, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes as Doyle pushed the button to take them to the third floor. Being around all these people who knew him, or at least knew of him, was making his skin crawl. That was the least of his worries right now, though. Buffy's health was the utmost priority.
As the elevator came to a stop, Doyle finally spoke. "Decided to stick around?"
"Yeah," Angel grunted in response and swiftly left the confining space.
Momentarily, his eyes widened in shock at the large, homey room he found himself in. It was immediately obvious that this was Buffy's home. Her scent attacked him from every corner of the room. He wanted to stand there and breathe in every last nuance of her essence, but there wasn't time for that now. Instead, he spotted a sofa on the opposite side of the room and moved toward it. As gently as possible, he laid her still unconscious body down onto the soft material of the couch.
For an instant, he regretted the loss of her body in his arms, but he pushed the feeling aside and focused on making her comfortable. The half demon, whose name he still did not know, tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a cold cloth, which he carefully placed on Buffy's heated forehead. Just as he was about to ask Doyle for a pillow, he heard a door open and turned to see all of the others coming from what he assumed was the stairs. He knew they'd want to check on their friend, but he couldn't seem to make himself move from his spot kneeling at her side.
"Angel? Is she awake yet?" Willow came around the couch and bent down next to Angel.
"No," he answered without looking at the redhead and then lifted his hand to brush the hair off Buffy's face.
"Tell us what happened?" Angel heard the weird one with green skin request.
"I already told you," he half growled in irritation, but seeing the concerned looks decided to repeat his earlier explanation. "She came out, threw a bag of trash into the dumpster, we talked, and then she passed out."
"You're sure you didn't...do...anything to her?" Lindsey asked suspiciously and glared at Angel.
Hearing the accusatory statement, Angel stood and stalked toward the boytoy with narrowed eyes. "Don't you EVER suggest something like that again," he ordered forcefully, the demon within him raging to escape.
"Listen, Vampire, why should I trust you?" Lindsey stepped right up to Angel, not the slightest bit intimidated.
Willow and Cordy, seeing that a fight that was about to start, quickly scrambled to get between the two combatants. The last thing they needed right now was Angel and Lindsey beating the crap out of each other while Buffy lay unconscious on the sofa only a few feet away.
"Now stop it you two," Cordy demanded with arms crossed over her chest.
Angel spared another angry glare at his replacement before returning to Buffy's side. He ignored the various looks from those around him as he took one of Buffy's hands in his and stroked his thumb across the back. The urge to scoop her up in his arms pulsed through out his being. The feel of her touch after so long without sparked an unquenchable need inside him to be as close as possible to her.
"Damnit!" Doyle exclaimed while pacing across the room. "I knew that knock ta her head was worse than she told us!"
"We should have made her stay in bed today." Willow sat down on the edge of the couch and took Buffy's other hand.
"Maybe we should take her to the hospital," Lorne posed, receiving incredulous looks from just about everyone. "Just a suggestion."
"Don't you remember the last time we had to take her to the hospital?" Oz reminded them of the time a year earlier when Buffy had sliced her hand open while attempting to cook Thanksgiving diner.
"Oh right. But still..." Lorne trailed off, leaving his inference up to them. He couldn't help but worry, and he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that the foreboding darkness he'd seen whenever he read Buffy was coming to fruition.
"She's sick," Angel quietly interjected.
The quiet chatter that had started up abruptly ceased. Every single pair of eyes turned and focused on Angel. It was quickly apparent to him that they'd been unaware of her condition. He wasn't surprised that Buffy hadn't told them. She'd probably figured they'd make her see a doctor. Still, he was a bit angry and wondered how people who were supposedly her friends had missed the signs.
"What are ya talking about?" Doyle stepped forward, Lindsey following suit.
"It's not her head. She's sick," Angel repeated, finally tearing his eyes off of Buffy.
"No, she's not," Lindsey loudly denied the claim. He had a million questions running through his head, first and foremost being why the notorious Angel was outside talking to Buffy. And why exactly he seemed to be the only one surprise by the vampire's presence.
"Lindsey! Be quiet! Don't wake up Ashlynn!" Willow shooshed the angry man and looked toward the little girl's bedroom where she knew Ash and Tara were.
Seeing the confused yet pained look on Angel's face, Cordy quickly changed the subject. "Why do you think she's sick?"
Angel released Buffy's hand, stood, and faced the group. "I was following her last night."
"She didn't tell us that," Willow spoke over the semi-shocked gasps coming from around the room.
Ignoring the questions he could see about to be asked, Angel continued with his explanation. "I saw her leave the place she'd been. I didn't realize it until afterwards, but she looked like she wasn't feeling well. Then she went after a vamp and I watched from the end of the alley. It was just a normal vamp, but she couldn't stake him. She almost fell over trying to kick him out of the way and then he threw her against the wall. I saw the vamp moving in so I knocked him out of the way and staked him."
"She just said it was a strong vamp," Cordy stated softly as the group digested what Angel had just told them.
Any further questions or statements were held in as a small moan drifted to their ears from the couch. Holding their breaths out of sheer nervousness, they watched as Buffy's eyes slowly flickered open. She moaned again when the bright apartment lighting assaulted her eyes but kept them open.
"Buffy?" Willow spoke gently, not wanting to scare her friend.
Buffy blinked here eyes and focused on the person who had spoken to her. "Wil?"
"Hey," greeted Willow with a smile.
"Hey Buffy," Cordy knelt down near Buffy's head. "Glad you decided to wake up."
"What's going on?" the dazed Slayer tried to sit up, but was unsuccessful.
Lorne sat down on the arm of the couch by Buffy's feet and studied her for a second before speaking. "Do you remember what happened, Sunshine?"
"I...I...," Buffy paused and tried to remember what had happened and how it was that she ended up on the couch with everyone staring at her. "I was outside, and..."
Angel's hands twitched nervously when Buffy's raspy voice trailed off. He knew she remembered their confrontation outside. He held his position behind the others, though, and watched as her eyes apprehensively scanned the group until they landed on him. For a split second, when her eyes met his, he thought he saw shades of what he used to see when she looked at him, but it was quickly gone. She held his gaze for a second longer before looking back to her friends.
"I remember," she told them flatly.
Lindsey walked over and knelt down next to Cordy, "You gave us quite a scare."
"I'm sorry," Buffy gave him a weak smile
"What's going on?" a whispered voice interrupted. The group looked over to see Tara standing in the entrance leading to the hallway.
Willow and Cordy quickly filled in Tara on what had happened while the others in the room shifted glances between Buffy, Angel, and then back again. It wasn't lost on any of them that Angel couldn't take his eyes off Buffy, and if they weren't mistaken, the blonde was stealing looks at Angel as well. Those seeing the two together for the first time were almost mesmerized by the tension that sizzled between them.
Angel, for his part, remained quiet, and stood near the large windows on one side of the room. It was true, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Aside from the pale, sickly look, she was absolutely beautiful. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her soft, pale pink lips. He knew he couldn't, and shouldn't, not when the blonde headed leach was kneeling there fawning all over her. So he contented himself to stand on the sidelines and watch.
"Why didn't you tell us you were sick?" Angel heard Cordelia ask. He was still a bit baffled that the snobby brunette appeared to be such good friends with Buffy. What exactly had happened between the two?
"I-I didn't want you to worry," Buffy answered, her voice hoarse and weak. "I'm sorry."
"How long have you been sick?" Willow asked the question they had all been wondering.
"Since just after we came back from Sunnydale," she answered, her eyes looking down in guilt.
"Buffy!" Doyle exclaimed in shock. "That was almost two weeks ago!"
"I'm sorry," Buffy mumbled quietly before yawning.
"I think our favorite Slayer here needs to get some shut-eye. We can finish talking about this later," Lorne looked pointedly at Buffy telling her that her not-so-little fib wasn't going to be forgotten.
"Thanks," Buffy smiled weakly at Lorne in gratuity. She tried to sit up on the couch but her arms buckled and she fell back down.
"Woah, Darling," chastised Lindsey with a frown. "I don't think you're in any condition to be walking yet."
Angel had to bite back a growl as he watched the blonde boytoy manhandle HIS Buffy. He wanted to go over there and knock a few teeth out of his annoying, loving smile, but he didn't think anyone would appreciate him attacking Buffy's...lover. That didn't mean he had to stand there and watch, though. Seeing her go off with another man was too much, so he quietly and unobtrusively walked around the edge of the room toward the door leading to the stairwell. He was almost there when Willow called out to him.
"Where are you going?" she walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his arm.
"Back to my hotel room," he grunted out in response.
"Angel," she sighed and nodded toward the window. "The sun is starting to rise."
Angel's eyes flittered to the window. She was right. The sun was coming up. There was no way he'd make it back to the hotel room he'd rented, but he could at least get out of here and find somewhere else to hide until nightfall. He didn't think he'd be able to stay here all day only feet from where Buffy was snuggled into her bed, someone else's arms wrapped around her body.
"I'll find some place to stay," he almost spat out and continued toward the door.
"No, you won't," Willow dashed into his path and stared at him determinedly. "You're staying right here."
"I'll be fine," he assured her even though he didn't believe his own words.
Willow ignored the statement and looked to Oz. "Go get some heavy blankets and cover up the windows in the extra room."
Angel went to deny the offer, but Willow cut him off. "No, buts!"
"It's no use saying 'no' to her, man," Oz patted him on the back and left to do what Willow asked.
Looking back at the redhead, who seemed to have grown up immensely during his absence, Angel again went to turn down her offer. The look in her eyes, though, told him it would do no good. She was not about to let him walk out of the building, let alone the room.
"Fine," he relented a moment later.
Angel reluctantly followed Willow through the living room and toward the room she'd mentioned. He paused at the doorway to the room he'd seen Buffy be carried into. The door was open so he could see inside, though he wasn't sure that was a good thing. Lindsey was sitting against the headboard of her bed with Buffy's head in his lap, stroking her hair. He wanted so badly to be the one in there with her, but it wasn't his place. Not anymore.
With his head down, he trailed behind Willow and into what he assumed was a guest room. He said nothing, only nodded at her before she closed the door and left the room. Did she really expect him to be able to sleep with Buffy so close? Angel highly doubted he'd be able to do anything but stare in the direction of her room.
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"Why didn't you tell me?" Lindsey questioned, not so much out of anger but more out of hurt, after they'd seen Willow walk past the bedroom door with Angel and then walk back past without him.
"Tell you what?" Buffy shifted her head to look up at Lindsey as she willed the various aches and pains in her body to go away.
"That he is Ashlynn's father," he clarified, trying not to be upset.
In all the years he'd know Buffy, he'd heard a lot about the vampire Angel and her relationship with him, but she'd never told him about Ash's conception. Whenever he brought it up, she would quickly change the subject. He always figured that she had made a mistake when she was grieving over the loss of her sort of lover. Seeing the vampire for the first time, it was rather obvious he was the father. How that was possible, he didn't know. Everything he'd been told about vampires led him to believe it wasn't possible.
"I'm sorry," Buffy mumbled, her eyes starting to drift shut.
"I just wish you'd told me," he sighed and pulled the blanket tighter around her now shivering body. "Does he know?"
"No..." Buffy spoke, a slight hesitation in her voice.
Lindsey stared at her for a moment, the pain in her eyes obvious to him, before saying what he hated himself for saying. "Doesn't he deserve to know?"
"Yes." Buffy turned her head away from him. "But I don't know if I can tell him," she breathed out heavily before falling into a restless sleep.
For a few minutes after she fell asleep, Lindsey only stared at her sleeping form. He shook his head and rested it against the headboard of the bed and thought about what he now knew. Angel was Ashlynn's father. He'd never even suspected it, though now that he thought back on the little things over the years it made sense. Why was Angel here anyway? Had he heard about Ash and come for her? And why hadn't Buffy told him he was back? From what he'd gathered, she'd known for a few days he'd returned. It hurt that she hadn't trusted him enough to tell him. Then again, it didn't surprise him. The 'Angel issue' was one Buffy tended to avoid at all costs.
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~later that day~
Gathered in the doorway to Buffy's room, Willow, Cordelia, Oz and Doyle fearfully watched as Lindsey sat in a chair next to the bed and swabbed their friend's forehead with a damp cloth. She was getting worse. They all knew it even if no one had yet to say it out loud. Speaking it meant accepting it, and none of them wanted to do that.
Buffy had been fine for a few hours after falling asleep, but since then, she'd gone down hill. About a half hour earlier she'd starting groaning in pain and her body was trembling so strongly that it made the bed shake. She was still conscious but she wasn't really responsive to their presences. Something was very wrong, they were just beginning to realize.
"I think we should take her ta the hospital," Doyle stated solemnly, though a little voice in his head told him it wouldn't do any good.
"I agree. She...she's getting worse. What if...," Cordy's voice faltered. "What if something's really wrong with her?"
Silence hung in the air after Cordy finally said what'd they'd all been thinking. Willow was the first speak again. "I'm going to get Angel."
She hurriedly turned and walked to the room she'd forced him to stay the day in. Without knocking, she entered the room and saw Angel asleep on the bed, or at least it looked like he was asleep. She wasn't quite sure. Cautiously, Willow approached the bed and contemplated how to wake him. Deciding on the direct approach, she reached out a hand and shook his shoulder.
Angel's eyes instantly shot open, causing Willow to jump back in surprise. "Willow?"
"Angel...," she started hesitantly.
"What's wrong?" He leapt out of the bed, sensing immediately that something wasn't right.
Willow took a deep breath and let her eyes travel toward Buffy's room. "She's getting worse."
The words hadn't even finished coming out of Willow's mouth before Angel was on his way out of the room. The redhead's hand on his arms stopped his forward progress. "What?"
"I...I'm worried, Angel," she tried to hold back the tears threatening to fall. "Something's not right."
"What do you mean?" he looked at the young woman in confusion, anxious to get to Buffy.
"I don't know how to explain it," Willow thought for a second, trying to put into words her concern. "I just keep getting this feeling that there is something more going on."
"Like what?" Angel gave her his full attention now.
"I don't know. It's just this feeling...I-I don't know how to explain it," Willow's shoulders slumped, wishing she could tell him more. "I called Tara to come over. She might be able to help."
"Tara?" Angel questioned, not knowing who that was.
"The blonde that was here last night. She's a friend of ours, and is a powerful Wiccan. She might be able to sense something," Willow relayed just as Cordy came to the door.
"Willow, Tara's here. She said you called her," the brunette stated and moved aside so Tara could enter the room.
Willow greeted her friend and introduced her to Angel. She waited for Cordy to get the others before explaining to the witch what she wanted her to do. Once they were all present, she explained to them the feeling she was getting. Tara agreed to try and read Buffy's aura, but said she didn't know if she'd be able to find anything out.
Quietly, the group moved into Buffy's room. Tara sat on the edge of the bed where Buffy slept fitfully while the others stood around the outskirts of the bedroom. She closed her eyes and performed a short mediation to center herself before focusing on Buffy. Pushing the hair off Buffy's face, Tara placed her palm on her forehead and closed her eyes again.
The group of Buffy's friends and family watched in trepidation as Tara's body went rigid and all of the color drained out of her face. A tremble shook through her body before she abruptly pulled her hand off Buffy's forehead, acting almost as if she'd been burnt. Fear gripped the voyeurs as Tara stumbled away from the bed and clutched at a nearby dresser.
"Tara? What's wrong?" Willow moved toward her friend.
"Magick...dark magicks...consuming her...," the blonde witch choked out before collapsing to the floor.
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TBC!!
Part 8
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"What the Hell did you do to her?!" someone screamed at him. Angel knew without looking that it was the boytoy.
"I didn't do anything to her," Angel nearly snarled at the insipid man.
"Angel? What...Buffy!" Willow ran to where he was still holding Buffy in his arms. Angel briefly took note of the lack of surprise in Willow's eyes at his presence, and quickly realized Buffy must have told her about him.
"Who the Hell are...Angel?" The name finally clicked in Lindsey's head. "You're Angel?"
"What happened?" This time it was Cordy who spoke as the entire group closed in on him and the limp Slayer he cradled close to his body.
"I was talking to her outside and she passed out," he explained tersely.
"Let's get her upstairs," Doyle ordered worriedly. He met Lorne's eyes for just a moment before he ran over to the elevator and pulled the gates open.
Angel ignored the boytoy's movement to grab Buffy out of his arms and strode quickly to the elevator. Freeing one of his hands, he pulled the gates closed before anyone else could enter. Grateful to be away from the group's prodding, if only for a minute, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes as Doyle pushed the button to take them to the third floor. Being around all these people who knew him, or at least knew of him, was making his skin crawl. That was the least of his worries right now, though. Buffy's health was the utmost priority.
As the elevator came to a stop, Doyle finally spoke. "Decided to stick around?"
"Yeah," Angel grunted in response and swiftly left the confining space.
Momentarily, his eyes widened in shock at the large, homey room he found himself in. It was immediately obvious that this was Buffy's home. Her scent attacked him from every corner of the room. He wanted to stand there and breathe in every last nuance of her essence, but there wasn't time for that now. Instead, he spotted a sofa on the opposite side of the room and moved toward it. As gently as possible, he laid her still unconscious body down onto the soft material of the couch.
For an instant, he regretted the loss of her body in his arms, but he pushed the feeling aside and focused on making her comfortable. The half demon, whose name he still did not know, tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a cold cloth, which he carefully placed on Buffy's heated forehead. Just as he was about to ask Doyle for a pillow, he heard a door open and turned to see all of the others coming from what he assumed was the stairs. He knew they'd want to check on their friend, but he couldn't seem to make himself move from his spot kneeling at her side.
"Angel? Is she awake yet?" Willow came around the couch and bent down next to Angel.
"No," he answered without looking at the redhead and then lifted his hand to brush the hair off Buffy's face.
"Tell us what happened?" Angel heard the weird one with green skin request.
"I already told you," he half growled in irritation, but seeing the concerned looks decided to repeat his earlier explanation. "She came out, threw a bag of trash into the dumpster, we talked, and then she passed out."
"You're sure you didn't...do...anything to her?" Lindsey asked suspiciously and glared at Angel.
Hearing the accusatory statement, Angel stood and stalked toward the boytoy with narrowed eyes. "Don't you EVER suggest something like that again," he ordered forcefully, the demon within him raging to escape.
"Listen, Vampire, why should I trust you?" Lindsey stepped right up to Angel, not the slightest bit intimidated.
Willow and Cordy, seeing that a fight that was about to start, quickly scrambled to get between the two combatants. The last thing they needed right now was Angel and Lindsey beating the crap out of each other while Buffy lay unconscious on the sofa only a few feet away.
"Now stop it you two," Cordy demanded with arms crossed over her chest.
Angel spared another angry glare at his replacement before returning to Buffy's side. He ignored the various looks from those around him as he took one of Buffy's hands in his and stroked his thumb across the back. The urge to scoop her up in his arms pulsed through out his being. The feel of her touch after so long without sparked an unquenchable need inside him to be as close as possible to her.
"Damnit!" Doyle exclaimed while pacing across the room. "I knew that knock ta her head was worse than she told us!"
"We should have made her stay in bed today." Willow sat down on the edge of the couch and took Buffy's other hand.
"Maybe we should take her to the hospital," Lorne posed, receiving incredulous looks from just about everyone. "Just a suggestion."
"Don't you remember the last time we had to take her to the hospital?" Oz reminded them of the time a year earlier when Buffy had sliced her hand open while attempting to cook Thanksgiving diner.
"Oh right. But still..." Lorne trailed off, leaving his inference up to them. He couldn't help but worry, and he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that the foreboding darkness he'd seen whenever he read Buffy was coming to fruition.
"She's sick," Angel quietly interjected.
The quiet chatter that had started up abruptly ceased. Every single pair of eyes turned and focused on Angel. It was quickly apparent to him that they'd been unaware of her condition. He wasn't surprised that Buffy hadn't told them. She'd probably figured they'd make her see a doctor. Still, he was a bit angry and wondered how people who were supposedly her friends had missed the signs.
"What are ya talking about?" Doyle stepped forward, Lindsey following suit.
"It's not her head. She's sick," Angel repeated, finally tearing his eyes off of Buffy.
"No, she's not," Lindsey loudly denied the claim. He had a million questions running through his head, first and foremost being why the notorious Angel was outside talking to Buffy. And why exactly he seemed to be the only one surprise by the vampire's presence.
"Lindsey! Be quiet! Don't wake up Ashlynn!" Willow shooshed the angry man and looked toward the little girl's bedroom where she knew Ash and Tara were.
Seeing the confused yet pained look on Angel's face, Cordy quickly changed the subject. "Why do you think she's sick?"
Angel released Buffy's hand, stood, and faced the group. "I was following her last night."
"She didn't tell us that," Willow spoke over the semi-shocked gasps coming from around the room.
Ignoring the questions he could see about to be asked, Angel continued with his explanation. "I saw her leave the place she'd been. I didn't realize it until afterwards, but she looked like she wasn't feeling well. Then she went after a vamp and I watched from the end of the alley. It was just a normal vamp, but she couldn't stake him. She almost fell over trying to kick him out of the way and then he threw her against the wall. I saw the vamp moving in so I knocked him out of the way and staked him."
"She just said it was a strong vamp," Cordy stated softly as the group digested what Angel had just told them.
Any further questions or statements were held in as a small moan drifted to their ears from the couch. Holding their breaths out of sheer nervousness, they watched as Buffy's eyes slowly flickered open. She moaned again when the bright apartment lighting assaulted her eyes but kept them open.
"Buffy?" Willow spoke gently, not wanting to scare her friend.
Buffy blinked here eyes and focused on the person who had spoken to her. "Wil?"
"Hey," greeted Willow with a smile.
"Hey Buffy," Cordy knelt down near Buffy's head. "Glad you decided to wake up."
"What's going on?" the dazed Slayer tried to sit up, but was unsuccessful.
Lorne sat down on the arm of the couch by Buffy's feet and studied her for a second before speaking. "Do you remember what happened, Sunshine?"
"I...I...," Buffy paused and tried to remember what had happened and how it was that she ended up on the couch with everyone staring at her. "I was outside, and..."
Angel's hands twitched nervously when Buffy's raspy voice trailed off. He knew she remembered their confrontation outside. He held his position behind the others, though, and watched as her eyes apprehensively scanned the group until they landed on him. For a split second, when her eyes met his, he thought he saw shades of what he used to see when she looked at him, but it was quickly gone. She held his gaze for a second longer before looking back to her friends.
"I remember," she told them flatly.
Lindsey walked over and knelt down next to Cordy, "You gave us quite a scare."
"I'm sorry," Buffy gave him a weak smile
"What's going on?" a whispered voice interrupted. The group looked over to see Tara standing in the entrance leading to the hallway.
Willow and Cordy quickly filled in Tara on what had happened while the others in the room shifted glances between Buffy, Angel, and then back again. It wasn't lost on any of them that Angel couldn't take his eyes off Buffy, and if they weren't mistaken, the blonde was stealing looks at Angel as well. Those seeing the two together for the first time were almost mesmerized by the tension that sizzled between them.
Angel, for his part, remained quiet, and stood near the large windows on one side of the room. It was true, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Aside from the pale, sickly look, she was absolutely beautiful. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her soft, pale pink lips. He knew he couldn't, and shouldn't, not when the blonde headed leach was kneeling there fawning all over her. So he contented himself to stand on the sidelines and watch.
"Why didn't you tell us you were sick?" Angel heard Cordelia ask. He was still a bit baffled that the snobby brunette appeared to be such good friends with Buffy. What exactly had happened between the two?
"I-I didn't want you to worry," Buffy answered, her voice hoarse and weak. "I'm sorry."
"How long have you been sick?" Willow asked the question they had all been wondering.
"Since just after we came back from Sunnydale," she answered, her eyes looking down in guilt.
"Buffy!" Doyle exclaimed in shock. "That was almost two weeks ago!"
"I'm sorry," Buffy mumbled quietly before yawning.
"I think our favorite Slayer here needs to get some shut-eye. We can finish talking about this later," Lorne looked pointedly at Buffy telling her that her not-so-little fib wasn't going to be forgotten.
"Thanks," Buffy smiled weakly at Lorne in gratuity. She tried to sit up on the couch but her arms buckled and she fell back down.
"Woah, Darling," chastised Lindsey with a frown. "I don't think you're in any condition to be walking yet."
Angel had to bite back a growl as he watched the blonde boytoy manhandle HIS Buffy. He wanted to go over there and knock a few teeth out of his annoying, loving smile, but he didn't think anyone would appreciate him attacking Buffy's...lover. That didn't mean he had to stand there and watch, though. Seeing her go off with another man was too much, so he quietly and unobtrusively walked around the edge of the room toward the door leading to the stairwell. He was almost there when Willow called out to him.
"Where are you going?" she walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his arm.
"Back to my hotel room," he grunted out in response.
"Angel," she sighed and nodded toward the window. "The sun is starting to rise."
Angel's eyes flittered to the window. She was right. The sun was coming up. There was no way he'd make it back to the hotel room he'd rented, but he could at least get out of here and find somewhere else to hide until nightfall. He didn't think he'd be able to stay here all day only feet from where Buffy was snuggled into her bed, someone else's arms wrapped around her body.
"I'll find some place to stay," he almost spat out and continued toward the door.
"No, you won't," Willow dashed into his path and stared at him determinedly. "You're staying right here."
"I'll be fine," he assured her even though he didn't believe his own words.
Willow ignored the statement and looked to Oz. "Go get some heavy blankets and cover up the windows in the extra room."
Angel went to deny the offer, but Willow cut him off. "No, buts!"
"It's no use saying 'no' to her, man," Oz patted him on the back and left to do what Willow asked.
Looking back at the redhead, who seemed to have grown up immensely during his absence, Angel again went to turn down her offer. The look in her eyes, though, told him it would do no good. She was not about to let him walk out of the building, let alone the room.
"Fine," he relented a moment later.
Angel reluctantly followed Willow through the living room and toward the room she'd mentioned. He paused at the doorway to the room he'd seen Buffy be carried into. The door was open so he could see inside, though he wasn't sure that was a good thing. Lindsey was sitting against the headboard of her bed with Buffy's head in his lap, stroking her hair. He wanted so badly to be the one in there with her, but it wasn't his place. Not anymore.
With his head down, he trailed behind Willow and into what he assumed was a guest room. He said nothing, only nodded at her before she closed the door and left the room. Did she really expect him to be able to sleep with Buffy so close? Angel highly doubted he'd be able to do anything but stare in the direction of her room.
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"Why didn't you tell me?" Lindsey questioned, not so much out of anger but more out of hurt, after they'd seen Willow walk past the bedroom door with Angel and then walk back past without him.
"Tell you what?" Buffy shifted her head to look up at Lindsey as she willed the various aches and pains in her body to go away.
"That he is Ashlynn's father," he clarified, trying not to be upset.
In all the years he'd know Buffy, he'd heard a lot about the vampire Angel and her relationship with him, but she'd never told him about Ash's conception. Whenever he brought it up, she would quickly change the subject. He always figured that she had made a mistake when she was grieving over the loss of her sort of lover. Seeing the vampire for the first time, it was rather obvious he was the father. How that was possible, he didn't know. Everything he'd been told about vampires led him to believe it wasn't possible.
"I'm sorry," Buffy mumbled, her eyes starting to drift shut.
"I just wish you'd told me," he sighed and pulled the blanket tighter around her now shivering body. "Does he know?"
"No..." Buffy spoke, a slight hesitation in her voice.
Lindsey stared at her for a moment, the pain in her eyes obvious to him, before saying what he hated himself for saying. "Doesn't he deserve to know?"
"Yes." Buffy turned her head away from him. "But I don't know if I can tell him," she breathed out heavily before falling into a restless sleep.
For a few minutes after she fell asleep, Lindsey only stared at her sleeping form. He shook his head and rested it against the headboard of the bed and thought about what he now knew. Angel was Ashlynn's father. He'd never even suspected it, though now that he thought back on the little things over the years it made sense. Why was Angel here anyway? Had he heard about Ash and come for her? And why hadn't Buffy told him he was back? From what he'd gathered, she'd known for a few days he'd returned. It hurt that she hadn't trusted him enough to tell him. Then again, it didn't surprise him. The 'Angel issue' was one Buffy tended to avoid at all costs.
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
~later that day~
Gathered in the doorway to Buffy's room, Willow, Cordelia, Oz and Doyle fearfully watched as Lindsey sat in a chair next to the bed and swabbed their friend's forehead with a damp cloth. She was getting worse. They all knew it even if no one had yet to say it out loud. Speaking it meant accepting it, and none of them wanted to do that.
Buffy had been fine for a few hours after falling asleep, but since then, she'd gone down hill. About a half hour earlier she'd starting groaning in pain and her body was trembling so strongly that it made the bed shake. She was still conscious but she wasn't really responsive to their presences. Something was very wrong, they were just beginning to realize.
"I think we should take her ta the hospital," Doyle stated solemnly, though a little voice in his head told him it wouldn't do any good.
"I agree. She...she's getting worse. What if...," Cordy's voice faltered. "What if something's really wrong with her?"
Silence hung in the air after Cordy finally said what'd they'd all been thinking. Willow was the first speak again. "I'm going to get Angel."
She hurriedly turned and walked to the room she'd forced him to stay the day in. Without knocking, she entered the room and saw Angel asleep on the bed, or at least it looked like he was asleep. She wasn't quite sure. Cautiously, Willow approached the bed and contemplated how to wake him. Deciding on the direct approach, she reached out a hand and shook his shoulder.
Angel's eyes instantly shot open, causing Willow to jump back in surprise. "Willow?"
"Angel...," she started hesitantly.
"What's wrong?" He leapt out of the bed, sensing immediately that something wasn't right.
Willow took a deep breath and let her eyes travel toward Buffy's room. "She's getting worse."
The words hadn't even finished coming out of Willow's mouth before Angel was on his way out of the room. The redhead's hand on his arms stopped his forward progress. "What?"
"I...I'm worried, Angel," she tried to hold back the tears threatening to fall. "Something's not right."
"What do you mean?" he looked at the young woman in confusion, anxious to get to Buffy.
"I don't know how to explain it," Willow thought for a second, trying to put into words her concern. "I just keep getting this feeling that there is something more going on."
"Like what?" Angel gave her his full attention now.
"I don't know. It's just this feeling...I-I don't know how to explain it," Willow's shoulders slumped, wishing she could tell him more. "I called Tara to come over. She might be able to help."
"Tara?" Angel questioned, not knowing who that was.
"The blonde that was here last night. She's a friend of ours, and is a powerful Wiccan. She might be able to sense something," Willow relayed just as Cordy came to the door.
"Willow, Tara's here. She said you called her," the brunette stated and moved aside so Tara could enter the room.
Willow greeted her friend and introduced her to Angel. She waited for Cordy to get the others before explaining to the witch what she wanted her to do. Once they were all present, she explained to them the feeling she was getting. Tara agreed to try and read Buffy's aura, but said she didn't know if she'd be able to find anything out.
Quietly, the group moved into Buffy's room. Tara sat on the edge of the bed where Buffy slept fitfully while the others stood around the outskirts of the bedroom. She closed her eyes and performed a short mediation to center herself before focusing on Buffy. Pushing the hair off Buffy's face, Tara placed her palm on her forehead and closed her eyes again.
The group of Buffy's friends and family watched in trepidation as Tara's body went rigid and all of the color drained out of her face. A tremble shook through her body before she abruptly pulled her hand off Buffy's forehead, acting almost as if she'd been burnt. Fear gripped the voyeurs as Tara stumbled away from the bed and clutched at a nearby dresser.
"Tara? What's wrong?" Willow moved toward her friend.
"Magick...dark magicks...consuming her...," the blonde witch choked out before collapsing to the floor.
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
TBC!!