A/N: This chapter was written by Ozlover.
Chapter 20-What needs to be Done
That morning Cordelia and Dawn awoke about the same time.
"Good morning." Dawn chirped as she got out of bed.
"'Morning" Cordelia smiled as she too got out of bed. It was odd actually. She was usually grumpy in the morning. They got dressed, applied make-up and fixed their hair before heading downstairs. They were the only ones awake. When they went into the kitchen Cordelia noticed a note taped to the refrigerator door. She scanned over it.
"What's that?" Dawn asked, coming up behind Cordelia.
"A note from Jenny." Cordelia answered. "It says that she went out and got us all breakfast and that she and Giles will be back before lunch."
"Oh. Cool." Dawn replied. Cordelia opened the fridge and saw six very large McDonald's bags shoved inside.
"Thank you, Jenny." Dawn said whole-heartedly. She was glad she wouldn't be having Lucky Charms for breakfast again.
The girls went through a couple of bags, taking out what they wanted and heating it up if need be.
Soon Willow joined them in the kitchen.
"Where's Buffy?" Cordelia asked before taking a bite of her biscuit.
"She's still asleep. And sorta sleep-talking." Willow replied.
"Again?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah. She was talking about albino bananas when I left." The three girls giggled. Angel and Darla were the next two teenagers awake and in the kitchen. Darla looked through the McDonald's bag disgustedly, only touching them with the tips of her fingers, like they were infected or something.
"Ew." She whined. "This stuff is gross. If I eat it I'll gain ten pounds!"
"Then just get something else, Baby." Angel said, trying to help.
"Fine." She said. She pulled a bottle of spring water from the refrigerator and that was her breakfast.
Buffy and Xander were the next to arrive downstairs.
"Ooh! Fast food!" Xander exclaimed happily as he saw the McDonald's bags.
"Ooh! Calories!" Buffy joked. Everyone smiled. Except Angel, who looked mildly amused and Darla who just ignored her.
Oz came into the kitchen next, soon followed by Connor.
"So, what are we doing today?" Dawn asked no one in particular. Everyone was in the living room now.
"Swim. Eat. Swim more. Play video games." Xander answered.
"Ah, summer laziness." Buffy observed.
"You got that right." Xander grinned. Darla plopped down on Angel's lap. She began kissing him which quickly turned into making out. Needless to say, no one was surprised. Buffy stood up and pulled Dawn along with her.
"What? Do I have to stand guard or something?" Dawn whispered jokingly.
"Actually, yes." Buffy answered. Dawn rolled her eyes.
"I'll tell you when Darla needs to breathe." Dawn said and watched from the bottom of the stairs. Buffy crept into Darla's room, knowing it all a little too well for her liking. She went over to the stereo and put the headphones in the plug. She turned it on and turned the volume all the way up, leaving the headphones in so that it could barely be heard. She turned the stereo off and took the headphones.
She crept downstairs and she and Dawn reentered the room, where Darla and Angel were still kissing. Dawn rolled her eyes as she nestled in Connor's arms.
"Let's go swimming." Dawn suggested. Everyone went upstairs to change into their bathing suits. Everyone headed into the pool, except Darla who was laying on her towel in the sun, tanning. Buffy, Willow, Dawn and Cordelia kept 'accidentally' splashing her. She got up, snatched her towel from the ground and stormed inside angrily. She stomped upstairs into the bathroom to blow-dry her hair. Then she remembered the the dye she'd put in Buffy's shampoo bottle. She smiled as she realized that Buffy was about to get a bad hair day. About two hours later. everyone was just starting to get out of the pool and Darla got another idea.
"Buffy." Darla called from her place on the couch, not even bothering to look at Buffy. " Spike called. He wants you to meet him at that gross pizza place, Sadie's, for a lunch date thing at noon."
At that, Buffy, Willow, Cordelia and Dawn rushed upstairs. The other girls wanted to help Buffy get ready for her date. She didn't have time to shower, and she didn't need to anyway. The pool was filled with salt water, not chlorine, so her hair wouldn't be all gross and sticky. Buffy wondered, for a moment, why Darla would even bother telling her that Spike called, but she dismissed the thought from her mind. Cordelia picked out a denim mini-skirt for Buffy, and Willow pulled out a pink and brown polka-dotted cami to go with it. Dawn suggested that Buffy wear her pair of brown, dressy flip-flips that had a slight heel and would give her a little extra height. Her hair was simple. It hung around her face in loose curls. She applied a little bit of make-up- nothing much- and she was ready to go.
Cordelia told Buffy she'd drive her to Sadie's, drop her off and pick her up again when she called from her cell. It was almost noon, so the two girls rushed out the door and hopped into the car. They were at Sadie's in a matter of minutes, but Spike was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Buffy assured Cordelia. Cordelia waved good-bye and drove back to the house.
Buffy had been sitting alone on a bar stool when a waiter came to take her order.
"Oh, I'm waiting for someone." She told him politely.
"Well, would you like something to drink while you wait?" The man asked. Buffy sighed. This guy wasn't going to give up.
"Sure. I'll have, uh...a small root beer float, please."
"Right away." The waiter said before disappearing behind the bar. He returned minutes later with her drink. She barely touched it. She just sighed, and twirled the straw around in the brown, goopy mess that was passed off as a root beer float. She glanced at her watch. It was almost twelve thirty and Spike still wasn't there. She was beginning to get mad. She kept telling herself that she'd wait for one more minute, one more minute. It was twelve forty-five and she was getting more upset by the second. Yet, she was afraid to leave because if he came right after she left, he'd think she stood him up. Wait...was it possible? Had Spike stood her up?
Buffy grabbed her purse off the table, pulled her cell phone out and dialed Spike's number.
" 'Ello?" Came a voice.
"Spike? Where the hell are you!" She asked angrily.
"I'm at my apartment." Spike answered, clearly confused. "What's wrong, Buffy?"
"You stood me up, you big...jerk!" She exclaimed.
"Stood you up? Buffy, what are you talking about?" Spike asked. Buffy could tell by the tone of his voice that he really was surprised.
"Wait...You didn't call to set up a date at Sadie's?" She asked.
"Um...No." Spike answered, shaking his head, even though he knew she couldn't see him.
"Oh...Darla." Buffy practically growled. She should've known...
"What's going on?" Spike asked.
"Nothing." Buffy said, not wanting to explain what had happened for fear of screaming. Spike knew she was lying, but didn't want to upset her by pushing.
"Do you want me to pick you up?"
"No thank-you. I already have a ride." Buffy said, trying to sound cheerful and failing miserably.
"Alright then...I'll see you later. I love you." Spike replied.
"I love you too." Buffy returned, although she wasn't sure she meant it. She flipped her phone shut, then back open. She dialed Cordelia's number, who told her she'd be there right away. Sure enough, she arrived five minutes later and Buffy was glad to see her. She left seven dollars on the table, which would definitely cover her drink and a tip. Buffy explained what had happened on the way home and Cordelia helped by throwing in some angry words when needed.
Buffy stomped through the front door, face red with anger.
"Where is she?" She growled, glancing around the room. Everyone knew who she was talking about.
"In her room." Willow answered.
Buffy wasted no time running up the stairs and pounding on Darla's bedroom door.
"What?" Darla spat as she opened the door. Buffy didn't answer, just slapped her hard across the face. Darla reeled back, putting a hand to her face, shocked that Buffy would hit her. Darla was about to slap her back when Buffy slammed the door right in her face. Darla screamed in frustration. Buffy couldn't help but smirk as she slipped into her room and locked the door.
Willow came upstairs, looking for Buffy. She knocked on the door.
"If it's you I'm gonna kill you!" Buffy's voice came through the door.
"Um, it's just me..." Willow replied, sort of afraid.
"Oh. Hold on." Buffy replied when she heard Willow's voice. There was shuffling in the room, the click of the lock unlocking and Buffy opened the door. "Come in."
"Uh, ok." Willow said as she entered the room. "What happened?" She asked, very concerned for her best friend. Buffy explained everything that happened.
"You hit her?" Willow asked incredulously. Buffy nodded sheepishly. "Well, I can't say that she didn't deserve it." At that, Buffy cracked a small smile.
"Do you wanna be alone? To, you know, think?" Willow asked. Buffy nodded gratefully. She got up and hugged Willow.
"You know me better than anyone." Buffy mumbled into her shoulder. Willow just smiled before leaving the room. Buffy sighed and flopped down onto her bed. She looked over at the radio sitting by her bed. It was the one that she had placed under Darla's window. She reached over and turned it on. "Let Me Go" by 3 Doors Down was playing.
In my head there's only you now
This world falls on me
In this world there's real and make-believe
And this feels real to me
You love me but you don't know who I am
I'm torn between this life I lead and where I stand
And you love me but you don't know who I am
So let me go
Let me go
Wow...That really hits the nail on the head. Buffy thought. She turned off the radio and decided to take a shower. That always made her feel better. So she went into the bathroom and grabbed a fluffy blue towel off the rack. Once she was in the shower she began absent-mindedly singing the song she'd heard on the radio mintues before. She closed her eyes and poured the shampoo into her hands and lathered her hair up with it. She was careful to keep her eyes closed while she washed it out, not wanting to get any in her eyes. When she was done, she stepped out of the shower and looked at the fogged up mirror. Something wasn't right. Her hair wasn't that dark. She reached up to the mirror and wiped the fog away. She nearly fainted when she saw her hair. Instead, she screamed.
From her room, Darla grinned wickedly. Sure, she was sporting a bright red handprint across her face, but at that moment it was worth it. Buffy was close to tears. She threw on a long white robe and, in a burst of fury, she pushed the door open and ran into her and Willow's room, where she let the tears fall.
"What now?" Cordelia asked. She, Willow and Dawn ran upstairs to check on Buffy. Willow didn't bother to knock. She just went right in, followed by Cordelia and Dawn. Buffy was in a heap on the bed, crying her eyes out.
"Oh, my God! What happened?" Willow asked when she saw Buffy's deep green hair. She went over and scooped Buffy into a hug and tried to calm her down. Dawn and Cordelia went over and patted Buffy on the back.
"Let me guess. It was Darla?" Dawn asked. Buffy nodded meekly. The crying had slowed a little bit.
"Come on. We should go downstairs. All the guys are probably wondering what's going on." Cordelia suggested softly. They all got up off the bed and headed towards the stairs.
"What if they laugh at me?" Buffy asked. "What if Angel laughs at me?" She whispered to Willow. The thought of Angel seeing her like this made her stomach knot up.
"He won't. No one will. It's not funny." Willow assured her. Willow was angry. Darla had gone too far this time. Buffy stopped at the top of the stairs.
"What happened up there?" Angel asked.
"Buffy, c'mon." Willow nudged her gently downstairs.
"Please don't laugh at me." Buffy sniffled.
"Oh, Buff." Xander shook his head and went and hugged her. "Don't worry about it. We can fix it tomorrow." Buffy nodded.
"How did this happen?" Oz asked.
"Darla." Buffy said bitterly, wiping at her eyes. You couldn't tell by looking at him, but Angel was fuming. This 'war' between the two girls was quickly getting out of hand.
Just then, Jenny came stumbled through the door carrying various colored and sized bags. Giles came through the door moments later, also loaded down with shopping bags.
"Hey, sorry we're late. So many stores were having sales, and..." Jenny took off her sunglasses and eyed Buffy's green hair. "Huh." Was all she said. Giles tried not to stare. Teenangers and their short-lived fads... He thought as he followed Jenny upstairs to the room they shared to put the bags down. Jenny came back downstairs moments later.
"What do you guys want for lunch?" She asked on her way to the kitchen. No one really cared.
"Anything is fine, really." Willow answered. Jenny shrugged and disappeared in the kitchen. The teens enjoyed their lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches, BLTs, chips, cheetos and soda. Darla never came downstairs, not that anyone cared anyway. It was safe to say that everyone was a little upset at her for turning Buffy into what she called a 'discolored smurf'. After they ate, everyone decided to hang out by the beach shore.
"Uh-uh. Noo way." Buffy crossed her arms.
"C'mon, Buff. I'm not gonna leave you in here to mope all day." Willow gave Buffy her 'resolve face.'
"Will! Look at me! I have every reason to do just that."
"Please? You can wear a hat or something!" Willow offered. Buffy sighed.
"Okay. You never give up, do you?" Buffy asked with a small smirk. Willow shook her head, grinning. Buffy tied her hair up in a high bun and put a pink and white baseball cap over it. By the time they got out to the shore, the other teens were already there.
"I wonder where Darla and Angel are?" Buffy asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes slightly when she noticed that the couple was nowhere to be seen.
"You just need to get your mind off of him, and you'll be fine." Willow did her best to assure her.
"But the thing is- I'm not really sure I want to." Buffy answered.
00000
Darla and Angel walked along the hot, sandy beach.
"This sand is burning my feet." Darla whined and she gingerly hopped from foot to foot on the burning sand. "If you wanted to, like, make out we could've just done it back there in front of all your friends like we usually do." Darla grumped. Angel didn't respond. "Besides, I like making Buffy mad." She added.
Angel sighed in frustration. "This is kinda what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Talk? I thought we were gonna make out." Darla crossed her arms and looked at him in confusion.
"No. No more making out." At this Darls's eyes widened. But she kept her mouth shut for once and let him continue. He sighed again. "I don't think this is gonna work."
"What's not gonna work?" Darla asked frantically. "You can't mean this" She said, motioning to herself and Angel. "You can't be dumping me! That is not how it works!"
"Calm down, please." Angel pleaded softly. Other beach-goers were giving them annoyed looks.
"How can I calm down! Don't talk to me like I'm a kid or something!" Darla shouted, her face turning red. She spun on her heel, about to walk off in the other direction when Angel reached over and grabbed her shoulder.
"I'm not done." He told her. Darla was furious and close to tears. "I want you to know why I'm doing this. Why this isn't going to work."
Darla looked mildly intrigued. "Fine. Why don't you tell me what I did wrong, 'cause I sure as hell don't know." She crossed her arms impatiently.
000000
Buffy glanced far off to her right. She and Willow were lounging on the sandy beach, on a big towel.
"Hey, look." She said, nudging Willow. It looked like Angel and Darla. Darla was running towards them with Angel a little ways behind. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily.
When Darla reached them she choked out "I hope you're happy. He wants you, not me. He'll always be on your side, not mine!" With that she stormed off into the house.
"What was that all about?" Buffy asked, obviously confused.
"No idea." Willow responded, equally confused. When Angel reached them he didn't say anything, didn't even look at them. He just wandered into the house.
Everyone else stayed on the beach for another hour before heading inside. Buffy was dying to know what had happened between Darla and Angel. Judging by the look on Darla's face, it had been a big argument. Buffy felt guilty for feeling so happy about that.
When the teens entered the house they scattered and did their own things. Willow and Oz curled up on the couch to watch TV, as did Dawn and Connor. Xander and Cordelia went down to the basement to play video games. Buffy went upstairs and stood quiet outside Darla's door. Inside, she could hear loud sniffling and shuffling around. Buffy left and went down to the basement to join Xander and Cordelia.
0000
Angel sat alone in his and Connor's room with the door locked. His and Darla's earlier conversation echoed in his head. He knew he had broken her heart, but it was what needed to be done. He just hoped that Buffy would accept him after everything that had happened.
0000
Another couple of hours passed as the teens did nothing but lay around and be lazy. The sun was just starting to set. As Angel walked out of his room, he felt something crackle under his feet. He bent down to pick up a small piece of paper, which he turned around in his hands. All it said was 'Meet me at sunset'. Angel cracked a small smile, put the note in his pocket and headed downstairs. Willow and Oz were on the couch kissing.
He crept outside, not wanting to alert the couple of his presence.
The warm sun beamed down on him and made him smile. His smile grew when he saw her sitting on the sand with an art pad, palette and paint brush. She was attempting to paint the sunset. Sure, she could paint it but she couldn't express in her painting how it made her feel to see the real thing. Angel noticed that she was dipping her brush in the ocean water when it rushed back and forth.
"It's good." Angel said when he walked up behind her.
"Thanks." Buffy said, not looking up at him. Angel sat down beside her.
"Why are you doing that?" He asked when she put her brush in the water.
"I don't know...It makes it feel more special to me, I guess." Buffy answered. There was a silence.
"It's very colorful." He said to break the silence.
"Like my hair?" Buffy asked.
"Well, uh, I, um, didn't mean it like that." Angel mumbled. Buffy grinned to herself.
"I know. I just wanted to see your reaction." Buffy said. Plus, you're so cute when you get all flustered. She thought.
"It's not that bad. Your hair, I mean." He added. "It really brings out the green in your eyes." He said, staring at her.
"I bet it does." She joked. She couldn't help but smile at his compliment.
"So...You wanted to see me about something?"
Buffy nodded.
"And?"
"I just...I wanted to know what happened today. Like with you and Darla." She paused, waiting for his response. "But it's really none of my business, and it's fine if you don't wanna tell-"
"No, it's okay." Angel cut her off. "We just got in a fight..." He trailed off. Buffy was looking at him intently. He knew she wanted to know why Darla said what she did to her. "And I told Darla that I'd rather be with you...And that what she did to you today was immature." He told her honestly.
"Oh." Angel was going crazy inside. What did she think? Would she want him too? He didn't deserve her...Suddenly, Buffy leaned over impulsively and kissed him. He returned the kiss, though caught off guard. Buffy finally ended the kiss and buried her head in her hands.
"What am I gonna do?" She moaned quietly.
"Well, I'd tell you what I think you should do, but my opinion is biased." Angel said. Buffy smiled, even though he couldn't see her face.
"I stand by what I said yesterday: You can't have me until you give up Darla." She told him firmly.
"I already did." He answered.
"You...?"
"Broke up with Darla." He finished the sentence for her. "I think she's leaving tomorrow."
Buffy was shocked. Even more so when she thought deeper. If she broke up with Spike, she could finally have Angel. All she would have to do...Would be break up with Spike. It was so simple. But then she thought about how sweet Spike was to her, and how much he cared about her. She felt sick to her stomach as she realized that she has used Spike. Used him to get to Angel.
"What's wrong?" Angel asked, noticing her pained expression.
"Nothing." She lied.
"You can tell me." He prodded gently.
Buffy sighed. "It's just...Spike."
Angel sighed as well. "I knew that would be a problem. Spike was always a problem." The two were silent. "Just do what you think is right. And get back to me, okay? Because I'm not going to give up on you without a fight." He said before standing up and brushing the sand off of himself. When he was gone, she picked up her art pad and was able to capture the tail end of the sunset, just before it disappeared under the horizon. Buffy stayed out there, long after the sky had went from red, to purple to black. Long after the stars came out. It seemed like hours. Finally, Dawn came out to check on her.
"Hey, Jenny made dinner. Are you gonna come inside?" She asked her older sister.
"Yeah." She stood up and Dawn helped her brush the sand away.
"Wow, that's a really nice picture, Buffy." Dawn commented.
"Thanks." The two girls went inside and ate dinner with the rest of the teens. Except Darla, who stayed in her room. Jenny tried to coax her downstairs for dinner with no avail.
"Uh, Darla told me that she's leaving tomorrow." Jenny said when she came back downstairs. "I just thought I should let you know..." No one said anymore on the subject. The topic of conversation switched to how beautiful the sunset was.
After the late dinner, the teens(minus Darla of course) settled in the basement to watch an old horror movie.
"This sucks! The werewolf looks like a big, gay possum." Cordelia commented during the movie.
"Yes, we know. It's because it's an old movie, honey." Xander soothed.
000Meanwhile in Darla's room...000
Darla had already packed her stuff up for tomorrow. She undressed for bed, put her favorite rap CD into the stereo and turned it on with the remote. It was so loud that the whole room shook with the bass. Darla fell to the floor, covering her ears. She made a grab for the remote and turned it off. Knowing full well that everyone would come to see what happened, she quickly pulled on a robe.
Sure enough, moments later the entire gang, who'd heard the house-shaking noise from the basement, plus Giles and Jenny were at her door.
"What was that?" Jenny asked, a little shaken up from the noise.
"I'm sorry, I don't know how it happened." Darla explained. "The volume was turned up all the way...I didn't leave it that way last night..." She trailed off. Then she realized what must've happened. "I'm sorry, I won't let it happen again." She smiled through gritted teeth.
Jenny and Giles nodded and left the room, along with the teens. When the door closed, Darla jumped onto her bed and shrieked into her pillow.
Buffy snicked softly on the way back to the basement.
"Buffy, you didn't!" Willow asked in mock disappointment.
"Maybe..." Buffy grinned and the two girls giggled.
After the movie was over, everyone played video games for an hour or so, then headed to bed early.
00000
Angel was getting ready for bed when he realized that the mote Buffy had given him was still in his pocket.
He pulled it out, and smoothed away the wrinkles in it. He gently placed it under his pillow before climbing into bed and switching off the lamp beside his bed.
00000
After Buffy and Willow exchanged their goodnights, Buffy lay awake in the dark, staring at the ceiling. The lyrics from the song she'd heard earlier drifted back to her.
One more kiss could be the best thing
But one more lie could be the worst
And all these thoughts are never resting
And you're not something I deserve
In my head there's only you know
This world falls on me
In this world there's real and make believe
And this seems real to me
You love me but you don't know who I am
I'm torn between this life I lead and where I stand
And you love me but you don't know who I am
So let me go
Let me go
I dream ahead to what I hope for
And I turn my back on loving you
How can this love be a good thing
When I know what I'm going throughAnd no matter how hard I try
I can't escape these things inside I know
I know...
When all the pieces fall apart
You will be the only one who knows
Who knows
You love me but you don't know who I am
I'm torn between this life I lead and where I stand
And you love me but you don't know who I am
So let me go
Let me go
You love me but you don't
You love me but you don't
You love me but you don't know who I am
You love me but you don't
You love me but you don't
You love me but you don't know me…
x0x0x0x
Ok, if you've actually read this far, please review because I'm not sure if anyone still reads this..thanks. Ozlover
