Fade Away Again, Chapter 18

Penny

T'is been a long few days, and I imagine it'll get worse before it gets better. Jezzie can get a bit odd about magicks, so I didn't say anything to her about needing supplies. Just stopped in to see an old friend of my father's and picked up twice as much as I thought we'd need of anything that sounded remotely useful. And you bet your ass my friend the trust fund baby was going to be paying me back for all of it, even if she wasn't in the mood to approve of most of it being used.

Actually, my little side trip was useful in another sense; I managed to get some pretty good intel on what the rest of Los Angeles thought had gone down at the Hyperion, and learned that a total of four humans had been killed.

It doesn't seem fair, since all of us made it…Then again, it wasn't certain yet that all of us would. It doesn't happen often, but Slayers have been known to get infections from serious injuries, and many of our injuries were indeed serious.

I saw the police car get sucked into the portal, I'm sure most of us did, but I suppose I'd been hoping that there hadn't been anyone inside it. I guess our good luck didn't extend to those outside the alley. Two cops died in the 'car explosion', one civilian from a 'mugging' that sounded a lot like a vampire attack on the first day of the battle, and one in a 'gang-related shooting'. I still wasn't clear on what had happened to him or when, but he'd died in ICU this morning.

The whole thing was depressing, but it could easily have been four million instead of four, so I guess we had to be grateful. And coerce Jezzie and her family into a large donation to the families of those dead cops, because that was totally our fault, and since we couldn't bring them back the least we could do was make sure their families didn't starve.

By the time I hauled my tired ass and Gunn's truck full of crap back to the Hyperion, Wesley, Connor, and my fiancé were just arriving. Perfect timing, all around. While I jumped at Tommy, probably choking the poor guy, Connor grabbed the keys I'd dropped and started unloading the back.

There may have been some conversation about what the heck the assortment of luggage and shopping bags actually was, but I didn't hear a word of it. I hadn't really slept in days, and the only thing keeping me on my feet had been the knowledge that I was one of the only people still capable of doing things like driving and lifting suitcases. I'd ignored the growing pain of separation from my mate during the battle, but now that we were together again the relief almost took me down. I'd felt so bad for so long, feeling good again was almost painful. We held one another for a long, long time. I think Tom might have been crying, I know I was, but I was also too wrecked to lift my head off his shoulder and check on him.

When I had the sobbing and shaking under control enough so that I could take a step back and actually look at him, I burst into laughter. I felt a little hysterical, honestly. Tommy's hair was sticking up at odd angles, his glasses were fogged from his tears, and his skin was splotchy, with a combination of razor burn and dark circles under his eyes. He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

Before I could tell him that, he pulled me back against him, accidentally knocking the air from my lungs as he hugged me tight. My ribs felt a little creaky, and I might have told him to get the hell off, except that I'd gladly deal with a few broken ribs if it meant I got to feel him again. "I missed you so much." I gasp with the little bit of air I have left.

"Missed you. Oh, Lord, I was so worried." His breath is hot in my ear and makes tingles run up my spine. While I'm wondering how much strenuous sex my stitches will be able to handle, Tommy pulls back and grabs my shoulders. "What in the hell were you thinking, running off with Lise like that!? Do you have any idea how terrified I was?"

Well, there goes my happy bubble. "I know, sweetie. I said I was sorry, but I left you a note, and I tried to call…It was important that I leave, you said you understood…"

"Well, now that I see all these bandages, I'm suddenly feeling a whole lot less complacent." His eyes run over me, and I have the brief sensation that he can see every bruise and bandage, even the ones under two layers of clothing. "Do you have any idea how I would have felt if you'd been killed? I could have lost you. What in hell would I do without you, huh?" He's still yelling, but his voice is shaking and the tears can't be far behind at this point, so I grab him close again and whisper any soothing nonsense I can think of into his pretty little ear until he finally calms down and stops shaking against me.

The next time we part, I take stock of the world around us. The Escalade is half unpacked and there's no one else to be seen, so the guys must have given us our privacy. I'm grateful for the gesture, although I'm tired and sore, and wish I didn't have to grab a bunch of stuff to carry inside. Luckily, someone picked up one of Tommy's bags, so he helps carry some shopping bags in from the truck.

In the lobby of the Hyperion, Wes is sitting on a couch massaging his thigh. I gather there's some muscle damage involved in the cut on his leg, but Ron couldn't evaluate the extent. I think Wes'd look distinguished with a cane, but it's probably a bit early to go pointing that out to him. The elevator clunks to a landing at our level, and Connor and Gunn emerge, Gunn propping the door while the younger man rushes over to take bags from us. While he's heading back to the elevator with them, two girls I don't recognize come running down the stairs.

"More stuff outside?" One of them chirps, and I just nod, because I'm really too tired to do the 'getting to know you' bit at the moment. They take off outside, and while they're running off Gunn calls out to us.

"Hey, you two look beat. Why don't you crash, we'll handle this stuff."

I nod, because honestly I feel like death warmed over, and I'll be utterly humiliated if I collapse again, but I can't help making a token protest at least. "Where's Jezzie? Is Lise awake yet? Are you sure no one needs anything?"

"I believe Jezebel is napping at the moment. Elise is still asleep, or she was the last time anyone checked on her." Wesley calls from his couch. "We've had some late arrivals while you were out, so there are uninjured people to help with what needs to be done around here. You can go get some rest, we'll let you know if there's any change in Elise's condition. Oh, and, thank you for getting supplies." He waves to indicate the bags of magical supplies, which have made their homes at his feet. "I'm sure these items will be quite helpful."

I hope so. Feeling dismissed, I turn and head towards the stairs, the elevator having taken off while we spoke to Wes, but Tommy stays put. "How are the vampires? Any change?"

Wes shakes his head. "No change in either of them, although they do seem to be healing. We've sent the documentation on the prophecy the ladies gathered to Rupert Giles at the Watcher's Council in the hopes that they might discover something to help us, but in the meantime we're just watching and waiting."

"I want to be notified the moment William wakes up." Tommy says. Wesley looks at him strangely. "I'm the current executor of the Spencer estate, I'll need to speak to him about it. I suppose that, since I'll be getting William the necessary documentation to become part of human society again, it would only be fair of me to do so for the other vampire. I should probably meet with him after."

"Spencer estate?" Wesley sounds more confused then I would have supposed, but then I'm tired. So tired, suddenly. I step close again to lean against Tommy's shoulder, wrapping my fingers around his arm. His other hand comes up to pat my hands gently.

"When William became a vampire, he was the only surviving member of his family. Rather than see his personal effects and his estate go to distant cousins he'd never gotten along with, a friend of the family appointed himself executor and created a trust. The responsibility has been handed down through the years." I feel Tommy smile, and I smile along with him. "I'll be happy not to have to pass the thing to the next in line, it's all gotten rather large and complex over the last hundred years; cash, property, antiques, artwork..."

"So, Spike stands to inherit quite a sizeable fortune…From himself?" Wesley sounds a bit confused, still, but this is no time to get into all the details.

"Don't think of it as inheriting from himself; think of it as either reacquiring responsibility for something he's neglected the management of, or inheriting from a distant relation." Tommy advises. "Now, as good as it is to see you, Wes, I think Penny's just going to pass out on me if I don't get her up to bed soon. Please, excuse us."

"Oh, of course." Wes nods and smiles faintly. "We wouldn't want Penny to pass out on her feet."

I glare at him, wanting to dash over and wipe that smirk off his face, but I'm too tired to do more than sigh and attempt once again to draw Tommy up the stairs. This time it works, and we make our meandering way to my assigned room.

Tommy's bags have beat us to the room, and the guys are nowhere to be seen, so once we're inside Tommy locks the door. "Strip." He says, already removing his own clothes.

Partly to avoid exposing more bandages, and partly because I'm so close to using the very last of my energy, all I do is sink to the edge of the bed. I examine my boots for a second, decide leaning over isn't a good idea, and flop over onto my back. "You'll have to undress me, I'm just too tired." I declare, allowing my eyes to drift shut.

I can't quite fall asleep; we've been separated for so long that I'm still fighting the constant ache and nausea from our bond being stretched too thin. The little bit of contact we've had helped, but it'll be a while before I'm fully recharged. So I lie still and listen to Tommy moving around. When his fingers touch my calf, on their search for the zipper of my left boot, I wonder fleetingly again if I have enough energy to stay awake for sex. By the time the boots and socks are gone, and he's working on my belt, I've rejected the notion. Too tired, too sore. We'll have to see how we feel in a few hours.

At some point I must have dozed off during the disrobing, because when I'm aware of the world around me again, Tommy and I are curled up under the covers and the room is dark. It takes a minute to orient myself to my surroundings, because my mate is here but here is not our bedroom.

Once I remember Los Angeles and all the general insanity going on, I feel guilty for lying here. I should get up and go check on Elise, see if I can help out with whatever needs to be done around here, go report in to Jezzie, or patrol…I'm just so warm, and still quite sleepy, and I need some more time to recharge. I summon enough energy from somewhere to wiggle away from Tommy for a second and roll over, then press back against him, tucking my face against the curve of his neck. Before I can do more than sigh, I'm out again.

The next time I wake, Tommy is awake too. Probably worrying. I shift enough so I can see his face, and mutter, "Hey."

He shifts himself around and smiles. "Hey yourself. As much as I have no desire to move, we'd better get up now."

I nod and extract myself from him reluctantly. I'm feeling less sore and tense, but I'm still lacking some level of connection we usually have. I'm not sure what it'll take to fix that, since we've never been separated this long before; but he's right, we don't have the time to explore it right now. As long as we're operational, we need to be helping out.

By the time I'm sitting on the edge of the mattress again, Tommy's kneeling in front of me with a pair of scissors. "Let me get rid of the bandages and get a good look at you."

'There's nothing to get excited about, believe me. A few scrapes, some really unattractive bruises…"

"Why don't you let me be the judge, huh?" He gives me that 'quit screwing around' look he should really file a patent on, and I sigh and nod hesitantly. I'm not interested in hearing him freak out about my injuries, but he does deserve to see how badly I'm hurt, so I let him remove the bandages. Hopefully, the healing will be significant enough that he'll forget it's healing and that my condition now is the improved version.

After a minute, when Tommy's got all the bandages removed, and heads into the bathroom where the fresh ones I was issued earlier but hadn't gotten to use yet are waiting, I realize my fiancé hasn't said one single word about the cuts and bruises. I'm actually impressed, because usually he blows a gasket when I get a paper cut, but I'm not about to say anything that might aggravate him at the moment, so I continue to sit quietly while he cleans me up and re-bandages me. When we're done with that part of the exercise, which thankfully includes lineament for the muscle soreness and fewer bandages than it did last time, I get dressed.

When we're both dressed and ready to head out the door, Tommy meets my eyes for what I realize is the first time since he removed the bandages. "I'm not going to say anything else about this, because I realize that I'm over-reacting and generally acting a little nuts. However, the next time you take off on me to go save the world by yourself, you better not even come back with a chipped nail, you get me?"

I can't help but smile; he's cute when he's angry…He's also right about sounding a little nutty. "So, I can only get hurt when I don't take off on you?"

He nods soberly. "That's right. If you're gonna get hurt, I want to be there to take care of you. There's no one in the world I trust to take good enough care of my girl." Then his arms are around me again, and some of that distance between us slips away, easing the tension and making both of us feel more comfortable.

I sigh and hold him tighter for a moment, before easing myself away and meeting his gaze again. "I swear, Tom-Tom, no more running off without you into battle. If I really need to run off and help fight something, I'll bring you along."

"Pinky swear?" He examines the look on my face, as if searching for sincerity, and I'm tempted to cross my fingers just because he's not looking at them.

"Of course I do. Pinky swear." I hold up my left hand, little finger extended, and he wraps his own digit around it and uses the connection to pull my hand to his lips for a kiss before letting go.

"Alright, then. Let's go see what needs to be done."

What needs to be done turns out to be eating heaping servings of stew dished up by a pregnant Argabmial, and finally delivering my report to Jezzie while we eat. Sometime during our naps Beatrix Nieves arrived from New York, and went to assist Ron upstairs with a promise to report in when she'd seen everyone.

Then, Jezzie tells us all about the new arrivals and what they've been doing, including the fact that Carolyn's Watcher is evidently an old Academy classmate of Merry's and mine who I'd assumed was dead. Charles was on his way, supposedly to pick her up, but Jezebel hoped to convince him that they should both stay here. I didn't have the heart to ask why she wanted people to stay here; I was starting to worry that she'd ask us. As much as my fiancé says I have an over-inflated ego, I refuse to believe that I'm so desperately needed here that it would be worth giving up the deposit on our reception hall.

Tommy evidently hasn't fully processed the potential impact this situation might have on our life, not to mention our wedding plans. "Why do you want them to move here? I mean, wouldn't it make more sense to spread everyone back out, and just keep in touch better than we have done?"

"I spoke to Mr. Giles' assistant for a little while today; he called to thank me for the research I sent him on the prophecy, and we chatted a little. He said that because there were so few Watchers left, he and Buffy and Buffy's team from the Hellmouth had just kind of divided the younger potentials among them and set up schools for the girls. Evidently, they've even done some work on making them legitimately accredited private schools. I was thinking, seeing the kids roam around here, that I'd like to buy the Hyperion from Angel and set up a school here." Jezzie looked around the kitchen, and through the open door into the lobby. There was an assortment of adults and kids milling around eating, dominated by a majority of girls under 30. "He's probably gonna need the cash to get along as a human, and it's not like he needs a ton of room."

"Maybe he won't want to sell; maybe he'd rather retain ownership of the building so he gets to be in charge of the school; hell, maybe he'll want to run a real hotel." Tommy interjected. "I don't think you should get too attached to the idea of running the show here until you talk to him."

She shrugged, and I could tell from the look in her eyes that it was too late; Angel had officially lost his hotel. "I was wondering if we could put a pool on the roof. It seems like it would be good for the girls to have a swimming pool, you know?"

"There's a pool in the basement." Gunn announced, coming up from behind me and sliding into the chair next to Jezzie. "Why are we talking about a pool? I'm pretty sure Angel has that sucker drained."

"How do ya think Angel would feel about us setting up a Slayer school in the Hyperion?" Leave it to Jezzie to cut straight to the heart of things. At least she's more tactful than Merry…

Gunn frowns at her, then throws a confused glance at Tommy and I. I shrug, since I have nothing resembling an explanation for why she's suddenly so obsessed with this idea. "Well, I don't think he knows anything about running a school…"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." Jezebel interjects. "I can be in charge; I have a degree in Secondary Education, and if we're going to get the place accredited someone with actual qualifications will need to be in charge. I was just wondering if you thought he might be interested in giving the place up."

Gunn looks at her like he can't quite believe she just asked him that, and I have to agree. Tommy rolls his eyes. "I think she's so busy planning whatever she's planning, that the woman has completely forgotten other people might have plans of their own. Jezzie, wait a day or two before you do anything crazy, and at least give Angel the courtesy of speaking with him, will you?"

"Oh, but the X-Ray machine is being delivered tomorrow; we're going to have to figure out where to put it, and that'll be the best place for an on-site clinic to be. Then we might need to knock down some walls to make room, and did you see how old that elevator is? That's going to need replacing, or at least supplementing with another, more modern one, and that'll mean building a shaft to put it in. Also, in case you hadn't noticed, this place isn't up to any fire code used in the last thirty years, at very least it'll need some more doors. Once that's done…"

"Woah, lady." Gunn stops her just before I was about to cut her off myself. "You're talking about overhauling the entire building! Who's gonna pay for that? Because, I gotta tell you, I don't think any of us are getting severance from Wolfram and Hart."

"Oh, no worries, I can pay for it." Jezzie carries on with her planning as if no one had interrupted her. "We'll need training facilities, and some type of locking storage facility for weapons…"

I tune out the rest of her rambling, leaving Tom to try and control her, and turn my attention to Gunn. "You'll have to excuse her. She has no concept that people might disagree with her sometimes. I blame it on her becoming a mum so young; at some point she just started expecting people to do whatever she said."

Evidently the attitude isn't what's bothering him, though. "She's gonna pay to completely remodel the Hyperion? How?"

"Oh, that. Jezzie's family has, like, a billion dollars. Her mother was an heiress who became a brain surgeon, and her father started the first cable company in the Northeast. She doesn't exactly make peanuts herself, although college professors and multi-media moguls are sort of on different pay scales, you know?"

He blinks at me. "Seriously?"

I smile. "Weird, huh? She seems just like anyone else, with her Levis and her minivan, and then you learn she's a trust fund baby who could buy half of LA if she wanted to."

"Yeah, that's pretty weird." He shakes his head. "I wish we'd known you guys when we were trying to stay afloat as a small detective agency. Another investor wouldn't have hurt anything, you know?"

"Yeah, I get that. It was hard, when I was going through my master's program and working and racking up huge student loans, to know that she didn't have to worry about all that crap." I sigh, remembering that I might not even have a job to go back to after taking off without any explanation, and that debt was still looming over me. Maybe this school Jezzie wanted to start could use a librarian?

Gunn looks like he's opening his mouth to ask more questions, but before he gets the chance one of the new girls rushes into the kitchen. "Elise is awake." She practically yells, skidding to a halt at my side. "Joyce is, too; Merry's checking her out now."

I'm moving before she's even done speaking, trusting that Tommy will be right behind me. I don't even register the people milling around the lobby or that I nearly knock David off his feet as I run up the stairs; now that she's awake I don't want Elise to have to face a bunch of strangers on her own. The poor thing is painfully shy, and it's gotta be scary to wake up in a strange place, injured. While she was out I could shift out of caregiver mode for a while, but with her awake and in need of comforting, she has to be my first priority.

When I get to her room I find Elise surrounded by Ron, Marta and Beatrix, while Lorne holds her hand and tries to soothe her obviously mounting anxiety. Her face when she spots me makes me feel terribly guilty for taking so long to get back to her. I could legitimately say that I needed the sleep more than she'd needed me while unconscious, but Tommy and I could have just as easily taken our nap in here with her, and I'm fully aware of that fact.

"Lise!" I rush over to the opposite side of the bed from Lorne and grab for the small hand she's reaching out to me. "Oh, I'm so happy you're awake. All that sleeping was really starting to freak me." Which is true; Elise has been an insomniac ever since I met her when she was six; she's only ever been able to sleep in short spurts. When you considered it in that context, the fact that she'd just slept almost 20 hours at a stretch was beyond disturbing.

She smiles shakily, her grip on my hand strong and tight; and a little painful, but there was no way I was about to complain. "I'm okay, you know. Do they really have to examine me?"

Her voice is shaky, and this very normal exhibition of anxiety helps to ground me, and snap me back into my own normal mode. I carefully sink onto the mattress next to her, and stroke the back of the hand with the death-grip on mine. "Sweetie, you were hurt in a battle, then used as a magickal battery to close an inter-dimensional portal, and you've just woken up after being asleep for almost an entire day. It would really make Tommy and I feel better if you let the doctors check you out. Or, maybe just Beatrix? You remember Jezzie's Mom, don't you? We went to her house for Christmas a few years ago."

She nods hesitantly. "Okay, but only her. Make the others leave, please?"

I nod, sympathetic to her fears and more than willing to make whatever deals I have to so that we can be sure she's okay. Lifting my head, I address Marta and Ron. "Maybe the two of you should go check on the others, or help Merry with Joy? Lise's not so good with new people, she'll feel better with just Bea."

I feel Tommy step up behind me, a warm hand landing on my shoulder, and Elise smiles gently at him. "Hey, Pip, I'm gonna wait just outside, okay? We can catch up when Mrs. Neves is done with you."

"Okay, Tommy. Thanks for coming to get us." She smiles at him, then turns her gaze on me. "See, everything worked out okay." Her grip on my poor abused hand relaxes, and I don't have the heart to tell her about Apple, or Willow, or the vampires.

I nod into her warm smile, trying to convey confidence. "Of course, everything's going to be fine."

As Marta and Ron sort out whatever tools they'd brought in with them, and remind Beatrix to run certain tests and do this-and-that, Lorne tugs gently on Lise's other hand. "Hey, gumdrop, now that your Watcher is here I'll just come back later to chat, okay?"

"Kay, Lorne. Thanks, for trying to keep me calm. I just wanted Miss Penny." She smiles apologetically at the demon, and he gently kisses the back of her hand before letting it go. When she turns her gaze back to me, she's got that look on her face; the one that comes right before she says something that turns out to be frighteningly accurate, no matter how it sounds at the time. "We'd better get this over with; it's going to be a long night."

This rather troubling pronouncement only draws a reaction from Ron and Marta; I suppose the rest of us are used to it. "She's a seer?" Marta asks. Well, she gets points for having some clue about the supernatural. Ron looks freaked, and not a little, either. I haven't spent a lot of time talking to Doc; we've all been kind of busy the last few days, but I was kind of under the impression that he knew what was what in the supernatural world.

Elise ducks her head and turns bright red, which is a pretty normal reaction for when strangers figure out what she can do. I rush to answer, hoping to alleviate some of her anxiety. "She sees things, sometimes; it's not like she's some type of fortune teller or something…"

Marta waves me off. "It's okay, I'm not likely to hound the poor girl. I'm just surprised. My oldest son has visions sometimes, but I've never met another child who can see things like that."

"How old is he?" I ask, my interest peaked. As far as we've ever been able to figure out, Elise was born with her powers.

"He's ten-and-a-half. It seems like a fairly recent thing, just in the last year or so."

"Which was about the time he suddenly got stronger?" Ron asks hesitantly, as though he doesn't want to know but can't keep his mouth shut. Marta nods. "Well, it's probably just an extension of his emerging Sineyan powers. We all have dreams sometimes."

I've never had a Slayer dream, but he seems so sure of this reasoning I don't have the heart to tell him, and then Ron's gone. Marta shakes her head, smiling faintly. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who's so simultaneously knowledgeable and clueless."

Elise giggles, drawing our attention to her. Faced with our puzzled looks, she just smiles. "In a couple of years, you'll see why that's funny." Marta shrugs and turns to leave. "Thank you for your help, Miss Marta." Lise calls, and the nurse turns back to smile at her.

"It's no trouble at all, sweetie. You rest, I'll bring Francisco by to meet you later." And then she's gone, and Lise and I are alone with Bea.

Beatrix has been standing quietly off to the side all this time, simply observing. Now that she's alone with us she goes into doctor mode. "Alright, now let's see what's going on with you, Miss Lise." She holds up one of those little lights doctors shine into your eye. "Look straight ahead, please."

After Lise's exam, which fortunately doesn't turn up anything more serious than some bruises, a healing cut on her scalp, and probably some fractured bones in her left hand, we leave her with Tommy so they can catch up. Beatrix goes to check on the other patients, and I just tag along to see how everyone is and if there's anything I can do.

Joy is awake and cranky, her big sister fussing over the minor injuries she suffered, and we get out of the Cunningham war zone as quickly as possible. Willow is still asleep, but it seems like a bit of the white in her hair has warmed to red, and Bea says her pulse is strong, so I take that as a good sign. Connor and Gunn are playing cards on Gunn's bed, talking quietly, so we pass them over for the time being.

Next stop is William's room. I'm not expecting the vampire…Man…Whatever, to be awake yet, but Bea wants to check on him, so we poke our heads in. To my surprise he's breathing. He wasn't before; or, at least he wasn't breathing like this. "Shit." I mutter quietly, torn between checking on him myself, getting Tommy, or figuring out who else can help. Beatrix either doesn't realize why I'm upset or doesn't hear me, because she moves efficiently into the room. Unfortunately, her proximity seems to trigger something. It feels as if he tried to shift into vamp face, and I step forward quickly in case I have to get between them. Before I can get there, though, the energy shifts.

I can't describe it, even though I've been trying to sense vampires in different stages of their power for most of my life. It's almost like the sensation of the vampire demon is overpowered by something else, or subsumed by it. Whatever it is that happens, it must be incredibly painful, because he screams. Not a war-cry bellow like I heard a few times during the battle; a wail, like an injured animal. Fortunately William doesn't seem to be awake. Unfortunately, it's impossible to soothe someone and tell them you don't mean them any harm when they're unconscious.

I hear running footsteps, and look up to find Connor, Gunn, and Laurie running into the room. "What's wrong?" Gunn looks like he wishes there was something he could fight, or like he assumes the screaming is caused by something that needs fighting.

"Is…Is this part of the transition?" Connor looks like he's torn between wanting to help and bolt, and I wonder if he's more worried about William or Angel. He glances toward the door and confirms my suspicion. He's looking for what we do here so he can make sure we do it for Angel also, or something like that.

"We aren't sure. Could just be pain." Beatrix seems far, far too calm for all the screaming going on. She takes Will's wrist gently, checking for a pulse. She frowns. "Hmm. I think that was a heartbeat…Maybe?" She stands silently a little longer. "If he's transitioning, it's very slowly, and unfortunately painfully. His muscles are tight, his respiration is elevated, and his heartbeat…Or whatever that is…Is very slow." She gently places the hand on his chest, and meets my eyes. "I guess Elise was right about this being a long night."

Just then, the screaming stops as quickly as it started. We both turn back to the figure on the bed, and find Laurie seated next to William, holding his other hand cradled in her lap. That weird feeling of the demon being threatened or overpowered is gone now. She looks up at me, and I'm surprised to meet watery eyes. Laurie is always so cheerful, and I don't see much of her. It's hard to remember if I've ever seen her crying. "Someone needs to get me his cell phone. I need to call Buffy."