BOY! Have I gotten some responses out of that last chapter! Whew! I hear the calls for BA action and if you can bear with me through this chapter, then , I PROMISE, B/A action is next! I did not want to write this chapter, but I had to in order to get on to the next one! So PLEASE bare with me, Angel comes Back!

Chapter Nine

The next morning, the nurses came in to take Brian for more testing and Buffy took advantage of the time to go home and change.

Walking through the doors, Xander was in the living room, watching TV.

"So how was Angel?" he asked as Buffy started up the stairs.

"What did you say?" Buffy asked entering the room.

"I asked you, 'how was Angel'?"

Buffy shifted her weight and folded her arms.

"Why? Are you going to jump my throat again?"

Xander sat up on the couch.

"I just thought it pretty rude of you to be flirting with Angel, while your husband is in the hospital!"

"I was NOT flirting him!" Buffy yelled as she threw hands up in the air. "GOD! Xander! I thought we went over this! I know what I 'm doing!"

Xander stood and walked over to Buffy as she placed a hand on her head.

"Look," Xander began to explain, "I trust you, most of the time. But with Angel I can't get over the fact that you two have a pretty tumultuous relationship."

"Tumultuous? That's pretty big word, Xander, if for you." Buffy raised her eyebrows as she walked over to the fireplace.

Xander smiled, and Buffy turned back to face him.

"Well, for the record, Angel's leaving."
"Leaving? Why?"

"Because he needs to find himself, he said." Buffy's eyes began to water as she replayed the conversation in her mind. "Oh, look at me, I still can't keep from not crying over him!"

"That's another reason why I don't like you to be around him," Xander said as he watched Buffy sit down in Brian's recliner. "You turn into a mess when you're around him."

Buffy laughed. "You know, it's funny you say that."

"Why?"

"Because that's also why Angel left. He knows that we are both still in love with the people we used to be, not the people we actually are."

Xander leaned back in his seat. "Wow," he said as he scratched his head, "I guess Dead-Boy finally got a brain."
"More like a heart," Buffy joked as she scolded Xander. "And don't call him Dead-Boy, it's so last century."
Xander smiled and Buffy joined him.

"Look, I need to get changed, before I head back up to the hospital," Buffy said as she headed back for the stairs.

"I'll head to the kitchen and make you something to take back up there," Xander replied as Buffy trotted up the stairs.

Buffy walked into the bedroom she shared with Brian, and over to her closet.

On one side, Brian's suits and casual wear hung, in neat color-coordinated rows, and on her right, hung Buffy's dresses and other clothes.

She picked a rose top from the closet and a pair of green pants from the dresser.

After washing her face, and finding a pair of brown boots, Buffy walked over to the Vanity.

Sitting down, Buffy opened her makeup case, and began to apply foundation.

After applying blush, shadow, and liner, Buffy sat back and took a deep look at her reflection.

It was then, that she noticed, a necklace she had hung there ages ago.

A black, silk cord hung over the edge of the mirror, a ring, depicting a crowned heart, hung in the center.

Carefully, Buffy picked up the necklace, and opening a drawer beside her, placed the ring necklace in a small box and closed the drawer.

Smiling to herself, Buffy brushed her hair, and left the bedroom.

Xander had a brown bag lunch ready for her, as Buffy headed back for the hospital.

"Tell Will, that I might try to come back to sleep, if I can stay away from Brian that long."
Xander nodded and hugged Buffy as she went out the door.

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By the time Buffy made it back to the hospital, Brian had already been brought back.

"So how long have you been here?" Buffy asked as she kissed Brian's cheek.

"Not long," Brian said as he watched Buffy open the lunch bag. "What's in there?"
"Sustenance," Buffy said as she pulled out a small turkey sub. "One Turkey sub, a la Xander."

Brian sighed in expectation. "Ah, You are an angel."
"Flatterer," Buffy smiled, as she pulled another one for herself. "So what did Dr. Preston say?"
"Well," Brian said as he took a bite of the sub, " He performed more tests on me and they are expecting results by the end of the day."
"So you're staying over night again, then?"

Brian nodded as he chewed Xander's sandwich. "Yea, they said that depending on what these tests show, I should be able to go home tomorrow."
"Well," Buffy said as she swallowed, "I can't say it's most fun way to spend New Year's, but considering it could be worse, I should be grateful."
Brian smiled as he continued to eat his lunch.

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly, as Buffy and Brian tried to pass the time.

They watched a hour or so of television programming, before Buffy was able to get her hands on a deck of playing cards.

After about three rounds of Gin Rummy, Buffy put away the cards, and just laid on the bed beside Brian.

"Hey Buffy," Brian said as he petted Buffy's head.
"Yea," was the dreamy reply.
"I was thinking, I have been spending so much time trying to rebuild that town, that I think I may have been neglecting you."
"Yeah, Sunnydale has always had a way of sucking the fun out of my life," Buffy said as she sat up.

"Why do you have such bad feelings for Sunnydale? You hardly ever talk about it."
Buffy got down off the bed, and took a seat on the window sill across from Brian's bed.

"Sunnydale, for all the good it brought me, was really a hell on earth. People were always trying to kill me, and they succeeded once. But, I refused to let them win, and finally beat the town."
Brain sat in amazement as Buffy continued.

"Sunnydale was a place of Evil for me, and I really didn't want to see it come back."

Brian could see for the first time, how truly horrifying, living in Sunnydale was to Buffy.

She almost seemed to age as she told him how she lived in fear the whole time she lived there.

"If it wasn't for Willow, Xander, Giles, and Dawn, I think I would stayed dead there, ages ago."
"I'm sorry," Brian said as he looked at his wife. "I never had any idea."
"It's okay, honey," Buffy said smiling warmly back at Brian.

"Now," Buffy said, changing the subject. "You had something on your mind. What was it?"
"Well, I was thinking we could go on a nice long vacation. Maybe someplace warm, and escape the winter and snow for a while.

"Oh, honey, that sounds wonderful!" Buffy exclaimed as Dr. Preston walked in.

"Someone appears to be having a happy New Year's."
Buffy giggled as Brian told Dr. Preston, "I just told my wife I would take her on a vacation, when I got out."

Dr. Preston's smile suddenly turned sour as he said, "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

Buffy noticed that the doctor was all of sudden very nervous.

"Dr, Preston, what's wrong?"

The doctor looked to Buffy who was pleading for a truthful answer in her eyes.

"I'm afraid I don't have very good news," he said somberly.

"What kind of news do you have," Brian asked as Buffy walked over and held his hand.

"When we took an X-ray of your chest, apparently, there was an oddly shaped, shadow over one of your lungs."

"What does that mean?" Buffy asked as suddenly, every cell in her body froze.

"Without, having done a biopsy, My best guess at this stage, is that it appears that Mr. Kelly may have lung cancer."
Brian, quickly wrapped an arm around Buffy as she cover her mouth in shock, and held her in place.

"How advanced is it?" Brain asked, amazed at his composure.

"I can't tell at this point," Dr, Preston told his patient, "But with radiation therapy and possibly chemotherapy, we might be able to stop it."

Buffy, who was finally able to get her legs under control, asked the doctor, "How long does he have?"

"Again, until I can perform a Biopsy, I won't be able to tell. It's entirely possible that it is nothing," Dr. Preston tried to reassure Buffy.

"I hope it is nothing," Brian said as he squeezed his wife's hand. "I would hate to think of what would happen to Buffy if it is as bad as it seems."

"I will schedule the procedure immediately," Dr. Preston said as he made a note on Brian's chart, and left the room.

After the doctor left, Brian turned to Buffy and helped her to her seat. Then, he picked up the phone and began to dial a number.

"Hey, Willow," Brian said as he continued to watch Buffy fall apart. "I think that you and Xander should get over here right away. We just got some bad news."

Without another word, Brian hung up the receiver and gave Buffy a glass of water.

"Here Honey," he said, "Drink this."
Buffy took the cup from Brian's hand and continued to stare into space.

Moment's later, Willow and Xander darted through Brian's door.

"We got here as fast as we could," said Xander as he and Willow rushed over to Buffy whose face was becoming paler every minute. "What's happened?"

"Brian might have cancer," Buffy said in a hushed voice.
"What did she say? I couldn't hear her." Willow turned to Brian for her answer.

"The doctor found a shadow on my X-ray and they suspect that I might have cancer."
"Cancer?" Willow and Xander in unison.

"Yeah," Brian affirmed. "The doctor's scheduling a biopsy as we speak. And depending on what they find, I may or may not have cancer."

"Oh my Goddess, Brian," Willow said as she took Buffy's hand, "I hope everything turns out okay."
"So do I," Brian said as he suddenly felt nervous. "Look, can you guys do me a favor?"
"Yeah Sure," Xander said, and Willow nodded.

"Take her home. I don't want her waiting up here and become a worse wreck than she is."
"NO," Buffy said as she yanked her hands away from Xander and Willow. "I'm staying here with Brian!"

"Buffy," Brian said in a pleading tone, "Please, go home with your friends. When the results come back, I will call you, okay? Right now you need to go home and get some rest."
"Buff, he's right," Xander said as he remained kneeling at Buffy's feet. "Come home, let us help you."
"Yeah, Please, Buffy," Willow pleaded with her best friend.

Buffy finally looked at her friends and stared long into their faces.

After a few minutes, Buffy sighed and said, "Okay, I'll go home. But only for a few hours, and then I'm coming right back."
"That's fine," Xander said, as he looked to Willow. "I'll even bring you back, right Will?"
"Right," Willow said as she looked at Xander.

"Come on, let's get you home," Xander stood and helped Buffy from her seat and slowly walked her to the door.

Buffy placed a hand on the door frame, stopping herself, and turned to Brian saying, "I love you."
"I, Love you too, Buffy." Brian said as he smiled and blew a kiss to Buffy.

Buffy smiled for the first time since Willow and Xander arrived and walked out with Xander.

Willow grabbed Buffy's things and as she went to follow, Brian stopped her.

"Hey Willow, can you do one more thing for me," he asked.

"Yeah, sure, Brian," Willow said as she stopped. "What do you need?"
"Make sure Giles and Dawn know what's happened. I don't know about you, but I think I'm on my way out, and I want to make sure Buffy has everyone she needs around her when I find out."
"Sure no problem," Willow said as she smiled sadly at Brian and left the room.

8

At Buffy's house, Xander helped Buffy to the couch and Willow made a long distance call.

"Hello, Giles?"
"Willow." Replied the British Watcher's voice, "How are you?"
"Not good," she responded, with in her voice.

"Why? What's happened? Is Buffy okay?"
"Kinda. Brian's in the hospital and the outcome isn't very good."
"Good Lord," The shock in Giles' voice quite obvious. "What happened to Brian?"
"They think it's cancer," Willow said as she tried to keep from crying. "Please, can you just come here? I think Buffy would really appreciate it. Dawn too."
"I'm on the first flight out," Giles told Willow firmly. "As soon as we can, Dawn and I will be there. Don't you worry, Willow."
"Thank you, Giles," Willow said as she choked back a tear. "I appreciate it."

"No problem, my dear," Giles said before the line went dead.

Hanging the phone up, Willow wiped her face and took a few deep breaths, before turning into the kitchen.

Buffy was lying on the couch, a blanket over her legs, and Xander was bringing her a small glass of juice, and a apple.

"Is there anything else we can get you Buffy?" Willow asked as she sat on the edge of the coffee table.

Buffy shook her head. "No, thank you, guys," she said as she rolled over to fac the back of the couch.

"Let's give her some time alone," Willow said as Xander looked on.

"Yeah, we'll check on you in a little while," Xander said as he touched Buffy's shoulder.

"Okay," Buffy whispered, as her friends left her to spend some time alone in her grief.

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It was seven thirty, by the time Giles and Dawn had arrived.

The first thing out of Dawn's mouth when they walked through the door was, "Where's Buffy?"
Xander motioned that they had moved her upstairs, and Dawn ran up the stairs.

Softly, she tapped on Buffy's door.

"Buffy? Can I come in?"
Slowly, Dawn turned the knob, and walked inside.

There, on her bed, Buffy laid with her knees curled close to her chest.

Dawn climbed onto the bed, and rolled Buffy over.

"It's okay, Buffy," she said as she wiped tears from Buffy's face. "Giles and I are here now."

Buffy looked at her younger sister and whispered, "Dawn?"

"Yeah, it's me."

Buffy suddenly could hold it in no more and began to sob, as Dawn pulled her up closer and held on tight as she rocked Buffy.

"Oh, God, Dawn," Buffy cried as she began to cry on Dawn. "What am I going to do?"
Dawn just hushed Buffy and allowed the former Slayer to let out everything she had been holding back.

It was midnight, before Dawn and Buffy came back down stairs.

Everyone had assembled in the living room, with the Christmas tree and decorations still glimmering in the light.

Buffy had to hold herself steady, as she had a flash to the merriment that brought them all together, just a week or so ago.

Giles, stood from the recliner, and walked over to his former pupil.

"Buffy," Giles said kindly, as Buffy ran into his arms and he gave her a fatherly hug.
"I am so sorry," he said, as Buffy looked at him.

"I'm just glad you all are here."
"We will stay only as long as you need us," Giles said as he held Buffy's chin.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the evening?" Xander asked as Buffy sat down.

"I haven't really thought about it," Buffy answered honestly. "I really don't know what I could do."
"Well, you obviously need to do something to take your mind off the stress that you will be going through," Dawn said.

"Well what did you used to do before, when you were stressed?" Willow tried to help Buffy come up with ideas.

"The only thing I can remember doing to relieve stress was-," Buffy paused and everyone blushed.

"It wasn't that!" she exclaimed, shaking her head, "Come on people, I'm not Faith."
"Thank God for small miracles," Xander mumbled.

"What was that?" Willow asked.

"What? It was nothing, I said nothing!"
Buffy smiled as she walked over to a large chest that stood behind the couch.

Opening the latch, Buffy sifted through the items in the trunk, and after grabbing a few things, shut the lid again.

She walked back over to the couch and set down a small, narrow box.

Opening the small case, Buffy said, "The only thing I could remember that allowed me to keep my sanity, was Slaying."
Buffy pulled out a long, tan spike, and a smaller box which Buffy opened, pulling out a large, silver cross.

"Hey," Dawn pointed to the necklace, as Buffy placed it around her neck. "Isn't that the one that Angel gave you?"
"Yep," Buffy said, as she closed the boxes, and stood up.

"But you swore you would never wear it unless Angel came back for you."
"Dawn," Buffy said as she grabbed her coat. "Angel's been and gone, and there is no Angel and Buffy, okay? Just Buffy and Brian. Besides, this cross saved my life more than once."

Buffy slid her arms into the coat and said to her friends, "Now I am not, I repeat not back to full-time Slayage, but a little bit here and there, while Brian gets better, is a good thing as long as it doesn't interfere with Brain's schedule."

Buffy nodded firmly her decision, before heading for the door.

"I'll be back before dawn," she called out as her friends stood in silence.

After a few moments of reflection, Giles looked at Dawn and said, "When was Angel in town?"

End Chapter Nine

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