The reviews keep getting better and better! They make me weep with joy. I love you guys… so much. Anyway, thanks a heap to rocks and glass (long reviews are the bestest – I looooove you), uskohakuchan (I hate it when that happens – you're still my favourite person-with-a-japanese-penname), RabidReject (I squealed like a mental pig – but in a good, happy way), fiversfan3588 (thankyou! Feel my radiating love!) and last but certainly not least, Darling-Angel-Puff (thankyou, yet another amazing person, of whom there aren't enough in the world).
That's the most reviews I've ever had for one chapter – keep 'em coming you fabulous reader-people you!
Lalala next chapter… have fun with it.
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It had been an uneventful few weeks since the Gem of Amara had been found. Buffy had her time well-balanced – her days were spent either in Angels's mansion or hanging with her friends, her evenings were spent patrolling with Angel, osccasionally backed up by her friends, and she slept either at hers or Angel's. She thought she had it pretty well planned-out.
She was walking in-between places now, on the way to her house from a day spent shopping with Willow. The sun shone, the birds sang, everything was just as a perfect Californian afternoon should be.
"So no Angel tonight?" Buffy smiled at Willow's question.
"No, mom likes to keep me home as much as possible." Willow grinned, and sighed happily.
"Especially with college soon 'n' all… it's gonna be fun."
"You're really looking forward to it aren't you?" Willow looked sidelong at her best friend.
"Aren't you too, sunshine girl?" Buffy laughed, looking down again at the Gem of Amara.
"A lot more than I was before school ended." Willow nodded understandingly. "I guess it takes not being able to have something to appreciate how much you want it." The two girls smiled in silence for a moment, enjoying the balminess of the evening.
When they finally arrived at Buffy's house it was just after sunset, a few pinkish streaks still visible on the horizon. They stopped for a while to continue a meaningless conversation. Willow leant against the wall, accidentally placing her hand in a sparkling mass of broken glass.
"Ouch!" She leapt up, waving her injured hand. Blood began to drip from the multiple cuts and, before she realised what she was doing, Buffy had seized Willow's hand and had it clamped in her mouth. "Um…Buffy?" Willow stared in horror as Buffy's face morphed, and when she tried to pull her hand away she realised that Buffy had bitten into it, tearing into Willow's flesh with her fangs. She screamed, trying to push Buffy away with her other hand.
Suddenly remembering herself, Buffy jerked up, and her face switched back to human. Willow's blood was all around her mouth, a little running down her chin. Without a word, or even a glance in Willow's direction, she turned and sped away at her patent unnatural speed. Willow watched, astonished, holding her wounded hand against her chest.
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Angel was just returning home for a Buffyless night when he stopped, startled. He could sense that buffy wa sdistressed, but before he could do anything about it, she appeared out of nowhere, racing past him with her hands over her face.
"Buffy!" She ran inside and he followed suit. The smell of human blood lingered after her. Willow's blood. Oh God…
Angel rushed to the bathroom to see Buffy leaning over the toilet, gagging. He pulled her back by the hips, and she looked up at him, blood trickling down her chin and tears running down her pale cheeks.
"I wanted to… I w-wanted to…" he smoothed her hair back from her face in time for her to lean over the bowl again, vomiting blood. It smelt human. She was stammering incoherent syllables. "K-k-i.. l-l… w-wannnt-ed-d t-t-to ki-ill-l…" Her head flopped back into the toilet bowl, and he leant forward with her, pulling her hair out of the way. He wasn't entirely sure why, the ends were already soaked with blood. He wasn't sure if it would be right to ask her what had happened, but he felt he had to know.
"Buffy." She was sobbing now, sobbing and retching. "Buffy, please tell me what happened." He made sure that his voice was full of control. She would listen to him, he knew that. She would do what he said. The power he held over her scared them both, and so unless it was absolutely necessary he tried to keep it below the surface. Now, though, he felt it was necessary to exert that control. He could see the fear in her eyes as she looked at him. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and scrambled away from the toilet. Still stammering, she told him about what had happened, before collapsing into him. Angel tried to keep himself from smelling Willow's blood on her. She needed him to keep controlled. He hoped he could keep himself together, for her sake, but he wondered how long he could last. Only time will tell, he thought as he clasped her delicate body into his chest.
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Giles wrapped a bandage around Willow's hand, listening intently to Willow's description of the day's events.
"… and then she just ran off, she didn't even look at me. She was so fast it was unreal." Willow paused, trying to convey exactly how it had felt, the madness. She remebered how she could feel Buffy's hunger, he desperation as she gulped down her best friend's blood. "You should've seen her Giles, it was like she'd gone crazy." He nodded, fastening the bandage.
"And you say she just ran off." He paused, thinking. "Do you have any idea where she went?" Willow shook her head.
"No idea. Maybe Angel's?" Giles stood up, removing his glasses, one hand on his forehead. "What?" He looked at her, a concerned look etched on his face. It seemed that he too was having trouble putting his worries into words. Willow felt a strong feeling of familiarity and sympathy in that moment, as though their fear united them.
"I'm becoming increasingly worried about Buffy and Angel's relationship… they could pull each other down." Willow gasped, wide-eyed, and Giles continued. "It is my personally belief that Angel's love for Buffy has thusfar prevented him from feeding from humans, but now,"he replaced his glasses, "they are united in their bloodlust. Both of them desperately want to feed from humans." Willow looked down, lifting her wounded hand.
"Do you think they will?" Giles sat down.
"I don't know. Only time will tell."
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Ooh, a longer one. Please please please review and I'll dance like a dying squirrel.
That's the dance of happiness, by the way. It's just that I'm terrible at it.
I'll shut up now.
Review….?