A/N Please read my small story in OriginalsHistorical called "The Day the
World I Knew Changed Forever". It's dedicated to the memory of those lost
on September 11th. Thank you.
"A.. a vampire attack. Her parents just called us and told us what had happened. T-They didn't say vampires. They said she had bite marks on her neck a-a-and her blood was drained." Xander continued.
"Oh God!" Buffy said, nearly falling on the floor. Angel caught her as she started to sob. "Cordy! No."
"Shh." Angel said, tears coming into his eyes at the pain he felt emanating from the room.
They all sat there, minds numb with the thoughts and memories that swam through their heads. Angel held Buffy to his chest while they sat on the floor, Willow's head was on Oz's shoulder and his arm was around her on the couch, Xander sat on the other end from them not moving, and Giles stared off into space from his position on the chair I the corner. Thought Cordelia hadn't been the best of friends with them, she was still their friend.
Buffy remembered all the times that Cordy and her had matched wits over almost stupid things. She remembered first telling Cordy Angel was a vampire and Cordy telling her that she was the slayer of dating. She remembered Cordy trying to help her in the ally at the Bronze after Buffy had come back from LA the summer after she had died. Buffy remembered all the times that she had saved Cordy. Now the thought that permeated her thoughts the most was: I wasn't there to save her.
"The funeral's going to be tomorrow at 3:00." Xander said to no one in particular. "She's going to be buried at the Sunnydale Cemetery. Her parents wanted us to come to the wake tonight at the Sunnydale Funeral Home at 7:00. I didn't know what to say."
Buffy looked up at Xander, who was obviously hurting the most out of all of them. She stood up and sat by him. He leaned his head on her shoulder and Buffy held him. Before Buffy registered it, he was crying. She had never seen Xander cry before and it was a little weird, but she wasn't going to say anything.
"We should all start getting ready to go." Giles said.
Willow sniffed and wiped her face. "Yeah. We need to go to the wake. For her parents and for her."
They all got up and hugged each other one after the other before walking numbly to their houses or dorm. Angel held Buffy the whole way home. They got dressed in silence, both grieving for their lost friend. It was supposed to have been a happy day. Angel had walked in the sun and was now unkillable. He would never ever die from a staking, or burning, or the sun. But it had been bittersweet. Cordelia Chase was dead.
The Scoobies were all dressed in black and huddled together in the funeral home. They were in high school all over again. All of Cordy's little Cordettes were there. A lot of them were making eyes at Angel and completely disregarding that one of their friends was dead. Buffy tightened her arms around Angel's waist and stared down the Cordettes until they backed off and walked away. Angel was completely oblivious to it all. He was too concerned with Buffy.
Cordelia looked as beautiful as she had in life. Her long brown hair was flowing around her shoulders in the white satin-lined casket. She had on spaghetti strapped black dress that disappeared into the bottom of the casket. Her makeup was done to perfection, like it always had been when she was alive.
Buffy looked away towards the door and saw Harmony enter. The blonde girl that had once been a Cordette was now a vampire. Buffy hadn't killed her yet because she just felt pity for the girl. Buffy excused herself and walked over to Harmony.
"What are you doing here?" Buffy hissed.
"I came to see my friend." Harmony said. She was actually crying.
"You do realize that you're not one of these people, right? That they're going to know.."
"I was her best friend Buffy! Why wouldn't I show?"
"Because you're a vampire. Or did you forget?"
"How could I forget? Geez!"
"Bite anybody here and I kill you."
Harmony swept past Buffy and walked over to the group that was eyeing Angel again.
Angel walked over to Buffy and the girls' heads bobbed to the side to watch his ass move. Buffy stopped Angel and turned him so his back was to the door. He looked at her funny.
"Sorry. Those girls over there are giving you the lusty eye and you really don't need to walk with your back to them."
"Maybe I should go say hi." Angel said.
"Angel. Please don't joke. I feel bad enough with Cordy gone, I don't need some stupid bimbos that made my life hell in high school stealing you away."
Angel pulled Buffy into a tight embrace and kissed the top of her head. "Buffy, no one can steal me away from you. I love you too much to let them."
"Really?"
"Of course. Why would you ever doubt my love?"
"I don't. I was just making sure." Buffy laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes as he held her tightly to him. She imagined the girls staring at her coldly, wondering how a loser like Buffy could get a guy as hot and tasteful as Angel. The first smile since the news of Cordy's death spread across her face.
Buffy was enjoying the little moment when a scream cut through her nerves. Buffy and Angel moved to find where the scream had come from. Willow was screaming and pointing and all the other girls minus Harmony were joining in. Xander, Giles, and Oz stared in horror at what was raising up out of the casket. Cordelia was sitting up in full vamp face. Buffy and Angel gasped as they watched Cordelia jump out of the casket and jump for the first Cordette she saw.
Snapping out of her shock, Buffy ran up faster than Cordy could contemplate and the Slayer threw what used to be Cordelia Chase through the window. Buffy started to run after Cordy through the broken window but the girl was gone when Buffy shot through. She looked everywhere for Cordy, but the girl was gone. Angel came out and stood behind her.
"Where is she?" Angel asked.
"I don't know. She just disappeared." Buffy said.
"I should have known. I could have stopped this." Buffy said. She and Angel had changed clothes and gone out hunting for the vampire Cordelia had become. Angel grasped her hand and stopped her from walking. She turned to him and looked up at his face.
"How?" Angel asked.
"I don't know how! I just.. I could have saved her! I could have stopped this!"
"Buffy.."
"NO! She was my friend and I couldn't save her. And I feel really, really bad that she's like this now a-a-and the last time I saw or talked to her. I was so harsh to her Angel and now she's gone and I can't say I'm sorry." Buffy started to sob. "Now I have to kill her again. I never thought that I would have to kill one of my friends."
"Neither have I." Cordelia's voice wafted on the breeze to the couple.
Buffy spun and saw Cordelia walking smoothly around the corner of a building. She was dressed in smooth, blood red leather pants and a matching jacket. Her boots were high and thick soled. Her makeup was dark and her hair flowed down around her shoulders and over her back in loose ringlets.
"Buffy, it's not her." Angel said behind Buffy.
"Oh come on Angel! You of all people know that it is me. I am Cordelia."
"No you're not." Buffy said.
"Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. I'm ashamed of you. You're the slayer, you should know this. Giles was wrong. I am seriously me and loving all this new power coursing through me. You should really try it sometime."
"No thanks. I like my pulse."
"Don't really know if I would change you. If I remember correctly, you were the one that caused my life to be a living hell. You ruined me. Although, I gotta say, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be me right now."
"Cordelia.."
"Shut up! I'm talking." Cordy snapped. "If it weren't for you, I would have gotten everything I wanted. I could have had Owen, I could have had Angel, but NO. Little Miss Slayer couldn't let that happen. If it weren't for you, I would never have even noticed Xander! That loser. What did I ever see in him?"
"You said you loved him. That he grew on you like a fungus."
"I was stupid."
"Yeah, you were. You broke his heart. He loved you just as much as I know you loved him. I could tell it was killing you, no pun, after you came back to school."
"God Buffy! Is that all you think about? Taking care of YOUR things? YOUR people? Not everything is about you! Ok, so maybe I did love him a little bit, but come on! In the end, it never would have worked out."
"Why's that?"
"Because, he hung with you." With that, Cordelia attacked.
Buffy and Angel threw themselves to the side and Cordelia sailed between them. Buffy flipped to her feet just as Angel did and Cordy faced Buffy.
"Stop trying to be the hero for once." Cordy spat.
"Can't help it, it's my job." Buffy retorted as she kicked Cordy in the face.
Cordelia tripped over a headstone and fell into Angel's arms. "I'll be with you in a moment." Cordy twisted in Angel's arms and kicked his stomach. Angel hit a large headstone and fell to the ground. Cordelia threw herself at Buffy and started to pull the blonde's hair.
Buffy cried out as Cordy managed to pull out a large clump of Buffy's hair. That pissed Buffy off and she pulled out twice as much hair on Cordelia. The brunette screamed with pain and fury and tried to punch Buffy, but Buffy blocked it, pulled Cordy forward using the momentum she already had, and pushed her straight down onto a granite headstone. Cordy screamed and looked up at Buffy with blood running from a large cut on her forehead.
"Bitch!" Cordy shrieked.
"What can I say?" Buffy said delivering a vicious backhand to the other girl's jaw.
Cordy cried out as she went down to the ground. Buffy whipped out Mr. Pointy and looked at the soulless creature Cordelia Chase had become. The brunette vampire shifted out of her vampire visage and smiled at Buffy. Buffy faltered and frowned.
"Buffy, it's not Cordelia. Stake it." Angel said. He had gotten up and moved over behind Cordelia.
"She can't do it!" Cordy crowed triumphantly. "That's always been your weakness Buffy! You couldn't kill Angel, you couldn't kill the vampire version of your loser best friend Willow, and now.. now you can't kill me."
"Buffy! Come on baby, you can do this." Angel encouraged. Buffy looked back and forth between Cordy and Angel. She was so confused. Cordy had been her friend. How could she kill her?
"Hey! Here's an idea: you could join me! Me, you, and hopefully Angelus can go kill every one of those loser friends of yours and then we can kill off all the loser vampires and make a really cool race of vampires. What do ya say?"
The stake dropped to Buffy's side as she stared at Cordelia getting closer and closer to her. She didn't know what to do. For the first time she had no idea how to kill Cordy. Buffy's eyes filled with tears as Cordy lowered her fangs to Buffy's neck. She couldn't look at Angel knowing what was happening to her. She heard a clap of thunder and then it started to rain. Buffy closed her eyes against the rain as she felt the tiny pin pricks start to sink in. But just as suddenly as they had entered, they were ripped out.
Buffy watched as what used to be Cordelia turned to dust. She looked down at her hand that clutched Mr. Pointy. She had staked Cordelia. Sobbing, Buffy fell to her knees. Angel fell to his knees in front of Buffy and held her to him. She sobbed all of her frustrations out as the rain cascaded down over the couple. She was ashamed of herself at how weak she had been.
Angel picked Buffy up in his arms and carried her home. He dried her off and slipped her into one of his shirts. Buffy was so light and now she was almost a shell from the encounter with Cordelia. Slipping the covers back on his side of the bed, Angel crawled in after he had dried off and changed into a pair of boxers. Buffy curled up on his side and tried to sleep, but she couldn't. She kept feeling those fangs sink into her neck. It hadn't been the first time a vampire had bitten her. Her mind flashed to the night before Graduation Day.
"Buffy.. It's you?" A severely weakened Angel asked as Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed.
"It's me." Buffy said.
"I didn't want to go without.. seeing you.."
"Angel, I can cure you."
"It's ok.. I'm ready.."
"Angel, listen to me. Sit up." He struggled to sit up and finally made it half way before Buffy stopped him. "You're gonna live. You have to live."
"What do I.."
"Drink." He looked at her, almost comprehending. She pulled off her jacket and moved her tank top gently aside. "Drink me."
"No!" Angel jerked away from her.
"It's the only way."
"Get away!" He got up from the bed and stood swaying before her.
"It'll save you."
"It'll kill you."
"Maybe not.. Not if you don't take it all."
"You can't ask me to do this."
"I won't let you die. I can't. The blood of the Slayer is the only cure."
"Faith.."
"I tried.. I killed her."
"Then it's over."
"No." Buffy moved towards him and he shoved her away, stumbling out into the main room. She followed him and watched him stumble and fall onto the coffee table.
"It's over!"
"It's never over. I won't let you die. Drink."
"Please.."
Buffy hit him in the face. He took the hit, looked back at her, weak and uncomprehending. She hit him again. He looked at her, understanding flooding into his eyes. She hit him again. He looked back at her, in vamp face. She tore her tank top aside, grabbed the back of his head, and slammed it down on her neck. He stared at her pulsing vein with his golden eyes and sunk his fangs in.
Buffy gasped as he took long, shuddering gulps, his hands tightening around her. A stream of blood trickled down her back as he pulled her hard to him, overbalances her, they fell, hitting the ground, Angel on top, his face still burrowed in her flesh. Buffy winced, mouth opened in a silent cry, unable to catch her breath. Her hand flailed and found the water jug. She squeezed it hard, bending the thick metal.
Buffy brought her leg up and curled it around Angel's thigh then she shot out in a sudden spasm, slamming into the table and breaking it in half. Angel couldn't stop. Buffy's eyes widened, wet with panic and ecstatic pain. As his animal feeding brought her close to the dark edge she finally screamed, a hoarse, primal call that filled the room. He heard her and wrenched himself free, throwing himself backwards onto the floor, breathing intensely hard, blood on his lips. A few racking breaths and he morphed back to human.
"Buffy?"
Buffy closed her eyes as she felt herself slip away.
Buffy shot up in bed, a cold sweat pouring down her face. Her hand found the scar that Angel had left on her neck from that. Angel. She looked over into his concerned eyes now level with hers.
"Buffy, are you ok?" Angel asked.
"I-I-I'm fine. Just a bad dream." Buffy said shakily. "I'm fine."
Her hand was holding her scar. "Buffy?" He gently took her hand away and looked down at the mark. She winced a little and he realized what she had been dreaming about. Angel pulled her to him and held her tight to assure her that he would never do that to her again.
Buffy held onto him just as tight and stared at the wall behind him. After a few minutes, his grip lightened and she drew back away from him. "What?"
"I have an idea." Angel smiled.
"What?"
"Come on." Angel took her hand and led them upstairs and out onto the balcony. He sat down and pulled Buffy down into his lap. She leaned into his chest and closed her eyes. "Don't close your eyes. Keep them open." She did as he told her to and together they watched their first sunrise in each other's arms.
"A.. a vampire attack. Her parents just called us and told us what had happened. T-They didn't say vampires. They said she had bite marks on her neck a-a-and her blood was drained." Xander continued.
"Oh God!" Buffy said, nearly falling on the floor. Angel caught her as she started to sob. "Cordy! No."
"Shh." Angel said, tears coming into his eyes at the pain he felt emanating from the room.
They all sat there, minds numb with the thoughts and memories that swam through their heads. Angel held Buffy to his chest while they sat on the floor, Willow's head was on Oz's shoulder and his arm was around her on the couch, Xander sat on the other end from them not moving, and Giles stared off into space from his position on the chair I the corner. Thought Cordelia hadn't been the best of friends with them, she was still their friend.
Buffy remembered all the times that Cordy and her had matched wits over almost stupid things. She remembered first telling Cordy Angel was a vampire and Cordy telling her that she was the slayer of dating. She remembered Cordy trying to help her in the ally at the Bronze after Buffy had come back from LA the summer after she had died. Buffy remembered all the times that she had saved Cordy. Now the thought that permeated her thoughts the most was: I wasn't there to save her.
"The funeral's going to be tomorrow at 3:00." Xander said to no one in particular. "She's going to be buried at the Sunnydale Cemetery. Her parents wanted us to come to the wake tonight at the Sunnydale Funeral Home at 7:00. I didn't know what to say."
Buffy looked up at Xander, who was obviously hurting the most out of all of them. She stood up and sat by him. He leaned his head on her shoulder and Buffy held him. Before Buffy registered it, he was crying. She had never seen Xander cry before and it was a little weird, but she wasn't going to say anything.
"We should all start getting ready to go." Giles said.
Willow sniffed and wiped her face. "Yeah. We need to go to the wake. For her parents and for her."
They all got up and hugged each other one after the other before walking numbly to their houses or dorm. Angel held Buffy the whole way home. They got dressed in silence, both grieving for their lost friend. It was supposed to have been a happy day. Angel had walked in the sun and was now unkillable. He would never ever die from a staking, or burning, or the sun. But it had been bittersweet. Cordelia Chase was dead.
The Scoobies were all dressed in black and huddled together in the funeral home. They were in high school all over again. All of Cordy's little Cordettes were there. A lot of them were making eyes at Angel and completely disregarding that one of their friends was dead. Buffy tightened her arms around Angel's waist and stared down the Cordettes until they backed off and walked away. Angel was completely oblivious to it all. He was too concerned with Buffy.
Cordelia looked as beautiful as she had in life. Her long brown hair was flowing around her shoulders in the white satin-lined casket. She had on spaghetti strapped black dress that disappeared into the bottom of the casket. Her makeup was done to perfection, like it always had been when she was alive.
Buffy looked away towards the door and saw Harmony enter. The blonde girl that had once been a Cordette was now a vampire. Buffy hadn't killed her yet because she just felt pity for the girl. Buffy excused herself and walked over to Harmony.
"What are you doing here?" Buffy hissed.
"I came to see my friend." Harmony said. She was actually crying.
"You do realize that you're not one of these people, right? That they're going to know.."
"I was her best friend Buffy! Why wouldn't I show?"
"Because you're a vampire. Or did you forget?"
"How could I forget? Geez!"
"Bite anybody here and I kill you."
Harmony swept past Buffy and walked over to the group that was eyeing Angel again.
Angel walked over to Buffy and the girls' heads bobbed to the side to watch his ass move. Buffy stopped Angel and turned him so his back was to the door. He looked at her funny.
"Sorry. Those girls over there are giving you the lusty eye and you really don't need to walk with your back to them."
"Maybe I should go say hi." Angel said.
"Angel. Please don't joke. I feel bad enough with Cordy gone, I don't need some stupid bimbos that made my life hell in high school stealing you away."
Angel pulled Buffy into a tight embrace and kissed the top of her head. "Buffy, no one can steal me away from you. I love you too much to let them."
"Really?"
"Of course. Why would you ever doubt my love?"
"I don't. I was just making sure." Buffy laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes as he held her tightly to him. She imagined the girls staring at her coldly, wondering how a loser like Buffy could get a guy as hot and tasteful as Angel. The first smile since the news of Cordy's death spread across her face.
Buffy was enjoying the little moment when a scream cut through her nerves. Buffy and Angel moved to find where the scream had come from. Willow was screaming and pointing and all the other girls minus Harmony were joining in. Xander, Giles, and Oz stared in horror at what was raising up out of the casket. Cordelia was sitting up in full vamp face. Buffy and Angel gasped as they watched Cordelia jump out of the casket and jump for the first Cordette she saw.
Snapping out of her shock, Buffy ran up faster than Cordy could contemplate and the Slayer threw what used to be Cordelia Chase through the window. Buffy started to run after Cordy through the broken window but the girl was gone when Buffy shot through. She looked everywhere for Cordy, but the girl was gone. Angel came out and stood behind her.
"Where is she?" Angel asked.
"I don't know. She just disappeared." Buffy said.
"I should have known. I could have stopped this." Buffy said. She and Angel had changed clothes and gone out hunting for the vampire Cordelia had become. Angel grasped her hand and stopped her from walking. She turned to him and looked up at his face.
"How?" Angel asked.
"I don't know how! I just.. I could have saved her! I could have stopped this!"
"Buffy.."
"NO! She was my friend and I couldn't save her. And I feel really, really bad that she's like this now a-a-and the last time I saw or talked to her. I was so harsh to her Angel and now she's gone and I can't say I'm sorry." Buffy started to sob. "Now I have to kill her again. I never thought that I would have to kill one of my friends."
"Neither have I." Cordelia's voice wafted on the breeze to the couple.
Buffy spun and saw Cordelia walking smoothly around the corner of a building. She was dressed in smooth, blood red leather pants and a matching jacket. Her boots were high and thick soled. Her makeup was dark and her hair flowed down around her shoulders and over her back in loose ringlets.
"Buffy, it's not her." Angel said behind Buffy.
"Oh come on Angel! You of all people know that it is me. I am Cordelia."
"No you're not." Buffy said.
"Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. I'm ashamed of you. You're the slayer, you should know this. Giles was wrong. I am seriously me and loving all this new power coursing through me. You should really try it sometime."
"No thanks. I like my pulse."
"Don't really know if I would change you. If I remember correctly, you were the one that caused my life to be a living hell. You ruined me. Although, I gotta say, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be me right now."
"Cordelia.."
"Shut up! I'm talking." Cordy snapped. "If it weren't for you, I would have gotten everything I wanted. I could have had Owen, I could have had Angel, but NO. Little Miss Slayer couldn't let that happen. If it weren't for you, I would never have even noticed Xander! That loser. What did I ever see in him?"
"You said you loved him. That he grew on you like a fungus."
"I was stupid."
"Yeah, you were. You broke his heart. He loved you just as much as I know you loved him. I could tell it was killing you, no pun, after you came back to school."
"God Buffy! Is that all you think about? Taking care of YOUR things? YOUR people? Not everything is about you! Ok, so maybe I did love him a little bit, but come on! In the end, it never would have worked out."
"Why's that?"
"Because, he hung with you." With that, Cordelia attacked.
Buffy and Angel threw themselves to the side and Cordelia sailed between them. Buffy flipped to her feet just as Angel did and Cordy faced Buffy.
"Stop trying to be the hero for once." Cordy spat.
"Can't help it, it's my job." Buffy retorted as she kicked Cordy in the face.
Cordelia tripped over a headstone and fell into Angel's arms. "I'll be with you in a moment." Cordy twisted in Angel's arms and kicked his stomach. Angel hit a large headstone and fell to the ground. Cordelia threw herself at Buffy and started to pull the blonde's hair.
Buffy cried out as Cordy managed to pull out a large clump of Buffy's hair. That pissed Buffy off and she pulled out twice as much hair on Cordelia. The brunette screamed with pain and fury and tried to punch Buffy, but Buffy blocked it, pulled Cordy forward using the momentum she already had, and pushed her straight down onto a granite headstone. Cordy screamed and looked up at Buffy with blood running from a large cut on her forehead.
"Bitch!" Cordy shrieked.
"What can I say?" Buffy said delivering a vicious backhand to the other girl's jaw.
Cordy cried out as she went down to the ground. Buffy whipped out Mr. Pointy and looked at the soulless creature Cordelia Chase had become. The brunette vampire shifted out of her vampire visage and smiled at Buffy. Buffy faltered and frowned.
"Buffy, it's not Cordelia. Stake it." Angel said. He had gotten up and moved over behind Cordelia.
"She can't do it!" Cordy crowed triumphantly. "That's always been your weakness Buffy! You couldn't kill Angel, you couldn't kill the vampire version of your loser best friend Willow, and now.. now you can't kill me."
"Buffy! Come on baby, you can do this." Angel encouraged. Buffy looked back and forth between Cordy and Angel. She was so confused. Cordy had been her friend. How could she kill her?
"Hey! Here's an idea: you could join me! Me, you, and hopefully Angelus can go kill every one of those loser friends of yours and then we can kill off all the loser vampires and make a really cool race of vampires. What do ya say?"
The stake dropped to Buffy's side as she stared at Cordelia getting closer and closer to her. She didn't know what to do. For the first time she had no idea how to kill Cordy. Buffy's eyes filled with tears as Cordy lowered her fangs to Buffy's neck. She couldn't look at Angel knowing what was happening to her. She heard a clap of thunder and then it started to rain. Buffy closed her eyes against the rain as she felt the tiny pin pricks start to sink in. But just as suddenly as they had entered, they were ripped out.
Buffy watched as what used to be Cordelia turned to dust. She looked down at her hand that clutched Mr. Pointy. She had staked Cordelia. Sobbing, Buffy fell to her knees. Angel fell to his knees in front of Buffy and held her to him. She sobbed all of her frustrations out as the rain cascaded down over the couple. She was ashamed of herself at how weak she had been.
Angel picked Buffy up in his arms and carried her home. He dried her off and slipped her into one of his shirts. Buffy was so light and now she was almost a shell from the encounter with Cordelia. Slipping the covers back on his side of the bed, Angel crawled in after he had dried off and changed into a pair of boxers. Buffy curled up on his side and tried to sleep, but she couldn't. She kept feeling those fangs sink into her neck. It hadn't been the first time a vampire had bitten her. Her mind flashed to the night before Graduation Day.
"Buffy.. It's you?" A severely weakened Angel asked as Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed.
"It's me." Buffy said.
"I didn't want to go without.. seeing you.."
"Angel, I can cure you."
"It's ok.. I'm ready.."
"Angel, listen to me. Sit up." He struggled to sit up and finally made it half way before Buffy stopped him. "You're gonna live. You have to live."
"What do I.."
"Drink." He looked at her, almost comprehending. She pulled off her jacket and moved her tank top gently aside. "Drink me."
"No!" Angel jerked away from her.
"It's the only way."
"Get away!" He got up from the bed and stood swaying before her.
"It'll save you."
"It'll kill you."
"Maybe not.. Not if you don't take it all."
"You can't ask me to do this."
"I won't let you die. I can't. The blood of the Slayer is the only cure."
"Faith.."
"I tried.. I killed her."
"Then it's over."
"No." Buffy moved towards him and he shoved her away, stumbling out into the main room. She followed him and watched him stumble and fall onto the coffee table.
"It's over!"
"It's never over. I won't let you die. Drink."
"Please.."
Buffy hit him in the face. He took the hit, looked back at her, weak and uncomprehending. She hit him again. He looked at her, understanding flooding into his eyes. She hit him again. He looked back at her, in vamp face. She tore her tank top aside, grabbed the back of his head, and slammed it down on her neck. He stared at her pulsing vein with his golden eyes and sunk his fangs in.
Buffy gasped as he took long, shuddering gulps, his hands tightening around her. A stream of blood trickled down her back as he pulled her hard to him, overbalances her, they fell, hitting the ground, Angel on top, his face still burrowed in her flesh. Buffy winced, mouth opened in a silent cry, unable to catch her breath. Her hand flailed and found the water jug. She squeezed it hard, bending the thick metal.
Buffy brought her leg up and curled it around Angel's thigh then she shot out in a sudden spasm, slamming into the table and breaking it in half. Angel couldn't stop. Buffy's eyes widened, wet with panic and ecstatic pain. As his animal feeding brought her close to the dark edge she finally screamed, a hoarse, primal call that filled the room. He heard her and wrenched himself free, throwing himself backwards onto the floor, breathing intensely hard, blood on his lips. A few racking breaths and he morphed back to human.
"Buffy?"
Buffy closed her eyes as she felt herself slip away.
Buffy shot up in bed, a cold sweat pouring down her face. Her hand found the scar that Angel had left on her neck from that. Angel. She looked over into his concerned eyes now level with hers.
"Buffy, are you ok?" Angel asked.
"I-I-I'm fine. Just a bad dream." Buffy said shakily. "I'm fine."
Her hand was holding her scar. "Buffy?" He gently took her hand away and looked down at the mark. She winced a little and he realized what she had been dreaming about. Angel pulled her to him and held her tight to assure her that he would never do that to her again.
Buffy held onto him just as tight and stared at the wall behind him. After a few minutes, his grip lightened and she drew back away from him. "What?"
"I have an idea." Angel smiled.
"What?"
"Come on." Angel took her hand and led them upstairs and out onto the balcony. He sat down and pulled Buffy down into his lap. She leaned into his chest and closed her eyes. "Don't close your eyes. Keep them open." She did as he told her to and together they watched their first sunrise in each other's arms.