The Escape – Chapter 8 – The Loss of a friend

Author's Note – Hi, I am so sorry about the wait. I had loads of end of year exams and also took time to finish my other story, Speed, A Race against time. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I promise to get more up soon xx

Huggins x

Little Glass Heart x

Buffy ran as fast as she could away from the fair.

Shana had been a good friend. Tears streaming down her cheeks she tried to come to terms with what she had just been through. Her friend had lay and died in her arms and there was nothing she could have done to stop it. She was still running and she didn't think she was ever going to stop. Who had done this and why had they? What had Shana ever done to someone which was so bad they killed her for it?

Coming to a stop, she felt so tired but she wanted to run forever, away from everything. Away from Shana and Errol and the duties of being the slayer but she couldn't. She knew no matter how much she wanted too she would never leave Angel again, it would hurt too much.

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Errol stood with Keenan and some other members of the gang just outside the fair. Tears were silently making their way down Errol's face. They had seen the body bag being loaded into the ambulance. Keenan looked angry but calm, maybe for once not drunk or on weed.

"Nobody hurts my crew! They are gonna pay and your gonna help me brother"

Errol felt like he could punch something. Keenan would never understand that Shana hated him.

"We are not gonna go after the people who did this, the police can, that's why they are there! Me and Shana, we don't hang with you no more."

With that he turned away, shaking. He didn't need this right now he just didn't. The girl he loved was dead and he hadn't been there to help her.

"Don't you turn your back on me Errol"

Keenan's voice was threatening but at that moment in time all Errol cared about was Shana. The girl he had tried to protect but had failed. It was his fault, she was dead and he hadn't even been there. Even when she lay on the floor, dying, where had he been? His fear of what Keenan would do to him had made him give up what could have been his last moments with Shana Williams. He would never forgive Keenan for this and he would never forget, not until his dying day, what precious moments of love Shana had given him.

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Buffy woke to find herself lying on a piece of grass in the small wooded area of the park. At first her mind was fuzzy and then she remembered, how Shana had died and she had been running the streets helplessly sobbing, when it had begun to rain she had crawled under the tree's in the park for shelter and had curled up underneath an oak tree and had fallen into nightmare-ridden sleep.

Climbing shakily to her feet, Buffy realised what a state she was in. Her white dress with red roses was covered in dirt from were she had rolled over in her sleep on the muddy floor. Walking like a zombie towards her home which was several blocks away, something occurred to her. Shana had lain on the floor, dying in the middle of the fairground and she had been all alone, where had Errol been? She must have been with him; her old friends had abandoned her when she had left Keenan's crew.

Walking up her front path, she paused briefly when she went to open the door, suddenly remembering she had promised Angel that she would meet him the night before. Knowing Angel, he would be frantic.

Taking a deep breath she opened the door and stepped inside, the hallway was dark, the curtains were closed. Stepping into the living room, she smiled as she saw Angel lying on the sofa, mobile in hand. Grinning, she pulled her mobile out of her pocket and smiled gently when she saw Angel had tried to call her 27 times. Kneeling down beside the sofa, she smiled as she gently reached out and tenderly ran her hand over his face. He stirred almost instantly, opening his dark chocolate brown eyes, he looked into her green ones.

Sitting up quickly he pulled her into a hug and buried his face in her hair, breathing deeply.

"Were did you go? I saw Errol this morning, he told me about Shana, Oh Buffy I am so, so sorry."

Tears began to fall down her face, as she felt all the emotions she had held since waking up leave her.

Pulling her closer into his chest, with her face buried into his neck, he whispered soothing words for the best part of an hour before Buffy had calmed down.

Pulling her into a tender kiss, Angel smiled and kissed her forehead before pulling her more firmly to him.

"I love you so much" she managed to whispered, on the verge of sleep.

Smiling Angel looked down at her and grinned.

"I love you more"

Laughing gently, Buffy opened her eyes again.

"Not Possible"