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Seeing Red

(Book 2 of the Red Light Series)

Part 1

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Buffy and Willow were walking hand in hand through one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries, talking, laughing, and generally having a good time.  It had taken a week after Jenny Calendar’s funeral before they could just laugh without feeling guilty.

It had been a busy week.

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After spending that first afternoon making out for the first time, Buffy and Willow had gone to Giles, and Buffy had to explain how she had slipped and told her mom about being the slayer.  Giles didn’t comment on the two girls holding hands the entire time they were there.  For their part, Buffy and Willow didn’t bring up the subject of their relationship- neither feeling comfortable talking about such things with Giles when he had essentially just lost his girlfriend- or at least potential girlfriend.

Giles had resignedly agreed to speak with Buffy’s mother after the funeral, to explain about vampires and slayers.  In the end they had to take the elder Summers on an abbreviated patrol in order to convince her.  Buffy had been adamantly against it at first, and when it was about to turn into a shouting match between mother and daughter, Willow had stepped in and salvaged the situation. 

She had been sitting quietly, afraid to draw attention to herself as it was the first instance where she was spending any significant amount of time in the presence of Mrs. Summers since she and Buffy had begun their relationship.  Willow had been extremely nervous- certain that Buffy’s mom would have negative feelings for her.  In her nightmares Buffy’s mom reviled her, accusing her of corrupting and perverting her daughter- forbidding her from ever seeing Buffy again.  Finally, she couldn’t stand the thought of Buffy and her mom ending up in a screaming match, and she had grabbed the slayer’s hand and dragged her out of the room.  After trying reason, she ended up putting on her resolve face and telling Buffy that she *would* be bringing her mother with them that night- they would have the whole Scooby gang there, and they would camp out at the gravesite and wait for Jess Wheldon, a vamp victim buried that afternoon , to rise.  They would stake him and then take Mrs. Summers home.

Buffy, surprised by her girlfriend’s commanding tone, had meekly acquiesced.  It was even money who was more surprised when she walked back in to the living room and quietly announced the decision- her mom or her watcher.

Events had progressed as expected; Wheldon had risen, been staked, and reduced to dust.  They had led a bewildered Joyce Summers back to the house where she and Giles had a long talk over a fairly tall glass of whiskey while Buffy and Willow had retired to the back porch for some quiet cuddling,

The week had settled into a routine after that night- Willow would meet Buffy at her house so they could walk to school together, then it was classes, research in the library, then some heavy patrolling- mixed with a little light petting.  So far, they hadn’t made any effort to rush the physical stuff.  There was lots of kissing- both the long languid gentle kind and the deep, hot, breath-taking kind.  There was groping; but over-clothes only; neither was quite ready to cross that line… yet.  Both of them knew that it wouldn’t be long.

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Buffy laughed out loud as Willow- barely restraining her giggles- said, “And then… <snicker> Giles face… when your mom <snort> when your mom said, ‘So Buffy fights these vampires and demons…’” she trailed off, unable to contain her laughter.

Buffy continued the thought, “…and <giggle> and you…”

“…Read Books?” they both shouted, dissolving into insane laughter as they remembered the flustered look on Giles face and his stuttering attempt to explain the importance of research.

They held each other in their arms to keep from collapsing completely.  After a moment, their laughter died down and they gazed into each other’s eyes for several moments.  Smiles faded from hilarity and took on a new look as desire began to build.  Their arms tightened around one another, bodies pressing firmly together as their breathing sped up and their eyes dilated in arousal. 

Just as they were about to kiss, a rude voice rang out from several meters away, “Ooo lookie here, Marty!  We got us a couple of Lezzies!”

A second voice responded from near the first, “I do believe you’re right, Nixon.”

Buffy closed her eyes and growled in frustration.  Not even turning her head, she loudly said, “Hey!  We’re having a moment here.  Why don’t you two piss off?!”

Marty turned to Nixon and said, “These two want to have a moment of happiness…”

Marty paused as Nixon answered, “I don’t think we can allow that, can we?”

Marty shook his head, agreeing with Nixon, “I’m pretty sure that’s against the rules.”  Coming up with an idea, he said, “I know- lets kill the blonde and take turns showing that redhead what a man can do!”

Nixon was about to say something when he found a stake suddenly protruding from his chest. 

Marty watched in horror as Nixon turned to dust.

Buffy was shouting as she attacked the stunned vamp, “Why can’t you people ever let us have a single freaking moment of joy…” she paused as she dislocated the vampire’s jaw with a powerful roundhouse punch.  “…or love without ruining it?!” she finished as she followed up the punch with a spinning backfist, again striking the damaged jaw and knocking the vamp to its knees as he cradled his ruined face in his hands.

Willow , having recovered Buffy’s stake, took that moment to exclaim her own frustration as she drove the wood home, “All we wanted to do was have a little moment of contentment, but NO, you had to ruin it!”

Buffy smiled at her girlfriend as they watched the vamp collapse into ash, “I get really tired of those jerks messing up our fun!”

Willow smiled back, “I know what you mean!”  Moving to take Buffy in her arms, she added, “Now, where were we?”

Buffy was at that moment struck with a dizzy spell and almost collapsed in Willow ’s arms, “Whoa!”

Willow , instantly concerned, asked, “Are you ok Buffy?”

Buffy recovered after a moment and said, “Yeah, I think so…  That was weird!”

Willow put her hand on Buffy’s cheek and felt the heat.  Moving it to her forehead she let out a low moan of frustration, “Buffy, you’re burning up!”

“Wadaya mean?” she demanded.

Willow was torn between concern for her apparently sick girlfriend, and frustration at the unresolved tension.  “Buffy, I think you’ve got the flu.”

Buffy closed her eyes and groaned, “Dammit!  I wanted to…”

Willow began to lead the sick slayer back to her house, “I know, baby.  Me too…”

Buffy whined as they walked, “Stupid Flu!”

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Xander shook his head at Cordelia's complaining.  She wanted to know why they had to patrol before they went to the bronze.  “Of course,” he thought, “She complains, but she still does it.” 

“I *told* you,” Willow said, her patience strained by Cordy’s incessant complaints.  “Buffy’s sick.  The least we can do is take over patrolling for a few nights,” she said with a sigh.  “Xander isn’t helping any either!” she thought, uncharitably.  She knew that Xander had a conflicting obligation between his best friend and his girlfriend, and was wisely keeping his mouth shut, but she still wished he would just shut her up.

Switching conversational gears without a clutch was another annoying habit Cordelia had.  “I don’t understand.  How come you’re not sick?”

Puzzled by the abruptly changed subject, Willow said, “Huh?”

Cordelia rolled her eyes, explaining, “Well, the way you guys are sucking face all the time…”

Willow ’s eyes narrowed in anger, “Hey!  Do I bring up you and Xander’s supply-closet shenanigans?  No!  I think not!”

As Cordelia was about to say something else, Xander jumped in, waving his hand up and down between them and whistling. “Ok! Time Out!  In case you haven’t noticed, we are in a grave yard.  If you guys don’t keep it down you’re going to scare away all the vampires!”

Cordelia just rolled her eyes again, saying, “Whatever.  Let’s just get this done.  You owe me a night of dancing at the bronze- although describing what you do out on the floor as ‘dancing’ might be too generous…”

Willow ’s eyes bugged out as she looked at Xander smiling at Cordelia’s words, even as he gave a half-hearted “Hey!”  She couldn’t for the life of her understand why Xander would put up with the constant insults.

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Willow didn’t see what Xander saw when he looked at Cordy.  The way her eyes would sparkle, and the corners of her mouth would twitch up when she and he traded insults.  It was like a weird kind of foreplay between them, and they both got excited when it happened.  They couldn’t argue for more than a couple minutes before they were locked together at the mouth, kissing and groping.  Maybe no one else could understand it, but they always knew when the barbs were the fun, sexy kind, and when they weren’t.

Not that such exchanges had led to actual sex yet.  The closest they had come had- not surprisingly- come in one of the supply closets at school.  They had ended up having a heated exchange in the lunch room, where they couldn’t immediately act on it, and had continued the argument for several minutes before they walked away from one another in a huff.  Everybody that witnessed it probably thought they were incredibly pissed off at one another- really, they were just taking separate routes to one of their favorite closets.  There had been no need to arrange it ahead of time, they just both knew right where to go.

Within seconds of the door closing they were clawing at each other’s tops, nearly tearing the fabric in the process.  Cordy was so worked up that she didn’t even comment when her $250 angora sweater ended up crumpled in a ball on the floor.  Xander had stroked and kneaded her breasts, toying with her nipples, while she ran her hands over his back, marking the skin with her nails.  They ended up dry-humping for several minutes before breaking off in frustration.  Desperate as he was, Xander would never force the issue, and they both knew there was no way Cordelia Chase was getting fully naked, let alone horizontal, in a closet at school.

Anyone who knew Cordelia stayed the hell out of her way that afternoon.  Frustration had put her into Über-Bitch mode for the rest of the day.  She actually had one sophomore football player in tears after she caught him staring at her ass as she got in her locker between classes.  Xander had just skipped the rest of his classes that day.  He went home and jerked off three times before he was able to once again face civilized society without sporting a raging hard-on.  He didn’t even need a dirty mag to fantasize to- the memory of Cordy’s flaring nostrils and flashing eyes as they ripped into one another verbally was more than enough to work with.

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Back to the present, Xander had managed to establish quiet, if not peace between the girls, and they were prowling the cemetery looking for a vamp to stake.

Willow was trying to put Cordy’s comment out of her head.  Not because she was embarrassed that the tactless wonder knew about, or even commented on, Willow and Buffy’s not infrequent make out sessions- but rather because she was feeling withdrawal pangs from missing just such activities.

Yesterday, they had both been too busy and preoccupied to have any ‘face time’ as Buffy had jokingly referred to it.  There had been tacit plans for a serious make-up session during patrol; had been until Marty and Nixon had ruined things.  Then the flu bug struck, and even though Willow was quite willing to have the flu in exchange for some quality Buffy kissage- Buffy wouldn’t hear of it.

“Buffy!  I’ll probably get it anyway- half the school is down with it.  I might as well take advantage of the opportunity to have a little fun getting it, rather than by way of someone in my general vicinity coughing in my direction,” she had reasoned

Buffy had remained firm in her denial of Willow ’s advances.  She had, however, promised to make up for it when she was over the flu.

“How?” Willow had pouted.  I don’t want to wait for kisses later, I want them now *and* later!  Whatever kissage I miss tonight is gone for good- never to be recovered.” She has said in a mock-forlorn voice.

Buffy just gave her a seductive smile, and said, “Who said kisses were the only thing I had in mind?”

Willow had shut up at that, her mind busy on just how Buffy might make up for missed kissage.

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Buffy was making her way across the graveyard, trying to ignore the fatigue and lightheadedness she was feeling.  She sensed something as she approached the Heckinsack’s mausoleum. She jumped around the corner, swinging her stake at whatever was there.

Xander screamed and jumped back, holding on to his own stake tightly.

Cordelia let out a shriek from where she stood behind Xander.  She and Willow instinctively held up their crosses at Buffy.

Buffy was slightly taken aback- looking at Xander she said, “Non-vampire.”  Her eyes swiveling to Cordy and Willow , she added, “Plus two.”

Willow was annoyed with her girlfriend, and it showed in the confusion on her face- happiness to see her new love, combined with annoyance at the fact that Buffy was out of bed and in a graveyard when she was supposed to be resting from the flu!  “Dang it, Buffy!” she said as she put her cross away.

Xander said, “Man, Buffy! My whole life just flashed before my eyes!”  He glanced over at Willow and added, “I gotta get me a life!”

Buffy bewilderedly asked, “What are you doing here?”

Willow put her hands on her hips and countered, “What are *you* doing here?”

Buffy looked at her girlfriend blankly and said, “Well, I'm patrolling!” as if the answer were obvious.

Willow ’s eyes showed her concern as she walked over to her girlfriend and put her hands loosely on her hips, “Baby… you’re sick!  You’re supposed to be in bed.”

Buffy attempted to defend herself, not meeting Willow ’s eyes she looked over at the others and pouted, “No, I feel fine. I mean, I'm... the world's spinning a little bit, but I like it, it's kinda like a ride.”

Cordelia, in her waspish way mixed concern with unthinking insult as she said, “Half the school's out with this flu. It's a serious deal.”  Putting her hands on her hips, she added sternly, “Buffy. We're all concerned about how gross you look.”

Buffy’s voice dripped with sarcasm as she answered, “I'm touched. Really. But I have work to do.”

Willow pulled her into a halfway hug and said, “Buffy, come on, one night of rest is not gonna kill you.”

Buffy pulled away slightly and said, “No, but it might kill somebody else.”

Xander pointed at her with his stake and said, “You mean Angel might.”  As Buffy turned away from the group, he added, “Buffy, this is not the time to challenge Angel for the ultimate fighting championship.”  He Gestured with his stake, explaining, “He's at full strength… you're only half a Slayer.”

Buffy turned and looked Xander in the eyes.  “Yeah, but I'm still the Slayer. And, as long as I am, Angelus's not gonna kill anybody else.”

Angelus popped up behind her and said, “Aw, c'mon.  Just one more.”

He attacked, as Willow and Cordelia screamed.  He ran right past Buffy and straight for Cordelia tackling her to the ground.

Buffy grabbed him by the back of his coat and pulled him off of the whimpering Cheerleader.  She turned him around, took him by the coat collar and swung at him with her stake- aiming for his foul heart.

He blocked her with his arm, grabbed hers and twisted, making her drop her stake.  He taunted, “Not feeling well, lover?”

Buffy looked up at him and punched him in the jaw, not saying a word.

He glared back at her and tried to kick her, but she grabbed his foot and shoved his leg up, making him fall hard onto his back.

Buffy smirked and taunted back, “That helps.”

Angelus scrambled to hands and feet while Buffy came at him from behind and tried to kick him.  He countered, kicking up and out, driving his foot into her chest.  She staggered back a bit until she could regain her balance.  He got up and advanced toward her.  She took a couple of swings at him, but he avoided them easily.  He blocked a third attempt, grabbing her arm and gripping her by the throat.

“You know, you being off your game's kinda takin' the fun out of all this,” he sneered, punching her in the face and causing her to stumble backwards again.

“Nope, still fun!” he goaded.

Angelus punched her in the gut, then grabbed her by the neck and shoved her around and into a corner column of the small mausoleum.

Buffy was dazed and tried to regain her balance, but didn't get a chance because he again punched her in the face, knocking her flat on her back.  He leapt on top of her and pinned her arms down.

Angelus took another moment to mock the fallen slayer, “Uh-oh. This does *not* look good for our heroine!” he said as he bent down to bite her.

Willow took that opportunity to throw Xander's jacket over Angelus' head.  She backed away and Xander grabbed Angelus’ head under the jacket, punching him and kneeing him twice in the face. 

Angelus fell over onto his back while Willow and Cordelia whipped out their crosses and held them out at him as he got up- forcing him to back off.

Xander quipped, “Take a walk, overbite,” while Buffy got to her feet.

Angelus slowly backed away.  “We'll have to do this again sometime,” his taunt falling somewhat flat as he had clearly lost this round,

He turned and walked off.  Buffy just watched him go.

Willow was instantly at her girlfriend’s side, “Baby, are you okay?” she asked, concerned.

Buffy put her hand to her forehead and plaintively said, “I told you guys to leave, I...”  She started to feel dizzy, whispering “I... Oh...” and fall to the ground unconscious.

Willow shouted, “Buffy!”

Xander and Cordelia turned to look, “Buffy?” Xander asked.

Willow helped Xander pick up the fallen slayer and they rushed to the hospital.

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Part 2

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Cordelia and Xander were sitting on a row of chairs in the waiting room with worried looks on their faces.  Giles was leaning against a doorway, nervously cleaning his glasses. 

Willow was nervously pacing back and forth, glancing at the elevator each time she reached the end of her path.  She was mostly worried about her girlfriend, but she’d be lying if she claimed she wasn’t nervous about seeing Buffy’s mom. Every time the elevator dinged, and the door opened, Willow jumped slightly and held her breath until she saw who was coming out.

She knew that Joyce knew about her and Buffy; Buffy had assured her on several occasions that her mom was cool with the whole thing, but Willow hadn’t actually spent any time alone in Joyce’s presence since she and Buffy had begun their new relationship.  Plus there was the added stress of Buffy being in the hospital, which Willow imagined wouldn’t put her girlfriend’s mom in the best frame of mind.

Giles watched the redhead becoming more and more frantic as time passed.  Finally he stepped into her path and stopped her, his hands gently gripping her shoulders.  “ Willow , you must calm down,” he said.  “You aren’t doing her any good by working yourself into a state…”

This time when the elevator dinged and the door opened Buffy’s mom was the one who walked out. 

Giles felt the redhead tense under his hands and saw her eyes widen in alarm.  He quickly spun around to see what was coming and was surprised when it turned out to be Joyce Summers.  He had, from Willow ’s response, halfway expected some monster to be attacking.

Joyce walked up to Giles and demanded, “Where is she?”

Cordy and Xander got up and approached, flanking Giles and Willow .

Giles answered, “She's still in the emergency room.”

Joyce made as if to walk out of the waiting room, saying, “I wanna see her.“

Willow said, “They won't let us in there!” her frustration and concern clearly evident in her voice.

Joyce stopped and looked back at her, not having noticed her at first, as she was hidden behind Giles.  She saw that the redhead was near tears, and immediately went to her; wrapping her in a tight hug.  “I’m sure she’ll be all right, Honey,” she tried to reassure her daughter’s girlfriend.

Willow let go one loud sob and tightly wrapped her arms around Buffy’s mom.  That one gesture, and calling her honey, finally convinced her that Joyce was really ok with her dating Buffy.  She only managed to keep from breaking down entirely, because she didn’t want to worry the older woman any more than she already was.  She nodded her head, not yet releasing her embrace, and agreed, “She will be.  It’ll take more than the flu to do in the slayer!”

Just then the Doctor came to the door and asked, “Mrs. Summers?”

Joyce and Willow let go their embrace and turned to the doctor.  Joyce kept one arm around the girl, silently offering her support.  “Yes?” she answered.

The doctor smiled and introduced herself, “I'm Dr. Wilkinson.”

Joyce immediately asked, “Is Buffy okay?”

The doctor began to explain, “We were able to stabilize and...”

Joyce interrupted exasperatedly, “Is she *okay*?”

Dr. Wilkinson reassuringly said, “She's going to be fine.”

Joyce and Willow both spoke at the same moment, “Oh, thank God!”  They looked at each other and smiled before looking back at the doc.

Xander was shifting back and forth on his feet. “Good… Good…” he said; his apprehension manifesting itself in the way he was fretfully rubbing his hands together  “That's good,” he repeated once again.

Cordelia just kept one hand on her boyfriend’s shoulder and didn’t say a word.

Giles smiled briefly and put his glasses back on his face.

Dr. Wilkinson added, “I want to keep her here a few days, though. She still has some healing to do…”

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The whole gang was in the hall upstairs near Buffy's hospital room. They were waiting for her to be brought up.

As soon as the elevator door opened, Joyce went to the gurney, “Buffy?” she asked as she reached the bed.  “Hi, sweetheart,” she said, her concern for her daughter evident.

Everyone followed along as the orderly wheeled her toward her room.

Willow took her girlfriend’s hand, careful of the IV needle, but needing some physical contact.  “Hey baby, we’re all here,” she said.

Buffy sounded groggy and out-of-it as she said, “Hey. Here we are. It's all of we. Are we taking me home?”  she struggled to get up as she spoke.

The doctor tried to push her back down, saying, “No. Buffy, you need to lie down, honey.”

Buffy, still groggy, but insistent said, “Yeah? Lie at home. My bed is better than any bed that's... not my bed.”

The doctor looked at Joyce and stupidly observed aloud, “She's still a little out of it.”

Joyce just nodded at her, not wanting to offend the doctor by saying “Duh!” even if that was what came to mind.

Buffy looked at Willow and said, “Shh! Hospital zone. No moaning.”  Looking over at her mom, she confided, “She gets noisy…”

Willow blushed so hard that she was almost glowing.  All eyes turned to her for just a moment before everyone discretely looked away.  Everyone except Cordelia, who was enjoying Willow ’s embarrassment far too much to miss a moment of it.

Oblivious to the redhead’s consternation, Buffy looked at her and quietly said, “It’s true Will, you do.”

The doctor cleared her throat and said, “She'll feel better after she's been here a while.”

Buffy again began to struggle, “Lemme go. Look, I wanna go!”

The orderly pushing the bed, two nurses and Dr. Wilkinson all struggled to get her to lie back down. Buffy, however, was having none of it and put up a fight.

Willow shouted, alarmed, “Buffy, what's wrong?”

Buffy just continued to struggle.  “No! No! Let me go!” she cried.

Cordelia spoke.  “I think she wants to go,” she said, once again demonstrating a magnificent grasp of the obvious. 

The hospital employees finally managed to get her pushed back down on the bed, while Buffy was still crying, “No, don't do that! Stop it!”

The doc began fumbling for a hypodermic needle, telling the nurses, “Hold her steady!”

Buffy, clearly delirious, looked back at her watcher, saying, “Giles, tell them!  The vampires! I need to kill the vampires!”

The doctor spoke soothingly as she slipped the needle into Buffy’s arm, “This'll help you relax.”

Xander threw Giles a concerned look while Cordelia cringed and looked away.  Willow was focused on Buffy, unshed tears in her eyes and confusion written all over her face as she watched her girlfriend fighting to get away.

Buffy cried out, wincing in pain, as the needle penetrated her flesh, “Ow! No!”  When the doctor pulled the needle back out, she lay back and breathed heavily for a moment.

Xander, trying to cover for Buffy ‘s slip, said, “It's gotta be the fever.”

Cordelia chimed in, “Yeah, it made her delusional.”

Buffy looked again at her watcher.  “Giles, They're out there!” she insisted.

Giles smiled reassuringly and said, “Yes, uh, well, we'll, uh, we'll get those, uh, vampires later.”  He laughed lightly, looking at the doctor.  “I hear it's best t-to play along,” he explained, keeping on smiling.

The sedative began to take effect and Buffy started to relax. One of the nurses checked her IV while Joyce leaned in and stroked her hair.  “Honey, listen...”

Buffy interrupted. “I wanna go home,” she whined plaintively.

Joyce tried to reassure her, “It's gonna be okay. I promise.”  They start to wheel her away again.

Buffy cried out one last time, “*Please* don't make me stay here...”

Joyce said, “I *promise*.”

They all followed as Buffy was taken into her room.  The door closed and Willow looked in through the narrow window.

After a moment Xander looked over at Giles, saying, “That was a new experience. I'm not used to seeing Buffy scared like that.”

Joyce said, “Yeah, she just *hates* hospitals. Ever since she was a little girl.”

Willow , her eyes still shiny with uncried tears, asked, “What happened?”

Joyce crossed her arms and leaned up against the wall next to the door to her daughter’s room.  She sighed and answered, “When she was eight her cousin Celia died in a hospital. Buffy was alone with her at the time.”

Cordelia interjected, “Yuk!”

Joyce nodded her head and said, “Yeah, they were very close.”

Willow whispered, “Wow, and she was eight?”

Joyce said something about needing to use the phone and Giles commented that there was one by the nurses station.  He made as if to walk with her, when Xander stopped him with a question.  “Do you think she's gonna be okay in here?”

Giles stopped for a moment and pondered the question.

Cordelia answered Xander’s question as she began to pace up and down the hall.  “I don't know, Lysette got her nose done here, and she came in looking for the Gwyneth Paltrow, and it looked more like the Mr. Potatohead.”  She stepped over to the door and looked into Buffy's room.

Xander said, “Cordy...” clearly exasperated with his girlfriend’s cluelessness.

Even Giles was compelled to comment on Cordelia’s gaffe “Buffy is not here for cosmetic surgery…”

Cordelia didn’t miss a beat, saying, “No, but while she's in here, she might as well get that thing done.”

Giles and Xander shared a look of confusion.

Cordelia explained, “You know, that thing on her face?”  She turned to look at Xander and Giles, “You know that *thing*…”

Willow said, “There is nothing wrong with Buffy’s face!” and then shook her head, amazed that she had bothered to address Cordelia’s comment.  Turning to Giles and Xander she asked, “Do you think Angelus will attack Buffy in here?”

Xander pointed out, “He can come in, it's a public building.”

Giles sounded worried as he agreed, “That's true…”

Cordelia was still stuck on her own topic.   “Am I the only one that's noticed that thing?” she asked, bewildered that no one else agreed with her.

Willow ignored her, “I think I have an idea…”

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Xander sat outside, hidden in the bushes across the street from the hospital’s main entrance.  He was supposed to have stayed with Cordelia, but couldn’t resist being here just in case Angelus did show up.

Willow ’s plan was twofold, Giles was to wait in the parking lot with a crossbow to try and take Buffy’s ex out from a distance- if he made an appearance.  She figured that his arrogance would lead him to use the main entrance, rather than skulk around to a side or back entrance.  If Giles failed, he was not to engage, but rather to take off in his car, hopefully drawing Angelus away from the hospital.  In the meanwhile, Willow was going to try and do the uninvite spell on Buffy’s room at the hospital, in hopes that it would create the barrier and keep the vamp out if he got past Giles. 

As a backup, Willow was going to try and sneak into Buffy’s room with a supersoaker filled with holy water, just in case the spell didn’t work.

Both she and Giles told Xander just to take Cordelia home- claiming that this was just insurance, and that Angelus wouldn’t likely come with this being such a public location and all.

Xander felt differently.  He had a feeling that this was exactly the situation that Angel- in his mind they were one in the same- would love.  He wasn’t about the big fight and defeat- he was about the cruelty and pain.  Nothing would please him better than to torment and kill the slayer while she was helpless to defend herself.

Xander really wanted to be there if Giles got lucky.  He wanted to see Angel dusted so badly that he could smell the ash in the air.  He wanted to collect the remains and keep them in a jar to look at once in a while.  He figured it would make a nice pick-me-up whenever he was feeling down.

Cordelia hadn’t been very happy when he left her, though.  She was still on the whole, ‘You spend all your time thinking about your darling Willow and your precious Buffy, and never think about me!’ kick.

He’d not bothered to deny her charge- he just quipped, “You think about yourself enough for both of us!”  Seeing her eyes flash, and knowing they were about to have another knockdown, drag-out he apologized, saying, “Look, Cordy.  I’ll make it up to you tomorrow- anything you want to do.  I just want to be there if they dust his ass.”

Cordy had recognized that he was being mostly truthful, plus the promise of a day of power-shopping with Xander as her bag carrier and personal attendant, was enticing, to say the least.  She acquiesced, but couldn’t resist a parting shot, “Fine.  Go.  But remember, even with Angel gone- and even sick and delirious, Buffy’s only got eyes for Willow- not you.”

Xander grimaced at the memory.  Clearly, Cordelia had some serious jealousy issues.  Though, he had to admit that he hadn’t done too much to reassure her.  Cordy had made a big step- at least for her- when she had gone against her flock and hooked back up with Xander.  He had given her every reason not to- especially with that stupid love spell stunt he had pulled.  She would have been well within her rights to hate him for that- for trying to put a love spell on her that would have made her his love slave.  Even more so because he had planned to use it just to dump her; to cause her as much pain as she had caused him.  That really more than made up for her dumping him on valentine’s day.

Xander really liked Cordelia.  Despite her self-centeredness and many other flaws.  He saw that they were a shield against the outside world, just like his own joke-guy persona.  When he occasionally got a peek at the real Cordelia, the girl behind the bitch, he liked what he saw.  She was strong and self-confidant, with a dose of vulnerability.  And she had made a true emotional investment in their relationship.  As he had mused more and more often lately, she would complain vociferously, but was always there to help- grousing the whole time of course. 

There was only one thing that was stopping him from trying to deepen their relationship.  He needed to be sure- for both their sakes- that he wanted her for her, not as the runner-up to Buffy’s grand prize status.  He needed to convince himself before he would have a shot at convincing Cordelia.

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Xander’s introspective musing was interrupted as he heard the sounds of whistling.  When he looked up, there was Angelus, walking down the sidewalk toward the hospital, a bouquet of white roses in hand.  He seemed so happy and carefree.  Xander’s blood boiled and he almost couldn’t wait until Giles took his shot.

Just when he thought it wasn’t going to happen, when he was about to (stupidly) charge the vamp with nothing more than a cross and stake, he heard a muted popping sound.  He saw Angelus stagger and growl, his gameface on, and looking for the source of his pain.  Another popping sound and Xander noticed that, instead of a wood arrow sticking out of the vamp’s chest- followed by a glorious dusting sound- there were two darts sticking out of his neck.  He could hear angel’s growl as he slowly slipped to his knees, and then went face down on the ground.

Xander goggled as he saw Buffy’s Watcher step out from between a couple of parked vans, his head swiveling left and right as he checked for witnesses.  As much as he wanted to jump out and go over to Giles, Xander restrained himself, wanting to see what would happen next.

Giles approached the fallen vampire, a compact black rifle slung over one arm.  As he got within a couple meters of the body, he pumped another round into him; calmly opened the action and loaded a fourth dart and then fired that one into Angelus body as well.  It seemed clear that Giles wanted to take no chances that he might be playing possum.  Xander wondered what the hell was going on.

The scene became a little clearer as Giles set down the rifle and opened up a pack containing heavy iron manacles.  He shackled the vampire’s hands behind his back, then his ankles as well.  Then he attached some sort of device to the vamp’s elbows, cinching them up tightly behind his back, separating them with an iron bar so that they were restrained.  He then chained his knees together as well, effectively immobilizing Angelus’ arms and legs.

Xander looked on, confused, as the watcher picked up his rifle, slung it over his shoulder, and them began to drag Angelus by his feet, face down, across the parking lot to his car.  As he watched Giles stuff the comatose vampire into his little Citroën, he tried to figure out where the Watcher would be taking him.

He wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but he knew he was very curious.  And, if Giles had some plans to get a little payback for Jenny, before makin’ with the dust bunnies, well Xander wanted front row seats.

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Part 3

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Willow was sitting next to Buffy’s bed, watching.  Watching her girlfriend’s tortured sleep, watching for her own personal nightmare, Angelus, to show.  She performed the ritual, hopefully it would work, because the backup plan was weak.  She looked down at the supersoaker in her lap.  Filled with holy water, it would definitely do some damage to a vampire, but this was Angelus- her own personal boogieman ever since he had held her, dangling, by the throat, threatening to kill her.  “God, if Buffy hadn’t shown up…” she thought.  She’d be dead.  Dead.  No more Willow.  She couldn’t really grasp the concept.  Sure, intellectually, it made sense.  She wouldn’t be… anywhere or anything.  She wouldn’t go to classes, wouldn’t be in the library researching the next big bad, wouldn’t be helping Buffy… with anything ever again.

So, it made sense when you thought about it, but she couldn’t really picture it.  Couldn’t imagine what it would be like to just not be there anymore.  She couldn’t grasp not being there for Buffy.  She couldn’t imagine Buffy without Willow .  More to the point, she never wanted to imagine Buffy without Willow . 

That, of course was the real fear she was having.  One doesn’t grow up with a psychiatrist for a mother and not learn to self analyze.  She was terrified that Buffy would leave her.  Either through death or just because she would realize she had chained herself to a pathetic loser and tell her to get lost.  She knew that wasn’t fair to Buffy.  She said she loved Willow , and when Willow questioned her, it was like saying she didn’t believe Buffy was being honest with her. 

That wasn’t the case at all.  She knew Buffy loved her.  She really did!  She just didn’t think she was worth it.  She knew that was because of a lot of reasons that weren’t really valid, but again with the ‘understanding mentally’ but not ‘accepting emotionally’ thing.  Didn’t make it any easier.

So, instead of focusing on why did Buffy love her- she’d think about why she loved Buffy.  A much happier subject!

Looking at the love of her life- laying there, pale, sweaty, dark circles under her eyes, that oh-so-attractive line of drool down the side of her mouth…

Willow paused in her observations to grab a Kleenex and wipe up the Buffydrool.

Willow looked at her fevered love, smoothed back the hair off of her brow, and remembered the first time she ever saw her.  She was walking up the steps outside their beloved Sunnydale high school.  Willow thought she was so pretty that it took her breath away.  She stood stock still, her eyes focused on this angel come down from heaven to grace their presence. 

Of course Xander managed to snap her out of it by taking that opportunity to run right into the stair railing- obviously as smitten as she, but not having the presence of mind to come to a standstill pre-smite.

She had never been truly jealous of Xander trying to hit on Buffy.  She knew Xander didn’t stand a chance with such a glorious being.  No she’d been more jealous of Buffy- not that she thought Buffy wanted Xander, but rather because she could so obviously have him on a whim if she ever did want him. 

Willow thought she would always have some lust for Xander.  Despite his goofy act, she knew he was a wonderful person.  He was kinda a hottie too, if he’d just loose the loud baggy clothes.  Anyway, she was supposed to be thinking about Buffy, not Xander.

She still couldn’t believe Buffy wanted her.  It was an amazing thought- that Buffy Summers wanted to touch her, feel her skin against her own.  That she wanted Willow ’s lips against her own... Willow was quickly coming to accept that fact.  She rarely had time to doubt it as Buffy took advantage of every opportunity to demonstrate.  And she didn’t have to suffer the ignominy of being relegated to closet kisses only, as poor Xander had had to do for so long with Cordelia.

No, Buffy thought nothing of walking up to Willow in front of Xander, Giles, or Cordelia and locking lips.  A brief hello kiss was expected anytime they met, anyplace except a classroom or crowded hallway.  Even that was only to cater to Willow ’s sense of propriety.  Buffy was clearly addicted to Willow kissage.  Willow didn’t really know why, “But who am I to second guess the ‘chosen one’?” she snickered.

Nor was Buffy always the initiator.  When there wasn’t an audience gathered, Willow was prone to unexpected assaults on the slayer’s mouth.  She chuckled as she remembered Monday, after school in the library- she had been standing over by the counter outside Giles office when Buffy got up from the table and walked over, put her hand on Willow ’s shoulder and asked if she was ready to go yet.  Willow turned to face her, put her hand up to cup Buffy’s cheek- something she loved to do, but then slid her fingers back into the hair on the back of Buffy’s head- grabbed a fist full of it and dragged her forward to meet Willow’s mouth in a searing kiss.  Willow stepped into the slayer, wanting full body contact and ended up walking her backwards until she was pressed up against the wall, Willow’s free hand running up and down her side, brushing up against the outside of her breast.

Of course the slayer retaliated, grabbing a double handful of Willow ’s ass and pressing her closer so that their jean-covered pelvises were rubbing into each other.  That, of course, was the moment Giles walked in.  From the midst of their passionate encounter they heard “ Willow , did you get a chance to Good Lord!”  When they guiltily broke apart, and turned, Buffy couldn’t restrain a giggle at the sight of Giles furiously cleaning his glasses.  Willow was mortified, but couldn’t help noticing… “Giles, are you blushing?” the imp-spirit that had evidently taken over her mouth for a moment asked.

“Yes, w- well, I- I would appreciate it if the t- two of you would save such behavior for more p- private surroundings!” he’d stuttered out

Both girls had said, “Sorry Giles.”  Willow thought she had at least made an effort to *sound* sincere, which was more than she would say for Buffy…

Her thoughts returned to the present and she looked at her watch, hoping Giles was ok, hoping that Angelus would just stay away until Buffy was ready to fight him.  If he did show, Willow was rooting for a successful crossbow shot.  It might seem anti-climactic, but she just wanted it over and done.

She clutched a little tighter on her squirt gun.  “I hope Giles is ok,” she whispered.

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Xander had run as fast as he could to Giles apartment, he figured that Giles would most likely go to either the library or his place, and- seeing as the school was a public environment, he’d have more privacy at his own place.

By the time he got there, Giles car was already parked and empty.  He ran to the building, and peered in the little window next to the door.

For the next hour, Xander stood in place, unmoving; his eyes riveted on the scene before him.

Giles had Angelus strung up, hanging from the ceiling in his living room.  He had attached a chain to each end of the bar separating his elbows, and had it strung up through a big eyebolt in one of the exposed beams of his ceiling.  He was pulled up high enough that he could just stand on the tips of his toes, and even then his arms were pulled high up behind him, placing incredible stress on his shoulders.  Giles had apparently cut off his clothes, as they were nowhere to be seen.  He was left wearing only a pair of black silk boxer shorts.

The vampire was still out of it, judging by the way that he was leaning against the chain, not paying attention to the pressure on his shoulders.  Xander noticed that there was a short chain between Angelus’ feet and another eyebolt fixed to the floor.  Xander was amazed that Giles had such a setup.  That particular fixture looked like it had been there a while, and he noticed that it was located where the couch normally sat.  There was another one several feet away.  Looking up, he saw a corresponding bolt in the ceiling.  Why hadn’t he ever noticed that before?

Giles was walking about with a jaunty step, arranging some things on the side table.  A large bowl, a plastic packet of some kind of sticks, a large bottle of water, what looked like a kitchen sponge, and a web-style belt.  He was actually whistling as he got set up for whatever he had in mind.

Giles opened the packet and Xander recognized the sticks as bamboo skewers- the type one used for shish kebabs.  He dumped the packet into the bowl, and poured the water over them.  He took the sponge, tossed it into of the water and picked up the belt as well.  Looping the belt and passing the end through the brass buckle, he stopped whistling and considered his prisoner for a moment. 

Giles spoke for the first time since Xander had started watching, and he could hear the watcher’s suppressed anger in the words as clearly as if he had been standing next to him. “I imagine you would love to chat while we do this, but I don’t think I really want to hear anything you have to say.”  With that, he looped the belt over Angelus head and left it hanging loosely around his neck.  He picked up the sponge, now dripping with water, and quickly stuffed it into the vampire’s mouth.  As he hastily snugged the belt down, and tightened it so that it forced the sponge deeper into Angelus mouth, Xander realized what was in the bowl- holy water.

The vampire came to, and began to thrash around as the water seared the inside of his mouth.  Xander saw water and blood seeping out around the belt as Angelus screamed into his makeshift gag.

Giles was standing behind him as he tightened the belt even further, prying his jaws apart and exposing his fangs.  Angelus had his gameface on as he thrashed his head around, trying to figure out where he was, and who was doing this to him.  His eyes narrowed as he realized where he was, and Xander thought he saw a brief look of fear pass over his face before he steeled himself for what was to come.

When the vampire’s movements had stilled, Giles walked back around in front of him, arms crossed and a look of pure, undiluted loathing on his face.  “I imagine you would like to take this opportunity to tell me how much you enjoyed the little ‘present’ you left for me last week.  I’m sure you’ve been in this position before in your long and illustrious un-life, and I have no doubt that you would love to turn the tables, torturing the torturer.  Well, sorry to disappoint…” he said, his voice dripping sarcasm. 

He turned his back on the vampire, showing his contempt.  As Giles had no doubt predicted, Angelus sought to strike out with his feet, ending up separating both his shoulders as he reached the end of the slack in his foot chain, and ended up yanking his body down against the chain attached to his elbow binding.  Giles smiled a little at the sound of jerking chain, followed by a muffled scream of agony.  He picked up a skewer out of the bowl of holy water and turned back to the undead monster.

“You see, I was quite smitten with Ms. Calendar.  I have no doubt that we were falling in love.  I don’t know what our future would have held- this being the Hellmouth and all- but I was looking forward to finding out.”  Giles paused his narration, and slid the wet skewer into his left pectoral muscle, the angle shallow enough that it came back out again where the muscle curved around to the side of his chest.  Xander could see the flesh redden and burn at the entrance wound, and the blood bubbling and smoking as the skewer came out the other side.  He actually winced at the grunt of pain forced from the trussed-up vampire.

Giles watched the wound smoke and sputter for a moment before speaking again.  “Her death, and the circumstances around it, naturally, struck me quite hard.”  He reached into the bowl for another skewer, saying, “As a result, I have what the Americans call ‘issues’ that I need to work through.”  Giles slid the second skewer through Angelus’ right pectoral muscle, apparently aiming for symmetry.  As the vampire jerked and grunted Giles explained, “That’s why you are here.  I don’t want apologies, or sympathy or even remorse from you.  I wouldn’t get it, and even if you offered it, it would be false.”

He skewered the vampire through the side of his abdomen, just the very tip coming out through his back.  “You are here to die painfully.  That is all I expect or want from you.  Your death- as painful as I can make it.”

Xander felt a cold shiver go down his spine.  Giles was being almost clinical, with no emotion in his voice as he continued his torture.  Xander began to feel slightly nauseous, yet he couldn’t turn away.

“I was going to make love to Jenny that night.  It was to be our first time together…” he said, grabbing yet another skewer and making a matching wound on the other side of his stomach.

Xander was starting to become mesmerized by the even tone of Giles voice, the slow and deliberate infliction of the wounds- seeming almost gentle as he slid each skewer home.

Giles turned his back to Xander and picked up something out of his line of sight.

“When I went upstairs and saw her laying in bed…” Giles said as he kneeled before the vampire.  “…My first thought was, ‘how beautiful she looks’…”

Xander wondered what Giles was doing, when suddenly his hand raised up high and Xander saw a small sledge hammer in his grip.  Both his eyes and Angelus’ widened suddenly at the unexpected sight.

“…It was just then that I saw that her neck had been broken.” He said as he brought down the hammer- the impact on the vampire’s left great toe coinciding exactly with the word ‘broken.’  The toe popped like a grape being smashed-the blood spraying for several feet, splashing over Giles hand and covering his front with little red droplets.

Angelus scream was quite audible, even through the gag, as he shuddered and jerked.

Giles looked up at the crying vampire and said, “Yes.  That’s exactly how *I* felt.  The pain was sharp and sudden, and it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.”  He again raised the hammer, watching until Angelus opened his eyes so he could see it coming again.  “It was masterful, actually;” he said as the hammer dropped onto the vampires right great toe.  “The note, the Champagne … the rose petals… the way you laid her out on the bed…”  He stood up and grabbed several skewers, punctuating his words with a quick thrust directly into the stomach.  “Each scene <stab> calculated to induce maximum <stab> suffering and torment <stab>.”

The extreme brutality of the hammer, after the coldness of the previous torture was too much for Xander.  He turned his head and vomited noisily onto the ground.  Only the cries and groans from Angelus kept Giles from hearing him as he retched his guts out into the shrubs framing Giles door.

“I have to admit…” Giles said as he considered his prisoner, now victim, once again for a moment.  “…the stories, the legends of your cruelty… they certainly weren’t exaggerated.”  Taking another handful of skewers, Giles rapidly stabbed them into his thighs, calves and even his knees- until the vampire could no longer stand, but was hanging cruelly by his dislocated shoulders.

Xander looked back up in time to see the Watcher grip the dangling vampire by his shoulders and push down.  Only the fact that he had already emptied the contents of his stomach kept him from retching at the tearing and popping sounds of the ligaments and tendons in Angelus’ shoulders and arms.

Finally Giles seemed to tire of his sport.  He went over to a leather bag and removed a big, fat hypodermic needle.  Xander gulped, seeing that.  “Great!” He thought.  “Now I’m gonna have nightmares of Doctor Giles coming to give me a shot!”  After a second he shook his head at the ridiculousness of that thought.  He just watched his father-figure horribly torture someone, and it was the sight of the needle that was gonna give him nightmares.  “How sad is my life?” he thought.

Gilles plunged the needle into Angelus heart, drawing a large sample of the vampire’s blood.  “Never know when this might come in handy,” he explained.  He emptied the sample into a small glass jar and went and put it into his freezer.

When he came back, Giles put the needle into the bowl of holy water and drew a large dose.  “And so, the reign of Angelus ends at last.” He said as he plunged the needle once again into the vampire’s heart.  “May you rot in hell for all eternity!” he whispered harshly, showing some emotion for the first time since this all started.  He depressed the plunger, emptying about five ounces of holy water directly into the vampire’s heart.  He quickly stepped back to watch the show.

Angelus began screaming again, his body violently jerking and spasming as the holy water began to eat away at his heart.  It took nearly a full minute before the damage to that organ was sufficient, and the Master Vampire Angelus collapsed in his bonds, then exploded into dust.

For a moment, Xander had a hard time accepting that it was over.  Finally- the vampire he had hated for so long was dead and gone- no more to trouble their lives.  He didn’t notice as Giles dropped heavily onto the couch, burying his face in his hands.  Xander was too preoccupied with his own conflicted feelings; joy that the bane of his existence was finally gone, and at the same time, he was highly disturbed by the behavior of the Scooby Gang’s paternal member.

His musings were interrupted by the sound of a painful sob.  He looked at Giles and saw him begin to shake.  Suddenly he took a deep breath and cried out the name of his fallen beloved.  His voice was raw with pain, as if he was experiencing all at once the emotions he had coldly talked about during the session with Angelus.

A lot of Xander’s horror was washed away as he saw the older man collapse onto his side, holding his stomach as he sobbed out the pain and agony he had been unable to completely let go of since her death.  Xander turned away, wanting to give the man some privacy.  He walked away from the building thinking that maybe now Giles would be able to start the healing process.