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Xander Harris was tired and in pain. He hadn’t been able to sleep
since Willow and Giles had been taken. Each time he closed his
eyes images of his friends conjured in his mind. Images of pain
and torture, he had refused to take the pain killers for that very
reason.
He didn’t know what to think of Spike’s behavior, he had acted as
if he really cared for both Giles and Willow and was now planning
their rescue with Buffy.
Since the demon had disappeared they hadn’t fought any more. They
had reached a truce of some kind and were now working together.
Anya had taken care of his car, sunproofing it, for Spike’s sake.
He honestly didn’t know what to think about the vampire.
He was seeing him under a whole new light. He had troubles
reconciling the image of their enemy, to that of the guy who was
helping them, now.
They were about to leave Giles’ house, they didn’t know where
their friends were, but both had felt they were still somewhere
near Sunnydale. They were now packing the weapons they were going
to use, though Ethan had warned them that common weapons weren’t
going to be of any help against their foe.
“Are you sure, you don’t want us to come with you?” he asked
looking at Buffy.
The Slayer looked at him and said, “Yes, Xand. I’m sure…we have to
play by that jerk’s rules if we want Will and Giles back…”
“What’s going to happen to you?” he asked, though he was afraid of
what she was going to tell him.
“Well, it’s plausible the demon will attempt to kill us” Buffy
said.
“Yeah…but it’s likely we will kick its ass” Spike said closing a
bag loaded with weapons.
Xander looked at him, then at Buffy and said, “Be careful…”
“Of course we’ll be careful…we’ll bring them home…”
<Yeah, but at what price?>
Xander thought. He shook his head and looked at them. There
weren’t traces of their previous animosity, for the first time
since he had known them; they really looked like a team, a deadly
one.
Buffy got close to him and hugged him, she then parted from him
and looking at him said, “You need to rest…we’ll need you
when we come back”
Xander nodded feeling she was trying to reassure him with her
words. He didn’t remember ever being so afraid and worried for his
friends.
He let go of her and held her hands in his for a second before
saying, “You’d better go…”
Buffy just nodded, she took a backpack from the couch and looked
at Spike then together they left the house.
Xander waited for some seconds before letting himself slumping on
the couch, the pain and the worry too strong for him to bear.
~~*~~*~~*~~
It was exactly like the day before, Giles thought looking around
while fighting a green demon. He could hear Buffy asking Spike how
many demons and vampires were still charging them. He knew that in
a few seconds a demon was going to attack him.
It all happened so quickly, he’d just dispatched the green demon,
when the other grabbed him from behind
He couldn’t help crying in pain when the demon’s claws pierced his
skin.
When Buffy turned toward him, he knew time was going to repeat
itself. The purple mist engulfed them.
He tried to see through it, tried to fight the dizziness caused by
it. He couldn’t see anything through it, he could just hear
screams, Buffy and Spike’s screams. He closed his eyes while the
mist slowly faded.
He knew what was going to see once he opened his eyes, and the
sight which welcomed him when he opened them confirmed his
thought, Buffy had been stabbed.
He rushed toward his Slayer, not caring about the fact, that the
demon had lessened its grip on his shoulders.
She was kneeling on the grass, the sharp edge of a silver dagger
emerged from her chest; blood stained her white tank top.
He knelt beside her and took her up in his arms, he could hear in
the background Willow strangled sobs, Xander trying to comfort
Anya, despite the pain which was clear in his voice.
<It can’t be happening again…it can’t be true…>
A voice in his mind kept saying, while he looked down at her.
Blood was pouring from her mouth while she tried to form words.
Giles shook his head and whispered, “Don’t talk…we’ll get to
the hospital…we have plenty of time to talk”
<Oh, God please no…>
Buffy weakly shook her head, while he gently tucked a damp lock of
blonde hair away from her face, staining it with blood,
unconsciously repeating the previous night’s gestures.
He couldn’t believe this was happening again, he couldn’t believe
he had Buffy’s warm blood on his hands, it was staining his
sweater. He could see life quickly leaving her.
Buffy tried to say something but she could only cough, more blood
poured from her mouth, she arched her head trying to breath. He
could barely hear the words she was trying so hard to say,
“Lo...love you”
“L…love you” she kept mouthing.
He pulled her closer oblivious of the tears which were dampening
his cheeks, whispering, “Sssh…I know, love…I've always known…I
love you too”
He closed his eyes when Buffy tried to raise a hand to touch his
face, knowing that she was dying, that just as the day before it’d
abruptly drop on the grass and Buffy’s body went limp in his arms.
Giles opened his eyes, he shook his head and tightened his hold on
her murmuring against her face, “You can’t leave me, Buffy…I love
you so much…please…don’t leave me…”
But he knew she couldn’t listen to him, any more. He kept
whispering nothings to her, he kept whispering to her how much he
loved her, oblivious of his surroundings, the only thing
which mattered to him, was the lifeless body in his arms
It was Willow’s heart wrenching screams, which broke his numbness,
still holding Buffy’s body in his arms he turned toward the
red-head, her skirt and shirt were dirt with blood and
dust…Spike’s dust, she was sobbing, her left hand closed in a
fist, he realized she was probably clutching Spike’s dust in it.
He met Willow’s eyes. In the back of his mind he knew he should
have gone to her, but he found out he couldn’t let Buffy go, he
couldn’t move a muscle to get closer to Willow.
He just closed his eyes and held Buffy tighter to him, while tears
spilled on his cheeks landing on Buffy’s forehead.
Willow slowly crawled toward him, her face a mask of pain and
grief, her left hand was still closed in a fist, she stopped next
to him and whispered, “We failed, Giles. We couldn’t save them…”
Giles closed his eyes, when a wave of excruciating pain hit him in
the shoulders. A greeted that white pain, which led him to
unconsciousness…fearing that once he opened his eyes, again…events
would repeat themselves, fearing he was going to relive that day.
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