They stood looking into each other’s eyes, their breathing slow and steady. The anticipation was thick, like it had been the first time almost a dozen years ago. They had been married for over ten of those years, apart for five of them. And despite their lengthy separation, they must have been in this exact situation a thousand times.
Riley was nervous. His hands trembled as he stared at Buffy in the darkness, his breathing increasing slightly. This was the first time they had even gotten this far since her return. She had been back for over a month and in that time they had been content just to be in each other’s arms again, to be able to laugh and talk together.
But tonight, something had changed. As they stood together in Michael’s bedroom doorway, watching him as he fell asleep, Buffy had leaned into Riley. Had really pressed against him. And in response, Riley had slid his fingers slowly down her arms, stopping as they brushed gently against her breasts.
She had turned to face him, answering his silent question with an intense gaze. Grasping his hand tightly, she had led him quietly to their own bedroom and closed the door behind them.
So here they stood now, nervous and unsure about what to do next. It had been a long time for both of them. The last time they had made love had been the day of the fateful accident. They had awakened that morning with more than just breakfast on their minds.
Riley closed his eyes at the memory, letting his breath out slowly. It had been a long time, indeed. He opened his eyes at the sensation of Buffy’s skin against his. He looked down to find her hands pressed against his chest, her fingers spread wide. He felt her exhale slowly, cool against his warm skin, as she drew her fingers softly down his chest to his stomach.
Standing still and silent as she explored his upper body, he finally reached out to lace his fingers through her hair as she pressed her lips to his heart. A shiver ran through him at the touch of her tongue on his skin and a small groan escaped his throat. He closed his eyes briefly, swallowing hard.
As she covered him in light kisses, she slipped her fingers into the waistband of his shorts and pushed them off. Riley stepped out of them and looked at her, his breathing shallow, his eyes burning into hers. Buffy’s lips were parted slightly and Riley could hear her breath coming in short gasps.
He touched her face, her neck, her shoulders. Running his hands along her arms, he stopped momentarily to lace his fingers through hers before continuing. His fingertips reached her shirt hem and curled around it tightly, pulling it up. Buffy stretched her arms high above her head and she wriggled slightly to ease the shirt’s removal.
Riley let out his breath in a loud rush as he gazed at Buffy in the moonlight. She was so beautiful. And she was there with him, wanting him, knowing he wanted her. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her slender waist, pulling her against him. He had forgotten the jolt of electricity that traveled through him at the mere touch of her body against his. The way she fit against him, it was as if she had been made especially for him.
Wrapping his arm around her, he buried his face in her hair, his hands skimming down her back and slipping into her panties. As he began pushing them down, he pressed his lips to her ear, whispering, “I’ve missed you so much…”
Buffy could feel his heart pounding beneath her fingers and she looked up at him. “I love you, Riley. With everything I…” But she couldn’t finish because Riley’s mouth covered hers hungrily, his tongue caressing her own tantalizingly. A soft moan escaped her throat and she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, pulling him to her.
Blindly, they stepped to the bed, Riley pushing Buffy onto it gently and then covering her body with his own. Their eyes met in a gaze that they held for a long moment, their souls exchanging silent words. Buffy clutched him, digging her fingers into his shoulders, pulling him to her waiting lips.
They continued the pattern for a long time-kissing, touching, exploring. Suddenly, Riley stopped. He pushed himself up on his elbows and looked down at his wife. He reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. He looked at her with a face so serious, Buffy was almost afraid to know what he was thinking.
“Buffy,” he whispered. “I want you to know…there’s never been anyone else…no one.” He looked into her eyes and felt himself drowning in them, being pulled by a tide so strong, he couldn’t fight it. And he didn’t want to.
“It doesn’t matter…” Buffy whispered, reaching up to brush his cheek.
But Riley shook his head. “I just need you to know that, Buffy. I need you to know that I have never stopped loving you…” He buried his face in her neck, squeezing his eyes shut against the tears that suddenly sprang up in them. The beauty of the moment, the raw emotion, overwhelmed him.
Buffy felt his body tremble, felt his hot tears on her skin, and she closed her eyelids against the storm raging behind her own eyes. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders softly, lacing her fingers through his hair.
“Shh…” she whispered against his cheek. “I know, baby. I know.”
They started slowly, moving as one, relishing in the moment. And it was as though they had never been apart, those five long years being washed away by the gentle breeze blowing over them.
***
The phone shrieked through the silence. Reflexively, Riley reached over and fumbled blindly for the receiver. After knocking it off its cradle, he finally managed to grasp the phone. Thoroughly annoyed that he had been so rudely awakened, he mumbled roughly, “What?”
There was a silence on the other end, a hesitation that only fueled Riley’s flame. He grunted and was about to hang up when he heard the caller speak.
“Riley?” the voice asked cautiously.
Right away, Riley recognized the voice. It was strained and hoarse, but he knew that the voice belonged to Graham. He immediately woke up, sitting up slightly, trying not to disturb Buffy.
“Graham. What’s up?” he asked, his anger gone.
Another pause. Riley heard Graham take a deep breath and pictured him pinching the bridge of his nose, something he did when he was worried about something. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing,” Graham said simply, seeming to choke on the words.
Riley sat up straighter, completely awake now. Buffy’s arm was around his waist and his movement caused her to tighten her embrace. She stirred against him and made a little sound, but did not wake up. Riley rested his arm on hers, watching her sleep.
“What is it?” Riley inquired, whispering.
But Graham was not forthcoming with the details. “Can you come over?” he asked. His voice was tinged with a fear that Graham rarely exhibited. And it got Riley’s attention.
Riley wanted to ask why, but decided against it. He knew Graham. It wouldn’t do any good to push. But whatever was wrong was definitely something big. Graham was being more taciturn than usual.
“Sure. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Thanks.” Dial tone.
Gripping the phone for a few more seconds before replacing it in its cradle, Riley was deep in thought. But he was startled from those thoughts by Buffy’s wandering hand.
“Hel-lo!” he screeched, jumping up and grabbing her hand. Pushing both her hands above her head, he leaned over her and kissed her. “Good morning, grabbie,” he said, smiling down at her.
“Yes, it definitely is,” Buffy cooed, wrapping her arms around his neck and tangling her fingers in his hair.
After another kiss, she asked curiously, “Who was that on the phone?”
Her question brought him back to reality and he sat up on the edge of the bed. “Graham,” he said, troubled.
Buffy noticed the troubled look in her husband’s eyes and sat up next to him, reaching for his hand. “Honey, what’s the matter?” she asked softly.
He gazed at her, wanting to tell her, but not being able to. He told her honestly, “I don’t know.” He squeezed her hand. “He asked me to come over. I told him I’d be there in a few minutes.” He tried to smile.
Leaning over, Buffy planted a soft kiss on his cheek, lingering there for a moment, savoring the slightly salty taste of his skin. “Well, then you’d better hurry,” she said softly, pulling away.
Riley touched her cheek softly, tracing her cheekbone with his finger. He looked into her eyes. “You’re amazing,” he whispered, smiling. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He stood up to get dressed.
Buffy watched him dreamily from the bed. As he was buttoning his shirt, he noticed her grinning at him. “What?” he asked, looking at her curiously.
“Nothing. Just that you look even better in the light of day.” She smiled again.
Riley felt himself blush slightly, something he still had a tendency to do easily. Buffy found it extremely sexy. He walked over to her and bent down, kissing her lightly on the lips. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” he said, scanning her body quickly. He knew that he couldn’t stay, that he had to go meet Graham. But that didn’t stop him from getting a few ideas.
“Go,” Buffy said playfully, reading his expression. “Graham’s waiting.” She pushed him gently.
“Yeah, I know. You’re right. But you’re not off the hook young lady,” he said, his eyes sparkling.
Buffy winked at him. “I hope not.”
Planting one last kiss on his wife’s lips, he said against her mouth, “It’s still early. Go back to sleep. Be back soon.” He stood up and headed for the door.
But Buffy was way ahead of him. She was almost completely under the covers by the time he reached the door.
He smiled and headed down the stairs.
***
Graham was sitting on his front steps when Riley pulled his car into the driveway. Riley studied his best friend through the windshield, his worry becoming greater with each second. Even at this distance, Riley could see the fear in Graham’s eyes as he looked up and caught Riley’s gaze through the glass.
Turning off the ignition, Riley pushed his car door open roughly and quickly got out. He walked briskly over to his friend, who had gone back to looking at his hands. Sitting down beside him on the step, he looked at Graham closely. He wanted to ask him what was wrong, but was suddenly at a loss for words.
After a short silence, Graham finally looked over at his worried friend. Their eyes locked for a moment before Graham turned and focused his eyes on something in the distance.
“Thanks for coming. I just didn’t…I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.” His voice was just as distant as his eyes.
Riley watched him. The distant stare, the soft voice, the way his hands were rubbing together nervously-it all told Riley that something was really wrong. He put a hand on Graham’s shoulder. “Graham. What is it? What’s wrong?”
Graham didn’t seem to hear him. He just kept looking ahead of him, every now and then glancing down the street expectantly, disappointed when he didn’t find what he was looking for. He took a deep breath and let it out in a ragged rush, trying to calm himself. “Willow didn’t come home last night,” he said without looking at Riley.
“What?” Riley asked, shocked. Out of everything he had imagined Graham would tell him, that had not been one of them.
Graham was shaking his head back and forth slowly as he explained. “She went out with one of her old college friends last night. Dinner and a movie, she told me. She said she wouldn’t be very late. So I waited up for her…” He closed his eyes, opened them again painfully. “I’m still waiting.”
Riley didn’t know what to do. Never in a million years had it ever occurred to him that anything like this would happen. Graham had always been the one to be there for him during all his dark times. And there had been many. But now that the tables were turned, Riley was at a loss about what to do for his suffering friend. “Graham, I…” he muttered weakly.
But Graham just continued to speak softly. “I don’t know why I called you.” He paused, swallowing his growing panic. “I guess maybe I just needed someone to tell me that she’s alright.”
Squeezing Graham’s arm gently, Riley whispered reassuringly, “She is. I bet any minute she’ll come walking up that driveway, smiling.” He tried to sound confident, but the truth was that he was scared to death. He watched Graham, feeling helpless.
Suddenly, Graham stood up, shaking off Riley’s hand. “Yeah. Or maybe the phone will ring and someone will tell me she’s dead…” His voice drifted off on the air and he walked down the steps and stood in the driveway. He squinted into the horizon, the sun assaulting his eyes.
Riley stood and took a few steps towards Graham, keeping a comfortable distance. The last thing Graham needed was to be crowded. “Don’t think like that. She’ll come back.”
But Graham turned on him, anger glowing in his eyes. “Are you sure about that, Riley? I mean, can you tell me 100% without a doubt that she’s okay? You know as well as I do what this town is like. The things that go on in the darkness.” But his anger suddenly broke and Graham was left standing there, trembling uncontrollably, struggling to breathe.
Looking as though he was about to collapse, Riley went quickly to Graham to steady him. Graham looked at him wearily, the light gone from his eyes. “I can’t lose her, Riley,” he whispered, leaning against Riley and allowing himself to be led back to the steps.
“Listen to me, Graham,” Riley said, trying to sound hopeful enough for the both of them. “You’re not going to lose her. I promise.”
But Graham had no response. All he could do was nod silently.
***
“Oh, God.” Buffy sat heavily on the couch, her mouth slightly open. Willow. Something had happened to Willow.
Riley couldn’t sit. He was too worked up. After the wonderful night they had had last night-to wake up to this was a stark contrast. He was leaning against the kitchen doorway, his mind racing. He couldn’t get Graham’s face out of his mind and as he looked at Buffy, it all finally began to sink in.
He let out his breath slowly, feeling a dull ache behind his eyes. There had to be something he could do. This waiting around for the worst was killing him.
Willow, the strong one. Willow, the stable one. She was always there when you needed her, always willing to help. It was terrifying to think of an existence without her. Riley shook his head roughly to remove that thought from his mind.
“How’s Graham?” Buffy asked, recovering from the initial shock of Riley’s news. Then she shook her head. “Dumb question,” she muttered.
Riley turned to look at her. “Not so good. Buffy, I have known him for a very long time, and I have never seen him this scared. Never.”
He hadn’t wanted to leave Graham. But Graham had told him to go, that he was fine. Besides, he told Riley, the kids would be up soon and they had to be taken care of. So Riley had relented and had gone home. But his news had quickly extinguished the wide smile Buffy had greeted him with.
The couple sat in silence, trying to process the morning’s events, neither knowing what to do.
***
Graham leaned against the counter, trying to drown out the voice in his head telling him that his wife was dead. He refused to believe it. He had no choice but to believe that she was fine. The two best reasons for holding out hope were sitting at the kitchen table, eating their cereal.
He watched his children absently, his thoughts bouncing from one memory to another with no apparent connection. Except for one. Willow was a part of all of them. He remembered the time they all went to Disneyland. And the time Josh broke his arm at the playground and Willow tried to use magic to heal it, but ended up turning his hair green. They all had a good laugh at that one. Well, everyone but Josh.
Then he heard it. A sound. A familiar sound that caused him to snap out of his reverie and look around. A laugh. Her laugh. He searched the room expectantly, prepared to take her in his arms and scold her at the same time for scaring him to death. But it wasn’t her.
He had forgotten that Anne sounded just like her mother when she laughed. She was sitting in her high chair, throwing Cheerios at her brother, laughing hysterically.
“Dad! Make her stop!” Josh screamed, holding his hands in front of his face defensively.
Reaching over, Graham snatched the bowl away from Anne and slammed it on the table in front of her, out of her reach. Cereal and milk sloshed over the edge of the bowl, making a mess on the table. Josh picked up one of the tiny “o’s” and threw it at his sister. She squealed.
“Stop it! Both of you! I mean it!” Graham yelled, his patience nonexistent. He glared back and forth between his two children, trying to keep control. He closed his eyes briefly, regaining some composure. “Please just stop,” he said softly.
“Sorry, Dad,” Josh muttered, his head bowed. He had never heard his dad yell before and he was frightened.
Anne started to whimper, big, fat tears rolling down her little face. She wiped at her eyes with her fists and sniffled quietly.
Graham looked at his daughter, disgusted with himself that he had made her cry. He gently smoothed her red hair back and bent down to kiss the top of her head. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Daddy didn’t mean to yell.”
The room was silent for a few moments. Graham finally spoke. “Josh. Why don’t you take your sister upstairs? I’ll be up in a minute.”
Josh just nodded obediently and, after Graham lifted her out of the chair, led Anne towards the stairs.
Graham started to mindlessly gather the dirty dishes, stacking them for easier transport to the sink. But then he stopped. He couldn’t do it any longer. He couldn’t hold in the tears that had been threatening all morning. Throwing his body down onto the chair just vacated by his son, he rested his head on his crossed forearms and cried softly.
***
“I can’t just sit here. I’ve got to do something!” Buffy said impatiently. It was dusk and still no word from Willow. She had wanted to go out looking for her the moment Riley had told her, but had listened to his reasoning. He had said that they should stay home just in case. But “just in case” never happened. So here they were, no closer to finding her than they had been that morning.
“Buffy. Giles, Xander, and I are going out to look for her now. Just stay by the phone in case she calls or something. Watch out for the kids.” He looked into her green eyes, seeing the familiar stubbornness in them. “I’ll be home later.” He kissed her gently and headed for the door.
“Riley?” Buffy asked softly.
He turned to face her. “Yeah?”
She swallowed hard and whispered, her voice shaking, “Please find her. And be careful.”
Riley nodded silently and then walked out the door.
***
It was too quiet. The kind of quiet that was so loud, it hurt to listen to it. But Graham had to listen to it. He had no choice. He had tried turning on the television just to have another human voice in the room, but found that to be even more unbearable. There was only one voice he wanted to hear, and every second he became more fearful that he would never hear it again.
He sat on the couch, his eyes glued to the door, willing it to open. Come on Willow, he pleaded. Please come home.
Buffy and Riley had asked him to stay with them. But he had refused, saying that he needed to be home in case… In case what? In case she walked through the door, smiling as though nothing had happened? In case she called to say that she had left him for someone else? God, he thought, shaking his head. Even that would be better than this torture of not knowing. At least I would know she was okay.
Graham had, however, let them take the kids. He didn’t know if he could take anymore of their inquiries about their mother’s whereabouts. All day he had lied, telling them that she was on a trip and would be back soon. They had accepted his words as truth even though Graham was certain that Josh didn’t believe him. The boy may be young, but he knew when he was being lied to. But he hadn’t said anything, for which Graham was grateful.
Graham wanted to go out looking for her, to tear the town to shreds to find her. But he couldn’t. All he had the inclination and the strength to do was sit and stare at the front door, hoping beyond hope that she would return.
***
Riley, Xander, and Giles had split up, each taking a different direction. All three members of the impromptu search party had gathered silently and solemnly at Graham and Willow’s house, trying to smile in reassurance that they would find her and that she was fine. Graham had thanked them and said, “I’m sure you’re right,” but none of them was fooling anyone. They all knew the possibilities. All the horrible possibilities.
So they all went their separate ways, armed with walkie talkies supplied by the Initiative’s dwindling arsenal. They were to keep tabs on each other, checking in every fifteen minutes to relay their progress-or lack thereof.
Nothing. Riley had found nothing. And apparently, neither had Xander or Giles, considering the tones of their voices when they checked in. They had been at it for over two hours. The three of them together had probably covered most of the city and were beginning to backtrack.
Riley tried to reassure himself that not finding any clue was a good sign. That it meant that Willow was fine, that she was still intact. He shuddered to think about all the things that could possibly happen to her in this town.
And then there was Graham. Graham, his best friend. Graham, who had always been there for him. Graham, the rock. But it was obvious that his friend was not the pillar of strength he made himself out to be. The sound of his voice on the phone that morning, the look in his eyes when Riley got to his house-there were cracks in Graham’s foundation.
But if anyone understood, it was Riley. Riley had been there. He knew the fear of facing life without the one person who completed your existence. He had felt the pain, the terror, the despair, the utter hopelessness. But he had gotten another chance. And so would Graham. Buffy had returned to Riley.
And Willow would return to Graham.
***
Buffy sat by the phone, waiting, hoping that it would ring. That the voice on the other end would be a bearer of good news. But so far, the phone remained quiet, silently mocking her from its place by the sofa.
She had put the children to bed long ago-Josh in Michael’s room, Anne in she and Riley’s room. There was no way Buffy was getting to sleep any time soon anyway. And Anne had been especially difficult to get to sleep. She had started to cry, calling for her mother. Buffy tried to soothe her, holding her close and rocking her. But nothing seemed to help. She had finally cried herself to sleep.
And Josh had been unusually quiet. It was as if he knew what was happening even though everyone had tried to keep it from him. He hadn’t mentioned Willow once, as though he understood the pain and worry the mere mention of her name would elicit. He had kept close to his sister all night, not leaving her side once. And only when Buffy had managed to convince him that Anne would be safe in her bedroom did Josh let Anne out of his sight, finally falling asleep next to Michael.
Sitting quietly on the couch, she prayed that Riley and the others would find her. Or at least find something that might tell them where she was.
Something Willow had said to her a long time ago sprang to Buffy’s mind. Buffy had been lamenting about how everyone she cared about always seemed to leave her. Willow had smiled and said, “Not everyone, Buff. You’ve always got me. I’ll never leave you.”
Buffy sighed heavily, closing her eyes as tears slid slowly down her cheeks. “Oh, Will…” she whispered.
***
Telling Graham that they had found no trace of his wife was one of the hardest things Riley ever had to do. He, Giles, and Xander had reconnected after four hours of searching, totally defeated. They hadn’t said a word, just looked at each other sadly, shaking their heads.
They had all agreed that Riley should be the one to tell Graham. Riley knew him better than anyone. But as long as Riley had known Graham, he had never seen him in a situation even close to this. Riley had no idea how he would react.
However, Graham’s reaction frightened Riley more than the prospect of never seeing Willow again. Riley had gone up to the front door and knocked softly, illuminated by the glow of the porch light. Xander and Giles had both gone home and Riley was left alone with his grieving friend.
When Graham had opened the door, he looked at Riley wearily. “You didn’t find her,” he had said simply. “I’m sorry,” Riley had answered weakly.
Graham had nodded and said clearly and calmly, “Well, thanks for trying.” He had then turned around to go back inside.
Grasping Graham’s shoulder, Riley had said, “Graham…”
But Graham had just turned to face him, shaking off his hand. “Go home, Riley. Be with your wife.”
And Riley had just watched him speechlessly as he walked into the house, closing the door behind him and shutting off the porch light.
Riley had remained standing in the darkness for a few moments longer before turning and walking down the steps towards his car.
***
“I just wish there was something I could do for him,” Riley lamented as he leaned back heavily against the back of the couch.
Buffy sat next to him, her hand on his knee. When Riley walked through the front door a few minutes earlier, she could tell by the look on his face that the news was not good. But she hadn’t pressed. Instead, she just listened quietly as he spoke. He told her about their fruitless search and the whole painful scene afterwards when Riley had to tell Graham the bad news. Buffy could hear Riley’s pain, the hopelessness in his words.
“All you can do is be there for him when he needs you. You can’t do anything more than he’ll let you do, Riley.” She looked at her husband closely as he stared blankly at the ceiling.
Riley covered her hand with one of his, rubbing his eyes with the other. “It’s just that I know what he’s going through. I’ve been in that dark place. It’s not a good place to be.” He sat up and looked into Buffy’s eyes. “He was there for me when I first lost you. I was drowning and he pulled me out. He didn’t let me give up.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I just wish I knew what to do, how to help him.”
Buffy touched his face gently, soothing him. “He’s terrified of losing Willow,” she said softly. “I can understand that. I am too.”
The touch of her hand on his cheek gave him strength, but also reminded him just how precious life really was. For five long years, Riley had lived without her touch. He never wanted to go back there. And he had finally begun to push away those feelings that had plagued him since Buffy’s return-those feelings of panic whenever Buffy was out of his sight. But this whole thing with Willow had brought them all back. “I don’t want to lose you, Buffy. I don’t think I
could survive that again,” he whispered, looking deeply into her eyes.
Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, pressing her lips to his ear. “I’m not going anywhere, baby. You’re not going to lose me.”
Protectively, Riley held his wife tightly, allowing himself to believe her words. He had to. There were no other options.
An urgent knock on the door pulled them out of their embrace. They looked at each other excitedly, hope seeping into their eyes. Riley got up quickly and went to the door, Buffy following closely behind. As he opened the door, she clutched at his arm nervously.
“Oh, Jesus.” Riley’s voice was barely audible and his throat was closing.
Laying on the porch, in front of the door, was a woman. She was naked and badly beaten. Her red hair was matted with blood and her left arm was bent at an unnatural angle behind her back.
“Oh God, no…” Buffy managed, reaching out a trembling hand to her.
But Riley pulled her away, pushing her into the living room. “Go call an ambulance,” he said urgently, never taking his eyes from the woman on his porch. “Now.”
Buffy slowly backed away, her mouth trying to form words, but no sound was coming out. Finally, she turned and ran to the phone, picking it up and dialing frantically.
Regaining some of his wits, Riley kneeled down and gently rolled the woman over, praying that his fears weren’t true, but knowing full well who the woman was.
She was barely recognizable, her face was so badly bruised. It was swollen and disfigured and covered in blood. But in his heart, Riley knew. He knew. Willow.
He pressed two fingers to her neck and closed his eyes as he held his breath. But panic gripped him as he failed to feel that rhythmic beating under his skin. He moved his fingers over an inch and tried again, pressing harder.
“Come on…come on…” he whispered.
Then he felt it. It was very faint, but it was there. A pulse. She was alive. He let out his breath in relief and smiled despite the situation. “Stay with us, Will.” He sank to the floor next to her, holding her hand in his.
Buffy came up to him, noticing his smile. “She’s alive?” she asked weakly.
Riley reached for her hand and nodded. “She’s alive, Buffy. She’s alive.” He felt tears of relief sting his eyes.
Buffy fell to her knees next to her husband. She started to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks in tiny streams.
Looking from his wife to the battered body of his best friend’s wife, Riley was full of conflicting emotions. He was so glad that Willow was alive. But at the same time he couldn’t help but feel grateful that it wasn’t Buffy lying there. He was ashamed to think it, but he couldn’t help it.
But then he saw it. He hadn’t noticed it at first in all the panic and shock. But as he looked at Willow now, his mind racing with all that had been done to her, he spotted it. Something was sticking out of her mouth. Just slightly, at the corner.
He reached over with a trembling hand and grasped the object between his fingers tightly. As he pulled it out and inspected it, he realized it was a piece of paper.
Freeing his other hand from Buffy’s grasp, he unfolded it. It was a note. All the air left him as his eyes scanned the page. The words were written in blood.
“Buffy,” Riley gasped. “Buffy, look.”
She looked up at Riley and saw him reading something. And by the look in his eyes, it wasn’t anything good. “What is it?” she asked softly.
“Here. Look for yourself.” He pushed the paper in front of her face.
Grasping it tightly in her fingers, Riley watched as her green eyes grew wider and wider with each word. She began to shake as she read the words again and again:
Welcome back, B.
Dropping the note on the floor like it was on fire, Buffy scooted away from it, lifting her eyes to meet Riley’s.
“Faith,” she whispered.
***
They all sat quietly in the dimly lit waiting room. Xander was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. Anya sat next to him, one hand on her protruding belly, the other rubbing small circles on her husband’s back. Giles sat two chairs down, nervously taking his glasses off, cleaning them roughly with his shirttail, and placing them back on his face. He repeated the procedure every few minutes, at a loss for anything else to do.
Buffy and Riley sat together on an old green couch, the children sleeping around them. Michael slept on Riley’s lap, his face buried in Riley’s chest. Buffy held Anne against her in one arm, her other arm loosely encircling Josh as he leaned against her.
After the discovery of Faith’s note earlier-something that Buffy and Riley had yet to mention to the others-Buffy had just sat on the floor in silence. Riley could tell that her mind was working, spinning out of control. She had just stared at Willow and then at the crumpled paper next to her-back and forth, back and forth, until the ambulance arrived. Riley had retrieved a blanket to cover Willow with. It had seemed like the right thing to do. He had to do something; he couldn’t just leave her lying there so exposed.
And so they had waited. When the ambulance had finally arrived, Riley told Buffy to go with Willow to the hospital. He would call the others. Riley had stood in the doorway, watching as the paramedics loaded Willow into the ambulance, as Buffy climbed up and sat next to her. He had watched as the flashing red lights disappeared into the distance, listened as the sirens died away. Then he had slowly turned around and walked into the house, his heart heavy with what he had to do next.
So here they were now. Riley looked down at his sleeping son and wrapped his arms tighter around him. Then he turned his gaze to Buffy, who looked at him wearily, her eyes rimmed with tears. He leaned over and kissed her lightly and then focused his weary eyes on Graham, who was standing apart from the group, leaning against the wall, his back turned.
Riley had decided to drive over and tell Graham in person. And he had called the others on his way to Graham’s house, all of them dropping everything to meet them at the hospital. Graham had been completely catatonic on the way to the hospital, just staring out the passenger’s side window silently all the way there.
Riley lifted Michael off his lap, standing up and laying the little boy back down gently. He glanced down at Buffy briefly. She nodded slightly, as if telling him that he was doing the right thing by going to Graham.
Riley sighed and turned, taking slow steps towards Graham. Graham didn’t seem to notice that Riley was standing behind him and jumped when Riley laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey,” Riley said softly, giving Graham’s shoulder a soft squeeze.
Graham looked over his shoulder, making eyes contact. But he remained silent. Then he turned his eyes back down the hall and let his breath out slowly.
Stepping in front of him, Riley looked at his friend closely. “She’s going to be fine.” He tried to sound reassuring.
But Graham simply lifted his eyes to Riley’s and replied, “Tell me how she looked when you found her.”
“Graham…”
“No, Riley,” Graham said roughly, putting a hand up. “I need to know. Please.”
Riley sighed heavily and looked briefly at the floor. He wasn’t sure if telling him was the right thing to do. But the look in Graham’s eyes gave him no choice. He looked up at his friend, into his dark eyes, taking a deep breath.
“She was, um…she was lying face down. Her arm was twisted behind her,” Riley began slowly, seeing the image so clearly in his mind. He closed his eyes, continuing as he opened them again. “She was naked, covered in blood. I wasn’t even sure if it was her. Then I turned her over…” he paused, swallowing hard. “I barely recognized her.” Those last words were almost inaudible as a lump formed in his throat.
Graham took a deep breath and looked at Riley pleadingly. “Do you think she was raped?” he asked softly, barely able to get the words out.
Shaking his head slowly, Riley swallowed again, whispering, “No. I don’t think so.”
Graham stared at Riley, seeming to find a little peace in that. He didn’t move, didn’t say a word. He didn’t even blink. His jaw was clenched so tightly that his chin began to tremble.
Regretfully, Riley shook his head. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you…”
But Graham just shook his head and muttered, “It’s okay.” He looked past Riley, down the hall. Willow was down that hall, in surgery. Had been for hours. “Thanks,” he whispered as he turned around and walked away.
Buffy had watched the whole scene from her seat and now caught Riley’s eyes. Riley just looked at her, shrugging helplessly.
***
The doctor finally appeared three hours later. Willow was out of surgery and was stable for now. He informed them that she had sustained numerous internal injuries and several broken ribs. A fractured femur. A punctured lung. The list seemed endless. She was in a coma and there was no telling when she might come out of it. For right now, she was in the ICU. But she was alive. That’s all they could ask for.
Graham had taken the news like he had taken everything else-without words. He just nodded and said “Thank you” and asked if he could see her. The doctor smiled warmly and laid a soothing hand on Graham’s shoulder and said, “Sure. But just for a few minutes.”
So Graham followed the doctor silently down the hall, the group watching as they disappeared around the corner.
They all breathed a collective sigh of relief and looked at each other tentatively, afraid to hope too much. So they all sat down and tried small talk. But they realized how futile their attempts at normalcy were and so they all fell back into their silence.
But Buffy was thinking. For the last several hours, she had been too worried about Willow to think about anything else. But now that Willow was out of immediate danger, she could focus on other things. Like Faith. She couldn’t sit still any longer. She stood up, announced that she needed some air, and walked out.
Riley watched her go, knowing there was more to it than that. But he didn’t go after her. She needed her space.
Standing at the door nervously, Graham took a deep breath. He was finally ready to go inside after having to put on a gown and those paper slippers to cover his shoes. Just precautionary, they assured him.
Whatever. He just needed to see her. He hadn’t set eyes on her in almost 48 hours and any sight of her was fine with him. But as he took a deep breath and stepped inside, he was unprepared for what he saw.
All the air left his lungs when he laid his eyes on the woman in the bed. He felt his stomach tighten as he stepped closer. Her face was turned slightly towards him, her hands laying flat by her sides.
Riley had been right-she was barely recognizable with all the bruises and the swelling. His legs were shaking and he sat down quickly before he collapsed. He looked at her closely, scanning her body again and again, unable to believe that this woman was his wife. The same woman who, just two nights before, had lain in his arms and fallen asleep whispering his name.
He squeezed his eyes shut against the memory and shook his head firmly. He couldn’t think about that now.
When he opened his eyes, tears began to fall-unexpectedly and involuntarily. He didn’t want to cry either, but found he couldn’t help it. He reached a trembling hand out and touched her hair gently. That soft, fiery red hair that he loved so much. He traced his finger along the side of her face, down her neck, her shoulder, her arm, until he reached her hand. Holding it tightly in his, he ran his thumb absently over the i.d. bracelet. “Miller, Willow,” it read in big block letters. Graham stared at it for a long time, as if the name on the bracelet was a surprise. It was as if the bracelet took away any inclination he may have had to deny the truth that was right in front of his eyes.
He clasped his other hand around hers tightly, bringing her fingers to his lips. He kissed them gently and then rested his cheek against them-a cheek rough with a two-day-old beard.
“I love you, Will. Please don’t leave me.”
***
Buffy walked quickly through the exit doors and into the cool night air. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Her anger bubbled just under the surface and threatened to explode at any second. She stalked into the shadows by the building and leaned against the wall, squeezing her hands into fists out of frustration. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so useless.
But there was nothing left to do but wait. Wait until Faith made her next move. Wait until Faith decided to show her face. Wait.
Buffy punched the wall with all her strength, ignoring the pain shooting through her arm. But she didn’t do it again even though she wanted to. She needed to save her strength, save her anger for the one person who possessed both traits in the same quantities as she did-Faith.
She looked around in the darkness, searching. She knew Faith and she knew that she couldn’t resist gloating. She’d be back. And soon.
Buffy was ready.
***
Riley stood quickly when he saw Graham coming down the hall. He opened his mouth to say something, but Graham just walked right past him without even a glance. He walked to the couch and stared down at his sleeping children.
"Graham, how are you?” Riley asked softly, immediately wishing he hadn’t.
Graham turned on him. “Oh, I don’t know, Riley. Pretty good, I guess, considering that my wife may be dying and my children may never see their mother again.” He glared at Riley angrily.
Disgusted with himself, Riley said, “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. Great.” He turned his attention back to his children. What would he say to them? How could he tell them that their mother might die?
He turned to Riley, swallowing his anger. “Where’s Buffy?” he asked suddenly, noticing she was gone.
“Went out to get some air,” Riley muttered.
Graham seemed to think about that for a moment. “Sounds like a plan,” he said simply and walked out of the room quickly.
***
“I see you got my present,” a familiar voice said, cutting through the darkness.
Buffy spun quickly to face the source of the voice. “Faith,” she said clearly through clenched teeth. She balled her hands into fists, her nails digging into her palms. Every cell in her body ached to lunge at Faith, to tear her heart out. But that’s what Faith wanted. So Buffy held back.
“How nice of you to remember me, B. Miss me?” Faith said amusedly, grinning as she stepped out of the shadows. The lights from the building lit up her face.
Buffy fought to keep control. “Not really, no.”
But Faith was enjoying herself immensely. “You know, that’s not very nice. I mean, I missed you terribly while you were gone. That’s why I wanted to get you something special when I heard you had returned. Did you like your surprise?”
“Go to hell,” Buffy spat, never taking her eyes off her nemesis.
Faith took another step closer. “Is that all you’ve got? Wow, you really are losing your touch, B. I am disappointed.” She grinned again. She began to circle Buffy slowly, forcing Buffy to turn in her place to watch her.
“Here’s another disappointment for you. Willow’s not dead.” Buffy barely breathed as every muscle in her body tensed.
But Faith was unfazed. “Didn’t want her dead. At least not yet, anyway. It’s so much more fun when death comes slowly. Don’t you think?” Faith’s dark eyes glittered in the dim light.
Buffy had lost all patience and couldn’t hold her anger in check any longer. She was set to pounce on Faith when she heard her name being called.
“Buffy? Is that you?”
Turning to face the voice, she saw Graham turn the corner of the building and walk towards her. “I thought I heard your voice,” he said casually.
“Graham,” Buffy said urgently. “This is not a good time.”
But Faith intervened. She stepped in front of the quiet man and took his hand, shaking it vigorously. “So you’re Graham,” she said, smiling sweetly. “Willow told me so much about you.” She paused, dropping his hand and stepping closer for effect. “Well, actually not that much. Basically, just your name. ‘Graham, please help me.’ ‘Graham, I need you.’ That was pretty much the extent of it.”
Graham took a step back, his face changing from mild curiosity to total shock as Faith’s words sunk in. He started shaking. He stared at her, open-mouthed.
“What? That’s all I get?” she asked, mocking him. Then she shook her head and pushed past him, back into the shadows. She stopped and turned around, looking at Buffy,
who was looking at Graham. “Your time is coming very soon, B. Very soon, indeed.”
Buffy turned her head slowly to face her, her green eyes burning through the darkness. “I can’t wait.” She watched as Faith trudged into the night, listening to her maniacal laughter as it faded away. Then she turned her attention back to Graham.
But he was gone.
***
“Is Graham here?” Buffy asked Riley urgently, grabbing his shirt in her fists.
Riley studied his wife closely, grasping her shoulders tightly. “He went outside to get some air, I think. Why? Buffy, what happened?”
She looked at him, wide-eyed. “Faith. I ran into her outside. Graham…he found us.” She paused, swallowing her panic. “He knows, Riley. He knows.” She let go of his shirt and dropped her hands to her sides.
“Oh, God.” Riley’s mind began racing. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to think. “I’ve got to find him,” he said urgently.
The couple locked eyes for a long moment, holding each other’s hands tightly.
“Hurry,” Buffy whispered. “I’ll find Faith.”
Riley nodded slightly, kissed her briefly, and ran out of the waiting room.
Buffy was left standing there, facing the shocked and confused faces of her friends. She looked at each face individually and then spoke. “Look, I don’t have time to explain. Suffice it to say that Faith’s the reason we’re all here tonight. And that if I don’t find her soon, Graham could be in danger.”
She went to the couch and kneeled down, touching Michael’s face gently and kissing him on the forehead. “I love you,” she whispered. Then she touched the faces of the other two children and closed her eyes, saying a short prayer.
Then she stood and faced her friends again, her face serious. “I have to go. Please take care of the children.” She tried to smile, to reassure them. But it came out more like a grimace.
They nodded knowingly and watched silently as she ran out in search of Faith.
***
As Riley rushed out of the hospital, he realized that he was on the opposite side of the building than his car. He cursed to himself as he ran at full speed around the building. Scanning every shadow for Graham, knowing he probably wouldn’t find him anywhere nearby, he finally reached the parking lot.
And as he dug in his pocket for his keys, his mind raced wildly with all the terrifying possibilities. Finding his car, he jumped inside and started the ignition, beginning to pull out before he even had the door closed.
The tires spun on the pavement as he sped out of the parking lot. Graham’s face entered his mind. Riley had never seen such an immense emptiness in his eyes before and the consequences of such an emptiness terrified Riley. Graham had no idea who he was dealing with. No idea at all. Riley had to find him, to stop him.
Before it was too late.
***
Buffy was running. Her muscles were pumping overtime, her lungs were burning. She kept going until she reached the cemetery. She thought briefly about how odd it was that the cemetery was so far from the hospital. She thought it made more sense to have them closer together. Especially in this town. But she quickly dropped the subject. There were more important things to think about.
Like finding Faith. Even after all these years, Buffy felt like she still knew Faith. If Faith was anything, it was predictable. Seeing her again had brought it all back. Buffy would never understand why Faith did the things she did. But it really didn’t matter. What did matter was that she did them. And Buffy was fed up. No matter what it took, Buffy would stop her. For good.
She stood in the middle of the cemetery, breathing heavily, searching the darkness. “Faith!” she screamed. “I know you’re here! Let’s go! I’m ready!”
***
“I thought you might be here,” Riley said calmly, standing in the doorway to the warehouse. It was the Initiative headquarters. Pathetic, but true. Lack of funding had forced them out of their state-of-the-art facilities and into this place. Mostly it served as a storage place for their weapons. Which was why Riley figured he’d find Graham there.
Without looking in Riley’s direction, Graham spoke. “Well, you thought right. Here I am.” He was focused on the task at hand. He picked up several guns, inspecting them closely, choosing one and proceeding to load it.
Riley watched silently as Graham popped out the empty clip and shoved a new one into the handle, his eyes never blinking once. Graham moved with the precision of a soldier and the cold calculation of a killer.
Riley was scared. He took a step from the doorway, holding a hand out in front of himself defensively. “Graham, listen to me. You can’t do this.”
Giving Riley a quick glance, Graham hefted the gun in his hand and then shoved it in the waistband of his pants. “Watch me.” He lifted his leg and rested his foot on the table, lifting his pant leg and pushing a knife into his boot. He pulled his pant leg back down and set his foot back on the floor, facing Riley full on. “What are you doing here, Riley?” he asked impatiently.
Standing a few feet from his friend, Riley answered softly, “Preventing you from making a huge mistake.”
Graham just looked at him, shaking his head. “Just go. This isn’t your fight.” He pushed past Riley towards the door.
But Riley grabbed his arm tightly, stopping him. He looked in Graham’s eyes. “It’s not yours, either.”
Looking at Riley incredulously, Graham snatched his arm away. “Like hell it’s not, Riley. In case you’ve forgotten, my wife is in a coma. She could die any minute…” Riley could see him start to shake. “My children may never see their mother again… And there’s nothing I can do about that. Nothing.”
Riley noticed Graham’s demeanor soften a bit and took the opportunity to make his argument. “Faith’s a coward, Graham. A coward. She’s after Buffy, not you. And not Willow. She only used Willow to get to Buffy.”
But Graham’s eyes hardened again. “Oh, I see. Well, that just makes it better, doesn’t it? So I should just go and sit next to Willow’s bed, hold her hand, and watch her die, taking comfort in the fact that it wasn’t anything personal.” His dark eyes burned into Riley’s conscience.
“Graham, I…I’m just saying that this is not the answer.” His argument was weak, he knew. But he had to keep trying.
“Not my fight. That’s what you said. My, how times have changed. I remember a time when you were in my shoes. When all you wanted to do was kill the bastard driving that car. Remember what you told me, Riley?” Graham said, his voice tight.
Riley nodded. “I remember.”
Graham continued. “I told you that killing him wouldn’t change anything. But you didn’t listen. You just kept saying that he had to pay. Well, Riley, you were right.” He paused, swallowing hard. “I may not be able to do anything for Willow. But I can make sure that bitch pays for what she did to her.” He stared at Riley a moment longer before turning and walking towards the door.
But Riley was unwilling to let him go. No matter how much he understood Graham’s rage, his need for revenge, he couldn’t let his friend sacrifice himself to the wolves. He had to stop him.
“Graham,” he said urgently, grasping his arm again and pulling him back, stepping in front of him. “I will not let you do this.”
“Let go of me,” Graham said through clenched teeth.
Riley shook his head. “I can’t do that.” His knuckles were white around Graham’s arm.
But in one fluid move, Graham had the gun pressed under Riley’s chin, his finger on the trigger. His eyes were crazed, glowing in anger.
Riley could feel the cold steel of the barrel pressing into his flesh, could feel it tremble slightly in Graham’s vise grip. “Go ahead and shoot me,” Riley whispered. “Because that’s the only way I’m letting you go.” His eyes locked with Graham’s. Neither man blinked.
Graham adjusted his grip on the gun and pushed it harder into Riley’s chin. He was sweating and his breath was coming in jagged, irregular gasps. He began squeezing the trigger.
Riley’s eyes grew wider with each passing second and he held his breath. He watched as Graham struggled with himself, his face contorting with each conflicting emotion.
Finally, Graham had gathered enough wits to pull the gun away. He didn’t shoot Riley. Instead, he pulled it back and used it to hit him violently behind the ear. He watched as Riley fell to the ground, unconscious.
He stood a moment longer, contemplating what he had just done to his best friend. But he didn’t think about it for long. Shoving the gun back into his waistband, he ran out into the night. He had no idea where to look for her, but he wouldn’t stop until he found her.
***
“Faith!” Buffy screamed again.
“Alright already, B,” Faith said, stepping into the light. “You can stop yelling. I’m here.” She smiled evilly. “I see you meant what you said earlier. You really couldn’t wait to see me again.” She laughed briefly.
Buffy glared at her. “Shut up, Faith. Let’s just get this over with. Once and for all.”
“Someone’s in a hurry. What’s the rush, B? Hot date with the hubby?” She grinned again.
“This ends tonight,” Buffy stated simply.
Faith was circling again. Slowly, she walked around Buffy, never taking her eyes from the blonde Slayer. “You know,” she began. “When I heard you were back from the grave, I knew I just had to come back and see it for myself. And here you are-live and in color. I really did miss watching you squirm, B. I needed a fix. I thought the red-head would do the trick,” she replied, enjoying every syllable.
Buffy stood in her place, clenching her fists tighter and tighter. “Well you got my attention, all right. Here I am.”
“But somehow, it’s not as satisfying as I’d hoped it would be. I’m thinking now that I should’ve picked another target. Like maybe the kid. I could’ve taken him so easily, B. I watched him with all the other brats at school. Could’ve gone right up to him. Piece of cake.” She licked her lips, relishing Buffy’s expression.
Buffy’s mind reeled at how close Faith had been to Michael. Her stomach tightened as she thought about it. Her green eyes glowed with hatred. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance.” Her voice was icy and low.
“Well, here’s your second chance, B. Come and get me,” she taunted, gesturing for Buffy to come closer.
“Gladly,” Buffy muttered, lunging at Faith and pushing her back.
Faith laughed heartily. “That almost hurt,” she said, throwing a punch and hitting Buffy squarely in the face.
Buffy’s head snapped back, but she quickly recovered. It had been a long time since she had fought Faith and that punch reminded her of Faith’s strength.
So the two Slayers fought. It was a back and forth battle, each one gaining and then relinquishing the upper hand. Neither one was able to deliver that final blow, the one that would end it. They chased each other through the cemetery into the park. They were both beginning to tire, but neither was willing to give up. Too much was at stake.
Buffy had begun to regain the upper hand again after enduring another brutal onslaught of Faith’s strength. She kicked Faith squarely in the stomach, sending her back several feet. Faith struggled for air and dug her fingers into the grass, starting to get up.
But then she stopped. When she lifted her eyes, she saw the barrel of a gun staring back at her. She looked up to see the person that belonged to the hand holding the gun to her face.
“Remember me?” Graham asked coldly.
***
Riley’s head throbbed as he opened his eyes. Instinctively, he reached his hand back to where the pain was most concentrated. He touched the spot behind his ear gingerly. When he pulled his fingers away, they were covered in blood.
Then he remembered. Graham. Shit. He pushed himself up quickly, ignoring the throbbing in his head and the fact that the room was spinning.
He ran for the door, which was still standing open since Graham’s departure. Riley hoped that hadn’t been too long ago.
As he ran through the night, he prayed that Buffy had found Faith first.
***
Buffy watched the scene breathlessly. “Graham…”
But he wasn’t listening. He was concentrating on the woman crouching in front of him. “You must remember me, Faith. ‘Graham, please help me.’ ‘Graham, I need you.’ Ring any bells?” he said through clenched teeth.
Faith just looked up at him, smiling slightly. “I could kill you right now and you would have no idea what hit you…”
“Then why don’t you?” he asked, taunting her. “I’m waiting.”
But to Buffy’s amazement, Faith didn’t move a muscle. She just sat there on her hands and knees, looking up at Graham. Buffy took a step closer.
“Riley was right,” Graham said. “You are a coward.” He pressed the gun to Faith’s forehead.
“Graham!” Riley came up behind Buffy, out of breath. The park was near the warehouse and Riley had been passing through in search of Graham. What a lucky break.
But Buffy grabbed her husband’s arm and pulled him back. “No,” she whispered. “It’s okay. He needs to do this.”
Riley looked down at his wife questioningly. But he didn’t argue. Something in her expression, in her voice told him to listen to her. He followed her gaze and watched Graham and Faith.
Faith finally moved, but not to lunge at Graham. Slowly she sat back, crossing her legs under her. She put her hands up, looking up at Graham. He hadn’t taken the gun away, hadn’t moved it an inch, continuing to press it into her skin.
“Willow. Why Willow?” he asked, glaring at her.
Faith answered simply, “Why not? She’s as good as anyone.”
Graham’s hand started to shake slightly, but his grip remained firm. He rubbed the trigger with his finger. “I want you to suffer. I want you to feel the pain that Willow’s feeling. But I also want you to die. Now.” His jaw started to tremble as he spoke. He pressed his finger to the trigger.
“Do it,” Faith whispered calmly. “Do it.”
At Faith’s words, Buffy could see her body relax. There was a peace in her eyes that Buffy had never seen before. Buffy squeezed Riley’s hand tightly, staring at Faith as the realization hit her. “Oh my God. She wants to die,” she whispered.
Graham tightened his grip on the trigger, squeezing it gently. Tears stung his eyes and he closed his eyes tightly, taking a deep breath.
But he couldn’t do it. God, he wanted to. But he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger. He stepped back and dropped the gun to the ground in front of Faith. Falling to his knees, he began sobbing uncontrollably-all his frustrations and pain and anger falling down his face.
Riley ran to his friend, kneeling down next to him. He didn’t touch him, didn’t speak to him. He just sat there, watching Graham cry, feeling helpless. He wished there was something he could do. But Graham answered Riley’s unspoken question when he reached out to him and pulled him closer, burying his face in Riley’s shoulder.
Resting a soothing hand on the back of Graham’s head, Riley looked up at Buffy over Graham’s shaking shoulders.
“He’ll be alright,” she said softly, tears in her eyes.
Riley nodded silently.
But in all the aftermath, they had all ignored Faith. After Graham dropped the gun, Faith had just sat there silently, not moving, disappointed that she was still alive. Nothing ever turned out like she wanted it to. Her entire life she had never gotten what she wanted. But this time she would. She reached out with a steady hand and grabbed the gun, holding it tightly in her hand.
“So long, B. Can’t really say it’s been nice knowing you,” she muttered as she put the gun to her temple.
Buffy lunged for her, screaming, “No!”
But it was too late. The gun went off and Faith slumped to the ground, her fingers still curled around the gun.
Buffy couldn’t move. She just stared at Faith’s body, speechless.
It was finally over.
***
“So after all that, she killed herself? She should’ve done us all a favor and done that a long time ago,” Xander said bitterly.
Buffy answered him softly. “That’s why she came here. Why she did what she did to Willow. She was hoping to make someone mad enough to kill her. When it didn’t work out, she did it herself. She must’ve been in so much pain to do that.” She held Michael on her lap protectively, still a bit shaken by the thought of how Faith could have hurt him.
“I can’t believe you’re sympathizing with her! After everything she did to you, to everyone…God, Buffy. How can you sit there and defend her?” Xander was angry. He stood up, pacing. He glared at Buffy.
“Xander,” Buffy said softly. “I’m not defending her. I’m just trying to understand her. I’m trying to figure out a way to think about her without getting angry every time. That’s all.”
“How about not thinking about her at all?” Graham asked softly. “That would be fine with me.”
Every face turned to meet his. He looked like hell, but at least he was calm. And Buffy could see that the anger behind his eyes was gone. She felt relieved.
“Sounds good to me,” she said, smiling at him. “I thought you were sleeping.”
Graham shrugged. “Tried. Couldn’t.” He looked around the room, his eyes resting on his children sleeping in a chair next to Giles. “How are they?” he asked, turning back to Buffy.
She smiled again. “They’re fine, Graham. Just fine.”
Graham nodded slightly. “Good.” Then he looked around again. “Where’s Riley? I need to talk to him.”
“Downstairs in the ER. Getting stitched up,” Buffy answered softly.
“Thanks,” he muttered, turning to leave.
***
Riley leaned back against the wall, shifting uncomfortably in the plastic chair he had been sitting in for over an hour. He was still waiting to be seen. He closed his eyes, looking back on the night’s events.
“You really shouldn’t sleep, you know. You might have a concussion or something.”
Riley opened his eyes and saw Graham standing in front of him. He sat up. “Hey. How are you?”
Graham sat down next to Riley. “I should be asking you that. I mean,” he said, leaning over and inspecting the mass of dried blood behind Riley’s ear, “yikes.” He made a slight grimace and then looked down at his hands. “I’m really sorry, Riley. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
But Riley laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. It doesn’t even hurt,” he said, leaning forward. But his head started throbbing at the movement and he grabbed his forehead, groaning.
“Doesn’t hurt, huh?” Graham asked doubtfully.
Riley looked at him, smiling slightly. “Well, maybe a little. But don’t worry, I’ll survive.”
“Good. Glad to hear it.” But Graham’s face suddenly changed, becoming more serious. “Riley…” he said softly.
“Yeah?” Riley asked, looking into his friend’s face.
But Graham didn’t say anything. He just looked at Riley silently, unable to find the right words.
Riley nodded slowly, understanding. “I know.”
***
Willow and Graham were greeted at their front door by Buffy and Riley and three smiling children. Willow thought she would cry when she came through the door and saw the “Welcome Home, Mommy!” banner hanging in the living room.
She had spent five weeks in the hospital-three of those weeks in a coma, the other two under intense observation. She was going crazy in that place, explaining that she would recover much faster at home with her family. They had told her that they just wanted to make sure she was strong enough to go home. They didn’t want any relapses.
But then she had pulled out the big guns, threatening to turn them all into various farm animals. She insisted that she could do it--that she had done it before, and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. They had all looked at her strangely, laughing it off as nonsense. But Graham had spoken up and convinced them that she was serious. So the doctors had relented, saying that if she was well enough to be arguing with the staff, then she was well enough to go home.
They all sat in the backyard. Willow snuggled next to Graham, at home in the crook of his arm. She still needed his help to get around and would for a while, but at least she was home. Graham tightened his arm around her, beaming widely.
Buffy and Riley sat across from them, all four of them watching their children play happily.
“So let’s make a pact,” Willow said suddenly. “Nothing but good news for a week.” She smiled. “I’d ask for a month, but I think I’d be asking too much. Besides, a week is probably pushing the limit in this town.” They all laughed softly.
“Let’s start with you, Buff.” Willow grinned widely at her best friend.
“Will,” Buffy said, shaking her head slightly.
But Willow was unrelenting. “Oh, come on. Now is as good a time as any.” She winked at Buffy.
Buffy narrowed her eyes at her friend, smiling. “Fine. Here goes nothing.” She took a deep breath and reached for Riley’s hand, looking up at him.
Willow giggled and squeezed Graham’s hand knowingly.
“I’m pregnant,” Buffy said softly.
Riley just stared at her, wide-eyed.
The End
