| WHEN ANGELS CRY |
| Disclaimer: Willow, Xander, Giles, Buffy, Oz, Angel and Cordy belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Fox. Carrie belongs to me. Distribution: Want it? Take it! I would like a note about where it is, though. Feedback: YES! Please. Summary: Willow, now 25, has cancer. Song credits: "When Angels Cry" is performed by Janis Ian, and can be found on her CD, Revenge. For GH fans, this was Robin and Stone's song. "Kiss Me" is performed by Sixpence None the Richer and can be found on many CDs, including the Dawson's Creek soundtrack. "I Will Remember You" is performed by Sarah McLachlan and can be found on The Brothers McMullen soundtrack. Deidcation: This is for Krissy and Danielle, my bestest on-line friend and little sister, respectively. Thanks for all of your help, guys. I couldn't have done it without you. : ) Author's Notes: I've never written a character death story before. I don't even read them, usually! But, this one demanded to be written, and after I had to give away my dog, Molly, I was in the mood. So, here you go. To get yourself in the mood, I suggest you play this song, When Angels Cry, over and over as you read. I've heard that substituting the Titanic soundtrack works as well, though. *g* Wait Your tired arms must rest Let this moment pass Wait until the morning July 25, 2006 The light was so bright. Willow Rosenberg Harris squinted her green eyes, and then closed them completely. "Xander?" she whispered. Her husband, Xander Harris, left the window he had just opened and rushed to her side. "Yeah, baby?" "Can you close the blinds again? The sun is too bright." "Sure, Will." He went back to shut the blinds again before sitting next to Willow's hospital bed. He reached out and took her hand. "How are you feeling, Will?" he asked gently. "Come here, Xander," she said softly. He leaned closer. "No, come here, all the way. Lay down with me." She shifted her body to the left and he laid down next to her, cradling her frail body. Willow had been in and out of the hospital ever since she had been diagnosed with cancer five months earlier, and this had become a familiar position for them. She mustered her energy and twisted in his embrace so that they were facing each other. She raised her nearly translucent white hand to smooth back his dark brown hair. She was going to miss him so much. Every time she thought leaving Xander and their daughter Carrie, her heart broke. Carrie. Her sweet little baby girl, who had been through so much recently. "Penny for your thoughts," Xander finally said, gently squeezing her hand. She smiled sadly at him. "I was just thinking about how much I'm going to miss you." He got a peculiar look on his face, and she knew he was going to try and refute her statement. He still hadn't come to terms with her impending death yet, and soon, it would be too late. "Xander, shhhh," she said, putting her fingers over his mouth in an effort to quiet him. "Xander, you have to listen to me. It's hard, I know. But I'm going to die, sweetie." His eyes filled with tears at her last sentence. Intellectually, he knew that they didn't have much time left. It was just that he couldn't imagine his life without her. In the twenty years they had been best friends, they had never been apart, and now he had to contemplate spending the rest of his life without his other half. He realized that she was waiting for him to say something, and he struggled unsuccessfully to hold his tears back. "I know," he finally managed, his voice thick. "I know." The dam finally broke, and he started sobbing as Willow's imminent death truly hit him for the first time. The tables turned, and now Willow was the one to cradle Xander as he sobbed out all the pain and frustration he had been feeling for the past few months. She closed her eyes as she hugged her husband's shuddering body to her breast, and let her own tears fall. She cried for Xander, and Carrie, and Giles, and also for herself. She would never get to see Carrie grow up, get ready for her first date, her prom, or her wedding day. She would never get to grow old with Xander, or have more babies with him. They cried together for the future they would never get a chance to share, and for all they were losing. They stayed that way for almost an hour, until all their tears were spent and they lay limply in each other's arms. "Xander?" she asked weakly. He lifted his head, his watery brown eyes meeting her dull green ones. "It's going to be soon, sweetie. I can feel it, and I don't want to die here. I want to be at home, in our bed, listening to our little girl playing and laughing in her room next to me," she said wanly, her voice breaking. He hadn't thought he had any more tears left, but he was wrong. "Okay," he said softy as she brushed his tears away. "I'll talk to the doctor, and we'll get you home, where you belong." She smiled at him. "Thank you." |
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