Description: A/U college fiction. Buffy moves far away to
join her boyfriend William aka "Spike" at college. Things are going
wonderfully for the couple and their tight nit group of friends when tragedy
strikes. I'm not going to lie, this is going to be a pretty angsty story.
However, I can promise that it will have a happy ending, and that's all I'm
going to say.
Disclaimer: All characters relating to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and
Angel the Series are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Fox. This story
is written for entertainment purposes only and not for profit. In other words I
am nothing, I own nothing, I have nothing...Please don't sue me :-)
A/N: Same old stuff!!
Chapter 10
Rage
Buffy awoke just as the sun rose. The dim light filtered though her window
casting a bright orange and yellow glow around the room. She felt warm and safe
as she realized that she was now wearing William’s black t-shirt. Buffy’s
thoughts wandered back to the dream that had repeated itself over and over
again in her sleep. She remembered holding William, his soft words of comfort,
the way his hands molded to her body as they made love. Buffy felt rested, and
for the first time since the accident she knew some sort of peace. She snuggled
back into the comforter and closed her eyes, eager to allow sleep to take over
once more so she could re-live the delicious dream. That’s when she heard it,
the distinct sound of someone in the shower. She realized that Willow must have
come home.
“It’s about freaking time,” she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes. When she
heard the water turn off, she thought about bursting into the bathroom and
giving her best friend a real piece of her mind for making her worry. Buffy
quickly dismissed the thought, and settled back into the warmth of the bed.
Willow would be out soon and she could give her what-for when she finally
emerged, which she definitely planned to do.
The bathroom door opened slowly and Buffy sat up in bed to greet her roommate.
“It’s about freaking time! Do you know that I’ve been worried out of my-” Buffy
trailed off when she saw who emerged from the bathroom.
“Sorry,” Riley replied smiling sheepishly as he closed the bathroom door. He
was wearing jeans and had yet to put on a shirt. He carried a towel in his hand
and quickly used it to begin to dry his still dripping head. “I just needed to
take a shower. I didn’t think that you would worry.”
“Riley!” Buffy exclaimed as she grabbed the hem of her blanket and quickly
pulled it up to cover herself. “What are you doing, how did you get in here?”
The smile on Riley’s face quickly faded and was replaced by a look of concern.
“Are you serious?”
“Um…. yeah,” rolling her eyes as she answered him. “How did you get in here?”
Buffy demanded again.
“Buffy, I stayed here.” Riley answered her patiently. “Don’t you remember?”
“Remember? Remember what?” Buffy trailed off when she took a survey of the
room. She saw the jeans and t-shirt that she had been wearing the day before in
a crumpled heap next to the door. There was also another set of clothing strewn
not far away from hers. Then she saw something that made her stomach turn, a
discarded condom wrapper on the floor just below the foot of her bed. “Oh God.”
Buffy breathed. “Riley, did we, I mean we didn’t…did we?”
“What?” Riley asked obviously confused.
Buffy wrapped the blanket around herself and jumped down from the bed and
started to pace the room. “Riley,” she started as she turned to face him. “What
exactly happened here last night? Did I…did we sleep together.”
“You really don’t remember,” he asked.
“I really don’t.” she replied shaking her head and growing steadily impatient.
“Do you remember me walking you home?” Riley asked, not quite knowing where to
start.
“Um…” Buffy thought for a minute. “Yes, yes I do. I left class early because I
wasn’t feeling great and you walked me home.”
“Right, well we got separated when we got to the dorm and you went on ahead of
me. I caught up with you here, and you were pretty upset.”
“Okay…and?”
“Well,” Riley was beginning to fidget. “I tried to get you to calm down.
Umm…you were collapsed on the floor so I tried to pick you up, you know to at
least try to get you into a chair or into the loft. You hugged me and…”He
trailed off.
“And what?” Buffy asked.
“You asked me to make love to you. You told me that you felt safe with me here.
Buffy I’m sorry I didn’t mean to take advantage.”
“Oh my God,” was Buffy’s only reaction. She let out something that sounded like
a mix between a laugh and a sob and began to quickly pace the room again.
“Buffy,” Riley placed his hand on her shoulder halting her nervous pacing. “I
don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know why you’re so upset right now.” Riley
paused to take a deep breath. He lifted her chin so that she was looking him in
the eyes. “I do know that I don’t regret last night. I didn’t want to take
advantage of you.”
Buffy shook his hand from her face where it still rested and shook her head
furiously. “Riley, I don’t think that you took advantage of me. I’m sure that I
did say those things, but I didn’t know that I was saying them to you.” She
noticed the look of confusion in his eyes, and took a deep breath before she
continued. “I know that this is going to sound crazy. Believe me it sounds
crazy to me too. I was talking to William.”
“Buffy,” he rolled his eyes as he tried to reach out for her again.
“No!” Buffy took a step back out of his reach. “I know how it sounds but it’s
true. William is still here with me, I can still feel him.”
“Buffy, William is gone.” Riley’s voice shook with anger and frustration. “He
left you here, don’t you remember? You buried him and he’s gone. The sooner
that you realize that and stop running back to him every chance you get the
better off-”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Buffy interrupted, pointing a
finger at him as she spoke. “You don’t know anything about me and you sure as
hell don’t know anything about William. My relationship with him, past or
present, is none of your business.”
“Buffy…”
“No,” Buffy interrupted, turning her back on him. “I don’t want to hear it,
you’ve said more than enough. Just get your shit and get out.”
Riley started to gather up the remnants of his belongings that were strewn
carelessly about the room. After he put his shirt on and had his shoes, socks
tucked under his arm, and his keys in his hand he turned to her and said,
“Buffy, sooner or later the time is going to come when you are going to have to
make a choice.” He opened the door to the room and stepped barely into the
hallway. He held the door open as he continued. Motioning towards Xander and
Anya’s room he said, “You’ve got friends here that love and care about you very
much. You’ve got the opportunity to make a new one if you’re open to it. But
you’ve got to choose. Are you with us or are you with William? You can’t have
both.”
“What?” Buffy asked shaking her head. “What are you talking about?”
“I think you know.” Riley answered letting go of the door. Before it shut
completely Buffy heard a faint “See you around,” Before he was gone.
***
Knock, knock.Buffy tapped on the large wooden door impatiently. She had
her arms wrapped around herself, her face streaked with tears that she didn’t
take the time to wipe away. “Come on,” she whispered bouncing on her toes as
she waited for an answer. “Please be here.” She was about to knock again when
the door swung open.
“Buffy,” Father Angel smiled as he opened his door. He was wearing what looked
like to be the same clothes that he had on the other day with the exception of
the small wire rimmed glasses that adorned his nose. He was holding an open
book in his hands that Buffy assumed to be the Bible. He snapped the book
closed as he continued to greet her. “What brings you here today?”
“I’m sorry to bother you.” Buffy wiped at the fresh tears that were starting to
form behind her eyes. “I didn’t know where else to go.”
“Please come in.” He opened the door all of the way and ushered her inside.
Buffy stepped slowly into the rectory. She looked at the walls that now
surrounded her. They were covered with pictures, some paintings of religious
martyrs, the pope all of religious significance. In front of her was a large
crucifix that hung solemnly on the opposite wall. The figure entranced her as
she walked carefully across the room until she was standing directly in front
of the large wall decoration. Her tears were still coming, however she was so
entranced she had long forgotten them.
“Buffy, what is it?” Father Angel asked as he stepped closer to her. He noticed
the tears that were continuing to fall and placed a concerned hand on her
shoulder. “What happened?”
Taking a deep slow breath Buffy answered him, “I abandoned my faith a long time
ago Angel. Religion just didn’t seem to fit into my life so I discarded it.”
She turned to face him as she continued, “Do you think that I’m being
punished?”
“God doesn’t work that way Buffy.” Father Angel replied as he led her over to a
near by table and chairs. Once he had her settled he sat in the chair directly
facing her. “We all have our own battles to win, how you choose to fight them
is up to you.”
Buffy nodded numbly. “You told me the other day that you thought that it was
possible that William was still here. Did you mean that?”
Father Angel studied her curiously before answering her. “I did,” he replied
crossing his arms in front of him, and leaning back in his chair.
“What does that mean?” Buffy asked shifting uncomfortably in her chair.
Angel sighed heavily. “Buffy, no one can tell you that. You just need to trust
yourself. William won’t lead you astray. I know that you’re confused right now,
you should be. This is your journey, and you will come out of it. No one can
know what the out come will be, you have to trust yourself.”
Buffy laid her head down on the table that sat between them. “What is he trying
to save me from Angel? I think I’m losing my mind.”
“I think that you should be patient. I think that all of your questions will be
answered in time. You’re not crazy,” Angel said placing a hand on her head to
comfort her.
“I just don’t understand. What’s doing this to me?” Buffy asked wearily. She
felt overcome with exhaustion. Father Angel’s presence was surprisingly
comforting and she could feel sleep begin to creep up on her.
Sensing her apprehension Father Angel stood and turned off the overhead light
before whispering, “Sleep now, Buffy.” When she could feel her breath even out
as sleep finally claimed her she heard him faintly whisper, “I promise you, all
will be answered soon.”
***
When Buffy awoke she was surprised to see that she was no longer sitting at the
table where she had fallen asleep. She was now resting comfortably in one of
the rectory bedrooms. There was a small afghan draped over her body, and she
was alone. Father Angel had obviously carried her to bed, however he was now
gone. Buffy strained her ears for any noise that would indicate his presence.
She heard nothing. I guess he must have mass, or something. She thought
to herself as she threw the blanket off of herself. She stood up from the bed
and looked quickly around the room for something she could use to write a note
on. When she couldn’t find anything she decided she would just go find him
herself. She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. She could see
the windows in the front room and cringed inwardly when she noticed that it was
now dark outside. The rectory was dimly lit in candlelight and Buffy had to
walk carefully due to her limited ability to see. She was almost to the door
when she felt a hand grasp lightly onto her shoulder. She jumped slightly when
she heard a man’s voice ask,
“Can I help you with something Miss?”
“Oh,” Buffy exclaimed placing her hand over her heart as she turned to face the
man. “You scared me a little.”
“I’m sorry,” he removed his hand from her as he apologized. “I didn’t mean to
frighten you. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t need any help is all. I’m
Father Conner, and you are?” he asked her raising his brow slightly.
“Buffy, Buffy Summers,” she answered offering her hand in a greeting. He took
her hand and gave it a hearty shake before replying.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Buffy.”
She smiled warmly at him. “I was actually looking for someone. He was here with
me before, and I guess I fell asleep, Angel, Father Angel.
Conner looked at her quizzically. “I’m afraid that you’re mistaken miss. I do
know Father Angel. He was here when I first came to this Parrish nine years
ago. He left shortly there after and we’ve not heard from him since.”
“That’s impossible,” Buffy exclaimed looking wildly around the room. “He was
right here with me this afternoon, and on campus the other day.”
“Again, Miss, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to tell you, but Father Angel has
not been here for-”
“Thank you, Father Conner.” Buffy interrupted shaking her head. She couldn’t
handle one more person looking at her like she had totally lost her mind. “I
didn’t mean to intrude, I’ll just let myself out.”
Buffy quickly stepped out of the rectory and closed the door behind her. He’s
wrong. I know that I didn’t imagine Father Angel. I couldn’t have. How the hell
else did I end up in the bedroom. He had to have carried me. Buffy began to
walk slowly back to campus. She had begun to silently cry. He was mistaken.
That had to be it. Everyone else was just- Buffy rolled her eyes at what was
actually going through her mind. That’s great Buffy. Blame everyone else. That
doesn’t sound insane at al. I’m not crazy everyone else is, yeah that makes a
lot of sense.
***
When Buffy finally reached Oglethorpe house she was both mentally and
physically tired. She let out a sigh of relief as she entered the building and
walked solemnly to her room. When she rounded the corner that turned into her
hall, she saw Xander and Anya waiting for her in the hallway.
This doesn’t look good, she thought to herself when she noticed Anya’s
concerned expression and Xander pacing angrily around the hallway.
“Hey guys,” Buffy almost whispered as she reached the couple holding up her
hand in a half wave as she spoke. “What’s going on?”
Xander spun around on his heels to face the petite blonde when the sound of her
voice disturbed his furious pacing. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Excuse me?” Buffy asked, puzzled by her friends sudden lashing out.
“You know good and well what I’m talking about Buffy,” Xander yelled, pointing
an accusing finger at her.
Buffy shook her head as she started to walk past the couple to unlock her door.
“Sorry Xand,” she said digging her keys out of her pocket. “I didn’t know I
needed to report my every move to you. The next time I go out for the day I’ll
be sure to leave you an itinerary.”
Xander reached out and grabbed Buffy by the arm tightly, halting her from
opening her door. “That’s not what I’m talking about, Buffy. I don’t give a
damn where you’ve been all day. I’m talking about what exactly happened here
last night and this morning.”
Buffy’s eyes grew wide as the realization of what Xander was referring to
finally hit her. “You mean Riley?”
“What did you do?” Xander asked gruffly, his grip on her not loosening.
Buffy jerked her arm from Xander’s grasp and stared at him for a moment. “Is
that your business?” she asked him snidely, rubbing the red mark on her arm
that his grip had left. “My God, Xander, have you never made a mistake?”
“So you admit that it was a mistake?” Anya interjected, raising her eyebrows.
“See honey, she knows that she made a mistake,” she added turning to Xander.
“What were you thinking?” Xander asked her shaking his head angrily. “Buffy,
how could you do that?”
Buffy took a step toward Xander so she could look him directly in the eye. “How
do you even know about any of this? My God! Xander, were you spying on me? What
gives you the right-”
“I talked to Riley.” Xander interrupted. “He told me the whole story. How could
you do that to him Buffy?”
Buffy’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Xander what exactly are you talking about?
How could I do what to who?”
Xander took Buffy by both arms before exclaiming in frustration, “He said that
you practically kicked him out this morning. He said you were going on and on
about Spike. When are you going to stop this Buffy?”
Buffy tried to wiggle free of Xander’s grasp, but his grip on her was far too
tight this time. “Stop what?” she asked angrily.
Xander let go of her and took a small step backwards. He looked at her with
utter contempt and disgust. “When are you going to stop holding out for a dead
man?”
Buffy slapped Xander hard across the face, and the sound echoed through the
empty hallway. “How dare you? You don’t even know what you’re talking about
Xander. This conversation is over.”
Buffy turned on her heels, threw open the door to her bedroom, stormed inside
slamming it shut behind her. She stood there for a moment in the darkness of
the room before turning on the light. When the room was fully illuminated,
Buffy stepped over to the full-length mirror that was attached to the bathroom
door. She stood there looking at her frail reflection when something in the
background caught her attention. She turned around and reached for it.
William’s t-shirt was draped over her chair where she had hurriedly discarded
it this morning when she was getting dressed. She held it in her hands for what
seemed like hours before she brought it to her nose to inhale his scent. She
took in a deep breath and noticed that the scent had finally faded, and was now
replaced. It smelled faintly of sweat and an aftershave that she didn’t have a
name for. It smelled like Riley.
That’s when the tears came. Buffy tried furiously to brush them away. She was
so tired. Tired of crying. Tired of being sad and worried. She looked
frantically around the room and memories of the previous night flooded her
mind. She could see, very clearly, Riley coming into the room after her. She
could feel him kiss her as she lay helplessly sobbing on the floor of her room.
She could see him lift her into his arms and carry her to the bed. She could
see them making love on the bed that she and William had shared.
For the first time Buffy felt angry. She had betrayed William. “I let myself
forget.” She said out loud to no one. Buffy turned around, slowly facing the
mirror again. She looked at her tear stained face. Her eyes were red-rimmed in
a mixture of tears and anger.
“I killed him,” she said to her reflection. “He wasn’t dead, not really. Not
till I…I let him be dead.” Buffy felt the rage build within her for the first
time since the accident. She was angry that William had to die before she had
the chance to say she was sorry for lying to him. She was angry that Willow had
abandoned her when she needed her most. She was angry with Xander for not
understanding that she needed time to heal. She was angry with Riley for being
there when she was weak and vulnerable. But most of all, she was angry with
herself. She could feel the rage beginning to well from within her, causing her
to tremble. Buffy released a sound that sounded like something between a feral
scream and a sob as in one quick motion, she punched a hole through the mirror
that stood before her.
As the shattered glass fell to the floor, she looked at her hand now covered in
blood. She could see the tiny pieces of glass that still clung to her cut skin,
and yet she felt nothing. No pain, not even a dull ache, which only fueled her
anger further. She began to lash out at the room, begging to feel something
other than sorrow, desperate to erase the memories of what happened here from
her mind. In one quick swoop, all of the small knick-knacks that adorned her
bookshelves were destroyed as she screamed.
“I’m so sorry baby, Please I didn’t mean to,” she continued to trash the room
as she cried out. “You were never really gone, you were with me, and we should
have been forever!” Buffy’s motions came to an abrupt halt as her eyes fell on
the telephone.
“Mommy,” she whispered as she hastily reached for it with her blood soaked
hands. She quickly dialed her mother’s number and waited. The static sound of a
modem connecting was all she heard on the other end. She quickly redialed the
number only to be greeted with the same results.
“Damn it,” Buffy swore loudly as she slammed down the phone. She stood there in
silence for a moment contemplating her next move. She wanted to go home. She
needed help and deep down she knew the only person that could give it to her
would be her mom. She could hitch a ride to the airport and use her savings for
a ticket back to California. Not bothering to bandage her hands she stepped out
of the room. She noticed that Xander and Anya had left their door wide open,
and did not appear to be home.
“Guys?” Buffy called as she stepped into their room. Her only answer was
silence. She stood there for moment until a small, silver shimmer caught her
eye. Xander’s keys. Without giving herself time to think Buffy grabbed the keys
and headed out the door.
***
Buffy had a long drive ahead of her. She tried everything she could think of to
drown out her thoughts but nothing seemed to be working.
“When are you going to stop holding out for a dead man?”
“You’ve got friends here that love and care about you very much. You’ve got
the opportunity to make a new one if you’re open to it. But you’ve got to
choose. Are you with us or are you with William? You can’t have both.”
Buffy tried to shake the thoughts from her head as she reached for her cell
phone. She dialed her mother’s number again and got a busy signal.
“Damn it,” she swore as she threw the phone into the passenger seat. The
strength behind the throw was more than she intended and the phone bounced off
of the seat and landed on the floorboard of the car.
“Fuck!” Buffy cried when she heard the phone land. She needed to be able to
reach her phone just in case her mother tried to call. She leaned over slightly
and tried to reach for the phone. Her small arms couldn’t quite reach where it
had chosen to land. She noticed that she was the only car on the road. “Screw
it,” she grunted as she leaned the rest of the way over. She quickly grabbed
the cell phone and placed it securely in the seat of the passenger chair of the
car and sat back up. She hardly had time to grip the steering wheel of the car
when she saw it. She was heading straight for the median in the middle of the
road. Buffy jerked the wheel frantically as she slammed on the brake. The
sudden motion of the car caused it to flip over and over until she was covered
in darkness once more.
Chapter 11
I Will Always Find You
“Victim is Female, Caucasian, approximately 18-21 years of age...she is
suffering massive head trauma, broken ribs which appear to have punctured her
lungs. Miss, Miss can you hear me?"
Buffy was pulled back from the darkness by a sharp white light being shone
directly into her eyes. She could hear muffled sounds all around her;
occasionally she could make out faint words. She tried to speak but was halted
by a plastic mask that was covering her mouth. She could feel cool air coming
out of the mask, directly into her mouth assisting her to breathe. She was
lying on her back, but she could feel herself moving. She moved her hand up to
the mask that was covering her face and tried to remove it.
“She’s waking up,” she heard a man’s voice say. The mask was promptly removed
by someone else’s hand and she could make out the face of a young man leaning
over her as he checked her pulse. “Miss, can you hear me?”
Buffy opened her mouth to respond and a pain shot through her that made her
grimace. She nodded her head in reply as she gripped the side of the stretcher
that she was laying on. “W-What happened?” she asked her voice raspy from
cottonmouth and thick with pain.
“You were in a car accident. We’re taking you to emergency surgery.” He
answered her as he made notes on her condition. Buffy was trying to concentrate
on the voices that were all around her. The doctors and nurses who surrounded
her were speaking in hushed tones trying not alarm the small girl, however she
could make out enough to know that it was bad.
“Head Trauma”
“Internal Bleeding”
“Doesn’t look good”
Their words echoed in her head as she drifted into darkness.
***
“Buffy, Buffy can you hear me?”
Buffy opened her eyes once again and could see the figure of a man standing
over her. She could hear the distinct beep of a heart monitor beside her as she
tried to focus her eyes.
“Hold on Buffy, you’ve got to hold on.” Father Angel pleaded with her as he
gripped her hand.
“Angel?” Buffy whispered as she focused on his face. Squeezing his hand weakly
she looked up at him, “I’m dying.”
“You have to keep fighting Buffy,” he pleaded with her and Buffy could hear the
desperation in his voice.
She tried to sit up on the gurney that she was on but could not find the
strength to do so. She looked around the small operating room. The room was
circular in shape and there were doctors and nurses moving busily within. She
could see a table adorned with shiny silver instruments that she didn’t have a
name for, and did not want to know. She looked back to Father Angel who was
smiling down at her affectionately and gave his hand another squeeze. “They
told me you were gone.”
Father Angel swept a strand of blood soaked hair from her face, and took a deep
breath. “I told you Buffy, we all have our own battles to face. I fought mine
long ago. Yours is far from being over.”
Buffy shook her head “It’s my time.” she whispered.
“It’s been a different kind of time for you here Buffy.” He told her. “It’s
true, your time here is up, but you’ve got to keep on fighting.”
“Angel what do you...” Buffy trailed off. The realization of what he was saying
swept over her. She slowly let go of his hand. “Xander, Anya?” she asked
searching his eyes for the answer.
“They were lost.” He told her as he shook his head.
“And Willow?”
“She, like you is still fighting. You can’t give up Buffy you have to keep
fighting.” He told her sternly standing up straight beside her.
“You know,” as Buffy started to speak she turned her head so she could face
him. “When William died I never got to tell him...I never told him...”
“Buffy, would you die so that he could live?” Father Angel asked her placing
his hand on her forehead.
“Yes”, she replied smiling. “I would die for him.”
Father Angel studied her for a moment. “Would you live for him?”
A smile crept onto her face. She reached up and grasped Angel’s hand. “I don’t
want to die.”
“Go to him Buffy,” with that Father Angel released her hand and backed away
slowly. Buffy looked around the crowded room. She was confused for a moment,
unsure of what she was supposed to do.
“William,” she said the name as a whisper at first. “William,” she cried out
over and over again, each time growing louder.
William stepped slowly to the side of her gurney. She looked up at him and
smiled. She could see tears in his eyes, and the tracks of those he had already
shed adorned his face. “I’m here baby,” he whispered, his voice thick with
emotion.
“William,” Buffy whispered as she grabbed his hand and interlocked their
fingers. “There’s something I needed to tell you.”
“Shh, luv. Just lie still okay.” He leaned in close as he whispered to her.
Buffy ignored his request and continued, “I’m so sorry baby, I never meant to
lie to you. I love you so much.” Buffy was crying now. She reached her free hand
up to cup the side of William’s face.
“Oh pet, don’t you worry about that now. I love you so much baby.”
Buffy pulled him down to her, she sighed when their lips met. The kiss was
sweeter than it was passionate. The room grew brighter as the couple’s lips
lingered together. Buffy could feel consciousness slipping away from her as she
held William close to her. This is it, Buffy thought to herself. She
slowly opened her eyes so that she could see him, she noticed that his eyes
were also open and he was gazing at her. Buffy noticed the brightness in the
room increasing as they seemed to be engulfed by a growing white light, that
caused the rest of the room to fade away. Buffy smiled inwardly as she closed
her eyes again, letting the darkness take her once more, never breaking the
sweetest kiss she and William had ever shared.
***
Buffy slowly opened her eyes. The room that she was in was flooded with
sunlight. It took her a moment and several blinks to focus on her surroundings.
She could make out a form in front of her and sighed contentedly when it came
into focus. William. He was sitting on the edge of the bed smiling at her
lovingly. She could feel his hand gripping her own and she gave it a soft
squeeze.
“There you are,” he cooed as he stood from the bed. He leaned ever so carefully
down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
“Buffy?” She heard her name being called from the opposite side of the room and
turned her head slowly to acknowledge the voice. Willow, Tara and her mother
were standing on the opposite side of the bed.
“Willow?” Buffy asked weakly as she looked over at her friend. Willow’s head
was bandaged and she was on crutches but other than that she appeared to be
okay.
“Buffy, thank god you’re okay.” Willow exclaimed moving closer to the bed so
she could take her friends hand.
“What happened?” Buffy asked as she squeezed Willow’s hand.
“There was a car accident. You’ve been in a coma for 2 weeks. I was unconscious
for two days, and when I came to they told me about you and that you could wake
up on your own but the longer it was the less likely it would be. William
stayed by your side the whole time. He kept talking to you. He told you not to
leave us, and for the first time it looks like you actually listened.” Willow
told her friend smiling.
“Xander and Anya?” Buffy asked hesitantly.
Willow could only shake her head in response. Tara wrapped an arm around her in
support as she started to cry tears mixed of sorrow and joy.
Buffy nodded in acknowledgement and gave Willow’s hand a reassuring squeeze.
She turned to face William. “My William,” she breathed. Over come with emotion
tears began to well in her eyes. “I got so lost.”
“I found you love. I will always find you.” He told her his voice thick with
emotion as his own tears began to fall.
Buffy smiled at him. Her tears were falling freely now as she whispered. “I
know.” she whispered. “I could hear you.
Epilogue
Disclaimer: All characters relating to Buffy the
Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy
and Fox. This story is written for entertainment purposes only and not for
profit. In other words I am nothing, I own nothing, I have nothing...Please
don't sue me :-)
A/N: Well this is it!!! My first fanfic is finally complete. I have a
list of credits and thank yous that I need to give out, but I'm going to save
those until the end. Please enjoy the conclusion to Here Without You, if you
don't mind I would love to know what you guys think, so please feel free to
send feed back.
"Wow it's cold out here," Buffy Summers thought to herself as she
wrapped her jacket around herself. It had been three months since the accident,
and she was fully recovered. She and Willow had both endured serious enough
injuries to require physical therapy, and with support for each other and from
William and Tara they were able to fully recover in record time. William and
Buffy had moved out of the dorm and into their own apartment. Being across the
hall from Xander's old room was extremely difficult for William and they wanted
to escape the memories. They now lived next door to Willow and Tara and the
couples spent most of their free time together.
"Do you want me to come with you love?” William asked her as he stepped
out of the car.
Buffy turned to face him and smiled he walked around to stand beside her and
she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"No," she whispered. "Can you give me a minute?"
William sighed and leaned down to capture her lips in a quick kiss. "Take
as long as you need pet."
She pulled back from the warmth of his embrace and smiled. He handed her a
single white rose as she turned from his embrace and began to walk. The sky was
overcast and hazy making the cemetery appear to be much darker than it should have
been in the early afternoon. Buffy made her way past the ornate headstones
until she came to a quiet corner of the vast cemetery. She stood in front of a
simple plaque that seemed so out of place amidst so many decorative and
memorials. Buffy stood there for a moment and took a deep breath before she
started to speak.
"Umm, hi." she started as she took a deep breath. "I don't know
if you can hear me, but I think that you can, and I wanted to say thank you.
You saved me. I really think that if it hadn't been for you I would have died
there, and now I find myself with this second chance that I'm not even sure
that I deserve." Buffy wiped at the tears that had slowly started to fall
down her cheeks. She kneeled down and placed the rose on top of the plaque. She
gently brought her hand up to her mouth and lightly kissed her fingers. She
then brought her hand down to the plaque and lightly traced the outline of the
name that adorned it. She sat there for a few minutes and let the cool breeze
wash over her as she silently wept. She was pulled out of her trance by the
feel of a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned to see William standing behind
her. She stood up and turned to face him. Smiling she asked, "How do you
do that?"
William tilted his head slightly. His eyes narrowed as he studied her. "Do
what luv?"
"When you look at me, I feel like the most precious thing in the
world," she whispered.
He let out a small chuckle as he slipped his arm around her shoulder.
"Silly girl," he smiled as he kissed the top of her head. "You
are."
She smiled as she leaned into his embrace, snuggling into his warmth.
"Come on love, let's get you home,” he whispered into her hair.
She looked up into his eyes and nodded. William turned and started to walk back
towards the car. Taking his hand, Buffy looked back one last time to etch the
words upon the plaque into her memory before slowly following William's path.
Father Liam Angelus
Beloved Father
Trusted Friend
1973-2002
THE END
Thanks!! Okay, first and foremost I would like to think my betas,
Charlien and Rapunzel. You ladies are so wonderful. This story would not be
half of what it is if it hadn't been for you guys sticking with me. Words
cannot describe how much you rock. Thank you to everyone who sent a review for
Here Without You. This was my first Fanfic so all the kind hearted support that
I have received regarding this story has been so encouraging.
Credits: This story is loosely based on the Movie: Soul Survivors. For
the most part the dialogue in the story is mine with the exception of certain
lines that were taken directly from certain episodes of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all it's characters are the soul property
of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox Television Network, and many others who are
not me. I own no part of, nor am I affiliated with the show Buffy the Vampire
Slayer in anyway.