Thank You

Lyrics from "Name" by the Goo Goo Dolls.

“Willow, run!” Buffy yelled, jumping in front of her stunned friend. After the shock of seeing Giles and Xander knocked down by the huge demon, Willow turned and fled to a corridor in the empty school where she could watch the fight without being spotted by either combatant. Thinking hard, she began to conjure up a spell that would protect her friend from any and all harm. Buffy attacked the creature with all her reserves of power, showing it a fury seen only by Angelus himself. And then, finally, her sword struck flesh, tearing away at the demon’s life. He screamed in defeat and attacked the way a dying animal does. Buffy laughed bitterly, turning to find Willow. The redhead concentrated on tying up the protection spell, though now useless, and looked up from the spell just in time to see the huge claw swoop out of nowhere. And Buffy’s head hit the wall with a sickening thump, echoed by first its fall to the floor, then her body’s collapse.
Willow began to scream.

Angel awoke suddenly, knowing instantly that something was wrong. He went upstairs to the office, opening the door to look out to the street. He found a shadow of a girl he once knew, covered in blood, looking at him blankly, as if searching for something. Then she smiled before passing out, falling forward into his arms.
“Buffy.” He whispered softly, looking up to the sky, praying that he was wrong in assuming her death, and yet, knowing he was right. Then he looked tenderly on his lost friend, and carried her down to his apartment. He set her down in his bed, then went to get a washcloth to wipe the bloodstains off her face. Any wounds she had would need care.

And even though the moment passed me by
I still can't turn away
'cause all the dreams you never thought you'd lose
Got tossed along the way
And letters that you never meant to send
Get lost or thrown away
And now we're grown up orphans
That never knew their names
We don't belong to no one
That's a shame

Willow awoke several hours later, Angel sleeping in the chair beside her. She smiled faintly, tears filling her saddened eyes. They were the only ones left, she thought absently. For they were all dead, lost in the fight against the dark. Even Angel’s given-up mortality could not keep Buffy from being killed. Then she laughed bitterly, realizing she was hungry. How mundane it all seemed, she thought, going to the refrigerator, hoping Angel still had food in it. By pure luck it seemed he did – if cookies counted.
“A little girl came to my door, selling them.” Angel said from behind her. When she remained silent, only acknowledging him by turning around, he continued. “She told me that if I kept them frozen, they’d stay fresh. I thought maybe the refrigerator would do the same… and her eyes pleaded with me, so I gave her all the money I had on me.” She gave him that same slight smile, and sat down, starting to eat them. He noted how daintily she ate them, tiny bites at a time, and smiled. Then a sadness entered his eyes.
“Buffy’s dead.” He said softly, in a questioning voice. She looked up at him and nodded slightly. “The others, too?” Again, a nod, her expression saddening more. “A demon?” Yes, she told him with her eyes. He looked away, and she saw all the strength leave his body. He seemed to begin to shake, until she realized what was going on.
Angel was crying.
That night, Willow slept beside him.

But if you could hide beside me
Maybe for a while
And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell 'em your name

She was at his side from that point on, his constant, unspeaking companion. Whenever he began to talk about their old friends, her eyes would fill with tears, and she would walk away. He’d later find her curled up on his bed, clutching a pillow he knew to have Buffy’s scent on it. In her own way, he knew, she had loved the Slayer almost as much as he had.

And scars are souvenirs you never lose
The past is never far
Did you lose yourself somewhere out there
Did you get to be a star
And don't it make you sad to know that life
Is more than who we are

And then one day, she disappeared. He could not find her for days, and during that time, he did not sleep or eat, becoming a thin, worn out shadow of his former self. His bed was too lonely without her, and sounds seemed to echo throughout the house. Someone told him that ‘a redhead that refused to speak, but was great on looks’ was being held prisoner by some ‘big nasty who’s friend her friends killed.’ Still, Angel had no clue how accurate the information was, since the guy ended his speech with, “Maybe if you’re up to it, sometime you can come back and thank me properly. And maybe you could bring the girl with you, I’m pretty cool with that too.”
So Angel set out to find her.
And soon struck gold.
“If you want the girl,” some drunk random vampire told him. His British accent sounded much like Spike’s, making Angel remember his loss. “If you want the girl, they’re downtown, next to that bloody Wolfram place. They’re helpin’ him out. I just don’t see why they’re helpin’ such an ugly nonce but turned me down.” Angel just sighed and turned to go. “By the way, mate, you might want to feed a bit. ‘s no good fightin’ when you’re just going to lose.”

We grew up way too fast
And now there's nothing to believe
Reruns all become our history
A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio
And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell 'em your name
I won't tell 'em your name
I won't tell 'em your name

When he went downtown, he was fed and back to full health, though still looking sickly. The place was easy enough to find – it was the only place surrounded by bodyguards. He snuck in through the sewers, and saw that, indeed, the demon was as ugly as everyone had described. Thick, scaly, brown skin, wide jaws with sharp, pointed teeth and dipping mucus, red eyes set widely around two nostrils, and claw-like hands. He fought the demon listlessly, putting no heart into it, for he was numb. The knife he’d brought was thick with blood, and the final swing, with some irony, was to cut the ugly thing’s head off. He wiped the thick mix of blood and mucus on the demon’s scaly hide, then went to the bundle of rags in the corner. Willow was in there, unconscious, but still alive. Only her head was bruised, and as he lifted her into his arms, her eyes fluttered open.
“Willow…” he breathed. She smiled softly, and passed out once more, as if satisfied that he had saved her.

I think about you all the time
But I don't need the same
It's lonely where you are, come back down
And I won't tell 'em your name

After she awoke, he fell asleep for the first time in days. He awoke suddenly in the night when she slipped into bed beside him. Then, as her arms slipped around his waist, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.
In the morning, he found the table covered in cookies. They spelled out two simple words.
Thank you.

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