TITLE: "Where Would I Be?"
AUTHOR: ASH Watcher/Slayer Watcher
EMAIL: GGtheSlayer@aol.com
PAIRINGS: None really...but Buffy/Giles/Angel are the main focus in this fic.
RATING: Umm...to be safe, I'll say PG-R for angst, language, and whatever else.
SUMMARY: Takes place one year after my fic, "Do What It Takes"...we see how Buffy and everyone else have changed since her return from Heaven.
SPOILERS: My fic, "Do What It Takes" and general events from Season Six of BtVS and Season Three of AtS.
DISCLAIMER: I own the fic but Joss "I'm On Crack" Whedon and his gang of lackwits, own the characters. :P Oh and "Estal demons" are a figment of my own imagination. OH and the nickname "Wendy Witch", was used, with permission, from Maquis Leader. "Wendy Witch" is from her AWESOME fic, "Bring Forth The Night"(http://maquisleader.com/buffy/bringforth.htm)....go read!! :) Hee....AND "Mira" as well as "Dr. Okeem", belong to me. :D
DISTRIBUTION: My LJ (http://www.livejournal.com/users/gilesgirl), ash_watcherfanfiction, and anyplace else I stick it. You want it? Then email me and ask for it. :P
FEEDBACK: Please and thanks, but all flames, as per usual, send to Spike's crypt and make sure he signs for each delievery. ;)
AUTHOR'S NOTES: MAJOR re-writes here...after Buffy is brought back by Willow in the beginning of Season Six, everything else isn't as it was on the show.(Which when you consider the crap with Spuffy, it's a GOOD thing everything ISN'T as it was on the show. *G) No Darla or Druscilla in this fic. No Connor, sorry to any Connor fans. No crap with Darla coming back, being sired by Dru, making Angel go nutso and ultimately boinking Darla, causing Connor to be born, then kidnapped by Wes and then kidnapped again by Holtz, only to come back as a psychotic teenager, who tries to kill Angel, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Cordy still gets visions, they're still painful.
Gunn and Fred aren't dating...Wes and Giles are *both* acting as Buffy's Watchers, and *everyone* lives in the Hyperion. 'Cept maybe Cordy and/or Wes. Everyone else, Buffy, Giles, Angel, Fred, and Gunn, live in the hotel. Everyone clear on that?? *G* IF there winds up being a sequel to this...Goddess forbid *wink*, *then* I'll deal with Connor and figure out who his father will be...cuz Buffy will be his mom. :D
Annnnd, the stuff with Dr. Okeem, I was just flubbing my way through, since I've never had to get a pregnancy test done. ;)
DEDICATIONS: To Queen Boadicea for her limitless help on the setting, events, and over-all fic. And for letting me bounce ideas off her from time to time. :) To my Musey for her help and for always lending an ear when I need one. And to Michelle for helping me with the timeline for this fic and the events that happened on both shows...mainly "Angel", though. :) Of course, I can't forget my LJ friends...Gia, Maquis Leader(Thanks SO much for your suggestions! *GRIN*), Chloe, Zo, PigPimping, Tango, indie, Molsey, Jenn, and everyone else. :) B/A baby...it's a wonderful thing. *smoochies* :)
***************
It had been a year...and everything had changed in that year for the group of people once known as "The Scoobies". The young woman formerly known as The Vampire Slayer, Buffy to her friends and family, had been torn from Heaven and then left to dig her way out of her own grave. She'd begun digging and clawing and scratching with everything she could...and just as she'd been close to giving up and letting the darkness re-claim her....her vampire and her watcher had saved her. They'd torn open her coffin and pulled her out...back into the world. The harsh, cold, unforgiving, loving, wonderful, caring world.
The Vampire and the Watcher, had taken her to a place where she could begin the slow, but steady, healing process. And they'd not left her side since. The former Slayer and her Vampire and her Watcher, hadn't a clue as to what had become of Buffy's former friends and sister. Buffy, Angel, and Giles. The three of them were living in L.A. in Angel's hotel, The Hyperion. Along with Wesley Wyndham-Price, III, known only as "Wes" anymore, Charles Gunn(known as "Gunn), Cordelia Chase, and Winnifred, "call me "Fred" ", Burkle. The seven of them formed "Angel Investigations" and 'helped" the "helpless".
Buffy still slayed, for it wasn't something she could just turn off. Giles and Wes were both her Watchers now. They researched, along with Angel, Fred, and the rest of the team, whenever a new "big bad" came into their town. Angel couldn't forgive Buffy's former friends for ripping her out of Heaven...but he was fairly easily forgetting all about them. He knew that someday, they'd all come together once again for a reunion...but he also knew and hoped, that any reunion between Willow, Xander, and Buffy, would be a *very* long time in coming.
Giles still worried about his Slayer...but not just as a parent worries about their children. He worried about her as a lover would. Angel and Giles had done a lot of discussing their....colored past. Their discussions had included a lot of yelling, screaming, throwing things, crying, anger, pain, and eventually, they'd reached a crossroad. Theirs would never be a love relationship, ever, but they were able to be around each other, live in the same place as each other, and carry on friendly conversations with each other....without Giles wanting to set fire to Angel.
The first five or six weeks after Buffy was brought back, were very emotional. Buffy had to work through a lot...such as re-acquainting herself with the world. For a while, the "Buffy" side of her was gone...and she was all "Slayer". Little emotion and all agression. Angel feared for her more than he feared for his safety around "The Slayer". Giles worried that the Buffy everyone had known and loved, had been completely erased from existence. It wasn't until she had been back for around four months, that something happened to snap the "Buffy" part out of her coma.
***************
It was a typical Tuesday evening around the hotel. Everyone was scattered about doing typical Tuesday things. Gunn and Wes were cleaning up weapons used in the previous nights' battle. Cordy was behind the desk with Fred, discussing the "filing" system. Angel was catching up on some paperwork, and Giles was having a conversation with Buffy.
"How are you doing, Buffy?" Giles asked the slayer.
She shrugged. Giles sighed...he wondered what it would take to get a response from her. Any kind of response. They'd been trying for quite a while now, to get Buffy back into feeling something other than despondency. She quite literally, was only going through the motions. Nothing and no one, could break through the wall shielding her from feeling anything.
Angel would pick fights with her, but she never fought back. Or when she did, it was all rage, agitation, and resentment...but no warmth. Buffy looked at Giles and could see how badly he needed her to respond to him or anything. She just couldn't seem to care...even though she desperately wanted to. She'd been having nightmares lately...nightmares in which she was still trapped in her coffin, with no way to escape.
She wasn't sure why she was only just now being plagued with the nightmares, but she wished they'd stop. Angel and Giles were right there(Angel in the same room, but sleeping on the floor and Giles across the hall) everytime a nightmare hit...and she was eternally grateful, even if she couldn't fully express it. She'd let Angel and Giles comfort her, but then she'd gently push them away and go back to sleep. Buffy was suddenly shaken out of her musings, when Cordelia got a vision.
"What did you see, Cordy?" Angel asked anxiously. Cordelia groaned and then took the aspirin and water from Gunn. She took Wesley's arm as he lead her to a seat...then they all waited for her to tell them what she'd seen. And within a few minutes; Angel, Giles, Wes, Gunn, and Buffy, had left on their mission.
***************
The fight taking place, was intense and fierce. Angel and Gunn were battling with two of the Estal demons. Estal demons, were roughly six feet tall and had blue and pink polkadots all over their bodies. Their hands had four three-inch long talons on each one, and their feet were short and stubby. Wes and Giles were battling another two, which left Buffy with the remaining demon.
The Estal demons that Angel and Gunn were up against, were crafty and one had cut Gunn across the cheek. Angel had suffered a few minor cuts himself, and was getting more and more annoyed with the demons' refusal to die. Giles and Wes' demons, weren't showing any signs of defeat either, and Buffy's demon, was slowly working the Slayer into a corner.
"All right, this is pissing me off now," Angel grunted, as one of the demons hit him in the ribs. Angel let loose with all of his fury and decapitated the demon with his bare hands. Gunn grinned and tried decaptating his demon too, but the Estal demon, upon seeing its friend or relative(who knew) die, roughly shoved Gunn out of the way, and turned its' wrath on Angel. Wes and Giles killed their demons, too....it just took a few more minutes. Unbeknownst to the others, Buffy had killed the Estal demon she'd been up against, and had become aware of her small and dark surroundings.
The demon Angel was up against, had the vampire in a headlock and was pummeling him repeatedly. In the head, ribs, and anywhere else it could reach. Gunn got up from where he'd landed, and jumped onto the demon's back. "Damn, these things are FUGLY! My mama's made better looking birthday cakes!!" The Estal demon roared and struggled to free itself from Gunn. Angel wriggled out of the headlock, getting a nasty cut along his chest as the demon made one last attempt to keep a hold of Angel while trying to free itself from Gunn.
The cut was really nasty and gross looking, and it hurt like a bitch. And Angel knew it was pretty bad, but didn't have time to deal with it just yet. Finally, after another few minutes of futile struggle, the Estal demon was killed. Everyone was covered in scratches, blood, sweat, and other unmentionable substances. Giles and Angel were the first to notice that Buffy wasn't with everyone else and they immediately began searching for her.
Meanwhile, Buffy, who'd found herself in a small and dark corner, was swamped with memories of being in her small and dark coffin. She tried to ignore them, but curled herself into a ball and began shaking and softly whimpering instead. That's how Angel and Giles found her. The two men exchanged a look of panic and worry, then went towards her. She didn't sense either of them at first, but when they sat down by her, she crawled into Angel's lap and grabbed hold of Giles' hands and wouldn't let go.
She kept whimpering, but had ceased shaking. The threesome sat there for a minute or two, then got up. Angel holding Buffy tight and Buffy still keeping her hands clenched to Giles'. When Wes and Gunn saw them, they wisely kept mute, and instead lead everyone away from the scene of the battle.
Upon reaching the hotel, Wes and Gunn took all of the weapons and began cleaning them. Fred and Cordy helped. Giles and Angel went upstairs with Buffy and headed into Buffy's bedroom. As the guys attempted to set her down on the bed, so they could examine her for possible injuries, she whimpered louder and wouldn't let go of either of them. Giles managed to get his hands released from Buffy, and swore to come right back.
She nodded shakily, then wrapped her arms around her vampire's neck and clung tighter. Angel was glad he didn't need to breathe. (Hee, I made a funny.) Giles went across the hall into his suite and grabbed the first-aid kit. He didn't have any serious injuries, but knew that Angel did and even with Angel's healing abilities, his cut needed to be attended to. Of course, they'd have to pry Buffy off of him first.
Angel held Buffy to him and did his best to ignore his injury, for nothing was more important to him than she was. Giles came back into the room and sighed. How on earth were they going to get Buffy away from Angel, so that Angel's gash could be patched up? Buffy glanced over at the doorway and saw Giles. She let go of Angel's neck and turned around to face Giles. She'd stopped whimpering by this time and both men were relieved.
"Buffy...may I tend to Angel's wounds?" Giles gently asked. Buffy glanced down and for the first time, saw that Angel had been bleeding. She paled, then scooted off his lap and onto the bed next to him. Angel took her hand in his, and she clung to it gratefully. He offered her a small smile and she sort of smiled back.
Giles saw the exchange and inwardly smiled. Angel unbuttoned his shirt with his free hand, and winced when the shirt stuck to the gash on his chest. Buffy squeezed his hand in sympathy and then watched as Giles cleaned up the wound and bandaged it. Giles cleaned up some smaller scratches on Angel's chest as well, then closed the first-aid kit up.
"I-is he o-okay?" Buffy softly asked, startling both men, since she hadn't said a word since they'd gotten back from the sewers.
"Yes, Angel shall be fine, Buffy. Do you have any injuries?" Giles replied. Buffy nodded, then let go of Angel's hand so she could take off her shirt. On her left forearm, there was a two inch scrape. Giles cleaned it up and put a bandage on it. She pulled up her pants leg, and showed off a cut on her right knee. Giles patched that one up, too.
"Thank you, Giles," Buffy said.
"You're quite welcome, Buffy," he told her. Angel, Buffy, and Giles all smiled at each other. Buffy glanced at Angel and saw that he looked a little paler than usual. She knew he needed to feed, so that the healing process for his wounds would be sped up. Just then, Fred came into the room and had some blood for Angel, along with juice for Giles and Buffy. They all thanked her, and she left. The trio drank the beverages given to them.
"C-can I have s-some time to s-shower? I'm kind of smelly after that fight," Buffy questioned.
"Of course you can, Buffy...just don't get the bandages wet," Angel grinned. Buffy rolled her eyes at him, and Giles laughed. Angel and Giles left the room, and Buffy went to take her shower.
***************
A short while later, everyone was in the dining room eating pizza for dinner. Buffy, freshly showered, put on a good act of being okay, but nobody noticed it was merely an act. Cordy and Wes were telling funny stories about their lives since moving to LA, and everyone was laughing. Buffy wasn't exactly hungry, but she ate just so her stomach would quit growling. Plus, eating would keep Angel and Giles from nagging her about her mostly non-existent appetite.
When dinner was over, everyone went in different directions. Cordy and Wes left for their own apartments, Gunn and Fred went upstairs to their rooms. Giles headed into his office to do some light reading. Angel waited to see what Buffy was going to do, before he decided on his evening activity. Buffy yawned, then blushed when Angel smiled at her.
"I'm kinda tired...maybe I'll just go on up to bed," Buffy said.
"Sounds okay to me...do you need anything first?" Angel asked.
She shook her head "no", then said her goodnights to Angel and Giles, and headed upstairs. Angel sighed, then wandered off to see if Giles wanted to play some Chess or something.
***************
Around one o'clock in the morning, Angel and Giles were shaken from their second game of Chess by Buffy's terrified screams. As one, they raced upstairs to her room and threw open the door. Buffy was sitting up in bed, with her eyes wide open, and the covers tangled around her waist. The two men seperated and Giles went to Buffy's left, while Angel went to Buffy's right. She was shaking and shivering and wimpering and tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Buffy, sweetheart...it's all right, Giles and I are here," Angel told her quietly. Angel and Giles sat down on either side of her and waited to see what she'd do. Buffy looked at Angel, then turned and looked at Giles.
"I-I'm sorry...I j-just can't m-make th-them go away," she sobbed. Giles and Angel gently shooshed her and then pulled her into their laps. She put one arm around Angel's neck and the other around Giles' neck. The men rocked her and whispered words of re-assurance to the Slayer.
"C-can you s-stay in h-here with me, p-please?" she begged, after calming down a little.
"Who are you asking, Luv?" Giles asked, still stroking her hair.
"Both of y-you...please don't l-leave m-me," Buffy pleaded.
"Of course we can both stay and we won't leave you, either. Unless you kick us out, we'll both be right here with you. Okay?" Angel told her. She nodded shakily, then let go of Giles and Angel, to lie back down on the bed. Both men scooted down beside her, and wrapped their arms around her. She pulled them closer, so that there was less than a hair's breath between the three of them. The covers were pulled back up, and then the trio settled down comfortably and went to sleep.
Twice more during the night, she woke up screaming, but with both Giles and Angel right there with her, Buffy was able to calm down enough to get back to sleep. She never told them what her nightmares were about, but both men could guess the cause of her bad dreams.
***************
Throughout the next couple of weeks, Buffy, Angel, and Giles, shared one bed. Buffy continued to have nightmares, but they weren't as frequent or as terrifying as they had been. When one of the men tried getting her to open up to them about the dreams, she'd clam up. But it finally reached the point, where something had to be done to help Buffy rid herself of the dreams all together. Angel and Giles had many discussions about their Slayer's nightmares and decided on a plan of action.
The next night when the trio were in bed, once again, Buffy awoke from an awful nightmare. Immediately reaching for both Angel and Giles to comfort her, she found nothing but an empty bed. Panicking, she started whimpering and began searching for the men. Neither of them were anywhere in the bedroom, so she anxiously climbed out of bed, and left her room. She knew Giles had a room across the hall from hers, but upon searching it, he was nowhere to be found.
Beginning to become even more frightened, Buffy frantically searched all of the other rooms on that floor. Gunn's room was two rooms down from Giles', and she went inside. Gunn was sound asleep, but woke up when something started shaking him. Seeing a terrified Slayer, Gunn immediately got out of bed and pulled her to him. She resisted, and instead, begged him to find Giles and Angel.
Gunn took her hand and lead her from the room. She clung tightly to his hand, and Gunn hoped she wouldn't accidentally break it. He took her downstairs and into Giles' office. Angel and Giles looked up and saw Buffy with Gunn. The Watcher and Vampire exchanged a look, then thanked Gunn. Buffy almost didn't let go of the black man's hand, but she did and went over to Angel.
"Where d-did you g-go? You s-said you wo-wouldn't l-leave me...so w-where did y-you g-go?!" the Slayer questioned, somewhat hysterically. She was crying and wanted to know why they'd left her alone.
"We're sorry, Buffy. We didn't want to leave you, but we weren't very tired, so we came down here after you'd fallen asleep," Angel told her. She started nervously pacing, and the men were afraid she had lost it. Suddenly, she started talking in a voice so low, that even Angel could barely hear her.
"Willow...she b-brought me b-back. Mommy...why'd she leave me? H-heaven...with my mommy! I w-want my mommy back...please! Coffin....trapped...l-let me out...can't b-breathe. Help me! W-why won't Willow l-let me out?" Buffy murmured distraughtly. Angel and Giles weren't sure what to think. When Buffy finally stopped her ramblings, Angel went over to her and lead her to sit down on the sofa.
"Buffy?" he asked cautiously. She turned and looked at him questioningly.
"Where you were before Willow brought you back...did you see your mom?" Angel asked.
Buffy nodded.
"My m-mom, was in Heaven w-with me. And Willow t-took me away from her. Why did she d-do that, Angel? Why?" Buffy queried. Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she waited for him to answer her. But he didn't, Giles did.
"Willow took you away from your mother, because she didn't know you were with her. Willow thought you were in a hell dimension like the one Glory had come from." Willow was also a complete imbecile for not doing a locator spell to find out where you were like Angel and I did, Giles added silently. Buffy was quietly crying and Angel pulled her into the comfort of his arms.
"Angel...perhaps we should think about having Buffy talk to a shrink?" Giles asked the Vampire.
"She is *not* going to any head doctor, Giles. She is *not* insane, either. She'll be fine!" Angel swore, glaring at the Watcher.
"I know she isn't insane, Angel...but bloody hell! She's not getting any better and the nightmares of her time in Heaven and of being trapped in her coffin, aren't getting any better or going away! We must do something to help her get better!" Giles ranted. Angel knew he was right...but his Buffy wouldn't take going to a doctor lightly. Maybe he and Giles could find a non-doctor that Buffy could talk to. Buffy knew they were talking about her, but all that mattered to her at that instant, was being wrapped in the loving and safe embrace of her soul-mate.
***************
After that night, Giles and Angel alternated nights of sleeping in Buffy's room. Her nightmares *did* slowly stop haunting her, and it helped that she was able to open up more about their details. Some nightmares had her in Heaven with her mom, happy and carefree...only to have Willow come and tear Buffy away from Joyce. Others had Willow cheerfully nailing Buffy's coffin lid shut and then setting it on fire, with Buffy still in it. Angel and Giles were very tempted to track Willow down and tear her limb from limb....but for obvious reasons, didn't.
Giles even called Sunnydale once to see how everyone was faring. Nobody answered at Buffy's house, where Willow and Tara had been living with Dawn. Xander and Anya's phone went unanswered too, as well as the phone at The Magic Box. He tried mustering up some concern, but failed at it. And Angel had stopped caring for The Scoobies and Dawn, a long time back.
Gunn and Cordy began dating as did Wes and Fred. Angel, Giles, and Buffy, remained platonically involved with each other. Angel's curse wasn't an issue...Giles wasn't sure how Buffy felt about him...and neither man wanted to push Buffy into something she wasn't able to handle yet. Buffy continued on the path to healing...and one night, everything changed.
***************
"Your move, Giles," Buffy told the Watcher, as she moved her Chess piece. Giles looked down at the board and smirked when he saw where she'd put her piece at. He quickly made *his* move and captured the necessary piece to win.
"Checkmate, Buffy. I win....again," he grinned. Buffy mock-glared at him, then laughed.
"How many wins is that now? Like, ten?" she asked.
"More like five, actually," Giles replied.
"Whatever," Buffy said. They laughed at each other, and were setting up for a new game when Angel came into the room.
"Giles, can I please see you in the other room?"
"Certainly Angel. Is something amiss?" Giles questioned.
"No, I'd just like your opinion on something," Angel answered.
Giles told Buffy to finish setting up the Chess board, and then left the room with Angel. When they walked into the lobby, Giles immediatley saw what matter Angel sought his opinion on.
"Hello, Willow," Giles calmly said. The red-head spun around from the painting she'd been admiring. Upon seeing the Watcher, she gasped.
"Giles! What're you doing here?!" she exclaimed.
"I might ask you the same question, Willow...what brings you to Los Angeles?"
"Uh...the bus?" Willow half-joked. Neither Angel, nor Giles, found her remark amusing. The Wicca sighed, talk about a tough crowd.
"Seriously though, I came to LA cuz a little birdy told me that the spell of Osiris worked. Which means Buffy's alive. But when I went to her grave, it hadn't been disturbed. So now I want to know if the little birdy was being truthful or not. *Did* the spell work and *is* Buffy alive?" Willow demanded.
Angel and Giles could hardly believe the gall of the young woman standing in front of them. Who was *she* to demand things of them? And why should they tell her anything concerning the whereabouts of Buffy? As they prepared to answer her, someone came out of the office to find out where Giles and Angel were.
"Hey Giles, the game's ready. What's taking you so long?"
Angel quickly went to head Buffy off, so she wouldn't have to see Willow. Willow, upon hearing a voice that sounded like Buffy's, got a very curious look on her face. She looked at Giles, wondering if he was going to tell her that she *had* heard Buffy's voice. Or if he was going to tell her it was only her imagination. The Watcher met her gaze, but refused to say anything.
"That was Buffy's voice, I know it! Where is she and why are you keeping me from seeing her, Giles?" she asked the Watcher snarkily.
Giles remained silent. He had to think of a response that wouldn't betray his utter contempt for Willow. During their staring contest, Angel had gotten Buffy distracted with a game of Chess. She'd asked what Giles was doing, but Angel didn't tell her the truth. He didn't think she could handle knowing that the person who'd ripped her out of Heaven, and away from her mother, was in the hotel talking to Giles.
"Oh for crying out loud! Giles, you can't keep silent forever. And you can't stop me from finding out where Buffy is, either!" Willow exclaimed.
"Very well Willow, since you seem to know everything about everyone, if you'll wait here a moment, I'll fetch Buffy."
Willow smiled haughtily, and waited as Giles went into the office where Angel was with Buffy.
"Angel, I need your and Buffy's assistance with a...problem...in the lobby," the Watcher told the twosome.
"Sure thing, Giles. What's the what?" Buffy asked cheerfully. But the smile on her face disappeared as soon as she noticed the grim looks on the mens' faces. The Watcher, Vampire, and Slayer left the office and went into the lobby. Buffy saw Willow and wasn't sure how to react. Did she play nice or not-so nice? Friendly or not-so friendly? Dozens of conflicting emotions flooded the Slayer, upon seeing the Wicca.
"Buffy!!" Willow cheered, as she came towards her friend. "I'm so happy to see you!! How are you?"
The blonde was torn between hugging the red-head and slugging the red-head. Unfortunately for Willow, Buffy chose the latter, and before Angel or Giles could blink, Buffy had punched Willow in the nose, and subsequently knocked her out cold.
***************
"Ohh, Goddess my head hurts...and ow...so does my nose. What the heck happened? And why am I on the floor?" Willow asked, as soon as she regained consciousness. She slowly sat up and tried to remember where she was. Then it hit her, almost as hard as Buffy had...she was in LA, because she'd heard her spell to bring Buffy back had worked. She remembered talking to Angel, then seeing Giles...and finally seeing Buffy.
"Well apparently Miss Buffy wasn't too happy to see me. Ungrateful bitch...I save her from a Hell dimension and she can't even say "thank-you"? How rude is *that*?!" Willow growled, as she picked herself up off the floor.
"What exactly would you like Buffy to do? Jump up and down singing the "Hallelujah Chorus"? Perhaps she should shower you with a multitude of expensive gifts? And did you even know for sure, where or what you were 'saving' her from, Willow?" Angel asked sarcastically. The Vampire had to restrain himself from letting Angelus loose long enough to fill Willow in on what both soul and demon thought of her. "Did you bother to check it out first, Wendy Witch?"
"I don't expect Buffy to do any of that crap. I would just like a "thank-you" from her. But I guess that's too much to ask of a Superbitch like Buffy," Willow practically snarled. It took a lot to piss Angel off enough to let Angelus out, but Willow was bringing him forth with very little effort on her part. Just having her in *his* town and *his* hotel, was enough to push the limits of control Angel had on his demon.
"How *dare* you come into MY home and slander MY mate?! You have absolutely NO right to be here, Wicca!" Angel/us sneered. He felt his facial features shift into his vampire visage, as his anger towards Willow continued to mount. The stupid chit thought she was all-powerful and could do no wrong...but she was in for a *very* rude awakening!
"Oh bother...is she still here then?" Giles sighed in resentment, upon descending the stairs and seeing Willow again.
"Yeah, sucks, huh? She's been flapping her jaw about how ungrateful a bitch Buffy is for not properly thanking her," Angel/us replied, gameface still on. Giles stifled a bored yawn and came to stand beside Angel/us.
"So your opinion of Buffy, is that she's an ungrateful bitch, is it?" the Watcher asked Willow. Willow nodded and Giles saw red.
"If Buffy's an ungrateful bitch....then what sort of bitch does that make you? Spiteful, petty, selfish, nasty, snobbish, or perhaps all of the above? Better yet, what about arrogant, priggish, rude, insensitive, and all around contemptible? Yes, that's it. You are a contemptible bitch. Do you agree, Angel?" Giles queried, glancing over at his partner-in-crime.
"Whole-heartedly, Rupert...or should I be addressing you as Ripper this evening?"
"Take your pick, Angel...or should I address *you* as Angelus?" he grinned wickedly. Angel/us returned the grin and the two went back to staring at Willow.
"Let me get this straight...you think I'm a bitch just because I think Buffy's a bitch?" Willow asked in outrage.
"Yes, we do. Buffy's not a bitch and certainly not because someone immature like you thinks she is!" Angel/us swore. Maye he should just snap her neck and be done with it. Nope, better not...someone might miss the stupid witch. Not anyone in LA though, that's for sure.
"Immature? What the hell are you calling me "immature" for, Angel?! How am *I* immature? I brought Buffy back to life. She was DEAD and worm bait until I stepped in! How *dare* you imply that I am "immature"!! You have NO idea of the power I hold inside me, just waiting to be unleashed!" the Wicca raged.
"Oh help. It's the Big "Bad" Wicked Wicca of the West...whatever shall we do, Angelus?" Giles snickered, acting frightened.
Angel/us hooted and laughed.
"Gosh Ripper, I don't know...maybe we should run and hide..." he replied, trying to keep a straight face.
"Okay you two, that's enough Willow bashing for now...why don't you guys skedaddle off somewhere, so I can talk to my best friend," Buffy suggested, practically sneering on the phrase "best friend", upon entering the lobby and smirking at her two guys.
"Sure thing, Sweets...but are you sure you don't want us to stick around?" Angel/us asked, somewhat eagerly, and hoping he could stay and see what the Slayer did next.
"Naw, I can handle her...thanks for asking, though," Buffy grinned at the Vampire. Giles smiled at Buffy, then left the room with Angel.
***************
"So, do you wanna make a bet on how long it takes Buffy to hit Willow again?" Angel chuckled.
Giles laughed in response, then shook his head "no".
"While I've no doubts that Buffy will hit Willow again, I don't care to wager on it. I do wonder, however, if Willow will strike back at Buffy or not. Do you think we ought to keep an eye on things?" Giles replied. Angel nodded, and the two of them crept out into the hallway, and listened.
***************
"So, Wills...what's new? Other than you thinking I'm an ungrateful superbitch, that is."
"Not much....'cept, oh yeah, you *are* an ungrateful superbitch! Plus, you hit me! What was that for?!"
"The punch was for ripping me out of Heaven, Willow," Buffy calmly stated. Well, calmly on the outside, anyway. Willow's face went completely white as Buffy told Willow where she'd been all those months. Heaven? Buffy almost laughed at her former friend's reaction....but didn't. She did, however, go over to the stunned Wicca and hug her. And at first, Willow didn't know how to react...but then she lifted her arms and hugged Buffy back. The two young women stood there, in a hug, for some minutes...neither of them said a word.
Angel and Giles, who'd heard the conversation between Wicca and Slayer, were desperately trying to hear what was said next. But there was nothing but silence at first...then the sound of sniffling and sobbing. Buffy and Willow, had slid down to sit on the floor, still hugging, but now openly crying as well. Tears of sorrow, regret, joy, love, friendship, and healing, streamed down the women's faces.
"Do you think it's safe to go out there yet?" Angel cautiously asked the Watcher.
"I...I'm not sure...but I gather, since there's no yelling or cries for assistance, that the worst is over," Giles replied. Both men got up and slowly went out into the other room. Upon seeing Willow and Buffy sitting on the floor, hugging and crying, both men sighed in relief. Perhaps everything would be all right now.
***************
FOUR MONTHS LATER
"H-hi....I'm here to see Dr. Okeem. My name is Buffy Summers," she told the receptionist who sat behind the front desk of the clinic.
"Hello, Miss Summers. Please have a seat, and fill these forms out," the receptionist, Mira replied, smiling gently. Buffy smiled shyly back, then went to sit down. She finished in a few minutes, then returned the paperwork to Mira. Mira thanked Buffy, and told her that she would be called when the doctor was ready for her.
Fifteen minutes later, Buffy was shown into an examination room to wait. The nurse entered and took Buffy's vitals, then told Buffy that the doctor would be right in.
"Hello Miss Summers, my name is Dr. Okeem. How are you today?" the doctor said, after coming into the room a few seconds later.
"H-hi, Dr. Okeem...I'm okay I guess."
"Just 'okay' huh? Well, would you like to tell me what brought you in today?"
"Sure...I..um...I...I haven't had a period in about three or four weeks. Which isn't normal for me....but it's not exactly *abnormal* for me, either. I've never been very regular...god this is embarrassing."
Dr. Okeem smiled reassuringly at her.
"It's quite all right, Miss Summers. Other than a missed period...do you have any other pregnancy symptoms?"
"Like what?"
"Loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, mood swings....those types of things."
Buffy sat there, deep in thought for a few minutes. Hmm....loss of appetite, check. Nausea...oh yeah, 'specially the other morning, after catching a whiff of Cordy and Fred's morning coffee...plus Gunn's and Giles' eggs and sausage omlets. Fatigue...ooh boy, that was a "check" too....it seemed like she was constantly fighting to keep her eyes open everyday lately. Mood swings? Well, she *had* sat and bawled over that stupid Hallmark commercial the other day...and had ripped into Willow for eating the last Creamsicle last night. God...maybe she *was* pregnant!
"Well...okay....after thinking about it...I've had all those symptoms, Dr. Okeem. Does this mean I'm pregnant?" Buffy wondered.
"It's quite possible, with the missed period and symptoms you said you've been experiencing. But just to be sure, we'll take some blood and urine and use them for the pregnancy tests. Okay?"
"Yeah, thanks," Buffy replied, smiling in relief. At least she'd know for sure...one way or the other.
"How long until I get the results?"
"Two or three days...sometimes longer, though...it just depends on how busy the lab is."
"Okay, thank you Dr. Okeem."
"You're quite welcome, Miss Summers. I'll have the nurse come in and draw some blood, then we'll give you the cup for your urine sample."
"Oh joy....peeing in a cup and a needle....two of my favorite things. Not," Buffy grinned. Dr. Okeem chuckled, then went to fetch the nurse.
***************
THREE DAYS LATER
"Buffy, telephone!!!" Cordy yelled, after answering the phone, only to find out it wasn't for her. Damn.
"Thanks Cor...hello?" Buffy said, once she'd taken the call. "Yes, this is Buffy Summers...okay, thanks for calling. Bye," Buffy said, then slowly hung up the phone. She walked over to the couch in the den and shakily sat down. Cordy, who was still in the room, wondered what was going on. Was Buffy dying or something?
"Um...Buffy? Are you...okay?" the seer nervously asked.
"....y-yeah....I think so...," Buffy said softly.
"Well, who was on the phone?"Cordy questioned.
"That was the lady from the clinic I went to a couple of days ago. She was calling to let me know what my test results were."
"Test results? Clinic? Buffy, just what's going on? You're not dying or something, are you? Do I need to get Giles and Angel in here?" Cordy asked.
"No! Angel and Giles aren't needed....and I'm not dying, I promise. Been there, done that, taken the tour, and bought the t-shirt....twice. As for what's going on...I just need some time, okay?" Buffy told her calmly.
"Okay...but remember, we're here for you, alright? We're family....don't forget."
"I know we're family...and I'll tell everyone what's going on later. I swear...but do me a favor and keep this a secret for now. Please," Buffy begged. Cordy slowly nodded her agreement.
"Fine...it'll be a secret, but if you're lying to me about you dying...I sure as hell want to be far, far away, once your two protectors find out."
"It's a deal, Cordy." The two women hugged, then Cordy left to finish up her filing, leaving Buffy alone.
"God...how am I going to tell everyone...I'm pregnant...but I don't know who the father is..." she whispered, scared and worried about how everyone was going to take the news...especially Giles and Angel.
THE END!!!!
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