And Then There Were Three: I Don't Think They Make Those.
by DiabloVixen
(Paige, Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya are sitting in a hospital waiting room. They all were impatiently waiting for news on Dawn’s condition.)

Buffy and Giles finally walked in, Willow had called them when they all arrived at the hospital.

Buffy walked over to Willow. “Is she okay?” Buffy asked, worried.

“We don’t know, they said something about surgery and kicked us out.” Xander said.

“What happened?” Buffy asked after pausing for a few moments.

“Glory, she smushed Dawn’s hand. ‘One by one’ she said.” Anya replied still looking at the ground.

“Well, where was Paige?!” Buffy said starting to get angry that the slayer didn’t help her young sister.

The gang remained silent, none of them wanted to be the one to add fuel to Buffy’s anger. They all looked at Paige. She was sitting on the other side of the room staring at the ground not even the mention of her name attracted her attention.

Buffy took the hint, she walked over to Paige picked her up and threw her up against the wall.

“Why didn’t you protect her?” Buffy was extremely pissed off.

“I don’t know. I couldn’t beat Glory, there were people around. Too many for a huge battle…” Paige looked up at just as she was punched across the face. Buffy landed the perfect punch right on Paige’s black and blue cheek. That wasn’t something she was expecting.

“I’m… sorry.” Paige said not meeting Buffy’s eyes as she turned and walked out of the hospital.

(Paige is walking through the playground.)

She was surprised how late it got so fast, the sun had already set and the stars were beginning to appear.

She saw a picnic table and decided to lie across it and watch the stars. Everyone loves quiet time to sit and think, but for Paige too much was an unhealthy thing. She usually thought about her dead family and friends, what they would be doing now if she would have protected them. What Buffy said “Why didn’t you protect her?” Something Paige said over and over again in her head after her family and friends died. She thought about the times that used to make her smile, the funny moments with her best friend Lauren. She thought about Valentine’s Day last year with her boyfriend, the flowers, the card, the locket that he bought her. She never took it off since. She didn’t know how long she had been lying on the picnic table but she felt herself drifting off to sleep…

*She looked around she was in her house in New York. It had just snowed, at least a foot on the ground. They were going sledding at the local school. She saw Lauren and Owen wave and dance from the top of the hill. She laughed and turned around and grabbed two sleds, “Come on. They’re up there.” Her Mom and Dad called for her to go ahead of her. She reached the top and saw her little brother with his friends. “Hey Bobby.” She called as she rubbed his hair. “Don’t do that!” Bobby replied angry. She couldn’t help but laugh. “My bad don’t want to ruin your rep. B Man.” She ran over to Owen and Lauren. “Hey guys, what’s going…on?” She said looking at a giant sled Owen was holding steady. “It’s a fire fly or something.” Owen replied he noticed. “Fire?” She asked. “Yeah I don’t get the name either, Fire and snow don’t mix well, it should be like… the frost beast or something.” Lauren said smiling. “Frost beast sounds like a meal the Grinch and who’s would eat.” She said and they all laughed. “Well I wanted to try this out?” Owen said calling the girls over to the sled. They all sat in the sled, she was in the front and Lauren was sitting behind her than Owen. “Shall we go?” “We Shall.” She answered giving a smiling to Owen. The started down the hill. Halfway down she saw red spots in the snow. ‘Blood?’ she thought. She turned around to her friends and gasped in horror. They had Vampire bites in their neck and they were covered in blood. Owen and Lauren looked back at her, now bearing vampire faces, “Look what you did!” They shouted pointing to their faces. “You let this happen! You could have prevented it! You deserved to pay.” They lunged for her sending them tumbling down the hill…*

She heard a growl and felt something fall against her. She awoke to see the blonde haired vampire fighting another vampire. He laughed as he staked him and the other vampire fell to dust. The vampire turned his attention to the young slayer.

“You know it’s not a bloody good idea to go falling asleep, on a table, in the middle of the night.” Spike picked up his bag from the ground. “That’s what they make beds for… plus vampires would love to catch someone like you napping.”

“Someone like me.” Paige repeated.

“You know a slayer?” Spike said not enjoying her stupidity.

“Who are you?” Paige said wondering how he knew her.

“O yeah, you never met me, but I met you. I’m Spike.” He said turning to walk away to the cemetery.

“You’re a vampire.” She said still staring at him, crossing her arms,

“Yes, Yes I am. But I’m a… ‘Good’ vampire.” He used that term loosely. He wasn’t good by choice just by very bad luck.

“You know…” She said trailing off. “I don’t think they make those.”

Spike turned around, he really wasn’t in the mood for a fight. Well he was, but he wasn’t in the mood for a searing headache. “I have a chip in my head, Can’t hurt a living thing.”

“How did that happen?” Paige said, his explanation was so crazy and stupid it was believable.

“Long story.” Spike said walking away.

Paige headed towards the Cemetery she wanted to patrol before she went back to the Summers’ house. She was very tired, but she wasn’t in the mood to sleep, she was sick of the dreams.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This story archived at: The Slayer\'s Fanfic Archive
The Slayer\\\\\\\\'s FanFic Archive - http://www.slayerfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=8303