Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Kersey and a few other little add-ons. Buffy and Co. belong to Joss Whedon, the WB network, and Mutant Enemy.
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Part Six
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Giles glanced at his watch for what must have been the hundreth time and sighed. They'd been gone such a very long time already. And of course his mind was spinning with potential problems but no, no, no, Calendar wouldn't listen. No, she'd insisted that Willow and Xander accompany her back to Sunnydale. So where were they? It was practically noon.
The emptiness of the large house loomed around him. It hardly mattered that Angel was at the house also because ever since Calendar and the Slayerettes had left, Angel had been in Buffy's room, sitting next to her bed. Giles wanted to be there also, perhaps providing comfort to the distraught vampire(talk about oxymorons) but he could tell that all Angel wanted was to be alone with Buffy.
"Wakey-wakey, Giles." A voice said from the doorway. Giles spun quickly and blinked. For some reason he's irrationally expected teh speaker to be Buffy.
"Xander? Oh? I...uh, trust everything went well?" Giles stammered.
"Yup, mom was so excited that I acutually got chosen for something besides detention that she wasn't mad at all," Xander said with a grin. "And guess what, we brought food."
"Good..um..Shawn left a little while ago..said he needed to consult with some colleagues about Buffy's condition but that he'd be back tonight." Giles informed him as he took a brown paper bag from Xander.
"Cool..so, how is she doing?" Xander asked, his voice suddenly dropping and growing serious. Try as he mightg, the boy failed miserably ay sounding flip about the situation.
"To my knowledge she's still sleeping which is good. Her fever seems to even out when she's sleeping and er, peak when she's awake." Giles answered as he took a twelve pack of Mountain Dew out of the bag and glared at it. He gazed evenly at Xander, "Will this last you the whole week?"
Xander laughed, "Try the day..Will and I bought lots. Don't worry, Ms. Calendar bought some coffee and tea for you guys."
"I thought you three drank coffee also?" Giles queried as he stood on his tippy-toes to open a cabinet.
"Only Buffy," Willow answered coming in with Calendar behind her. "We also made a quick trip by the blood bank."
"And they just gave you blood?" Giles asked in astonishment. This was getting way to weird for him.
"Of course not, silly," Calendar chided, "They gave us the blood we asked for after they got the e-mail from County Med."
"I didn't hear that, "Giles said quickly. "Um, I'm going to go check on Buffy." And with that he turned and left.
Calendar glanced at Willow, "He's always that bad, isn't he?"
Willow nodded, "Worse."
* * *
He moved his palms down across his face so that the heels of his hands could rub his chin and then he moved them back up so that he could rest his head in his hands. Every now and then he would glance at the sleeping Slayer through his fingers. Buffy had lasped into something of a rythym that bothered him and yet comforted him just because it was a rythym. She would sleep soundly for about five minutes and then a tremor would tear through her tiny frame and she would whimper or cry out and then she would fall silent, still shaking for a few moments. Once the shaking subsided, the cycle would begin anew.
It was so hard to watch her like this. Suffering and in so much anguish. Unconsious and helpless. The only saving grace was that he doubted she had any real idea what was going on. She was in pain but she probably lacked enough lucidity to be frightened. It was better that way.
"Buffy," Angel murmured, "For once..for once..why couldn't you have listened to Giles. If I had been just a minute later in getting you away from those sons of bitches, I wouldn.t...you wouldn't..you'd be dead and then we'd never have a chance."
Shaking his head he moved impatiently to his feet and began to pace the room, "I know we both agreed that it couldn't work not because neither of us wanted it but because it doesn't make sense. We're enemies by nature and this ain't Romeo and Juliet." He turned away from her and stared at the wall before finally murmuring, "So why can't I get you out of my head."
"Angel?" Buffy whimpered from the bed, her voice barely audible. Angel spun so fast that he almost toppled but he recovered quickly enough to practically leap to her side.
"Buffy? It's me..I'm right here," he said softly but urgently. She needed to know that he'd always be there for her..that he wouldn't let her out of his sight ever again. That he would be her protector.
"Angel?" Buffy cried out again, her voice rising slightly in pitch as fear took over.
"I'm right here," Angel replied, worried himself. Her eyes were open and she was staring directly at him. He picked up her hand and placed it against his face. "I'm right here."
"Angel? I..I can feel you..why can't I see you?" The terror in his voice was evident. She tried to grab ahold of him but the moment she lurched forward she swooned to the side and was thrown back into the blackness of unconsiousness. He placed a hand under her slim body and pulled her to his chest.
"It's alright. I promise you, those bastards who did this to you will pay. I promise you, you're gonna be alright." He kissed her on the forehead and continued to rock her.
"Angel?"
Without moving Buffy at all, Angel glanced up at the door, "Giles."
"Is she alright?" The Watcher asked, his face a mask of deep concern and fear.
"She's not well but she'll make it through this." He kissed her hair and then looked up at Giles, "She's Buffy."
* * *
"Usual fees plus an additional risk factor. She is the Slayer," Shawn Kersey said as he lifted a mug of beer to his mouth. He gazed back at his darkly dressed companion. After a long moment of silence, Kersey decided to press the issue, "Come on, Issac..you guys want her..she's a sitting duck and I can give her to you."
Issac glared back at the young med student, "And your cousin won't become suspicious?"
"Has he so far? Think about this logically..it's all been laid out so perfectally. Besides, all anyone there can think about is that Buffy is messed up and barely consious. And that's true, Issac. Now..do we have a deal?"
Issac hissed, "I should talk to.."
"Come on, Issac..you didn't come all this way without knowing whether or not the boss man would say yes or no. What's it gonna be?"
"Fine but you make sure that when we come, the Slayer is completely incapable of defending herself..and that her pesky friends are also out of the way."
"Deal. I've already injected the Slayer with that drug of Vercadio's that he uses to blind his subjects with..no prob. Everything is under control."
"Excellent." Issac murmured.
* * *
"Controlled punches, Xander." Angel said softly as he reached across and glided Xanders' left hand towards the punching bag in a slightly arcing line. "Controlled or else you're just wasting energy."
"Explain the part where that's bad?" Xander asked, slamming his fist againt the bag again. Sure, his form wasn't pretty but it was helping him keep his emotions in check. And there were so many of them.
He'd walked past Buffy's room and seen Giles talking to Angel who'd been cradling Buffy and it'd been like being stabbed in the front and back. Every time he saw Angel and Buffy together he could feel a knife twisting but the fact that she was so very sick only helped the knife along. Jealousy was such a simple emotion but fear was so much more complex.
Fear. Of her dying. Of losing one of the two people besides his parents(and they don't count) that accepted him for who he was no matter what. Sure, both Willow and Buffy judged him but they did so as a friend. When they made fun of him, they never did it to hurt. With Will and Buffy, he acutually felt like he had a purpose in life. A reason for being.
"Focus, Xander, focus." Angel said calmly. Xander turned and was about to tell Angel off but the look in his eyes stopped him.
"We're in the same place, aren't we?"
Angel nodded, "I guess we are."
"Which means what?"
Angel shook his head, "It doesn't mean anything. I have nothing against you, Xander..nothing..you're a good man."
"A good man," Xander said shaking his head, "That's like being told you're a good friend..like a brother but not boyfriendly." He laughed bitterly, "Look at me..concerned about my own pitiful lovelife. I'm sick."
Angel shook his head, "No, you're the one thing I wish I was..human. Don't ever let go of that. And no matter what happens, don't ever let love come between friendship. There are bonds that were never meant to be broken. Now punch. Even and controlled."
Xander sighed and did as he was told. Angel nodded his approval. "Excellent. Now try me."
Xander regarded Angel suspiciously for a moment, "You're for real."
"Yes. Punch."
"I'll be damned."
"I already am. Punch."
"Okay." Xander pulled back his arm and then let go with a right hook. At the last moment Angel lifted his hand and stopped the blow. "Wha?" Xander exclaimed, eyes wide.
"I said I was serious about you punching me..I didn't say I was serious about you connecting."
Angel and Xander starred at each other for a moment and then Xander began to laugh. He wiped his eyes and started to walk down the hallway still laughing hysterically. Behind him, Angel grinned and laughed in spite of himself.
"Angel?"
"Kersey. You're back." Angel said evenly. He gazed back at the med-student with a bit of fire in his eyes. The kid wasn't of the undead type or even a demon but there was still something just not right. Angel wanted to blame it on nerves and the fact that he didn't really think anyone was qualified enough to help Buffy but still...
"I am. How's our patient? Has she regained consiousness at all?" Kersey asked.
"Somewhat..probably more delirious than anything else. She said she couldn't see." Angel replied, carefully watching Kersey's reaction.
Kersey nodded, "Probably a waking dream or in her case a nightmare. She seemed consious but really wasn't. I'm sure she's fine. Once the meds I gave her before I left earlier wear off, I'll check her out again."
"Good."
Kersey smiled. "Well then." He nodded to Angelk and strode towards Buffy's room. That damned Vampire was giving him the creeps. Something would have to be done about him.
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