Giles, Oz, Willow, Cordelia, Buffy and Joyce all trooped into the library. All took chairs and sat down. Giles looked about and noticed some people missing. “Where are Xander and Angel? It’s likely Angel knows quite a bit more than I do… he can probably explain it better, as well.”
Angel and Xander burst through the library doors. Buffy, now totally reformed, smiled at Angel, but he just looked away and sat down on the other side of the room. Everyone stared at Angel and he became aware that he was expected to explain everything. So he began.
“I can’t explain everything; I don’t think anyone could explain everything. But I’m pretty sure I can clear some things up.
“Xander and I are late because we had to eliminate the source of the curse. It had just been a vampire, but the curse took too much out of him and he turned to dust the moment it left. Unless he infected some third party, which I doubt, since I can think much more clearly now, the Demon Rabies has left Sunnydale.
“There’s something about Buffy’s reaction to the disease that I can’t explain. When Willow was infected, she was instantly affected. She was stronger, she didn’t need to sleep… it might be because she’s not as in touch with the dark forces as Buffy is, or maybe it’s because Buffy is the Slayer; Demon Rabies is, technically, just a small demon that jumps from vessel to vessel. She tried to fight it off but lost eventually, I guess.
“Then there’s Oz. Demon Rabies hates wolves. That metallic smell was definitely the infected vampire; what confused you may have been that you suddenly felt that you were about to turn into a wolf. You may have defended Willow without even knowing it at that point. And yet you got infected. Something infected you. It was… probably Willow, actually. She wasn’t as far along yet, so perhaps she didn’t fear you nearly as much as you, as a wolf, feared her.”
“I’m sorry!” Willow said quietly to Oz, who just smiled and entwined his fingers with hers.
“Joyce… you’re kind of on the outside of this whole thing. I assume Giles filled you in…?”
“Yes, I’m dutifully informed, thank you.”
“All right… I think that’s all I can explain.”
Xander put up his hand. “Question.”
“Unless you have questions.”
“Why did Willow get that imminent feeling that Buffy was in danger? I mean, she freaked right the hell out.”
“That’s something else I can’t explain,” Angel said quietly.
“I believe I can,” Giles piped up. The crowd’s attention switched to Giles. “When Buffy was here last night, Willow probably felt the same dread deep down without even realizing what it was. Once she had deciphered it in the morning, she understood that she had felt Buffy may not be safe and asked Joyce to check on her. I believe that once the conversation had ended, Buffy had finally lost to the demon and she knocked her mother unconscious.”
Now it was Buffy’s turn to apologize quietly. Joyce dismissed the apology with her hand and smiled.
“Now, about those questions we were asking Willow that drove you mad, Xander… they were what we knew about something at the back of our minds, and we were clinging to that slice of information still in tact. We had to ask before we forgot. Also, it seemed that Willow felt she was helping by answering the questions, and she calmed down quite quickly.”
A hanging silence fell over the room, until Cordelia quietly said, “I’m hungry.”
A quiet chuckle went through the crowd, and Joyce said, “I think we all are. Why don’t you all come back home, and we’ll make a nice, non-nutritious dinner.”
“Here, here,” Xander said. The atmosphere in the room lightened as everyone got up and bustled around. Angel turned to leave them to their feast when Buffy caught up to him.
“You’re leaving?”
“I don’t eat.”
“Well… so? Can’t you just come for a little while?”
Angel’s eyes softened. “I think it’s best if I just… go. But…” he lifted his hand and touched Buffy’s face, “I will see you tomorrow.” Then he turned and retreated to his mansion for another night of brooding.
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