The Aftermath
Buffy stared blankly, holding Will’s hand. Her burns were already starting to heal, just four days later. Her son wasn’t old enough to understand what was going on, but the news that his daddy wasn’t ever coming back was shocking enough for him to remain silent and occasionally cry.
Buffy hadn’t cried. She’d awoken yesterday in hospital and was currently in several levels of hell, but she hadn’t cried. Wood had gone to get Will, and he’d been by her bedside for two days. Wood himself would be returning to New York to his wife’s funeral the next day.
The first thing Wood told her when she woke up was that Kennedy had also died. The Palchor had hit her with its tail, and she would have survived if there hadn’t been an ascension demon waiting for her. Willow had been attacked by one too, and she hadn’t been there. Willow was the worst off emotionally; her girlfriend and her best friend killed all at once. She was hysterical for almost a full day, screaming about how she would have frozen the dynamite if she’d been swifter with the ascension demon, and she’d unfreeze it when Xander got free. Buffy had gone to see her once she got out of hospital.
“He s-s-said…” she muttered. “He said we’d be in n-n-neighbouring retirement homes and I could adjust his… and then he couldn’t think of a-a-anything not gross, he couldn’t…” and she’d trailed back into sobs, soon wailing about how she should have been looking out for Kennedy. Buffy left her soon after, leaving her to her misery.
And now here she was, standing by her husband’s empty coffin. She’d promised him they’d be all right. She’d promised him, and now he was gone. The tears started to roll down her face. She didn’t seem to notice.
She’d failed him.
Willow was there. She was crying quietly now. Not wailing or anything, just quietly washing away thirty-two years of friendship.
No one was listening to the service.
She looked over at the empty space beside her. Xander should stand there. It’s where he stood. Beside Buffy. Since they were sixteen, Xander stood by Buffy.
She blinked and Giles was there. He didn’t look at her. He didn’t try to console her with words or gestures. He was just there. His eyes were not dry, and he didn’t look young.
“God, Giles. You have to come see me someday when it’s not about doom.”
“I tried to get here in time,” he whispered after a while. “I tried so hard, Buffy.”
She nodded. “I know.”
“The council was being torn apart by ascension demons and I couldn’t… I…”
“Don’t, Giles. Just don’t.”
Buffy blinked again and found herself back home. There was a lapse in between. At no point was she unconscious, but she just forgot the time that had passed.
Will was asleep on the couch. He’d cried, Buffy could tell. She looked around and saw Giles sitting at the table with her. She was holding tea.
“How’s the council?” she asked him.
“Gone,” he answered huskily. “I’ve got to rebuild it again. Thank God I’m rich.”
She was tempted to laugh, but she couldn’t. There was a silence between them.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be.”
Another silence. “He was an amazing man, Buffy. You made him so happy.”
“He saved my life, you know. If not for him, I’d be the exploded one.”
More silence. “He loved you more than a lot of people could understand.”
“Yesterday… God, not yesterday. The day before the ascension, I’ve lost track of time. He started crying because he said he was s-so…” Buffy was finally fighting off tears. “…because he was so happy. He told me that if he died tomorrow…” she trailed off as he had. She sniffed into her tea. It took her a while to realize that Giles was doing the same; trying to hold back tears to be strong for her.
“How’s Dawn?” she asked after what might have been an hour.
“Devastated. Her Slayer died, too. Apparently Pete walked off in a much similar fashion that Angel had with your ascension; just stared at her and then turned and walked away.”
“Where is she?”
“In the house somewhere, possibly with Willow. I haven’t heard a sound from anyone but you and Will for hours.” He paused. “I’m worried about Dawn. She seems to have lost all will to be a Watcher. I asked her about building the new council here as simple conversation, and she just shook her head.”
“Give her time.”
“I’m hoping that’s all she needs. She was doing spectacularly. Maybe even better than I ever was.”
More endless time passed. Buffy’s tea was cold. “Will can’t stay here. It isn’t safe.”
Giles put down his mug. “Buffy, at a time like this…”
“He was living with Xander. I didn’t want either of them to stay here because of the danger. Will even calls me Buffy instead of mom. I can’t have him stay here, especially since I’ll be living off Xander’s life insurance from now on… I can’t afford to take care of him, Giles, and he can’t afford to have a Slayer as his mom. I know you’re a good parent. I just… need you to take him. For a little while, at least.”
Giles nodded slowly. “I don’t think now is the right time to make that decision, but I’ll be here for at least a week for the council. You can think on it more and talk to me in a few days.”
Buffy couldn’t find the will to argue. She just nodded and held tightly onto her cold tea.
|
|
|
|
Rave
Barbie Girl (Becca)
biscuit07
Filmtheory (Jim)
Malice (Jess)
MebbtheScribe (MichaelB)
Reset (Allie)
Shay (Marrisa)
somnambulist29 (Shea)
Stephanie Loss
Wendyness (Wendy)
Questions?Contact Us
|
|
All stories on this site have been archived with the authors' consent. Do not copy these stories for your own uses without the express consent of the author themselves. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TM and Angel TM are © UPN, WB, Fox and its related entities. All photos on the site are © UPN, Fox, Warner Bros, and/or their respective owners. No profits are being made by use of these images.
Powered with the assitance of eFiction.
|
|
|
