Title: Like This (1/1)
Author: Queena
E-mail: thessulah@aol.com
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Read it and you'll see.
Disclaimer: Joss owns the characters. Not me.
Author's Note: This is a small piece of angst that was inspired from the fic, "In the Elegy Season" by Sandra.

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It was the last thing that anybody ever expected. No one ever thought she would go this way. They all figured that when the time came, it would be a vampire attack or a demon that was just too strong and smart for her to defeat. They had all been forced to face the fact that all Slayers die young and that not everyone can win them all. But like this?

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They went into the small convience store. Oz had wanted to get some 'munchies' and Buffy went in with him for a bottle of water. While Oz stood in the candy section, comtemplating what to get, Buffy quickly fetched her bottle of water and joined him. "Hmmm, Reese's peanut butter cups. Laffy Taffy, Jolly Ranchers, Cream Savers--"

"I can't believe your teeth aren't rotting out of your head with all of the candy you eat," Buffy quipped as Oz continued his search.

"I don't know. I just get this mysterious craving," Oz said, smiling to himself. It wasn't really a 'mysterious' craving, but if he told Buffy that he'd probably get one of those 'Just Say No' speeches. "Oh, Twizzlers. Aaaaaaand two King Sized Tootsie Rolls."

"Why do need *two* King Sized Tootsie Rolls," Buffy asked, smiling innocently.

"One for me, one for you," Oz answered her.

Buffy made a little bounce, smiled and threw her arms around Oz's neck. "Ooooo, your my bestest, bestest friend," she said, cheerily. "You know what I like."

"Well, I know how much you like them," Oz said, blushing at her public show of affection. He tried for a moment to disengage her arms from around his neck, but figured she was too strong for him and gave up as soon as he started, allowing himself to grin at her approval. After all, Buffy was the center of their group and everyone in it loved to please her, but especially Oz. He just loved to make her smile and as far as he was concerned, she didn't do it nearly enough.

"What say I pay for this stuff so we're not late meeting the others?" Oz asked, chuckling a bit at her excited embrace. It was just candy.

"Okay," Buffy said, finally relinquishing her hold on him.

Just as they turned to make their way to the counter, a man came running in with pair of pantyhose over his face. He quickly shoved a gun in the face of the clerk and yelled, "Give me all of the money! NOW!"

As soon as Buffy saw this, she made a move to stop this robber, but Oz reached an arm out to stop her. When he did this, the armful of candy he was holding, dropped to the floor, with a small clatter. The sound startled the robber who whipped around and fired.

Oz watched the scene, that seemed to play out in slow motion. First the loud crack of gunfire, then Buffy diving in front of him, then the jerk of her body as bullet hit her. Oz opened his arms, a natural reaction, and she fell backwards into his waiting arms. Oz barely noticed the sound of another gunshot, as he went down to his knees, Buffy in his arms.

Thinking quick, Oz pulled off his shirt to try and sqelch the flow of blood between her breasts. "Hold on, Buffy! Hold on! Somebody call an ambulance!" he yelled, looking up. He saw the clerk had edged around the counter and was heading towards them. The robber was laying on the floor, motionless and Oz figured that the clerk had shot him. "CALL AN AMBULANCE!!!" he yelled again and the clerk hurried to obey him.

Buffy's hands squeezed around his forearm as she made and anguished sound. "It's going to be okay, Buffy," Oz said as the tears streamed down his face. He continued to apply pressure to her wound, but the blood had already soaked through the shirt.

"I don't wanna die!" Buffy cried, her eyes filled with fear and pain. Oz pulled her upper body in his lap and leaned down to cradle her in his arms, begging to whatever gods to not let it end like this. "O...Ozzzzz," she said before gurgling out a mouthful of blood. "Don't leave me."

"I'm here. I'm here. Just hold on," Oz said, around his own chokes of anguish. The blood that had spilled from her mouth, had slid down her face and was quickly matting in with her honey blond hair. Oz reached down and tried to unreasonably wipe it out with his hands.

Suddenly, Buffy's eyes went wide and she stared up at him. "O-Oz.......than...thanks for the ....Tootsie Roll," she said. Then her body slowly went limp in his arms and her eyes fell shut.

"No." Oz shook her body. "No." He shook harder and felt for a pulse. There was none. "Nooooooo," he sobbed and clutched her lifeless body to his chest.
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And that had been the end of her. She was most likely the greatest Slayer the world had ever seen, or not seen. She could have beaten the odds. She might have been the only Slayer to live into old age.

Oz leaned forward and rested his against her headstone, letting the tears stream down his face. He stayed like that for hours. She had died for him. Taken a bullet for *him* and the only thing he could do was give her this. He wiped his red eyes free of the residual tears and then placed the King Sized Tootsie Roll on the fresh earth, before getting up and walking away.
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The End