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"Angel! When are you going to face the facts! You lied! You are scum, you're lower than scum!" Cordelia paced around in the bathroom, smiling.
She loved it when Angel apologized. "Look Cordy, I'm sorry. What else can I say?"
"That you are willing to make me breakfast in bed till I die." Cordelia led Angel on by each thread she fed him.
"Ok, I promise to treat you every morning and never to let your coffee get cold and..." Angel trailed on.
Cordelia clutched her head, falling limp on the ground. "Ahh!"
Angel kicked open the door to find her on the floor. "Cordy? Are you ok?"
Cordelia composed herself, "Buffy. She was... oh my god. She was in a lot of pain, I couldn’t see why. All they showed me was her, and lots of blood. She was clutching her throat." Cordy finished detailing the scene, Angel ran to find the phone.
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"Kick. Punch. Jab... Kick. Punch. Jab." Giles ordered the girl in front of him and the punching bag.
An annoyed looking Buffy, did as she was told. Stopping only every now and again to catch her breath. Punching mercilessly into the torn punching bag. Giles stood by, not even exhausting the energy to stand.
"You know I don't understand why such simple things, are necessary. I have been to hell and back, I think I can handle it."
Giles laid his eyes on the slayer, stubborn as she was he loved her.
"Buffy, since your return I have noticed some sense of distraction. Which is understandable to say the least, I just want to be sure, you are capable of combat. I am in a sense, restoring you."
"There seems to be a lot of that going around these days." Buffy's comment was followed by the drill. Kick. Punch. Jab.
::
"Buffy! Come blow out your candles!" Joyce ran the camera behind the little girl, that was Buffy. Sporting pigtails and a sundress, the little brunette ran her way to the candles awaiting her.
Buffy took a big puff of air in, blowing it directly onto the lights. The cake flew to the floor, landing in a thud. Joyce set the camera down, running towards the mess.
"She did it again." Buffy's father's voice filled the air, as a silent Buffy sat dormant in her chair.
"I just don't understand. I don't know what to do." Joyce's frustrated voice followed.
"I'm sorry mommy. I'm sorry." Little Buffy whispered to her mother, with sad eyes.
::
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry mommy." Buffy tossed in her sleep.
Dawn peeked her head into the slayer’s room. The shades were drawn, not letting a peek of light in. Dawn decided to risk the entrance.
"Buffy? It's three-thirty. You’re asleep huh? Well, I was just worried about you. You haven't been out of bed all day, or so Willow says. Tara's worried." Dawn rambled on to her sleeping sister.
Dawn placed a hand on Buffy's feverish head, which seemed to calm the unconscious girl, for a moment. "I know you miss mom. I miss her too." Dawn kissed her sister on her forehead.
While retracting her neck, she noticed the scar on Buffy's neck had begun bleeding again. Buffy tossed and turned as the mark grew in mass.
"What's happening to you?" Dawn whispered, with worried eyes.
Dawn decided to leave the girl to her rest, it was obvious it was needed. She descended down the stairs to find Willow and Tara fighting. Which had been quite regular now days.
"I just don't understand what is up with you. This is the last thing we need, with Buffy on the verge of insanity." Tara's booming voice filled Dawn's sad ears.
"You know, if you were supportive you wouldn't be like this. You're just jealous because I'm more powerful than you are. You can't stand that I might be more important than you. That's it." As the words fell out of Willow's mouth, her anger grew. To the point, where Tara was actually scared to be in the same room.
"That's not it Willow. You're afraid that you're not as important. Let's face it, you weren't like this until Buffy came back. You are the one who has to deal." Tara's voice was level yet angry.
Willow shook her head in rage, only to be distracted by Xander and Anya. They strolled in through the door.
"Goodies for all." Xander was flying across the room, before he finished speaking. He landed in a corner, he had previously been slammed into. Anya flew to his side, then looked at Willow puzzled.
"We only brought cake."
Tara ran over to Xander and Anya, after finding out he was ok she exploded on Willow.
"You can't keep doing this! Don't you see you're hurting us all!" Tara's eyes moistened at this comment.
With that Tara walked out the door, leaving behind a very scared Dawn, who had been watching from the top of the stairwell.
As Anya helped Xander up, the phone rang. Willow sprung for it, in order to avoid conflict with Xander.
Didn't anyone realize she couldn’t control herself when she gets angry?
"Hello?"
"Willow."
"Angel? What's wrong you sound..."
"Cordy had a vision, Buffy's in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"I'm not sure yet, she saw Buffy and blood. Lots. That's all we have so far. I thought I would give you guys a heads up. I am having some... complications here. So I might not be able to get down there, just yet. Have you noticed anything strange?"
"Well, there is one thing... but it's..."
"What is it?"
"Your bite mark, you know the one you said would never fade? Well, its sort of opening open from time to time."
"What? You're sure?"
"Blood. Yep. Pretty sure."
"Well, that could be what she saw, but just to be sure I'll research up here, see what I can dig up."
"I got Giles looking as well."
"I'll call as soon as I find out anything."
"Ok. Bye."
The vampire and the wiccan hung up the phone. Willow gave her worried eyes to Xander and Anya.
"Buffy could be in trouble." Willow averted her eyes, when she saw Xander limp toward her.
"What else is new?" Xander retorted, with a sour smile.
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The sunset on the Sunnydale horizon, Willow's red hair blew discretely in the wind. As she watched the sun go down, she felt a calm come over her. Her heart froze as she saw Tara pull into the driveway.
"Hey." Willow blew softly.
"Hey." Tara's voice was not as soft.
"So, I wanted to say sorry." Willow let her head hang.
"Sorry doesn't fix things, Willow. Neither does changing them. Just remember that. I don't want to lose you, not to darkness anyway. Please, don't put me through that." Tara's eyes slipped out a few tears.
Willow's heart melted, looking at girl she loved.
"I would never, All I want is for you to trust me." Willow hugged her lover, while stroking her hair.
"I'll trust you. But, only if you give me a reason to."
Willow returned the request with a kiss, which landed a smile on Tara's face.
"Much better." Willow commented, snuggling closer to Tara.
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Buffy tossed and turned in her sleep, never resting in peace for a moment. The blood in her head, made that impossible. It was almost as if she could feel every living blood cell, moving around in her body. Her head had accumulated quite a few beads of sweat, in the process of sleep.
Buffy's head began to clear, once the sun went down. Her room cooled in temperature, and the light didn't bother her eyes as much. Groggily the slayer made her way out of bed, moaning in pain as she clutched her stomach. She was so hungry.
Buffy ventured a look outside, the last rays of the sunlight seemed to pierce her skin, with heat. Buffy walked over to her dresser and spied the box she had been digging through last night. Her Angel box, complete with everything a broken romance would contain. Photos, book of poems, the necklace and most importantly the ring. The definition of the love her and Angel shared, to this day she would never take any of it back. The one thing the box could never contain, were the memories. Those were all in her mind and her heart. Lock in a place, easy to access.
So much as the scent of his cologne sent her back. Back to seventeen and in love.
::
"How badly I want to kiss you."
"Kiss me?"
"This could get out of control."
"Isn't that the way it’s supposed to be?"
"When I kiss you I want to die."
"I love you... I love you."
"Close your eyes."
"Forever that's the whole point."
"If I were blind I would see you."
"You'll never be just friends."
"I'm talking about watching my lover die."
"Drink me."
"Don't you ever think about the future?"
"I want you to have a normal life."
"I'm leaving."
::
Memories flooded an overwhelmed Buffy, hitting her as hard as always. On her good days, she didn't think about what would have been. But on days like today, she wonders if there isn't something more. Something the powers were keeping from them.
Buffy looked at her reflection, paying attention to her scar, which had closed, once more. She let her fingers trail the scar, such a familiar scar. It had never hurt to look at it, in fact it had always comforted her. Kind of like the smell of chocolate chip cookies reminds you of your mother.
Buffy let a tear fall, trying to stuff down the pain she was in.
"Always."
::ONE::END TWO::THREE[COMING SOON!]