Home Before Dark - Part Fourteen
by Debbie Nockels
COPYRIGHT: April 2002
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters from BTVS or ANGEL. They're owned by Joss Whedon (who needs to treat them nicer), MutantEnemy, Kuzui, Sandollar, David Greenwalt, the WB, UPN, Fox, etc.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Apologies one last time to Joss and Stephen Sondheim for tampering with their lyrics.
AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: And yet again, my very grateful thanks to Janice for adapting the lyrics for me.
_____________________________________________________________________
The narrow side street was dark, except for the glow from burning trash cans. From the shadow of an abandoned building, Buffy watched a group dancing around one set of flames. Their dance was aggressive - angry, even. It must be nice to feel something besides emptiness, she thought. As they subsided and began to drift away, she slowly walked up to the can and held her hand out to the fire. Quietly, she began to sing:
"I touch the fire and it freezes me
I look into it and it's black
Why can't I feel?"
She looked at her hand.
"My skin should crack and peel"
Her head came up and she stared into the night, feeling desolate.
"I want the fire back."
Inside The Bronze, Master Sweet shoved Dawn into a chair, then sat in the remaining one beside her, smiling in anticipation. Gazing at the red-skinned demon fearfully, Dawn swallowed and hoped Buffy would rescue her soon. The puppet-headed demons that had captured her had only been his minions, she'd discovered. Maybe it hadn't been such a smart idea after all, letting him know that her sister was the Slayer, but when he'd announced during their weird song and dance number that she'd summoned him (which she totally hadn't) and he was taking her to his dimension to be his bride, she'd panicked and blurted it out. She'd hoped he would think twice about angering the Slayer, and would let her go. Instead, he'd been pleased and had sent his henchmen to bring Buffy to him - to see her burn, he'd said. Dawn swallowed again.
Smoke swirled upward, blurring Buffy's vision. She blinked.
"Now through the smoke, she calls to me
To make my way across the flame
To save the day
Or maybe melt away
I guess it's all the same"
Abruptly she turned away and started walking.
So I will walk through the fire
'Cause where else can I turn?
I will walk through the fire
And let it - "
Spike drew hard on his cigarette, glaring at the alley around him. He was still fuming over Buffy's treatment of him. How dared she treat him the way she had, telling him to leave Sunnyhell for his own good, as if he was a bleeding child? How dared she spurn his offer to help like that? It would serve her right if he did leave!
"The torch I bear is scorching me
Buffy's laughing, I've no doubt
I hope she fries!
I'm free if that bitch dies!"
At the thought a pang went through him. Angrily he tossed the cigarette onto the ground, then jumped up.
"I better help her out."
He began walking.
" 'Cause she is drawn to the fire
She will never learn
And she will walk through the fire
And let it - "
Tara avoided looking at Willow, as she had since her awful discovery. After a couple of attempts to find out what was wrong, Willow had desisted. Now she sat silently on the opposite side of the table, pointedly looking anywhere but at Tara. Behind the counter, a worried Giles had given up all pretense of attending to business.
"Will this do a thing to change her?" he sang.
Am I leaving Dawn in danger?
Does my Slayer know how much I care?
Xander came over and sang:
"What if Buffy can't defeat it?"
Anya joined them, adding her musical two-cents' worth:
"Beady Eyes is right, we're needed!
Or we could just sit around and glare"
She glanced over her shoulder at the table. Suddenly Giles knew what he had to do. He came out from behind the counter, Xander and Anya falling in beside him, and caught Willow's and Tara's eyes. Immediately the two girls got to their feet and followed him out the door. Together they sang:
"We'll see it through
It's what we're always here to do
So we will walk through the fire"
Buffy found herself striding through another deserted alley.
"So one by one, they turn from me
I guess my friends can't face the cold
But why I froze, not one among them knows
And never can be told"
Back at The Bronze, Sweet suddenly leaned forward, his eyes gleaming redly. Dawn involuntarily shrank back in her chair. His voice was low, but rich:
"So one by one they turn to me
The distant redness as their guide
That single flame
Ain't what they had in mind
It's what they have inside."
Buffy sang:
"Going through the motions
Walking through the part
These endless days are
Finally ending in a blaze"
Sweet laughed softly, rubbing his hands in glee.
"She will come to me!"
United in a single purpose, from their different locations they walked, singing - Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, Giles, Tara, and Spike:
"And we are caught in the fire
The point of no return
So we will walk through the fire"
A fire engine rolled past the Scooby Gang, its lights flashing. They ignored it.
"And let it
Burn . . .
Let it burn . . ."
Utterly intent on his purpose, Spike jumped over a fence, and was nonplussed to find himself in a dead-end alley. He leaped back over the fence and gazed around, frowning, trying to get his bearings.
"Let it burn . . .
Let it burn!"
The door to The Bronze gave way with one savage kick, sailing onto the floor with a loud, satisfying crash. Peering through the haze of splinters and dust, Buffy strode inside and found the ones she was looking for. One glance at Dawn was enough to reassure her that her sister, although frightened, was all right, so she turned her attention to the scarlet-skinned, white-goateed demon sitting in the chair next to her.
"Showtime!" Master Sweet proclaimed, then chuckled. "I love a good entrance!"
"How are you with death scenes?" Buffy asked.
Sweet just laughed, obviously not impressed. Buffy walked a little closer. "You got a name?"
The demon gestured. "I've got a hundred."
Leaning against the pool table, she said, "Well, I ought to know what to call you if you're going be my brother-in-law."
Dawn sat forward with a jerk. "Buffy, I swear I didn't do it!"
Buffy didn't really care if Dawn had summoned the demon or not. Giving her a reassuring glance, she said, "Don't worry. You're not going anywhere." Master Sweet looked at her and she added, "I am."
"What?" gasped Dawn. A flicker of interest crossed the demon's scarlet face. He leaned toward Buffy. She told him, "The deal's this. If I can't kill you, you take me to Hellsville in her place." Dawn's mouth fell open. "No," she whispered, but was ignored.
"What if I kill you?" Master Sweet asked smoothly.
Buffy almost felt like laughing. Almost. "Trust me. It won't help."
Master Sweet rolled his eyes. "Well, that's gloomy!"
"That's life," she bleakly corrected.
Sweet gave her a provocative, mocking smile. "Come now, is that really what you feel? Isn't life a miraculous thing?"
Buffy hadn't taken her eyes off him since issuing her deal. "I think you already know." Soft, ballad-like music began playing somewhere. Following her cue, she sang:
"Life's a show
And we all play our parts
And when the music starts
We open up our hearts"
Unsnapping her coat, she let it drop to the floor and glided forward, swaying to the slow rhythm of the song. She glanced to her right, where two of Sweet's minions were grabbing pool cues from the rack.
"It's all right
If some things come out wrong
We'll sing a happy song
And you can sing along"
The music changed to a harsh, hard-rock tune with a driving beat. The minions rushed Buffy.
"Where there's life - "
She grabbed the pool cue from one minion and hit him with it.
"There's hope.
Every day's - "
The second minion got her elbow in his face.
"A gift.
Wishes can - "
She kicked the first minion -
"Come true.
Whistle while - "
- and followed it with a punch -
"You work - "
and a blow with the pool cue, then another -
"So hard - "
- and another. And one more. With the last blow the demon fell, and lay motionless.
"All day - "
She thrust the cue behind her, impaling the second minion, who silently dropped to the ground. The original melody returned.
"To be like other girls - "
Giles, Anya, Xander, Willow, and Tara ran in. Giles took in the situation at a glance. Buffy continued singing while Sweet watched her every move with narrowed eyes.
"To fit in, in this glittering world.
Don't give me songs."
"She needs backup," Giles declared. "Anya, Tara." He gestured toward Buffy.
"Don't give me songs," Buffy sang again. Anya and Tara took up positions behind Buffy and synchronized their movements with hers.
"Give me something to sing about!"
Buffy was vaguely aware of the girls behind her providing a background chorus of soft "Ahhh"s.
"I need something to sing about!"
The hard-rock music returned for a minute and they danced to its frenetic beat, then it slowed again and they resumed their languid dance movements.
"Life's a song
You don't get to rehearse.
And every single verse
Can make it that much worse"
Anya and Tara stopped dancing and moved to the background. Buffy glanced briefly at them.
"Still my friends
Don't know why I ignore
The million things or more
I should be dancing for"
Giles frowned slightly. Again the hard-rock beat was heard, but this time Buffy danced alone.
"All the joy
Life sends
Family
And friends"
"All the twists
And bends
Knowing that
It ends"
Well, that
Depends - "
"On if they let you go - "
Giles caught his breath at the bitterness in her eyes. Buffy's gaze swept the gang once more.
"On if they know enough to know
That when you've bowed
You leave the crowd"
She walked up onto the stage. Sweet, still sitting in his chair, made a theatrical gesture of beckoning her toward him. Buffy went up close. A new melody began playing, slow and full of minor notes that grated on the ear. She sang quietly, lost in the memory:
"There was no pain
No fear, no doubt
Til they pulled me out
Of Heaven . . . "
Her gaze returned to her friends. Giles looked as if someone had just stabbed him. Xander just looked sick. Anya's face was unusually solemn; Tara's, distressed. Willow's eyes were wide and shocked.
"So that's my refrain:
I live in Hell
'Cause I've been expelled
From Heaven"
"I think I was in Heaven. . . ."
Willow's disbelief had turned to horror. Her head moved from side to side in an unconscious attempt to deny the truth.
"So give me something to sing about!"
Buffy whirled around to look at Sweet.
"Please!
Give me something . . . !"
Slowly the demon shook his head. Suddenly desperate, Buffy turned away and did a flip off the stage onto the floor. The hard-rock tune returned once more, with the electric guitars playing a wild riff. Buffy danced, her moves becoming faster and faster. From her chair Dawn watched in dismay. Sweet leaned forward expectantly, lips parted and breath quickened with anticipation.
Buffy whirled wildly around - and around - and around. Smoke began to rise from her body and she could feel the heat building, but she couldn't stop. She didn't want to stop. All at once two cool hands grabbed her arms, stopping her death-spin. Panting and disoriented, she looked up. It was Angel. His eyes were filled with compassion and understanding - and love. He sang:
"Life's not a song
Life isn't bliss
Life is just this:
It's living."
His hand brushed damp strands of hair back from her face. Spike rushed in through the open doorway. He saw the two of them and stopped dead in his tracks. His jaw tightened. Angel went on:
"You'll get along
The pain that you feel
You only can heal
By living."
Buffy wanted to cry. How could she live when she felt half-dead, when a part of her seemed to have gone AWOL? When the one person who made it bearable lived over two hours away and risked losing his soul if they got too close?
"You have to go on living
So one of us is living."
Standing up, Dawn walked to the edge of the stage. " 'The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.' " Buffy recognized the words she'd said to Dawn just before jumping into Glory's portal. Dawn was pale, obviously upset. Buffy looked back at Angel but before she could say anything, the melody changed. Even in the depths of her misery, Buffy noticed that Angel's singing voice was even worse than Xander's and Willow's.
"What can't we face if we're together?
What's in this place that we can't weather?"
Master Sweet grimaced and waved his hand, muttering to himself. Instantly Angel's voice changed. It was still his voice, but with the rough edges smoothed out - and now he was singing *in* tune. Sweet breathed a silent sigh of relief and sank back in his chair to listen.
"Loneliness?
We both live there
Danger, distress?
The risks that we share."
"What can't we do, what can't we weather?
We'll work it through 'cause we're together"
"But we're not together," she whispered bleakly. His hands cupped her face; his dark eyes were intent. "We will be," he told her. "We'll find a way, Buffy."
"How?" Buffy's tears spilled over and she wiped them away with a childish gesture.
"I don't know how," Angel answered, simply. " - yet. But there's got to be a way around the curse and I promise I'll find it." Looking into his eyes, she believed him. Angel leaned down and kissed her, softly, firmly, and the vise around her heart eased its iron grip, letting her breathe freely for the first time in what felt like years. Predictably, she burst into tears again.
"I'm sorry," she said, when she could speak. "I've just felt so . . . alone. And now I don't because you're here but you'll be leaving again soon, and - "
"I know." Angel brushed a tear away with his thumb. "But even when we're apart, you're not alone, Buffy. You have Dawn and you have your friends and Giles, all of whom love you very much. They wouldn't have done it otherwise."
No need to ask what "it" was. When they resurrected her, her friends had honestly believed they were rescuing her from unspeakable torment in a hell dimension. They'd had no way of knowing that they'd be yanking her out of heaven instead.
"I know," Buffy whispered. "But - "
Angel sang softly:
"Mother cannot guide you
Now you're on your own.
I'm right here beside you
Know you're not alone."
"No one is alone - truly
No one is alone."
"Sometimes people leave you
Halfway through the wood.
Others may deceive you
You decide what's good"
"You decide alone"
But no one is alone - "
Buffy's lips trembled. "I wish . . ."
"I know," Angel murmured, kissing her forehead. Buffy sang in a shaky voice:
"Mother isn't here now - "
(Angel) "Wrong things, right things - "
(Buffy) "Don't know what she'd say."
(Angel): "Who can say what's true?"
(Buffy) "Nothing's quite so clear now - "
(Angel) "Do things, fight things"
(Buffy) "Feel I've lost my way."
(Angel): "You decide, but - "
Giles walked over, finishing the line: "You are not alone - "
(Angel) "You are not alone - "
(Giles): "Believe me - "
(Angel): "No one is alone - "
(Giles, overlapping): "No one is alone - "
(Angel): "Believe me - "
(Giles): "Truly . . ."
Their voices came together:
"You move just a finger,
Say the slightest word,
Something's bound to linger,
Be heard."
(Giles): "No one acts alone.
Careful, no one is alone - "
(Together): "People make mistakes - "
(Giles): "Friends and - "
"Lovers." Angel gave Buffy a wry look.
"People make mistakes - "
(Giles, overlapping): "People make mistakes"
(Angel): "Holding to their own,
Thinking they're alone.
Honor their mistakes - "
(Giles, overlapping): "Fight for their mistakes -"
(Angel): "Everybody makes - "
Again their voices harmonized:
"One another's
Terrible mistakes."
"Witches can be right - "
Buffy glanced at the Scoobies, in particular Willow, who wasn't responding to Tara's attempts at comfort. Angel and Giles followed her glance, and continued singing:
"Demons can be good.
You decide what's right,
You decide what's good."
Angel gently urged her attention back.
"Just remember - "
Buffy echoed his words quietly, with growing realization:
"Just remember - "
(Angel): "Someone is on your side"
"My side, " Buffy sang, with wonder. She looked at Angel and together they sang:
"Our side
Someone else is not."
Spike, who'd been listening to everything with increasing scorn, caught the glance Angel gave him. His lips curled back from his teeth, and he started forward. Instantly Xander blocked his path. "This isn't the time or the place," the young man said very quietly but very firmly. Spike glared at him, itching to sink his teeth into his neck, or at the very least smash his fist into that smug face. Opting for the least painful course of action - physically, at least - the vampire snarled soundlessly, then wheeled around and stalked out. Meanwhile, Buffy and Angel kept singing:
"While we're seeing our side - "
Giles and Dawn joined them:
"Our side - "
The Scoobies, with the exception of Willow, chimed in:
"Our side - "
(All together): "Maybe we forgot:
They are not alone.
No one is alone."
Buffy took a deep breath:
"I can see the light now"
Angel stroked her cheek compassionately:
"Just don't let it go."
Buffy knew he meant after he returned to L.A., when the comfort his presence provided would diminish - as it inevitably would. He continued:
"We can make it so."
Buffy desperately hoped she was right about that - that her feeling everything would work out wasn't just an illusion, brought about by having Angel here.
They looked into each other's eyes.
"I'm always on your side
You are not alone."
"I love you," Angel whispered. "I've never loved anyone but you."
"I love you too." They kissed again, until they were interrupted by the sound of applause. It was Master Sweet. "Now that was a show-stopping number, even if it wasn't quite the fireworks I was looking for."
Willow stepped toward him, trembling, her eyes stormy. "Get out of here."
Sweet raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, I smell power." He got to his feet. "I guess the little missus and I should be on our way." Eyes widening once more, Dawn backed away from him, jumping down off the stage and running to Buffy and Angel.
Giles roused himself from the shock that Buffy's disclosure had induced. "That's never going to happen."
The demon chuckled. "I don't make the rules. She summoned me."
"I so did not!" Dawn cried. She turned to the others. "He keeps saying that, but I didn't!"
Sweet followed her off the stage. Buffy stepped protectively in front of her, and he chuckled. "You have my talisman on, sweet thing." He leaned around Buffy to point at the necklace Dawn had on. She glanced down at it, then held it up, stammering, "Oh, but . . . no, I, uh, this was, at, at the Magic Box, on the floor . . . I was, I was cleaning, and I . . . I put it in my pocket to, to ask about it, except I - I forgot to, but . . . I didn't summon anything!"
"Well now, that's a twist," commented Sweet drily.
Giles said, "If it was in the shop, then one of us probably. . . ." They all looked at each other. After a moment, Xander guiltily raised his hand. Anya gasped. "Xander!"
"Well, I didn't know what was gonna happen!," Xander said defensively. Giles held back his temper with a visible effort. "I just thought there would be dances and songs." He looked at Anya. "I just wanted to make sure we'd. . . we'd work out. Get a happy ending."
Master Sweet chortled. "I think everything worked out just fine."
Xander looked at him apprehensively. "Does this mean that I have to - " He swallowed. " - be your queen?" Anya grasped his arm protectively, looking anxious.
"It's tempting . . . " Sweet drawled, eyeing him. "But I think we'll waive that clause just this once." Xander sagged with relief. Sweet looked sardonically at the group. "Big smiles, everyone! You beat the bad guy." He did a fast pirouette and began singing:
"What a lot of fun
You guys have been real swell
And there's only one
Who can say this ended well"
His eyes flickered over Buffy, standing with Angel's arm around her.
"All those secrets you've been concealing
Say you're happy now,
Once more with feeling.
Now I gotta run
See you all - "
Suddenly there was no more Sweet, only a ball of light that swirled around their heads, trailing sparkly particles behind it. As they watched it disappear through the ceiling his voice echoed:
" - in he-e-e-ll!"
END OF PART FOURTEEN
Click Here For Part Fifteen
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