The Song Remembers When
Chapter Sixteen
COUPLING: Buffy/Riley
SUMMARY: A/U - Riley has left Buffy, and this is 10 years into the future.
DISCLAIMER: All BtVS characters belong to the wonderfully talented
mind of Joss Whedon. However I do own Riley's daughters and Sam the
nanny.
FEEDBACK: Pretty pretty please! I really hate to beg, but will .
SPOILERS: All of Season 5, and my own little universe.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Ladies and Gentlemen I would love you to give a warm round�
of applause to my wonderful Beta Reader Anne Marie who makes each one of�
these stories better. To Amy, Nicole and Ace thank you so much for your�
kind words, and wonderful own talent that makes me want to write. And to�
Andra thank you so much with all your wonderful help writing this. Chris I�
called the therapists and it seems Buffy will be joining our little group�
therapy sessions.
Riley tried to kick the door closed behind him, but his legs were so shaky�
he doubted he could hold himself and Willow up much longer. He needed to�
throw up, but not while he was holding her like this. Yelling for Buffy and�
Graham was his only choice; he needed their help. The two appeared in the�
hallway and Riley could see the fear in both their faces.
"What happened?" Graham demanded even as he reached for Willow.
____________________________
They had just finished having lunch and Riley had convinced Willow to wait a�
couple more days before she returned to L.A. He made her see that she need�
to show Graham that she loved him, and that whatever came up Willow and�
Graham could face it together. That's if they both truly loved each other�
as they kept swearing they did. Riley had told Willow that he would help�
her plot her seduction of Graham, and by the time they were through with�
Graham, he'd be begging Willow to marry him.
Lunch with Willow had been fun and it gave them time alone to really talk�
and catch up with each other. Riley listened as she talked about her�
success, and her fears and she asked him about Claire, and how he'd managed�
to raise the children alone. Willow filled him in on Xander and Anya's�
life. She had him in stitches as she recounted for him their strange�
wedding. Riley had been thrilled to hear that Giles had finally woken up�
and noticed Joyce Summers for the remarkable woman that she was. He had�
often wondered why Buffy's mom and the Englishman never seemed to notice�
each other, to him they had always seemed destine for each other.
Riley found himself slightly annoyed when their private lunch was�
interrupted by Willow's fans requesting a moment of Willow's time. He�
smiled as he watched Willow sign autographs and pose for pictures with the�
owner of the restaurant and a guest. Riley found it hard to believe that�
the woman in front of him was the same dear, shy girl he remembered,�
especially when he was faced with the very public persona of Willow�
Rosenberg, actress. He could tell she was grateful when the manager finally�
asked other guests to respect Ms. Rosenberg's privacy and allow her to�
finish her lunch without interruption.
Riley hadn't felt this light and happy in months, but all that ended when�
they had walked into the parking lot. He'd offered her his arm because he�
knew how icy the place could get, but she'd laughed telling him that she was�
afraid she'd pull him down as well if she did fall. Walking slowly, they�
had made their way to his Lexus, and that's when it all happened.
Riley had walked around to the driver's side and was opening his door when�
he saw her slip. He didn't see Willow slip on the ice in the parking lot,�
but he heard her head smash against the fender of the car parked next to�
them, and then the loud thump as her head cracked against the frozen�
concrete. Riley had rushed around the car and was horrified by what he saw;�
there was blood everywhere! On the bumper of the car she'd hit and all over�
the ground from where her head had made contact with the parking lot. She�
was out cold. He tried shaking her and calling her name, but there was no�
response. He reached for his cellphone and then remembered he'd left it in�
the Land Rover yesterday. Taking off his coat he placed it over Willow and�
ran to get help, but it was Sunday and the parking attendant was gone for�
the weekend. He had stood in the empty parking lot and started to panic.�
The closest hospital was 20 minutes away and Riley knew that there was a�
severe shortage of staff in the Boston hospitals. He feared that they�
wouldn't find someone to look at her in time. In his blind panic and�
personal dislike of hospitals, Riley decided that the only option was to get�
Willow home.
Riley didn't know how he managed to drive home. He held Willow's cold hand�
in his and begged her to be all right. Seeing her lying there, unconscious�
and pale brought Claire's death rushing back to him. Claire had died from a�
head injury, and now Willow had smashed her own head wide open.
"Please Willow! Open your eyes and look at me," he begged her, praying to�
God that she'd be all right.
Now, standing in the front hallway of his house, he knew that they'd be�
okay. He held Willow in his arms as Graham and Buffy rushed to his side and�
he could hear the fear in their voices, but mistook it for concern over�
Willow's present unconsciousness..
"Oh my God! Willow!" Buffy cried, reaching to touch Willow's face.
"What happened?"
Graham could feel the panic and fear rising in him, he knew someone needed�
to stay calm, to take control of the situation, and that it had to be him.
"Riley give her to me," he demanded taking Willow's still form from his�
dazed and shaken friend.
Graham held her against him and he could feel her breath on his cheek and�
her heartbeat against his chest.
"Buffy, take Riley into the library and get him a glass of something strong,�
and make sure he drinks it. There is a telephone book on the desk. Look up�
Dr. Steven Bishop and tell him what's happened. Tell him I need him to come�
here."
Buffy merely nodded her head looking back and forth between Willow and�
Riley.
"Go now, Buffy," Graham said, indicating with a curt nod of his head.
"Sam, keep the kids occupied. Take them out back to play in the snow or�
something, but don't let them know what's happening," Graham ordered the�
nanny without looking. He knew was standing behind him because would Sam�
have responded to Riley's yell as well. She had been a wonderful operative�
and now she served Riley and his daughters with the same loyalty and skills�
that had made her part of Graham's A team.
"Sure thing Graham. I'll get the kids busy, then I'll bring up a wash bowl,�
some bandages and clean towels."
"Thanks Sam," he replied as he took the stairs two at a time, holding Willow�
as tightly as he could against him. Her breathing seemed shallow and he was�
starting to panic. Taking a few slow deep breaths, he tried to calm himself�
down. Giving in to the light-headedness that was overwhelming and passing�
out would not help matters! He headed down the hall and pushed open his�
bedroom door. He moved quickly to the bed and placed Willow down. Mrs.�
Drake, the housekeeper was used to finding Graham's sheets or clothes�
splattered in blood and other unmentionables. God only knew what the woman�
thought of him!
Graham knelt down on the floor next to Willow and brushed her blood soaked�
bangs from her forehead. The cut looked deep, but it was hard to tell, head�
wounds bled horribly even when the cut was small. He wished Sam would hurry�
up with the first aid kit, and in the next instant he was cursing Steve for�
taking so long. He was growing impatient and wished they would step on it,�
after all this was the love of his life they were dealing with!
"Come Will, open those beautiful green eyes of yours. Come on honey, look at�
me," Graham whispered, pressing her cold little hand to his lips. Reaching�
to touch her other hand he noticed it was cold as well, so he pulled the�
comforter over her, trying to warm her up. His panic increased as he�
realised she was slipping into shock.
She looked so frail and pale lying in his big bed. He wanted to crawl in�
next to her and hold her, but he knew that until a doctor saw her, she was�
better left alone. He let go of her hand and felt for a pulse. It seemed a�
little on the weak side to him, but he didn't know if that was normal for�
her. Sliding his hand up her cheek, he caressed it, praying to god she'd�
open her eyes any second and say she was just acting. Looking down at her�
he knew without a shred of doubt that he would never leave her side again,�
Russell Crowe be damned!
Sam stood in the doorway and watched Graham with the little redhead. She�
hadn't really gotten a good look at the woman as she'd practically flown out�
of the kitchen this morning, so she was having a hard time understanding why�
Dr. Finn and Graham fawned over her. Sam knew that when Graham was around,�
she was never as observant as she should be and she prayed that Dr. Finn�
didn't noticed how she fell apart whenever Graham was around.
Now watching Graham tending to the woman, she felt herself growing jealous.�
Sam had a thing for Graham. It had started the very day he'd recruited her�
from Oxford. Graham was a hard man to get to know, but working for Dr. Finn�
had given her that opportunity. She'd flirted with him all the time and�
even though he'd flirted back, that's where it had ended. She knew he dated�
a lot, it was a constant joke between the two men, but there was never a�
real steady and this was part of the reason Sam had begun to question his�
sexuality. Yet here he was with this woman and he was so gentle with her,�
and the way he looked at her� he never looked at Sam that way. Graham loved�
this woman, but who was she besides Aunt Willow? Sam was determined to find�
out because there was no way she was going to lose Graham to this little�
woman.
Coming back to reality, Sam cleared her throat to let Graham know that she�
was there.
"Oh, great, Sam. Could you put that stuff on the night stand so I can clean�
her up," Graham didn't look up as he addressed her but rather kept his eyes�
on the woman in his bed.
"Do you need anything else?" She asked stalling. Sam knew he was upset and�
she didn't want to leave him like this alone.
"No, we're fine. Could you check on Riley? He seems a little out of it.�
Check to see if he took a bump on the head or something too. Thanks, Sam,"�
he said turning around again to tend to Willow. She had been dismissed.
"Come back to me, Willow. I need you," Sam heard him whisper as he stroked�
the other woman's cheek.
Leaving the room, Sam's heart broke. So this was the woman from college,�
who'd broken Graham's heart years ago? Was this Willow the love of Graham's�
life, the one that Dr. Finn had spoke about the other day? Sam could feel�
herself growing angry. No man ever turned his back on her! Who was this�
Willow! Willow didn't seem like much to her, what type of name is Willow�
any� Oh my God. The realisation hit her like a ton of bricks. It's Willow�
Rosenberg up there in Graham's bed! Sam was suddenly excited at the idea of�
having the actress in the house, yet crushed and angry as well, there was no�
way Graham would give her the time of day now
Graham dipped the face cloth in the bowl of warm water and gently cleaned�
the blood off Willow's face. The cut seemed to be in her hairline, so it�
wouldn't show the scar but Graham figured she'd need several stitches to�
close it. Graham needed to clean the wound on the back of her head so he�
slid one hand under her neck and put the other hand on her hip. Carefully�
he rolled her towards him, pressing her face against his chest. Cautiously�
he probed for the wound, his fingers finding it just as he heard a low moan�
coming from Willow. Graham quickly pulled his hand away from the cut and�
rolled her back to her previous position, which elicited another low moan�
from her.
"Willow? Sweetheart?" He said, caressing her face.
"Gray?" She mumbled leaning into the comfort his hand gave her.
"Yeah, it's me. I'm goin' take care of you, just lie still okay?" He said�
softly, thanking God that she was conscious again. His hands probed down�
her body looking for other damage and it was a few minutes before she spoke�
again.
"Hurts," she mumbled.
"I know. Where does it hurt? You need to tell me," he said, smiling as he�
felt her touch his arm to stop him.
"My head and my ankle mostly," she moaned, wincing slightly as she tried to�
move the offending ankle.
"Right one?" He asked reaching down to touch it.
"Ow!" She cried as his hand made contact with it.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she said, trying to smile as her head started pounding and she�
had the sudden urge to throw up. She rolled over quickly and seeing this�
Graham reached for the bowl that Sam had brought in. Willow retched into it�
and then rolled back over. She was going to wipe her mouth on the back of�
her hand when she felt a warm facecloth touch her mouth.
"Thank you," she muttered as her eyes started to close.
"Come on, Will. Stay with me here," Graham said, realising she must have a�
concussion. Her eyes fluttered open as she tried to focus on him and she�
smiled sleepily at him. She thought she saw love in his eyes, but the way�
she felt right now, she wasn't even sure who she was!
"Try," Willow mumbled reaching up to touch his check, but instead her hand�
made contact with his lips. They felt so soft and warm and she tried to�
remember through her foggy brain what they had felt like when he kissed her.
Graham watched her with pure concern on his face. She had a concussion,�
there was no doubt about that and with her little hand pressed to his lips,�
he wanted nothing more than to kiss it and make it better for both of them.�
He couldn't help himself as he kissed her fingers before reaching up to pull�
her hand down.
"Like that," she slurred, trying to figure out which of the three Graham's�
in front of her was the real one.
Just then Graham heard voices coming up the stairs towards them. He sat�
back and waited for the others to join them.
"Hey, Gray. Is this my patient?" Dr. Bishop asked as he entered the room
"Yeah, this is her," Graham replied, pushing himself up from his kneeling�
position to make room for the doctor to look at Willow.
Buffy stood at the end of the bed cringing at the mess Willow was in.�
Graham, she noticed, had cleaned up the blood that had been running down�
Willow's face, which made it easier to see the cut and the bruise and bump�
over her eye. Willow was going to have a beautiful black eye from the look�
of things.
Graham moved over to the end of the bed to stand next to Buffy. She could�
feel the tension coming off of him and took his hand in hers to offer him�
comfort.
"I know what you're thinking Graham, but she's fine. Riley was finally able�
to tell me that Willow slipped on the ice in the parking lot and smashed�
into a car."
"Not�" he said, trying to grasp that it had been slipping on the ice and not�
her psycho stalker that had done this too her. He let out a deep breath and�
felt himself starting to relax.
"Yeah, not that. She just slipped on the ice," Buffy said squeezing his�
hand.
"When I first saw Riley carrying her in, I thought she was dead. And he was�
just covered in so much blood, I thought she'd been shot or something."
"She's okay, now," Buffy soothed, hugging Graham as his fears subsided into�
tears. Since Willow had walked back into his life 24 hours ago, he had�
found himself crying more than he had in 10 years. He hadn't even cried�
this much after Claire died.
After getting off the phone with Xander, then seeing her lying apparently�
lifeless in Riley's arms, he'd assumed the worst. He'd thought he'd lost�
her, and in that first 5 minutes or so before he got her up here, he was�
ready to die right along side her. Graham knew that there was no way he�
could ever let her go. She was his life.
"How's Riley?" Graham finally asked.
"He's fine, he went to change. He'll be in when he's done. Gray, he feels�
horrible about this," Buffy said, placing her hand on Graham's arm.
"Why should he? It was an accident."
Graham didn't understand Buffy's apology on behalf of Riley.
"He knew he should have taken her to the hospital, but he panicked," she�
said, staring at Willow.
"I know he has a hard time with hospitals since Claire passed away. When�
Jordy fell off her bike last year, Sam and I took her to the hospital.�
Riley has this fear of hospitals that makes him do crazy things. While we�
sat in Emergency, he paced the parking lot."
"I know how he feels. Every time I had to take Evan for an appointment or�
his chemotherapy, I'd almost be physically ill. It was horrible."
"You two have more in common than I thought," Graham joked trying to make a�
little joke, but failing miserably.
"Too bad, it's all the bad stuff life has thrown at us though," she sighed,�
totally missing Graham's attempt at humour.
The two stood in silence watching Steve check Willow out.
"Can you tell me your name?"
"Willow Rosenberg."
"Your address?"
"2250 Park Manor�. I'm sorry I can't remember the whole address."
"Do you know the date?"
"I'm usually not very good with dates, but I know it's the 2nd Sunday in�
December."
"Good enough."
"Do you know where you are?" He asked, checking her pupils.
"Graham's bed," she answered, then blushed as the words sunk in.
"Is this your bed, Graham?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes it is," he replied, suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed under his�
friend's amused scrutiny.
"Well I guess your right then, Willow," Steve laughed.
She smiled up at the doctor, then down at Graham at the foot of the bed.�
She loved it when this self-assured man blushed. It was one of the things�
that drew her to him 10 years ago.
"Well I would wager a really good guess that you, Ms. Rosenberg, have a mild�
concussion. The cuts on your head I can stitch up here, but we'll need an�
x-ray of that ankle. I'd say it's broken. I'll make arrangements for you�
to go into the hospital first thing in the morning for an x-ray and a cast.�
The way it's swollen right now, there's no way they'll put a cast on it�
today. Keep putting ice on it, and I'll give you some pain killers."
Steve pulled out his pad and wrote down a prescription.
"Have Riley get this filled," he said, handing it to Buffy.
"Okay," she replied and left the room in search of Riley.
"All right Willow, I'm going to give you a local so I can stitch these cuts�
up, okay?" Steve asked her, looking into a pair of unfocused green eyes,�
but even unfocused they were beautiful.
"You're the doctor," she said, trying to smile through her pain.
_________________________________________________________________
Riley got back from the drug store to find Buffy and Steve sitting in the�
living room. Taking off his coat, he noticed that they appeared to be in a�
deep conversation as neither acknowledged his presence. Deciding that�
whatever it was they were talking about didn't warrant his involvement at�
this moment, he took the stairs two at a time to get the pills to Willow.�
He pushed open the door to see Willow sound asleep and Graham sitting by her�
side, sprawled out in the big winged back chair that usually sat in the�
opposite corner of the room.
"She okay?" Riley asked, not taking his eyes off Willow, as he handed Graham�
the pills.
"Concussion, and possible broken ankle. Are you okay?" Graham asked,�
looking at his friend's concerned face.
"Sure. Just concerned about Willow, that's all," he replied trying to sound�
casual.
"I know you freaked out today, about taking Willow to the hospital. How are�
you ever going to manage Evan in the hospital?" Graham turned in his chair�
to look at Riley.
"I don't think I have much of a choice, do I?" Riley asked, leaning against�
the dresser.
"Have you talked to Bryan since any of this started? He helped you after�
Claire died, maybe having someone to talk to will help you again." Graham�
said slowly, afraid that what he had to say would send Riley screaming from�
the building.
"You don't think I'm handling this well, do you?" Riley said, running his�
hand through his blonde hair.
He knew Graham had a point. Bryan his therapist had helped a lot after�
Claire died, but this was different. How could he explain to anyone exactly�
what he was feeling when he himself was still trying to figure it out? He�
was feeling so many different things: sheer happiness at having Buffy and�
his son in his life, guilt for having walked away from her all those years�
ago, anger at both himself and Buffy for letting their relationship fall�
apart in the first place and the guilt of cheating on Claire, even though he�
really wasn't, Hope's difficulty with accepting Buffy, because Riley had�
always told the girls it would just be them against the world. On top of�
that, he added Willow's accident and he really was just barely hanging on.
"I didn't say that Rye. I just think that if I'd gone through what you have�
in the last 48 hours, I'd be in some bar somewhere getting drunk."
"Bullshit. You are the strongest person I know, Gray. Look what we've been�
through, you were always the strong one, the person that always managed to�
keep us all together."
"It's an act, Rye," he said shaking his head with a bitter laugh.
"Do you know how often I sat by myself at night, here in this room or in my�
own apartment and cried my eyes out. Times when I thought I was going to�
lose you, or when I thought how much I gave up the day I walked out of her�
life."
Willow turned in her sleep and the blankets slipped from around her�
shoulders. Reaching over, Graham tucked them around her again and smoothed�
her hair.
"You're great actor then, Gray," Riley said reaching out to put a hand on�
Graham's shoulder.
"Yeah Oscar calibre," he smirked up at Riley
"You know I'm here for you, right? I mean, it's always you keeping me�
together so let me be here for you for a change. What's going on?"
"Willow could have died last night," Graham told him, finally saying the�
words out loud.
"What are you talking about?" Riley demanded, confused by the fear he saw in�
Graham's eyes. Willow's accident had been that afternoon, not last night.
"Did you know that Willow has a stalker? She told me last night but she�
made it sound like it was nothing, a couple of death threats, nothing more.�
Then Xander called this afternoon."
Graham stopped as the image of Willow lying in a pool of her own blood�
appeared before his eyes again. Shaking his head to clear the scene, he�
looked back at the peacefully sleeping woman before him.
"Xander? Was he looking for Buffy?" Riley asked, trying to figure out why�
Xander would call here. Maybe he wanted to find out how things had gone�
between him and Buffy.
"No, he was looking for you."
"Me?"
"Yeah. He called to ask for your help in keeping Willow here in Boston.�
Seems her stalker has upped the ante. He managed to get past her security�
system and broke into her house. He tore the place apart, destroying�
everything, her pictures, he left death threats on the wall in blood. From�
what Xander said, it didn't sound pretty."
"Good God!" Riley looked down at Willow's sweet face and was glad she'd been�
under his roof when the break-in occurred.
"You haven't heard the worst of it yet," Graham said. Steadying himself, he�
reached for Willow's hand and held on to it tightly. Maybe by holding her�
hand he could protect them both from the ugly words he was about to say to�
Riley.
Riley watched the anguish pass over Graham's face and he suddenly felt very�
uneasy. What could possible have Graham so upset? Did it have something to�
do with Russell Crowe again?
"The psycho got into her bedroom and slashed her bed over 200 times. Riley,�
she would have been killed if she'd been there."
The pure anguish in Graham's voice as he said these last few words hit Riley�
hard.
Riley shook his head trying to get rid of the picture Graham's words put�
into his brain. They were disgusting, gory pictures that would turn�
anyone's stomach.
"Does Buffy know?" Riley asked. It would certainly explain her reaction if�
she did.
"Yeah, she heard the last part of my conversation with Xander, so I had to�
tell her. I had just finished telling her when you came crashing through�
the door," Graham said, staring at Willow and hoping that she hadn't heard�
any of the conversation.
"That explains it then. Once we got into the library, she freaked when she�
saw the blood all over me. She wanted to know it I had been hurt."
Riley remembered the horror on Buffy's face as she ran her little hands up�
and down over his shirt, checking for cuts.
"When I finally managed to calm down and tell her what happened she started�
crying. I didn't realize they were tears of relief."
"When the two of you came in� we just figured you'd been attacked or�
something," Graham said softly.
The room was silent for a moment as they both watched the sleeping red head.�
Riley stood there playing 'what if''. What would have happened if she'd�
died last night? Even though Willow had been absent from his life the last�
10 years, Riley couldn't imagine what Graham would have done, especially if�
he'd heard the news on TV. Shuttering at the thought, Riley pushed it to�
the back of his mind.
"What was she doing with you? When we left you were already gone, and�
Willow was still here," Graham asked suddenly, wanting to know what had�
really happened.
"She knew I was going to be in the office, so she came down to talk to me.�
She wanted some privacy."
Riley felt kind of strange talking to Graham about his and Willow's�
conversation. The last thing he wanted to do was betray Willow's trust in�
him.
Graham seemed to understand what Riley wasn't saying, and dropped the�
subject. If Willow had wanted privacy to talk to Riley, it wasn't any of�
his business. It bothered him that she'd turned to Riley, but after last�
night and this morning, he thought it was probably about him.
"How was your meeting with Steve?"
Graham needed to change the topic desperately. He needed to get his mind�
off of his own troubles and focus on Riley's for a moment.
"Well, Steve really couldn't tell me much without having Evan's file in�
front of him, but from what he said I'm his best chance as a donor. The�
girls could work, but because they are only his half sisters�"
"I see," Graham sounded defeated as Riley's words sunk in.
"No, the girls may still be compatible but I just have a better chance.�
Look, I'm praying that it's me. It's a painful test and a more painful�
procedure. I'm not sure how I'm going to explain it to the girls," Riley�
said, shaking his head. He got up off the dresser and walked over to the�
windows, looking down he could see the kids building a snowman in the back�
yard. Smiling, he watched Evan and Jordan throwing snowballs at each other.�
For a California kid, Evan had adapted to the snow quickly.
"Just tell them the truth Riley, don't spare them any of it. This way�
they'll be prepared if it doesn't work. They have to realise that Evan�
might die."
Graham had gotten up from his chair and stood behind Riley, watching the�
kids play over his shoulder.
"I just don't want them thinking that everyone they love will die on them"�
Riley said, watching his son chase Jordan through the snow.
"He looks so healthy. A little pale maybe, but healthy."
Since the conversation with Steve that morning, the ever-present spectre of�
his son's death had been looming in the back of his mind. It haunted his�
every thought and dream.
"Willow said he's lost a lot of weight since the chemo."
"Yeah, Buffy told me that too. At least his hair has grown back."
"Look I know one of you four will be the donor he needs, I have a feeling�
about this."
"From your mouth to God's ear," Riley whispered, wiping away a tear that had�
rolled down his cheek.
"Amen," Graham breathed, turning away to give his friend a little privacy.
"I think its time to wake the princess. Wanna watch?" Graham cracked, trying�
to get Riley to laugh.
"She does have that Princess and the Pea look about her, all tucked into�
your bed. By the way, how many did you end up with in bed with you last�
night?"
"Only Hope and Tristan. Guess Jordan likes sharing her room with Evan."
"Yeah. I'm gonna get Steve to book the test for Tuesday. Will you go with�
me and the girls?"
"Wouldn't miss it, Finn. And don't you dare say thanks, or I'll have to�
clock you."
"Sure."
Riley left the room the room and wandered down the spiral stair. The house�
seemed so quiet with the kids outside. He stood in the livingroom doorway�
watching Buffy and Steve talking, totally unaware of his watching them. He�
cleared his throat, causing both of them to turn towards him.
"I was wondering when you'd get back," she said, smiling at him as he came�
to join them. Buffy slid over on the couch making room for him, and he�
wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
"Yeah, I went upstairs first to check on Willow and Graham."
"How is she?" Steve asked
"Still sleeping. Graham was just going to wake her up."
"Buffy told me what was happening with the stalker. I'm leaving a sedative�
just in case she needs it after you tell her. It seems fame has a higher�
price than I was aware of," Steve said, feeling sorry for his newest�
patient.
"You have no idea," Buffy replied, having lived through this nightmare
The story continues in chapter 17
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