Chapter 2

 

 

The two preternatural beings glared at each other. The Slayers eyes narrowing as he saw the stake in Anya’s hand, wrenching his eyes from the Vengeance Demon’s he searched the small room for Buffy. Not finding her his eyes swung back to her, horror that changed to fury flashing through them.

 

Unconsciously he took a step forward, hands fisted at his side, every muscle in his body trembling with anger.

 

“What did you do?” he bit out furiously. Anya blinked at him, confusion lining her face as she stared at him taking a step back as she felt the anger radiating off of him.

 

“What are you…?” she started then saw that his eyes were in fact not focused on her, were instead focused on the wooden stake in her hand and she frowned.

 

Because she was probably the only person on the planet that didn’t want to hurt Buffy and the Slayer thinking that she had was unforgivable.

 

The vampiress had to have someone on her side. If it was a Vengeance Demon then so be it.

 

“You think I staked her?” she spat at him. “I’m not you William, I don’t hurt my friends.”

 

“Then where is she?” William asked stiffly, he refused to recognize the fact that jealousy was clawing at him. He didn’t care about Buffy… he had no reason to be jealous. But his traitorous mind flashed him images of that horrendous day, and he could clearly see Buffy and Anya entwined on the table at the Magic Box.

 

“She’s…” Anya turned, whirling in a circle as she realized that she and the Slayer were alone in the basement now. In the short amount of time that they had been snarking at each other Buffy had managed to disappear. “… was right here,” she finished weakly as she turned back to William.

 

“So where is she now?”

 

“Maybe she heard you coming and left… you don’t exactly put off warm, loving vibes for her.”

 

“And I’m supposed to care that about that? She’s a vampire Anya. An evil, soul… well vampire,” William finished weakly averting his eyes. It took only a second for an instant replay of the night before to run through his mind and his eyes flew back to Anya’s.

 

Anya’s comments… the subsequent fight that had broken out between the two females.

 

“Oh my god!” she stared at the vampire with a look of something close to astonishment.

 

“What are you staring at?” Buffy asked in confusion.

 

“Oh, my god!” Anya didn’t answer just stared at the vampire as if she’d never seen her before.

 

“Right. Let’s go,” Buffy muttered turning to walk away, Anya grabbing her arm to keep her still.

 

“How did you do it?”

 

“Buffy what is she talking about?” William asked eyes flickering between the two demons.

 

“I can see you.”

 

“Nothing. Let’s go. Got some worm hunting to do,” Buffy finally answered him, glaring at Anya before once more turning to walk away.

 

“How did you do it?” Anya asked insistently.

 

“Shut up.”

 

“You shouldn’t be allowed to.”

 

“Shut your mouth!” Buffy hissed desperately.

 

“I mean, how did you get it?”

 

“I said you shut up!”

 

William ran a hand through his hand, dragging his eyes away from Anya and instead focusing on the First Aid Kit in his hands.

 

He was such an idiot.

 

“You know already,” he murmured.

 

“Know what?” Anya asked crossing her arms over her chest. Glancing behind her she narrowed her eyes as she realized that the longer she stood here talking to the Slayer, the farther away Buffy was getting.

 

Although in her present condition she probably wouldn’t get very far.

 

“That Buffy has a soul,” he said softly. His eyes rising to hers he stared at her. “How did you know?”

 

Anya remained silent for a moment before dragging her own hands through her hair. Turning she set her stake down once more and searched the darkened corners of the room for Buffy. There was only the one door so she had to still be there.

 

It was just a matter of finding where she had hidden herself.

 

“I could sense it, could see it… besides the fact that I’m a Vengeance Demon. We zero in on pain, anger, humiliation… and they were all rolling off Buffy in waves at the Bronze. I’m actually surprised that you didn’t notice it.”

 

“She wasn’t acting any different… I mean yeah the first time I saw her again she was all crazy, talking about cutting things out of her chest and all. I guess I just thought she was talking about her chip.”

 

“Why would she be cutting her chest to get the chip out? Isn’t it in her head?”

 

“Well yeah… but… never mind,” William shook his head as he watched Anya search the room, not moving from his position by the door. “Then when she came to the house to help us look for Rodney…she seemed, well saner than. Didn’t think anything of it,” he shrugged.

 

“You’re such a man sometimes William,” Anya frowned at him over her shoulder. “You didn’t think that there might be something wrong with her behavior?”

 

“No… I just figured it was Buffy… being well Buffy.”

 

“So what? You found out about her soul and beat her up?”

 

“What? No!” William exclaimed in horror. “I wouldn’t….”

 

“I saw her… her chest, her arms… if you didn’t do that to her who did?” Anya asked quietly.

 

“I did it to myself pet,” Buffy murmured softly from where she was curled into a ball. Hands covering her ears at Anya’s gentle touch she allowed them to drop staring up at the other woman with wet eyes. “It’s what I deserve after all… innit that right Slayer? I think we can all agree on that at least,” she said softly, William’s eyes widened as he moved towards her.

 

Kneeling beside Anya he reached out a trembling hand to touch Buffy’s face, shock and sadness crossing his face when she shrunk away from him, curling into herself to keep him from touching her

 

“Buffy…” he began, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing but failing miserably.

 

“Pain and despair… I’m not worth much more than that anymore.”

 

“Buffy,” he tried again setting the kit on the floor he leaned forward reaching out one hand, watching in horror as Buffy shrank further away from him at his movement. At one time she would have been leaning into, anticipating the moment when his skin touched hers, purring, whispering her love to him and now she couldn’t stand to have him near her.

 

He frowned at that thought. Why did he care again if Buffy didn’t want him near her? The thought continued to baffle him.

 

He should be thanking the good lord that Buffy’s infatuation with him seemed to have vanished when she had received her soul. So why was he disappointed?

 

“Is it time for tea yet?” Buffy cast her eyes towards Anya desperately.

 

“Soon,” Anya promised, shaking her head when Will went to ask what they were talking about. “Seeing as how the Slayer brought a First Aid kit why don’t we change your bandages first.”

 

“Why?”

 

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Dawn hovered unseen on the stairs. The three occupants of the room were all embroiled within their own little drama and had not noticed her as yet.

 

She knew of course that wouldn’t last. William seemed to have an uncanny sense of knowing when she was somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be… and Buffy, vampire… Her sense of smell would soon pick up the distinct odor of Dawn’s perfume.

 

But as she waited for the inevitable moment when she would be found out she watched. She understood very little of what was being discussed inside the room. But she instinctively knew that both William and Anya were worried about Buffy.

 

Why she didn’t know… at the very least William should still be angry. And Anya…

 

Squinting her eyes she watched in shock as Will reached out a hand to touch the vampiress’ face and she shrank away from his touch, almost seeming to curl in on herself.

 

“Why don’t you let us change your bandages and you can make tea okay?” Anya said softly, Dawn straining to catch just that bit of the conversation.

 

Buffy’s eyes flickered between the Slayer and the demon and she reluctantly uncurled herself and allowed Anya to lift her T-shirt.

 

“When did this happen?” Anya asked William quietly as she removed the few strips of gauze and tape on Buffy’s chest that the vampiress had yet to rip off.

 

“Last night,” Will murmured as he dug through the First Aid Kit, carefully keeping his eyes averted from the woman in front of him.

 

“So about twelve hours ago then?” Anya asked frowning when William nodded. “These should have healed by now, didn’t you give her any blood when you bandaged her up?”

 

“Of course…” Will scowled at the demon.

 

“She didn’t drink it,” Dawn said quietly from the door, her expression pale she moved silently into the room her eyes fixed on the burns on Buffy’s chest. If anything they looked worse than they had the previous night.

 

“What? Dawn what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in class!” William whirled facing his sister, anger written on his face.

 

“And you’re supposed to be in the Guidance Office helping my classmates… don’t think she’s one of them,” Dawn retorted as she crossed her arms over her chest a mulish expression fixing itself to her face.  “Besides this is my free period, can do whatever I want during it,” she finally stated as William stared at her with a look that spelled long term grounding and disappearance of phone privileges.

 

“Fine… but we’re talking about this later,” Will warned.

 

“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes as her eyes moved back to the two women. Anya was steadily fixing gauze pads to the burns and lacerations on Buffy’s chest and Dawn winced at the sight of them.

 

“These wounds aren’t healing at all,” Anya murmured and Dawn could see redness of blood on her fingers, on the gauze… Blood that Buffy couldn’t afford to lose any more of. “You said she hadn’t fed?” the Vengeance Demon asked never turning to face the teen but continuing in her task.

 

“No she didn’t.”

 

“I gave her blood last night,” William disagreed. “I remember that… when we were in the kitchen, I heated and handed her a mug.”

 

“You gave it to her… but I’m telling you that she never drank it… You’d put it in her hands but the minute you turned away she’d set it down, I don’t think she drank more than a sip of it.”

 

“But…” the Slayer turned back to the vampiress that was currently ignoring them and humming a soft tune quietly. “Buffy…” he cupped her chin gently forcing her eyes to meet his. “…when was the last time you fed?”

 

“Fed?” she asked blankly, her eyes dazed and semi-confused. For a moment Dawn wondered where the lucidity that she’d been demonstrating just moments before had gone. Now it was like the light was on and no one was home, a description that she might have affixed to Angelus but never to Buffy.

 

“Yes fed… when was the last time you had blood?” William asked softly his ice blue eyes boring into hers intently, his hand still on her face forcing her gaze to meet his evenly.

 

“Umm…” Buffy frowned, gnawing on her bottom lip, brow furrowed in concentration; she looked as if she was deeply thinking.

 

Too deeply Dawn realized, if Buffy had fed any time recently she wouldn’t need to concentrate so intently on the topic. “Not quite sure,” she finally murmured, running a hand through her hair her face was a picture of confusion, then as if realizing that William was still touching her face her eyes glazed over and she shrank back into the corner she was inhabiting Will’s hands falling from her face as she did so.

 

William and Anya exchanged a look of worry that, both turning almost simultaneously back to Buffy.

 

“We need blood,” Anya stated quietly William nodding in agreement.

 

“We can take her back to the house, there’s still blood there.”

 

“Do you think that’s a wise idea?” Xander asked from where he was standing in the doorway observing the happenings of the room.

 

“What are you doing here?” William frowned at his best friend, eyes scanning his body for the stake that he must have brought if he was coming down here… especially since he knew that this was where Buffy was hiding herself.

 

“I came looking for you,” Xander stated, eyes cool as he walked into the room, hands shoved into his pockets. “One of the kids said they saw you coming down here… didn’t know there was a party going on.”

 

“Party?” Buffy’s eyes lit up, a smile crossing her face. “Should I make the tea and scones now?” she asked Anya.

 

“No… you just sit there and conserve your strength,” Anya patted her hand gently her eyes still focused on her ex-fiancé “Someone else will make them.”

 

“Are you sure? A good hostess doesn’t let her guests go hungry.”

 

“I’m sure,” the demon stated absently. “Besides we won’t be here much longer.”

 

“Oh…” Buffy frowned a look of sadness flitting across her features before it vanished behind a coolly indifferent mask. “It was nice of you all to come… have a nice day,” she murmured cheerfully, pulling her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, she laid her head down her eyes closing as she did so.

 

“What…? Buffy you’re not staying here,” William said in alarm. “You can’t stay here.”

 

“My home now Slayer… besides where else would I go?”

 

“You’ll come home with me,” Will said decisively, eyes moving between Dawn and Xander… daring one of them to oppose him. “We’ll put you down in the basement until you can find someplace else.”

 

“And I still think that’s a bad idea,” Xander scowled. “What if she becomes violent again and tries to…”

 

“That’s over with Xander, let it go.”

 

“She can come stay with me,” Anya offered. “I have plenty of room so…”

 

“NO!” she was cutoff by both males disapproving, angry voices. She and Dawn exchanged a confused look as the two men refused to look at each other.

 

Both of course had the same pictures running through their head.

 

Buffy and Anya in the Magic Box… on camera… having sex.

 

“Hey I never asked… does that mean that you two are…” Dawn started as she to remembered that day. She’d been okay with Willow and Tara being lesbians. But did the fact that Buffy and Anya had… you know… slept with each other mean that Buffy and Anya were gay now to?

 

She didn’t know if she could handle her once best friend liking girls after making eyes at her brother for almost as long as she could remember.

 

“Dawn!” William said harshly cutting her off, and from the tone of his voice Dawn knew that he to did not like that thought.

 

“But…”

 

“No…” he muttered sternly.

 

“She can’t stay here,” Anya said softly her eyes meeting Xander’s calmly.

 

“What not? I mean its dark, damp… it’ll be like living in the crypt again,” Xander said in an almost whine.

 

“There’s something… disturbing,” Anya began frowning as she sought to put into words what she was feeling in the basement. Whatever was within its confines was not helping the vampiress in the least, and could quite possibly be making her even less stable than she would normally be. “She can’t stay down here.”

 

“She can stay with me,” he sighed loudly, drawing a hand through his hair as he wondered where he’d put the rope that he’d used to tie her up with the last time he’d been forced to share a small confined space with her. “What?”

 

“Xander I don’t think that’s a good idea,” William shook his head.

 

“What are you afraid I’ll accidentally stake her or something?” Xander laughed, frowning when he realized that was exactly what they were worried about… well except for Buffy who was watching him with interest. And he realized that was exactly what William was afraid of… in her current state of mind Buffy might do anything possible to get someone to put her out of her misery.

 

“I won’t stake her… besides I’m pretty sure that I’m the only person that can be trusted to not sleep with her.”

 

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