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Part 4
“He doesn’t KNOW yet?” Angel said again. Buffy sighed, looked up at the dark, starless sky, then back at the man she loved.
“They have to wait for some sort of results or something,” she said. Angel put his arms around her and drew her closer.
“I’m just worried. About you.”
“I know,” she said softly. “So am I. As long as we’re tog—” Suddenly she broke off and spun around, kicking the vampire that was trying to sneak up on her. He fell, but another was upon her at once. Angel went for the first, which was already up again. Buffy recognized that he was fine and settled down to fight. Two more appeared out of the dark.
Buffy delivered a roundhouse to one, then elbowed another in the face as she tried to grab her. She got the third where it hurt, and took her extra second to pull out stakes. She flipped one to Angel, who caught it easily and turned to plunge it into his vampire. Buffy turned back to hers.
They were warier now—they’d seen what she could do. One was limping slightly. There were more of them though, and they knew it. They circled slowly, eyeing her.
“So, um, let me know when you’re ready to play, all right?” Buffy suggested. The “injured” one growled. “Or we could go now,” she said, and suddenly flipped forward, punching two at once and kicking out behind her to the third. Angel caught one of the first two as it took a step back, flipping her onto her back and ducking the clumsy punch she made when she got back up. Buffy did a scissor kick to one’s face, just as the other one grabbed her from behind. She slammed her head back into his nose, then, using his arms, flipped him over her back and to the ground before plunging the stake in. He burst into a cloud of dust and she turned just in time to roll away from the last vampire as it lunged at her. She came to her feet easily and ducked a kick, grabbing it’s leg and flipping it to the ground. It growled and jumped back up, screaming something about giving her a lesson and how she would learn the true master.
“Master this,” Buffy said sweetly, throwing a stake right into it’s heart. It burst into dust and Buffy turned to see Angel’s vamp fleeing at high speed. He turned back to her as she blinked and began to reach for something to hold her up. Angel was there in a second, supporting her easily. Buffy sighed and leaned into him.
“Thank you,” she said.
“For what?”
“For being here. For loving me. For holding me up, ‘cause my head’s doing that dizzy thing again. You’re not laughing. Or even smiling.”
“No. It’s not funny,” he said.
“No. It isn’t,” she agreed, then pushed away from him. He tried to stop her, but she stood alone on her own two feet and eyed him.
“I’m not an invalid. Not yet, anyway.”
“You won’t be either. They’ll cure you. Right now we have to go talk to Giles.”
“It’s past midnight,” Buffy pointed out.
“Yes, but the vampire that got away mentioned a name. A name Giles needs to hear.”
“What name?” Buffy asked.
“It doesn’t matter. Come on,” Angel said, helping her along. She smiled, but gently pulled her hand away, walking by herself. She wasn’t an invalid, not yet, and she would never be if she could help it.
“She said Hashim would teach me a lesson,” Angel said, ignoring the tea Giles had given him. The Watcher stopped suddenly, in the middle of pouring himself a cup.
“Are you sure she said Hashim?” Giles asked carefully.
“Positive.” Giles took a deep breath, set the teapot down and took off his glasses.
“This could be . . . could be quite cataclysmic, to say the least. Thank you for coming at once. Buffy—you should go home and get some sleep. If you’ll five me a moment to get dressed I would . . . would much appreciate your aid Angel.”
“Of course. Buffy, can you get yourself home?” Angel asked.
“I’m not exactly on my death bed!” she exclaimed. “But first, who is this Hash-mi guy?”
“Hashim,” Giles corrected. “It means ‘crushing or destroying.’ He’s a very old, very powerful vampire.” Buffy waited, then realized that was all he was going to say.
“That’s it?” she asked. Both the men in the room regarded her with suprise. “I’m not a little kid Giles. I can handle details. I’m going to be fighting this guy after all. This is MY life on the line! No one ever tell me anything! ‘Old, powerful vampire,’ ‘we need to do a few more tests!’ This is my LIFE!” Buffy cried. The tea cup she was holding shattered suddenly, hot tea spilling all over Buffy and the floor.
“Buffy,” Angel said, walking to her. “We know it’s your life. We’re not trying to hide things.” Buffy turned and buried her face in his chest.
“I’m so scared! Oh Angel, I’m so scared!” she cried, clinging to the one thing in the world that was safe.
“I know. It’s okay. I know,” he murmured softly. But Buffy only shook her head because he didn’t know, none of them did. They couldn’t know. Since she found out she was the Slayer, she’d known she would die young, but she’d always thought it would be fighting. Now . . . now she didn’t know anymore. Now she had something to live for, something more than just life itself. Someone more important than life itself. And God help her, she didn’t want to leave him.
“Oz, I’m so sorry!” Willow exclaimed, realizing she had forgotten to call him earlier.
“Sorry? Is there something I missed?” he asked. His hair was a deep, dark blue, and he looked VERY good. Willow squashed the thought.
“I can’t go out. I have to go to Buffy’s. Xander’s coming to get me in a minute. She’s having come kind of crisis . . . she sounded like she really needed support on the phone. She’s helped me so much . . .”
“It’s okay. Some other time. How about tomorrow night?” Oz asked.
“I-I don’t know,” Willow stuttered. She hadn’t been prepared for him suggesting another night right away. She’d been kind of hoping he’d forget the whole thing. “I might be busy because of the . . . the crisis thing. You know, might be the apocalypse or something. You never know.”
“Right. I’m on with the not knowing. How about I give you a call when you are in the know?” Oz asked.
“Sure. O-of course. That’d be great. Oh look, there’s Xander,” Willow said as her longtime friend pulled up in his wife’s porsche.
“I didn’t know Cordelia let him drive that,” Oz said, eyeing the car.
“I don’t think she does,” Willow said. “Though he does it a lot better than she does. Anyway . . . it’s a big night at the Bronze. Cordy’s working.”
“Oh, yeah, right. Anyway, I should probably go,” Oz said.
“Yeah,” Willow said, biting her lip. “I’m really sorry.” He shrugged.
“It’s okay. I’m up with the crisis thing. A friend in need is a friend indeed.”
“Right,” Willow said, but all his assurances didn’t make her feel any better about the look on his face when she told him she couldn’t come. Or the fact that she had practically leaped on the opportunity to get out of the date. After she accepted his dinner invitation she realized that while accepting was a good step for her to take, she wasn’t really ready for the actual thing yet. Buffy’s call had been a blessing from above (except the crisis part, and Willow was kind of worried. She’d sounded really freaked out).
Xander greeted Oz loudly and Oz gave him a nod and a subdued smile in return, before getting into his van. It wasn’t the same van, but he still had one. Willow watched anxiously as he drove away. Xander came up to stand by her and watched the van leave.
“What was Oz doing here?” he asked.
“We kinda had a date. I broke it. I forgot to call,” Willow explained. Xander clicked his tongue.
“Naughty, naughty. Besides, I’m sure Buffy could have survived without you for one night. She has me after all,” Xander said. There was a silence and Willow gave him a look. “And Angel of course!” he added hastily. Willow smiled, then sighed.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure I wanted to go anyway. It’s not Oz . . . I don’t think I’m ready. But I am ready to go, and we’re going to be late!” Xander glanced at his watch.
“I’m right on time!” he exclaimed.
“For being THERE. Not for being here. Let me get my coat,” Willow said. Before she could turn, Xander reached behind her to the pegs and snagged it for her, handing it to her with an elaborate bow. “Cordelia’s taught you some manners anyway,” she teased, but Xander noticed bitterly that she avoided touching him as she took the coat.
“Oh, that’s me! Manner Guy! Witness me having manners,” Xander said, shutting the door behind her and waiting while Willow looked it. He motioned her to the car, and, just to prove his point, opened her door for her. She smiled at him as she got in, but it was a small, timid smile, and it worried Xander.
“What’s going on?” Willow asked Angel as she greeted him with a hug. Giles was in the stacks somewhere, and Xander was calling Cordelia to make sure everything was fine at the Bronze. Buffy was nowhere to be seen. Even worse, Angel looked horrible. In a sleepless, extremely worried sense.
“There’s a new vampire in town by the looks of it. He’s very powerful and he . . . he doesn’t like Slayers. Or he does, but more in a torment-them-for-fun-smash-their-heads-in kinda way than a really friendly sense,” Angel told her. Willow winced.
“No wonder Buffy sounded worried,” she said.
“That’s not actually the reason. There’s something else . . . something worse, but we better wait for Buffy,” Angel said. Willow was really getting scared now.
“Where is she?” Willow asked. “Checking messages,” Angel said. Willow looked at him in confusion. “On our answering machine. She’s hoping for a call.”
“Oh.” Willow sat down uneasily, not sure how to act. What was going on? A vampire she knew they could handle, but what was worse?
“Hey Will,” Buffy said, entering the library. She looked a little paler than usual, but beside that everything seemed fine. She was dressed for patrol in tight black leather pants, a dark blue stretch velvet shirt with three quarter length sleeves and the silver cross Angel had given her when they first met.
“Buffy!” Willow exclaimed. “Are you okay?” She glanced from Buffy to Angel back to Buffy. “Not that there’s any reason you WOULDN'T be okay. Is there?” Buffy looked even paler, and tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear.
“Where are Giles and Xander?” Buffy asked, not answering the question. Willow saw her shake her head slightly as she looked at Angel.
“Right here!” Xander announced. “Well, me at least, I don’t know about our friendly neighborhood masochist.” They all stared at him in confusion. “I was making a funny! You know . . . all those books . . . all that reading . . . sort of points to inflicting pain on oneself’s . . . okay, fine, don’t laugh!” Willow would have smiled if she wasn’t so worried about Buffy not answering her question.
“I guess it doesn’t really matter, ‘cause Giles already knows, but um . . . I have to tell you . . . remember when I stumbled over your feet Xander?” Buffy asked quickly. Angel walked over to her, supporting her with just his presence.
“Yeah, sure,” Xander said, for once not trying to joke.
“Well, there was . . . a reason . . . for that. Or there might be. It’s not certain yet. I might have . . . a brain tumor.” Willow couldn’t move. She couldn’t blink. She couldn’t even breath. A brain tumor? Oh God, a BRAIN TUMOR.
“Buffy,” Xander gasped out. She put her hands out to Angel and her held her tightly from behind.
“I know it’s a shock. It was to me too. The doctor says it’s not for sure yet. Nothing’s for sure yet. Plus, they might be able to remove it. That’s a definite, viable option. Viable? Now THAT gives me the wiggins. I’m starting to sound like Giles.” There was no sound from anyone else in the library. “Okay, so it wasn’t particularly funny, but . . .” The Slayer trailed off, obviously desperate. “Willow?”
“Buffy. I’m okay. I mean, of course I'M okay. Are you okay? How do you feel?” Willow asked, finding her voice finally.
“Okay, most of the time. Normal. There are just moments. Usually I’m fine. Okay, um, there’s another thing too. This vampire . . .”
“Hashim,” Angel said.
“Right. Hashim. He, uh, he . . . Angel, you tell. I don’t know anything about him.”
“Of course. Hashim is a very old vampire, from the early middle ages at least. He’s from Northern Africa, and the name means ‘crushing or destroying.’ He killed his entire village when he became a vampire. He crushed their heads. That’s his trademark. After feeding he crushes the head of his victim.”
“Sounds like fun!” Buffy said brightly. “So why’s he here?” Willow asked.
“We’re not sure yet. Giles is in full research mode though, he has been since yesterday. Our best guess is that he heard about Buffy, how long she’s been alive, and he decided he wanted to be the one to kill the undefeated Slayer,” Angel said, his eyes only for Buffy, who seemed to be taking the news rather calmly.
“All Slayers are undefeated though, aren’t they? Until they die anyway,” she said softly.
“But you’ve gone undefeated for much too long. In their eyes anyway,” Angel said. Buffy turned to him, and Willow could see the fear in her eyes. It frightened her badly. If Buffy was this afraid . . .
“Not in your eyes?” she asked.
“Of course not,” he whispered, stroking her hair. “Forever wouldn’t be too long in my eyes.”
“Because that’s how long you’ll live. Even without me.”
“Shh,” Angel said, putting a hand to her mouth. Buffy started and remembered there were others in the room. She broke away from Angel and turned to her two best friends (besides him, of course).
“Willow, I need you to help Giles and Angel research. We need weaknesses, sore points, you know the drill. Xander . . .”
“I’m here for whatever you need Buff,” he said softly. Buffy smiled thankfully at him.
“Thank you,” she said. “Right now, that’s dinner. I’m patrolling while you guys work, but first I need sustenance.”
“Are you sure you want to patrol?” Willow asked anxiously.
“I’m fine. Really. If I feel bad, I’ll let you guys know. Xander, I think pizza sounds good,” Buffy said in a tone that brooked no argument. She cast a glance at Angel for good measure. He was eyeing her, just trying to think of a way to change her mind. There wasn’t one. “Well, what are we waiting for? We have work to do!” Xander leaped to his feet and was out the door in seconds with a wave, Willow hurried to the computer and turned on the modem. Angel just stood there, watching Buffy. She turned and faced him, knowing what he was thinking.
“I’m fine,” she said softly, just for him. He didn’t say anything, just watched her with his heart in his eyes, until she turned away to pick up her stakes.