Re: Fic: Seeing Red (part 2/?) W/B C/X NC17

["wizathogwarts" <mcronin24@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bear,

Very good and getting vellie interesting. Really like the twists on 
handling Angelus. Isn't it amazing how different things go when the 
characters actually think and don't have to worry about squeezing 
their efforts into 43 minutes of screen time.

keep it coming.
-mike

--- In buffywantswillow@y..., "TheBear!" <thebear@e...> wrote:
> Title: Seeing Red
> 
> Author: The Bear
> 
> Rating, Pairing, Spoilers, Disclaimer, Summary and such in part 1
> 
> ***
> 
> Part 2
> 
> Cordelia and Xander were sitting on a row of chairs in the waiting 
room
> with worried looks on their faces. Giles was leaning against a 
doorway,
> nervously cleaning his glasses.  
> 
> Willow was nervously pacing back and forth, glancing at the 
elevator
> each time she reached the end of her path. She was mostly worried 
about
> her girlfriend, but she'd be lying if she claimed she wasn't 
nervous
> about seeing Buffy's mom. Every time the elevator dinged, and the 
door
> opened, Willow jumped slightly and held her breath until she saw 
who was
> coming out.
> 
> She knew that Joyce knew about her and Buffy; Buffy had assured 
her on
> several occasions that her mom was cool with the whole thing, but 
Willow
> hadn't actually spent any time alone in Joyce's presence since she 
and
> Buffy had begun their new relationship. Plus there was the added 
stress
> of Buffy being in the hospital, which Willow imagined wouldn't put 
her
> girlfriend's mom in the best frame of mind.
> 
> Giles watched the redhead becoming more and more frantic as time 
passed.
> Finally he stepped into her path and stopped her, his hands gently
> gripping her shoulders. "Willow, you must calm down," he 
said. "You
> aren't doing her any good by working yourself into a state?"
> 
> This time when the elevator dinged and the door opened Buffy's mom 
was
> the one who walked out.  
> 
> Giles felt the redhead tense under his hands and saw her eyes 
widen in
> alarm. He quickly spun around to see what was coming and was 
surprised
> when it turned out to be Joyce Summers. He had, from Willow's 
response,
> halfway expected some monster to be attacking.
> 
> Joyce walked up to Giles and demanded, "Where is she?"
> 
> Cordy and Xander got up and approached, flanking Giles and Willow.
> 
> Giles answered, "She's still in the emergency room."
> 
> Joyce made as if to walk out of the waiting room, saying, "I wanna 
see
> her."
> 
> Willow said, "They won't let us in there!" her frustration and 
concern
> clearly evident in her voice.
> 
> Joyce stopped and looked back at her, not having noticed her at 
first,
> as she was hidden behind Giles. She saw that the redhead was near
> tears, and immediately went to her; wrapping her in a tight 
hug. "I'm
> sure she'll be all right, Honey," she tried to reassure her 
daughter's
> girlfriend.
> 
> Willow let go one loud sob and tightly wrapped her arms around 
Buffy's
> mom. That one gesture, and calling her honey, finally convinced 
her
> that Joyce was really ok with her dating Buffy. She only managed 
to
> keep from breaking down entirely, because she didn't want to worry 
the
> older woman any more than she already was. She nodded her head, 
not yet
> releasing her embrace, and agreed, "She will be. It'll take more 
than
> the flu to do in the slayer!"
> 
> Just then the Doctor came to the door and asked, "Mrs. Summers?"
> 
> Joyce and Willow let go their embrace and turned to the doctor.  
Joyce
> kept one arm around the girl, silently offering her 
support. "Yes?" she
> answered.
> 
> The doctor smiled and introduced herself, "I'm Dr. Wilkinson."
> 
> Joyce immediately asked, "Is Buffy okay?"
> 
> The doctor began to explain, "We were able to stabilize and..."
> 
> Joyce interrupted exasperatedly, "Is she *okay*?"
> 
> Dr. Wilkinson reassuringly said, "She's going to be fine."
> 
> Joyce and Willow both spoke at the same moment, "Oh, thank God!"  
They
> looked at each other and smiled before looking back at the doc.
> 
> Xander was shifting back and forth on his feet. "Good? Good?" he 
said;
> his apprehension manifesting itself in the way he was fretfully 
rubbing
> his hands together "That's good," he repeated once again.
> 
> Cordelia just kept one hand on her boyfriend's shoulder and didn't 
say a
> word.
> 
> Giles smiled briefly and put his glasses back on his face.
> 
> Dr. Wilkinson added, "I want to keep her here a few days, though. 
She
> still has some healing to do?"
> 
> ***
> 
> The whole gang was in the hall upstairs near Buffy's hospital 
room. They
> were waiting for her to be brought up. 
> 
> As soon as the elevator door opened, Joyce went to the 
gurney, "Buffy?"
> she asked as she reached the bed. "Hi, sweetheart," she said, her
> concern for her daughter evident.
> 
> Everyone followed along as the orderly wheeled her toward her room.
> 
> Willow took her girlfriend's hand, careful of the IV needle, but 
needing
> some physical contact. "Hey baby, we're all here," she said.
> 
> Buffy sounded groggy and out-of-it as she said, "Hey. Here we are. 
It's
> all of we. Are we taking me home?" she struggled to get up as she
> spoke.
> 
> The doctor tried to push her back down, saying, "No. Buffy, you 
need to
> lie down, honey."
> 
> Buffy, still groggy, but insistent said, "Yeah? Lie at home. My 
bed is
> better than any bed that's... not my bed."
> 
> The doctor looked at Joyce and stupidly observed aloud, "She's 
still a
> little out of it."
> 
> Joyce just nodded at her, not wanting to offend the doctor by 
saying
> "Duh!" even if that was what came to mind.
> 
> Buffy looked at Willow and said, "Shh! Hospital zone. No moaning."
> Looking over at her mom, she confided, "She gets noisy?"
> 
> Willow blushed so hard that she was almost glowing. All eyes 
turned to
> her for just a moment before everyone discretely looked away.  
Everyone
> except Cordelia, who was enjoying Willow's embarrassment far too 
much to
> miss a moment of it.
> 
> Oblivious to the redhead's consternation, she looked at her and 
quietly
> said, "It's true Will, you do."
> 
> The doctor cleared her throat and said, "She'll feel better after 
she's
> been here a while."
> 
> Buffy again began to struggle, "Lemme go. Look, I wanna go!"
> 
> The orderly pushing the bed, two nurses and Dr. Wilkinson all 
struggled
> to get her to lie back down. Buffy, however, was having none of it 
and
> put up a fight.
> 
> Willow shouted, alarmed, "Buffy, what's wrong?"
> 
> Buffy just continued to struggle. "No! No! Let me go!" she cried.
> 
> Cordelia spoke. "I think she wants to go," she said, once again
> demonstrating a magnificent grasp of the obvious.  
> 
> The hospital employees finally managed to get her pushed back down 
on
> the bed, while Buffy was still crying, "No, don't do that! Stop 
it!"
> 
> The doc began fumbling for a hypodermic needle, telling the nurses,
> "Hold her steady!"
> 
> Buffy, clearly delirious, looked back at her watcher, 
saying, "Giles,
> tell them! The vampires! I need to kill the vampires!"
> 
> The doctor spoke soothingly as she slipped the needle into Buffy's 
arm,
> "This'll help you relax."
> 
> Xander threw Giles a concerned look while Cordelia cringed and 
looked
> away. Willow was focused on Buffy, unshed tears in her eyes and
> confusion written all over her face as she watched her girlfriend
> fighting to get away.
> 
> Buffy cried out, wincing in pain, as the needle penetrated her 
flesh,
> "Ow! No!" When the doctor pulled the needle back out, she lay 
back and
> breathed heavily for a moment.
> 
> Xander, trying to cover for Buffy `s slip, said, "It's gotta be the
> fever."
> 
> Cordelia chimed in, "Yeah, it made her delusional."
> 
> Buffy looked again at her watcher. "Giles, They're out there!" she
> insisted.
> 
> Giles smiled reassuringly and said, "Yes, uh, well, we'll, uh, 
we'll get
> those, uh, vampires later." He laughed lightly, looking at the 
doctor.
> "I hear it's best t-to play along," he explained, keeping on 
smiling.
> 
> The sedative began to take effect and Buffy started to relax. One 
of the
> nurses checked her IV while Joyce leaned in and stroked her hair.
> "Honey, listen..."
> 
> Buffy interrupted. "I wanna go home," she whined plaintively. 
> 
> Joyce tried to reassure her, "It's gonna be okay. I promise." They
> start to wheel her away again.
> 
> Buffy cried out one last time, "*Please* don't make me stay 
here..."
> 
> Joyce said, "I *promise*."
> 
> They all followed as Buffy was taken into her room. The door 
closed and
> Willow looked in through the narrow window. 
> 
> After a moment Xander looked over at Giles, saying, "That was a new
> experience. I'm not used to seeing Buffy scared like that."
> 
> Joyce said, "Yeah, she just *hates* hospitals. Ever since she was a
> little girl."
> 
> Willow, her eyes still shiny with uncried tears, asked, "What 
happened?"
> 
> Joyce crossed her arms and leaned up against the wall next to the 
door
> to her daughter's room. She sighed and answered, "When she was 
eight
> her cousin Celia died in a hospital. Buffy was alone with her at 
the
> time."
> 
> Cordelia interjected, "Yuk!"
> 
> Joyce nodded her head and said, "Yeah, they were very close."
> 
> Willow whispered, "Wow, and she was eight?"
> 
> Joyce said something about needing to use the phone and Giles 
commented
> that there was one by the nurses station. He made as if to walk 
with
> her, when Xander stopped him with a question. "Do you think she's 
gonna
> be okay in here?"
> 
> Giles stopped for a moment and pondered the question.
> 
> Cordelia answered Xander's question as she began to pace up and 
down the
> hall. "I don't know, Lysette got her nose done here, and she came 
in
> looking for the Gwyneth Paltrow, and it looked more like the Mr.
> Potatohead." She stepped over to the door and looked into Buffy's 
room.
> 
> Xander said, "Cordy..." clearly exasperated with his girlfriend's
> cluelessness.
> 
> Even Giles was compelled to comment on Cordelia's gaffe "Buffy is 
not
> here for cosmetic surgery?"
> 
> Cordelia didn't miss a beat, saying, "No, but while she's in here, 
she
> might as well get that thing done."
> 
> Giles and Xander shared a look of confusion.
> 
> Cordelia explained, "You know, that thing on her face?" She 
turned to
> look at Xander and Giles, "You know that *thing*?"
> 
> Willow said, "There is noting wrong with Buffy's face!" and then 
shook
> her head, amazed that she had bothered to address Cordelia's 
comment.
> Turning to Giles and Xander she asked, "Do you think Angelus will 
attack
> Buffy in here?"
> 
> Xander pointed out, "He can come in, it's a public building."
> 
> Giles sounded worried as he agreed, "That's true?"
> 
> Cordelia was still stuck on her own topic. "Am I the only one 
that's
> noticed that thing?" she asked, bewildered that no one else agreed 
with
> her.
> 
> Willow ignored her, "I think I have an idea?"
> 
> ***
> 
> Xander sat outside, hidden in the bushes across the street from the
> hospital's main entrance. He was supposed to have stayed with 
Cordelia,
> but couldn't resist being here just in case Angelus did show up.
> 
> Willow's plan was twofold, Giles was to wait in the parking lot 
with a
> crossbow to try and take Buffy's ex out from a distance- if he 
made an
> appearance. She figured that his arrogance would lead him to use 
the
> main entrance, rather than skulk around to a side or back 
entrance. If
> Giles failed, he was not to engage, but rather to take off in his 
car,
> hopefully drawing Angelus away from the hospital. In the 
meanwhile,
> Willow was going to try and do the uninvite spell on Buffy's room 
at the
> hospital, in hopes that it would create the barrier and keep the 
vamp
> out if he got past Giles.  
> 
> As a backup, Willow was going to try and sneak into Buffy's room 
with a
> supersoaker filled with holy water, just in case the spell didn't 
work.
> 
> Both she and Giles told Xander just to take Cordelia home- 
claiming that
> this was just insurance, and that Angelus wouldn't likely come 
with this
> being such a public location and all.
> 
> Xander felt differently. He had a feeling that this was exactly 
the
> situation that Angel- in his mind they were one in the same- would 
love.
> He wasn't about the big fight and defeat- he was about the cruelty 
and
> pain. Nothing would please him better than to torment and kill the
> slayer while she was helpless to defend herself.
> 
> Xander really wanted to be there if Giles got lucky. He wanted to 
see
> Angel dusted so badly that he could smell the ash in the air. He 
wanted
> to collect the remains and keep them in a jar to look at once in a
> while. He figured it would make a nice pick-me-up whenever he was
> feeling down.
> 
> Cordelia hadn't been very happy when he left her, though. She was 
still
> on the whole, `You spend all your time thinking about your darling
> Willow and your precious Buffy, and never think about me!' kick.
> 
> He'd not bothered to deny her charge- he just quipped, "You think 
about
> yourself enough for both of us!" Seeing her eyes flash, and 
knowing
> they were about to have another knock-down, drag-out he apologized,
> saying, "Look, Cordy. I'll make it up to you tomorrow- anything 
you
> want to do. I just want to be there if they dust his ass."
> 
> Cordy had recognized that he was being mostly truthful, plus the 
promise
> of a day of power-shopping with Xander as her bag carrier and 
personal
> attendant, was enticing, to say the least. She acquiesced, but 
couldn't
> resist a parting shot, "Fine. Go. But remember, even with Angel 
gone-
> and even sick and delirious, Buffy's only got eyes for Willow- not 
you."
> 
> Xander grimaced at the memory. Clearly, Cordelia had some serious
> jealousy issues. Though, he had to admit that he hadn't done too 
much
> to reassure her. Cordy had made a big step- at least for her- 
when she
> had gone against her flock and hooked back up with Xander. He had 
given
> her every reason not to- especially with that stupid love spell 
stunt he
> had pulled. She would have been well within her rights to hate 
him for
> that- for trying to put a love spell on her that would have made 
her his
> love slave. Even more so because he had planned to use it just to 
dump
> her; to cause her as much pain as she had caused him. That really 
more
> than made up for her dumping him on valentine's day.
> 
> Xander really liked Cordelia. Despite her self-centeredness and 
many
> other flaws. He saw that they were a shield against the outside 
world,
> just like his own joke-guy persona. When he occasionally got a 
peek at
> the real Cordelia, the girl behind the bitch, he liked what he 
saw. She
> was strong and self-confidant, with a dose of vulnerability. And 
she
> had made a true emotional investment in their relationship. As he 
had
> mused more and more often lately, she would complain vociferously, 
but
> was always there to help- grousing the whole time of course.  
> 
> There was only one thing that was stopping him from trying to 
deepen
> their relationship. He needed to be sure- for both their sakes- 
that he
> wanted her for her, not as the runner-up to Buffy's grand prize 
status.
> He needed to convince himself before he would have a shot at 
convincing
> Cordelia.
> 
> ***
> 
> Xander's introspective musing was interrupted as he heard the 
sounds of
> whistling. When he looked up, there was Angelus, walking down the
> sidewalk toward the hospital, a bouquet of white roses in hand. He
> seemed so happy and carefree. Xander's blood boiled and he almost
> couldn't wait until Giles took his shot.
> 
> Just when he thought it wasn't going to happen, when he was about 
to
> (stupidly) charge the vamp with nothing more than a cross and 
stake, he
> heard a muted popping sound. He saw Angelus stagger and growl, his
> gameface on, and looking for the source of his pain. Another 
popping
> sound and Xander noticed that, instead of a wood arrow sticking 
out of
> the vamp's chest- followed by a glorious dusting sound- there were 
two
> darts sticking out of his neck. He could hear angel's growl as he
> slowly slipped to his knees, and then went face down on the ground.
> 
> Xander goggled as he saw Buffy's Watcher step out from between a 
couple
> of parked vans, his head swiveling left and right as he checked for
> witnesses. As much as he wanted to jump out and go over to Giles,
> Xander restrained himself, wanting to see what would happen next.
> 
> Giles approached the fallen vampire, a compact black rifle slung 
over
> one arm. As he got within a couple meters of the body, he pumped
> another round into him; calmly opened the action and loaded a 
fourth
> dart and then fired that one into Angelus body as well. It seemed 
clear
> that Giles wanted to take no chances that he might be playing 
possum.
> Xander wondered what the hell was going on.
> 
> The scene became a little clearer as Giles set down the rifle and 
opened
> up a pack containing heavy iron manacles. He shackled the 
vampire's
> hands behind his back, then his ankles as well. Then he attached 
some
> sort of device to the vamp's elbows, cinching them up tightly 
behind his
> back, separating them with an iron bar so that they were 
restrained. He
> then chained his knees together as well, effectively immobilizing
> Angelus' arms and legs.
> 
> Xander looked on, confused, as the watcher picked up his rifle, 
slung it
> over his shoulder, and them began to drag Angelus by his feet, face
> down, across the parking lot to his car. As he watched Giles 
stuff the
> comatose vampire into his little Citroën, he tried to figure out 
where
> the Watcher would be taking him. 
> 
> He wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but he knew he was 
very
> curious. And, if Giles had some plans to get a little payback for
> Jenny, before makin' with the dust bunnies, well Xander wanted 
front row
> seats.
> 
> ***
> 
> End Part 2
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
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>  
> 
> TheBear!
> 
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