FF:Eternal Love (3/?)

[imaslayraskmehow@xxxxxxx]

"Everyone back off!" Buffy shouted, in a harsh cold voice. "He's mine."

Everyone listened. Wesley, Cordelia and Xander ran over to Willow to see if 
she was OK. Buffy swung the ax wildly hitting the creature all over his 
green, scaly body. The Matagrin screamed as he was chopped down. He managed 
to knock Buffy to the ground. He stepped on her left arm, breaking it in 
three places. This however did not stop her. She kicked it off of her and 
continued slashing with the ax. First she sliced off his arm, then a large 
gash in his abdomen, and then off went his head to her fury.

This however didn't stop her. She continued hacking at the deceased, 
mutilated body of the former Matagrin.

"Buffy," Angel said touching her shoulder. She backhanded him and knocked him 
down before continuing on her rampage. 

"Buffy!" Giles shouted over her anguished cries with each swipe of the ax as 
he grabbed her arm. She went to punch him, but he ducked it and grabbed her 
into a hug.

"It's OK Buffy. He's dead." Buffy nodded into Giles' shoulder. She dropped 
the ax and looked around. She saw Willow on the ground and ran over to her. 
Wesley and Xander were kneeled next to her and Cordelia was on her cell 
phone, probably calling an ambulance. She pushed Wesley and Xander out of the 
way and checked Willow's pulse. It was faint, but it was still there.

Buffy heard the wailing sirens in the distance. Before she knew it, they were 
there. Willow was rushed into the ambulance and taken to Sunnydale General. 

Everyone sat patiently in the waiting room, except Buffy. She was getting her 
arm casted. A few minutes after they arrived Buffy's mother walked in. 
Willow's mother and father were on their way. They were out of town. Buffy's 
mother went into Buffy's room to see if she was OK. A few minutes later Buffy 
and her mother came into the waiting room. 

"Anyone heard anything about Willow " Buffy asked. 

"Not yet," Giles answered.

They sat in the waiting room for what seemed like days but couldn't have been 
more than a couple of hours. Finally, a doctor came in. 

Everyone stood and walked toward the doctor. 

"Willow has sever blood loss and head trauma. We think she'll be OK, but we 
want to keep her for observation after she's awake. She comes in and out of 
consciousness. The only thing she'll say is Buffy. Is that one of you?" The 
doctor asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Buffy said taking a small step forward. "Can I see her?" 

"Sure, but not for too, long. Visiting hours are over."

***

Buffy walked into Willow's room. She was hooked up to several different 
machines. Buffy thought she looked so weak and tiny in the hospital bed. She 
walked up to the side of the bed and sat in the chair.

"Willow, I know you can't hear me, but I'm really sorry. It's all my fault. 
It was too dangerous. I shouldn't have put you at risk like that. I love you 
Will. If anything happened to you, I wouldn't know what to do. You mean 
everything to me. I know I should have told you this a long time ago, or when 
you were awake, but I've always loved you. Your not just my best friend. Your 
my soul mate. My one true love. I've always thought so. It just took some 
time before I realized what it was. I hope someday I can tell you this for 
real. For now this will have to do."

Buffy leaned over and placed a light kiss on Willow's lips, then folded her 
arms next to Willow, rested her head on them, and cried.

"It's..all..my fault..."

Willow's eyes fluttered open slowly. She heard someone crying softly and 
blaming themselves.

"Bu...Buffy?" Willow started to come to.

"Buffy, it's not your fault. You tried. I saw you." Willow lifted her hand 
slowly and placed it on Buffy's arm.

"Will? You're OK?!? I'll run and get the doctor!"

Buffy darted out of the room and returned a second later with the doctor. 
There was no movement on the bed. The only sound in the room was the steady 
sound of the flat line and the alarm on all the machines.

***

"Willow!" Buffy called out loudly as she started to thrash about in bed.

"Shh..shh...sh... It's OK Buffy. I'm right here." Willow comforted Buffy 
from the spot next her on the bed.

Buffy sat up in bed quickly and hugged Willow tightly ignoring the pain in 
her wrist.

"I had that nightmare again. The one where you died after the Matagrin 
attack. It's always the same. It plays out the same as the battle, but you 
die at the end. It's always exactly the same." Buffy sniffled.

"But I didn't. I'm right here. See?" Willow pulled away and smiled at her. 

Buffy nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. She laid back down on Giles' 
bed.

"How did I end up in here?" Buffy asked, looking around at Giles' room.

"You passed out when Giles was trying to fix your wrist. How is it anyway?"

"It hurts a lot, but I can take it." Buffy gave Willow a tired half smile. 
"Nice improv on the brace. Giles did a good job." Buffy added, examining the 
make shift splint.

"You should go back to sleep. Giles said we should just stay here for the 
night since he wants to check your wrist in the morning and I have some 
research to do with him anyway. He's sleeping on the couch." Willow moved a 
bunch of stray hair off Buffy's slightly sweaty forehead. She thought about 
what she was doing and quickly, but gently put her hand down. She went to 
stand up when Buffy placed her hand over Willow's.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I was going to sleep in the chair."

"Sleep in the bed with me. The chair is so uncomfortable. Plus I want you 
close if I have another nightmare."

Willow stopped for a minute trying to find a polite way to decline.

"I don't want to hurt your wrist. Besides, you smell like cigarettes..." 
Willow sniffed at Buffy. "..And beer? Buffy, have you been drinking?"

"I only had a little. Besides, that was, like, twelve hours ago super nose. 
Stop trying to change the subject and make excuses. Get in here." 

Willow gave up and walked around the other side where she crawled into bed. 
Buffy rolled over to face her.

"Willow, why have you been acting weird the last couple of days?"

"Well, there is this pesky little prophesy that says my best friend will 
die." 

"I don't think that's it."

"Sure it is." With that, Willow rolled to face away from Buffy. Giving up on 
the conversation, Buffy snuggled a little closer to Willow. 

Willow tensed the minute she felt Buffy press up against her back. Feeling 
this, Buffy backed away from Willow slightly.

"Sorry Will," Buffy said a little disheartened. "G'night"

"'night Buffy." Willow felt bad. She didn't want to hurt Buffy's feelings, 
but she had to worry about her own first.

*** 

Buffy slowly stirred in bed. This time it was her turn to wake up alone. 
Buffy sniffed at the air. She noticed the faint smell of coffee. Buffy rolled 
out of bed, careful not to hurt her wrist. She reached into her pocket and 
pulled out her cigarettes and lighter. Taking a puff, she talked to herself. 

"It's been a long time since I could wake up to one of these. I've forgotten 
how great it is." Buffy walked down the stairs and into Giles' kitchen. 

"Morning Willow. Where's the..." Willow handed her a cup of coffee. 
"..coffee." 

"See Giles, I told you." Willow said to Giles, watching from counter.

"Yes quite remarkable. And she always does that?"

"Yep."

"I always do what?"

Willow giggled to herself. "You always walk into the kitchen 10 seconds after 
I pour your coffee. It's exact. We timed it." 

"Yes, it's very odd."

Buffy looked at the two strangely. With the coffee cup in her left hand and 
her cigarette in the right, she walked into the living room and plopped on 
Giles' couch, gently placing her feet on the coffee table. 

Giles walked into the living room, gently plucked the cigarette from her 
hand, and pushed her feet nicely off the table.

"Hey, that's mine! " She called disappointed at the loss of her cigarette.

"Buffy, It's not our house." Willow called. "And come to think of it, you 
can't do that in our house either." 

"Yes mom" Buffy mumbled to herself.

"What's that Buffy?"

"Oh, nothing Will. So have you guys found anything else about the prophesy?" 

Willow emerged from the kitchen and sat next to Buffy. 

"Well, you'll definetly save your true love. We found that much out." 

Buffy looked at Willow and felt her heart skip a beat. lt;My true love? 
Someone who loves me back, or someone I love with all my heart?

"We also found that you'll lose to a vampire."

"A super vampire or something right?" Buffy looked at Willow again, then at 
Giles.

"Well Buffy, the signs point to it being a regular vampire. There's no reason 
to think that this vampire would have special powers." Giles said standing 
behind the girls.