FIC:- Realisations B/W PG-13 (3/?)

["Chris <eddie4102000@xxxxxxxxx>" <eddie4102000@xxxxxxxxx>]

Well, here's part three of realisations, enjoy!

title: realisations
rating PG-13 i guess
summary: our favourate girls come to some realisations, but do they come a
little too late?
disclaimer. Joss owns all. i own nothing save the plot. sueing me wouldn't =
be
worth it. honest
feedback: would be nice, and much appreciated.
A/N: set after choices. only difference is faith retireved her knife from t=
he
wall.

part 3


Buffy was still repeating her mantra to herself two hours later, when Xande=
r entered the room. She didn't even look up as he walked past her and sat do=
wn beside her. He snapped his fingers in front of her face a few times to br=
ing her out of her own little world.

"Buff, look at me. It's not your fault. It's nobody's fault apart from whoe=
ver did this to her. We'll find them and make them pay for what they did." H=
e said as he glanced over to the comatose redhead. Buffy hadn't left her sid=
e in the week and a half since the incident apart from when the doctors were=
operating on her.

It had been a miracle that she had survived at all with the amount of blood=
she'd lost. Unfortunately, the fact that she was alive was the only good ne=
ws. She still hadn't regained consciousness since they found her outside the=
Bronze, and her wounds were only just starting to mend themselves. The doct=
ors had done all they could, and now it was simply a matter of time. However=
, the longer she stayed unconscious, the less likely it was she would wake u=
p and it was eating Buffy alive.

The blonde Slayer couldn't stop blaming herself. She was a protector of the=
innocent, yet she couldn't protect her best friend, who was possibly the mo=
st innocent being imaginable.

"It's all my fault." She said once more, and was about to repeat it again w=
hen she felt a sharp blow to the side of her face. She looked up at the pers=
on who had slapped her.

"Stop it!" Xander shouted. "Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault Buff=
. You have to stop beating yourself up about something you had no control ov=
er. You know Willow would hate for you to feel this way. You know she can be=
as stubborn as a mule sometimes!" He continued, shaking with the rage he fe=
lt towards whoever had done this to his best friend. He would find them and=
he would make them regret ever having been born. Words couldn't describe wha=
t he would do to the monster that did this. He was brought out of his rage w=
hen he noticed that Buffy was crying.

"I can't stop! It's my fault!" She wailed.

"No it's not! Buffy, listen to me. Take this rage you feel towards yourself=
and direct it towards the bastard that did this to her. Make them suffer, m=
ake them pay!" He yelled as he grabbed her by the arms and started shaking h=
er violently. He stopped when she stared directly into his eyes. Blue pierce=
d brown and he instantly knew he had got through to her.

"You're right. Someone has to pay for this." She said as she looked back to=
wards her unconscious friend. Her heart broke into a million tiny pieces as=
she took in the sight of her best friend, lying there broken and practically=
lifeless. As she stared she thought of all the good times with Willow. 'It'=
s funny' she thought 'you don't realise what it is you've got until you loos=
e it. Someone will pay dearly for this Will, I promise you that. I may not h=
ave been able to protect you, but I sure as hell will avenge you!' She had n=
ever felt this strongly about anything before.

It was more than a want to avenge her, it was a need for forgiveness. Forgi=
veness for failing one who she should have been there to protect. It was alw=
ays Willow that she had fought hardest to protect. When the Master's minions=
killed those kids on school grounds, it was so that Willow could feel safe=
that she went to face the Master. It was for Willow that she went after thos=
e hellhounds, to give her the night she deserved. It was for Willow that she=
teamed up with Spike to rid the world of Angelus. It had all been for Willo=
w, and as she sat thinking these things, the truth suddenly became apparent.=
'I love Willow' She thought 'more than just best friend love, I'm in love w=
ith Willow. They will pay, I promise you. They will pay.'

"Buffy? You alright, you kinda zoned out there for a second." Asked Xander,=
concerned for the Slayer.

"Yes, I'm fine. We'll make whoever did this pay, but I'm not going to leave=
her side until she wakes up. And we have another problem. We have no idea w=
ho did this to her." She replied, rage bubbling under her skin, her fists cl=
enched until they were white.

"I have a pretty good idea." Snorted Xander as he imagined various things/p=
eople attacking his Willow. One image stuck in his mind more than any other.=
Faith.

"Buffy?" They both snapped their heads round in the blink of an eye when th=
ey heard their best friend speak for the first time in over a week.


hope you enjoy

-Chris-