The Right Place
by glasswrks
[reviews]
"The Right Place."
By A.M. Glass
Copyright: Nov. 23, 1999
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Fox Studios, Mutant Enemy, et al, have something to do with "Buffy The Vampire Slayer". No copyright infringement is intended or inferred. The story along with any/all original characters are the sole property of the author and can not be used without expressed permission first.
Author's Note: It's an angst filled piece.
Rating: PG-13 for a few bad words.
"Umm... Buffy... are... are you sure that this is the right place?" Willow asked as they stood in front of the entrance of a warehouse.
"Yeah... this is where I saw the late Miss Richards duck into," Buffy replied looking around.
"I... I should wait outside, while you go in," Willow said.
"No... I need you with me. I don't want to worry about you being out here alone," Buffy told Willow. "Come on, I think I see a way in." A few minutes later they were inside. "Okay Will, I want you to stay behind me, all right?" Buffy asked.
Willow nodded her head and felt Buffy hold her hand as she led them through the building.
Buffy paused on occasion, listening, trying to put a fix on the newly arisen vampire.
"Anything?" Willow asked.
"Nothing... I don't get it," she replied. They had searched every inch of the warehouse to no avail. "She's gotta be around here somewhere, she couldn't have just vanished into thin air," Buffy muttered. "We weren't that far behind her." Buffy stood with her hands on her waist, her index fingers tapping nervously. "Okay... if I were a hungry vamp being chased by me, where would I go?"
Willow walked over to the stairwell that led to an office on the upper level.
"We checked every inch of this place, the loading bay doors are rusted shut. It doesn't look like anyone tried to force their way out," Buffy said out loud, her back to Willow.
"Buffy?"
"Yeah?
"Umm... I'm not sure if this is a good time to mention it... but... but what if she hid in a place we all ready looked?"
"Is there something you need to let me in on Will?" Buffy turned around slowly, the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach growing in leaps and bounds, along with the sudden sense that a major Wiggin was about to occur.
Willow was standing up, her face ashen, as the former Miss Richards had her hands wrapped around Willow's throat. Buffy took a step forward.
"Stop!" Cassandra Richards shouted, making Willow cringe.
"Let... her go!!" Buffy demanded.
"No."
"If you don't... I'll kill you," Buffy stated.
"Well, you see, we have a slight problem here," Cassandra said. "Even if I were to let her go, you'd kill me. So... either way, it's a no win situation for me, unless..."
"Unless what?"
"You may be good at what you do... but are you fast enough to reach her before I snap her neck?"
Willow squirmed.
"Let her go, and I'll let you live..." Buffy said, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Yeah, for how long? I mean, would you let me live long enough to let your friend go... then kill me? Or would you wait until you had a better opportunity to do the job?"
"Buffy... don..."
"I don't believe I gave you permission to talk did I?" Cassandra asked squeezing Willow's throat.
"HEY... hey... don't hurt her anymore," Buffy said.
"Ah... this is interesting... you care about her don't you?" Cassandra questioned. "Answer truthfully or I'll take a quick bite," she said, dropping her head until her mouth was level with Willow's neck.
Willow looked at Buffy then closed her eyes, she shivered as Cassandra flicked her tongue out and licked her jugular vein.
"Tasty..."
"Leave her alone, you BITCH!"
"Temper... temper. You haven't answered my question. You care for your little friend don't you?"
"Yes... now let her go!" Buffy replied.
Buffy watched as Cassandra Richards loosened her grip around Willow's neck, then took a step backwards and up the stairs.
"I answered your question... let her go!"
"I will... in due time," she replied, forcing Willow up the stairs with her. "You know what? I didn't ask for this... I liked my life; I had a lot to live for... now look at me. I'm so hungry right now... all I can think about is your friend's blood rushing through her veins, and that excites and sickens me at the same time."
"Where do you think you're going?" Buffy asked taking a step forward.
"Stop! I promise you... I'll kill her if you take another step."
Buffy heard a whimper coming from Willow.
"I... I'll give you my word. I won't kill you if you release my friend... please!" Buffy pleaded.
Buffy watched helplessly as they made it to the top of the stairs.Cassandra closed her eyes for a brief moment, and when she opened them once more, she had vamped. 'This is not good... I don't have a clear shot,' Buffy told herself, looking for an opening that would allow her to rescue Willow.
"What's your name?" Cassandra whispered into Willow's ear.
"Will... Willow Rosenberg," she replied.
"Nice name. Now, Willow Rosenberg, I need your help."
"Me? What can I do?"
"I'm going to give you a choice, something I was never given. I need you to tell your friend to back off, she'll listen to you. If you can get her to step away and turn around, I'll let you live. Seems like a fair enough trade. Don't you think?"
Willow thought about the offer for all of five seconds.
"No."
"No? Do you understand what I've offered you? You get to live... I go on my way, everything's great."
"If we... if Buffy let's you go... you'll have to kill in order to survive... and I couldn't live with that thought," Willow said, struggling in Cassandra's grasp.
"You know... you're right... that's too bad," Cassandra answered.
Buffy could see them talking but she didn't have idea what they were saying. Then she saw the late Miss Richards shrugging her shoulders.
"NO!!!" Buffy cried out as she started running up the steps, all the while thinking she wasn't going to be in time.
As Buffy would recall later, everything slowed down.
Willow felt the initial piercing in her neck, and fought against the assault... until she found herself relaxing into the onslaught of emotions that threatened to overtake her. Her eyes closed as she finally gave into the sensations.
'OH... MY... GOD... it feels so good,' Willow thought as she started to slip into the blissful state of unawareness.
"Will... come on Will... please wake up," Buffy said choking on the words. Buffy had managed to stop Willow's fall as Cassandra pushed the limp body down the stairs. "Please... Will... please don't leave me... WAKE UP!!" Buffy shouted, as the tears fell and splashed her friend's face. "No.. don't you give up on me Will. Do you understand me!?!"
Buffy rocked Willow in her arms, smoothing her friend's hair, she turned briefly and looked at the pile of dust that once was Cassandra Richards.
"I can't do this without you Will... please come back... please" Buffy said, bending down and kissing Willow's forehead, watching as her friend struggled for each breath.
***
Willow drifted aimlessly... floating.
She was tired.
All she wanted to do was go to sleep.
Embrace the darkness that seemed to surround her.
"'I can't do this without you...'"
'What was that? she wondered.
***
"Will... I know you can hear me. I've never really told you have I? Never told you that I thank God for you every night. How I realized that my life has so much more meaning with you... Xander and Giles," Buffy struggled to say through the tears, her throat swelling with emotion.
***
"'Thank God for you every night...'"
"Buffy?"
***
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry you came with me... It's my fault."
***
"'....my fault.'"
"Hey! I know what I was doing. I know the risks, we all do. It's not your fault," Willow answered.
***
Buffy sat rocking her friend back and forth.
"You're my best friend Will... I love you... don't leave me," Buffy whispered.
***
"'You're my best friend Will... I love you... don't leave me.'"
"I'm not leaving you... am I?"
***
Buffy felt a shudder through Willow body.
"Will? Come on... fight... You've never given up, don't start now!!"
***
Willow fought against the tide of darkness that surrounded her and clawed her way towards Buffy's voice.
***
Buffy jumped as Willow shook violently, then stopped.
"Willow? WILL!! Hey... come on, you're scaring me..." Buffy grabbed Willow by the shoulders and shook her. "Come on... stop joking around, it isn't funny. GOD DAMN IT WILLOW... DON'T YOU DIE ON ME!!!!"
Quickly Buffy laid her friend flat on the floor and bent down and placed her ear by Willow's mouth and nose.
Nothing.
***
"You shouldn't swear Buffy."
***
Adjusting her position, Buffy pinched Willow's nose and covered her mouth with her own and began the process of performing CPR.
"COME ON!!" Buffy shouted, keeping count in her head. After fifteen compressions, she gave Willow two more breaths, then checked for a pulse.
Nothing.
Buffy repeated the procedure over and over again.
Her arms began to feel like lead, she wasn't sure how much longer she could continue before becoming too exhausted to do anymore.
"One.. and two.. and three and four... " Buffy counted until fifteen, then covered Willow's mouth again and gave two more breaths.
***
"You are not supposed to be here yet."
"Where am I?"
"That doesn't matter right now, you have to go back child. You are needed."
"Needed... me? I think you have the wrong person... Buffy... she's needed," Willow answered.
"You are correct, Buffy Summers is needed, but you are wrong. You are needed as well, she needs you. Even as we speak, she is trying to revive you. You are an important person in her life. You have no idea that most of the time she is fighting this fight, is because of you."
"Me?"
"You... she loves and cares for you as deeply as one can love another. If you die, she will."
"How?"
"She will want revenge on anything and everything evil. She will no longer listen to anyone, not Giles, Xander or even her mother. She will grow sloppy... and she will die."
"Send me back... now."
***
Tears were streaming down Buffy's face...
She couldn't do it anymore...
She had failed her friend.
She bent down to do the final two breaths.
"I'm so sorry Will..."
She gave Willow the oxygen from her own body, feeling that it wasn't enough, then she turned her face to the side and took another deep breath.
With a reverence she had never known before in her young life, Elizabeth Buffy Anne Summers completed her task.
Placing her mouth gently over her friend's, she breathed into Willow's body one last time.
And was shocked as she felt her breath being drawn out of her.
"Willow?"
Quickly she turned her face to the right and listened.
"hi."
"WILL!?! OH... GOD Will... is that you?" Buffy asked.
With an instinct borne over the years of fighting vampires, Buffy all ready had Mr. Pointy at the ready.
Just in case.
They had all discussed the possibility of turning and they had made their wishes clear.
Buffy was to stake them.
No matter how hard they might plead for their life. Buffy was to end their existence as quickly as possible.
"Yeah... but you might want to check..."
Buffy nodded her head, and with her left hand, searched for Willow's pulse, her right hand squeezing the stake, hoping she wouldn't have to use it.
"I'm... I'm alive?" Willow asked after seeing Buffy's face light up.
"Oh.. yeah. You're alive..." Buffy replied, crushing her friend to her.
"Oh... hurting... Buffy... Buff... not so hard," Willow groaned.
"I'm sorry Will... I'm sorry," Buffy replied, releasing her hold. "How do you feel, you scared me to death you know. Don't you ever do that to me again."
"Umm... hurt, like I've been run over dragged down the street and gone over speed bumps at full speed. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you... I'll try not to do it again," Willow replied, feeling utterly safe in her best friend's arms.
"I should have never brought you here... this is my fault..."
Willow winced as she lifted her hand and placed her fingers on Buffy's lips.
"Buffy... wherever you are... it's where I want to be. It's the right place."
Buffy held on to Willow...
Her lifeline.
The End.