Turned
by Bob Head
Part 5
[reviews]
Disclaimer: None of the characters below belong to me. All the BtVS/Angel people belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox. (Damn it!) I'm just trying to have fun.
Pairing: Buffy/Willow, of course.
Spoilers: A few general ones for Season Six and a few more specific ones for 'Once More With Feeling'.
Distribution: IKOLY, Wishful Thinking and the Immortal Slayer. Anybody else, just ask.
Rating: Still PG-13. for this part. Higher stuff will come in later parts.
Feedback: Yes please! frank_8281@yahoo.com
A/N: I know that many people don't like the musical episode of BtVS. I am NOT one of them. I liked it. The only part that I didn't like was that damn kiss at the end. So what if that kiss had ended... differently.
A/N 2: For the purposes of this little AU, the so-called Trio are not an issue so I'm just gonna ignore them.
A/N 3: (Buffy's nagging inner voice.)
Turned
PART FIVE
Willow stared incredulously at Buffy after being shoved roughly across the room. For the second time in less than twelve hours, the Wiccan was completely baffled by the vampire's behavior. After pushing the redhead away Buffy just stood in the center of the room, trembling.
"Buffy? Are you okay?" Willow asked moving hesitantly back to the Slayer's side.
Ignoring the question as she stared at the floor Buffy thought, 'Oh god, I almost bit her! What was I thinking?'
The nagging voice in the back of her head answered, (You know exactly what you were thinking! You were thinking how good it would feel to have her! Right here, on the floor, on the sofa, on the kitchen table, for god's sake!) The images generated in her mind left her mouth dry and sent a wave of heat searing through her.
Drawing in a breath that she really didn't need, the slayer spoke. "I'm sorry Will, maybe you shouldn't..." Both of them turned their heads to the door at the sound of a buzzer from downstairs.
~~~~BtVS~~~~
After riding the 'El', train for almost an hour they had gotten off in what they hoped was the general vicinity of the wayward witch and Slayer. Xander gave Dawn the map to examine while he arranged the bags into a pack of sorts so he could take the heavier load.
"Okay," he said, "Where to?"
Studying the map carefully Dawn said, "I'm not sure, we should be close, but..." Squinting at the lights on the map she asked, "Do these look brighter to you?"
Peering closely he said, "Hard to tell in the daylight." Shouldering the makeshift pack higher, he looked around, "Let's try that alley over there, maybe we can tell in the shade."
Hastily folding the map Dawn grabbed the two bags Xander had left for her and hurried with him to cross the street.
Once in the shade, "Yep. Definitely brighter." Looking at Dawn he asked, "Is that important?"
"I think it means we're close." Off Xander's look she said, "Hey I'm the apprentice, Willow's the real witch."
'Wish she'd thought of that before she blew up the hotel room.' Wisely, the Scooby member kept that thought to himself.
Taking a couple of steps back toward the street Dawn watched as the lights grew dimmer, 'Okay, so it's gotta be this way.' Turning she hurried past Xander saying, "Come on! It can't be much further now!"
Grumbling, "It better not be." the young man picked up the last two bags (the ones that Dawn was supposed to carry.) and struggled after the young girl.
After a few minutes, the pair approached the other end of the alley and Dawn realized the twin lights had begun to dim again. "Hey, I think we passed them." Spying something she headed back down the alley and across to the sunny side. As they reached the door she had noticed, the map started smoking where the enchanted lights blazed now more than twinkled.
"Oh crap!" she exclaimed, dropping the map to the dirty pavement and hurriedly stomping out the fire.
"What happened?" asked Xander.
Putting two fingers through the hole in the map, she shrugged, "Spell's broken." Looking up at the old warehouse looking building in front of them Dawn continued, "But this has got to be it."
Divesting himself of the luggage with a sigh of relief, Xander tried the door. 'Locked of course.' Seeing a button at the side, he pressed it.
~~~~~BtVS~~~~~
"What's that?" asked Willow.
"Door bell." Buffy replied, picking up the remote and turning on the TV.
Willow looked confused, "Buffy? Is this really the time to catch a re-run?"
Buffy shook her head and pointed to the screen. Wherever the camera was mounted, it showed the area immediately surrounding the door and the two people standing before a pile of luggage.
"That's..."
"Dawn and Xander." Buffy interrupted. "How did they find us?"
'Oh crap.' Thought Willow, Aloud she said, "I taught Dawn a few locater spells."
Buffy shook her head, "You taught Dawn magic?"
"Just the ones I needed a second for!" Willow quickly pointed out. "I never thought she'd try one on her own. But of course, she did, cause they're here. I wonder which one..."
As she listened to Willow babble Buffy started laughing for the first time in months.
"What?" asked Willow.
~~~~~BtVS~~~~~
For what seemed like forever, but was really only a few minutes, the two companions waited to see if anyone was going to open the door. Xander was just reaching for the button again, when the sound of locks being undone reached them.
Willow opened the door. To forestall any questions she quickly said, "Don't just stand there with your mouths open, grab the gear and come on up!"
A little confused, they did just that.
~~~~~BtVS~~~~~
While Willow let the Scoobies in and relocked the door, Buffy was undergoing a transformation. Shedding the leather clothes, she donned a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Hurrying to the bathroom, she scrubbed her face clean of the makeup and pulled her hair into a ponytail to minimize the black highlights. Then she rushed back to living room just as Willow came in.
A little surprised at the change but not questioning it, Willow called to Xander and Dawn, "Come on in guys."
Dawn came through first, a strange mix of emotions on her face. Xander, he just looked scared. 'When she finds out I let Dawn blow up our hotel room, she's gonna kick my ass. Again.' He thought.
Buffy, despite the vampires, demons and apocalypses that she had faced in the past, was more terrified now than she had ever been before. The bruise on Xander's face made her wince.
"God Xander. I didn't think I hit you that hard." She said guiltily.
Dropping the bags on the floor, Xander spread his arms wide and said "I'm waiting."
"For what?" asked Buffy.
Xander grinned. "For one of those bone-crushing hugs! What did you think I meant, an apology?"
Tears filling the Slayers eyes, she enveloped him in one of the aforementioned hugs. "Yeah like that's ever gonna happen."
Dawn watching this exchange with her arms crossed said. "Yeah, she's not big on apologies. Or explanations, or much of anything that means she has to communicate with people."
"That's not fair Dawnie!" Willow cried stepping forward. "You don't know what she's been going through!"
Angrily, Dawn retorted, "No, I don't Willow! Because she left again! Just like she always does!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she approached Buffy. "But this time you didn't tell me what to do. You just left. Without a word! Was it me? Did I do something that made you leave?"
"God no! Why would you think that Dawn?"
Looking at the floor she said softly, "Everybody I love leaves me. Dad left, Mom... died, and so did you! And then, when you came back you acted like you couldn't stand the sight of me."
Buffy swallowed hard as she moved to her sister's side, "That's not true Dawnie. I was just so messed up in my head that I didn't know what to do."
She turned Dawn's head to face her. "But I know now. After... well, when I come home I won't be leaving again." Without thinking she kissed her little sister on the forehead.
Dawn pulled back, shocked at how cold Buffy's lips felt "Oh." She said, and then backed away until she sat down heavily on the sofa, her eyes big with fear.
~~~~~BtVS~~~~~
Unnoticed by the three women Xander had moved into the small kitchen to raid the fridge. Hearing Dawn gasp he grabbed a bottle without looking and went to see what was the matter.
Seeing Dawn's expression, he paused in the act of taking a swig and asked, "What's up?"
Buffy and Willow glanced in his direction, (Dawn was unable to tear her gaze from her sister.) and with matching looks of horror cried almost as one "Don't drink that!"
Startled, Xander dropped the bottle. Buffy, with her speed and reflexes, was suddenly standing next to him holding the bottle that had just left his hand.
He looked from Buffy's annoyed expression to the bottle of dark red liquid only just now realizing what he'd almost drank. "Blood? That's blood isn't it?" he asked accusingly.
"That's very good Xander. Maybe tomorrow we'll try potty training!" Shooting Xander an irritated scowl as she replaced the bottle in the refrigerator.
"Why is there blood in your refrigerator?" his expression changed to one of disgust as he jumped to the wrong conclusion. "It's for Spike isn't it? We've been worried sick and you've been shacking up with Captain Peroxide?"
Looking from Xander and his accusations to Dawn with her fears Buffy couldn't stop the tears that began to fall. Neither could she prevent herself from slipping into game face as she ran into the bedroom and locked the door.
~~~~~BtVS~~~~~
As the truth finally dawned, Xander felt like the floor had fallen out from under his feet. He kept saying "Oh my god, Buffy's a vampire." over and over, as he staggered to the pile of bags and started pawing through them.
Willow looked from the bedroom door to Dawn, sitting in stunned disbelief on the couch, to Xander, looking for something in his bag. "What are you doing Xander?"
Standing up with a stake clutched in a white knuckled grip, he asked, "What does it look like Will? Buffy wouldn't wanna... OWW!" This last was in response to the painful hold that Willow suddenly had on his right ear.
"Shut up!" she hissed, dragging him to the couch and shoving him down next to the still speechless Dawn. "She can hear you, stupid!"
Taking a seat across from them on the coffee table Willow continued, "Listen carefully cause I'm only gonna say it this once, Xander. We are not slaying Buffy, understand?" Xander looked unhappy but he nodded in the affirmative.
Dawn, at last finding her voice asked, "Is... is she really...?"
Taking the teens hand in her own, the redhead replied, "Yes Dawnie, Buffy is really a vampire." Taking Xander's free hand as well. "But somehow, and I'm not sure how, she still has her soul."
~~~~~BtVS~~~~~
Xander stared at Willow as if she'd lost her mind, "Still has... Will, that's just not possible." A wild thought popped out of his mouth. "Unless she was cursed like Angel?"
"No Xan, that's not it." The redhead replied thoughtfully. "Buffy told me that her first thought was to come to us for help. For help Xander! That doesn't sound like your typical newbie vamp does it?"
"But she wouldn't be a typical vampire, would she?" asked Dawn, "I mean being a Slayer?"
Willow shrugged, "I don't know Dawnie. I've never heard of a Slayer being turned before."
Still confused, Xander asked, "How... how did this happen Will?"
"Yeah," said Dawn, "I mean, it's Buffy! It's not like your run of the mill vamp could have taken her."
Willow glanced back at the bedroom door. "Okay," she sighed, "here's what I know..."
~~~~~BtVS~~~~~
Buffy lay curled in a ball of misery on her bed. Willow was right; she could hear them even through the closed door. What she heard certainly wasn't making her feel any better. Especially Xander's reaction when Will told them how it had happened. Though one little part of her was amused when Willow cracked Xander in the head for it.
Dawn's feelings were harder to gauge. She didn't talk much except for a whimper when she'd heard it was Spike.
(She's afraid of you.)
'Shut up.' Thought Buffy.
(You know it's true! And Xander's first reaction was to go for a stake! That hardly seems like the act of a concerned friend.)
'He's just in shock, they both are. They need time to get used to the idea.'
(Willow didn't.)
Buffy sat up on the side of the bed and whispered vehemently, "You leave her out of this!"
(How can I? After all, she's the main reason you left Sunnydale, wasn't she?)
Buffy shook her head, "No, I was afraid for all of them. Not just Willow. Spike said..."
(Spike? Lie to yourself if you must Slayer but don't lie to me! You didn't believe Spike. You knew in your heart, even if it wasn't beating anymore, that if you went to your friends they'd still try to help you. No, you left because you were afraid that if you spent much time around Willow, you'd wind up taking her! Hell, you can't even think about her without becoming aroused!)
"Shut up!" Buffy growled, almost in a rage.
(And before? When she was rubbing your delicate feet? Wanna tell her the real reason you changed your pants?)
Buffy stood abruptly and punched a hole in the brick wall before her with a sickening crunch. She growled painfully, "Shit! Now look what you made me do!"
~~~~~BtVS~~~~~
Xander was rubbing his head, "Geez Will, did you have to hit me with the stake?"
Glaring at her best male friend, Willow replied, "Yes."
Dawn was being quietly furious. "I swear to god, if I ever see Spike again, he's toast!" looking up at Willow she asked, "How could he do it?"
Xander shrugged, "Well we are talking about something made by the lowest bidder."
Dawn looked as if she were going to have a seizure. "I'm not talking about the chip! He claims to love her! How do you do something like that..."
The youngest Summers' tirade was interrupted by a muffled crunch coming from Buffy's bedroom. "What was that?" she asked.
The wiccan cast a worried glance toward the bedroom, "I'll go check. You two get some rest, cause as soon as the sun goes down, we have a Spike hunt to organize."
TBC