Nothing But You
by Whedonist
Chapter 18
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A/N: Kinda a short chapter. I'm having a hard time finding time to update. I got buried under a small mountain of crap at work that has been taking up most of my free time. Sorry.
Disclaimer: It's all Joss's. I could never hope to grasp the source of his power. Fortunatlye for me Joss passed kindergarden and learned to share. So yay Joss!
Chapter 18
Buffy cracked one eye open and found that her face was buried in a mane of red hair. She smiled as she remembered last night's festivities and pulled Willow closer to her. It was a Saturday and neither of them had any obligations. Sure she knew there was studying to be done, but not before a healthy dose of sleeping in and perhaps a morning make out session. She drifted back to sleep with thoughts of a lithe redhead dancing in her head.
They awoke nearly two hours later and decided that breakfast out was in order. Showering and dressing, they left for food. They came back to the house two hours later and were surprised that no one was home. Buffy led them to their bedroom and was getting ready to ravish her redhead when the phone rang. Growling out, she picked up.
"Hello?" She asked irritably.
"Buff? It's Xander. Look something's happened to Kate and we are at the hospital. Can you and Wills meet us here?"
Buffy's annoyance dropped and was replaced with concern. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure. Faith called and was crying. I haven't gotten the whole story yet, but eh, I'm gonna need you. You're the only one she talks to when she gets like this."
"Ok, ok we'll be right over." Buffy put the receiver down and filled Willow in.
They made it to the hospital in record time and were walking through the emergency room doors when Xander rushed over to meet them.
"Where's Faith and Kate?"
"Faith is I think axe murdering a doctor and Kate is in surgery."
"What?"
"I guess she got the snot beat out of her. Faith was coming back from the Espresso Pump and she found Kate on the floor."
"Who...wha...?"
Xander put his arm on the blonde's shoulders and grabbed Willow's hand. "I don't know. The cops have been in and out and a few of the guys from the agency have been here to."
"I gotta go find Faith. You two stay here." With that Buffy took off down the hall. She looked in a few of the waiting rooms and stopped when she saw Faith pacing back and forth talking to a guy in a gray suit. She opened the door and had Faith in a hug before it even closed behind her.
"Faith, sweetie, what happened?" Buffy didn't let go and began smoothing the brown locks of her friend.
Faith's head was buried in Buffy's neck, "I don't know. Ww-we went home to her place last last night and this morn-morning I left to get coffee and some bagels an-and I came back." Faith finally broke down and let the tears fall. She shook in the blonde's arms and tightened her grip. "She was just laying there. Bloody, Buffy I couldn't even see her face there was so much blood."
"It's ok. She's gonna be fine and we'll find the sonofabitch that did this. Shhh, it's ok" Buffy lowered herself into a chair and let Faith collapse in her lap. She held on to the brunette as she looked at the man standing awkwardly in the room. "And you are?"
He shuffled his feet before answering, "I'm Detective Powers, Samuel Powers. You are?"
"Buffy Summers. Friend of the family's."
"I see. So you knew the victim?"
"Yes. What happened?"
"It looks like someone broke in and beat the woman. I'm sorry I don't know much more, but I would like to ask you a few questions. Ms. Lehane hasn't been in much condition to talk and I need to get some more information."
Buffy nodded as she held on to Faith and answered the detectives questions about what Kate did, did she have any enemies, who were the last people besides Faith to see her and the like. He left shortly after leaving his business card on the table and Faith had finally calmed down enough to sit by herself. Buffy still held on to her hand as she huddled together with the other girl.
"What have the doctors said?"
"Not much, just that she's really fucked up and that they had to do emergency surgery. Busted up on the inside, internal bleeding I guess. What the fuck B? I mean I was only gone 15 minutes, 20 at the most. Who would...?" Faith let the question trail off as she cradled her face in her hands.
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They had all convened in the waiting room Buffy and Faith were occupying. Giles, Joyce, Dawn, Xander, Willow, Buffy and Faith. They had gotten a call from Angel earlier and were told that he had chartered a small plane and would be up in less than an hour. Everyone was waiting word from the doctor or for Angel to show up. Buffy was holding Faith's hand in her right hand while her left hand wouldn't leave the redhead. The doors to the waiting room opened up and they saw a doctor in surgical scrubs come in. Faith and Buffy were in front of him immediately.
"You are the family of Kate Lockley?"
Everyone shook their head and waited.
"I'm Doctor Ellenshaw. I was brought in for the emergency surgery. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for your loss. We did everything we could, but there was too much trauma and we were unable to stop the hemorrhaging." He smiled sadly and left the family to grieve.
Faith broke down. Collapsing on her knees, she held on to Buffy and balled in her ex-girlfriend's waist.
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The funeral was held on the following Monday. Everyone was there, people from the agency, some old friends from L.A, and the entire Scooby gang plus Tara and Fred. Angel held a wake at the mansion and had been glued to Faith's side since arriving in Sunnydale on Saturday. He slept in her room, went everywhere she went, and was stopped from going with her in the bathroom. The two were currently crowded together in the corner of the living room. He had his arms surrounding the brunette and shooed anyone away that came up to talk to either of them. The only people that he would allow around his sister were Buffy and Dawn. They to needed comforting, but he just couldn't seem to let his sister go. The first night had been one of the roughest of his life. Faith slept fitfully if at all and had woken up crying more times than he could count.
Buffy and Willow were hiding out in their room. The blonde just couldn't face all of the people traipsing through the house. She was still fairly numb. The shock of the weekend still hadn't sunk in and Willow was seriously worried that Buffy was headed for a major break down soon. Her girlfriend hadn't slept since Friday night and had been the one to help Angel in making all the arrangements. The man had pulled strings and gotten the body released earlier than what would have been allowed so that they didn't have to draw out the process.
The night came to close as Giles and Joyce had ushered everyone out around 8pm. They stayed and helped clean up with Tara and Fred. After much coaxing Angel had gotten Faith to lay down and gave her a sleeping pill; Willow had much the same idea and had Buffy zonked out shortly after everyone left. Angel and Willow met in the living room and hugged.
"Faith?" Willow asked,
"Down and out. Buffy?"
"Same. She just hasn't slept in like two days. Angel?"
He pulled the girl back to look at her. "Yeah Willow."
"What, I mean the cops, did they have they said anything?"
"No, there's wasn't much at the apartment."
"Oh," Willow wrapped her arms around her stomach and looked over Angel. She knew the girl. Willow hadn't ever really known anybody that had died before. She thought about her friend and how hollow Faith looked. Then she thought about Buffy, her lover, and couldn't seem to stop the anger that knotted in her stomach; the outrage that someone could do that to another human being. Deciding on a solid course of action, she looked at Angel and leveled him with her look, "So since they can't seem to get it together, what do we need to do?"
"We?" Angel asked genuinely confused.
"Yes we Angel. Look, I know I'm young and stuff, but you can't just expect me to sit around and do nothing while some monster like this is running around. If the police can't do anything than we will or I will if you don't."
"Willow believe me, I will do something. I've already started, but you aren't getting involved."
"Angel, I'm already involved. I'm so involved I can barley breath. I may not be good with some stuff, but I can do computers and stuff. I just need some vague idea of what to look for. I'm helping whether you like it or not."
He set his jaw and nodded. The look in her eyes was all he needed to gauge her commitment. He took her hand walked her back to the office. As they entered, Willow saw the stacks of files on his desk. He pointed to the stacks and began explaining what he was doing.
"The farthest pile on the left is active cases she was working, overseeing, or even consulting on. The middle pile are closed cases that we've worked from A.I and from her time on the force. Pile three are jackets on all of her cases that she's gotten convictions from. I don't know if some of those people are paroled or not. I just got everything last night and I haven't had time to start going through it. So if you want to help this is where I'm going to need it the most. I'm staying in town until this is settled."
"Ok I can do that." Willow nodded and began making lists of ways to organize the data and begin the search of combing through every file on the desk.
"It's been a long day. Go back to bed. Stay with her. Buffy is taking this almost as hard as Faith."
Willow gave him a once over and shrugged. "What about you?"
"I'm holding up. Kate's not the first friend I've lost and for some reason I doubt she'll be the last. Go to bed Wills, Buffy will kick my ass if I deprive her of your time."
Willow laughed at the mental image. She couldn't see Buffy succeeding in the ass kicking department. Angel was a large, glowery man and seemed to have the ability to kick butt.
"I know what your thinking and trust me Buffy would give a run for my money in the ass kicking department." He led her out of the room towards the girl's bedroom.
"Goodnight Angel."
"Goodnight Willow."
She walked in to the room and got undressed. Since her and Buffy had begun living together, she had started sleeping in only a tank top and panties. Buffy seemed to enjoy it and it was far more comfortable to the redhead than the pajamas that she had grown accustomed to wearing. Buffy was moving restlessly as Willow climbed into her side of the bed. She gathered the blonde in her arms and held her. Willow smiled as her girl calmed down a little and she began whispering in Buffy's ear.
Buffy blinked and looked up, "Wills? What time is it?"
"9ish I think. Go back to sleep."
"It's early." Buffy whined holding tighter to Willow's waist.
"Yeah, but someone hasn't been sleeping. So you should. I'm staying right here with you. Not going anywhere."
Buffy moved her leg between Willow's and pressed up into her center. She looked up to see if this was ok and noticed the welcoming reaction of the redhead. Willow nodded and let Buffy move on top of her. The blonde kissed her way up to the redhead's lips. They hadn't made love since Valentine's Day and while the reasoning was sound both girls had felt the stress of not being able to touch each other. Willow encircled the blonde's waist with her legs and pulled her down.
"Buffy," Willow said sweetly. She let her hands trail down the blonde's arms and back up. "Buffy touch me please?"
It was all the back-up the girl needed to begin her favorite activity. Willow touching. She had found up to 30 different erogenous zones on her redhead and was enthralled with how each proved to give a different response. She smiled as she hit number 17 and spent some time on behind Willow's ear and the exposed neck below. Moving away she slipped Willow's panties off and moved to number two.
It was some time later that found both girls on their back panting. They were sweaty and sticky and humming in all the right places. Despite the exhaustion, Buffy couldn't seem to stop. This weekend had proved to be the most difficult in her life and she didn't or rather couldn't shake the feeling that more badness was coming. The only peace she could get was when Willow was around. Even Xander's lame but heartfelt jokes just weren't cutting it. She looked over and saw Willow's eyes had closed and her breath had slowed. Smiling she pushed the red locks out of the way and pulled Willow into her, finally letting sleep over take her.