10 Hours Later: 11 pm. Saturday<
Buffy sat on the couch in the living room watching an old movie with her mom. It was nearly over. As the last song “Goodnight, My Love” filled her ears she stared blankly at the screen but she didn’t really listen to it. She was longing for the night to be a horrible nightmare. Her mother interrupted her thoughts as she returned to the room holding a plate with two cupcakes on it. One had a candle on top. “Did I miss anything?” her mother asked.
“Um…just a bunch of singing and dancing around.” Buffy replied.
Her mom put the mug of coffee down along with the plate of the cupcakes starting to look for matches. “I’m sorry I didn’t have time to make you a real cake.”
“No. This is good.”
She watched as her mom tucked her feet under her as she continued the conversation, “But we’ll still going shopping on Saturday?” She looked at Buffy asking curiously, “What’d you do for your birthday? Did you have fun?”
Buffy looked down not knowing what to say. How could she tell her mom what had happened on her birthday? She decided she couldn’t. “I got older.”
Her mom looked into her eyes. “You look the same to me.” She watched her mom lean down to light the candle. She leaned back on the couch turning to face Buffy with a smile. “Happy Birthday. I don’t have to sing, do I?”
Buffy glanced down at her hands. “No.”
Her mom looked at the candle then at Buffy, “Well, go on, make a wish.” Buffy stared at it wishing things were back to normal and wishing she could take back everything. She realized it was a bad wish and wishing was a bad idea. “I’ll just let it burn.”
Her mom then reached up to stroke Buffy’s hair as Buffy leaned over resting her head on her mom’s shoulder longing for her to make it all better. Her mom’s comforting stroking continued in her hair until the movie ended. Then Joyce sat up leaning over to eat her cupcake whispering to Buffy, “Eat up.”
Buffy picked up her cupcake. “I’m really tired and had a really long day. I think I’ll bring this to my room and go to bed.”
Her mom stared at her for a moment and nodded. “Sweet dreams honey. Happy birthday again.”
Buffy nodded and turned heading up to her room. She waited in her bed after putting the cupcake on her nightstand quietly as she listened to her mom getting ready for bed. When she heard her mom close her door for the night, Buffy got out of bed, not even bothering to throw a jacket over her frog pants and frog tee shirt and climbed out of her window onto the tree. Half way down she jumped to the bottom enjoying the way her feet felt tingle. Before she could analyze it, she found herself with a stake in hand walking to the cemetery, unsure as to what it was she wanted to see. Perhaps she hoped to see Angelus again so she could stake him.
A part of her knew she couldn’t.
She reflected back on her day that she had spent researching in the library. Thanks to a dream she had had earlier in the day, she knew where to go for more information on what exactly was going on. The dream had shown her that the computer teacher, Ms. Calendar knew more than anyone else realized. Thanks to Buffy and Angel’s night of passion, their intimacy had led to a perfect moment of happiness causing Angel to lose his soul turning into Angelus. It had explained a lot of his previous actions such as his coldness to her when discussing their love making as well as him attacking Willow. If Xander hadn’t of been there with a cross then Willow might very well have been dead. Buffy sniffled running the back of her head over her eyes as she continued to walk through the cemeteries.
In the library she had learned he was Angelus and that he had literally turned into that thanks to her and him being intimate. It was confirmed tonight by Angelus himself as he told it to her, “The important thing is you made me the man I am today!” It hurt her heart so much to know she was the cause of such a monstrosity in Sunnydale threatening to kill her friends and everyone in it.
Then watching Angel tonight as he worked side by side with the Judge that together Angel and her had once worked so hard to ensure never was assembled, made Buffy realize she was not dealing with her sweet Angel anymore but instead a hard core killer. He had been willing to take out the entire Sunnydale Mall just to bring the Judge back to full power. After she had taken out the Judge, Angel himself had fought her and hurt her. He had even tried to kill her. She was tempted to stake him but knew in her heart she couldn’t do it even as he taunted her, “You can’t do it. You can’t kill me.” She had merely kneed him in the groin feeling at least the satisfaction that he would be hurting when he took Dru tonight and walked away promising, “Give me time.” She knew the time would come for his existence to end but until then it was time to fight but not kill.
Even now, hours later, Buffy found it hard to believe that her sweet loving Angel was now a vicious killer named Angelus. She wasn’t ready to deal with that yet much less take him. A deep part of her still loved him with all her broken heart. She sat down on a large grave marker as thoughts overwhelmed her head. She kept remembering that night and how perfect everything was. It was gentle, and short but so sweet and barely painful at all. He had taken his time and was careful not to hurt her and she was amazed by how those few minutes had felt. She remembered his reaction telling her how bad she was and she frowned realizing she was probably a disappointment.
She wiped away the tears that were falling as she realized she didn’t know what to do and couldn’t manage to please him correctly. She didn’t know all the fancy moves that he had known over the years but she also realized that Angelus was driving now. She toyed with her stake wishing for some sort of release. She also found herself wishing that she reverse time turning back the clock two days with the information she had now. She couldn’t and she knew it but didn’t want to accept it. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she almost missed the feeling of a vampire nearby. She frowned as she felt tinglies on the back of her neck grow more intense and for a moment she was afraid it was Angelus coming back to kill her. She stood up raising her stake at the ready but then lowered it as she watched Spike roll through the cemetery muttering.
Spike was hungry, tired and annoyed. He was out and about just dying for some action of some kind. Above all though, Spike longed for real blood that would help him heal. Drusilla was not big on being the mothering type. She killed every pet she ever had by simply not caring for it. Spike himself was no exception. He was starved and really unable to get any for himself thanks to the wheelchair he was dependent on.
Earlier tonight had really ticked him off as Angelus had dragged Drusilla into the room with him. They left the door open so that he could hear their demented love fest. He was tired of listening to them. He ordered a minion to move his items to the farthest room in the factory but he knew it was hopeless. They left the door open and the walls were thin and close together. It was not built to be living quarters but instead a wide-open space designed for managers to watch over everyone. After giving the orders, he had rolled out into the night hoping for some kind of prey to fall into his lap so he might have a bite to eat but he knew humans weren’t that stupid.
He sighed trying his legs again but knew it was no use. As long as he lived on puppies and dead animals, he would never heal. And with him in a wheelchair, there was no hope of finding a victim. Just then behind him, he heard something and cursed loudly. He turned to see the slayer standing with a stake in her hand staring blankly at him.
“Bloody hell, Slayer! Trying to give me a heart attack?”
Buffy eyed at him. “Give me one good reason not to stake your sorry ass.”
Spike threw up his arms in the air in frustrated, “I’m in a sodding wheelchair thanks to you? I can’t even catch a victim because I’m stuck in these wheels and my girl doesn’t even want me anymore?” He then cursed, “Bloody Hell…” as he realized he was pouring out his issues to a girl whose purpose in this world was to kill people like him. He watched as she twirled the stake in her hand.