Looking down at her, Riley asked. “How’s the face?”
It took her a minute to figure out what he was saying. Oh, God. “Riley, put me down.”
“Buffy—“
“Please!”
He put her down and she promptly heaved, bursting into tears. Coming around her, Riley drew her into his arms and she sobbed into his chest. A second later, she felt a blanket being draped around her.
She was led to his car and tilting her head up, he instructed her to get inside and they’d go down to the station.
All she wanted to do was go home.
All she wanted at that moment was her brother and Spike.
Down at the station, she was surprised to find Spike there. As soon as she saw him, she burst into tears, and he ran to her, gathering her up in his arms, kissing her forehead. She could feel his lips moving against her forehead, but of course she didn’t hear him. She could imagine what he was saying though, and that was enough somehow to soothe her.
Leaning back a bit, he made her look at him. “Are you all right?”
She nodded and her hand instinctively went to her cheek. His eyes darkened and he put his hand over the spot where she’d been backhanded, touching it tenderly.
“I want to go home, Spike.”
“I know you do, Princess, and we will. Just have to answer a few questions, okay?”
She nodded dumbly. “How come you’re here?”
He looked at her solemnly. “You thought I was going to stay there when I heard what happened?”
“Who called?”
“Gunn. He heard the call over the CB.”
“Did you call Angel?”
“No, luv, I didn’t. I don’t have his number.”
“Can you call him now, please? I just…I just want to see him right now.”
“I understand luv. Give me his number and I’ll call him while you answer those questions like a good girl, okay?”
“Please don’t talk to me like I’m a child,” she said wrinkling her nose.
Chuckling, he leaned in and kissed her forehead.
When she was escorted off with Riley to answer questions, Spike rang Angel, his hands shaking the entire time.
He’d never forget the feeling that came over him when Gunn had called and told him that Buffy had been hurt. His heart had stopped beating, he was sure. He felt cold all over, and he’d had a hard time breathing. All he could think was: Buffy is hurt and I’m not there to protect her. He couldn’t move fast enough to get to her.
He just had to see her, touch her, hold her, assure himself that she was standing upright and in one piece. He nearly cried from relief when he saw her climb out of Finn’s car. She’d looked so lost and so frightened.
I wasn’t there, I should have been there.
“Hello?”
“Angel, it’s Spike.”
“What is it? Buffy all right? Why are you calling me at this hour?” Angel demanded, clearly worried.
“She…she got attacked at The Bronze.”
“What?! Where is she? How badly hurt? I’m coming over.”
“We’re down at the station. She’s asked for you.”
“Spike....how badly hurt is she?”
“She was smacked across the face. She passed out after.”
“Who was it?”
“The murderer.”
“Jesus Christ,” Angel muttered. “I’m coming down now. Do not leave until I get there, please.”
Buffy needed her brother, and whatever Buffy needed, Spike would give her. Besides, he was hoping to get a chance to ream Riley a new asshole for leaving her for even a second.
Buffy walked out of the Q&A session feeling numb. She’d learned that there was some questioning going on at The Bronze, finding out if anyone had seen a man all in black with a ski mask. A lineup would be produced for her in a few minutes of possible suspects that fit the height and weight of the murderer, and that Riley had found her by the girls that had been in the bathroom, screaming for help.
How could so many people have missed him? Buffy had to wonder. She felt as though she were stuck in a really bad horror movie. The kind where the murderer is able to commit deplorable acts against his victims, all while his victims are screaming their heads off, and no one comes.
She felt helpless. How’d he get to her? Why did he call her a cock tease? That hinted that he knew her somehow…that he was angry with her. She wanted to scream her frustration; wanted the cops to work harder and faster. She wanted her life back, and mostly, she just wanted to feel safe again.
In all honesty, she’d felt spooked before, but now…now she felt as though she were a sitting duck. Who was hunting her? And would she, and everyone around her, make it out of all this in one piece?
Looking up, she spied Angel bursting through the swinging doors of the precinct and Spike rushing to greet him. She burst into tears once more at the sight of her brother. She wanted to go see him, but she couldn’t seem to make her feet move to get to him.
Buffy hated the feeling she had, the feeling of being helpless, of not having any sort of control. She’d fought so hard to gain control of her life, and to live like a normal person despite her handicap and now, in one fell swoop, she felt as though she couldn’t do anything. She didn’t remember ever feeling so afraid.
Would this happen to me if I could hear? she couldn’t help but wonder. Strange thought to have, really, since this sort of thing happened everyday to people who could hear, but if the murderer knew something about her then he must know . . . and was that part of the appeal for him? Or had the ‘cock tease’ remark just been because he was some kind of misogynist and just put that label on all women?
So many questions and no answers to any of them.
She watched Angel bound over to her and she held out her arms, needing the safety of her big brother. Angel had protected her from everything. He’d been there when the kids at school would pick on her; he’d gotten into many fights when they were younger when those kids would make sport out of following her and taunting her, laughing about the fact that she couldn’t hear what they were saying. He’d been there when their parents had tried to shuttle her away from the world. He’d allowed her to feel very normal in the world; he’d helped her find ways to live and adjust and for that, she was eternally grateful for him. Growing up, when she was upset about something, the person she sought was Angel.
Angel held her close in his arms and she sobbed her frustrations out while trying to relay what had happened at the club.
Tilting her head up, he moved her head to the side so he could get a look at the mark across her face. “Did you get ice for that?” he asked.
“Yeah, Riley got me some on the way here.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore. Is it bad?”
“Just red. Hand or glove?”
“Glove.”
“Ouch.”
“Tell me about it.”
“You didn’t recognize anything at all about him? Anything that could clue you into who it was?”
Her tears had been settled and now they started up again. “No.”
“Buffy, it’s okay, it’s all right.”
“What if he never gets caught?”
“He will.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because…because I have faith.”
“No, you don’t. You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“He’s gonna trip up, Buffy, he will. Showing up like he did tonight? He’ll get caught.”
“Maybe I could be used as bait.”
Angel paled. “Do not even joke about something like that.”
“I’m not joking.”