Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Chp.21

A Fallen Warrior at the Crater

Info: Chp.1

They watched as she turned back to look at the ragged crew that were left.

With abject horror written on the faces of the ones nearest and dearest to her, they watched as she dropped uncerimoniously to her knees, and fall face first into the rock, dirt and rubble at the edge of the crater.

They stand in stunned silence for what seems an eternity, but is only a few moments.

Xander stood there, his mouth hanging open as it to say something, thinking that it looked like on of those slow motion replays of a football game and the team they were rooting for had just about won the Super Bowl when their number one player had gone down for the count, with just seconds left on the clock.

Dawn having been the closest person to Buffy, was the first to her big sisters side. She slides on her knees as she drops beside of the fallen Slayer. "B-Buffy?" She can't help but to stutter, as she slips her hands under the blondes body, and flips her over onto her back. She shakes the limp body with urgency, trying to rouse her, but she doesn't get any response for the effort.

When she finishes shaking her sister, she can hear the shuffle of quite a few footsteps rushing up behind her. She refuses to look up at the menagerie of people that had finally decided to come out of their fugue state. She didn't want them to see the frightened little girl that had crocodile tears running down her dirty cheeks.

"What's going on, what's wrong with Buffy?" Comes an alarmed cry from behind her, she knew it was one of the new slayers, she just couldn't make out which one, because when she'd started speaking, all the rest had decided to put their two cents in too. After that first what, it all just became jibberish.

After the initial talking all at once, she hears, "oh, how the mighty shall fall." She knew with pure certainty that it had to be that little pipsqueak Andrew. God she wanted to slap him. Well at least he hadn't made some stupid and inane reference to Star Wars, or some other Science Fiction movie.

She watches from the corner of her eye as Faith squats down beside her, and Buffy. The look of concern on the dark slayers features speaking loudly. It took her by surprise to say the least. She never thought she'd see the day that Faith would be concerned for Buffy, or anyone other than herself.

"Is she alright? Why'd she collaspe like that," Faith says rapid fire. "Yo, B. Now's not the time for sleepy bye. Wake up. You just saved the world, time to be normal girl, and go to Disneyland and all that." Dawn hears the joke, but there's an underlying concern in the other girls tone. There just didn't seem to be any real humor in her voice. She watces as Faith puts her hand on Buffy's shoulder and pushes her, making the blonde head loll over to the side.

Faith cocks her head, and scrunches her brows together, as Buffy's green eyes stare out at her. "Uh, guys!" A few heads turn her way as she looks up from the distubing sight of that glazed stare. "Her eyes are open and all glassy like."
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Giles hadn't been able to tell what was going on. The only thing he'd seen was Buffy hittiing her knees, and then unceremoniously taking a nose dive into the dirt. He had still be in a state of shock, as everyone rushed past him to see what had happened to his slayer. Now he'd been shoved to the back of the pack. "Oh, dear lord," he mutters as he starts to push his way throught the throng of teenagers blocking his path.

Neither of the girls at Buffy's side could see the watcher, but they could hear the British curses, and watched as one by one the throng of slayers moved out of the way of something or someone.

Giles makes his way through to the front of the pack. "Bloody Hell!" He emerges, his glasses in hand, as he rushes to the edge of the crater.
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Willow had come out of her awed stupor seconds after Dawn. She'd followed the teenaged brunette over to where Buffy lay motionless on the ground.

Dawn had known she was there, hovering just a few steps behind her. "Giles?" She heard the red headed witch reply, but she couldn't look away from the lifeless form of her sister laying in front of her. She heard a plaintive "Yes?" asked as Giles finally made his way over to Willow.

"It's like that time Glory got her skanky hands on Dawnie." Dawn remebered that horrible day like it was only yesterday. It was just like that, she could feel the tears welling up for another go. Willow had hesitated. Dawn guessed it might be to gather her thoughts, but then Willow started to speak lower, but not low enough for her not to hear. "I think she's catatonic, again." 'Willow, sweet little Willow.' She thinks, ' well except when she goes all dark and veiny. Then she's just down right scary, and not so sweet.'

She finally finds the strength to look up from her sisters limp body. Noticing the people kneeling and standing all around Buffy, Faith, and her. She looks around a second her gaze finding the resident Wicca. She couldn't control the urgency in her voice as she spoke. "You helped her last time, do something, wake her up!" Her eyes implore the red head. "Do whatever mojo you did last time. HELP HER," she screams, begging Willow to do something, anything that would help her sister. "You have to help her," she whispers, her eyes red and blurry from the tears she'd shed, and the tears that would probably continue for the next however long it took to make Buffy better. She slowly returns her gaze to the body in front of her, as she wipes a strand of dirty hair from her face. Tears start to fall from her eyes again, they land silently on the grungy fabric of the tail of Buffy's white shirt.

Willow places a comforting hand on the girls shoulder, as she makes her way to her side."Dawnie." She waits for the girl to look at her again, and wipes a tear from her streaked cheek. She smiles a sad lop-sided smile at the girl. "Even if I had the supplies to do the mind walking spell again." She shakes her head, knowing what she has to tell the teenager is going to be a hard pill for her to swallow. "I'm not so sure that it would work on her a second time." She explains it as carefully as she can, but she knows it's not what Dawn wanted to hear. She turns her head from the bereft girl, not able to stand the disappointment in her eyes, and looks at the prone figure of her best friend laying in the dirt.

Xander had been standing at the edge of the crowd, listening intently on the conversation between two of his girls. He refused to lose another, taking a step forward, he plants his feet right beside Willow's knee. "We could always get the supplies, Will." His resolve bolstering him. "It's never hurt to try before, what's the difference now?" He places his hand on Willow's shoulder as he bends down to eye level with her. "We can't just leave her like this." His hand waves over Buffy. "She's been our best friend since sophomore year at Sunny Hell High. She would expect us to try." His bravado shot, he whispers. "We're the Scooby's, Will. We have to at least try and save the day, that's what we do."

Willow takes a deep cleansing breath, she'd heard Xan's little speech, watched the pain in his eyes as she'd peered into the deep brown pools. She knew why he'd stepped in, it was written there for anyone that wanted to know to see. He'd lost Anya, he wasn't gonna lose Buffy, too. She reaches up and places her hand on the one already resting on her shoulder, and lets out her breath. "Of course I'll try, Xan. That's not even the question. It-it's just that I don't have any supplies, and I don't have a quiet room to be able to even try it. Seeing as I don't have a room at all, anymore." She tries to put a humorous inflection into the last sentence, and she thought she'd pulled it off. But no one was laughing.

She feels him pull away from her, then his arms wrap around her in a consoling hug, as his shoulders sag in defeat. She feels him breathe in, choking slightly on the dust still settling around them. "We just saved the world, again." His grip loosens on her torso."And we're gonna celebrate by letting Wills take an unguided tour of Buffy's head." She knew that he was trying not to let it get to him. "It's a party." His voice grates over the intended joke, his hand slow slides down her back.
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He'd tried not to let the situation get to him. He still had Willow, and Dawnie. But the one person who'd mattered most hadn't made it out. He'd loved her, god how he'd loved her. As he gently holds Willow with one arm, and soothes her back with his free hand, his tears slowly start to fall. He couldn't handle anymore loss right now. He weeped not only for the love he'd just found again, and lost yet again, but for all they'd lost because they'd lived on the Hellmouth.

He wasn't gonna lose another person, and espeacially not Buffy. Even if he had to steal the supplies for Willow so she could help their friend, he'd do it in a heart beat.

"Uh, excuse me?" The grating voice of Kennedy, Willows whatever, cuts into his thoughts.He turns his gaze on the annoying girl. She was staring at him like he'd stolen her favorite weapon. He just couldn't see what his best friend saw in this girl. He watches the girl as she places her hands on her hips."There's no where to go, and most definitely no where for Willow to do this mind walk thingy you keep talking about." Her voice taking on a matter-of-fact tone, as if she were the one calling the shots now that Buffy was down, and couldnt'. He could tell she was jealous of the way he and Willow were taking comfort in each other, but she hadn't been there through all the crap that they'd shared, she'd never be as close to Will as he was, and he hoped she'd figure that out, and quick.

He feels Willow lift her head from his shoulder, and watches as she looks over at her girlfriend with a glare he wouldn't want turned on him ever. Then her head turns from the little bitca to Faith. 'God please don't let her pick a fight with Faith, just because Kennedy thinks all high and mighty.' He thinks.
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Faith watches the exchange with fascination, Willow looked like she could rip that little uppity bitches throat out. Then the witches gaze fall on her, and she takes the silent invitation that Willow gives her.

She's the oldest, not in a state of catatonia slayer. She puts her 'I can be a bitch, too' persona in place, straightening her shoulders she takes up the mantel of general. She considered the situation. 'General, again.' she shakes her head, glances down at Buffy. All things considered, the true general had recently been lying on her face in the dirt, not ten minutes ago. Her eyes fall to the watcher who had been standing about three feet behind her. "I think I know a place we can get into." Her eyes implore Giles, and at his nod she continues, "I know for a fact that this person would never Buffy away for any reason." She knows it's a risk, and Angel might not like having his hotel running over with over exhuberant and hormonal teenage girls, but where else could they go that would have enough room for them all?
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Giles nod's in agreement, and places his partially cleaned glasses back on his nose. He understood who she was talking of, only thing being they hadn't parted on good terms, this could be a bad idea, but what else could he do? "Yes, I'm quiet possitive that person wouldn't." He finally answers after thinking a good two minutes on the idea. Clearing his throat, his eyes turn to Willow.

"Let's get everyone back on the bus, Willow." He quietly orders, not used to having all these people looking at him in askance. He knew they all wanted to know how he'd known who Faith had been talking of, he just didn't want to breach that subject yet. Espeacially while everyone were still out of sorts. And Xander would absolutely abhor the idea.

Willow's gaze falls to him, her eyes growing wide at how much older he looked. He didn't understand the look. Other than that look, she doesn't seem to hear him.

His eyes fall on the twin green pools, again. "Could you please help take care of all the injured girls?" He asks, and looks around him. "The ones that aren't hurt or too badly hurt can help out?" He sets his sights on Vi, and a few of the others that he could see weren't to bad hurt.
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Willow nods back to the man that had been her father figure for the past seven years, takes Kennedy's offered hand as she gets up. She leads them both back to the bus. Stopping just outside of the doors, they turn to look at each other.

The other's couldn't make out what was being said, but what was left of the Scooby's watched as the two girls kiss, and climb up the stairs into the bus.
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Giles gently clears his throat, as he watches Xander, the lad looked so lost. He could tell that he was taking the loss of the ex-vengeance demon hard. Anya had been something, she would be sorely missed. "Xander?" He speaks quietly, barely above a whisper. As the boy looks up at him he sees the searing pain in the almost black eyes of he man. Xander had looked at him, but he could tell that the man was somewhere else entirely.

He watches as Xander shakes his head, realizing he's trying to get rid of the hurtful thoughts probably on replay in his head. "Yeah," he finally answers, his glazed gaze finding the watcher's blue orbs as they watch him intently.

"I trully do hate to ask this of you, but since everyone else is otherwise occupied." He can't stand to look into Xander's eyes any longer, and looks around him. "Could you please help me to get Buffy onto that god awful contraption." His gaze falls on the cheese yellow painted bus, and he points a condescending finger in its direction.

Turning back to the man beside of him, he watches as Xander plants a fake smile on his lips.

"Sure, G-man. You know there's nothing that we wouldn't do for the Buffster." Xander looks down at his friend still laying silently on the ground before him. His false smile completely disappearing, as he reaches down and lifts her torso from the cold, unyielding ground.

Giles doesn't reprimand the boy for his insolence, in using the inane nickname. He rolls his eyes, and lets it slide this time. He takes on the task of gathering Buffy's lower body, and starts to slowly move her over to the behemoth in the middle of the road, with Xander's help.



(Well, I hope this was worth the 3 hours it took to type it out. Somethings going on. And there are clues, but not all has been revealed. So tell me did anyone guess this was coming?)