Can You Deal With It?

Can You Deal With It?


The clock said midnight. Buffy looked at it again, and snorted disgustedly. She didn't like begin reminded of her lack of sleep. She decided she may as well get up, it's not like she was resting.

Rising, she wandered over to her dresser to pull out some clothes. As she passed the windows she glanced out, and noticed something. Someone was standing on the sidewalk in front of her house. Casting out with her slayer's senses, she got a taste of sweet heat that thrilled her to her core. Recognizing the man she loved, she softly whistled.

Angel heard the sound, and loped across the yard to the trellis. He climbed to the roof and came through Buffy's window. "Hey." he leaned over to kiss her hello.

"How long have you been standing out there?" She asked with a lazy smile. "You could've come up here hours ago." She hugged him, and then continued over to the dresser.

"Don't you sleep? You're not having nightmares again, are you?" he asked with concern in his voice. He followed her to the dresser, and leaned on it while she took clothing out of a drawer. He reached up and smoothed her hair away from her eyes. "Tell me." he said in a soft, but firm tone.

Buffy didn't answer right away. She looked at him and circled her finger in the air to tell him to turn around. He grinned lustily, but complied. She quickly changed out of her pajamas, and went to stand at the window.

Angel turned back around, and joined her. "Is it that bad?" he whispered.

Buffy looked up at him, and moved to hug him tightly around the waist. She seemed to melt right into him. "It's bad." she said into his shirt. "When I first moved here, I had bad dreams about the Master, and demons, and such, but never about my friends. Or you." She pulled her head back to look at him again. He noticed the dark circles under her bloodshot eyes. "I've had the same dream every night for a week, and I'm not going to sleep until it's gone." She snuggled into him again, and breathed in the smell of him. Nobody smelled like her Angel.

Angel rubbed her back, and kissed the top of her head. She was obviously very bothered by this dream, and he knew she needed the relief of sleep, or she wouldn't be able to hunt and slay. Maybe he could get her to talk to him about it, and get it off her chest.

"Buffy, you need to tell me about it. So you can get over your fear," he said evenly. She shook her head sharply. "Come on. How bad can it be?" He let a little humor slip into his voice. She got very still, and then began shaking. Just slightly at first, but slowly she shook harder, and harder, until finally her teeth were rattling. Angel wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't cold, or sick, so what was the matter? Then he looked her in the eye, and realized she was terrified.


The library doors slammed open, and Giles was shocked awake. Damn, I fell asleep here again. He turned to find Angel carrying Buffy into the room. "What's happened?" he asked in a frightened tone of voice.

"She's been having the same nightmare for a week," replied the reformed vampire. "I seem to have a physical reaction to it." He carried the shaking girl into Giles office, and laid her on the cot the librarian kept there for late nights of researching. He grabbed Giles cold cup of tea and held it to Buffy's lips. "Drink it, love. I can smell the chamomile. It'll calm you." A little was spilled, but Angel held it steady, and she got enough in to her mouth to have an effect. Slowly, with her love's warm arms around her, and soothing words, she calmed down enough to speak.

Giles was anxiously awaiting the explanation of her dream, and why she didn't tell him before. "Buffy, you know better than to keep this kind of thing from me. Your dreams are important, and may even tell the future." He sounded very matter-of-fact.

"NO!" Her scream startled him off his chair. "No, it can't I won't let it" Buffy's voice descended into nothing, while her anxiety escalated. This dream couldn't come true. If it did she'd take her own life.
Giles looked up from the floor, to see Buffy suddenly become quite calm, and determined. Almost as if, something had changed for her. Apparently her fear was gone. Good. Now we can get on with it thought her Watcher. He got up, and approached her again.

"Now tell me about the dream." He sat in front of her and waited. She looked at him steadily for a moment, and then turned to Angel. Her expression softened, and a single tear fell as she spoke, "A group of maps attack a night school across town. I go there to save them, and fight the vamps." She explained the dream in a monotone, as if reading it from a text book. "While I'm drawn away, another group attacks you guys here in the library." Her voice became heavy with grief. "Angel is staked." She choked on a sob, and got up to slip into her love's arms. After a moment, she continued, "Xander and Willow are killed, and they take you, Giles." Her eyes rose to meet her mentor's. The anguish in them was frightening to see. "At the same time, a vamp kills my mom on her way home from work." Another choking sob was dragged out. "Giles you become the new leader of the vamps. Your knowledge is the key to their victory. They overrun the town, and I'm the last one left. They leave me on purpose, to make me suffer. After everyone's dead, you kill me." Buffy's eyes shut, and she collapsed.


"If her dream is prophetic, is it mutable?" Angel sounded calm and very tightly controlled. He had learned long ago how to keep a hold on his emotions. As he spoke, he caressed Buffy's hair, as she lay on the cot beside his chair. The need to touch her was very strong at the moment. He wished he could take this all away from her. Not getting an answer, he glanced over at Giles to see the Watcher thumbing through yet another tome. "Giles." He tried again to get the man's attention.

"Hmm?" was all the response he got.

"Giles. I've read that, and there's nothing in it." As he spoke, Angel reached over and carefully closed the book. He waited again for a reply to his question.

Giles thought a moment, and said, "Well, it's not in the codex, so it's possible she can change it." He stood up, and walked over to gaze down at the girl's sleeping form. "At the moment I would say we need to get Buffy calmed down and rested. Then we can figure out what to do about her dream." The last was said with distaste. The thought of becoming a vampire, let alone killing his charge, was enough to make him vomit. He turned to Angel. "Can you stay with her? Her mother is gone most of the day, and of course sleeps at night, so she probably won't suspect a thing." He stated it flatly, and Angel wondered if Giles wished he could be the one to take care of her.

"Yes. I'll work it out.'s 's not like I have to go hunting or anything." He laughed stiffly. "What do we do about Xander and Willow? They'll wonder why Buffy's holed up at home."

"I'll inform them of what's going on, and start working on a plan of action." Giles sounded as if he were already lost in thought.

Angel gently picked up Buffy's limp form, and started for her house.


The next morning the daily meeting was less one member.

"Where's Buffy?" asked Willow as she came in.

"Yeah. She didn't answer the phone this morning," quipped Xander. "She always gets the phone."

Giles explained what happened the night before, and what they would have to work on together.

"We died?" Willow asked shakily. "Even Angel?" Xander reached over to pull a braid. She tried to smile in response, but failed miserably in the attempt.

Xander tried to make light of it. "At least we die together, Will." There are a few things I'd like to do an say to you before that happens, though, he thought to himself. "Don't worry. Nobody's gonna hurt my Willow." He hugged her tightly as he said it, and felt her relax in response. Wow, I can do magic. He thought, amused.

"Let's get to work now." Giles was all business. They gathered round him, and began to figure out how to refute Buffy's slayer dream.


Buffy awoke to semi-darkness. Sunlight flowed into her room via the two windows at the far end of the wall. The blinds next to her bed were tightly closed. She sensed-- Angel. He tasted warm and sweet to her slayer senses. Turning toward him, she reached out to touch a bare chest. "Mmm." She purred. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light by the bed. He was lying on a pallette on the floor. One arm was thrown over his eyes, and one knee was bent. He didn't stir at her tourch, so she caressed the smooth skin of his belly. Lazily, she wondered what she might have for breakfast. Her mom made some killer blueberry pancakes, and

She sat up quickly. What was she supposed to do with Angel while her mom was home?! Glad as she was to have him here, she'd be summarily executed if he was found in her bedroom. She'd have to make some excuse to keep her mother out for a few days. Maybe a judicious call to grama would do the trick.

Running downstairs after throwing on some shorts and a top, she found her mother in the kitchen, eating.

"Good morning, dear," her mother said between bites of the aforementioned pancakes. "What do you have planned for the day?" She looked up expectantly.

"Oh, I'm gonna be up in my room cramming for Monday's history test. I'm still really toiling there." Buffy grabbed a cooled pancake from the stack and took a large bite out of it. Ummm! Almost as good as Angel. She giggled to herself.

"You seem chipper this morning, Buffy. I'm glad. You haven't been looking to good lately." Her mother reached out to pinch the girl's cheek, and then stood up. "I'll be at the gallery all day getting ready for the Tiffany show next week, so don't expect me home until very late." The woman patted her daughter's shoulder, and grabbed her purse. Buffy could hear her mother's keys jingling as she left the house.

*What luck! I won't have to worry about mom finding Angel. I can let him sleep all day.* Buffy was relieved. Then she remembered why he was there in the first place. Feeling the panic rise up like bile in her throat, she quickly ran upstairs. Slowing as she entered the room, and breathing deeply of his scent, she bent down and carefully crawled under the blanket next to Angel. He stirred enough to hug her close to him, and she sighed happily. The only time she felt safe was when Angel's arms were around her. As she drifted back to sleep, she wondered if she could stay here forever.


"Buffy?" Instantly awake, the girl recognized her mother's voice. She quickly stood up from behind her bed, her mind casting about for some excuse for her being on the floor. "What were you doing?" her mother predictably asked. Buffy looked down to see Angel's eyes open and questioning. Next to him on the floor was one of her chunky rings. She leaned down to pick it up, and then walked around the bed, saying that she'd been looking for it underneath. Thank God, her mom believed the excuse, and followed Buffy out the door. As they walked down the stairs, the girl asked her mother why she was home so early.

"I'm going back to work, honey. I just wanted to check on you. You've been looking a little pale, and I worry about you." She kissed her daughter, and then headed back out the door.

Buffy picked up the phone, and called her grandmother Anna. If there was ever a cool relative, Grama Anna was it. She and Buffy were schemers together. When Buffy needed an excuse, she knew the woman would help her.

"Grama Anna, I need to get rid of mom for the night. Think you could help me out?" The old chuckled, and Buffy knew there was nothing to worry about.

"I'll trust that you're being a smart girl, and won't do anything that I wouldn't do?" Her grama sounded amused.

"Have I ever? You know me very well Grama, and I've never taken advantage of you."

"True, darlin'. True." Buffy could picture her grama's blue eyes twinkling. "Love you, honey."

"Love you, too, Grama." And Buffy ended the call.


...to be continued.