Pete's Ficlet
by Pete Meilinger

Buffy walked slowly into the room she shared with Willow. The room was dark and silent as she crossed to the redhead's bed.

"Will?" she called softly, fighting back tears.

"Urm?" she heard, from the vaguely Willow-shaped lump of blankets.

"Willow," Buffy said, louder, shaking her friend's sleeping form.

"What?" Willow demanded plaintively. "Buffy? Why'd you wake me up? I was having a great dream..."

"It's Xander, Will," Buffy cut her off.

"Xander?" Willow asked, still half asleep.

"He's... There's been... an accident, Will." Willow gasped, but didn't say anything. Buffy went on. "We were walking home from patrolling. A car came flying around the corner, doing sixty, sixty-five, I don't know."

"I didn't move. Couldn't move. Xander grabbed me and threw me out of the way. The car hit him, Will, it hit him because he saved me."

Willow was crying now, tears streaming down her face. The Slayer felt her own tears struggling to break free. "The car never even slowed down. Drunk driver, probably. Another car stopped as I was trying to help Xander. The driver called 911 on her cell-phone."

Buffy sobbed, a harsh, wracking noise that shook her whole body. Willow reached out her arms, and Buffy collapsed into them, burrowing into her friend's embrace.

"Is he..." Willow began through her own tears, but couldn't finish the question.

Buffy shook her head against Willow's shoulder. "He's not dead, but he's really bad. He hasn't woken up yet. The doctor said they don't know if he will."

Willow closed her eyes, trying to deny Buffy's words, but it was no use. "We should call everyone and get down there," she said, after a moment.

"Yeah," Buffy agreed.

Neither girl moved. They continued to lie there, holding each other as they cried.

~Fin~

 

Disclaimer: All Buffy and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, Mutant Enemy, Sand Dollar, Greenwolf Productions, and the Kuzuis; this piece of fan-written fiction intends no infringement on any copyrights.