Hellmouths are for Lovers

Chapter Thirteen

"Dean!"

In a shocked gasp, Buffy jolted awake calling out to him as they were ripped apart and thrown back into consciousness. Her breath was staggered and heavy. Eyes searching the room, she found only her little sister present. Dawn moved from her chair to take a seat at the edge of the bed.

"Buffy, it's alright, just relax," she comforted her older sister, brushing sweat soaked hair from her cheeks, and shouted towards the dining room, "Guys, she's awake."

Still very shaken, she attempted to establish her reality from the one which she had just been violently ejected. The lingering memories and feelings attached to them left a hollow longing in her stomach. Reeling and just a bit nauseous, she struggled to distinguish what was real and what had not come to pass. No matter how honest it felt, none of that had ever happened—she told herself that she could not cling to what she had seen. The Angels had changed so much with just that moment missing from their lives, and the result was the uncontrolled spinout of her life and those she held most dear- all who had been taken due to their actions. Footfalls from the living room gave way to a pile of frantic people trying to push through the door frame.

"How long have I been out?" Buffy managed, voice gravelly and deep from sleep.

"Nineteen hours," Bobby said glancing at his watch.

"You were starting to scare the hell out of us," Willow added, taking a seat on the chair that Dawn had just left.

"The amulet... where is it?" her eyes still scanning the room for the one face she did not see, "Where's Dean?"

"The amulet's safe—Willow hid it in a parallel plane for now where no Angels or Demons could find it," Xander assured.

"As for the Idjit," Bobby spoke answering the second part of her question, "He was gettin' restless, and left a couple of hours ago."

"I'll give him a call," Sam stated pulling out his cell phone.

Buffy nodded her thanks, and when she moved her head she noticed the stiff tension of her skin, and could feel the dried remnants of her own blood in spots on her forehead.

"Sorry about the hasty clean up job, but we didn't expect you to be out this long," Dawn apologized.

"I just want to take shower..." she moaned, pushing herself to the edge of the mattress, every enervated muscles protesting, "Ugh... if I can even stand."

"Here," Dawn extended her arm to shoulder Buffy and help her to the bathroom, "God knows how many times you've cleaned blood off of me."

Together, the sisters made their way to the only bathroom, located in the hall, and the others spilled back out into the dining room, taking their seats again at the table. At the bathroom door closing and the sound of running water, Xander pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"Alright, money on the table," he announced as the others pulled out cash from pockets and wallets, tossing it into a loose pile in the middle of the table, "Closest without going over wins."

They heard the door open and Buffy call out just as Xander exclaimed, "And, we have a winner at eighteen hours!" followed by an assortment of curse words from the group.

"Willow?"

Shamefully turning towards the sound of her name, Willow responded innocently, "Yes, Buffy?"

"Did we do a load of towels?" Buffy asked, eyes narrowed, "... if you tell me where they're at, I can get them so you can count your winnings."

"No, I... uh... didn't win," She dropped her eyes as she hustled down the hallway towards the washer and dryer.