Summary: A Slayer caught between life and death with no escape, no voice, what do you do? Why get the help from someone who can literally walk inside her mind of course.
Published: September 2010
Disclaimer: BtVS is the property of Joss Whedon, and Inception is the property of Warner Bros. Pictures, and written by Christopher Nolan
Ratings: PG-13
Pairings: Buffy/Dom Cobb
Author's Note: This is a complete AU take of Seeing Red and its after effects.
Special Note: Special thanks to mmooch for stepping up to betaing this for me. Thanks for all the help sweetie.
A small body lay still amidst a sea of white sheets. The only sound in the sterile room was the steady beeping of the heart monitor. The body started thrashing and jerking against the restraints holding it in place. It twisted and turned into unimaginable positions, contorting its shape as if no bones lay under the skin in its efforts to find release. An arm, then a leg, sprang free from its bonds, quickly followed by its partner. The only part to remain constrained to the bed was the torso, and even it continued to arch against the offensive material. Unable to get completely free, the body still twisted around, shooting out an arm or leg as it fought some invisible foe.
This went on for what seemed like hours, while in truth, mere minutes had passed. As quickly as it began, it ended. The arms and legs dropped as if someone had cut their strings. The body returned to its unearthly calm.
Suddenly, the monitor went silent. Alarms filled the air, and hospital staff filled the room, while 'CODE BLUE ROOM 1C' announcements blasted out over the PA system.
A lone observer watched, feeling helpless. He stayed motionless as the scene played out the way it had for the past year. The doctors and nurses worked to revive the patient. They pressed on the small chest; pumped air into the lungs, and when that didn't achieve the desired results, used those hated paddles.
He had come to hate this part of the routine. The way her body would arch up from the bed as if it was trying to break free from this world. He couldn't help but think that was exactly what she wanted to do. His breath whooshed out as the monitor caught her faint pulse, which steadily became stronger. He cursed the sound, and then the others. His Slayer lived again - if this half-life even qualified for living.
Giles knew it wasn't what she wanted. However, no matter how hard he tried to convince the others to let Buffy go, they refused. Dawn became hysterical at the idea, screaming that Buffy was fighting to stay alive. Xander… well, Xander stormed from the room whenever he mentioned the subject. Anya was the only one who agreed with him, but that was little comfort. No one listened to her. Her reasoning, though sound, did little to help. Anya simply told Dawn that if she didn't pull the plug on Buffy soon that she'd have to sell the house to pay the medical bills.
He turned to leave, unable to watch any longer. Giles had to do so something to resolve this situation. It couldn't go on the way it was for all their sakes, but most especially for Buffy. She deserved some peace. Now he just had to find a way to help the others see that.
If Willow were still able to use magic, he would have had her walk inside Buffy's mind and show the others what was happening. Willow, poor Willow. She had decided upon a path, regardless of the warnings from him and others. Now she was paying for her reckless actions.
Giles shook his head at how far the promising young Wiccan had fallen. He had returned from England in time to help the others stop her from unleashing hell on Earth. A coven he had remained friendly with had agreed to take her in and slowly siphon off her magic. The process was painful, and the best outcome they could hope for was that at the end Willow would have some portion of her sanity intact.
They had no other choice. Oh, he could have forced them to turn her over to the authorities, but the penal system had no way of dealing with a magic user of Willow's caliber. She could immolate any detainment unit with ease.
Cobb sat looking at the man he had agreed to meet for coffee. He looked like he belonged in some lecture hall, rather than trying to convince him to pick up the tattered threads of things, things he had sworn to leave far behind. The cool stare leveled at him told Cobb this man was more than his first impression.
"My name's Rupert Giles, and I've been led to believe you can help me."
Cobb felt the fine hairs rise on his skin at that clipped British accent. This guy had come to the wrong person. His information was several years too late. He had architected his last dream, and laid his past to rest. Cobb still missed Mal, but he wouldn't trade having his children back for anything.
"Who gave you my name, Mr. Giles?"
Giles sat watching the different emotions play across the younger man's face. He knew it was going to take some serious persuasion on his part to get Mr. Cobb to do what he needed.
"Miles and I were at Eton together," he said with a smile.
Cobb's head jerked up and he nearly spilled the coffee he was about to drink. His hand rattled as he carefully sat the cup back down on the table. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way Miles would ever send someone to him for - this.
"That's bullshit! He would never send someone to me for this. Not Miles," Cobb growled in a loud whisper.
Giles leaned forward as his eyes heated with compressed anger. "I don't have time to play games, young man." He slipped his hand into his pocket and drew out a mobile phone, and tossed it on the table between them. "Call him yourself. His number is the last one dialed as we talked right before I came here," he challenged.
Cobb couldn't stop his hand from reaching into his pocket to touch the small metal top. His fingers traced the rounded contours as he fought the urge to spin it on the table. He pressed his skin against the dull tip, until he felt the ache that told him he was awake. His fingers released the talisman as he withdrew his hand, and reached for the phone. He saw Miles' number, pressed send and waited for the familiar voice to come onto the line.
"Rupert, how did it go?"
"Miles, what's going on?" Cobb asked in confusion. His father-in-law had never approved of his previous line of work. He couldn't believe that he would send this man to him to ask return to it.
"Dom!" Miles exclaimed. "Where's Rupert?"
Cobb pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it, as if he wasn't sure what he was looking at. He put it next to his ear again to hear Miles scream into it.
"Why would you do this? Why now, after everything I've done to get back to the children and put it all behind me?" Cobb almost didn't recognize the hoarse painful whisper as his own voice.
Silence fell heavy over the phone. Cobb could actually hear Miles breathe across the line. "I owe him, Dom, more than you could ever know. Do you really think I would ask this otherwise? I didn't actually promise him anything, only the opportunity to talk with you. The rest is up to you."
The phone went dead, and Cobb stared at it as if it might actually come to life and bite him. He turned back to his audience with a heavy sigh. He would listen, then politely refuse whatever Mr. Giles wanted him to do.
He listened to an incredible story. If this man wasn't Miles' friend, Cobb would have said it was complete make-believe. Except, he couldn't - not after everything he had seen and done. The more Mr. Giles spoke, the more Cobb found himself drawn into Buffy Summers' life.
Giles placed his card on the table before he pushed his chair back and stood. He looked down at Cobb wearily, then finally said, "I'll await your decision, Mr. Cobb. Please think over what I've said. You really are Buffy's only chance to find some peace, one way or another."
He wasn't sure what had changed his mind, or how he planned to go about doing this without his team. Cobb didn't even know how to get in contact with anyone. He had completely lost touch with Arthur. The last he had heard, he and Ariadne were together somewhere in Switzerland. He wasn't sure what they were doing, and didn't want to know. Although, he wondered if they were still building, would Mr. Giles have gone to them instead? Cobb didn't think so. He thought Miles' connection to Mr. Giles had more to do with them asking him to come onboard. He was their last chance. Cobb shook his head at the thought.
Who would ever think that about him?
Mr. Giles reassured him that he could take care of everything he needed. Cobb decided if he was going back inside, he wasn't going to drag his old team down with him. Miles and he had an exhaustive talk after he took some time to calm down. The outcome was that Cobb knew he could trust Mr. Giles. Well, as much as he allowed himself to trust anyone. He still couldn't help but feel that he was an alcoholic about to take his first drink after the long years of sobriety.
Cobb had spent the past week reading Buffy Summers' diaries. He felt he knew her even better than he knew himself. It was rather disconcerting to think that while he had created dreamscapes inside others' heads, she had survived true nightmares. He shuddered to think of Phillipa having such a destiny thrust upon her. Shaking his head to clear away such thoughts, Cobb pulled his car into the hospital parking lot.
He walked into the small hospital in an even smaller town that he had never heard of until two weeks ago. It was strangely quiet with no medical staff around. His hand slipped into his pocket to touch his talisman. Cobb wondered how long it would take him before he could live without it. He made his way down the hall, looking for the room number where Buffy Summers lay immobile.
His pupils enlarged and his heart rate increased as he stared through the glass window. She was so small. Cobb wasn't sure what he had expected. It certainly wasn't this. Laying there breathing with the steady rhythmic noise of the monitors the only sound in the room, she looked like a porcelain doll. He had created this other picture in his head. This wasn't the vibrant woman in the lone picture Mr. Giles gave him. It wasn't the fearless warrior he had read about, or the teenager who lost her first love.
Cobb pushed open the door and went inside the room. His eyes gazed about the room, noticing the small personal touches someone had added. A handmade quilt lay at Buffy's feet, a beautiful watercolor hung on the wall directly across from her, and fresh flowers filled the vase beside her bed. Cobb noticed a book next to the vase, with the bookmark sticking out from the pages. He picked it up and softly started reading to Buffy.
He heard the soft click from the door opening and thought nothing of it. The staff came in periodically to check on Buffy. Cobb continued to read, but startled from his chair when someone placed their hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Cobb. I didn't mean to startle you," Giles apologized.
"N-no, that's all right," Cobb stuttered as he waited for his heart to dislodge from his throat. "I thought it was the staff coming to check on her."
His eyes immediately went to where Buffy remained unmoved. Giles caught the gesture, and couldn't stop the small smile from playing across his lips. It seemed Buffy had won another admirer without even trying.
"Ah, I see you found our book," he said, changing the subject.
Cobb's brow wrinkled in confusion, until he realized he had the book clutched to his chest like a lifeline. He smoothed his features, retrieved the bookmark and set the book aside.
"I hope you don't mind," he remarked.
"No, not at all. Truth be known, I think it soothes me more than her. Still, there's the hope that she can hear me. Will you do it, Mr. Cobb?"
Pale green eyes held the lightest blue. The two men faced each other in the cloying silence. One desperately needed what the other had. Yet, the other felt torn between his fight or flight instincts. Cobb knew that after seeing Buffy, he couldn't leave her there caught between both worlds. His greatest fear was that he would lose himself, while trying to save her.
"She seems so calm. When do these violent outbreaks normally occur?" Cobb asked, knowing he hadn't answered the question. He was stalling even though he knew he had already created the necessary levels in his head.
"Night."
"Ah," he hummed his response.
They turned to look at the subject of their conversation. She lay as still as before, never moving, simply breathing in and out, as the monitor chirped rhythmically.
"You want this to happen as quickly as possible, and I understand your reasons. But, I'll need to watch at least one episode, if not more in order to create the right timeline. We have to do this right, Mr. Giles. This isn't easy, and I don't want to do any harm while I'm inside. My previous subjects were all conscious prior to us putting them to sleep. I'm not sure how fine a line I'm walking dealing with a coma patient."
Giles simply nodded his head. He fought to retain his English upper-lip, but the relief he felt inside was becoming overwhelming. This was the first sense of hope he had felt in some time. He had long since come to terms with losing Buffy. His duty now was seeing to her final rest. Legally he had no standing, and since Dawn was Buffy's closest relative, she was the only person who could sign the Do Not Resuscitate form. This was the only way to get her to realize it was time to let Buffy go.
Cobb was happy to say he wouldn't have to witness any more violent 'seizures' as they liked to call them. What a nice technical name for the horror show he had watched. He understood why Mr. Giles had searched high and low for someone like him. If he actually dreamed anymore, he knew he would have nightmares about Buffy's small body fighting and then dying, only to have the staff restart her heart like clockwork. She didn't do so every night - which was odd - but she did it on a regular enough basis that they called her their miracle patient. Some miracle. Cobb grimaced at the memory.
Tonight he would go in and look around, perhaps try to connect with Buffy for the first time. He thought doing the extraction on several small trips was better than trying to jump in during a violent episode.
Call me crazy, but I have no desire to tag along for that ride.
Cobb lay down in the chair next to Buffy's bed. Her steady breathing soothed him as he watched Mr. Giles set up the room. He closed his eyes as he replayed his designs in his head. The team assembled was small, but they had shown that they knew what they were doing. He didn't ask Mr. Giles where he found them, and he didn't offer. Last night they did a dry run, and it went well. Mr. Giles volunteered to play guinea pig, and it provided the missing pieces Cobb needed to pull the design together. Tonight was the real deal, and Cobb couldn't help the rush of adrenaline he felt.
He felt the freefall almost before he realized what was happening. One minute he was running through everything then wham…he's back in the game. He looked around at his surroundings in confusion. This wasn't his design. He stood in a long hallway with lockers on both sides, and an arrow pointing down the hall. Cobb walked over to the arrow, where he found written beneath it in large letters - LIBRARY.
This was beyond anything he had ever seen within a dreamscape. He wasn't sure who was guiding the design. Cobb followed the arrow to the Library and stepped through the swinging double doors. There sat Buffy Summers. She wasn't the same as her picture though. Cobb figured she was about sixteen. She sat on one of the large tables, kicking her legs and looking the very picture of a bored teenager. Her head turned toward him as he came through the doors. She presented him with a mega-watt smile and he couldn't help but smile in return.
"Why did you bring me here?" The words burst from his lips before he could stop himself.
Her head tilted to the side as she stared at him. Cobb felt as if she was measuring him for what - or should he say against what - he wasn't sure. She must have decided he had passed inspection.
"You had to see from the beginning."
She jumped from the table, and in one smooth move, was out the door before he could respond. Cobb raced after her. He caught a glimpse of her just ahead, down the long hallway. Pushing as hard as possible, Cobb worked to catch the suddenly elusive teen. As he neared her, he watched her short skirt lengthen and turn white, while the long trail of blonde hair drew up into a fashionable updo as the hallway shifted into a darkened cave.
Buffy threw him a look over her shoulder as she stepped up to face off against an incredibly ugly 'man'. Cobb skidded to a stop when he hit an invisible wall. His cheek slid down the side before he caught himself. He pounded on the barrier and screamed at Buffy to let him through. She couldn't hear him, or chose to ignore him. In either case, he had no choice but to watch the scene play out before him.
He remembered reading this from her diaries. It was a thousand times worse seeing it up close in Technicolor. The Master reeled Buffy's slight body toward him. He bit into her slender neck then threw her away like garbage. Cobb couldn't stand it. He started pounding again, even though he knew it was fruitless.
How is she controlling the design?
He had to wait until he could see an opportunity to take back control. His heart pounded against his chest as he watched Buffy drown. Her friend - what was his name? - Xander, gave her CPR, and she slowly came back to life. Cobb breathed a happy sigh of relief. She rose with such grace, ready to take on the world…to save the world. Cobb watched her every move, every emotion that played across her young face.
The barrier he was leaning against disappeared and he fell to his knees on the cave floor. He slowly stood and approached the murky water where minutes before Buffy had lost her life. Cobb stared down into it, wondering if it held the answers he sought. His head jerked up when he heard Buffy's soft voice.
"Do you understand?"
Cobb thought he caught a glimmer of something, but wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that he needed to take back control. He intended to take back control of the construct. Cobb simply stepped into the pool of water, using it as his kick to take him to the next level. His head cleared the water with a gasp as he drew air into his lungs. He forgot how much he hated that part. Cobb pulled himself from the water.
His clothes dried before he approached the target's front door. He opened it and walked inside to find her waiting for him. She was older. He was guessing eighteen. Her face had lost the rounded cheeks and showed the more angular lines from the pictures he had seen. Buffy Summers would become a beautiful woman, and was a very pretty teen. She sent him that warm welcoming smile he had come to expect.
Cobb was happy to see that his construct was in play as they sat before the warm fire in Angel's mansion. He reconstructed the room from Buffy's diaries and his own visits. Cobb was careful to place certain things about, which she wouldn't see but that let him know he was controlling the dream not her. His hand unconsciously slipped into his pocket for his talisman.
"So, welcome to my life."
She smirked as she waved for him to join her on the couch. He walked forward and sat opposite her. His eyes encompassed her body language and surroundings in a single sweep. She appeared relaxed, with her legs propped up on the couch and had her arm casually thrown across the back. Cobb knew she was watching his every move.
"You didn't answer my question, but I'm guessing since you're here…" Her hands spread wide to encompass the room at large. "Your answer would go in the 'NO' category. Have to say I'm kinda disappointed." She frowned at him. "Thought they'd send someone who was smarter. Catch as catch can I always say." Her little nose wrinkled. "Not really but it's catchy don't you think."
Cobb watched her plump lower lip fall into the infamous pout he had heard so much about. Then the room tilted as he slid from the couch into a heap on the floor.
Shit!
Sh...it!
Varied curse words in numerous languages rang through his head as Cobb felt everything turn inside out and upside down. He closed his eyes as he tried to regain control of the construct. No such luck. His eyes opened to another walk down the twisted lanes of Buffy's memory.
Cobb looked over to the couch expecting to see her there. It lay turned over on its side. His eyes widened in panic. The room was in disarray as if some huge battle had taken place. He started forward to try to find Buffy, worried that she was hurt when he heard horrible sounds. Cobb didn't think he would ever forget them as long as he lived.
He walked around the overturned couch. Buffy lay supine with Angel atop her. His face was horrific in its vampiric guise. It appeared to Cobb as if he were attempting to devour her whole as he drank from her fragile neck. The slurping, gulping sounds echoed in his ears as if the large gothic mansion somehow amplified their timber. Or, perhaps it was his sense of horror at the sight. It didn't matter; Cobb knew he had to stop Angel or Buffy would die. He tried to go to her to stop this nightmare and hit the same invisible force that stopped him before. His hands slapped against it in frustration.
Who was doing this? How were they doing this, and why?
He watched helplessly as Buffy's hands beat ineffectively against Angel's arm. They fell to the floor as he continued to feed and she grew weaker. Cobb watched as they fluttered like tiny butterflies in an attempt for freedom.
His eyes narrowed as he watched intently, knowing something was about to happen - something important. Buffy's hand suddenly surged with strength as she reached for a metal vase. Her hand clasped the vase and she smashed it against Angel's head. The dazed vampire stopped his feeding to realize what he had done. Cobb heard the distant monitor go quiet. The vampire gathered Buffy's limp body into his arms to rush her from the room.
There…there it was what he thought he saw in the cave. A dark form was stalking Buffy. It slipped through the door soon after Angel carried her through it. He followed, trying to keep up without letting it see him.
It suddenly turned and leapt at him. Cobb fell backward as a body hit him like a ton of bricks. Before he could defend himself, he was waking from the dream. Water dripped from his nose as he stared into Miles' face.
"What the hell?" Cobb exclaimed as he gently pushed Miles away.
He wondered when his father-in-law had arrived, but his presence wasn't the most pressing mater. Cobb pulled the needle from his arm. He threw them aside as he got up from his chair and reached for the towel Miles offered him.
"Okay, would you mind telling me why you pulled me early?"
He expected Mr. Giles to answer, and was surprised when he heard the concern in Miles' voice.
"Because you were showing the same signs as Miss Summers right before one of her episodes." He exchanged glances with Mr. Giles, before he continued. "Forgive us for thinking it best to pull you out, Dom."
Cobb raked his hand through his hair. Miles was right to pull him out, but it didn't help that he was about to find the answer they sought.
"No, you did the right thing," he sighed.
He paced the room while he explained everything that had happened during his time with Buffy. Cobb worked hard to put the pieces together. He knew there were a few pieces still missing. The problem came about because Buffy kept her emotions bottled inside and took all the blame whenever things went wrong. She used her journal as a release, but even they only skimmed the top layers. It was as if Buffy couldn't give voice to her feelings. Still, he had to try to see if he had missed something.
"Mr. Giles, I need to look at Buffy's diaries again. There's something I might have missed, and I think it's important."
Giles nodded in agreement. He waited to hear what Cobb had discovered. His hand reached for his glasses by nervous habit. Miles wasn't as patient, and played on his personal relationship with Cobb.
"For goodness sakes, Dom. Tell us what you saw at the very least," he said, leveling his piercing blue eyes on his son-in-law.
Cobb turned to see the two expectant faces staring at him. He glanced at the other technicians Mr. Giles had brought in to help him. They caught his hesitation. Cobb stepped over to the far corner and they followed him.
"It was strange. I'd have control, and suddenly Buffy would change the design. She was taking me through the memories of the most traumatic moments in her life; when things changed for her, or perhaps shouldn't have changed. I'm not sure. Plus, there was something there."
Miles grabbed Cobb's arm. He turned the younger man toward him to search his face. His shoulders sagged in relief. He must have found what he was looking for since he released Cobb with an apologetic smile.
"What do you mean something there? Can you describe it?" Giles asked as he sent sidewise glances at his old friend.
He wasn't sure what was going on between Miles and his son-in-law. Giles did know that it had better not interfere with helping Buffy. His eyes narrowed as he sent Miles a Ripperesque glare. The other man looked then back at Cobb as he awaited an answer. Giles smiled when he noticed his old friend straighten his shoulders.
That's better, old boy, get it together.
Cobb turned to Mr. Giles and found the older man staring at Miles. He slowly turned his head toward him, and Cobb couldn't help the strange feeling this man was someone to handle carefully.
He closed his eyes as he tried to recall the details. Cobb softy whispered, "Dark, powerful, predatory comes to mind. And I could swear I saw white markings. It was fast and kept to the shadows. I just caught the movement from the corner of my eye, and perhaps wouldn't have even seen that much were it not for Buffy's words. There's much more to the instances in her life than she revealed to anyone, and this…whatever it is," Cobb exclaimed, his hands flew upward in frustration. "It's at the center of it all. Look, I never would have believed any of this before you came to me." He stared into Giles' pale green eyes, pleading for understanding. "But, I'm telling you that I can help figure this out. The answers are in her diaries, I just know it."
They raced from the hospital to Buffy's home. Her room had become a shrine, and Cobb felt strange entering it. He didn't exchange pleasantries with her sister or friends, simply because there wasn't much he could say. They didn't like what he was there for, and he didn't much agree with their attitude.
He went straight to the small desk that sat next to the window seat. His finger brushed against the sheer drapes, and knew Buffy had sat here to pour out her emotions. He just wished she could have found it within herself to speak about the people she wrote about, or even expound on the events to address the stifled feelings he saw in her writing. Cobb recognized it not only from his own educational background, but also from his experience with Mal.
Retrieving Buffy's diaries, he laid them on her bed. Cobb slipped off his shoes then stretched until he found a comfortable position. He reached for the first diary, and leaned back to start reading. This time he paid particular attention to specific detail. The nuisances Buffy used, and more importantly, what she didn't say.
He jotted down notes as he read, with dates and events beside them. People's names in bold letters lay to the farthest right border. It appeared that he was keeping some sort of running score under each name. Every so often, he would add a slash underneath a name then continue reading.
This continued for several hours, until he came to the last book. Cobb placed it on his chest then took several slow breaths. He closed his eyes as he laid his forearm across them. He was the very picture of exhaustion. A knock on the door disturbed his small respite. He sighed loudly, but remained as he was.
"Yes," he called out.
An arm holding coffee clutched in its hand opened the door. The other hand held up a bag filled with sugary goodness, and its owner sent Cobb a cheery smile.
"How goes it?"
Miles walked into the room, handing Dom the coffee. He placed the bag on the nightstand. His blue eyes perused the books strewn about the bed. They wandered back up the relaxed body sprawled haphazardly across the mattress. Dom looked very much at home in Buffy Summers' bedroom. Miles couldn't remember seeing the younger man appearing as relaxed anywhere else without the children nearby. His brow furrowed in concern. Dom had finally come to terms with Mal's death and finally put his life back together. Miles wasn't sure what he or the children would do if he went off the rails again.
Cobb turned to Miles using his finger to mark his place in the diary. "I know what to do. It's not going to be as easy as we thought and well…" his voiced dropped off as he turned away from his father-in-law's concerned stare.
"Spit it out, Dom. What are you not saying?"
Cobb gently placed the diary aside. He no longer had any need for it, but felt reluctant to release the physical link with Buffy's past. Shaking his head at his own foolishness, he pushed off the bed and walked over to the window seat. He stared out at the tree she used to sneak out for her nightly slaying duties.
"I have to go back inside and help her finish what she's started," he answered cryptically.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"I'm not sure I can explain it more than once, and that it will make much sense even then. Come on, she doesn't have much time left."
They gathered the diaries together and left the room. Cobb stopped as he went to close the door. His eyes glanced back around the seemingly innocent room. It looked like any other teenage girl's room, yet he knew better.
"It's almost over, Buffy, I promise," he whispered into the silent, empty room then closed the door behind him.
Cobb was once again sitting next to Buffy's bed. A silent tech was about to dose him with the cocktail mixture that would send him to the first level. The long exhaustive discussion that took place earlier hadn't helped his preparation routine. He came close to calling it off - or at the very least, postponing it for several hours. Cobb felt everything fade away the minute he stepped into Buffy's room. He couldn't explain it, and didn't want to.
He looked around at the people milling around the room for the first time. There was a distinctive air about them. He realized they were military, and wondered why he hadn't seen it before. Cobb shook his head at overlooking something so obvious. He was part of the original team to create the system for the military training program. It was foolish for him to think that they hadn't continued without him. He didn't understand why the military would involve themselves with Buffy. It worried him, though, since his own dealings with them had shown that they didn't like to lose what they considered valuable assets.
"Don't worry, Mr. Cobb, we're all here voluntarily. Each of us owes Buffy our lives," the tech said as he started the drip. "She's in good hands with us. We've got the hospital wired, and no one will interfere until this is through." He sent Cobb a pleasant smile. "Good luck. If you get a chance, tell Buffy that Graham says hey." Cobb nodded, while still eyeing the young tech/soldier with some doubt. He had no choice this far into the game. Laying his head back against the chair, Cobb closed his eyes and melted into the dream.
He walked into Giles' apartment where he found Buffy waiting for him. She sat perched atop an enormous stack of books, holding an equally large book across her lap. He saw that the title started with 'V', but nothing more. Giles' round glasses sat perched across her nose. She held a delicate cup of tea, with her pinky arched upward as she sipped the fragrant brew.
Buffy smiled at him expectantly as she asked, "Do you understand?"
"How many times has it happened?"
He watched her smile fade as she dropped the book to the floor. It landed with a loud 'THUMP!' The books crumbled from beneath her, and she rode them to the ground, where she gracefully landed on her feet mere inches from him. Buffy stared up at him, and Cobb couldn't help but feel small next to her larger-than-life persona.
"The devil's in the details," she said, before she turned to dash out the door in a blonde blur of speed.
He cursed under his breath as he turned to chase after her. How, the hell, did this keep happening? Cobb stepped out the door into total mayhem.
You have to be kidding me, right?
He looked at the sky as if some entity would answer him. Perhaps, given everything he had learned over the past few weeks, it wasn't too far of a stretch.
Buffy was facing off against some patchwork monster, and she was winning. Her hair flew about her like a nimbus. Her voice echoed with some strange overlay of voices. Cobb gulped as she turned to stare at him with gold-rimmed red eyes. He watched her destroy the monster as her then-boyfriend watched from the sidelines. Cobb watched Riley come forward in time to catch her before she collapsed to the floor.
There it was again. He knew he was on the right track and took off after Buffy. He slid to a stop when he saw her fighting unimaginable monsters. Cobb knew what he had seen.
But before he could do or say anything, the construct changed. The kick was different as he felt his world tilt around him. He hit the ground hard in a heap of legs and arms. Cobb understood Buffy's subconscious didn't want him there on some level, yet had opened up to him despite that. He had to walk a fine line while here, especially since it appeared, that she could take control whenever she wanted. At least Cobb hoped it was her taking control; the other option terrified him.
He slowly got to his feet and stared at his newest challenge. It was a castle from some bad B-movie. He couldn't have created this if he had wanted to, and he didn't want to. He knew Buffy was inside with Dracula. The 'Dracula' with the accent and fangs, who could turn into a bat, and he even had the brides who followed him around wherever he went.
Cobb started walking up the steps when he saw it - the shadow. He ran for the door in an effort to get to Buffy before it did. The door wouldn't open at first, and he fought the knob. It finally turned in his hand. He didn't stop to wonder why as he ran for where he knew he would find Buffy. She was drinking from Dracula when it happened.
The shadow attacked her. They rolled on the floor, neither getting the upper hand on the other. Cobb knew he had to do something to stop this before Buffy died. The only thing he could think to do was to kick to the next level. He prayed he would take Buffy along with him. It would have to happen fast and take something big to work.
He stared at Dracula, who stood back, watching the fight with a bored expression. Cobb searched the room around him then smiled. He grabbed the decorative sword from the wall and swung at the Count's head. It fell to the ground, frozen in a wide-eyed look of shock. The fight stopped and Cobb grabbed Buffy as he jumped straight into the full-length mirror against the wall across from them.
They landed in a dark, quiet place. Cobb had kept this construct as an emergency escape. He had hoped he wouldn't need it. He pulled Buffy next to him as she gasped for air. Her slight body shook and his heart went out to her. Cobb couldn't imagine how long she had kept this from the others.
The question that rang through his mind was why? Why wouldn't she tell them? Share this with those closest to her, wasn't there anyone she could tell? He couldn't stop the harsh laugh that bubbled from his chest. Her head jerked up as she sent him a wary look. He shook his head at her. It was the same reason he didn't tell his team about Mal.
"They have no idea, do they?" He felt her head shake against his arm. "Exactly how am I supposed to convince them about something this big?"
Buffy pushed away from his embrace to stare up at him with wide green eyes. She turned away to stare into the darkened space.
Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper, "How do you tell those you care about the most that they need to let you go. Every day you stay alive, if you can call it that, puts them in more danger. I thought it was finally over when I died to save Dawnie's life."
She paused and looked back at him. Cobb saw everything there written across her face. Buffy didn't have the strength to keep on fighting. The shadow would win eventually. He waited for her to continue.
"They brought me back, and I felt as if I couldn't breathe. I…I hated them for it. I tried not to, but I did. Eventually things got better, but the other…" she trailed off. "It hasn't stopped, and inevitably landed me here." Her hands spread wide to encompass their surroundings. "She won't let me go. No matter how hard I fight, she won't leave me alone."
"She?"
"The First Slayer."
The pieces fell into place for Cobb. He understood what was happening, and thought he knew how to stop it. Perhaps he could finally help Buffy and her family find some peace.
"Buffy, do you trust me enough to help you with this?"
She wrinkled her small upturned nose at him as she thought over his proposition. He watched her became the Buffy he had seen from the pictures. The woman he would have liked to know had circumstances been different. She slowly nodded her head.
Cobb rose to his feet then extended his hand to her. Buffy placed her hand in his as he helped her to her feet. She looked up at him, unsure what to make of him. He was ruggedly handsome, although not really her type. It wasn't as if they would see each other after this. So, Buffy did a very Buffy thing. She lifted up to her tiptoes and brushed her lips across Cobb's. His wide-eyed expression told her she had caught him off-guard, but that he hadn't minded. Her lips tilted upward into a self-satisfied smile. Yeah, even dream-Buffy still had it.
"Here's how this needs to work," Cobb explained his design to Buffy, and she nodded her head in understanding. "Okay, we need to kick to the last level and send you on your way. Are you ready?"
Buffy stood in one boneless move. Cobb watched in admiration at her inherent grace. He got to his feet, although not as gracefully as Buffy, but he had his own strength about him. They clasped hands as they approached the door. He turned to her and smiled. She returned it as they stepped through. Light encompassed them, snapping out of sight as the door closed softly behind them.
They were falling from Glory's tower. The lightning crashed around them and the ground rushed up to meet them. Pain rushed through their bodies as the portal's power encompassed them. It was just what Cobb was hoping for as he pushed them forward to the next level. He had no desire to watch Buffy fall to her death, but using it as a kick worked perfectly.
They landed on their feet right back where it had all began - the Master's Cave. This time Cobb controlled the design with Buffy giving him free reign. They approached the murky pool where Buffy experienced her first death. Cobb felt her fingers tremble, and he tightened his hold on her hand.
"Trust me," he softly whispered.
He guided her around the pool to the shadowed recesses deeper within the cave. Buffy stared up at him in confusion. Cobb pressed his free hand against his lips to quiet her. They waited quietly for several moments. The previous scene replayed before their eyes.
Cobb felt Buffy try to break away from him, but he held onto her with everything he had. He turned to her and pointed to the water as the other Buffy left. Buffy quieted then stared in horror. The Shadow drew itself up and stalked after Buffy's younger persona.
Buffy turned to Cobb, who nodded, and they burst from their hiding place. They raced after the First Slayer's shadow, tackling it to the ground. Buffy knew she had to defeat it here - when it was at its weakest - or she would never know peace. She had no intention to let this bitch continue to kill her each night.
Cobb extracted himself from the dog pile, as the two powerful 'women' started exchanging blows. He watched as they slammed each other against the cave walls, threw punches and kicks with unimaginable speed. It didn't seem as if either had the upper hand. The longer they fought, the more solid the 'shadow' became. It had Cobb worried. He had no idea if this was good or bad.
However, from the grim look of determination on Buffy's face, he prayed it was good. He started looking around for some type weapon for Buffy to use. This was an all or nothing battle with Buffy's life in the balance. Cobb almost slapped himself in the head as the obvious stared him in the face. He ran over to the water and lay on his stomach. Cobb thrust his hand into the grey water and started searching about.
"Come on, come on," he muttered under his breath.
He felt his body tilting forward and held onto the edge with his other hand. There he felt something, and went back across it. He stretched his fingers out as his face came perilously close to the water. Cobb held his breath and dunked his head under the water to grab the object. He reached for it and arched backward, gasping for air.
"Got it!" he crowed with excitement, pumping his fist in the air.
He turned back to the fight and felt his heart drop. The First Slayer held Buffy beneath her, and was choking the life from her. Cobb had to do something or Buffy would die again, and he wasn't sure she would get this chance again. He tackled the First Slayer off Buffy.
Unfortunately, it directed the feral woman's attention toward him. He heard Buffy's gasp for air, and then he was airborne. His body slammed against the wall, and Cobb swore he was seeing stars circle his head. The woman flashed her teeth at him before turning back to Buffy. Guess she was done with him. Cobb couldn't say he was unhappy with that. Hopefully, he had bought Buffy enough time.
It was up to her now. All he could do was watch and wait.
The First Slayer spun around to continue her attack on Buffy. She was met with a hard blow to the jaw. It threw her backward, but she quickly recovered. A low guttural growl emitted from her chest as she advanced on Buffy. This time Buffy met her halfway. They were like two bighorn rams butting heads. Their blows came so fast that Cobb couldn't keep track. He held his breath and waited.
It happened in slow motion when he least expected it. The First Slayer kicked Buffy away from her. He followed the trajectory as Buffy's body crumpled against the cave floor. His heart caught in his throat.
Get up, Buffy. Get up…get up…get up.
The mantra poured from his lips as he watched helplessly. The Fist Slayer stalked over to Buffy's beaten body. She grabbed her hair, pulling her face up as she snarled down into her bruised face. Suddenly, Buffy surged up from the floor and shoved her fist at the First Slayer's heart. The First Slayer's coal black eyes widened in shock as she stared down at her chest, where Mr. Pointy stuck mid-way through her heart. She looked back at Buffy in acceptance, before she faded from sight.
Buffy collapsed back to the ground, breathing heavily. It was finally over. She heard Cobb as he got to his feet. It was time for him to leave. Time for them both to leave. Buffy smiled as she shakily got to her feet. She felt his arm wrap around her waist in support as they started to walk back toward the light.
She was finally going home.
Cobb woke to silent monitors and solemn faces. He turned to see Buffy's body lying there in quiet repose. She was gone, and he knew that they had finally allowed her to find her release.
Miles helped him to his feet and pressed his shoulder in quiet understanding. They had grown closer over this past year. Each in their own way had laid Mal's ghost to rest. They missed her terribly but knew it was time to move forward and give Phillipa and James the life they deserved. Cobb hoped Buffy's family would come to the same realization.
Life. It was harsh and real, but so worth it. His hand slipped inside his pocket to caress his talisman as he left the room.