Chapter 7: Saying Goodbye
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It was a perfectly sunny day, temperature was warm and comfortable. It was cheerful, way too cheerful for where they were. He thought the weather should have been gray and raining but it wasn’t. Charley thought he would never return to Wallace since he helped take down Dandridge for the second time, but that has changed now that he had been half way restored to his humanity and can walk in the daylight again.
He stared at the cemetery and the final resting place for his old friend. Charley stared at Peter’s tombstone. He felt sadness and guilt because he wasn’t able to take control fast enough and because he didn’t visit before, even when he was in town last time he never left the place he was staying at.
He felt a warm hand take his. It was Lyra’s. She gave him a small smile to encourage him and nodded.
“It hurts,” Charley sighed. “It hurts all over, but I need to do this.” He released his hand from hers and walked over to Peter’s grave. “Hello Peter. It’s me, Charley. I used to be your biggest fan and still am. I introduced your movies to some new friends.”
His legs felt like the bones have liquefied and he lowered himself to his knees. “I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to overcome my urges in time. I’m sorry I allowed them to get away with what they did to you. I should have listened to you. It’s not fair that I’m here and enjoying life and you spent your last years in an mental hospital.”
He felt Lyra’s hand on his shoulder and he sucked in his breath. “I’m not a monster anymore. I turn into one at night, but right now my heart is beating. You would have found it fascinating of what I have become. You would have also thought this part with the two dimensions merging into one entertaining.” He felt himself starting to smile. “And you would have loved the idea about Slayers. I can see you playing the role as a Watcher to one. I’m in love with one. Peter, this is Lyra.”
“Hello Mr. Vincent,” Lyra said to the tombstone. “Charley has shown me all of your movies and all the comics. My favorite was when you killed this big egotistical vampire king and his minions and the girl that helped you turned out to be a succubus, a good succubus but still a sex demon. Charley is doing a great job of hosting your old show. You should be proud.”
“It’s a pity we couldn’t have hosted it together,” Charley said as he placed a hand on the tombstone. “That’s how it should have been. We appear in a few shows together in a way of you passing the torch, not the way it had gone.”
“How would he have felt about the show moving and the Tales from the Crypt style of the Friday edition?”
“I think he would have been a bit disappointed at first but knowing him he would have adapted.” Charley stood back up.
“How do you feel?” Lyra asked.
“Sad, depressed, still a little guilty but I do feel a little bit better.” He knew he could move on to the next visit.
The two of them walk around the cemetery until they reached Alex’s grave. Charley felt himself tighten up all over again. He inhaled deeply and walked up to it.
“Alex,” the name barley left his mouth when he felt the tears form. “Alex I’m sorry. I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong or fast enough. I was going to grab Belle’s wrists and use his, her claws to gut Bosworth. If I was only faster.” He wiped away his tears and kneeled in front of the tomb. “Your words had gotten through. I knew you loved me and I love you, loved you. A part of you will always be in my heart.” He went from kneeling to sitting and let the tears fall. “You have been avenged. You all have.” He wiped one more tear and stood up.
Lyra stood behind him with a travel pack of tissues in her hands. “I’m sorry.” She held one out to him.
“Thank you,” he accepted the tissue and used it to wipe the corners of his eyes. “Don’t be. You were the one who avenged her death.” He turned away from the grave. He felt like he had been through the ringer but there was still one more to visit. He sucked in his breath as he made his way to his mother’s grave and froze. His legs and feet had turned to cement.
“You don’t have to do this,” Lyra said. “If it hurts too much. You can wait. You don’t have to visit them all in one day.”
“If I don’t do it now then I never will.” He tried to make his legs move but they refused to budge.
“Let me help you,” Lyra said as she took his hand again. “Together.”
“Together,” Charley agreed as he squeezed. They continued their way to the tombstone.
“Mom.” He closed his eyes. “I didn’t know it was you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I ate you. If I knew it was you I wouldn’t have done it. I would allowed myself to starve to death if it was possible.” He felt himself shake. “I love you Mom and wish I can go back and time and do everything over just to keep you alive.” He fell to the ground. “I’m sorry.” Tears streamed out of his eyes. He continued to cry until he felt Lyra embrace him.
“I’m here. I’ll always be here.”
Charley calmed down and turned back to his mother’s grave. “This is Lyra. She saved me. I think you would have liked her. She’s smart and pretty and strong. She has a great sense of humor she would have loved you.”
“I do like her,” Lyra said. “She raised a wonderful, sweet, brave, funny, smart and handsome son.”
Charley took one last look at his mother’s grave before he stood up. “Thank you for being here.”
“I can’t bare the thought of you being in pain.”
“You are a wonderful girlfriend.” He smiled at her and tucked a few stray hairs behind her ears. He wondered if they would end up getting married, or possibly have children together. That would be an interesting career day for the kid when they tell their class that both their parents hunt and kill vampires.
“How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been juiced,” Charley said. “I feel like an orange that has had everything squeezed out.”
“Do you need to be alone?” Lyra asked
He shook his head. “I feel squeezed, but I also feel a little better.”
“The others shouldn’t be to far away,” Lyra said while it looked like she was trying to keep from blushing.
“They might need our support, or at least your support.”
“They will appreciate us being with them.”
Charley had been told about the people that were close to Xander and his friends that had died and been buried in various graves in Sunnydale. Their bodies and tombstones were lost when the city sank due to the Hellmouth closing up. He wanted to give them something to let them mourn, but a friend of theirs who also lived in Iowa was already planning on it. Charley got in contact with Riley Finn and they agreed to have the memorial plaques.
They saw Xander standing in front of one and decided to read the others. They were all shiny black metallic plaques set up on a stone slab. Charley and Lyra read each one. The first name was Jenny Calendar. The second was for Joyce Summers, Buffy’s mother, the third was Tara Maclay and the fourth, the one Xander was in front of was Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins.
“That was his girlfriend,” Ace explained. He was the only other Avenger that was standing next to them. Rissa, Tyler and Ronnie were standing a few feet away and deep in a heavy discussion.
“Did he say how she died?” Lyra asked.
“He’s been told she been bisected,” Ace said and shuddered.
“Ouch,” Charley gasped.
“Yeah,” the winged boy said. “She died fighting a bunch of evil creepy people and she was protecting another guy who became a Watcher.”
“Poor Xander,” Lyra said softly. She gave Charley a kiss on the cheek and walked up to her Watcher.
“How are you holding up?” Ace asked him.
Charley shrugged. “I feel a bit better, but a part still hurts.” He sucked in a deep breath of air. “I read it’s supposed to get better.”
“My grandmother died three years ago from pancreatic cancer,” Ace said. “She and I were pretty close. I’d be her little baking buddy and she taught me how to win at carnival games. When she died I was devastated. I didn’t go to school for a whole week. I barley ate, lost about ten pounds and made my family and friends scared. I went to a therapist and spoke with a few nuns. They helped me get through it.”
“I’m sorry.”
Ace shrugged. “She’s not in pain. I was told she went to heaven and now I know it exists thanks to Drusilla. I feel like she is watching over me.” He pointed to his coat. “I think this is one of the reasons why I want to keep my wings. I feel like I’m a real angel and it helps me feel closer to her.”
“I like that idea of having them watch over you,” Charley said. He wondered if the spirits of Peter, Alex and his mother led him to Lyra and Xander. He looked over at Lyra as she comforted Xander. “You should try and ignore Ronnie when she teases you,” Charley said. “You do say thoughtful and meaningful things. You have been a lot of help.”
Ace shrugged. “I do what I can.”
Charley glanced around the cemetery. His eyes widened when he saw the kid who moved into his old house. Kyle was with a teenage girl and they were with an older woman, probably one of their mothers. There was something familiar about her and as Charley studied her he could see that it was Amy. He had to do a double take.
He ran up to her. “Amy?”
Amy turned towards him. “Charley?” She blinked. “Charley Brewster is that you?”
“It’s been a while.” The two of them had drifted apart after high school. “You look great.”
“I look great?” She chuckled. “Look at you. You don’t look at all older since we left for college. How did you do this?”
“I got turned into a vampire.”
“But the sun.” Amy pointed at the sky above them.
“I sort of got turned back. During the day I’m human and at night I’m a vampire.”
“But you spent over twenty years as a vampire?” Amy asked. “How did you get turned?”
“Long story.”
“I bet,” Amy said.
“I know it might seem rude but what brings you here?”
“My aunt Patty died about a year ago,” Amy said softly. “Aneurysm. I brought my daughter and her boyfriend to pay our respects.”
“I’ve kind of met Kyle. He’s living in my old house.”
“How did you know?”
“We met while we were fighting Jerry Dandridge again.”
“Again?” Amy looked weak. “How.”
“Another long story.” He heard someone walking from behind. He turned around and saw Lyra. “Lyra I want you to meet an old friend of mine. Lyra this is Amy, Amy this is Lyra.”
“Hello,” Lyra said as she held out her hand.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” Amy said as she shook her hand.
“We have a lot of catching up to do,” Charley said as placed his arm around Lyra’s shoulders. “Maybe meet somewhere for lunch.”
“Sure,” Amy said. “We might have to be discreet about what really happened.”
“Don’t worry,” Charley said and smiled at Lyra. “They all know the truth.”
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