Author's Notes: Wow, I seem to have caused quite a controversy. Could've Been Me and Love She Can't Live Without have gotten more hits in under a week than some of my other stories have in a year. Listen, these stories are not promoting a B/R shippeness on my part. It's exactly the opposite. She only married him because she felt she had no other choice. This is the final part of the trilogy, told six months after the first two parts. Song written by Matchbox 20.
Back To Good
By Cobalite Ice
Buffy dressed quickly, knowing if she wanted to be home by morning that she had to leave within the hour. "I have to leave soon."
"Why do you keep doing this to yourself, baby?" Angel sat up on the bed, watching Buffy dress. "This isn’t good for you."
I don’t know. It’s not good for you either. I’m pretty sure adultery is blemishing that freshly washed soul of yours." Buffy’s voice was without sarcasm, and she dropped on the bed beside her. Angel wrapped his arms around her. "I shouldn’t come here anymore. I should let you move on."
"We both know neither of those things are possible."
It's nothing, it's so normal you
Just stand there I could say so much
But I don't go there 'cuz I don't want to
I was thinking if you were lonely
Maybe we could leave here and no one would know
At least not to the point that we would think so
Riley wasn’t sleeping, again. It happened at least once a week, when he woke up in the middle of the night and only find an empty space beside him. ‘I know she’s cheating, but not with who. I’m not even sure I want to know.’
He’s getting tired of the looks Willow gives him, and he knows she knows. Riley almost screamed. ‘That, You’ll never be good enough look. She’s the one that got us together in the first place. Hypocrite!’
Everyone here, knows everone here is thinking about somebody else
It's best if we all keep this under our heads
I couldn't tell, if anyone here was feeling the way I do
But I'm lonely now, and I don't know how
To get it back to good
‘And Xander, let’s not even go there. Over the years, he’s come to hate me more than Angel.’ Riley stopped thinking as he heard quiet footfalls enter the house. Riley quickly crawled back under the covers, and Buffy came in.
She slipped into bed after getting undressed, intent on getting an hour or two of sleep. "Oh god, why am I still here?"
Half an hour later, Buffy was sound asleep. If her sins had any effect on her, they showed not in slumber. Riley was still wide-awake. ‘It doesn’t matter that I love her, because she doesn’t love me anymore, if she ever did.’ He stroked her cheek. "I don’t know why you’re still here either."
This don't mean that, you own me
This ain't no good, in fact it's phony as hell
But things worked out just like you wanted too
If you see me out you don't know me
Try to turn your head, try to give me some room
To figure out just what I'm going to do
Buffy lay in Angel’s arms, her head pillowed on his chest. "I don’t wanna go back, Angel."
"Then don’t. Stay here with me. No one cares, anymore. They don’t bother to hate me anymore. All they want is for you to be finally be happy, and that’s all I want for you too." Angel clenched her tighter. "Are you happy?"
"Only with you." Buffy mummery, and fell asleep. It would be the first time in Buffy’s memory they’d spent an entire night together.
And everyone here, hates everyone here for doing just like they do
It's best if we all keep this quiet instead
And I couldn't tell, why everyone here was doing me like they do
But I'm sorry now, and I don't know how
To get it back to good
Morning came, and Riley woke up alone. He’d finally reached his breaking point. That’s why, at six a.m. he was rapping on Giles’ door. The Watcher was up, surprisingly. "Riley. What can I do for you?"
"Where is she?" Riley ground out.
"Where is who?" Giles played dumb, knowing the inevitable had finally occurred. Buffy hadn’t come home last night, and since Giles felt responsible for causing this fiasco of a marriage, he would keep Buffy’s secret as long as possible.
"Buffy! Where is she? Who’s she with?" Riley stormed into Giles apartment, not willing to except any more lies or evasions. He would not leave without answers.
Everyone here, is wondering what it's like to be with somebody else
Everyone here's to blame, everyone here
Get's caught up in the pleasure of the pain, everyone hides
Shades of shame, but looking inside we're the same, we're the same
And we're all grown now, but we don't know how
To get it back to good
She closed the snaps on her suitcase. Riley watched, unnoticed, from the door. "You’re finally leaving, I see."
"Yeah." She couldn’t look him in the eye. "How long have you know?"
"Long time. They all fed me lines about patrols, but I could only believe them for so long. Giles tried to talk circles around me for three hours this morning, but I couldn’t believe a word of it." Riley was beyond bitter.
Buffy walked out the door, and put her suitcase in the trunk. "All I want is my clothes and jewelry. You can have everything else. The other car, the apartment, it’s all yours."
Riley had one last question. "Who is he? Do I know him?"
Buffy smiled sadly, and handed him a photograph. It was creased, as if folded and crumpled many times.
Everyone here, knows everyone here is thinking 'bout somebody else
It's best if we all keep this under our heads
I couldn't tell, if anyone here was feeling the way I do
But it's over now, and I don't know how, it's over now
There's no getting back to good
She closed the snaps on her suitcase. Riley watched, unnoticed, from the door. "You’re finally leaving, I see."
"Yeah." She couldn’t look him in the eye. "How long have you know?"
"Long time. They all fed me lines about patrols, but I could only believe them for so long. Giles tried to talk circles around me for three hours this morning, but I couldn’t believe a word of it." Riley was beyond bitter.
Buffy walked out the door, and put her suitcase in the trunk. "All I want is my clothes and jewelry. You can have everything else. The other car, the apartment, it’s all yours."
Riley had one last question. "Who is he? Do I know him?"
Buffy smiled sadly, and handed him a photograph. It was creased, as if folded and crumpled many times.
As she drove off, Riley read the picture John had sent Buffy the day she came home from their honeymoon. "I almost stood up. The day you gave up on him was the day he came back for you." The picture fluttered from his fingers. "I guess, I always knew, I’d lose her to him. There's no getting back to good."
Comments, questions, concerns for my sanity go to
cobalite@yahoo.comPart three of a planned trilogy.