Chapter Text
The Purrfect Con
She's still shell-shocked when she reaches the bus station. She was at peace with killing Angelus by the end, even knowing it meant letting go of the chance she'd ever see Angel again. She wasn't about to let an already weak Willow make another attempt at the spell. (Why did Xander let her?) There was a deep ache in her heart, but she knew what needed to be done.
She was prepared. Focused.
She wasn't ready for Angel to be there. To see him, his confusion, his concern. To realise, with mounting horror, that Acathla's mouth was open, that she had no choice.
To kiss him and drive a sword through his heart.
"Oh, God." She can't even cry. The pain is too much, too overwhelming. If she starts, she'll never stop.
(More than anything, she wants a hug, to curl up in Mom's lap and weep till there are no tears left. But she can't go back, not after- she can't.)
She lets her face fall into her hands. She just has to get to LA. New start. No reminders of Angel. No Mom. No Scoobies. No-
New start. No monsters? Well, she can hope.
She forces herself to take a few deep, slow breaths. The bus will be here soon, and she can run and run and run and never come back...
"Miau?"
She blinks and looks up. There's a tiny white kitten staring at her. It watches her for a few more seconds, then trots closer, approaching her with the confidence of a cat who trusts her completely, even though she's never seen it before.
"Mau!" it says, like- it's nuts, but it's like the cat swore.
"Hello, cutie," she says, and bends down to hold two fingers out. "What are you doing out here?"
The kitten nuzzles into her hand, then very delicately nips at her finger. It's not hard; it feels oddly like it's a sign of affection. The kitten mews loudly, then jumps up on the bench beside her, pushing up against her thigh.
She laughs; the sound startles her. She hasn't laughed a lot lately, and after today, after- after everything, she sort of wasn't expecting to laugh ever again.
She can't stop herself from petting him... or her... How do you even tell? But somehow it seems like a him. His fur is so soft, and it's not quite pure white. His nose is pink and perfect; he's adorable. "Hey," she says more softly, stroking his head and down his back. No collar. "Are you a little runaway, too? A little stray?"
He chirrups, almost like he understood. It's shady in the bus station, but when he looks up at her, his eyes are so big, she can see that they're a clear, pale blue she would swear she's seen before somewhere. "Mrrreeewwww," he insists, and climbs into her lap like he belongs there.
She laughs again. She should put her plans on hold, go figure out if someone's missing him, but sensible, responsible Buffy died saving the world today. All that's left is heartbroken Buffy, who could seriously use some warm, furry company. "I... Okay. You wanna come to LA with me, little guy?"
To her shock, he lets out a purr that's out of all proportion to his size and butts his head into her face. It's like he knows what she's asking, and is pretty much desperate to go. It's the most excited anyone's been about her since she arrived at Sunnydale High and Giles came at her with his stupid Vampyr book, and-
No. She has to move forward. "Okay," she says. "Guess I have a travel buddy. You good?"
Who even knows why she's asking - it's a cat! - but he curls into her lap and purrs that shockingly loud purr, and when she strokes him again, he presents his head for attention and lets her tickle his ears, and really, who is she to complain if the universe wants her to have a cat? It's about time something nice happened to her.
He's tiny; she can smuggle him onto the bus in her bag, right? And she didn't plan to have another mouth to feed, but there's no way a creature this small can need that much to eat. Right? Right. And he's warm, and he's soft, and he's acting like she's the one person he most wanted to see in all the world, and she's just not capable of turning that down.
