Fred's curled up in her desk chair, a cup of coffee that's long since gone cold balanced on one knee. She stares straight ahead at the Dixie Chicks poster on the wall. One of the corners is starting to peel away, but she's not tall enough to reach it.

I'll ask Wesley... she starts to think, and then closes her eyes. No, I won't.

There's a knock at the door.

"Fred?" Angel's muffled voice comes through. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see him trying to get a look inside. She keeps staring at the poster on the wall, takes a sip of her coffee. Eventually, he gives up.

She knows he'll come back again tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. It's been part of their daily routine for almost a month now, ever since...

"Why can't I stay?"

She sets the mug harshly down on the desk, pulling her knees tighter. Her head lowers to rest upon them, and she sniffles, trying not to cry. She's cried every day; she's amazed that there's still any moisture left in her body. But since she doesn't feel as parched as she did...

As he did, she thinks, remembering how awful it had felt lying helplessly in bed, but he hadn't cared, he'd stayed with her until...

"Why can't I stay?"

The sobs come quietly and she holds them back when there's another knock at the door. She knows it's Spike from the way his hand hits the door. Just once, open palmed, before he leans against it and talks to her through it.

It's all routine now, she thinks, waiting silently for him to leave. No end in sight.

Right on time, she clutches at her stomach. It's not from hunger; she hasn't had an appetite for weeks. It's the guilt setting in, so deep it hurts.

I just wanted another day, just one more to spend with you. I didn't think it would cost so much to have it.

She closes her eyes and drifts off to a restless sleep, right there in the chair. For a moment she thinks about going home, getting an actual night's rest. But like she's done every night before, she puts it off to tomorrow. After all, she thinks bitterly, I've got another day.

"After all, tomorrow is another day."
Gone With the Wind
367 words (not counting the quote from the series)