Title: Active Listening

Author: CC

E-mail: [email protected]

Summary: Riley tries to build a relationship with

Buffy, with unexpected consequences.

Spoilers: Everything up to and including Hush and

Parting Gifts.

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Joss

Whedon, the WB, Fox, and Mutant Enemy.

Author's note: Feedback is welcome.

*****

When Riley arrived to pick Buffy up for their

date, he was greeted by Willow, who lied, telling him

that Buffy was running late, but would soon be there.

In all truth, Willow knew that Buffy had probably

forgotten about the evening Riley had scheduled for

them.

Making himself at home, Riley walked into the

room and flopped down on Buffy's bed. Willow came and

sat opposite him on her own bed, studying him. Since

the loss of Oz, she found herself living vicariously

through Buffy's love life. Still hurting from Oz's

betrayal, she was afraid to let any other man close to

her. Realizing with a sudden start that Riley was

talking, and had been for some time, she forced

herself to pay attention.

"Willow, sometimes I feel like Buffy is just

going through the motions with me. I feel like she's

not even there. We're talking, and I tell her about

all the wise things my dad has told me, and her eyes

seem to glaze over. I mean, I confide in her," said

Riley urgently. "Like the time I told her about me

being president of the Future Farmers of America at my

highschool, or when I told her about the very first

time I milked a cow. I can't understand why she stays

so distant when I'm opening my heart to her..."

As Riley droned on, Willow felt like shaking

Buffy. Some people were so ungrateful for what they

had. Riley was a great guy, albeit a little dull, and

Buffy needed to realize it before he got away. If she

had paid more attention to Oz, maybe he wouldn't have

been tempted by Veruca. She found herself wondering

what Oz was doing right then, if he ever thought of

her. She snapped back to attention when Riley rose

from the bed to prowl around the room.

"So what should I do? Willow, tell me, please,"

implored Riley, strolling over to face her. "I've

never courted anyone like Buffy before. The girls

back home, it was different. They would be walking by

the farm, and there I would be, shirtless, riding a

tractor, and I would wave to them. That's all it

took," he said wistfully. "There was always a barn or

a haystack nearby, too. My dad said it was good for

me to sow my wild oats while I'm young. I've never

met an oat like Buffy, though."

Willow knew a cue when she heard it. "Be

patient, Riley, and keep talking to her. Keep opening

your heart. She'll realize how wonderful you are

soon." At that moment, Buffy walked in, looking tired

and distracted. Seeing Riley, she yawned.

"Sorry I'm late. I kind of forgot we were going

out tonight, Riley." Her apology sounded muted, dull.

She looked tired, and Willow knew why. All those

Angel dreams she had been having lately kept her from

sleeping well.

Willow asked Riley, in a voice filled with

appeal, to step out of the room for a minute so that

Buffy could freshen up. As he shut the door behind

him, Willow turned on Buffy, her voice full of fury.

"What are you doing? You have a real, normal, human

guy here who thinks the world of you! He accepts your

slayer stuff, and he's so strong he's a real help to

you, and you want to throw it away!"

Buffy wearily put on some lipstick and brushed

her hair as Willow continued her tirade. "These Angel

dreams, you know what, they are just dreams. They're

not real. Angel is never going to become human again.

He would hate it if he knew that you weren't moving

on. You know, Angel left so that you could find a

great guy like Riley, and here you are pushing him

away. I don't get it," stormed Willow.

"When Riley walks into the room, its like all

the lights everywhere else get brighter," said Buffy.

"He bores me, Willow. I know that I should find a

real guy, but I don't think Riley is it. I think I

should break up with him. I don't want to lead him on

by pretending I feel something I don't."

Willow walked up to Buffy, looking her straight

in the eye. "Have you really given him a chance?

Instead of comparing him to Angel all the time, maybe

you should listen to Riley when he talks. I really

listen to him," Willow lied. "Remember our health

class in high school when we studied listening and

paying attention? Why don't you give it a try?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Buffy walked to the

door. "This is me, going. I'll do what you said, and

listen, really listen." Riley beamed when he saw

Buffy, who mustered up a brave smile for him.

*****

The next day, Willow sat at a bench outside the

cafeteria, waiting for Buffy to meet her for lunch.

Buffy had returned the night before promptly at

midnight. What a gentleman Riley was, Willow

realized. He wasn't going to try to make any moves

until Buffy was ready. He was so much better than

Parker.

Riley and Buffy walked towards to her together.

As they approached, Willow noticed with satisfaction

that Riley had his arm around her. As they got

closer, Willow realized that Riley was holding Buffy

up. Willow ran up to her friend, who was as pale as

a ghost.

"I brought her breakfast this morning, and she

was like this," said Riley. "I think maybe we should

bring her to a doctor. She might have worms," he said

brightly. "You know, I grew up on a farm, so I know

these things. I had this dog once, her name was

Floppy, and one day I noticed she was looking kind of

mopey and my dad said..."

Buffy collapsed, her eyes wide, staring into

nothingness.

*****

At the hospital, Giles, Willow, Riley and Xander

waited anxiously. They were not allowed into the

examination room, since they were not family. At

last, the doctor came out, his arm around Joyce

Summers, who walked with a noticeable sway in her

gait.

"Drunk again," snorted Xander. "It isn't even

noon yet. Someone needs to take her by the hand and

lead her to Alcoholics Anonymous already."

"Hush," said Willow, jabbing him with her elbow.

"She has a lot to deal with, and she doesn't drink

that much." Willow looked to Giles for support, only

to discover that the former Watcher's face was the

color of a beet. Remembering the secret Buffy had

confided to her after her telepathic experience,

Willow blushed in sympathy.

The harassed young doctor thankfully peeled Joyce

off his arm and seated her in a chair. "I have bad

news regarding Miss Summers. She appears to be in a

vegetative state."

"She's a vegetable?" shrieked Riley.

Looking sternly at Riley, the doctor said firmly,

"I understand that you were with her when she fell

into the coma. I need a full list of anything she

might have ingested, anything she might be allergic

to, and any blows to the head she might have

received." The group told him everything they knew.

As the doctor walked away, Joyce spilled from her

chair onto the floor.

"All I wanted was a normal daughter," she whined.

"I didn't ask for any of this." Riley bent to help

her up, and she clung to him. "You're perfect for

her," Joyce said blearily. "Nice, normal, Iowa boy."

She belched. Riley, looking appalled, seated her back

in her chair. "I'm not drunk," Joyce muttered. "I

could lie on the floor without holding on to it. I

can hold my liquor just fine."

Riley looked at Giles sheepishly. "There's

something I didn't tell the doctor. Professor Walsh

has us take a serum every day. Its totally safe," he

said hurriedly as Giles stared at him. "It was tested

on cows."

"Do you have any of it?" Willow asked swiftly.

"Did Buffy try it or something?"

Riley reached into his pocket and removed a small

vial. "She never had any of it, though I thought

about sharing it with her. It gives you strength, but

its not steroids or anything," he added hastily.

"Like I said, it was tested on cows. You can't ask

for more than that in terms of safety, according to

Professor Walsh."

*****

At Giles's house, Xander, Anya, Spike, and Giles

frantically pored over books and spells, looking for a

cause and a cure. Willow worked the microscope

frantically, trying to make sense of the serum Riley

had given her. Suddenly, she gasped, and dragged

Giles to the microscope.

"Its demon blood of some kind," said Giles.

"That's where he gets his strength. It isn't

vitamins, or even as benign as steroids. That

singularly foolish young man has been transforming

into a demon. Tested on cows indeed. Bloody

priceless!"

Spike shook his head decisively. "He's not a

demon. Riley smells human," he said sharply. At the

disgusted looks from the Xander and Anya, he rolled

his eyes. "Its a vampire thing."

"Riley is probably not a demon yet. However, he

is infected with aspects of a demon, and will become a

demon if he doesn't stop taking this serum. The

question is, what kind of demon?" Giles moved away

from the microscope and pulled out a plastic binder

from his shelves. Flipping frantically through its

pages to find the one he sought, he waved Willow

towards him. "This is it, isn't it?"

Willow nodded decisively. "The blood matches.

Its Bohra demon blood."

Xander stood, triumphant, for he held the B

volume of the demon encyclopedia. "The Bohra demons

are physically very strong, and have remarkable

healing powers," he read aloud in a sing- song voice

that made everyone wince even as they strained to

listen. "Though they can fight in battle, they prefer

to use their remarkable mental powers instead. They

possess the ability to freeze the thoughts and mind of

their opponent. However, it is a slow process,

requiring frequent and prolonged exposure to the

source."

"All those dates with Riley I pressured Buffy to

go on! She didn't want to go, but I kept pushing her

and telling her it was for her own good. I am a bad

friend," mourned Willow. Giles put his arm around

her.

"You have been encouraging her to move on,

Willow, which is a good thing. However, perhaps you

should give her a little space and time. I think you

should try to open yourself up more, and stop being so

concerned about Buffy."

"Amen," snorted Anya. "You should quit giving

Xander advice, too, since you're an idiot child who

knows nothing."

As the two girls exchanged glares, Giles stepped

into the breach, looking at Xander hopefully. "Is

there anything in that book about a cure?"

Xander brightened as the focus of the room came

back to him. He hated being on the sidelines so much.

As Anya looked at him with pride, he continued

reading. "True love can break the spell of dullness

with a kiss," he said. Glumly, he sighed. "I guess

this means another visit from Dead Boy."

*****

Angel and Wesley, captive prisoners, sat

listening as Cordelia told them about her audition,

and the manifest injustice that kept her from getting

the part. As she re-enacted her audition, singing the

jingle, Angel wistfully thought of the good old days,

when he'd heard Jenny Lind sing. Now that was

entertainment.

"We need to start charging more, Angel. The

girls who wear catsuits always get the parts. I need

a leather catsuit." Cordelia waggled her finger at

Angel. "Don't look at me like that, we are charging

more and that is final. That or Wesley can start

selling plasma or something." Wesley, who was deathly

afraid of needles, slumped. He knew that Cordelia

would make him do it. She was like a gale force

hurricane. Angel couldn't always be around to protect

him from her.

When the phone rang, Angel and Wesley lunged at

it with speed born of desperation. Angel beat Wesley

by a hair. Ignoring Wesley's pleading look as

Cordelia continued to scheme aloud, Angel cradled the

phone and prayed for a crisis far, far away.

"Angel, Buffy needs your help," said Giles.

*****

Buffy was so small and still in the hospital

bed. Angel stood silently looking down at her, the

glazed, staring eyes. Usually, Buffy was so bright

and vivacious, never sitting still, always talking.

Unlike Cordelia's incessant babbling, Buffy's constant

flow of words entertained him, enthralled him, held

him a willing captive.

He bent forward and kissed her gently, whispering

raggedly, "I love you. We didn't have enough time."

The machines by her bed suddenly came to life, or

so it seemed to him. As her eyes fluttered, as

doctors rushed in, Angel swiftly exited. He didn't

want Buffy to see him, it would just make their lost

day harder to bear for him. He had warned Giles and

the others to say nothing of his presence to Buffy

when she awoke. If she had sensed him, it would only

be a dream for her His heart breaking, he told

himself that it was the right thing to do.

"Did it work?" Giles chased Angel as he walked

swiftly down the hall.

Angel slowed, stopped. "I think she'll be fine.

Remember your promise," he warned. "I don't want

Buffy hurt again. She doesn't need to know I was ever

here. Keep Xander's mouth shut."

"That isn't fair!" snapped Giles.

"Life isn't fair," Angel said bitterly, walking

away as fast as he could. If he hurried, he could be

back in LA before sunrise. He couldn't bear the

thought of spending a day in Sunnydale, so near Buffy

and yet so far away.

*****

The next day, Buffy waited impatiently to be

released. Giles was at the desk, signing all sorts of

paperwork, and she knew he would come for her soon.

When the door opened, she looked up eagerly. Her face

fell when she saw Riley.

He strode in, looking at her intently. He walked

to the window, and Buffy found herself forced to

stifle an attack of giggles at the view exposed by his

hospital gown.

"We need to break up." Riley turned to face her.

"I can't handle your mother. My family has never had

anything like that, not even Cousin Floyd. My dad

told me that after the tractor turned over on Floyd,

he could have turned to drink, but he didn't, because

he's a Finn. You're going to turn out to be a drunk

too. I don't think that beer thing a few weeks ago

was a fluke for you."

Buffy was both relieved and furious. "At least

I'm not a mutant like you," she hissed.

"I've had transfusions. My blood has been

cleansed of the serum," said Riley with dignity. "I

thought that if it was safe on cows, it would be safe

on me. My dad says if its good for cows, its good for

us, and he should know. He's been milking cows for

forty years."

"What in the world are you talking about?

Riley, you don't make sense and you never do! Do you

ever think for yourself? Its always your dad said

this, or Professor Walsh said that."

"Professor Walsh said alcoholism runs in

families," said Riley intently. "I know you're sorry

to lose me, since I was the best thing to ever happen

to you, but-"

"You nearly killed me! You nearly bored me to

death!" exclaimed Buffy. "Now you're breaking up

with me? Forget it, I dump you first."

"Nuh-uh!" yelped Riley.

"Uh-huh!" retorted Buffy.

"Yeah, well, fine. Like my dad says, you can't

make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." Riley stalked

out of the room, nearly trampling Giles underfoot.

"What is that supposed to mean?" wondered Buffy

aloud. "Giles, are you sure he's cured of the demon

whatsis? He's still as boring as ever."

Giles helped her up. "I'm afraid he is

naturally a boring person. That is why the serum took

such a strong effect in Riley. None of the others who

took it have had these adverse effects." As they

exited the hospital, Giles noted the sadness on

Buffy's face. "What is it?"

"He dumped me," admitted Buffy. "It just seems

like guys are always dumping me. Tyler dumped me.

Scott dumped me. Angel dumped me. Parker dumped me.

Now Riley's dumped me. I just wish I could find

someone who would be there for me and accept my

faults. I wish there was someone I could count on."

Thinking sadly of the look on Angel's face when

he'd exited Buffy's room, Giles patted Buffy's hand.

"I'm sure you will find someone like that someday," he

promised, and led her to his car.

The End