Another day another trouble

Buffy felt a smile creep on her lips as he whispered to call him by his name and not his nickname. To be frank she had been worried he wouldn't like it if she started calling him by his name, mostly because he had told her the meaning. "I love you Belial," she whispered in a tender tone, smiling as she closed her eyes. She felt his hand moving against her skin in calming strokes, making her sigh before falling in to a deep sleep. She had her daemon in her arms, her free hand placed on her stomach, but it was only because her unconscious mind thought of what was growing inside her. She felt her body submerge itself in sleep, laying rather still as if she was still being careful in her sleep.

Xander smiled as he watched her climb in to bed, moving over to fold his clothes neatly on a chair, taking off his pants as well as his socks. He then moved to her, laying down on the soft mattress, adjusting his side of the duvet a little. Looking at her he smiled in the darkness. Even though it was dark he could still see her somewhat because of the little fairy lights. Something that wouldn't make her think. He thought about it for a while, feeling her hand on his chest. He tried relaxing in to her touch, that usually worked, making the sensation nice as well as making his heart beat increase slightly. Her being silent made her think she might've already fallen asleep, closing his eyes as he reached over to place a hand to rest on her hip. Then she said something that made his eyes open instantly, looking at her in almost disbelief in the darkness. Those three words made his heart flutter, beating away as his body moved closer to her. He had always slept next to her having some sort of distance, but in this moment he felt like he could push his fears to the side. At least for a while. Frowning rather surprised at himself, he pulled her closer, feeling her bare skin against his. His body wanted to run away and stay at the same time, like it couldn't decide of a fight or flight reaction. However with his free hand he placed his palm against her cheek, pulling her face closer to his. "Kiss me, Aiden, please," he whispered softly. His body was as relaxed as it was ever going to be, and having her close was scary, yet there was also something soothing in this scary feeling.

What he had been asking for she was sure to bring. Feeling her lips on his made his eyes water, pressing his lids closer together. It was a strange feeling, because he felt almost relieved. He wanted to return the kiss, but he was struggling, and just as he had managed to move them a little, she moved away, leaving him with an empty feeling. He felt a tear run down his cheek, mostly because he wanted to do it again, yet his body was terrified. "More," he pleaded in a weak voice. He wanted to be the strong man that could take matters in to his own hands, but his mind and body were so disconnected. His hand softly grasped around her hip, his jaw trembling as he just wanted to be close to her. He was hurting, not only because of what Nahia had put him through, but because he couldn't provide the love that Aiden deserved. He felt like a failure, and he was tired of feeling that way. Tired of being scared of something that was meant to bring him joy and happiness. "Please ... There's no harm in trying," he said, as if he was arguing with himself. He was conflicted, of course he was, but at the same time he just wanted to push himself a little. Things were fine when it wasn't about intimacy, he was rather good at taking her hand and holding his arms around her, but he never felt the connection he so longed to have. "I want to ... I want to feel real," he said, not knowing if it made sense to her. He was just tired of being the guy that was looked upon as one you needed mittens to handle. He pulled her closer still, laying right up against her, feeling as much of her skin pressed against him. He was starting to shake, fear setting in, but he wanted to power through it. He wanted to teach his body that when Aiden was near, there was no reason to be afraid. He looked at her, tears streaming down his cheeks as he was still shaking, however it was subsiding somewhat. His body was learning, and he buried his face in her long hair, breathing in in trembling breaths as he was trying to focus on her. "I love Aiden," he whispered, reminding himself what she meant to him. "She is keeping me safe," he whimpered, shaking as he just hugged her closer.

He felt her try to calm him down, touching his face helped a little, but he was so sick and tired of having to move at such a slow pace. Burying his face in her hair had helped as well, but his body was practically on it's breaking point. He so dearly wanted to be there for Aiden, wanted to hold her like she deserved. He wanted to be the guy he was before Nahia had broken the connection between his mind and body. As she pleaded he feared he had hurt her, sniffling as he touched her face. He couldn't tell if she was calling it off because she had regretted getting involved with him, or because she couldn't handle how he was shaking. Nodding to her words he took a deep breath. He moved slowly, shaking as he now felt like he needed to be close to her. "I'm stupid," he whispered, feeling himself well up again. He just wanted his body to go back to normal. Be his funny self where he could've carried her and swung her around. Yet here he was, fearing just laying close to her. "I'm sorry," he said, looking at her in the dark as he made sure there was some room between them once more. He was still shaking, but it would subside in time. Slowly he removed his hands from her, moving them up to cover his face as he made a trembling exhale. Why was this so hard? He had barely been in the care of Nahia for a day, and yet here his body was still reliving the trauma. He truly felt like a failure now, wanting so badly to just sleep up and against Aiden, but his body couldn't seem to cooperate.

Hearing him call himself stupid made her frown as she tried to blink her tears away, shaking her head at him, "You're not," she argued in a whisper. She dried her cheeks a little as he moved away, feeling weird that she was hoping he wouldnt notice her tears. The distance between them was restored but she somehow felt colder now than before. "It's alright," she whispered back she wasnt sure if she meant it - But she had to. She wanted to, at least.
She moved the covers closer up around her, though she wasnt hogging them at all, staring up onto the ceiling as she tried to control her tears. Eventually she carefully placed a hand on his side to know he was there and she fell asleep. She didnt really dream anything and when she woke she could feel how sore she was around her eyes after not washing her face to get rid of the tears. Carefully sitting up, she felt a little downspirited, glancing at Xander before she carefully touched his cheek. She leaned down to kiss his forehead, biting her lip as she leaned back away. Would it alway be this way she wondered? She moved her eyes to look out the window, looking at the birds fly by high up in the sky.

Xander knew it wasn't alright. He had hurt her, and he couldn't even be man enough to hold her and comfort her. Fear was strong, he knew that, but he thought he at least had made some progress. That he could lay close to her without his body reacting so badly. He could barely fall asleep, feeling her hand on his side was alright, but he really wanted to snuggle close with her. Tell her that what he had been through she had magically made disappear, but that would be a lie. No matter how much he loved her, only time could heal what he had felt on his own body. His sleep was far from pleasant, nightmares of Aiden having enough, leaving him because he was inadequate. Time had passed way too fast, and he didn't feel rested. However he felt a set of lips against his forehead, making his eyes move a little. Slowly opening his eyes he looked at her, saw how beautiful she was despite the tears. Tears that he felt was his fault. Reaching over he touched her hand, his body still a bit shaky after the night before, however it grounded him. "Aiden," he said, his voice hoarse from his sleep. He ran his thumb along her discolored hand, looking at her with pleading eyes. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he had pushed himself to hurt her. He moved, sitting up and resting his back against the headboard. "I don't want to get up just yet," he said, his eyes filled with sleep and dried tears. Rubbing his eyes with his free hand helped a little. Looking down to her hand and his he sighed. "Are you mad at me?" he asked in a trying voice. He knew he had overstepped, but he also felt like he had needed to push himself. Let himself know that it wasn't as scary as his body made it out to be.

Buffy was slowly awakening, hoping she was still in the arms of her daemon. Stretching a little she yawned, making a small noise that made Juno jump down from the windowsill over to scratch the door. Buffy sighed, carefully moving out of Baal's protective arms before opening the door for the cat that seemed to sprint in to the living room, jumping up on Nova and making the woman grunt. Buffy sighed, looking over at Baal that was thankfully sleeping still, so she decided to go out to the kitchen, starting to make breakfast.

She turned her eyes back to him at the feeling of his hand on hers, but she just quietly watched him. She felt bad for not showing a smile or acting her happy self, but she wouldnt lie and pretend like yesterday hadnt affected her. It had truly just been a rollercoaster of emotion and today she felt so void of any emotion. She made a small nod as he said he didnt want to get up, moving her hand to entangle their fingers and hold his hand in her lap. She looked out the window again, biting the inside of her cheek when he asked his question. She exhaled deeply and shook her head, "No," she said in a quiet tone, giving his hand a soft squeeze though she felt like she had to look away when all she could muster was looking sad. "I just dont know what to say... Or do," she admitted, frowning a little at herself before she looked down at their hands. She placed her other hand over the back of his, just to show that she wasnt pushing him away despite how she might have looked.

His dreams had been weird, because it hadnt felt like dreaming. It was like whatever was in his body was making him feel less connected to this world and it scared him to his core. But as much as such a frightened feeling would have shown, he seemingly slept calmly. He felt her move but his body was too exhausted to let him wake up, at least yet.

She wasn't angry with him, but he could see how sad she looked. She wasn't even looking at him, and that felt worse. She entangled their fingers, and he looked at her, hoping she would look back. "I don't really know either, besides the fact that I'm sorry ... Sorry for making you sad," he said, frowning as he looked at their hands. Xander wished he could do something to make her smile, make her laugh or at least just look at him. "But hearing those words from you ... I-I just wanted to make that distance between us disappear," he said, not trying to explain away his actions, rather what had been running through his mind in the moment. Just thinking back he would've wanted their kiss to have been more special, however done was done. No matter how much he wished to change something, he simply couldn't. He lifted their hands to his lips, kissing her hand gently and slowly a few times. His kiss moving to her wrist, just kissing her softly. "Just tell me what you're thinking," he pleaded against her wrist, closing his eyes as he was grounding himself from the kisses. Was it always going to be like this? Him needing a small break between so simple gestures? He knew that he was doing better, but he was impatient. He really just wanted to skip the healing at just go straight in to being with Aiden like he knew he could.

Buffy was slowly mixing eggs, wiping away a tear as she frowned. "No need to cry," Nova said, coming in to the kitchen. She was carrying Mika in her arms, the cat purring as it seemed to just relax completely, surprising Buffy a lot. "I wasn't crying ... It was just ..." she said, trailing off as she didn't really know what to say. "She likes you," she said, changing the subject. Nova chuckled, placing the cat on a chair where it stretched before wrapping itself together and snoozing on. "She's my Mika, so I hope that she likes me," she replied with a smile, walking over to the fridge, looking inside before deciding to set the table instead. Nova could cook, but she preferred not to when she could. Buffy realized now that Mika was Juno, making her nod, but she was still confused. "Don't worry, I'm not your enemy; in fact, I want to keep you safe - that is why I have bonded with you," Nova explained, placing the dishes on the table. "Don't worry, it is not a deep bond like one I share with Mika, but it is strong enough so that it may keep you safe," she said, adjusting a few plates. She sighed, biting her lower lip. She could feel how Trent was getting closer, and she knew she would have to figure out a way to hide her face. She had promised him to let him see her eyes, even going so far as to give away her first name. Nova took a trembling breath, closing her eyes as the travels from the day before was still affecting her.

Xander felt she was pulling away, and all he wanted to do was pull her in to his arms. Why was he so weak? As she let go of his hand he just let it fall to the mattress, looking down at it as he frowned. He was weak. He didn't deserve her. Those were the thoughts running through his head as she said she needed time to think. He remained silent, feeling his jaw tremble as she walked out of the room. When she closed the door he felt his cheek, feeling a few tears had escaped. He felt shame filling his body, a numb feeling to his fingers as he just sat on the bed looking at his hand. He couldn't even go after her, that was what scared him the most, because he was afraid she was going to reject him. Her letting go of his hand and moving away from him felt like rejection, and it hurt worse than anything he had ever felt. Moving his hand, he placed it at his heart, looking up to the ceiling. Closing his eyes he started praying. Praying for Verity's strength, for her healing tears; anything that could make him recover from this and not lose the woman he loved.

Buffy looked to Aiden as she stepped in to the kitchen, smiling sadly at her as she felt tired still, but she wanted to do something nice. Feel like she mattered and that she could help as well, not just be in the way. At the mention of Baal she looked down. She thought she was doing well with letting him sleep a little longer, but even that she seemed to not be good at. "Of ... Of course not," she said, pulling a faint smile as she tried staying optimistic. "I'll .. I'll go wake him up then," she said, letting Nova take over with the cooking as she went to the bedroom where Baal was. Squatting down next to the bed she touched his face gently. "Wake up, my love, you need to have your wrapping changed," she said softly, kissing his face in gentle pecks. "Do you need help sitting up?" she asked softly kissing his face still, anywhere she could.

Nova looked to Aiden as she kept stirring the eggs a little, making them scrambled. "You don't happen to have like a mask or something laying around, do you?" she asked.

It didnt feel nice to tell Buffy that Baal had to get up, because she could tell that the fenix had just been trying to do her best, but Aiden just didnt want to have the daemon have herbs strapped to his body if it wasnt going to heal him. As the fenix left, she frowned a little confused at Nova's sudden question. She shrugged, "No, but if you need to cover your face, I can help you with bandage?" she suggested, wrapping her arms a little around herself. Whatever Nova chose, Aiden would get. Wrapping her face wouldnt be too difficult for Aiden, she had tried it a couple of times on the night with the seraphim attack. She glanced back at Xander's door, feeling a little dreadful but she couldnt face him right now.

Feeling her fingers on his face, was like she slowly dragged him back from whatever type of dreamless state he seemed to be in. He opened his eyes to look at her, smiling at her words and her pecks on his skin. "Mnnnh," he replied in a tired manner, stretching carefully to grunt at little in pain. He looked down at the wound, feeling a little worried that it might have worsened in his sleep. "I'll be fine," he mumbled as he pushed himself up to sit, gritting his teeth a bit. He smiled at her with a tired smile, feeling his body having healed from the seraphim tears, though he was still badly hurt in his ribs.

He felt like he had been here so many times before and yet his passport would prove that it was his first time on this land, Gambion it was called. He looked around the city, feeling so distant and yet so familiar. He wasnt sure if she was going to be there or not but in case she was, he had brought a souvenir from his home. He double checked the address before he pressed the button, but he knew he was at the right place, the energy was so strong. He could feel her present as well, which surprised him but he also figured that she would stay true to her words about making sure that he wouldnt just mess things up. He sighed quietly to himself, feeling a little nervous.

Nova's face lit up nodding as that sounded like a great idea. "That sounds amazing," she said, taking the pan off the heat, following Aiden to get her head covered, only her eyes peaking through. She fixed that by grabbing a pair of sunglasses. He would have to help, then she would show her eyes, that was the deal. "I'm expecting company ... And I don't want him to see my features," she said as her face had been covered. It felt strange, Mika turning her head in confusion as she looked at Nova, but Nova couldn't help but chuckle a little. "I know it's weird, but it's just for a little while," she promised the cat that meowed in reply. Nova looked at Aiden through the sunglasses. "You don't have to worry though, he's only doing this because he wants to get closer to me - I'm giving him something he wants, and in exchange he can hopefully help the daemon," she explained. She knew that there had been a lot of strangers through this place, but it was necessary to have this stranger here.

Buffy smiled at Baal, stroking his cheek gently as he was waking up. He looked a little better today, but perhaps it was because most of the visible that had gone away. "You keep saying that, but Aiden says you need to have the wrapping changed," she said softly. She had wished to let him rest for longer, mostly because he still seemed so tired. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked. She really just wanted to be able to do something besides being wrong all the time. Smiling a little she took his hand, entangling their fingers. Just being with him was good for her, but she wished she could do more.

Xander was slowly getting up, dressing himself with a blank expression as he found what he needed to use to change Baal's wrapping. He just knew it had to be done, then he could feel useful again.

As the buzzer rang, Nova frowned, looking to Aiden, hoping she would open the door for her.

Aiden nodded as she made sure to cover Nova's face with the bandage, frowning a little at the explanation. She was at least happy to know that it would be over soon, but she wasnt really thinking about what to do after all this. She knew she had to talk it all through with Xander, but for now it was pushed to the farthest point of her mind. The bandage was a good idea, since it not only covered her features, but also her hair in a sense, at least Aiden thought it made her that less recognizable. "He sounds like a selfish person," she said truthfully but she didnt dig further into it. As long as it could help Baal, then she didnt care however it was happening.

"You dont seem to believe me," he said with a faint smile at her words but he nodded when he knew she was right. He thought about her words while she entangled their fingers, frowning a little as he placed a hand over the wrapper with the herbs, "Well you could help me a lot by not think that this is something that you should be able to solve," he said in a soft tone as he carefully leaned forward to greet her lips in a soft kiss, chuckling a little to himself, "Have you been crying?" he then asked a little more seriously as he lifted his hand from the wrapping to touch her cheekbone gently.

Aiden glanced at the door as it rang, looking at the screen before she let him in. She opened the door for him, looking up at the man as he appeared in the door. He just looked at her for a moment like he was trying to feel something inside of him, before he moved on in. Aiden was quick to move out of his way, frowning a little to herself as she closed the door behind him. Trent looked around for a moment before he stopped at the kitchen door. He slowly turned his head to see her stand there with her head wrapped and sunglasses on, "Goodmorning Nova," he said in a welcoming tone but he turned his head to the room that the daemon was in. It didnt take long before Baal came out, looking a little confused as he saw the stranger. "So this is the daemon," he said to himself, his eyes moving down to the wound. He turned his eyes back to Nova, "What if I cant save him?" he asked, just to know what his options were.

Buffy sighed as she knew he was right. There was really nothing she could do, but she wanted so desperately to be helpful. Feeling his lips made her heart flutter, smiling softly as he pulled away. She wanted more of his lips, but she couldn't be egoistic right now, even if her body wanted to so dearly. His question made her sigh, looking down as she nodded. She couldn't bring herself to lie to him, because she had been. "It's stupid, it's just because I can't help you - It just makes me rather distressed," she confessed, looking back at the sea of grass that was his eyes. She helped him slightly to move to his feet, moving with him and opening the door for him. Even if that was the only thing she could do, she would do it in a heart beat.

Nova felt his pull, felt how her entire body wanted to gravitate towards him, gritting her teeth as he greeted her. She nodded as a simple greeting as Baal stepped in. She let Trent look at the daemon for a while, and hearing his question made her sigh. "If you cannot heal him yourself, you'll either live without ever seeing me again or you go with me to the Elders," she said. That was his options. She knew that Trent knew that her bond to Baal was not yet broken. If Baal died, then she would either die with him, or lose a significant amount of lifespan. "I am not breaking my bond, so it is not only the daemon's life that is on the line," she said. She normally never revealed such things, but it was a cost to keep him safe. If he was hurt, she was too; that was why she had passed out yesterday. Normally she could traverse the other realm with little to no straining, but because Baal was weak, so was she. "Let's get on with it, shall we," she said, gesturing for Baal to go to the couch so that Trent could inspect him.

Xander came out from his room, his face still rather stoic as he just carried some of the herbs he had used yesterday, along with some moss and a fresh wrapper of linen. He barely noticed Trent or the fact that Nova's face was covered up. He just went to Baal as he had sat down on the couch, slowly removing the wrapper and cleaning off the herb mixture. This also meant that Trent could get a better look at the situation.

He wasnt angry at her for having cried, he just felt bad that he was the reason she was crying, in a sense. "I understand," he said, touching her cheek gently with a small yet sad smile. Her leading him out to the others he rather fast noticed how there seemed to be a looming sadness in the air, at least from the others. The stranger seemed awfully indifferent to everything around him in a way that made Baal feel a little uneasy. He was guided to the sofa and as Xander came to tend to his wounds, Baal looked at him with a frown. He wondered if something had happened, as he looked at Aiden that didnt seem to look at anyone at all.

Trent nodded at her words but he was grinding his teeth softly in annoyance. So he really did have to save this daemon or the consequences would be severe. He moved over to the sofa before he leaned a little forward, looking at the wound as the seraph unfolded and revealed it. He just drew in a sharp inhale with a chuckle, seemingly finding it quite amusing. "That looks like it hurts," - "It does," - "Heh," - "Can you do anything about it?" Baal asked with a small worried frown. Trent shrugged with a small smile. He looked over at Nova, "You're lucky," he said before he gestured for Xander to move out of the way, shaking his head at the herbs and wrappings, "There isnt anything from this earth that could ever help a wound like that," he simply told the nephilim, before he placed his hands on the wounds. He looked up at Baal before he looked around them, "Hold him down," he told them and if they all did as he said he could begin. He went to the kitchen to grab a knife, looking at it, running his thumb down the blade to feel the sharpness. He came back and looked at the hole Aiden had poked, looking up at the daemon. "This will hurt a lot more," he said before he started poking the knife in, just because he had to feel how much it had hardened. Baal squirmed like nothing else as Trent digged his fingers in the new wound to pull out a piece of whatever it is that had solidified in Baal. He didnt seem to care how much it hurt the daemon, though it wouldnt have been painless either way. He only glanced at Nova to make sure she was fine - But he was surprised to hear the daemon being in so control of himself as to not just scream at the pain. Baal felt his heart in his throat, pounding like crazy while he managed to bite down whatever scream that would have come, but he couldnt stop squirming to try and get free, feeling like he would pass out if he didnt fight their grips. The piece pulled felt like a piece of his soul or something equivalent.

Xander frowned at the stranger as he said nothing would help, but he quickly went back to his stoic face as he was guided out of the way. Nova barely responded to Trent's words, not even helping to keep Baal down, because being close to him she knew the risk was too great. Keeping her distance was safe. Xander helped pressing Baal's shoulders down in to the couch, keeping him relatively still. Buffy placed her hands on his cheeks, trying to guide him to breathe normally. "You're doing good ... Just a little more," she kept whispering at Trent made a dig at whatever was under the daemon's skin. She could barely stand looking at anything but the sea of grass, reminding her that he just had to go through this, then he would be able to heal. That was how it worked, right? She couldn't know.

As Trent dug his fingers in to Baal's side, Nova placed a hand over her ribs, clutching on to her clothes, however she made no sound. She was breathing normally, except for the trembles that escaped now and again, revealing that she actually was in pain. As the solid item was removed, she seemed to breathe more easily, looking at the hard object Trent was now holding. She knew the look of it, and she also knew that it had to be returned to the other realm. It could not stay here at least. Nova took a careful step closer, inspecting it but still from a distance. "I can return it," she suggested, looking at Trent through the sunglasses. She knew that she would have to follow through with her promise, but Baal still needed stitches. Xander and Aiden would see to that of course, but she didn't feel like the job was complete yet. "And you managed to keep all of his essence intact? You know what it means if you have broken just a small piece of him off," she said in a warning tone. That would mean she could never truly release herself from the bond she had made with Baal. Mika had been one of those ones, of course that was so many lifetimes ago that Nova had no recollection of it, neither did the cat.

Xander went straight to work, cleaning the surrounding area, getting a green light from Trent to be allowed to stitch it up and wrap it in clean linen with fresh herbs.

Trent looked at Nova with calculating eyes at her offer, turning his eyes to his hand, pinching his lips shortly as he let the thing fall into his palm and press it into his skin with ease, "No," he simply denied her with a relaxed expression, though the fragment was hurting him - He wasnt showing it. He turned to look at Baal blinking a few times before he laid his hand over the wound to feel if he had gotten the right piece. The pressure made Baal grit his teeth, though he had to trust Buffy when she said it was soon over. Before he could let the wound be stitched, he placed a hand at Baal's back while his other hand remained over the wound, his eyes moving up to the ceiling as he focused on feeling the energy. He nodded to himself as he knew he had gotten it all, frowning a little at Nova's words, "Are you saying I'm incompetent of doing my job?" he asked in a tone that would have seemed serious, but he was just joking. He allowed Xander to stitch up the daemon, turning to Nova before he seemed to realize something, reaching down his pocket before he pulled out a small trinket, a teddyhair in a keychain dressed as one of the royal guards. He offered it to Nova, looking up at her eyes covered by the sunglasses, "For you," he said.

Aiden just felt out of place at it seemed like Xander had it all under control and for some reason it didnt sit right with her. She closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled in a tremble before she just shook her head, knowing her mind had set on something she would come to regret. Without really saying anything she just went to the door and out she went, no words or any sort of fuss. She wasnt sure what had gone over her but for now she just wanted to get away.

Baal felt his shoulders tremble from the aftershocks of pain, pressing his head back in the couch as he felt the spasms want to squirm for some unknown reason. He was relieved to have the weird piece of whatever removed but it didnt exactly feel great to have a huge cut on his side. He grabbed a hold of Buffy's wrist, just to feel her close. He didnt squirm at Xander's stitches, it was like the pain wasnt as severe as what Trent had just done to him. When it was all finished, he exhaled deeply, feeling the herbs soothe the pain just enough to make him finally relax.

Nova gritted her teeth at his words. Why wouldn't he just let her handle it? She could do it so much easier. His question made her scoff, folding her arms as she looked at him. "No, but there's always a reason to double check," she replied. It was practically her job to keep him on his toes, wasn't it? As he seemed to change expression, as if he had forgotten something she frowned, taking a step back as he pulled out something from his pocket. The little teddy bear dangling for a while as she saw what it was. She exhaled, nodding towards the kitchen so that he would follow. Best to give Xander space to work. In the kitchen she took the teddybear, before she moved to have some distance between them. "Trinkets ... You think that is going to make me warm up to you?" she asked, however she didn't sound dismissive. It was a nice thought, she just had a hard time understanding why he would do this. Was it just to get under her skin, to make her trust him? "I gave you my word, and now I guess I'll give it to you," she said, closing her eyes as she slowly removed the sunglasses. Her blue-grey eyes shining slightly in the light from above. "There they are," she said. It felt weird looking at a man she couldn't recognize yet felt so drawn to. She felt exhausted, grabbing on to a chair to not fall over.

Xander was occupied, sewing a neat like of sutures that would hopefully not leave too noticeable scar. He also made sure to match up the swirls to the best of his abilities. He looked up as Aiden left, but he couldn't leave his work, not now. Even though he wanted to run after her.

Buffy looked at Baal as he grabbed her wrist, looking at his eyes. "You're doing so good," she said, placing a gentle kiss against his forehead. She let her lips rest a little while against his skin, however as Aiden started moving she frowned. She could see that Xander couldn't follow, so she gestured for Baal that he should be alright without her for a while. "I'm going to go check on her," she said in a soft whisper before following Aiden. She ran after her. "Aiden!" she yelled, reaching her. "Aiden, where are you going?" she asked rather confused.

It was not only hard to stay focussed, it was hard being in the same room with Trent. And then alone on top of it. She could feel how her body wanted to gravitate towards him, be close to him, but she feared it would be her own undoing. He said he had felt like it had worked before, but she had no recollection of such memories. Removing her sunglasses felt like she exposed so much. They said the eyes were the window to the soul, and she felt like he could look right through her and see her inner dreams and fears. She took the chip, looking down as she placed it back, sighing a bit in relief to have it part of her again. Still holding on to the chair, she felt a bit of the pain subside, however it would only truly go away once Baal had healed. She took a trembling inhale, shaking a little from feeling the symbol reconnect with the others. Then he asked a very direct question, making her frown. "Because I don't want you to hurt me," she replied quite bluntly. Nova was for the most part honest, but you could always tell it by her eyes. They were a dead give away. However she was speaking the truth. She couldn't tell if Trent wanted to kiss her or kill her, because her faint memories told her one thing, and his behavior told her another. "I don't trust what you're capable of, not when I think of the things I remember from before," she said truthfully, taking a deep breath. She looked at the small teddybear, not knowing if he was trying to fool her in to a false sense of security. Trinkets were always nice, and she often carried a lot with her, but she feared the implication of carrying around something he had gifted her.

Xander sighed at the daemon's words. "I messed up," he simply replied, making sure to close a suture neatly before moving on to the next. He was good at his sewing skills, and soon Baal was completely patched up. He checked, making sure all of the sutures would hold before moving over to grab a small bowl of thick cream. "It's going to sting a little at first, but it should give a cooling sensation once it starts seeping in to your skin," he said, as he started applying the cream. "I'm ... I can't know if I'll ever be ready to ... To touch again, and by this point I'm just damaged goods," he said, frowning at his own words. Maybe he just needed to accept that, let go of Aiden and let her find the happiness that she deserved. It was clear that Xander still had some way to go before he could function relatively normal. And he felt very selfish for wanting to hold on to the hybrid that had taken his heart in her delicate hands. He wished that love could heal him, but truth was that it only happened in fairytales and badly written novels.

Buffy looked at Aiden, a sad look in her eyes as she watched the hybrid struggle. The way she was hugging herself just hurt. She wanted to comfort her, be the friend that she needed, but it was clear that Aiden was having none of that right now. As the hybrid apologized, Buffy frowned, looking confused at her. The tears that started falling made Buffy reach out, taking her hand and just standing for a little while. "You don't have to come with me back to the apartment," she said in a calm voice, looking at Aiden's face. Buffy had always found her so beautiful, and seeing her cry just made her worry deeply. "And I'm not telling you what to do; but I want you to be happy, and if you need a break from ... Well ... All of this mess," she said, nodding back towards the apartment. "That's completely fine, but I want you to know that there's always gonna be place for you here," she said. She didn't care what had gone on between Aiden and Xander, she just wanted to show that Buffy was going to be supportive either way.

He frowned a little at her words but simply nodded with his eyes avoiding hers, not angry nor sad about her words - More so did it look like he was pondering upon the information he had been given. Nodding a few more times, he looked back up at her with his expression unchanged, "I only remember the love. In all sorts of shapes and forms. We've had friendships, relationships, all of it," he said in a soft tone, tilting his head at her, "I wonder what it will be this time," he said, shifting between the eyes he had been allowed to see. He didnt want to pressure her and he knew why but it didnt really bother him. He knew he was a horrible person to most and he didnt care about it, not one bit. "My job here is done," he said, looking at her eyes for as long as he could. He wouldnt forget the colour, that much he knew, but only time would tell if he would see her again in the future. "I should leave you to your healing," he said, straightening his back to easen up the tension he felt. He couldnt begin to describe the feeling he felt, the want and need to just run up to her and wrap his arms around her. But he couldnt do that to her and maybe it annoyed him a little. "You know how to get a hold of me," he said with a faint smile, though he didnt seem happy about it. He moved out of the kitchen, knowing the way out he was out quite fast. He looked around on the street before he popped his hands in his pocket. He couldnt help but smile a little, knowing that at least he knew what her eyes and voice was like.

Baal frowned a little at his reply, though he hadnt meant to pry with his question it did seem like he was on a tight line to overstepping. He didnt know where he stood with Buffy's brother but he knew that they didnt exactly get along. He was surprised to see how well it was all stitched up, but even if the marks seemed uneven now, as soon as the scar tissue would come, the marks would adjust to match every swirl like nothing had happened. He made a nod at Xander's warning, gritting his teeth a little at the sting that was enough to make him clench his hand for a little while. He just kept his eyes on the wound as he thought about the nephilim's explanation. "It might seem a little harder with an attitude like that," Baal said with a trying smile as he looked up at the nephilim. "Buffy..." he said, frowning a little as he knew to tread carefully with his words, it was her twin he was talking to afterall, "... Taught me that dealing with trauma has it's hardships," he said, biting the inside of his cheek shortly as he thought about it. "But there's also beauty in healing," he said, making a small shrug. He wasnt sure what he should tell the nephilim, though had it been Buffy, he would have gone off in a long speech about how viewing herself as less worthy due to what she had been through just aided to making things worse - But this wasnt Buffy, it was her brother. "I dont know what the vampyre did to you. However it feels quite like you're still caught in the mindset she has forced you into," he said, making a small shrug. He closed his eyes, feeling his body finally relax was such a relief, even if a little bit of the pain was still lingering.

She looked down as Buffy grabbed her hand, feeling her jaw tremble a bit as the tears just ran down her cheeks. She couldnt really do anything but listen to what Buffy had to say because she knew if she tried to say anything, her voice would crack and she would just start sobbing instead of saying something. She looked down as Buffy referred to all that was happening as a mess - It was but somehow the word bothered Aiden a little to hear. She looked up at the fenix with thankful eyes though there was still a lot of sadness to hide it behind. Squeezing Buffy's hand slightly, she was searching for her words. But instead of saying anything, she made a small nod before she moved a bit away to get her hand back - A thought passed that made her wonder how many times she would have to drag her hand away from someone when she just needed them to pull back. Hiding her hand back around herself under her elbow, she turned to walk away, still feeling the tears run down her cheeks. The pain wouldnt go away but she didnt know that yet.

Nova didn't really know how to react, let alone stand here and look at him. Why was she so conflicted? She could remember some of the things he had done in their past lives, remember the bad things that he had done. Not that she had been much of an angel either, but she feared that if she let him near he would hurt her. However the same fear gathered in her stomach as she thought of pushing him away. Would that create the monster she had seen before? As he said he only remembered the love she frowned, looking down to there feet as she sighed. She wished she could remember that. And it explained his behavior a lot. "Are you going to stay ... In the town?" she asked. She couldn't really tell what answer she longed for the most. He turned to leave, and she felt a sour taste in her mouth as he said she knew how to get a hold of him. "It goes both ways," she replied, hinting that if he ever needed it, she would help him as well. Within limits of course. As he left the apartment she sat down on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest as she tried to calm down, however she felt like she was being torn apart the further he went away. She knew the feeling would subside once he had gotten far enough away, but it didn't make it easier to deal with. Slowly she started unwrapping her head, dropping the gauze on the floor and running a hand through her hair to make it puff up and not just sit so closely to her scalp. Looking at the trinket, she ran a finger along it, making it jingle a little. A faint smile appeared on her lips. She really did like trinkets.

Xander gritted his teeth as Baal spoke, mostly because he felt it stepping over a line. "Save your words," he said, a pained tone over his voice as he moved to his feet. That kind of talk might work on his sister, but it wouldn't work on him. Placing the small container on the armrest of the couch he tapped the lid lightly. "Twice a day until the stitches start to fall off by themselves," he said in a strangely calm voice. Baal had mentioned the vampyre, but what would he know of the things that woman had done to him. Did he find him less of a man because of it? Perhaps just weak minded, because he couldn't just see the beauty in healing as the daemon had put it. "I'll pack a bag and go to the Institute; I'm lacking behind on my studies," he said in a voice devoid of emotion, however his eyes were fluid. He would never let the daemon see him cry, so he simply went to his room, packing his supplies before heading out as Buffy re-entered. She looked at her brother, confused and hurt, but let him go none the less.

Moving over to the couch she sat down in front of Baal, sitting on the small coffee table as she looked at him, reaching over to take his hand. In a calm tone she spoke of the brief conversation she had had with Aiden, explaining that she didn't really know wether she was coming back. To Buffy that hurt, mostly because she had found so much comfort in the hybrid. "I don't want to blame anyone, and right now I feel like I need to be by your side while you're healing," she said in a soft voice, running her thumb along the back of his hand. "Are you hungry? Is there anything I can get for you?" she asked. She wouldn't know the first thing about procuring a soul, but for Baal she would do whatever she could.

Buffy smiled at him softly. She didn't like thinking of him killing people, but she knew it to be the truth. It was a part of him, just as much as her breathing, but wrapping her mind around it could be hard sometimes. Nodding as he said he needed to relax, she stood up, still holding his hand and looking at it. Not many things could make her smile after something traumatic as this, but Baal could always force one out of her, even when she least expected it. She leaned down over him, placing a finger under his chin. Their lips touched and she felt herself overwhelm with an immense amount of emotions. Though the kiss was short, she lingered against his lips, her eyes half open as she just enjoyed having him close. "Do you want to go to bed?" she whispered sweetly, almost sounding innocent, but mostly she just wondered if he was tired. He had seemed to sleep that night, but if he needed to rest fully, she wouldn't mind laying with him as he slept. "Or do you just want to be sitting for a while? I could grab a couple of blankets and we could just turn on the TV?" she suggested. She wouldn't mind either way, she just wanted to be close to him, feel his arm around her and breathe in his scent. The day was still relatively young, just a little past midday. That was when she heard her stomach rumble, blushing a little as she hadn't seen that coming. "Hold that thought, I think I need to go grab something to eat first," she chuckled lightly, kissing him once more before moving a little involuntarily away. She wanted to stay close to him, but she also needed to listen to her body. Moving out to the kitchen she saw Nova sitting on the floor, looking at something sparkling. "You hungry?" she asked, making Nova look up as if she had just been in a trance. "Nah, I was thinking of going out; If you don't mind I'd like it if Mika stays here while I'm away," she said, moving to her feet. She had the intention of going for a walk alone, clearing her mind a little and perhaps getting in touch with Aiden. Nova moved out to the living room, seeing the daemon she sighed. A small symbol lighting up, she grabbed around the small soul like piece, handing it to Baal. "I'll see if I can get you more," she promised. She didn't like the daemon practice, but she also knew it was necessary. Buffy grabbed the eggs, taking a few big mouthfuls while it was heating. Opening the fridge she grabbed a carton of milk, drinking it straight from it. She felt quite hungry, but she thought it might've been the fact that she had gone to bed without food and then breakfast was delayed as the strange man had shown up. After the eggs were heated she placed it in a small bowl, grabbing a large glass of water before moving in to the living room or bedroom, depending on where Baal had decided to go.