Summary: Five years ago some very horrid things
happened. Now Willow is returning to Sunnydale and the Scooby Gang is joining the fray once more.
Disclaimer: Most of the characters aren't mine, they belong to the people who created them. Copyright law is good, I just want to ignore it for a little...
March, 2000 …
So, in the end it came down to this. Somehow it had to. Buffy stood exhausted facing Angelus.
“Well, dear heart, we’re alone at last.” Angelus taunted lightly.
“Just give me a few minutes and I’ll really be alone.”
“Defiant to the last, always liked that about you, …. but, I have to say, this is the last. You know you can’t kill me. Look at you.”
“You look at me… cause …” Buffy searched for a witticism, “…Cause I’m the person who’s about to kill you.”
“Not quite up to your usual standard”
“I know.”
“So, you’re going to kill me, are you? But how can you? Look at me. I’m Angel. I’m your soul mate.”
“I’m looking and you’re not Angel. Our souls have nothing in common.” Buffy’s voice was confident but a waver betrayed her fear. She pounced forward to attack and kicked him in the stomach. He recovered quickly and knocked her head about in a vicious punch. She ducked as he went to hit her again, and pulled a stake from her sleeve. Several minutes of fierce fighting ensued, but Buffy was getting weaker. Angelus threw her to the hard floor. She felt the bitterness of seeing her stake swiftly removed from her grasp. He pounced on her almost gracefully and pinned her to the ground.
As he spoke he leant close to her mouth. Had he been breathing she would have felt his breath on her face. “It’s so wonderful that you’ll get to enjoy all I’ve planned, Buff. It’s all worked out. You’ll love it. We’ll start with Xander, I think. Or Riley. It sickens me to see you with him. And he hardly knows what I can do. Then Xander. He’s always been an annoying boy. We’ll make the others watch though. Make little Willow cry. Sweet Willow and brave Xander, the demon girl and that All American boy you’ve been messing with. It’ll be entertaining.”
Buffy struggled desperately. She could feel that it was in vain. “You’ll never win.” He pricked her neck with his fangs and she began to sob. “You’ll never win,” she whispered.
Her mind was flooded with images. The real Angel, the one she had loved for what seemed a million years as she grew up into the slayer she needed to be; Riley, still almost a stranger to her, but she was beginning to find him in strange places in her heart; Xander, all humor and anger, immaturity and wisdom, love and loyalty and somehow unbreakable friendship; Willow, whose true sweetness, intelligence and unwavering love made her irreplaceable; her father, gone for so long; Giles, a borrowed father, a friend and teacher beyond all others; and her mom. She was a little girl, again. “Mommy” she breathed as things began to disappear. Then suddenly she was seeing the way this would all end. She gasped and prayed that they would know she had died at this moment, long before any of the terrible things that would happen.
Angelus sunk his teeth into her neck and drank deeply. He dragged a stake across his wrist and dripped the dark blood slowly between her lips. “I’ll win. You’ll help me. This is how it was always meant to be, my love.” He smiled as her beautiful young body stopped shuddering.
***
The phone rang painfully. Willow rolled over, not glancing at the clock. She was almost used to such horrible timing.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Buffy.” Willow opened her eyes and glanced at the glaring numbers by her bed. “Buffy it’s 2am. Why aren’t you home? I’ve been worried. You should be in bed. You need your sleep. You’re already exhausted.”
“Alright, alright, Will. No need to June Cleaver me. I’m fine.”
“Oh…” Willow paused. “Oh, are you with Riley? You know, with with Riley?”
“No.” Oddly, Buffy sounded a fraction disgusted. “Willow, I need your help.”
“Sure, what do you want?”
“Come down to the crypt in the cemetery. I’ll meet you there. Bring Xander and Riley with you.”
“OK, we’ll be there. What’s…?” Buffy had already hung up.
***
Riley, Willow, Xander and Anya (who had been woken in Xander’s room and insisted on joining them) walked hesitantly into the crypt.
“Buffy? You there?” called Riley quietly.
“Buffy?” added Willow.
“Hey guys.” They turned to see the pretty blonde walking from the entrance to the caves.
“You OK, Buff?” asked Xander.
“Sure am.” She replied reaching out to tousle his hair. Anya glared convincingly. “Well, here’s the scoop. Angelus is back.”
“Angelus? Oh Buffy,” said Willow. “How are you holding up?”
“Oh.” Buffy paused in thought for a moment. “It’s hard. I’m sad. But… we have to cope. Move on. Save the world. You know, the kind of thing I do, me being the Slayer and all.”
“OK” said Xander doubtfully. He exchanged a glance with Willow.
“So what’s going on?” asked Riley with concern.
“It’s like this. They’re planning on somehow expanding the Hellmouth. I don’t know, it involves some kind of energy producing radiation and phosphor, or sulfur…”
Willow spoke. “Phosphor, I imagine. Although I don’t think it would really have any…”
Buffy interrupted her. “Thanks Bill Nye. Anyway. I have a plan. We’ll split up. Riley and I will go this way, you three go that way. Reconnaissance. We’ll meet back here in 30.”
“That doesn’t sound like a very good…” Buffy was already on her way out with Riley. “…plan,” finished Xander lamely. He looked at the two girls. “OK then, reconnaissance it is.”
“Reconnaissance?” Anya asked as they set off in the opposite direction to Buffy and Riley.
“Military term for an information gathering inspection of an area,” said Xander
“Ooooh… I love it when you go all military on me, Xander.”
***
Riley had to hurry to keep up with Buffy. “Hey,” he said. “Hey.” More loudly this time. “Slow down for a sec.”
Buffy stopped and turned so suddenly he almost ran into her. “Yeah?”
“I just want to know what’s going on.”
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s OK.” She looked him over. “I shouldn’t think you’ll really need that big, big gun.”
“Buffy..?”
“You’re certainly man enough already.” She pulled him close and kissed him hard on the lips. At her touch he began to realize what was wrong, what was so terribly wrong.
“Oh God… Buffy, you’re…”
“Well Riley, there’s no need to get all riled up about it now…” She paused, seeming to expect a laugh. “Awww, come on. I’ve wanted to use that one for ages. Riley, riled up” She thought a moment. “OK, I guess you’re right. It seemed much funnier … before I was dead.” Buffy vamped out and swiftly brought Riley to the floor. “Don’t feel bad about it. It’s not you, it’s me. You see, my Angel’s back, and I’m afraid I just have no use for you anymore.” She snapped his neck cleanly as Angel strolled into the room. They smiled at one another.
“You’re good at this, love.”
“I know,” she said smugly. “So one down…”
“Who’s next?”
***
“Hey guys.”
Xander, Anya and Willow spun around.
“Oh, it’s you,” said Anya disinterestedly. “Think we can stop wandering around in these caves yet. Or is that ex of yours still causing trouble.”
“Anya!” said Willow sharply. “Buffy, where’s Riley?”
“He’s just down this passage.”
“Gotta say I’m happy to see you, Buff,” said Xander. “I wasn’t loving the thought of meeting Angelus down here.”
“Don’t worry about him. I’m here now. Come on, this way.” Buffy set out, leading the other three deeper and deeper into the caves. Angelus followed at a distance. Further behind someone else was following.
***
Buffy, Willow, Xander and Anya entered a large cavern. It was furnished beautifully and lit by torches, presumably because of the lack of electricity underground.
“Whoa. What’s all this.” Xander breathed to Buffy.
“Secret underground hideaway for bad guys.”
“Okaaay,” doubtfully. “So, why are we here?”
“Oh, I dunno, looking for bad guys I suppose.” Buffy teased.
“Well, sure, but if we’re here, it seems likely that they’ll find us first.”
“You could be right. But then again, I think you might be too late. They might already have you,” she said quietly. Buffy vamped out and went straight for Xander’s throat.
“Xander! No!” Anya screamed. Willow whipped to face them as Anya attacked Buffy. Buffy let go of Xander, kicking him across the floor, and grabbed Anya by the neck, breaking it.
“Pity,” she said. “She might have made a good vampire, she’s got so much experience with the demon thing.” Xander and Willow looked at her, stunned.
“Buffy!” breathed Willow. Then Xander lunged at Buffy. She quickly brought him to his knees. He struggled desperately as she dragged him to his feet again. “I think you’ll enjoy this, Will. Watch and learn. Now this is how you keep a guy.” Xander spun around suddenly, causing Buffy to lose her grip. “Oops,” she said. She turned toward him to grab his shoulders and threw him to the ground, knocking him unconscious. She straddled him. “Xander, Xander, Xander. I thought this was just what you’ve always wanted. Y’know, me on top,” she purred. Behind her, Willow fumbled with a stake. As Buffy leant to kill Xander, Willow moved behind her and, taking a deep breath, fiercely stabbed her in the back, right where her heart lay. Buffy turned in surprise.
“Huh. I never thought you had it in you, Wills.”
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” Willow began to sob as her friend, their hero exploded into ashes. “I’m so sorry, Buffy.”
She moved toward Xander, blinded by tears, and didn’t notice Angelus until he had seized her by the throat and lifted her off the ground.
“Little girl, do you have any idea what you’ve done. You don’t even want to think about what I’m going to do to you, and him.” He lashed out at Xander with his foot. Willow sobbed, kicking at him desperately.
Suddenly, amazingly, Angel exploded into dust. From the floor where she had immediately fallen, Willow looked up to see Spike’s familiar leer.
“Go on. Get out of here, love,” he growled. She looked at him blankly for a second then across at Xander who was still unconscious. Spike sighed dramatically. “Ok, take him too, but get the hell out of here before I change my mind.”
Willow crawled over to Xander, watching Spike all the time. “Xander.” He moved his head groggily, not focussing. Willow began to drag him out the way they’d come. After a moment’s pause Spike walked over to help her. He hoisted Xander over his shoulders and carried him out, depositing him roughly at the crypt entrance.
“Can’t take him any further. Sun’s up.” Willow nodded blankly. Spike walked back into the darkness.
Willow dragged Xander out into the early morning light, checked his pulse and collapsed to the ground, sobbing silently.
***
January, 2005 (almost 5 years later)
It was late. Rupert Giles picked up the phone and began to dial.
“Ummm yes, Good Afternoon. Professor Davies office please…oh, I apologize. Could you supply that number? … Thank you.”
He dialed again.
“Hello... yes…I’m calling from the United States looking for Professor Davies… Paul Davies. I believe he.. uh. No, I’ve tried there already… yes?” He sighed and wrote another number on a scrap of paper. Looking at his watch he dialed again.
“Yes… hello… I’m looking for Professor Davies. He is? That’s wonderful. Could you put me through to the lab?”
The telephone rang nine times. Giles was about to hang up when it was answered.
“Hello? Bernham Laboratory.”
“Yes, hello… I’m looking for Professor Paul Davies.”
“Oh, I’m afraid he just stepped out. Can I take a message for him?”
“Yes I’m looking for a research assistant of his. Her name is…” The girl on the phone interrupted quietly.
“Giles?”
“…Willow.” Tears pricked his eyes.
“Oh.”
“I was looking for you.”
“Oh.”
A clear image of Willow the last time he had spoken with her flashed through Giles’ mind. She had been standing before him in his apartment, sorrow darkening her luminous eyes. She had spoken softly.
“The hellmouth is closed?”
“Yes.” His sorrow was as deep as hers, but they did not touch or even really acknowledge it.
“For good?”
“I believe so.”
She paused then said “I’m leaving Sunnydale, after the funeral.”
“Of course… where are you going?”
“Adelaide.”
“Australia?”
“There’s this professor…”
“It seems a long way from home,” Giles said gently.
“Oz is gone. My parents are dead. Buffy is dead.” She spoke quietly but Giles could sense the bitterness behind her usually gentle voice. “This place is nothing like home anymore.”
He reached out to her but she had already turned clumsily to leave.
Giles shook himself out of his reverie as Willow spoke through the handset.
“Why were you looking for me, Giles?”
“I need your assistance.” It wasn’t the only reason, but it was an important one.
“Oh. Is it the…” Willow paused, “Hellmouth?”
“In a way. I can’t discuss it over the phone.”
“Of course. Well, I’ll see how soon I can get a flight.”
“You’ll come?” Giles asked doubtfully.
“Of course I will. You need my help.” This too wasn’t the only reason, but it was an important one.
Giles hung up the phone. He looked up as Xander stepped out of the back room.
“I found her. She’s coming.”
Xander looked stunned. “Really? She’s really coming back?”
“Yes.”
“Willow?”
“Yes, Willow.”
“That’s great. It’s really great.”
“It is.”
“Willow?” Xander was acting even dopier than normal.
“Is this conversation going anywhere?” asked Giles irritably.
“I doubt it. But you’re stuck with me. I’m waiting for Cordelia,” replied Xander cheerfully. He couldn’t stop smiling.
“Of course you are.”
“Need any help from Research Boy…Man?”
“Research Boy Man?” Giles asked with a twinkle. “Certainly I could use assistance. Ummm… there’s a volume of the Slayer’s Chronicles missing. Would you track it down for me?”
Xander sauntered off and Giles leaned back against the table. He smiled grimly. Willow was coming home.
***
Morning sunlight angled through the blinds and fell softly on Cordelia’s smooth thighs. Xander smiled appreciatively and leaned on one elbow to get a better view. Her long hair was tousled, her silk shift had ridden up around her hips. Not even Cordelia could look sophisticated asleep, and Xander loved seeing her this way. He moved forward to kiss her. Before he could do so she wrinkled her nose and one long arm reached to push him away.
“Hello-oo, I don’t think I deserve to suffer from your awful case of morning breath.” She opened her eyes then added. “Oops, I mean … uh … why don’t you go and brush your teeth,… sweetheart.”
Xander grinned and went to comply. “This new tact thing is going well, hey Cor?” he threw over his shoulder as the phone began to ring. Cordelia smiled adorably and rolled over to get it.
“Hello?”
“Hi… ummm… I was looking for Alexander Harris?”
“Sure, he’s here. Who’s calling?”
“It’s Willow Rosen...”
“Willow!” Cordy raised her voice. Xander almost fell out of the bathroom. “Oh my God. Hi! It’s Cordelia.”
There was a brief pause while Willow digested the information. “Hi. How are you?” she managed.
“I’m fine. How was Australia? I hear it’s a fabulous place, although the fashion industry is really a whole season behind. I bet you have a great tan though.” Xander made a grab for the phone. “Ooh. We’ll talk later Willow. Xander’s doing the insane thing. Bye bye now.”
“Ok, bye Cordelia.” Xander grabbed the phone.
“Willow!” He was a little breathless.
“Xander.” She smiled to say his name.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the bus depot. I was actually kinda hoping you could come get me.” She paused. “Y’know, the stench of urine is making me dizzy.”
Xander gave a chuckle. “Sure. We’ll be 10 minutes. Less. See you soon, Will. I’m so glad you’re home.”
“Me too.” They hung up.
Xander turned to Cordelia. “How quickly can you be ready?”
“Who’s with her?”
“It’s just Willow.”
“OK, then give me five minutes.”
***
Nine minutes later they pulled up at the bus depot. Willow spotted them and hesitantly took a couple of steps forward before Xander leapt out of the car and nearly bowled her over in a hug. When he finally let her breathe there were tears in her eyes.
“Hey. Wow. You’re here.”
She smiled, thankful that for the time he wasn’t making this hard.
“I am. Hi. I’ve missed you,” she said.
He looked at her sharply for an instant then relaxed. “Yeah? What did you miss most?” His voice slipped naturally into the fond slightly flirtatious tone she recalled so well.
They smiled as Cordelia approached. Looking at Willow, Cordelia wished she’d taken more time to get ready. This Willow looked so different from the little one she’d teased mercilessly in school. The two young women exchanged glances.
“Hi Cordy.”
“Hi Willow.” After a pause Cordelia reached out and gave her a quick hug. Willow smiled, surprised. “I’m glad you came,” said Cordelia. “These idiots could really do with your help.” She smiled at Xander affectionately.
***
As they reached the apartment, Cordelia thoughtfully left them to themselves. Xander unlocked the door.
“You’re living in an apartment,” said Willow as they entered.
“Yeah.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah. A lot.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Willow hesitated and Xander could see his oldest friend beneath the confidence she now exuded. He realized that this woman was still his Willow. At the same time also realized that he was angry with her.
“Jesus, Willow. It’s been five years! FIVE! YEARS!” Her lip trembled as she turned to face him. “Why didn’t you call? Or write? Or come over? Or, I don’t know, send a carrier pigeon. Anything. Five years!” He lowered his voice and fixed her with his dark eyes. “It’s been five years, Willow.”
“I know,… I thought about you, every day.”
“Well. You know what, could have done a lot less thinking and a lot more letting me know how you were.”
“I know, Xander. I’m so sorry. It’s just that I spent so long trying to forget it all and then, when I could think about it I felt so guilty for leaving you all and I didn’t know how to call,.. well I knew how but I wasn’t sure that you wanted me to call, or if I wanted me to… although of course I did. I wanted to talk to you so much... but I..” Willow paused. Xander was smiling at her.
“You didn’t forget how to babble, did you.”
She grinned. “I tried to keep it up. Lots of practice.”
Xander took a breath. “Will, I know how you felt. I think I know how you feel. I just wish we could have gone through it together.” Willow’s eyes filled with tears and she reached out to hug Xander.
“Thank you,” she said. But she knew he didn’t know all of what had happened that terrible day. No one knew it all, except possibly Spike, and hopefully no one ever would.
***
Cordelia sped up as she passed Harmony’s house on her way to get some groceries. She thought about the last time she had seen Willow. It was Buffy’s funeral.
The coffin looked small. It wouldn’t have needed to be large to fit Buffy’s small frame, but as Cordelia and a select few knew, her body wasn’t inside it anyway. In front of the coffin were two photographs of Buffy along with the class-protector parasol she treasured so highly.
At some point in the service the pastor invited Buffy’s friends and family to say a few words. People scurried to do so.
“She knew how to live for the moment. It’s so hard to let her go,” said Parker Abrams earnestly
“It should have been Buffy who got Homecoming Queen. Not me,” said Michelle, her voice dripping with saccharine.
“She had more depth than anyone thought,” muttered Owen with intensity.
“She was my savior. She told me how the beautiful people feel. I think I really saw deep into her heart that day when I was going to shoot myself.” Jonathan was in tears
“She was pretty smart. She really understood how I thought,” said Nancy, then added angrily “unlike everyone else.”
“She was so alive,” said Scott.
It was almost sweet how people responded to Buffy’s death. Almost sweet, mostly just hypocritical. Buffy’s real friends stood silently. They knew that she was pretty much beyond words anyway. Some of Cordelia’s old posse walked over to her.
“Cordeeelia. Hi.”
She smiled a little. “Hi.” She looked them over. “Where’s Harmony?”
“Oh, yeah.” They looked at one another.
“We don’t know… she really changed.”
“She got this new boyfriend.”
“She let her tan fade horribly.”
“She just isn’t her old self.”
“OK,” said Cordelia to stop them going on.
“This is so sad,” one of them said. “Poor Buffy - how horrible to die so young,” she shuddered.
“Although she was really weird.”
“And Willow looks just awful in black,” said another cattily.
Cordy shot them a look. “It’s not black, it’s charcoal,” she said, and stalked off.
Willow stood still and fragile. Tears dripped down her face. Xander walked to her and wrapped his arms around her. She stayed still for a moment then squirmed from his grasp, turned and walked away. Xander stood alone gazing at the freshly turned earth. Cordelia took a deep breath and walked over to him.
“Xander, I’m so sorry.”
Xander looked at her sadly - he hadn’t seen her since she’d moved to LA “It was good of you to come, Cor.”
She reached out and took his hands in hers. “I wanted to be here - for you. I know how you loved her.”
Willow glanced back at Xander. She was glad that Cordelia was there, holding his hands. It should have been me doing that she thought. But she was glad that someone would. For the time it was beyond her to deal with her own grief and guilt.
Cordelia’s car phone rang, bringing her back to the present. “Hello?”
“Cordy, can you come get us. Willow thinks she should get to Giles right away.”
“Sure.” Cordelia tried to keep the irritation from her voice. She sighed and spun the car in a slightly messy 180, prompting irritated honks from the cars around her. She rolled her eyes, waved sweetly, faking embarrassment and sped back the way she came.
***
“So where are we going?” asked Willow.
“The new headquarters,” Xander replied, but Willow was clearly waiting for more. “It’s Angel’s mansion, Will.”
“Oh. OK.”
***
The door of the mansion banged open and Giles looked up from his books in surprise. He glared as Xander strolled in but his face quickly lit up.
“Willow. It is very good to see you.”
“Hi Giles,” she replied. They looked at one another awkwardly and then Willow stuck her hand out to shake his.
Cordelia interrupted. “You can hug her, you know.”
“Oh, alright. Yes. So I can.” Giles awkwardly wrapped his arms around the tiny girl. After a few moments Willow squeaked “You can let me go now, Giles.”
“Yes. Uhh, sorry about that.” They stepped back, Willow beaming happily and Giles smiling in embarrassment.