Heaven: A Place Worth Remembering
Heaven is a place of joy, peace, and love. Heaven is a place where the lame will walk again and the sick are no more. Heaven is a place where those who have given their lives in the course for all that is good and right can finally find a final resting-place. Some of the people who have made it to the heavenly place choose to remember who they were and some choose to forget and enjoy the afterlife as they now know it. Still there are some that have no choice. One of these was Buffy Summers. The Host had deemed her worthy to be in heaven and yet with all the demons she had faced in her short life, He chooses to allow her to forget. There was no pain, fear, or doubt for her. She gave her life so that her sister might live. With all that she had done before that, it was only icing on the cake so to speak that she was in heaven.
But her friends worked a spell that brought her back to the land of the living. She wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last for this to happen to. But as where the others in some sort of fashion had found a way to go on living, Buffy had lost her way. Willow, Xander and the rest of the Scooby Gang could not help her. Spike, a vampire who was her willing slave, was the only one who knew how to reach out to her. And even then, she turned him away. She had no idea what to do, say, or think. She had been torn from heaven and was scared she might not ever enter those gates again.
"Buffy?"
"Yes, Dawn"
"Willow and I are going to the magic shop. Anya is having a bit of a crisis"
"Does it involve red skies?"
"No"
"Then I'm out"
"What about your patrol? Its still pretty early... say, I could go with you for a bit if you want some company?"
"Go! I'm fine. I don't feel like having Spike follow me all night and I just don't want to go back to the shop yet"
"He does love you"
Turning swiftly in Dawn's face, "So that's why Giles left? Because he loves me? That's probably why Angel left to isn't it? He loved me so much that he thinks I need to be here handling things all my own? I guess that's why Mom died to, huh?"
As soon as the words left her mouth she knew it was the wrong thing to say.
"Dawn..."
"No! No more 'Dawn'. I'm sorry for what they did but they only thought they were rescuing you from hell. I'm sorry for what they did but I am not sorry you are back. Do you think it was easy knowing you gave your life for mine? We love you and wanted you back. So you can... you can go to hell", and ran off.
Falling back on her bed, "Can I get anything right anymore?"
And a new voice answered, "If you want to you could but you obviously don't"
Jumping into classic demon fighting pose, "Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?"
"I am not here to fight. I can come and go as the host allows me to. I am but a stranger who wants to help"
"You're here to help, calling yourself a stranger, and wearing a blue hat and cloak. I thought strangers had more fashion sense than that? And please, tell your boss the host that I have had enough of people trying to kill me so either we can get straight to the pinch or you can leave. It is your choice"
The Stranger moved closer to Buffy and she tried to punch or kick him to get him away from her but she was frozen in her spot. The stranger touched her cheek and, to her, seemed to have a misty eyed complexion like he had been crying. He walked over to bedside table and pulled out a picture of her mother. He handed it to her.
"Joyce says hello, Buffy"
All of a sudden she was released. She began to pound on him and take him down any way she could. A side kick to the head, a punch to the groin, and even flipping him over on his back. He was laying in the floor with an exasperated Buffy standing over him.
"Does that make you feel better?"
Whirling around Buffy saw the Stranger and looked back down to see that he was gone.
"How did you do that?"
"The Host has enabled me with various gifts"
"Who the hell is this Host?"
"Surely you remember meeting him? He was the one who caressed your cheek when he allowed you in his gates"
Buffy stepped back and the Stranger continued, "Will you take a small journey with me? I promise you will return here safe?"
"That's the problem. I'll return here"
"Come. Let me show you a bit of my existence. Maybe it will be of some help to you or at least you can put it to some good use"
"Well, lets look at my choices. I can go on vampire patrol and get followed by a lovesick vampire. I could go to the magic shop and help chase down whatever it is that has Anya on the ropes, which are probably more evil bunnies. Then, I have you. A total stranger whom I have never seen before offering to show me the bane of his existence, which might mean I won't come out of this alive. You are the definite winner so let's go"
"We are already there"
Turning around to take in her surroundings, Buffy sees that they look to be in some back lot studio. All around her are roman soldiers and what looks to be peasants all around them.
"Okay, Stranger, where are we? 20th Century Fox?"
"No. The time of Christ's crucifixion"
"Okay, now is the time to call on a major WHAT?"
With a slight smile the Stranger continues, "I know it might be impossible to believe but it is true. It is almost time. Follow me quickly"
Following the Stranger through the streets, Buffy could not help but wonder what was going on. She has seen enough in her life to not rule it out as possible. Vampires, Werewolves, demons, and hellhounds all come as normal to her. This, though, takes the cake. She hopes she is dreaming but somehow thinks that she is not. They stop in an alley and somehow have access to what is happening. There is screaming and shouting in the street as a man is pulling his cross down the street. He has already collapsed once and looks like he could again at any moment.
"So, the Host is offering me a chance to see the death of Christ?"
"No, this is not why we are here"
"Well, are you going to keep me in suspense or do I need to read the book?"
"Your time on earth was done. Witchcraft brought you almost all of the way back. You are not whole nor will you ever be able to be since you have been part of the Heavenly Host"
"Great! I have been searching for something to keep me alive. Something to make me feel the fire like I once did and you are telling me it's impossible"
"Silence. Now watch"
Buffy turned across the street and watched as Christ fell once more. A man stepped out and spit in his face. This brought a round of cheers from the crowd. The Roman Solider then realized that Christ could not carry his cross any farther. The Guard turned towards the man that spit in his face and told him to carry the cross. Reluctantly, the man obeyed. As he picked up the cross, Buffy noticed that Christ and him looked straight into each other's eyes. She couldn't make out what he said but a look of horror came upon the man's face. He picked up the cross and carried it on the road as Christ walked in front of him.
"What did He say? I couldn't hear over the crowd"
"No one heard him say it but the rude male. No one was meant to hear it except for him. Christ's words were 'You shall walk the Earth until my return'. And no one has heard those words since"
"Well, if no one heard him and yet you know the words that would mean that you are...."
She turned towards him and gasped. The Stranger had removed his hat and she looked on his face. It was the face of the same man who had just spat in the face of Christ. She also noticed that her surroundings had changed and she was back in Sunnydale.
"It was you. You were the one he said it to. What is your name?"
"My name doesn't matter anymore. Your friends brought you back, Buffy, and you don't know weather to hate them or not. Please don't hate them. You are the slayer and also their friend. You see, I have no friends and haven't for a long time. I spend time in the Justice League from time to time and have a lot of respect for them. They are not my friends however. After Christ 'doomed' me to walk the Earth until his return, something in me told me that was true. I returned home after his cross got delivered. I didn't even stay to see the nails be driven into him. I went home and found my wife and children there mourning the loss of their Father and Husband. All my friends and loved ones did not even know I still existed. My children were no more. The woman that I loved was no more. I no longer existed"
The Stranger walked off a piece. Buffy could only stare in silence at the man who spit in Christ's face.
Finding her nerve, "What changed?"
Turning towards her, "It took many years... a couple of centuries actually for me to come to terms. What caused the change was watching men and women give their lives for people they didn't know. One particular time I watched a group of men and women who called themselves the Justice Society of America. They had powers far beyond what normal men could have. A man that could run with the wind, another who had a magic ring, and even one who created wings to fly. But one in particular took my notice. His name was Terry Sloan, AKA Mr. Terrific. Why did he take my fancy? Here was a man with no 'powers' what so ever but simply put his life on the line because there was evil in the world. I realized how shallow I was from day one. My time on earth did not begin with me spitting on Christ; it began in my childhood. I started stealing early on from the temple. Then when I was old enough I opened up one of the first shops in the temple"
"Let me guess. According to the Bible, Jesus came through and tore out all the shops that were in the temple. You didn't take to kindly to him doing that did you?"
Smiling, "You are quite the smart one? Most slayers are not adept with the Bible. Yes, I was one of those who owned shopping places at the temple. I hated him for what he did to me. All the while he only wanted people to respect God. So you see I had this hate built up for awhile. It was not an overnight thing. And then after watching Mr. Sloan in action I turned to the only place I knew of for advice"
"Don't tell me you turned to a priest? Well, if that doesn't beat all I don't know what does?"
"Actually, I tried to turn to a priest but I couldn't find one and so I just went to a synagogue close to where I was at the time and sat in a pew. It wound up I bared my soul to an old beat cop. He wound up being more than that I found out later but that is his story. The bottom line is I gave the rest of my existence to the Host and he has been generous to me since. I have found out he works in all shapes and often works with people in a form they can understand. In LA, there is a certain vampire you know who works for what he calls 'the powers that be' and his partners are working for them as well. But it is simply another form he chooses to take"
"Angel. I know a lot of what he thinks about them. What do they think of a vampire working for the host?'
"They think of it as no different than a man who spit in his son's face is now working for him"
"Point taken. I hate to be a nag here but how does this relate to me? You haven't been to heaven and sensed the joy there. It was incredible. And my friends brought me back to hell. I know they meant well but some things should be left alone. How can I go on in this life knowing what I am missing?"
"If you would let yourself go you will know. You did come back different as Spike puts it to you. It is actually his love for you that changed you when you came back"
"What! How the hell can he make that big a difference? He's a vampire and has no soul!"
"Has he not tried to make to make things easier on you? Who do you turn to when you need to vent frustrations? Did you know that your mother even asked him to watch over you?"
"Then my mother was not in her right mind"
"You still do not get it Miss Summers. This vampire only wanted to be created because the people who were his friends spurned him. For the first several years of his new life, the only kills he did were on those so called friends. He only drank to stay alive and it was Drusilla that did the majority of the killing. His first kill was a slayer in china. He killed from then until the day that the chip was implanted in his head. Don't you think it strange that he didn't want to kill? Yes, he came to enjoy it but it was only after he tasted of the blood. This vampire has a soul and doesn't know it"
Buffy steps away from the stranger, speechless with this new information. The sad thing is, she can see through the stranger that he was telling the truth. Her heart stops for an eternity. Her head spins and she feels like she will need to vomit. He helped her defeat Angel when he turned evil, he helped her by lending an ear when she needed it, and he was there to help her now any time she needed it. But what was she to do now? Turning to the stranger and looking at him as he had a sly smile on his face, "why do I have the feeling that you know what I was thinking?"
Without missing a beat, "You want to know what is your part in this master plan and you should know. Your part is simply to be you. Who you are? That is for you to decide. You can continue being the one who tasted heaven only to have it stolen from you or you can share that piece of heaven with your friends. As far as Spike is concerned, do what you feel you need to do. Just remember to show him his soul", and with that statement, a fog came up between the two and when it lifted Buffy was alone.
"Wow! That was something else"
"You're telling us", Xander exclaimed, "We didn't even hear the door open"
Buffy realized she was standing in the magic shop with everyone sitting around the table. All the looks towards her were wondering if she was crazy. Maybe she was but it was time to come totally clean.
"Hey Guys, do you mind listening to a story of mine...",
"Depends, luv, on if it is a real exciting one or one meant to be slept through", Spike said as he entered the room.
"Spike, don't you have something better to do like eat some rats?"
"No", Buffy interjected, "I want... I need him to be here also", and she began her tale.
Looking from above as Buffy began her tale, the Phantom Stranger looked pleased with the result of his work.
"I never knew that the former host of this ghostly body was the one who found you", the Spectre exclaimed as he appeared beside the Stranger. The Stranger simply nodded his head.
"It is nice to see the good our work has done. I'm glad I can see that now"
"I remember the Hal Jordan who was a green Lantern and the insane Hal who tried to make creation in his own image. I am glad you can see that now. I thought you would be on your next assignment now?"
"I wanted to see the fruits of your labor first and perhaps get an idea as to how to handle mine. I haven't been in this form long and wanted to see how you handled it. It looks like I can use a lot of what you have done to show mine the way"
"You will do well, Hal Jordan, for you and he has a lot of the same inner demons. But know this, that is all they are. You have conquered them and so has he. His only doubts lay in his new role. Show him his way"
And the Spectre was off to his assignment in Los Angeles to visit another vampire with a soul and show him how his new role as father will work out in the end.