The End is only the Beginning
Buffy looked down into the crater. It had been a year to the day since they had successfully closed the hell mouth and knocked the first evil back beyond the borders of hell.
Since then Buffy and the gang had found the remaining potentials (Slayers now) and set up base in Cleveland on the new Hell mouth.
Buffy and Faith had taken charge of training the new slayers, while Willow and Xander had left the gang to pursue a few of their own personal interests.
Willow had gone back to the coven in England and was learning more and more about the magic that she had tapped into during the spell with the scythe. She and Kennedy had stayed together and Kennedy was currently keeping the area around the coven vampire free.
Xander decided to travel; he was currently making his way throughout Europe seeing the sights and taking time to relax. He kept in regular contact with Buffy and Willow via email and postcards but hadn't mentioned coming back yet. Buffy knew he would come home when he was ready. Losing Anya had been hard for him and she understood the need to get away.
Giles was also in England running the finances and recruitment of the old watchers council. They had decided to just call themselves the council.
Dawn was currently visiting her father in Rome. Buffy had finally managed to get in contact with Hank Summers after the battle with the first, It turned out they he had been living In Rome for the past two years and hadn't heard about Joyce's death.
He had remarried and had a one year old daughter called Tess. Dawn was excited and pleaded Buffy to give Hank another chance. Buffy had long since put all expectations regarding her father behind her, but decided to spend a little bit of time with his new family for Dawns sake. He had gone back to Rome asking the girls to go with him. Buffy declined knowing she couldn't leave the new academy. Dawn stayed with Buffy for a year while she finished High school but decided to go to Rome to live with her father while she attended university and studied Ancient Cultures and Languages. She told Buffy before she left that she would come back and join the council when she was finished studying. Buffy had smiled and let her sister go. She didn't want to stop her from having her chance at normality.
In a year Buffy and Faith had set up the training facilities for the all the new slayers. They were keeping the current hell mouth under control. It was a pretty big hot spot for demon activity which gave them ample training material for the new slayers. Those that wanted to return to their families were allowed to after one year at the academy. Buffy always gave them the option to return if they wanted to. The slayers that had survived the battle with the first were all placed as instructors to the new girls. Buffy set it up with Giles that all the girls would be given the choice to study if they wanted to. If it be to finish high school or pursue university. She wanted them to all have other options.
So one year to the day Buffy was standing back at the place where it had kind of all begun for her. She had been having dreams about the old hell mouth and decided to stop by and check it out. The dreams hadn't been specific just some old guy in robes rambling something cryptic like the end is only the beginning in a creepy mysterious voice. Buffy hated those guys.
The crater was the same as she remembered; standing over her old home she felt a momentary sense of sadness. In a way she missed the place that held some of the happiest and saddest memoires of her life. She knew right now standing over Sunnydale that she wouldn't change any of it if she could. Even though she had lost a lot being the slayer she had gained much more. She was still Buffy the vampire slayer, but she was also, the trainer, the sister, the friend and much, much more. All that she had endured in Sunnydale had lead to the battle with the first and the close of the hellmouth. It had made it possible to call all the potentials so that Slayers would never have to bear the burden alone again. Looking over Sunnydale one more time, Buffy sighed turned back to her vehicle, she drove back towards home with a smile on her face.