Author: Oldach's Dream

Summary: All human story that takes place at the end of their senior year in high school. A tragic event followed by deep character introspection, romance and the art of growing up and letting go. Spuffy, mainly, with sprinklings of many other couples.

Rated: K

Disclaimer: So very not mine

Author's note: I can't really explain this more than I did in the summary. My muse is recovering from a long, long hiatus and I think I'll be using this story to get some kinks out of him and work the rust off a bit. Your reviews are much appreciated and very needed if you'd like to see this truly come to life. As I said, All Human, but the characters will remain as true to BuffyVerse as I can manage.

I Found Myself Today and Ran Away

"It's not supposed to be like this," Buffy's voice was frighteningly calm in the face of their current situation, but no one thought to question it or look upon it as a sign of impending doom. Nothing else could go wrong today, anyway.

Only Tara looked at Buffy thoughtfully, questioningly. Everyone else nodded their agreement or simply ignored the blonde's words. Nothing much mattered right now. In this space that been created around them, this classroom - normally so mundane and unappreciated - had been transformed into something life altering. A place they could never go back to, had never been before, yet couldn't leave, no matter how much strength they put into it.

"What do you mean?" The shy girl asked quietly, staring intently at Buffy, the comforting warmth pressed into her side gave her the strength to ask the question and - more importantly - hear the answer.

"I mean, we're not supposed to be like this," Buffy stared straight ahead, at what everyone wished they couldn't see. "We're not supposed to live this, we're not supposed… to figure everything out so soon. We're supposed to grow up, graduate, get jobs, go to college. We're supposed to take trips around the world, live for a year in a city thousands of miles away just to figure things out. It's supposed to make sense. We're supposed to live and find ourselves and…and be happy."

Tara considered her words, she heard Willow stifle a sob and after a few long moments that could have been decades for all that it really mattered, Xander spoke, "We're not supposed to grow up this fast."

Everyone in that classroom was decades older now than they had been that morning, and it wasn't fair.

"We have to get out of here." Oddly, it was Cordelia Chase that finally voiced that nugget of reason.

"Why?" Angel sounded so lost, Tara thought, and her heart went out to him. "What the point? We're gonna be here forever. We're gonna come back here every night in our dreams, it's never gonna leave. Never. We're just-"

"Shut up." Anya snapped. She wasn't the only one that was angry, but she was the most affected by the physical aspects of what had taken place today. "Long rambling hysteria aside, the football player's right. We have to get out of here."

"Ahn-" Xander started, but his words drifted off. He looked sort of lost.

"No," she snapped anyway, "I can't stand being here anymore, trapped like an animal in a cage. We have to leave."

"She's right," Buffy looked up, taking in all her surroundings for the first time in a while, pulling herself out of her daze, her eyes seemed no longer glassy. "Anya's right. We have to go."

"But what about…" Angel started but didn't seem to able to finish. When most to the others looked his way he said simply, "Everyone. Out there."

"We can't stay here." Xander spoke so calmly, so rationally. Tara envied him in a way. She'd always felt that Xander knew exactly who he was and once her grew up a little, she believed that he'd be one of the strongest, most confident people she would ever know. She'd been right. It was just bittersweet that she'd seen it this soon.

But, she supposed, that had been Buffy's point. And Xander had been the one to vocalize it, putting it in simple, simple words.

We're not supposed to grow up this fast.

"It's the dawning of a new day," Oz spoke quiet, meaningful words and Tara wondered how she could have hated him so much just hours before now.

"Sound the trumpets, call the captain," Xander went on and Tara listened carefully now.

Then, to Tara's great surprise, Willow spoke. Albeit softly, in nearly a whisper, "Throw the traitors overboard and raise the flags."

"Gather the weapons, seal your soul." Oz went on and the others in the room listened to these three, knowing that this was something from long ago in their shared childhood, something that none of them knew anything about. It was comforting all the same. "Because today's the day when it all will change,"

"Because nothing ever stays the same." Xander finished, and they all knew it was true.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

TBC…

A/N: Thoughts would be much appreciated. If you wanna see this keep going, you're gonna have to review!