Disclaimer: I own nothing of Buffy
A/N: Some sentences are directly taken from the show. I found them on buffyworld(dot com).
I'm thinking of maybe turning this into a crossover. Getting Buffy onto a bus to smallville or roswell or something. Or maybe she encounters some mutants somewhere. I don't know yet… If you like to see this as a crossover please leave a review with which show or movie you'd like to see it crossed. Thx.
The Road Not Known
An entire group of slayers, a watcher, friends and family stands at the edge of an enormous crater that was once a town called Sunnydale.
Two of the people standing there are the Summers-sisters. Dawn takes a look at home "Ex-home now" she thinks, before turning her head to her sister, "Buffy. What are we gonna do now?" she asks.
As the others chatter around her, Buffy just stares straight ahead at the hole formerly known as Sunnydale. As she contemplates what's next, she smiles. "It's finally over," she thinks, "the hellmouth's gone and I'm free to do whatever I feel like doing"
But the feeling of joy and elation doesn't last long. The smile slowly starts to fade as she is reminiscing on the last day or two…
Flashback
"I
can't believe they kicked me out!", Buffy thought as she was walking away from her home. "My
own friends and family! And the SITs! I wasn't surprised about
Kennedy being against me, but Dawn, Willow and Xander? My own sister
whom I died for and my two best friends that I stood by with for
what…? 7 years? And then Giles… Sure, we've had our issues,
still have issues as a matter of fact, but I've always thought of
him as a surrogate father and it just hurts so bad that even he
hadn't stood up for me." Tears were
streaking down her face. "And then
Faith… The one I least expected it of didn't stand against me.
She even apologised even though none of it was her fault. God, when
did my world turn upside down." Buffy
halted and looked around. Seeing a house she walked into it and
encountered a man with a shotgun. "Probably
the owner" Buffy thought. "Get out
of my house" he said. Buffy should have been apologetic, she
should've explained herself or do just what he told her to, leave,
but she just didn't care anymore. She was tired, hurt and
emotionally drained and so the oldest slayer alive just took away his
gun whilst saying that she only wanted a place to crash and that it
wasn't his house or even his town anymore. After the owner or
ex-owner left, she walked into the bedroom to sleep, but also mostly
to forget.
Buffy woke up when she heard a noise. "There you are. Do you realize I could just walk in here, no invite needed? This town really is theirs now, isn't it?" Spike said before walking over to her. "I heard. I was over there. That bitch.", he sighed, "She's all about smiles and reformation when you're on your feet, but the moment you're down, she's all about the kicking, isn't that right? Makes me want…" Buffy responded:"It wasn't just Faith. It was all of them." She looked at the bleached vampire,"And it's not like they were wrong. Please leave."
Spike didn't accept her response and excitedly told her:" I came here 'cause I got something to tell you. You were right. Caleb is trying to protect something from you. And I think you were spot on all the way. I think it's at the vineyard. So?", expectation was easy to read of his face, "You were right…Buffy?"
"I don't feel very right." Walking closer to her he said: "You're not fooling me"
"What do you even mean?", she asks. He explained: "Well, you're not a quitter."
She almost scoffed at that. "Watch me."
"You
were their leader, and you still are. This isn't something you gave
up, it's something they took." Looking at Spike she asked: "And
the difference is?" A grin found it's way on the vampire's
face. "We can take it back"
End
flashback
Buffy smiled at that memory. Maybe it was a bittersweet smile, but a smile none the less. If anyone would have told her a few years back that Spike would be at her side, sticking up for her and always supporting her and that Faith would be working with her… Well she didn't really know what she would do or think but she thought it was a close tie between laughing in that person's face, calling a mental institution to admit that person or thinking she somehow landed in a parallel universe.
She moved away from the edge of the crater she once called her home and stepped onto the bus looking for a place to sit comfortably. She just settled down in the back of the vehicle, near the window so she could look outside at the world she helped save, a lot.
While everyone else was piling up in the yellow school bus bus to drive to their destination, a certain hotel in LA, Buffy remembered another conversation with the Billy Idol look-alike.
Flashback
"Spike,
I know they did what they thought was right, but it still hurts",
she said with eyes that seemed to be a bit misty. "I know, luv…
So what are you going to do?", he asked. "Do what I'm supposed
to do… Be the slayer and defeat Caleb and the First. But after
that… I'm not sure yet. I need to get away for a while, get away
from my friends and family that I feel betrayed by. I know running
away isn't the answer, but I need some alone-time." "Well
slayer, whatever you do, I know you'll pick the right thing.
Whatever your decision is, it's your life. And hey, you're not
the only slayer anymore so more you-time", he told her grinning,
"Just do whatever you think is best, do whatever it is that makes
you happy."
"….Thanks
Spike." She didn't just mean thanks for his words and this
conversation. "Anytime pet." …But then again, neither did he.
End
flashback
Buffy was still musing on the past when the bus rolled to a stop in front of the Hyperion Hotel. Earlier on Willow called Angel Investigations and Angel or Wesley, Buffy couldn't remember who it was anymore that Willow called, said that the hotel stood free and they'd be happy to let them stay there. So here they were. Buffy didn't really talk with anyone. They were all still dealing with the aftermath: The slayers lost, the friends missing and all also concerning their selves with injuries both their own and other's. So it came as no surprise when Giles told everyone to choose a room and get a good night's rest. They would deal with everything tomorrow.
Wearily, Buffy made her way to an empty room where she let herself drop on the queen sized bed and let herself drift of into a deep slumber, seeking refuge in sleeping once again.
Midnight quickly passed and around 4 AM Buffy opened her eyes and listened. Not a sound was to be heard in the hotel. She quickly grabbed the bag she managed to save and stuff in the bus. She hadn't even bothered to unpack it, she had made her mind and she was going to stick by it. Quickly she wrote a note explaining her actions, "although momentarily I don't really feel they deserve any explanations" she thought, addressed it to Dawn, Willow, Xander and Giles and left it on the bed. With no time to loose she got out of the bedroom.
Creeping down the halls she made her way to the front door, careful not to make a sound and risk waking up a person. She really wasn't in the mood for a confrontation. She reached out to the door handle and paused… "Still no sound" Quickly opening the door she went outside where she suddenly heard a person. Buffy paused. The individual went to stand at her side. "So? B? Running away?" Shoulders slumped in expectation of a long talk she did soooo not want to have right now she turned to Faith. "Yeah" But instead of getting a long talk Buffy got a look of understanding on Faith's face and a "Good luck." A moment of understanding and forgiveness, from both sides, passed between the two original slayers. "Thanks", Buffy walked in the direction of the bus station but after a few feet she turned to Faith once again who stood by the doors of the hotel. "Faith… Look after them." "Don't worry B, I will." Happy with that response Buffy scurried of into the dark.
She didn't want to stay with them anymore, she had to get away for awhile… "It's just until I'm ready to forgive them", she thought.
But Buffy wasn't sure she would actually come back, because she wasn't sure she would ever truly and completely forgive them….
To be continued
