I will remember you

Note: As I'm a huge Bangel-Shipper I absolutely loved the episode "I will remember you". It was just so damn unfair that they never got another shot to be happy again. So I have spent the recent part of a sunbright afternoon to check out vids on youtube for inspiration. And here we go.

This story starts after the destruction of Sunnydale. Buffy and her friends don't know where to go. So Xander comes up with the idea to pay at least one visit to Angel, for he was supposed to take part in this final battle. And, Xander thinks, Angel as every right to know that they'd won and that the war is over. For this moment at last. Buffy agrees to it, not knowing how this will effect herself and her ex-boyfriend... The Oracles (or whatever they are called in english) are astonished to sense such strong feelings from both of them for each other...And they decide to interfere in a most unusual way – unusual for them anyway...

1.Where do we go from here?

Buffy Summers stood there on a big, grey rock and stared over the ruins that was once her hometown. How she hated it at first... She didn't want to leave LA at the first place. But then she had decided to make the best of it, tried to lead a normal life. But then she met Rupert Giles. Her watcher and the librarian of her former High School.He told her exactly what she didn't want to hear: That she had to slay vampires. But she didn't want to do it anymore. She had promised to stay out of trouble. Not only her parents, but she had made the same promise to her principal Bob Flutie. Her principal was nice – at least he was nice until he had read her record. But still, it could have been worse. Far worse, like vampires on the campus. Which happend on her very first day. And after meeting Angel (his name made her still smile, even after such a long time) she accepted that she had no real option but to continue. But this time it was different: She had real friends, who accepted her just the way she was. And Giles was the father that her own father couldn't be for her. She had started to get happy. And she was. All this time, she was happy. But it wasn't until now, as she looked over the ruins of her former home, that she realised how happy she was and how much she loved this town. Regardless whatever she had said about it. All this happy memories... How she walked with Angel through the streets on Christmas Eve – the only night that snow had fallen since this town had existed. How she went to prom and Angel showed up. How they destroyed their school... Her mother was burried here. And so was she – even it is was just six month, technically. But Buffy knew that she would carry those memories with her, whereever she would go. During this 5 years she had lived here, so many things had happend – good ones and bad ones and not to mention the painful ones...

"Buffy?" a soft voice called out behind her and brought her back to reality. She didn't need to turn around to know who was calling her.

"It's okay, Xander. I'm coming", she called and with one last glance back she hopped off that rock lighty and walked slowly to the waiting trailer.

"Everything okay?" Giles asked as soon as his eyes catched the expression shown clearly on Buffy's face.

"Not really", she confessed with a little shrug. " I just thought about what I, we, have lost. It was our home. And I have loved it."

"Sure you have loved it", he said, trying to soothe her. "We all have loved it. But we should look onward, not backward, Buffy. Maybe this is a new start, for all of us."

"Maybe you're right. But where are we going? I'm not sure, my Dad would take me, let alone all of us."

"We'll find a place to stay", Giles assured her and put a comforting arm around her. "And until that time we'll have the trailer."

Buffy picked up on the word 'we'. Did that mean...? She didn't dare to voice her hopes in case she was wrong, but still she had to know.

"Are you staying then?", demanded Xander and stared at Giles in disbelieve before Buffy could say anything. Obviously he had picked up the magic word as well.

"Only if you want me to stay", he answered slowly.

"Of course we want you to stay", Dawn screamed in utter delight and jumped into Giles' arms. "We'd absoluty love to have you here! Don't we?"

"Of course", Buffy said warmly. "Dawn is right. We've missed you. We all have missed you."

"I've missed you, too. But I'll not stay forever. I'm going back to England eventually. But", he added hastily, "I'll come back as often as I can. At least every three months. But for now, I'll stay and help you as good as I can."

"That's sounds like a good plan to me and you are always welcome", Buffy said and took a look at the people around her.

Her sister Dawn, the only family she had now. Xander and Willow, her oldest friends where, as always, by her side. For that she loved them even more. They never thought about leaving her. Faith, who saw at least the right side. Maybe they could be friends now. Kennedy, Melinda, Gianna, Susan, Lee – the life had changed for all of them. Forever. And the slayer felt sorry for that. They where so young and innocent... They deserved a better life. But, alas, every slayer so far hadn't deserved such a faith. But at least they weren't alone anymore. Giles. She couldn't believe that he was going to stay. Even if it wasn't forever. But he would come back. He'd promised. Her thoughts strayed to the fallen comrades. Anya – oh, what a nightmare a revangedemon could be. But in the end she was a friend...Spike. It was painfull to think about the platine blonde vampire, who charmend her heart in the end. If it was love, Buffy wasn't quite sure. But Spike was a friend, a good friend and his loss was devastating for her. The slayerettes, who died before Willow had spoken the spell... They where so young...

"Buffy?" This time it was Dawn who brought her out of her misery. "Are you really okay?"

"I'll be okay, Dawny", the blonde slayer promised her sister. "But it's still so fresh. I need time to get over that."

Dawn nodded in agreemend. She understood that, really. She'll need time herself, that was for sure. 'And I'll do my best to help her getting over it. Like she helps me getting over it', the brunette youngster thought. She took her sister's hand and squeezed it to show that she would be there for her. Buffy seemed to understand her because she returned the gesture with a little smile.

"So, where do we go?", asked Kennedy, one of the new slayers who stood next to Willow. "I mean, we can't stand here forever. And we can't live in the trailor for a long time. It's too small for all of us."
"That's too right, Kenn. But what's your suggestion?", asked Willow, the red haired witch. "I don't know where to go. My parents don't talk to me, so that's out of the question. And other relatives I don't have. Except an uncle, but he's living in Canada."

"I like Canada", Kennedy joked. "Maybe we can visit him sometime."
"Oh I would be carefull what you wish, Kenny", Xander said darkly. "He seems nice at the first sight. But basicly he is just horrid."

"Shut up, Xander! Uncle Cal is okay. Most of the time anyway. And besides: Who is perfect?" Willow shot an angry look at Xander, but the dark haired man didn't seem put out about that.

"Yeah, you're right", he agreed. "But I have an idea."

"About what?", Dawn asked curiously.

"About where we can go. Why don't we go to LA. I think Angel has more than enough rooms for all of us. He has a hotel, doesn't he?"

"He has. But I don't know", mumbled Buffy, "maybe he doesn't wanna see any of us."

"Why shouldn't he?" objected Xander. "I think he has the right to know that the war is over, that the world is save once more. And more than that: He wants to know that you are safe, Buffy."

Buffy didn't answer but blushed a crimson shade of red. Xander smiled to himself for he knew that Buffy had never stopped to love Angel. Not really. And maybe they could get a second, no third chance. They would deserve it, regardless how he disliked Angel.

The rest of the little group was all for going to LA and so Buffy had to give in. The blonde slayer knew that this solution made the most sence. But she would rather ran into a 250 pound Chikkarro demon without weapons than to admit that. And also she wanted to see Angel again, too. Their last meeting seemed ages away., Could it really be just three days ago? She smiled slightly as the memory of their last face to face meeting came into her mind. They had just taken one look at each other and had started kissing fiercly without so much as a hello. But Buffy had send him away. To save him as long as she could. She knew her vampire-ex too good as to hope that he would stay out of trouble. But she wasn't willing to lead him into the mainfight without precaution. Angel drove back to LA to wait for Sunnydale to fall. Which, lituraly, would have started the end of the world. He and his team would have done their best to prevent that. So Xander was right again. Angel had to know that they where save and sound. And the news of Sunnydale disappearing would be the hot news at the Breaking News on CNN.

In next to no time they where on the Highway heading right to the city of the angels.

tbc...

Another note: I'm from Germany and I thought I tried a fanfic in english...So please tell me if I did any mistakes. That's the only way I can improve my terrible englishsmile

And finaly: Please be patience with me. This chapter alone tok almost two weeks...I may not write regulary, but I'll write...

See you