Title: Only Time
Author: Doc; OnlyTime@eternal.ws
Disclaimer: I don't own the Scoobies or Jonathan but I do own Wilson and Trinity and Nick and my Idea!!
Spoilers: Contains spoilers for Earshot and The Gift...if you want to remain unspoiled, don't read!!!
Dedication: To my best friend Mere who I couldn't live w/out and to all of my faithful feedbackers, Crystal, Lizzie, Sara-Lee, anyone else, I love you guys lots!
Synopsis: Buffy dies and is reborn into a normal life. She has all the memories of growing up in New York and doesn't remember anything about being the Slayer or her previous life. She starts to have memory flashes around the anniversary of her death ( this could get confusing) and asks Jonathan ( the short guy..member him..tried to kill himself in the clocktower?) to tell her about when they were in High School. She goes to LA and sees Dawn and is drawn to her...the rest, you'll have to read and find out....
Author's Note: The LA gang and the Scoobies all live together in LA now in the Hotel w/ Angel. Dawn is 17 and its been 3 years since Buffy's death ( it starts off in 2001 though right after she dies) the year is 2004.
________________________________________________________
"It's Buffy."
Angel fell to the ground and just sat, dumbfounded. *My love. She's dead, gone, forever. I should have been there to protect her.* He heard a voice and saw a flash of read in front of his eyes. *Willow, my friend, my sister, why must she always be the bearer of bad news?*
"Angel? Angel snap out of it."
Angel lay back and let the darkness engulf him.
**********
He opened his eyes and brought his arm up to sheild his eyes from the lamp light.
"You're finally back among the living. We thought you'd given up on us. Angel, are you alright?"
"She's gone Will. My Buffy, my sunshine, my life. She's gone."
"I know. I can still feel her, like she's watching over me, us. I just keep having this feeling that she'll waltz right through that door and need me to do a spell for her, or research some new boogie monster. I just keep wondering what my purpose is now?"
"Your purpose is to do exactly what she died for you to do. Go on living your life. Buffy gave her life so that you and all of her friends and family could keep living theirs. Will you take me to her grave?"
"Yeah. We'll leave at nightfall. Get some rest. I'll wake you when its time to go."
**********
Angel knew she would be buried next to her mother. *It's only right.* He wondered how Dawn was dealing. *Loosing her entire family all in just barely less than a month.* He saw the soft green of the stone and thought of her hazel eyes. He thought of a line he'd once read, 'The eyes are the windows to the soul.' His vision began to blurr at the coming of tears. He was to weak to try and stop them from escaping. He let them roll down his cheeks. He finally came to her grave and fell to his knees before it. He let out a scream so animal that, at first, he thought something else had let out the cry. He screamed for his loss, for his love, for the part of his soul that was now gone. He screamed for Dawn and Willow and Giles and God, even Xander and Spike. For everyone who had ever met and loved his beloved. He thought now of when she had kept him from walking into the sun. Kept him from ending it all, for what? So that it could end like this? No, he wasn't going to let that happen. *You're not here to stop me this time my love.* He smelled the sun, and he sat and simply waited for the end to come. The sunrise was only moments away when he heard soft footsteps. Then he saw her, long brown hair, big baby blues, and Buffy's button nose. She looked at him with terror and love in her eyes.
"Angel," was all she could say. She knew what he was going to do.
"You have to get inside. The sun, its rising."
"Dawn, let me be strong. Let me do this. Let me be with her."
"Angel, don't you see? She wants you to live, not die. Why do you think she jumped into that damn portal? For the hell of it? I know why, and so do you."
He looked at her and for a minute, a vision of Buffy flashed in front of him. He heard her voice in the wind. *I love you my Angel.* He got to his feet and wrapped Dawn in his arms and they began to walk, home, towards the future, towards a life without their hero, their Slayer, their Buffy. *I guess you win again beloved. I never could say no to a Summer's girl.*
2004
"Taxi." Buffy Summers stood outside her office building soaked to the bone. *You know I'm really sick of this rain. I am going to have to go umbrella shopping.* She noticed a Taxi pull up in front of her. She opened the door and was suprised to see another man sitting in the back seat.
"Buffy? Buffy Summers?"
"Uh, yes, have we met?"
"We went to High School together back in Sunnydale. Have you really tried to block it out of your memory that much?"
"Uh, I'm sorry, I never lived in Sunnydale. I was born and raised in New York. I didn't catch your name."
"Jonathan, Jonathan Levenson. You saved me from killing myself, senior year, in the clock tower. Remember, you though I was gonna take out the entire school but it was really the lunch lady."
She stared at him blankly.
"No, I'm sorry. I've never even been to Sunnydale. Actually I don't even think I've ever heard of it. It's nice to meet you though, and thanks for the cab. I appreciate it. Here's my business card, we should get together and talk sometime. This person you think I am sounds interesting." She smiled at him and got out of the cab.
"That girl was always so odd."
Buffy walked into her apartment only to be greated by a very frisky kitty.
"Trinity, we can't go outside right now, its pouring down rain. How about some nice tuna for dinner?"
The cat meowed in response. Trinity was Buffy's only companion. When she'd moved out of the house and into her college dorm, she got lonely and decided she needed a companion. That's when she found Trinity, her beautiful, snow-white cat. She popped a Lean Cuisine into the microwave and opened a can of tuna for Trinity. She poured herself a glass of milk and settled down to watch a little TV while she ate. She was suppose to be on a date, but she had called and cancelled it earlier at work. She didn't date much, and when she did, she compared them to someone who she'd never even met. She had no idea who the man was, and she didn't have a name or face to put with him, but it was just something that she remembered. How his eyes were like dark pools and they could see straight into her soul. She could feel him when he was around and could say a million words with one look. *I must be crazy. I've never even met a guy like this. Where do I get these silly fantasies?*
"Trinity, your owner is Nutty. What do ya say we look over that case one more time. I just don't see how there wasn't even one witness. It all seems fishy to me." Buffy sat down at her desk and got the files out of her briefcase to look over once more before the hearing the next morning. She went over and over them. Made calls to people who'd already been questioned hundreds of times, always giving the same answers. Next thing she knew Trinity's sandpaper tongue was dragging across her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the clock that read 9:30.
"Oh my gosh. I only have 45 minutes to get ready and be at the office. I'm dead."
She ran and jumped into the shower and pulled on her business suite and grabbed her briefcase and a bagel before running out the door. She arrived at the office with 2 minutes to spare.
"Sorry I'm late you guys. What'd I miss? I was up late going over the case files again."
"Nice of you to join us Buff. We were just discussing the new evidence that turned up last night. The guys inmate told one of the guards that Miller was running his mouth about killing that girl. Said he'd gone out with her a couple times and when she wouldn't sleep with him, well, he decided that he'd take charge. It's pretty much open and shut from here on out. Plus, they finally found some skin cells under her fingernails and they tested his DNA so, we got a match. Looks like we'll put this guy away after all."
"Thank god. This guy needs to be put away for a long time. I never will understand how people can be so cruel to one another."
"It's a tough world out there."
"I'm gonna go get some coffee. Anybody want any?"
She received a chorus of 'Nos'.
The case went like Nick had said it would. They guy got life in prison without parole and Buffy knew she'd sleep a tiny bit better at night knowing one less monster was on the streets.
***********
"So, this cab pulls up and there's a guy inside and he says he knows me and that we went to High School together in, get this, Sunnydale, California. I've never even been out of New York." She threw another punch at the bag.
"Well, maybe you just look like a girl he knew in High School."
"Oh, yeah, I have the exact same name and I look exactly like her. That's possible."
"Well, they say everyone's got a twin. Oh, how'd the case go?"
Buffy was at the gym with her best friend since kindergarten, Wilson. She'd always been a big workout buff. She loved kickboxing and karate and was constantly at the gym, trying to blow off the stress of her job.
"Oh, you know, guy got life in prison without parole. Got what he deserved. Why do people act so cruel towards one another Wilson? It's just not right. We should all be banning together and trying to keep each other alive, not kill one another."
"It's a terrible, harsh world out there Buffy. It can't always be fluffy bunnies and baby puppies. You wanna go a few rounds in the ring?"
"Sure."
They both adorned their pads and started to circle. Just as Buffy went in for a sweeper kick, she got a flash, a memory, she didn't know what, but she fell to the mat. She saw a blonde, her actually, well, she thought, fighting a tall dark haired man in a, living room? It was definately in a big house. There was food on the coffee table and a fire in the hearth. She saw them fighting, and then the girl pinned the man to the ground and put a piece of bread to his chest saying 'Gotcha.' They both got up and then everything seemed to get, awkward? Suddenly she was aware that Wilson had her head in his lap, calling her name.
"Buffy? Buffy, wake up. Someone call 911."
"No, Wilson, I'm ok."
"Are you sure? You blacked out. What happened?"
"You know? I'm not sure, but I plan on finding out."
***********
"I'm going out. I'll be back in a couple of hours."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going with Brice to the movies. We're gonna see The Mummy Returns. It got great reviews."
"Well, is it just you and Brice, or are you going with friends?"
"Angel, you're acting like Bu--...uhh, its just me and him."
She saw the pain in his eyes. *Stupid. Why did you have to bring her up? God!*
"Uh, be careful. I want you back by 11."
"I got my trusty stake just in case and I'm wearing Will's protection spell. I'll be fine."
After Buffy's death everyone had gone overprotective on Dawn. She could never go anywhere or do anything without having a protection spell [ extra high potency, cooked up specially for her by Willow and Tara], around her neck, and a stake in her pocket. Angel had trained her to fight himself, not wanting to get the only piece of Buffy he had left, not to mention the person who he'd come to think of as his sister, killed.
"You ok Angel? I'll stay home if you want me to. *Please don't say you want me to. I've been waiting for this date all year long.*"
"No, you should go. I know how much you like Brice. I'll be here when you get home. If you need anything just call. I'll be here."
"Love you. Bye."
"Bye."
After Glory's maddness was over and Buffy had been killed, the entire gang had decided to move to LA for a new start. They all lived in the hotel together and returned to Sunnydale every once in a while when they recieved a call from Spike for assistance. Dawn and Angel had grown closer than they had been when him and Buffy had been together. She wasn't just the sister of his soul mate; she was now, a part of his family, as were all of Buffy's friends.
"Angel?"
"Yeah. I'm in here. Come in."
Willow slowly walked through the door. It was dark, except for a single candle burning in the corner on a little table.
"Uh, we were just gonna watch a movie and we wanted to see if you'd like to join us."
"Not tonight Wills. You know it's been three years tomorrow since it happened. It seems like it was yesterday."
"I know. But Angel, you can't do this to yourself every time this day rolls around. We lost her, she's gone, but she lives on in us. Like you told me when I came here to tell you about her, she sacrificed her life so that we could live. And that's what you have to do Angel. Live."
"Maybe another day. You guys enjoy the movie."
Willow slowly got up and walked out of the room. Angel continued his sketch of her. Her hair glistening in the sun, whispering around her face; her cherub like cheeks, her radiant smile, the hazel pools of her eyes where he got lost.
"Why did you have to leave me?"
Angel let himself be flooded with memories and cried until sunrise.
******************
Buffy woke from a fitful sleep of memories from somewhere unknown. Late night walks in cemeteries; passionate kisses in mausoleums; demons and darkness; passion and fire; sadness and heartbreak; all new to her. She got out of bed and made herself a cup of coffee and then went to get ready for work. She arrived an hour early, the first time in her entire career.
"Marie, could you get me a Jonathan Levenson on the phone?"
"Yes Ms. Summers. Can I tell him what its in reference to?"
"Just tell him its Buffy Summers. He'll know. Put him through when you do."
"Alright."
Buffy sat at her desk tapping her pencil on the wood, watching to see when the 'line 1' light lit up. Suddenly, it turned a bright red. She looked at it like it was beacon, calling her to it. She picked up the phone and pressed the red beacon.
"Buffy Summers."
"Hello Ms. Summers, or should I call you Buffy? How are you doing today?"
"Buffy is fine, and I'm doing ok. I need to ask you some questions. Can we meet for dinner tonight?"
"Um, let me check my schedule, can I put you on hold for a few moments?"
"Sure."
She listened to the old Doors song as it flowed through the line and waited for him to come back on the line. Suddenly she heard the music stop and his voice on the other end.
"Sure. Tonight's great. Where would you like to meet?"
"How about Burger Heaven on third. I'm not in the mood for fancy. I just need to ask you a few questions."
"It'll be good to talk to you again. See you around 7?"
"Sounds good. Bye."
"Bye."
"I'm finally gonna get some answers."
*Knock knock*
"Buffy? I need to ask a favor of you."
"Sure. Anything."
"Well, I am suppose to be going to meet a potential client in LA this weekend, but it's my 25th wedding anniversary and I need to be with my wife. Could you go and meet with them? You'll get to fly first class and I've got you booked a suite at one of the highly pristine hotels. So, what do ya say? I'll even give you next week off so that you can spend the week there. I know you've never been out of New York."
"Well Nick, how can I turn down an offer like that? Of course I'll go for you. What type of client are we talking about?"
"Well, he's gotten himself into some trouble with bribes and things and he wants me to help him. I just want you to go and scope him out. You're a pretty good judge of character. I wanna know what you think; guilty, not, indifferent. Just talk with him. You only have to have dinner with him, I think its Saturday night and then you have the rest of the trip to yourself."
"Well, sounds great. When do I leave?"
"Well, you leave tomorrow at 6 AM."
"I'll be there. And thanks again for the vacation."
*************
Buffy sat in a booth at Burger Heaven waiting on Jonathan to arrive. She'd gotten there 15 minutes early to make sure she didn't miss him. He was the only link she had to whatever was happening to her.
"Hey. Sorry I'm late. I got hung up at the office. This lady came in and has been in labor for like 36 hours. I think we're gonna have to do a C-section. Oh, I'm sorry, you probably don't wanna hear about it."
"No, I don't get grossed out easily." She laughed.
"I was going to be a doctor, but I wanted to see people get justice more than I wanted to heal them."
"Hello. I'm Tim and I'll be your waiter. What can I get for you?"
"Um, I'll have an Ice Tea and Buffy? What would you like?"
"Um, I'll have the same."
"So, what did you need to talk to me about?"
"Well, I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about when we were in High School. I'm having like these memory flashes and I don't know where they are coming from. I just need some information."
"Well, I'll give you as much as I can, but we really didn't hang out together, you know you were beautiful and athletic and I was well, 4 ft tall."
"Well, I'm sure whatever you can tell me will help. Just start from the beginning."