Title: Interlude

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: All of the materials borrowed from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to Joss Whedon and to the entities and companies associated with their creation. I have borrowed them for creative and entertainment purposes only.

Distribution: If you are interested in posting my story on your site, please contact me first for permission. I'll most likely say yes, I just like knowing where. ^_^

Feedback: Yes, please. Any type you wanna send. Can't fix what I don't know is broken, right? Besides, ever see a fanfic writer that wouldn't take as many reviews as possible?

Spoilers: Show's been off the air since May of 2003. Can they still be considered spoilers?

F/F romance: This story assumes a loving and sexual relationship between people of the same gender. If this offends or is illegal for you, then please leave. Come back when you are older, have an open mind, moved, or changed your laws.

Author's Notes: I have kept to the BtVS/Angel canon to the end of Chosen and season 4 of Angel. After that, it's my little world! This story was a response to a challenge on another site.

Pairing: Willow/Kennedy, Xander/Anya(Mentioned)

Summary: Thoughts and feelings at the edge of the Sunndydale Crater.

* * *(Kennedy's POV)

As I look forward, I see Xander bandaging yet another of the injured new Slayers, Dawn at his elbow, handing him supplies. Across the aisle, Rona's also being wrapped up, blood loss from a neck wound making her sag over. I wonder if a turok han got her or a piece of the school fell on her. I guess, in the end, doesn't really matter what caused the wound, long as she doesn't bleed to death.

Thinking about another of us dying causing me to tighten my hold on Willow for a moment. She's still so weak, what with the spell and the mad dash to the bus. I look down at her, red hair hanging limply, but regaining bounce as she does strength and kiss the top of her head, grateful we both made it out. I smile, looking down at her. My goddess, my everything. My only regret right now is that I didn't tell her how I feel before the battle, something I'm planning on fixing next time we stop.

A loud crash on the roof makes everyone look up. Even my beautiful girl sits up enough to glance that way.

"It's just Buffy." she tells me, quietly, though I have no idea how she knows. She must be able to see this in my eyes, cause she says. "I can feel her."

Willow smiles wanly at me. "No need to be jealous! I can feel where all Slayers are."

Damn. Caught me. "Even me?" I ask, afraid the answer might be no.

My goddess pulls my head down and softly kisses me. All my thoughts stop and the world goes away when she does that. "Especially you." she assures me, as she kisses me again, then snuggles back down and closes her eyes.

I still can't get used to my new powers, as, even with a roaring engine and twenty-odd girls talking, I still hear Faith up front tell Wood to ease off, that we're clear of the town. The bus suddenly skids to a halt and everyone starts sliding forward. Some random scrap of a science lesson tells me this is called inertia or something like that. I just roll my eyes at the stupid crap my mind can pull up at the weirdest times. As Will and I start sliding, I hold her tighter and brace us both against the seat in front of me. Neither of us end up in the floor, though I do hear Vi yell as she does.

Hearing a door open behind me, I look back and see Dawn jump out and into Buffy's arms. I'm happy for both of them, but a little envious too. Once in a while, I wish my sister and I were still close. Dad took care of that, didn't he? Am I bitter? Just a tad.

"Hey. How's she doing?"

Shaking my memories away, I look up and at Xander. His concern for Willow obvious and I so hope he and I can be really good friends in the future. Once he was sure I wasn't going to hurt Willow, or, as he put it, "pull a Faith", Xander had helped me quite a bit in understanding what Willow had been through before we met.

"Really tired. Wanna sleep now." A soft voice says. Emerald pools open and turn toward the man beside our seat. Over the last few weeks, I've discovered that I have a habit of falling into them and not really wanting to come back out. I don't often try to resist, but this time I do. I'm saved only because Willow sits up to look at Xander as they speak.

He smiles down at us. "Thought you might want to take one last look at Sunnydale before we leave. Buffy, Dawn and Giles are already out there."

I start to protest that she's too weak, but Willow pulls out of my embrace as Xander helps her stand. "Yeah, ok. I think I'd like that." She sways a little when she gets to her feet, but steadies quickly. She holds out a hand to me. "Coming sweetie? Might need a little help, here."

I look at Xander and think about their group, the scoobies, as they call themselves. This is their moment, not mine or any of the other new Slayers. They lived here. "Actually, baby, I was thinking I'd stay with the bus. Sunnydale was your hometown. You should be with your friends to say goodbye." I transfer my gaze to the man holding my girlfriend. "Make sure she doesn't fall?"

He smiles at me. "You have'ta ask? Don't worry, kiddo, I'll make sure she stays upright and bruise free."

"You better." I give him my deadliest look, but he just shrugs it off

Willow touches my cheek with her fingertips, a caress I lean into. "You sure, baby? You won't be intruding or anything."

I turn my head and kiss her fingers before replying. "I'm sure, Will. It's ok. You go on." I give her my absolute best suggestive look, wiggling my eyebrows. "I'll see about us taking over the backseat while you're gone!"

Willow blushes and smiles at my idea. God, she's so cute when she blushes! Almost as cute as when she babbles.

I watch as Xander carefully guides her up the aisle and down the stairs. Turning in the seat, I watch as they walk passed and, continuing to turn, get my first real look at what's behind us.

I can feel my jaw drop open and my eyes get wide. Sunnydale is gone! I stand and stumble off the bus, suddenly needing to see what's happened a little closer.

I stop when I reach the back corner of the bus, staring at the jagged piles of rubble as far as I can see. "Holy shit!" I exclaim on a soft breath. I can't understand what happened for a moment, then memories of the Hellmouth collapsing come crowding back. I remember Spike's necklace spitting beams of light everywhere, melting any ubervamp it touched. I remember the ground shaking and rocks falling and Faith screaming for everyone to get out. I remember making sure everyone living was out except Faith, Buffy and Spike before getting out of Dodge myself, slowing down only long enough to get my goddess.

Only one reason I can think of why the entire town's gone. Apparently, the Hellmouth was a lot bigger than we thought.

I hear movement beside me, but can't pull my gaze from the crater in front of me.

"Why didn't I die?" I turn to see Andrew has stop beside me.

"What?"

He doesn't seem to hear me, just stares at Xander. "Anya should be here, not me." The boy looks at me. "Why am I alive when she's dead?"

I just look at him and try to think of how to answer a question that doesn't have an answer. True, Andrew bugs the hell outta me, same as he does everyone else who's ever met him, but he's harmless. Plus, I can't help but feel sorry for the little geek, that he still needs to hide.

"I don't know how to answer that. Might as well ask why any of us survived. We all did our part. We all could of died. Some of us did, some didn't. It's the way it is." I pause, waiting to see if he gets it. "How did she die? Did you see?"

His shoulders slump and his eyes fill. "She turned around to save me. A Bringer cut her in half. It should have been me!" he cries.

I put my hand on his arm and make him look at me. "So you're saying she died saving your butt?" He nods, one tear slipping passed his eyelid. My voice hardens. "Then you have a job to do." He just stares at me, flinching a little at my tone. "You have to live for her. Make sure you don't waste the life she gave you back. If you don't do this, she died for nothing. Understand?"

He stares at me for several minutes, then slowly nods. "I think I understand. She helped the Slayer fight evil, right? I can do that, too. I can help Slayers with research, maybe even become a watcher!" He looks into my eyes, a need to believe transparent in his own. "Think she'd want that?"

I surprise both of us by pulling the little guy into a hug. "I'm sure of it." I whisper into his ear before releasing him. I smile at him one more time, then punch him lightly in the shoulder before turning back toward the scoobies.

I find Willow's slender form amongst them and start to smile as she suddenly starts to collapse. "Willow!" I cry softly, then surge forward, trying to get there before she touches the ground, knowing I'll fail.

I stop just as quickly as Faith catches her and swings my Willow into her own arms. Faith turns from the group and starts back for the bus as I start toward her and my everything.

As soon as I'm close enough, I hold out my arms for Faith to give me Willow, so I can get her back onto the bus so she can rest some more. Faith looks at me and scowls, swinging my Red away from me slightly. I look at her and feel an eyebrow raise.

"Faith? What's the problem?"

Her scowl vanishes as Faith deposits my girl in my arms and I feel that sweet, slight weight settle in against me. "Sorry, Junior. Mind was somewhere else, I guess."

I nod and turn toward the front of the bus to get back on, but, for some reason, I look back at my sister Slayer. Why is there a wistful look on her face?

Willow groans softly and all thoughts vanish from my mind, save getting back on the bus and into a seat. My goddess needs to rest. Needs me. That's all that matters.