a/n: Many apologies to everyone who has been reading (you make my day just so you know) for the lateness. University has been kicking my behind. However here it is. New characters and old characters will be popping up in this chapter and the next few so stay with me! Hope you enjoy, please review!

Ps. still not mine…..Either of them…so sad. Neither are any brand names mentioned in this chapter.

Pss. The reason this was so late is that I went on auto-pilot and the first half of this chapter was a slightly differently written version of the previous chapter. Because I am just so smart.

Chapter 7: Returning to Her Roots

Dom assured her they didn't need her help unloading boxes so she snuck outside to a patch of as yet weak sun light to call Andrew again. Going back through the call log she found Faith's number and hit redial hoping for the best.

"Yeah?"

"Faith? It's Buffy."

"Well well . Queeny is back already. What did you do now?"

"Ha-ha bitch, I do not create trouble that fast Miss arrested-more-than-once. And I told you not to call me that."

"Too late, Miss Slayer Queen. Your new knick name has been spreading all throughout the demonic underworld and in all their knitting circles."

"Great." The was a brief pause and lots of static filled shuffling while Faith held the cell between her cheek and shoulder.

"What's up then?"

"I need to check in with Andrew, I'm hoping he will have had enough time to sort together what I need. And I have a computer and printer at my disposal."

"Whatever it is you are planning to do better not start anything."

"It shouldn't. Just a spiritual journey through the desert with a less then helpful Sineya. Though who knows, it is only 8 in the morning."

"Oh god, don't say that. All I want is some peace and quiet so I can take Robin with me somewhere hot and un-demonic and get freaky on a beach for a couple days."

"Ew. Putting that thought and corresponding images firmly out of my brain. Is Andrew available to talk without nosy scoobies listening in?" Buffy glanced back into the garage. Already their love for cars was breaking their early morning sluggishness.

"Yeah. Red and Xander have been assuming control aka bossing him around all morning so prepare for him to be a little whiny. Give me just a moment, to find him, I'll put him on." There was the muffled sound of Faith asking some of the potentials where Andrew was through her hand over the mouth piece.

"Buffy?" A smile came over her at his frantic tone.

"Yeah. Hi Andrew."

"Oh it is you! I've almost got everything you wanted. There are just a few things to finish translating. Is everything ok there? Have you had any busy patrols? Should I make you up a couple new first aid kits?"

"Woah there Andrew, calm down. I'm fine, still, you just talked to me an hour ago. I haven't even busted out a band aid since I last saw you," Buffy soothed.

"Giles wants to go back to England and start proper training and teaching for all the new slayers, and there are so many things to organize, and they aren't doing what they are told, and Willow and Xander are being mean to me."

"I'm sorry to leave you with them. Has Faith been keeping everything more or less running?"

"Oh yes, Faith is doing a great job but she isn't as good at it as you." There was a distant 'Hey' in the background.

"Ow! Don't throw stakes at me! I might not get dusty but I could still get hurt!" Buffy could hear Faith yelling through the phone 'It wasn't even sharpened'. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Andrew? If you have a couple minutes, I need your help with a couple things."

"Name them." So eager to help.

"I need you to do a little research for me." She glanced sideways to check her brother was out of hearing range.

"What kind are you talking about?" Andrew was absolutely miffed.

"I need to know what kind of social life is geared towards demons in LA. In Sunnydale I had places to go for information and I knew which demons were neutral. I have no knowledge of existing territories, species, or hangouts to either keep an eye on or avoid."

"Oh. Ooooooh, I can do that. Did you know that some demons have joined the techno age? Some of them have hornscript pages."

"Horn-, I , what?"

"It's the demonic version of social media. I'll make you an account. I'll need another hour to finish this and send it to you. How can I get it to you?"

"There's a computer and printer in the office of Brian's friend's garage. Just send it to my email and I'll print it out."

"Will do ma'am."

"Don't call me ma'am."

"Will do sir." And Andrew hung up. Buffy rolled her eyes again and stowed the phone in her back pocket.

"All good?" Letty asked, coming out to join her on the curbside.

"I hope so, you can never completely tell with him," Buffy mumbled.

Buffy stood there in a daze as the Garage was filled with a sense of purpose. The Lights were turned on, car width doors rolled up into the ceiling, and machinery warmed up after their disuse. It had been a long time since high school but Buffy felt like a ditzy cheerleader all over again surrounded by gear heads and grease monkeys.

At least they weren't in a library.

Dom came up next to her and rested a warm hand on her shoulder. She leaned into his warmth and let herself feel just a little less out of place. She wasn't a cheerleader anymore; she wasn't a lost college student or a suffering worker at Doublemeat palace.

"Everything alright?" he asked quietly.

"It will be, I'm just getting a few answers" Buffy assured him.

"If that's all, why is Brian so worked up?" She let out a huff and jammed her hands in her pockets.

"I've gone to her for answers before and I didn't really like what I got." Dom turned her slightly so he could meet her eyes.

"Before I jumped" he nodded his head now understanding some context. If whatever had been told to her had had any part in her decision to jump, then it was no wonder Brian didn't like this Sineya.

"Yo Dom, distracted already?" Vince called from the back of the garage, dirt and grease already covering his hands. Dom, Letty and Buffy all pulled a major eye roll and walked into the still lightly paint scented garage.

"I hope you know that if I ended up staying with you for any amount of time, he will eventually get a smack upside the head for his sassy comments," Buffy warned Dom.

"What? Afraid of the competition?" Dom laughed at her glare and assured her quietly so Vince didn't hear. "I guessed as much just from what Brian is like. You two are too similar not to rub Vince the wrong way just like your brother."

Brian abandoned the small sporty looking yellow car he was working on and walked up to Buffy. Give her any weapon she could figure it out but she just could not bring herself to memorize what symbol meant which car. Already his well used grey oil brand swag t-shirt had another grease stain at the hem.

"Everything work out?" Brian asked, slinging a dirty arm around her shoulders and grinning as she tilted her head as far away as possible.

"Yeah, Andrew will send it to my email if I could use your office computer and printer. Also, if there is a map I could investigate I'll be less clueless Buffy navigating the desert."

"Sure. It's all in here. Let's see if it all still works," he said, steering her into the small office, unaware of Dom's eyes following Buffy.

Twenty minutes later Buffy had her chant and her map along with an old ornamental squash like gourd that Brian had run out and stole from the porch of a seventies chic, zoned out, nature geek that lived around the corner from the garage. Buffy tried not to condone thievery but Brian looked like he had enjoyed that tiny bit of mischief so much she decided not to say anything. Everything was dropped into a Lord Co bag held tightly in Buffy's fist.

Brian has also revealed his big brother talents by producing a small day cooler supplying bottled water, Gatorade, apples, granola bars, and a couple of sandwiches that Mia had whipped up to keep Buffy and Letty going in the heat of LA's surrounding desert.

"You ready to go?" Letty called from outside.

"Yeah, just a sec." Brian hugged Buffy.

"Please be safe. And don't let what she says worm its way under your skin without sharing it with me or Faith." Brian met her eyes. "Just to make your big brother feel better, let me help in the ways I can."

Buffy hugged him back and hmmmed.

"If you really want to do something for me, you could see if there is a spot somewhere I could set up some gym stuff. I need to work out, I'm getting twitchy." Buffy looked up at him with purposeful doe eyes and he scoffed and looked away.

"Don't think I'm saying yes 'cause you gave me the look."

They smiled and Buffy released him to join Letty and head out.

Dom nodded to her as she passed. Already regulars were beginning to pop up for automotive maintenance and reconnecting with Dom, Vince, and even Brian.

Buffy walked out and stood next to Letty. The sun was no longer touching the earth, already the promised heat of the day was beginning to make its appearance.

"Ready when you are."

"Where are we headed?" Letty asked, slipping aviators onto her face to battle the sun. Buffy dug out the printed page with the small map along the bottom and folded the page over so she could show her just the map. Letty studied it before making a noise of understanding.

"I know where that is, it shouldn't take us more than half hour to forty minutes to get there."

"By everyone else's standards or by yours?" Buffy asked. Letty didn't answer but smirked as she revved her ride.

It was a quiet drive first along a rural highway then out into the desert on gentle terrain. Buffy spent the drive alternating between looking out the rolled down window and silently mouthing the words Andrew had provided for her. A certain amount of nerves had wormed its way into her belly.

What would she do if Sineya gave her an answer similar to the last time?

What if she went crazy and tried to attack her again?

Probably best not to think about it and just work with what happens when it does.

"Are you sure this is right?" Letty asked for the second time since they left the road, now driving on packed sand and dried mud.

"Yeah, we'll have to park just ahead, we can't continue by car."

Letty pulled around into the little alcove where Giles had the year and a bit before. The ground was going from dark yellow sand and gentle rocky ground to dunes of sand and boulders or various sizes making it impossible to continue with a car.

Buffy got out at looked at the familiar view between the rocky outcroppings next to the car. Getting a borrowed small duffle from the trunk that held the sticks and gourd and pushed the paper into a side pocket, Buffy rallied her spirits.

"How's this going to work? As far as I can tell, we're the only people for a good couple miles in any direction and we are in no way equipped to hike through the desert. Whoever it is that you are supposed to be meeting has either stood you up or is going to have a hard time finding this place," Letty groused.

"She's already here," Buffy muttered. Letty looked at her for a couple minutes until Buffy was thoroughly uncomfortable.

"This is going to get weird isn't it?" Letty asked, already preparing for some strange and stereotypical witchy ceremony like the ones she'd seen in two bit movies.

"It could. Why don't you hang out here in the shade" Buffy point to the large shady patches created by the rocks they'd parked next to." I won't be longer than about an hour. I'll take some water and an apple and be back before you know it."

Letty watched Buffy walk into the mirage like heat waves coming off the sand from her shade protected spot by her car. She hoped to Jesse's car spirits that Buffy would come back. She didn't think Brian would be terribly please if she lost Buffy in the desert during her freaky spiritual jaunt.

There she was, standing in front of her.

Perfectly upright, face emotionless under her white face paint, Sineya stared at Buffy while not saying a word. Her dreads blew against the wind, responding to a breeze not shared on the physical plane.

"I knew you'd be back." Sineya's voice was rather scratchier than last time she'd heard from her.

"I think we both knew."

"What do you seek from me now?"

"A sign of which path to walk," Buffy sighed and scrubbed her palms over her eyes. "I listened to you. I embraced the love around me; I wouldn't have made it without it. I used my gift, my life to close that portal and save the world. I saw that my power wasn't enough and shared it. What now? I've given everything I can and now I'm not needed." Buffy hadn't noticed that she'd raised her voice. Sineya kept staring but her gaze had softened somewhat.

"You are the longest called Slayer, Buffy Summers. Do you know why?" Sineya asked. Buffy shook her head even though she could have responded. It seemed pretty rhetorical.

"You have had love and support and the need to protect not the faceless populace but the important few of your friends and family. Your original family has fractured. Too often have they wielded power and not cleaned it up or felt the consequences. You do and that makes you formidable. You know when to stop Buffy Summers. I have too much demon in me. You have enough human to keep both sides of your self strong."

Buffy was quiet for a long time.

"You know, I hated you a little bit. After each time that I dealt with you in whatever way. You were a reminder of my origins that I had fought against for so long. Despite all of the reason I was given to see and embrace the grey scale of the balance, I still hated you and him." Buffy choked slightly thinking about his face in the Hellmouth and he burned from the inside out.

"But I want to say thank you. You were honest to where it hurt. And I needed honesty that wasn't given with the intention that it would hurt."

Sineya dipped her head in understanding. They stood there in silence a little while longer.

"Your dreams will start again. There will be places that need you. But you will have help Buffy Summers, all you have to do is ask." As Sineya spoke, the edges of her image started to blur and pale until she bit by bit turned to sand and blew away on the wind Buffy couldn't feel.

"Thank you, sister Slayer," Buffy whispered.