Chapter Thirteen

A place in this world

A/N Ok so last chapter of season 6, wow this has been a whirlwind. As I watch through season 7, I'm going to pick out episodes that would be a lot different if this set of events had happened, so then I'll rewrite them accordingly, in one story, probably different lengths but I'm excited.

Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2002

Having all clambered inside the house, the mess remaining to be cleared up later non-magically, a team effort. Giles lay, spread out on the couch an ache spreading wildly through his tired bones. He groaned slightly when Buffy brought him a glass of water, having to turn made the ache worse but he smiled softly, they'd saved Willow. That was the relief and all he could cope with feeling at that particular moment. The others were gathered all around the kitchen discussing something as normal as the next grocery run.

When Anya ran in to greet him. "You're awake!" She said brightly, leaning down and giving him one of her 'big hugs'.

"Yes, I am rather. Oh." He groaned again in shock of such an embrace. "However, I am still in some pain." He said, his eyes sparking back to the situation as Anya peeled herself away. She smiled lightly and sat down on the carpet next to him. A band aid taped to her forehead, concealing her bruising head wound.

"Now you can tell me what happened, the others are busy, and I kind of missed it." Anya said pointing towards her head, she had woken to find the army completely beat and Xander's arms around her, it was comforting if at all unexpected. "And you seem like you're not doing anything." She'd dazed in and out of consciousness for the remainder of the battle and was quite thoroughly intrigued to find out what had transpired. Everyone looked a bit battered when she'd awoken, except Xander who seemed remarkably clean. Huh?

Giles sat up slightly, bringing the glass of water to his lips, he sighed. And began to describe what exactly had taken place that afternoon. "So, Warren arrived..." Which was followed by many verses of, "oh now I remember that bit," and "come on get to the good part." Like he was telling her some sort of fairy tale.

"Then Xander, he managed to coax Willow down and stopped her from..."

"Xander?" Anya replied, interrupting Giles' flow of story. She remembered the feeling of him holding her, he'd kissed her, hadn't he? Anya wasn't sure but somehow she could still feel the remnants of his lips on hers. He'd really saved them, Xander had really done all that. Without magic, or weapons or anything. She bet herself he'd told a joke. Soppy old Xander. He'd been her soppy old Xander once, not now though. She missed him, the feel of him, his jokes.

"Yes." Giles said pausing, another sip of water. Then he was smiling, he could see her surprise, her little spark of joy at that news, it was easy to see she'd never be over him, always love him. "He got her down. He saved us all from her magic. But it was Tara who..."

"Xander." Anya repeated quietly, cutting Giles off again, but this time it was for herself. He saved us all. It went round in her head a million times as Giles was explaining how Tara had brought Willow back from her dark haze. How their love had saved Willow.

Dawn sat on her bed beside a heap of teddies she should've thrown out, if she was going to start being a 'grownup.' She was just quiet, contemplating where they would all go from this. Willow was beside her, they'd been talking about the previous summer, the memories Willow had forgotten now heavily lingered within her. The redhead had uttered kind words of maturity when caring for the teenager, making her feel special and loved and in the care of her many parents once again. Then Buffy rounded the door frame, her weight leaning on the ivory cream. Willow stood up, her hand gripping Dawn's shoulder as she left the room slowly, smiling at Buffy.

"She's going to go and make kissy face with Tara." Buffy said, making Dawn laugh as she walked towards the bed, sitting beside her younger sister.

Willow reappeared quickly around the door, her head poking inside the room, "oi, I heard that you know." She said pointing at Buffy, a smirk creeping onto her lips as she left for the second time, descending the stairs to indeed go and make kissy face with Tara.

Buffy laughed then, her best friend was certainly back to her usual cheeky self, even if it had got dark there all of a sudden. She'd almost lost herself in the battle, she cursed herself now, letting her heart give up like that. She had truly wanted to die for a moment, the thought spinning her into madness. She'd almost lost Dawn, lost everything. How could she have been so absurd.

"Ahh, I think it's all sort of romantic. How we defeated Willow's evil side with love." Buffy's tired rambling brain was interrupted by Dawn's thinking out loud, she was still little, still hopeful. It made the tears drip from her eyes. A hope filled child was the exact opposite of what Buffy had wanted on that battle field. Seeing it laid out in front of her just made her praise Dawn's youth. She was still naïve and young but that was so prized within the old, the given-up feeling replaced by an actual future.

She was shaking now, her sobs echoing through the small room, her shoulders bouncing as she let her head rest on Dawn's shoulder.

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad." Dawn retorted, but Buffy just cried harder, it was a real vocal cry. Her hand coming up slowly as she wiped away her eyes. Lifting her head gently off Dawn's shoulder, she sniffled, chunks of hair sticking to her weepy face.

"Sorry." She mumbled in there slowly, turning to look at Dawn before wrapping her into a tight hug. The smile returning to her face, as she inhaled Dawn's homely smell.

"Wait, is that happy crying?" Dawn replied, making Buffy look up and sit back a little. Lifting her shaded eyes she parted her bangs with her free hand and tried holding back the stored up tears she had left.

"Yes, dummy, I'm happy. We saved Willow. And it was beautiful." She slapped Dawn lightly on the arm before taking a deep sigh and resetting her tone. "It hasn't been ok has it? Not for a while." She said gravely, her hitting rock bottom had made her realise she'd been neglecting Dawn's actual feelings.

"I can see it, in the light. You, you're so big. And annoying." Buffy began to say, Dawn scoffed before she drew her back in. "For a moment in there, I wanted the world to end, for it all to go away so we would all be happy in peace together." Dawn would've intervened here, but she had no words to say, she just wanted to listen, take in the words.

"But we have real demons to fight here, we have life. Which is so much harder. But its worth it. Because I get to see you grow up, to see my friends happy, to show you the world, not hide you from it. Today, we did that. You did it, you were brave and strong and you fought for us, for life, and I've been stopping you from doing that." Buffy cupped Dawn's now wet face, she had eyes of glass, teary drooping things.

Buffy's choking and teary voice sounded quietly now, she needed Dawn to know she was so loved, that she had a future. "I want to be there when you turn into the beautiful woman I know you'll become Dawnie. You were so brave today, keep being brave for me." She finished her speech carefully, Dawn took a while to work everything out, her heart was just leaping for the one thing she wanted to say more than anything. So it crawled out.

"You sound like Mum." And there were more tears, there was always an endless supply of tears in the Summers' house that no one left. It was a family house.

The truck smelt like old coffee and stale bread. Not the nice fresh bakery smell Andrew usually enjoyed, no this was somewhere between the garbage pile outside the bakery to the land fill site outside town. It was rank. The brute smiled at them again, it was creepy, they were huddled into a small corner trying to keep from being dragged into this world of vans and long distance driving. Fleeing to Mexico wasn't as comfy as he had originally thought but they weren't dead. On the plus side.

His jumper was sticky, it reeked of sweat now, the black not helpful in the hot May sun. He felt disgusting. The brute they'd dragged into driving them was dodgy looking, he was covered in tattoos, and he had thick rings bestowing his chubby fingers, he was a mannish heap. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long now. They'd be free though.

Willow's feet crashed against the stairs as she entered the hallway into the kitchen. She smiled as Tara's hand gently slipped into her own and squeezed her lightly. Evermore tender than before, the love their shared was instant, without recognition and complete. Two halves of an orange, finally meeting, segmented as their story grew ever longer. Tara nestled into her shoulder as they stood gazing out of the window, past Xander out onto the porch.

"So, it's summer I guess?" Xander puzzled, his mind confused, where did he stand? What was his role going to be, now Giles was back? What was his relationship with Anya? Were they even anything more than friends?

Willow noticed the strange look on his face, quirking her eyebrows in question. "Yeah, I suppose so." Tara replied, she was content to lay in the perpetual days of nothingness for weeks to come, even though it would take a while for Willow to recover and re-exert her magic and relearn how to control it. And it would take work and time and effort. But they could do it together now, she could teach Willow the rules of magic. They could strengthen their magic at the same rate, together, like her mama used to say was possible if two witches had such a connection.

That thought made her happy, to think in some way she was connecting with something her mother used to believe. It made her feel closer to her in some way, even though she was gone. But before all that could start, she had her Willow back in her arms. And goddess how she'd missed her, all the adorableness of the strawberry head wrapped into one. She was back to her boppy self.

"Xander are you ok?" Willow said calmly, her voice matriculating between its usual hum and one of intrigue, curiosity.

"I don't know Wil, things got really rough out there for a second and then we stopped it." He replied, his brown eyes confused, maybe it was all too much to bother with right now, he should just rest. "I don't know where I stand."

Willow reached over, touching his digits. Tara didn't mind the little touches between them, she knew how strong their bond of friendship was, how deep it ran. She could feel it, the energy. It was different to what she and Willow had, that was true love, purity. What Xander and Willow had was lifelong friendship, memories, they'd been through so much together there was nothing they didn't know about one another.

"Xander, you saved me. You saved the world, brought me back to Earth. With that story about crayons. You're a genius." Willow replied, her head kind of empty, it was a strange feeling but a content one. No more busy brain.

"And you stand with us." Tara chimed in, her hair swooping in front of her face as Xander came to look upon them. A pair of star-crossed wiccans with unbelievable power between them. His best friends.

"Ok." Was all he could muster.

Spike lay flat on his back, bruised and bleeding, he crept up towards the shady figure. His chest red with blackened undertones. There were short footsteps behind him, the familiar booming voice rising out of the depths of darkness sweltering in the caves.

"You have endured the required trials." The dark voice sounded, its tone dank and restless, echoing through the cave system.

"Bloody right I have." Spike took a breath, he was owed, big time. He'd taken everything thrown at him and now was for his reward. He'd prove it to her, show her he was worthy. Pushing himself over his shoulder tore a little as his body was forced upwards. Shuffling towards the demon he looked pathetic, his shoulder burning.

"So you give me what I want, make me what I was so Buffy can get what she deserves." He pleaded, the thought of her writhing through his cold blood.

"Very well. We will return your soul." As the demon spoke the last word his palm attached to Spikes, driving lifeforce back into his empty heart. A bright light flashed through him, his eyes a brightening orange as the pain soaked into his mind. He'd killed. How many? There are so many. Too many to count. Oh, it burns. It bloody burns.