Hey everyone!

I'm so sorry it took me this long to update. I've been really busy with exams, projects and the new activism group I joined, but I promise to try to keep it more or less regular until I finish this season. After that, I'll probably take some time off to write the other new fic (You'll never walk alone - Supernatural fic, cover is already uploaded on my facebook account. Link in profile) and rewatch season 7 of BtVS, as it's been too long a time since I last watched it.

So, here you have the new chapter. Someone's coming back!

As always, thank you for reading this fic. It means the world to me. Special thanks to animegeekP and SydneyFreeSpirit27 for their reviews. And a huge request for HarriettWithTea to update soon FOR GOD'S SAKE I NEED TO KNOW MORE! (I know, I'm a hypocrite, I'm sorry.)

Enjoy!

Lee out.


There was no way. No matter how much time Ally and Dawn spent together, how many times the eldest appeared at the entrance to Dawn's high school with another plan for them to spend the afternoon together, from ice skating to sitting around in a park doing homework, studying and just lying on the grass, Dawn would not get tired of her.

Afternoons with Dawn, evenings with Buffy, nights with Spike. Her schedule was full from the moment she went out the door to pick her baby sister up. And it felt so satisfying. She felt needed. Dawn needed her to not feel alone. Buffy needed her to stay sane and from turning into a ruthless killer. Spike needed her. Simply needed her.

It was heart warming and an extra pressure at the same time.

When she left for the night to stay with Spike, about five nights a week, Buffy stayed with Dawn. At least that way, Ally knew Buffy was not scurrying out to go back to old 'habits'.

It was one of those days when they had been skating for hours after school and had just gotten home to relieve their achy feet that Xander arrived, planning on spending some time with Willow before Buffy got home. There was no visit to Spike planned for that night, seeing as the last couple days were dedicated to her sisters fully, only to spend some quality time the three of them together.

Ally was laying on top of Dawn's bed while the youngest brunette got them some water from the kitchen when she heard the phone ring. She didn't even get up, knowing someone else would take it as they were much closer. It was not long before a voice answered, most probably Willow, although Ally couldn't really discern any words.

Soon, Dawn went back to their room, holding a couple glasses and a jar filled with water, her face scrunched up, mixed emotions flowing in her eyes. Something was bothering her.

"Buffy is bringing her ex in a while." Dawn informed her, sitting on her bed and handing her sister one of the glasses.

Ally tilted her head, confused at the teen's reaction to the news. "You didn't like him?"

"Oh, no, I did. It's just... he left without saying goodbye." She stared at the comforter sadly, clutching her glass tightly on her lap.

The junior Slayer reached over and brushed some of her sister's hair out of her face, placing it over her shoulder tenderly. "That must have stung."

"It did."

"I'm sure he didn't want it to be like that. There must have been a reason."

As they waited, while Dawn tried to act nonchalant, yet Ally could see her shift in bed, impatiently glancing at the door every now and then. When they finally heard the door downstairs open, Dawn shot up from the bed, the other brunette following after her. They ran to the entrance to find a couple in black gear with Buffy, clad similarly to them, just as Willow stepped back from hugging the man.

As Dawn got to the bottom of the stairs, Ally froze, eyes locked on the man looking straight back at her, all colour drained from his face.

"Riley?" She whispered in a tiny voice, catching the attention of everyone in the house.

She couldn't make her limbs move, she could barely breath. How could it be? How could he be there? She could feel her blood going cold in her veins, the shock keeping her rooted to the stairs.

"Ally." He finally managed to answer, eyes still wide, yet he was the first to spring into action and step toward her.

It was enough to push Ally to move, flinging herself forward to hug him, a broken sob leaving her throat as her arms surrounded him, his doing the same with her.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. I can't believe it..." She whispered as she trembled and whimpered, her face buried on his chest.

"So..." Buffy's voice cut the silence, but it sounded very far away for the youngest Slayer, even if she was only a couple feet from them. "You two know each other?"

Ignoring the question, too caught up in the moment, Riley patted and rubbed the girl's back, making her pull away slowly as her body still shook with sobs. He brought his hands to her face to wipe the tears away, his skin having recovered some colour by then.

Willow and Dawn could barely recognize Ally in that moment. They were used to the confident young woman, the Slayer, the big sister. This Ally was so different, she looked smaller, more fragile, almost like she would break if Riley let go of her. She stared at him with all her walls down, not even trying to hide her feelings from him, and therefore anyone in the room.

Covering her cheeks with his palms, he looked at her eyes, filled with tears that eventually escaped. "I thought you were dead. Or turned." He revealed, his voice low with emotion, eyes glistening with contained moisture.

"You found them, then?" She felt so weak, so young, like a child again.

"They called me immediately when they identified your dad. I've been looking for you ever since."

"I've been... doing what you didn't want me to." She grimaced, averting her eyes and thus seeing how the rest of the people looked at them, specially the tall woman in black gear. "Hi."

"You're Ally?" She asked incredulously. "As in 'first girl Riley ever took home' Ally?"

Ally glanced between the woman and her old friend, amusement filling her previously teary face. "Your grandma is still going on about that?"

"Yeah, still." Riley chuckled, locking gazes with the other woman for a second. "Sam, this is Ally. Ally, this is my wife Sam."

Her jaw dropped. "Wife?" She repeated, as unbelieving as Sam had been a few seconds earlier. Then, memories started coming back, making her smirk and then hide it with a pout. "What about our deal?"

It took him a second to realize what she was referring to, and he burst out laughing when he did. It felt good. It felt familiar. He could have never expected to find her there, yet...

"Deal?" Sam asked as she glanced between them.

"If he was still single when he got to thirty-five, we were going to get married. I'll have to find another back-up husband now." She complained, giving him the puppy eyes.

"Graham will take up that offer as soon as I tell him you're alive. Oh God." He hugged her again, one hand treading through her head. "You're all grown up too." He barely believed his eyes. It was too much.

"Nineteen." She smiled cheekily.

"Can someone explain what's going on?" Buffy asked, uncomfortable with being ignored the first time and not understanding anything about what was going on.

"Oh." They all turned to Willow when she spoke up, her eyes wide beside Xander on the corridor next to the stairs. "Ally Finn."

"Oh." Dawn and Buffy repeated together.

"What?" Riley's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, looking around in confusion.

"I changed my last name when I left L.A. Used one I was familiar with." Ally explained, shrugging her shoulders.

"Care to explain how you know each other? Are you related?" Xander asked, voicing every Scooby's thoughts.

"Not really... I basically followed him around for two years when I was thirteen. I was staying at the military base he was being trained at while my dad made some business with some of the people in higher ranks. He told me about vampires and demons. I would be dead if it wasn't for him." She looked up at Riley, whose arm she was hanging onto, then at Sam. "You got the best one. Congratulations."

Sam smiled back warmly, happy about seeing her husband with the girl he cared so deeply for. "I never really thought I'd get to meet The Ally."

"The Ally, huh?" The aforementioned grinned, amused at the man's sudden light blush.

"Shut up."

"Graham talks a lot about you too." Sam continued, smirking too. "Although it's mainly when he wants to tease Finn."

"Oh, is he here too?" She jumped excitedly.

"He'll be, the moment I tell him we've found you. But first, we've got work to do." He announced as he looked back at Buffy.

It was then that Ally realized Riley was Buffy's ex, and the blonde looked kinda uneasy. It was understandable. There her ex was, with his new wife and practically attached to the hip to her sister.

"Cool clothes, Buff." She tried to make her lighten up.


Sitting on the couch, Ally on one side of Riley, Sam on the other, she listened as they explained the situation, even though he stopped when he started with the gory details to look at Dawn and Ally. "Are you sure you wanna be around hearing all this?"

"Hey, I'm nineteen and a Slayer. I've seen worse than you might think. And Dawn is now involved in the research, full Scooby Gang member."

Silence fell over the couple as they stared at her, until Riley managed to talk again. "Slayer?" He choked.

"Yeah. Activated seven months ago."

He glanced at Buffy, seeming to recall another conversation. "You really did die."

"Yeah." The blonde nodded, her eyes finding the other Slayer's. "She did, too."