Title: A Measure of Happiness
Author: Valerie
Disclaimer: All characters owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. I own nothing.
Summary: More post-Giftage. If you can wade through yet another Buffy resurrection, I promise there's some B/S sex a comin'!
Rating: R for adult concepts, language and semi-descriptive sex.
Spoilers: Through the end of Season 5.
Feedback: Yes please!
Distribution: Sure.
- Chapter 3: The Reunion
"Buffy?"
Dawn pushed open the door to Buffy's room to find her sitting on the bed, wearing a sweater and a pair of pants and clutching Spike's coat on her lap. She was jolted out of her thoughts by Dawn's voice, and she stood quickly. "Sorry, it's just … This is a lot to deal with."
"For all of us," Dawn agreed, going over and hugging her sister tightly. "Oh, Buffy, I don't care why this happened, I'm just so thankful – " Dawn's tears started again, and she clutched Buffy like a life preserver. Finally she pulled away. "The guys are downstairs."
Downstairs, Anya, Xander, Tara, and Willow clustered around Spike, trying to understand his disjointed retelling of the evening's events.
"So she just… appeared." Willow said.
"Pretty much." Spike was pacing around the room, taking deep drags off a cigarette that he held in a shaking hand.
"Is she… normal? Is she —" Xander trailed off.
"Is she evil?" Anya asked with her trademark straightforwardness.
"I don't think so. She seems like herself, although obviously a bit shaken by the news that she's been dead. To her, she just jumped into that bloody portal an hour ago. The fact that it's four months later…" He stopped as Dawn and Buffy appeared on the stairs and no one was listening to him anymore.
The next few minutes were emotional ones, with much hugging and crying on all sides. Finally, everyone sat down and Anya spoke up. "Buffy, don't take this the wrong way, but no one else is going to ask you: are you evil?"
Buffy glared at Anya, then smiled. "I guess that's a justifiable question, but no. I mean, I feel like me. Buffy." She paused, "Oh! I have a reflection! See?" She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror above the mantle. "That's good, right?"
Willow pondered it. "Well, it proves you aren't a vampire, but Spike already said you had a pulse. I wonder… Tara, maybe we should do a sensing spell for Buffy's aura. See if it seems the same as it used to." Tara agreed, and they brought Buffy over to a clear spot on the floor. They each took one of her hands. "This should be easier than when we were looking for you when you were in Faith's body, because you are right here in the room with us." They both closed their eyes and started chanting quietly, while Buffy stood between them looking dubious about the whole operation. After a few minutes, both witches opened their eyes and turned to hug Buffy, tears in their eyes again. "Welcome back, Buffy," Willow whispered.
"Guess that means she passed," Xander commented, then went to join the hug.
After more crying, Buffy got a confused look on her face. "Guys? Where's Giles?"
"Oh! England," Dawn said. "He kind moved there permanently."
"Giles left?" Buffy sat down, looking forlorn. "He just… left?"
"Well, it was hard for him, staying here," Xander said. "After the, uh, funeral, he had to go back there to debrief the Council on your, uh…"
"Death," Buffy prompted.
"Yeah. Anyway, he just decided to stay. It is his home, and I guess the Council gave him a nice desk job. He still owns the Magic Box, but Anya manages it. He says he'll probably sell it to us eventually, probably as a wedding present," Xander commented, smiling at his future wife.
"Wedding present? You guys are engaged? That's so –" Now it was Buffy's turn to cry as she hugged first Xander and then Anya. "Oh, God. I've missed so much."
"Shouldn't we call Giles?" Tara asked.
Dawn was already punching numbers again on the cell phone. "Can't wait til Dad gets this bill." She left the room so that she could hear better.
"So this is what I don't get," Anya said. "We all saw Buffy's body. We put it, well, not we, but someone put it in a coffin and buried it. So where did this one come from?" she asked, pointing at Buffy.
"Actually, I think it's a new one," Buffy said. "There are differences." They all gave her weird looks. "Scars. My scars are gone. I had a scar here on my neck from when Angel fed from me. It's gone. I had a scar on my stomach from when that vamp turned my stake on me last fall. Gone. It's like, it's like I've been put in a body that's just like mine, but, well, new."
"Do you think, well, um, do you think you're still, um, a Slayer?" Tara asked timidly.
Buffy looked surprised. "Wow. I never thought of that."
"One way to answer that question," Spike declared, standing up and stubbing his cigarette out. He faced Buffy and spread his arms. "Let's have it then. Just like old times."
"You want her to hug you?" Xander asked.
"Well, wouldn't say no, but actually, Harris, I want her to hit me. See what she's got." He turned back to Buffy.
"I don't know," Buffy hesitated.
"Hmm, now I'm starting to doubt whether you really are Buffy, cause she never would've passed up an opportunity to knock me on my sorry ass."
"Fine," she said, grinning. Fast as lightening, her fist connected with Spike's jaw. And Spike just as quickly connected with the floor. There was a smattering of applause from the onlookers.
Spike sat up, rubbing his jaw and regarding Buffy with a look full of admiration and love. "Yeah. I'd say she's still the Chosen One, alright."