A Remembrance by obi's girl
Summary: Starting after "The Gift", the gang decides to go their separate ways but promise to reunite on Buffy's anniversary to remember her.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Drama
Note: Possible spoilers if Joss decides to continue the season. This is what might have happened if it does happen.
Disclaimer: Is this really necessary? Okay. Everything Buffy and Angel belong to Joss. So there!
Chapter 5: The Remembrance
Rupert Giles knelt before the grave that belonged to the former Slayer. Former. How long had it been? Ten years? Ten years without her, ten years without her by his side, or rather him by her side. Quentin Trevors, head Watcher came to her funeral (the 1st one) and even offered that he return to England but Giles refused, adamant to stay in Sunnydale for the children's sake. Only they weren't children anymore, were they? He knew if Dawn ever head him call her a child, she would have a fit.
Dawn. In so many ways, she and Buffy were alike, besides being sisters. There was so much of Buffy in the girl. Stubbornness, and the will to help wherever necessary but lately, since Buffy's death, ten years ago, Dawn had been silent and withdrawn. She still attended her art classes but she didn't socialize as much as a normal 24-year-old woman would.
Xander and Anya were married, though it took some time to actually get down the aisle. After Buffy's death, it didn't really feel right to get married. Buffy, her presence, had become a part of all of them and the knowledge that she wasn't there, looking out for them was weird.
"Giles?" a voice asked.
The old man turned around, squinting as the sun outlined a young woman in her mid twenties. She knelt down, getting out of the light. He smiled at her, giving her a light hug. "Good to see you, Willow."
"Good to see you. It's been a long time..." she started, glancing at Buffy's headstone. "Well, not that long a time. We come here every year. How are you doing? Still holding up?"
Giles laughed, removing his glasses. Willow giggled lightly, remembering how many times he had removed his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief or his shirt. It was a 'Giles thing'. "Still going strong. Actually, Anya runs the Magic Box for me. She was very excited when I told her."
"Hmm. I bet she was. She always loved money." Willow paused, looking at the headstone again and hesitated on her next question, "So, um, I tried to contact Dawn earlier. I left her a message reminding her about the Remembrance but um, do you know if she's coming?"
He nodded, cleaning his glasses. Willow smirked but didn't laugh. "I don't really know. You would think coming to this every year would help ease the pain, but Dawn, I don't know. It just seems, sometimes, she's getting worse. More and more withdrawn but she's doing excellent in her art classes at the University."
"Yeah, it seems like all of us have been trying to be busy to make things easier ---." She paused, squinting as she noticed Xander and Anya arrive. Willow and Giles stood up, crossed the street and hugged them.
Xander kissed Willow's cheek then hugged Giles, as the Wicca noticed her lover arrive but no Dawn. Dawn always arrived late in the past because usually, she sat in bed, debating whether to show up or not. Of the gang, Buffy's death was hardest on Dawn because she had sacrificed her life for her. She watched her die, was there for her last words and then sudennly, she was gone.
Xander nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets as Anya snaked an arm through his right. "I don't know Will, I don't think she's coming...." he started but paused when a brown-haired girl ran from a car, covering her shirt with her blouse from the cold wind.
Dawn smiled at all of them, glancing at Giles. He smiled hello at her as they circled around Buffy's grave. Giles huffed. Usually, he began the ceremony because he was her Watcher but this time, he gestured for Dawn to come forward and stand next him as he began. "Welcome all - to, um, Buffy's 10th anniversary. Ten years ago, Buffy sacrificed her life for Sunnydale and for family but the thing of it was, she knew eventually, at some point, she would die. She knew most Slayer never lived past 20; she was determined to break that mark but tragically, like all Slayers, she died."
He turned to Dawn, smiling partially, "She was loved by all, she became a part of us. We had become so used to her rescuing us, become so used to seeing her smile, her laugh...I remember when I first met Buffy. She was determined to not return to her calling. She wanted a normal life, friends and on some level, I understood her feelings. I know what is like to give up the idea of family and love but I didn't. I didn't because we became her family, and I, I was an equivalent of her absent father. And I don't regret that." He paused, smiling at Dawn, "Dawn, would you like to say anything?"
She smiled quaintly, brushing her bangs from her face and tucking them behind her ears. "I, um, I think you pretty much summed up that I needed to say, Giles."
The group laughed then sudennly quieted again. Tera looked at the sky. It was getting late and although there was no set time for the Remembrance, they still had things to do and places to be tomorrow morning. Xander shrugged, nodding, "I guess that's about it."
"Right! Um, we rarely get a chance to get together and talk. How about dinner tonight?" Giles suggested.
The gang nodded okay, then slowly walked back to their cars and drove away. Afternoon quickly passed and as night came on, a hand reached out of Buffy's grave and pulled herself out, stretching and flexing but frowned when no one else was present to greet her. Buffy looked around, pouting her lip, "Damn!" and walked off, brushing herself off along the way.
TBC
