Homecoming pt. 17
Willow looked around the barely recognizable room. "Damn D'Hoffryn! Another crypt! He's got such a lame sense of humour." Her eyes stopped at a familiar face. "Xander? Is that you? God, you look so young." She realized who he was with. "You aren't a vampire, are you, Xander?"
"Will?" Her friend's shocked expression cracked into a wide grin. "Oh, Will!" He rushed at her, locking her into a tight embrace. "I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Air. Ribs." She gasped as he released his hold. "Your heart's beating, so you aren't a vampire. How many years has it been?"
"Years?" Spike asked.
"Months," Xander told her. "It's only been a few months."
"Wow." Willow glanced down at her hands. "Look!" she cried. "They're all smooth, and tight! No wrinkles or liver spots." She touched her cheek. "How do I look?"
"You look like Willow," Xander replied. "Your robe's a little funky, and you're a bit pale, and your eyes aren't pitch black like the last time I saw you, but you look like you."
"Can I sit down?" Xander led her to the couch, and she flopped unto it. "It's so weird. Almost like a dream. Oh, no." She bent over, her head in her hands. "This is a dream. One last neuron flash before 'poof'. Though," she looked up, "If it's my last dream, why is Spike in it?"
"Thanks." Spike sat down beside her. "Last I heard of you, D'Hoffryn had whisked you off to Arashmahar. Heard you'd done some very, very bad things." His eyes flashed with just a touch of yellow. "Why are you here? And why aren't you still there?"
"I don't know." She steepled her fingers together and brought them to her lips. "Last thing I remember, I was in bed. I knew it was the end. Felt myself slipping away. I remember thinking that I'd finally be free, no more mending D'Hoffryn's robes, polishing pendants, or listening to Halfrek's snoring. No more missing Tara, or any of my friends. No more anything. I was so tired. Seemed right, on my hundredth birthday."
"Will, you're scaring me." Xander moved toward the couch and traded places with Spike. Taking Willow's hand in his, he said, "You're twenty years old. Those demons must have messed with your mind."
"No." She pulled her hand away. "I lived my life. Eighty years. A life sentence for all the terrible thing's I'd done. My life for their lives." She looked at Xander. "I used that time, though. Used it to learn how to control my magic, to accept it as part of who I was. I had some good teachers."
Spike looked down at her warily. "You were a vengeance demon."
"No. Never." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sure, D'Hoffryn asked, every day for about twenty years. But I swore I wouldn't use magic for destruction, never again. He kept asking, but he never pushed. So, I was a servant. Did for all the other girls. Lived the lonely little life I knew I deserved. Until I went to bed to die, and felt myself being pulled into another dimension. Guess D'Hoffryn figured my sentence was over. But I don't know why he brought me back here, or why now."
Xander put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her towards him. "I'm just glad you're back. I missed you."
"I missed you too." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I missed everyone. How's Buffy?"
Spike's eyes clouded. "Not well. Not well at all."
"I'm sorry," Willow replied. "I want to see her. But I need to ask you, Spike. That's an amazing aura you have. When did you get a soul?"
"When did I ..." Spike pursed his lips, then narrowed his eyes. "That sneaky little git!"
Willow looked around the barely recognizable room. "Damn D'Hoffryn! Another crypt! He's got such a lame sense of humour." Her eyes stopped at a familiar face. "Xander? Is that you? God, you look so young." She realized who he was with. "You aren't a vampire, are you, Xander?"
"Will?" Her friend's shocked expression cracked into a wide grin. "Oh, Will!" He rushed at her, locking her into a tight embrace. "I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Air. Ribs." She gasped as he released his hold. "Your heart's beating, so you aren't a vampire. How many years has it been?"
"Years?" Spike asked.
"Months," Xander told her. "It's only been a few months."
"Wow." Willow glanced down at her hands. "Look!" she cried. "They're all smooth, and tight! No wrinkles or liver spots." She touched her cheek. "How do I look?"
"You look like Willow," Xander replied. "Your robe's a little funky, and you're a bit pale, and your eyes aren't pitch black like the last time I saw you, but you look like you."
"Can I sit down?" Xander led her to the couch, and she flopped unto it. "It's so weird. Almost like a dream. Oh, no." She bent over, her head in her hands. "This is a dream. One last neuron flash before 'poof'. Though," she looked up, "If it's my last dream, why is Spike in it?"
"Thanks." Spike sat down beside her. "Last I heard of you, D'Hoffryn had whisked you off to Arashmahar. Heard you'd done some very, very bad things." His eyes flashed with just a touch of yellow. "Why are you here? And why aren't you still there?"
"I don't know." She steepled her fingers together and brought them to her lips. "Last thing I remember, I was in bed. I knew it was the end. Felt myself slipping away. I remember thinking that I'd finally be free, no more mending D'Hoffryn's robes, polishing pendants, or listening to Halfrek's snoring. No more missing Tara, or any of my friends. No more anything. I was so tired. Seemed right, on my hundredth birthday."
"Will, you're scaring me." Xander moved toward the couch and traded places with Spike. Taking Willow's hand in his, he said, "You're twenty years old. Those demons must have messed with your mind."
"No." She pulled her hand away. "I lived my life. Eighty years. A life sentence for all the terrible thing's I'd done. My life for their lives." She looked at Xander. "I used that time, though. Used it to learn how to control my magic, to accept it as part of who I was. I had some good teachers."
Spike looked down at her warily. "You were a vengeance demon."
"No. Never." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sure, D'Hoffryn asked, every day for about twenty years. But I swore I wouldn't use magic for destruction, never again. He kept asking, but he never pushed. So, I was a servant. Did for all the other girls. Lived the lonely little life I knew I deserved. Until I went to bed to die, and felt myself being pulled into another dimension. Guess D'Hoffryn figured my sentence was over. But I don't know why he brought me back here, or why now."
Xander put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her towards him. "I'm just glad you're back. I missed you."
"I missed you too." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I missed everyone. How's Buffy?"
Spike's eyes clouded. "Not well. Not well at all."
"I'm sorry," Willow replied. "I want to see her. But I need to ask you, Spike. That's an amazing aura you have. When did you get a soul?"
"When did I ..." Spike pursed his lips, then narrowed his eyes. "That sneaky little git!"