Chapter 1: Welcome Back
It was the next day. Buffy and Dawn were awake nice and early, getting ready for school. Buffy was still getting used to this... again. She was back at Sunnydale High School, the place where so much of her life took place. Well, her Slayer life, that is. Now she wasn't a student, rather, she was a part of administration, a counselor. The job description couldn't fit her better. She was to watch over the children, to be someone they could talk to. A protector, just as she was named at her high school prom.
"Dawn! Let's go! Xander will be here any minute!" Buffy called up the stairs.
"I'll be down! Hold your horses!" Dawn shouted back.
Buffy sighed and walked into the kitchen. There were two perfect brown paper bags sitting on the counter. She made lunch for both of them. She looked over to the stove, which was off. The dishes were done and all put away. She then walked into the living room. Perfect as usual. Everything was in place, and tidy. The dining room was just the same, nothing out of place. The house seemed... eerie.
No one but she and Dawn lived in the house anymore. Though there were two, it seemed nothing but lonely. Mornings were no longer busy and hectic with people buzzing around, trying to get where they needed to be. The last time there was any excitement in the house was... before the summer.
The Summers residence was home to many traumatizing experiences. Tara's death was the latest to the list. It was unbelievable that so many things have happened there. Now the house seemed empty. Empty to life, that is. Death cloaked the house like a shroud. There were too many losses. Not since Tara's death had Buffy entered the master bedroom. When it came to cleaning it, she asked Xander to do it.
Xander. He was the only one left. No one else was left that was reliable. Giles left with Willow after the events that happened before the summer. Anya was back to recapturing her vengeance demon years. Spike had left, to only come back with a soul... A soul that made him mad. Xander was left, and he was the one rock the Summers sisters could lean on.
There was a knock on the door. Probably Xander. "Dawn!" Buffy called again, as she walked over to the door. "That's probably Xander! Let's go!"
But when she opened the door, she was surprised to see who was standing there.
"Hi..." Willow greeted cautiously.
"Will... You... You're..." were the only words Buffy could muster.
"I'm back, I know," she said.
"Come in," Buffy said and opened the door further to let her friend step in.
Willow walked in and left her bags out on the porch. She took a seat on the couch. Buffy followed her in, leaving the door open.
"I don't know where to begin," Willow said feebly. "You don't know how unbelievably horrible I feel. I don't know if you guys will accept me anymore. I did some unforgivable things, things I can't ever reverse."
Buffy stood there, arms folded, listening. It seemed as though that was all she ever did anymore.
"Giles showed me so much while I was there. I didn't even want to leave. I didn't want to come back here, to where it all started. I still have so many questions. What if I can't control my magic and I become what I was again? Giles told me to trust my instincts, but I'm afraid of them," she explained. "At first, I was afraid to come back here just because of that. Now I'm afraid to be here because you guys might not accept me."
Buffy sighed. She felt for her friend. No, not the same Willow anymore. She wished she could just give her best friend a hug and tell her everything would be all right, but so much had happened that it couldn't happen. Too much went on that could not be forgotten. Asking for forgiveness was something ambiguous, because her actions were unforgivable. Her friend was fighting her own personal battles, just as the rest of them were.
"Willow, you are still my best friend. Nothing will change that. Proving yourself would be asking too much. We love you, that's why we wanted no harm to come to you. Going with Giles was the best thing. And now you're back, and we both know you're not the same. We will always accept you, Will, no matter what," Buffy told her. "But you've done things that have made us distrust you. We accept you, we always will. But trusting you is something different."
At that moment, footsteps sounded from the stairs.
"Okay, I'm ready Buff- Hey! Willow, you're back..." Dawn said absently, slowing down at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hi, Dawn," Willow said.
"You didn't tell us you were coming back..." Dawn continued. Then she looked over at her sister, realizing Buffy had kept that she knew Spike was back and didn't tell anyone. "Buffy?"
"Dawn, she just came in. I didn't know. I thought it was Xander at the door," Buffy said.
Then another familiar voice came ringing though the open door. "Ladies, are we ready to head off to school?" It was Xander.
He walked into the house and saw Willow sitting on the couch. He was taken back, just a little. He hasn't seen his best friend in months, and now she was back. "Will. Hi," he said.
Willow looked at her three friends standing by the doorway and stood up. "I don't think this was the right time. I'll come back later," Willow said and started out.
"No," Buffy said. "Stay here. Dawn and I have to go to school. We'll be back this afternoon. We can talk then."
"Are you sure? Because I could just..."
"Willow, please stay," Dawn said.
"Yeah Will. We need to talk," Xander said.
Willow nodded. "If you guys say so. I'll stay."
Dawn and Xander gave curt nods and took their leave. Buffy stood there for a brief moment and said, "Welcome back, Willow." Then she turned to the door and left, placing her bags inside before she shut the door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pain to stop the pain. Want to stop it. Need to stop it. Can't rest until it stops.
Took him off the cross, she did. Then she just left. Didn't even say a word. Just left. Maybe he scared her off. He should have known the speech just wouldn't come out right. Nothing ever goes right. He never did anything right. Not in his life, or un-life. It was right. She would never understand.
Dreams. Can't make them stop. Won't stop. They were in him, a part of him, driving him insane. It hurt. They were all there, haunting him. They were all waking dreams. Walking, and talking all around him. Torturing him. From beneath you, it devours.
Can't rest until it stops.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Willow sat on the couch the whole day. Just thinking. They were so indifferent to her. They didn't think of her the as the same old Willow anymore. It was true, though. She wasn't the same old Willow. She was split between being a witch, and being a normal person. She had something inside her now, something a part of her. It wasn't a good something either. Something, anything, could possibly make her snap and become that homicidal freak that wreaked havoc on everyone and almost the world.
Were they scared of her? That's what it felt like. It felt like the whole world was scared of her. She wasn't sure if she could go back living in it, especially living it in Sunnydale.
Things had changed. Everything was different. There was something, something coming. She felt it. It was connected to her, connected to everything. Except it wasn't ready to reveal itself yet. It wouldn't, until everything was in place, all the right players were where they needed to be. Something was still missing. There would be no way to stop it, no way to keep it hidden. It will come.
"We're back!" Buffy called as she opened the door. She noticed Willow was still sitting on the couch. "Have you been there all day?"
"Yeah, not feeling quite up to roaming yet," was Willow's excuse.
"I see..."
Dawn was just standing in front of the stairs, holding her bookbag.
"Hey, Dawn. How was school?" Willow asked, trying to make small talk.
"Same. It's school," she said coolly. Then to Buffy she said, "I'm going upstairs to start my homework. I'll let you and Willow talk." She made her way up the stairs to her room.
Buffy watched her sister run up the stairs until she heard a door shut. Then she reverted her attention back to Willow and took a seat on the couch next to her. "So Will, you're back," were the only words Buffy could think to say.
She nodded. "I wanted to come back, but I feel like I'm not ready to be back here. It's not only because I feel like you guys won't accept me, there's something else. Giles told me that here is where I'm needed," Willow told Buffy.
"Will, we've always needed you, as an ally, as someone who could hone the magical arts, and especially as a friend," Buffy said. "You will always be Willow, the first real friend I've made and kept since I've been here."
Willow smiled at Buffy, a real smile. "Thank you. I know you mean it. But that's not what I was trying to explain. Giles said to me that here is where I'm needed. Something's coming, Buffy. Something big, and bad. I don't know what it is, but it's something you need to be ready for, because there's no way to stop it. I can feel it. The part of me that's... the witch. I'm connected to it. It's coming."
Buffy looked at her. It was another warning, it seemed. Spike knew something was coming. Now Willow told her the same thing.
Willow's expression was serious. "The Hellmouth, Buffy. From beneath you, it devours."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
To be continued...
Seems like you guys liked the prologue, so here's the first installment of the story! There will be more! =)
It was the next day. Buffy and Dawn were awake nice and early, getting ready for school. Buffy was still getting used to this... again. She was back at Sunnydale High School, the place where so much of her life took place. Well, her Slayer life, that is. Now she wasn't a student, rather, she was a part of administration, a counselor. The job description couldn't fit her better. She was to watch over the children, to be someone they could talk to. A protector, just as she was named at her high school prom.
"Dawn! Let's go! Xander will be here any minute!" Buffy called up the stairs.
"I'll be down! Hold your horses!" Dawn shouted back.
Buffy sighed and walked into the kitchen. There were two perfect brown paper bags sitting on the counter. She made lunch for both of them. She looked over to the stove, which was off. The dishes were done and all put away. She then walked into the living room. Perfect as usual. Everything was in place, and tidy. The dining room was just the same, nothing out of place. The house seemed... eerie.
No one but she and Dawn lived in the house anymore. Though there were two, it seemed nothing but lonely. Mornings were no longer busy and hectic with people buzzing around, trying to get where they needed to be. The last time there was any excitement in the house was... before the summer.
The Summers residence was home to many traumatizing experiences. Tara's death was the latest to the list. It was unbelievable that so many things have happened there. Now the house seemed empty. Empty to life, that is. Death cloaked the house like a shroud. There were too many losses. Not since Tara's death had Buffy entered the master bedroom. When it came to cleaning it, she asked Xander to do it.
Xander. He was the only one left. No one else was left that was reliable. Giles left with Willow after the events that happened before the summer. Anya was back to recapturing her vengeance demon years. Spike had left, to only come back with a soul... A soul that made him mad. Xander was left, and he was the one rock the Summers sisters could lean on.
There was a knock on the door. Probably Xander. "Dawn!" Buffy called again, as she walked over to the door. "That's probably Xander! Let's go!"
But when she opened the door, she was surprised to see who was standing there.
"Hi..." Willow greeted cautiously.
"Will... You... You're..." were the only words Buffy could muster.
"I'm back, I know," she said.
"Come in," Buffy said and opened the door further to let her friend step in.
Willow walked in and left her bags out on the porch. She took a seat on the couch. Buffy followed her in, leaving the door open.
"I don't know where to begin," Willow said feebly. "You don't know how unbelievably horrible I feel. I don't know if you guys will accept me anymore. I did some unforgivable things, things I can't ever reverse."
Buffy stood there, arms folded, listening. It seemed as though that was all she ever did anymore.
"Giles showed me so much while I was there. I didn't even want to leave. I didn't want to come back here, to where it all started. I still have so many questions. What if I can't control my magic and I become what I was again? Giles told me to trust my instincts, but I'm afraid of them," she explained. "At first, I was afraid to come back here just because of that. Now I'm afraid to be here because you guys might not accept me."
Buffy sighed. She felt for her friend. No, not the same Willow anymore. She wished she could just give her best friend a hug and tell her everything would be all right, but so much had happened that it couldn't happen. Too much went on that could not be forgotten. Asking for forgiveness was something ambiguous, because her actions were unforgivable. Her friend was fighting her own personal battles, just as the rest of them were.
"Willow, you are still my best friend. Nothing will change that. Proving yourself would be asking too much. We love you, that's why we wanted no harm to come to you. Going with Giles was the best thing. And now you're back, and we both know you're not the same. We will always accept you, Will, no matter what," Buffy told her. "But you've done things that have made us distrust you. We accept you, we always will. But trusting you is something different."
At that moment, footsteps sounded from the stairs.
"Okay, I'm ready Buff- Hey! Willow, you're back..." Dawn said absently, slowing down at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hi, Dawn," Willow said.
"You didn't tell us you were coming back..." Dawn continued. Then she looked over at her sister, realizing Buffy had kept that she knew Spike was back and didn't tell anyone. "Buffy?"
"Dawn, she just came in. I didn't know. I thought it was Xander at the door," Buffy said.
Then another familiar voice came ringing though the open door. "Ladies, are we ready to head off to school?" It was Xander.
He walked into the house and saw Willow sitting on the couch. He was taken back, just a little. He hasn't seen his best friend in months, and now she was back. "Will. Hi," he said.
Willow looked at her three friends standing by the doorway and stood up. "I don't think this was the right time. I'll come back later," Willow said and started out.
"No," Buffy said. "Stay here. Dawn and I have to go to school. We'll be back this afternoon. We can talk then."
"Are you sure? Because I could just..."
"Willow, please stay," Dawn said.
"Yeah Will. We need to talk," Xander said.
Willow nodded. "If you guys say so. I'll stay."
Dawn and Xander gave curt nods and took their leave. Buffy stood there for a brief moment and said, "Welcome back, Willow." Then she turned to the door and left, placing her bags inside before she shut the door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pain to stop the pain. Want to stop it. Need to stop it. Can't rest until it stops.
Took him off the cross, she did. Then she just left. Didn't even say a word. Just left. Maybe he scared her off. He should have known the speech just wouldn't come out right. Nothing ever goes right. He never did anything right. Not in his life, or un-life. It was right. She would never understand.
Dreams. Can't make them stop. Won't stop. They were in him, a part of him, driving him insane. It hurt. They were all there, haunting him. They were all waking dreams. Walking, and talking all around him. Torturing him. From beneath you, it devours.
Can't rest until it stops.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Willow sat on the couch the whole day. Just thinking. They were so indifferent to her. They didn't think of her the as the same old Willow anymore. It was true, though. She wasn't the same old Willow. She was split between being a witch, and being a normal person. She had something inside her now, something a part of her. It wasn't a good something either. Something, anything, could possibly make her snap and become that homicidal freak that wreaked havoc on everyone and almost the world.
Were they scared of her? That's what it felt like. It felt like the whole world was scared of her. She wasn't sure if she could go back living in it, especially living it in Sunnydale.
Things had changed. Everything was different. There was something, something coming. She felt it. It was connected to her, connected to everything. Except it wasn't ready to reveal itself yet. It wouldn't, until everything was in place, all the right players were where they needed to be. Something was still missing. There would be no way to stop it, no way to keep it hidden. It will come.
"We're back!" Buffy called as she opened the door. She noticed Willow was still sitting on the couch. "Have you been there all day?"
"Yeah, not feeling quite up to roaming yet," was Willow's excuse.
"I see..."
Dawn was just standing in front of the stairs, holding her bookbag.
"Hey, Dawn. How was school?" Willow asked, trying to make small talk.
"Same. It's school," she said coolly. Then to Buffy she said, "I'm going upstairs to start my homework. I'll let you and Willow talk." She made her way up the stairs to her room.
Buffy watched her sister run up the stairs until she heard a door shut. Then she reverted her attention back to Willow and took a seat on the couch next to her. "So Will, you're back," were the only words Buffy could think to say.
She nodded. "I wanted to come back, but I feel like I'm not ready to be back here. It's not only because I feel like you guys won't accept me, there's something else. Giles told me that here is where I'm needed," Willow told Buffy.
"Will, we've always needed you, as an ally, as someone who could hone the magical arts, and especially as a friend," Buffy said. "You will always be Willow, the first real friend I've made and kept since I've been here."
Willow smiled at Buffy, a real smile. "Thank you. I know you mean it. But that's not what I was trying to explain. Giles said to me that here is where I'm needed. Something's coming, Buffy. Something big, and bad. I don't know what it is, but it's something you need to be ready for, because there's no way to stop it. I can feel it. The part of me that's... the witch. I'm connected to it. It's coming."
Buffy looked at her. It was another warning, it seemed. Spike knew something was coming. Now Willow told her the same thing.
Willow's expression was serious. "The Hellmouth, Buffy. From beneath you, it devours."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
To be continued...
Seems like you guys liked the prologue, so here's the first installment of the story! There will be more! =)