"Giles!" said Anya happily. "Welcome back to the Free World!"
Giles looked confusedly around the Magic Box. "Why the hell am I *here*?"
******
"You have to!" argued Dawn.
"I should unpack first," panicked Willow. "Bad beginning. With the clothes all crumpled and not in closets."
"Except that Halfrek didn't think your clothes belonged here," Dawn pointed out, ostentatiously checking for non-existent trunks.
"And that's a bad beginning already!" Willow blustered. "My stuff. I should…."
"Come and see the others," said Dawn quietly. "Willow, please."
"This is all very strange." Willow stated the obvious. "And sudden. And I don't know why I'm not where I was and I don't know if I'm ready to go see people." Seeing Dawn prepare to argue, she added quietly, "People that I nearly killed."
"You threatened to make me a ball of green energy, and hey! Here's me, talkin' to you," said Dawn softly.
Willow's eyes filled with tears.
"You're not supposed to cry about it," Dawn corrected her. "You're supposed to come with me and see everyone."
"When did you get all grown-up and ….oh, god, that's my fault too, isn't it?" Willow sat back down.
Dawn sighed in exasperation. "No sitting, no crying and no wallowing in self pity. Magic Box. Now."
Willow looked at her in something like awe. And then at her watch. "Dawnie, you do know that it's either very late or very, very early? And it's dark outside."
"Huh. Then I guess we should find out where Hallie decided to put everyone else."
*******
"You should probably see about the others," offered Spike.
Buffy glanced at him. "That was a disturbingly sensible remark. You sure cleaning stinky crypts isn't your idea of fun?"
He looked at her inquiringly.
"Happy? Soul-loose-y? Sense-talking? Sorry."
He looked at her with eyes that suggested the soul was safe.
"See about Dawn," he repeated.
"I should," she sighed. "Come with?" At his utter lack of response, she felt compelled to elaborate, "Would you like to come with me?"
"Why?" he asked, not looking at her. "What's the bloody point?"
"You sound like you again," she said, hiding her delight. Then wondered how Spike sounding like Spike could possibly bring her joy.
Oh crazy, crazy world.
*****
"Guys? Anyone?" called Buffy, looking around the Magic Box. An unlocked shop suggested Anya should be somewhere. Unless Halfrek had relocated her to a convenient demon dimension.
Or Mars.
"Hey! Customer with money here!" she yelled.
"You're not a customer with money," observed Anya, appearing. "You're Buffy."
"I'm me of the no money," admitted Buffy. "Has anything – strange happened this evening? Have you seen – anyone?"
"Other than Spike standing right behind you? Which also counts as strange, I suppose. Other than that, Xander and Giles both apparated in my shop about half an hour a…."
She was cut off by Buffy's squeal of joy, as she ran straight passed the vengeance demon and towards Giles. Xander stood by at a safe distance and smiled.
"You'll crush him," fussed Anya, as Giles stumbled a little under the power of a happy slayer.
"Dawn's not here?" asked Buffy, letting Giles go. "I'd better call home and check she's okay. Before she decides to follow the Foo Fighters to Europe or something."
"The demonic cult?" asked Giles, worried.
"Almost as bad," Buffy assured him.
"There's no need to call Dawn," said Anya, raising a hand as Buffy reached for the phone.
Buffy looked at her, frowning. "I really need to make sure she's alright, Anya. I'm worried about her," she explained carefully.
"What I meant, is that she's standing outside the door with Willow. I do understand the concept of worrying about a loved one." Anya gazed at her levelly, her voice only barely suggesting that she was offended.
Ouch. Buffy slayer-kicked her unworking brain. Ouch, again. And – okay, Willow!
Willow being dragged through the door by a determined Dawn, who was insisting, "It won't be like Jerry Springer, we'll do the 'I' statements, just *come on*!"
"Hi…..everyone." Willow stopped. And blinked.
"Willow," said Giles, voice soft and kind. "You should probably come all the way inside."
"It's all fixed-up," said Willow nervously, poised at the door and her gaze flitting about the shop.
"It cost a *lot*," said Anya purposefully. "But if you're back for good, you can start to work for me."
"Paying back your debts to society," Dawn commiserated, patting Willow on the shoulder. "It's a pain in the ass, but I got through it."
"Dawn," said Buffy, dangerously quietly. "Do you remember our little talk about the dungeon?"
"What dungeon?" asked Giles.
"Don't you start!" scolded Buffy. "Shouldn't we all – sit down and – drink tea – or something?"
"I think that's appropriate," said Giles. "Then someone can explain why the hell I'm here!"
"It wasn't me!" said Willow quickly. "I was doing absolutely nothing, and then suddenly *poof* I was here." She looked at Giles in bewilderment. "And apparently, you were too."
"Tea first. Or really strong coffee," yawned Buffy. "Beating up Halfrek later."
"Halfrek?" Anya raised her head in sudden interest. "What did Halfrek do?"
Buffy uttered a quiet growl that encouraged Anya to change tack. "Spike is here," she informed the group. "Why is Spike here?"
"Was Spike *not* here?" asked Willow tentatively.
"Been away," he explained abruptly.
"Oh. Welcome back," said Willow, still confused.
"You too."
They shared a half-smile, undisturbed by a sighing Buffy or an eye-rolling Xander. And then Willow howled in what sounded like horrible pain.
She collapsed, screaming, to the ground.
Xander shot Spike a look of blame.
"Willow?" "What's wrong?" "Are you okay?" Through the chorus of noisy concern, Giles managed to push his way to help the girl.
"Hellmouth," she croaked. "I saw it again."
Xander and Buffy looked at one another. Hellmouth? Never good.
"I looked at Spike – and I saw…" she choked a little. "Hellmouth."
"Spike and the Hellmouth," said Xander. "Why doesn't that seem like an odd combination?"
"Cordelia didn't see the Hellmouth when she looked at Spike." Buffy felt strangely and unreasonably defensive.
"Why would *Cordelia* see anything when she looked at *Spike*? Why would Cordelia *look* at Spike?" asked Xander, argumentatively.
"Cordelia's a seer," said Buffy, matter-of-factly. "And a demon," she continued less certainly. " A demon-y-seer-y thing. I'm not exactly sure, but Angel seems to think it's okay."
Xander seemed to choke on air.
"Angel seems to be dating her," added Dawn cheerfully.
Xander coughed and then gagged.
"Maybe not strictly relevant to this situation," said Buffy quietly to her sister.
"Good background info," said the younger girl innocently. They shared a smile.
"I think we might be missing the point," said Giles calmly.
"That Spike and the Hellmouth…. That…." Xander searched for the point. "It's something bad about Spike!" he insisted as Buffy glared.
Spike, the presumed cause of the disturbance, had instinctively retreated towards a corner of the room, fingering a cigarette tentatively. His gaze danced nervously from Buffy to Willow to Giles. And then towards the door.
"Oooh," said Willow, sitting fully up with dizzy determination. "World going round and round and round."
"It's if the world stops going round that it might be time to panic," suggested Giles dryly. "Can you remember what happened?"
"Just – like before. The mouth of….hell, swallowing us all. Hunger and pain and…uh, dizzy now."
"Water," said Anya, providing a glass. "Although this seems like an appropriate occasion for hard liquor."
Willow made a face. "Stick to the water thanks. Drunken Hellmouth visions mighten't be much fun."
"Why would you see the Hellmouth? What exactly did you see?" asked Buffy. She could feel her skin crawling, itching for a brawl. This was the part of the end of the world that she had really never liked. When there was nothing to fight and no one had their facts straight.
And the idea that Spike was somehow doing this was….she had to admit it, freaking her out a little. Her brain stopped working as soon as she wondered why.
"I had a vision….y thing in England. I saw the earth open up, with big snappy teeth." Willow attempted to mime 'big snappy teeth.' "And then, when I saw Spike, the same thing happened."
"We were assuming that it foretold the opening of the Hellmouth," continued Giles. "But that was when I was in England, and now I seem to be in Sunnydale and I'd quite like to know a little more about that."
"Halfrek," said Buffy, bored. Halfrek was considerably less interesting than the Hellmouth.
"This would be the – ah – Vengeance demon," said Giles carefully and diplomatically, clearly aware of Anya's thin-lipped and suspicious glare.
"Yup."
"And she had some *reason* for displacing me in this way?" said Giles testily.
"I don't think it was about you," Buffy explained. "She just said she'd put us back where we belonged, and *poof* we were all here. And you could pretend to sound a little happier about it!"
"You know I'm happy to see you all, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't investigate why a demon chose to move me – and Willow – half way round the world."
"Hey, Buffy, where did she put you?" asked Xander.
"We should probably check that the guys in LA are okay," Buffy busied herself by saying. She resisted the temptation to look at Spike. "God knows what she's done with them. And Dawn, you should call your friends, make sure they got home safely." She frowned. "If a bit more quickly than planned."
"Buffy?" called Giles carefully. "What was Halfrek doing exactly?"
"She just followed us to LA, making a nuisance of herself, you know Halfrek."
"Why were you in LA?"
"Because Dawn's a brat."
"Hey!" Dawn looked up with an indignant pout.
"You know you are too! There's a way of looking at this that makes it all your fault, you know."
"There's a way of looking at this that makes you a big fat hell-bitch!"
"It is so very good to be back," sighed Giles.
"So you're going to stay?" asked Buffy tentatively, turning back to Giles as Dawn stuck her tongue out.
"I think I probably should. At least until I can find a way to get home that involves an airplane."
She was aware that she pouted at him. It didn't seem to make much difference.
"Ooh - and - Hellmouth visions? And this is where the Hellmouth is!" connected Willow. "Is that why we're supposed to be here?"
"I'm *supposed* to be meeting a friend for coffee in Bath tomorrow," grumbled Giles, looking at his watch. "Or today. Or yesterday? But, yes, I'll stay here for a while."
Buffy cheered silently.
"Can we all go to sleep now?" Dawn piped up, smothering a yawn. "I'm tiiiired."
"Well, that's what happens when you run away from home and go to concerts," scolded Buffy, thinking, hmmm, bed. "Giles? You need a place to crash?"
"No. It's still two in the afternoon for me," he admitted. "I might just….look at the books." He gazed at the shelves fondly.
"It's good to have you back." Buffy gave him a quick hug, and from the corner of her eye noticed Spike. Still hanging back. Well, we did accuse him of…something. Something Hellmouthy.
She looked at him curiously. Once upon his time his standing in the corner would have been bad-boy Spike. Too bad to be seen hanging around the Scoobies; too cool. Now? She wondered. Sulking? Suicidal? She couldn't tell anymore.
Over Giles' shoulder, she raised her eyebrows at the vampire. He seemed to understand her enquiry, tilting his head in the direction of the training room, where access to the sewers was located. She nodded slightly.
Relaxing a little and letting go of Giles, she turned to grab her errant sister by the collar. "You! Home!" she instructed.
"I just said I wanted to go home!" errant sister squeaked, trying to shake her off. "Willow? You coming?"
Willow, caught in the headlights of having to make decisions, faltered sadly, turning in panic from Giles to Buffy and back to Giles.
"Come with," said Buffy. "Plenty of room."
Willow followed them.
*****
"How can you be okay with what I did? I tried to suck the world into hell!"
Pancakes, thought Buffy, looking over the empty kitchen table. This conversation would be easier with pancakes. Although that might involve making pancakes.
"I didn't say I was okay with what you did. I said I was okay with *you*. You try to end the world again, I'll get cranky."
"I just don't know how you can…."
"What you did…" Buffy hesitated. Eloquence was difficult when you'd been up for twenty-four hours. "What you did is your problem. I don't mean in a bad way. But I'm not the one who's going to do the judging. I'm guessing you have enough of your own to deal with."
The barest assenting nod of red hair.
"So all I'm going to do is be there for you. Do you remember, years ago, Giles told me something about forgiveness being what you give people because they need it, not because they deserve it? And I didn't listen, 'cause I was busy majoring in not listening to Giles? It's all starting to make a whole lotta sense these days."
"I'm so glad Giles is here," confessed Willow, finally raising her eyes to meet her friend's. "This summer? Never would have got through it without him."
"My life? Never would have got through it without him – so nyah! Gotcha beat!"
"You're so different." Willow looked at her friend as though seeing her for the first time. "Did you get happy this summer?"
"Not exactly happy. Just – not depressed. Which was a very eye-opening experience."
"And Dawn too…" Willow spoke in wonder. "I should go away more often."
"And then you should come back."
"So we're okay? We're actually, really okay?"
"Willow, listen to me. I had to get a lecture from Cordelia Chase about letting the past go with Spike. I never want to go through *that* again." Buffy looked at her best friend ruefully.
"That sounds tough," agreed Willow. "Did I hear right before? That she's a demon? 'Cause, I gotta say it, I called that one *years* ago!"
They exchanged a smile.
"So you and Spike are all good, with the goodliness?"
"I have absolutely no idea what me and Spike are," Buffy said, honestly. "It was so weird to see him all in pain and crazy and - weirder than usual." She looked to her friend and saw a nod of support. "And then, I was *happy* when he sounded like him again. I was *happy*? What the hell is that about?"
"Happy is good."
"Happy about *Spike*?!" Buffy despaired.
"Where did Halfrek put you? When she did the 'where you all belong' spell?" asked Willow with genuine curiosity.
"Spike's crypt. With Spike." To Willow's raised eyebrow, she hastily added, "But we had clothes on! All our clothes! And there were about two hundred left socks there too."
Surprisingly, this seemed to successfully distract Willow from the issue of Spike, with or without clothes. "Left socks?" she repeated, her forehead wrinkling.
"All left socks. I try not to say it in front of Anya, but I think Halfrek is a bit… What?"
"All left socks….. Buffy, there's something odd about that."
"What about that *isn't* odd? What about today isn't odd? It isn't even 9 am and I'm all odd-ed-out already."
"No, Buffy. It means the spell created disorder – presumably, the socks used to be in pairs. Then after the spell, the socks have been separated - thermodynamic effect. But, magick doesn't usually work that way, especially when someone experienced is doing it. Like, if I make breakfast appear for us here – not that I would, because we're going to be making breakfast the hard way, let me tell you – it shouldn't mean that someone's kitchen burns down in Sri Lanka."
"Willow, it's *9am* and you've just used words like 'thermodynamic' and 'Sri Lanka'. What are you talking about?"
"Someone asked a favour of the universe."
Buffy considered this for a moment. Taking into account the nine-am-ness of the morning, this seemed to ring some bells. "Isn't that like what happened when you brought me back? The - progesterone-thingy-ghost-monster?"
"Tomagenisis, yes," agreed Willow with a smile. "Hence the big favour aspect. It's not the kind of thing you'd expect from a vengeance demon. And don't tell Anya I said that."
"Justice demon," corrected Buffy, jokingly. "I believe Halfrek likes to go by the term 'Justice Demon.'"
"I think we should talk to Giles about this. Apart from anything else, it might make him less cranky about the eight hour flight that next awaits him."
"Yeah – oh, isn't it great when really bizarre things happen and we can go to Giles?" said Buffy happily. "I just can't get too mad with Halfrek at the moment."
"Not sure Giles is agreeing with you, but – I know what you mean." Willow paused for a moment, before admitting, "It's really good to be back."
"Sleep before Giles?" begged Buffy. "Because I'm betting the mortgage money his solution involves really big books."
"Sleep," agreed Willow. "Although I don't know if it's day sleep or night sleep or what day it's for anymore."
"Sleep is sleep," declared Buffy, with the air of one who has discovered a happy truism.
And Willow had to agree.
*****
"Left socks? Well, now, that *is* interesting," said Giles that evening, rubbing his forehead thoughtfully. "We shall have to look into this."
"I'm glad you get it," she told him. "Because the science of sock logic seems to be more Willow's thing than mine."
"No, she's absolutely right. Certainly have to look into it…." He wandered towards the back of the shop.
Buffy realised she was grinning at him broadly. It was amazingly good to have the world as it should be; as it had been. As it used to be, back when she didn't appreciate it in the slightest.
"Never seen you so happy to hear of research plans?" he commented quizzically.
"Oh, I'll give out when you tell me it's all a big evil sock conspiracy to end the world," she promised, still happy.
"You can't have slept in almost two days," he realised suddenly, not in any way discounting the possibility of just such a conspiracy. "Get some rest, we'll talk of this tomorrow."
"Thaaat's what I have to do," she agreed. "Rest."
Saying her goodbyes, she left the shop.
Looked contemplatively in first one direction and then the other.
And set out for the cemetery.