To Live Again
Author: Phoenix
Disclaimer: They're not mine. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, yada yada.
Summary: This is my alternate season 6. After 'Gift', Buffy did go to a hell dimension, and now she's back. But, she's not quite the same Buffy, and she has a hard time dealing. B/S, X/A, W/T
Feedback: Reviews are Always Welcome
*Author's Note: Again, sorry for the delay.I had a block of sorts.Anyways, here's number 3.Big thanks to my Beta, Anna. You're the best! Enjoy!
Chapter 3-
The night that passed was overall sleepless for most in the Summers' house. The five people and one vampire occupying the downstairs spent most of their time in the living room or kitchen, and with minimum speaking. They were all lost in their own world and thoughts, though everyone's mindset was, for the most part, in the same region. And that region consisted of a particular blonde slayer, newly arisen from her grave.
Xander was submerged in denial. From what he had heard, Buffy was pretty messed up. But, as a true denial-oriented mind does, he told himself that everything would be ok. Buffy only had a little case of jet lag from hell, as anyone would. In a good 2 hours, he had firmly convinced himself that Buffy was, all in all, ok. In a few days, she would be their regular old Buff. Back and good as new. But these beliefs only held so long, for around 3, they heard considerable thrashing coming from upstairs. Willow and Tara went up to check, and reported that Buffy seemed to be having bad dreams. After talking, they decided it was better to leave her. Xander now began realizing what was happening, and launched himself into a pessimistic view of things. They ruined her; they never should have messed with such powerful magic. But, again, these thoughts lasted only so long, and his conscious would not allow him to think so negatively. Back to denial.
Anya was uncharacteristically quiet and pensive. She was extremely subdued by the restraining moods of everyone else, though she ached to break the disturbing silence. Her mind, no doubt, was as matter-of-fact, and blunt as usual, and however much she wanted to voice her opinions, she had a sense that the other Scoobs wouldn't take them so well. The situation was quite simple. Any dim-witted being could figure it out. Buffy was messed up. They messed with powerful stuff, brought Buffy back, and now she'd never be the same. The situation upstairs didn't cause her much trouble. They have to expect it! She did feel sorry, but, honestly, she just wanted to make better use of their time and let everyone know of her engagement.
Willow didn't know what to think. She was shocked at their success. It didn't seem real that Buffy could be back. She was petrified that something had happened to Buffy when she did the spell, or what had happened to her, wherever she was. Most of all, though, Willow was ecstatic. To see her best friend, alive, again was fantastic. But Buffy's tossing and turning worried her deeply. To think of what she had probably endured in the short time she was dead was.horrific, and she couldn't think about it. She, of course, was very wary of any side affects of the spell, and didn't know what to make of Buffy. But, she had to convince herself it would be ok. Buffy was just in shock. Yes. It would be ok.
Tara's reactions were much like Willow's, but more cautious. Though she couldn't relate, she could understood fully what Buffy might be going through, and she knew it was critical. As she looked in on Buffy's fretful sleep, a deep frown fell over her face. Buffy was in trouble.serious or not, something was wrong. Tara wished for the best, but she didn't have much hope for the 'happily ever after' ending.
Dawn had many mixed emotions on the return of her sister. Prominent was happiness. She had thought that Buffy was gone forever. Lost. The thought had been so devastating, she had thought of suicide. Thank God for Spike, because if he had left her alone every night the rest were out, she might have dwelt on it, and the fantasy might have become reality. Now she was overjoyed that, by some miracle, her sister had returned to her. But below that epidermis of bliss came her terrified insides, amplified by the problems upstairs. She had definitely noticed something weird with Buffy, but her not-yet-mature mind hoped it was only shock.
Spike, again, had many mixed emotions. But most of all was fear. Fear for the woman he loved, who undoubtedly came from a hell dimension back to this unperfected world. He perceived the change in her adeptly, and immediately knew something was terribly, horribly wrong. And it was driving him crazy. All through the ordeal with Buffy's neurotic sleep, he closed his eyes and tried to drown out the sounds only his vampiric ears could hear. Her labored breathing and thrashing around still haunted him long after it settled. What was wrong with his Slayer?
~~~
As day embarked upon Sunnydale, several people in the Summers' residence had dozed off. Only Spike, Willow, and Dawn remained. Dawn was fading fast, and Willow noticed it.
"Dawnie, why don't you go up to bed?" The redhead asked.
"It's almost six. The sun is coming up. There's no use." Dawn said, rolling her eyes. Willow looked down, defeated and too weary to argue. Suddenly Spike's head jerked toward the stairs, and he looked as if concentrating very hard. Willow frowned.
"What is it, Spike?"
"The Slayer. She's up." He said shortly. Almost immediately after, there was a faint crash, and he bolted from the couch, heading up the stairs. Willow and Dawn followed as soon as they could process, but Spike was already up the stairs.
As Spike walked into the room, let out an unneeded sigh of relief. Buffy was seemed to be still sleeping. In her agitated state of slumber, she had simply knocked over the lamp on her bedside table. Willow and Dawn were by his side now, and each let out their own relieved sigh.
"Be careful." Willow admonished to Dawn as the teenager stepped into the room and toward her sister. "I'll go get the broom." The witch said, and left for the basement.
Dawn walked over to her sister, and looked down at her. Buffy's face was etched with lines of pain, and a muffled groan emanated forth as she rolled over anxiously.
"It's so dark.so dark." Buffy moaned in her sleep, and set off in a rage of thrashing. Spike turned away with a wince, and walked to a corner adjacent to the window.
"Pull up the blinds, Bit." He said quietly.
"But you-" Dawn started, only to be interrupted by the vampire.
"I'm out of the way. Open the blinds." He stated firmly, and Dawn went over to the window. She began pulling up the blinds slowly, engulfing one of Buffy's outstretched hands with sunlight.
All of a sudden, a hissing noise was barely audible. Both Dawn and Spike heard it. Spike looked down at himself, Dawn's eyes following his own. There was nothing. The hissing was becoming louder, and they looked over to Buffy, who was stirring.
The Slayer's small, elegant hand was smoking.
Dawn dropped the blind cord with a shriek, turning around to face her sister. Spike simply stood where he was, staring unblinkingly at the rousing form on the bed. Both were too shocked to move, so they simply stood there, with sunlight still swarming around Buffy's hand. A small flame appeared upon it, and Buffy jerked. It was obvious that she was fighting for consciousness. Spike, wrenched from his stupor, turned to Dawn.
"Drop the blinds!" He shouted hoarsely, also pulling Dawn from her trance. The blinds fell with a crash, and the awed teenager turned slowly around to face her sister. The smoke was fading now, along with the hissing noise, replacing itself with a sickening smell of burned flesh.
"Oh.my God." Came a voice from the doorway. Both heads turned to see Willow standing in the doorway with a dustpan and broom, and, behind her, the person who had spoken: Xander. Everyone stepped in towards Buffy, the glass decorating the floor forgotten.
~~~
Buffy awoke to 4 people standing around her. Immediately she was aware of the sharp pain coursing through her hand. She was a little overwhelmed at the 8 eyes looking down at her, but felt better than she had yesterday. She remembered the night before with a shudder, and stared back up at her friends, unknowing of what to say. Her brow furrowed and she followed their gazes down to her bloodied hand, already starting to blister severely. Hazel eyes widened considerably, to match those of the people in her room.
"What-? How.?" Finally she looked up at Spike, who was directly in front of her. "What's going on here?"
"Sunlight, love." He answered simply, compassion and pain distinctly outlined in his icy blue eyes.
"But.how could sunlight..affect me?" She asked, her eyes traveling around the rest of the sorrowful faces, in search of an answer. No one but Spike had the composure to tell her, and Spike was barely maintaining his. He only did it, or was able to do it, for the Slayer's sake.
"Well." He couldn't find the words to say, and finally held out his hands.
"Come here, Buffy." He said her name softly, as always was his way when he called her by her real name. With a confused frown she took his hand, and he led her to her mirror.
What Buffy saw made her fall to her knees, and only Spike held her up. She had no reflection.
Author: Phoenix
Disclaimer: They're not mine. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, yada yada.
Summary: This is my alternate season 6. After 'Gift', Buffy did go to a hell dimension, and now she's back. But, she's not quite the same Buffy, and she has a hard time dealing. B/S, X/A, W/T
Feedback: Reviews are Always Welcome
*Author's Note: Again, sorry for the delay.I had a block of sorts.Anyways, here's number 3.Big thanks to my Beta, Anna. You're the best! Enjoy!
Chapter 3-
The night that passed was overall sleepless for most in the Summers' house. The five people and one vampire occupying the downstairs spent most of their time in the living room or kitchen, and with minimum speaking. They were all lost in their own world and thoughts, though everyone's mindset was, for the most part, in the same region. And that region consisted of a particular blonde slayer, newly arisen from her grave.
Xander was submerged in denial. From what he had heard, Buffy was pretty messed up. But, as a true denial-oriented mind does, he told himself that everything would be ok. Buffy only had a little case of jet lag from hell, as anyone would. In a good 2 hours, he had firmly convinced himself that Buffy was, all in all, ok. In a few days, she would be their regular old Buff. Back and good as new. But these beliefs only held so long, for around 3, they heard considerable thrashing coming from upstairs. Willow and Tara went up to check, and reported that Buffy seemed to be having bad dreams. After talking, they decided it was better to leave her. Xander now began realizing what was happening, and launched himself into a pessimistic view of things. They ruined her; they never should have messed with such powerful magic. But, again, these thoughts lasted only so long, and his conscious would not allow him to think so negatively. Back to denial.
Anya was uncharacteristically quiet and pensive. She was extremely subdued by the restraining moods of everyone else, though she ached to break the disturbing silence. Her mind, no doubt, was as matter-of-fact, and blunt as usual, and however much she wanted to voice her opinions, she had a sense that the other Scoobs wouldn't take them so well. The situation was quite simple. Any dim-witted being could figure it out. Buffy was messed up. They messed with powerful stuff, brought Buffy back, and now she'd never be the same. The situation upstairs didn't cause her much trouble. They have to expect it! She did feel sorry, but, honestly, she just wanted to make better use of their time and let everyone know of her engagement.
Willow didn't know what to think. She was shocked at their success. It didn't seem real that Buffy could be back. She was petrified that something had happened to Buffy when she did the spell, or what had happened to her, wherever she was. Most of all, though, Willow was ecstatic. To see her best friend, alive, again was fantastic. But Buffy's tossing and turning worried her deeply. To think of what she had probably endured in the short time she was dead was.horrific, and she couldn't think about it. She, of course, was very wary of any side affects of the spell, and didn't know what to make of Buffy. But, she had to convince herself it would be ok. Buffy was just in shock. Yes. It would be ok.
Tara's reactions were much like Willow's, but more cautious. Though she couldn't relate, she could understood fully what Buffy might be going through, and she knew it was critical. As she looked in on Buffy's fretful sleep, a deep frown fell over her face. Buffy was in trouble.serious or not, something was wrong. Tara wished for the best, but she didn't have much hope for the 'happily ever after' ending.
Dawn had many mixed emotions on the return of her sister. Prominent was happiness. She had thought that Buffy was gone forever. Lost. The thought had been so devastating, she had thought of suicide. Thank God for Spike, because if he had left her alone every night the rest were out, she might have dwelt on it, and the fantasy might have become reality. Now she was overjoyed that, by some miracle, her sister had returned to her. But below that epidermis of bliss came her terrified insides, amplified by the problems upstairs. She had definitely noticed something weird with Buffy, but her not-yet-mature mind hoped it was only shock.
Spike, again, had many mixed emotions. But most of all was fear. Fear for the woman he loved, who undoubtedly came from a hell dimension back to this unperfected world. He perceived the change in her adeptly, and immediately knew something was terribly, horribly wrong. And it was driving him crazy. All through the ordeal with Buffy's neurotic sleep, he closed his eyes and tried to drown out the sounds only his vampiric ears could hear. Her labored breathing and thrashing around still haunted him long after it settled. What was wrong with his Slayer?
~~~
As day embarked upon Sunnydale, several people in the Summers' residence had dozed off. Only Spike, Willow, and Dawn remained. Dawn was fading fast, and Willow noticed it.
"Dawnie, why don't you go up to bed?" The redhead asked.
"It's almost six. The sun is coming up. There's no use." Dawn said, rolling her eyes. Willow looked down, defeated and too weary to argue. Suddenly Spike's head jerked toward the stairs, and he looked as if concentrating very hard. Willow frowned.
"What is it, Spike?"
"The Slayer. She's up." He said shortly. Almost immediately after, there was a faint crash, and he bolted from the couch, heading up the stairs. Willow and Dawn followed as soon as they could process, but Spike was already up the stairs.
As Spike walked into the room, let out an unneeded sigh of relief. Buffy was seemed to be still sleeping. In her agitated state of slumber, she had simply knocked over the lamp on her bedside table. Willow and Dawn were by his side now, and each let out their own relieved sigh.
"Be careful." Willow admonished to Dawn as the teenager stepped into the room and toward her sister. "I'll go get the broom." The witch said, and left for the basement.
Dawn walked over to her sister, and looked down at her. Buffy's face was etched with lines of pain, and a muffled groan emanated forth as she rolled over anxiously.
"It's so dark.so dark." Buffy moaned in her sleep, and set off in a rage of thrashing. Spike turned away with a wince, and walked to a corner adjacent to the window.
"Pull up the blinds, Bit." He said quietly.
"But you-" Dawn started, only to be interrupted by the vampire.
"I'm out of the way. Open the blinds." He stated firmly, and Dawn went over to the window. She began pulling up the blinds slowly, engulfing one of Buffy's outstretched hands with sunlight.
All of a sudden, a hissing noise was barely audible. Both Dawn and Spike heard it. Spike looked down at himself, Dawn's eyes following his own. There was nothing. The hissing was becoming louder, and they looked over to Buffy, who was stirring.
The Slayer's small, elegant hand was smoking.
Dawn dropped the blind cord with a shriek, turning around to face her sister. Spike simply stood where he was, staring unblinkingly at the rousing form on the bed. Both were too shocked to move, so they simply stood there, with sunlight still swarming around Buffy's hand. A small flame appeared upon it, and Buffy jerked. It was obvious that she was fighting for consciousness. Spike, wrenched from his stupor, turned to Dawn.
"Drop the blinds!" He shouted hoarsely, also pulling Dawn from her trance. The blinds fell with a crash, and the awed teenager turned slowly around to face her sister. The smoke was fading now, along with the hissing noise, replacing itself with a sickening smell of burned flesh.
"Oh.my God." Came a voice from the doorway. Both heads turned to see Willow standing in the doorway with a dustpan and broom, and, behind her, the person who had spoken: Xander. Everyone stepped in towards Buffy, the glass decorating the floor forgotten.
~~~
Buffy awoke to 4 people standing around her. Immediately she was aware of the sharp pain coursing through her hand. She was a little overwhelmed at the 8 eyes looking down at her, but felt better than she had yesterday. She remembered the night before with a shudder, and stared back up at her friends, unknowing of what to say. Her brow furrowed and she followed their gazes down to her bloodied hand, already starting to blister severely. Hazel eyes widened considerably, to match those of the people in her room.
"What-? How.?" Finally she looked up at Spike, who was directly in front of her. "What's going on here?"
"Sunlight, love." He answered simply, compassion and pain distinctly outlined in his icy blue eyes.
"But.how could sunlight..affect me?" She asked, her eyes traveling around the rest of the sorrowful faces, in search of an answer. No one but Spike had the composure to tell her, and Spike was barely maintaining his. He only did it, or was able to do it, for the Slayer's sake.
"Well." He couldn't find the words to say, and finally held out his hands.
"Come here, Buffy." He said her name softly, as always was his way when he called her by her real name. With a confused frown she took his hand, and he led her to her mirror.
What Buffy saw made her fall to her knees, and only Spike held her up. She had no reflection.
