To Live Again

Author: Phoenix

Disclaimer: They're not mine. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, and 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: Not Much To Say, so here we go. Thanks for all my great reviews. Sally-Jo: Great minds think alike! Thanks for your compliment, Where's your story?

~ Oh yeah. Since I can't figure out how to make my italics show up on ff.net, flashbacks or memories are **

Chapter 5-

Giles pulled the mug out of the microwave and put the straw inside the red liquid. He crinkled his nose at the smell rising from the cup and turned to go back through the living room and up the stairs. As he started up the stairs he wavered, thinking for the first time of whom he was bringing this blood to. Suddenly he got dizzy, and felt as if he would vomit right there. This was every watcher's worst nightmare-his slayer turned.

He hadn't seen her yet; he'd only been there for two hours. During that time he had heard all the details that could be given. Spike, of course, could give the most, since he had actually seen her come up. Giles started inwardly as another realization hit him. No one had even remotely doubted Spike's story. It just came to show that Spike was indeed becoming a part of the group.

Giles shook his head, as if to shake the thoughts off, and climbed the stairs. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he reached her door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked softly. When no reply came for several seconds, he took the liberty to open the door slowly; just enough to stick his head in and look around. Finding a lump in the bed that could only be Buffy, he walked in. As he advanced, Buffy stirred, and sat up.

"Buffy." Giles greeted, trying his best for a smile, but getting only a twisted, grimace-like contortion. He looked down at the Slayer and felt his grief all over again. He had learned to read her like a daughter, and right now he perceived her broken spirit to the hilt. He observed her grubby, uncaring appearance, from her tangled hair, rumpled clothes, puffy face, and finally, her defeated, pained eyes. He felt the pain, too.

Looking as if he didn't know what to say, he simply held out the mug to her. She looked down at the bed for a moment, and then looked back up into his eyes pleadingly. He again offered a soft smile, and she took the blood. Though she made a face looking down into the cup, she drank it hungrily, and quickly so as not to taste it. She was so relieved that Giles was there, she felt like crying. He was the closest to a father she'd ever had, and, therefore, he brought an immeasurable amount of relief.

After she finished she set the mug on the floor with a soft 'clunk' and looked up at Giles. The corners of her mouth lifted, producing a weak attempt at a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"I- I'm glad you're here." She said softly.

"Are you alright, Buffy?" He replied, his words just as quiet as hers. Small worry lines presented themselves as her eyes brimmed with tears and she looked down, shaking her head slightly.

"No." She whimpered. Giles acutely saw the despair written all over her face. He decided that, though it would most likely hurt, something had to be done.

"Why?" He asked, working up the courage to be firm with her. He flinched inwardly at the hurt widening of her eyes. She looked down at herself.

"Look at me!"

"I am, and you look quite alright to me."

"Then you're not looking hard enough. Or you haven't heard the story."

"Oh, no. I've heard. And I see you. I see Buffy. What do you see?" He looked down at her, more gently now, and lowered himself to sit on the side of the bed.

"A.demon." She spat the word as if it was poison, and tears threatened again.

"Maybe, but I want to know who you are, not what you are. Think about it." Giles smiled at her thoughtful face. Finally, she nodded faintly.

"Can I get you anything?" Giles asked after a brief silence.

"I just want to be alone." Came the low reply. Giles leaned over to kiss her gently on the forehead and walked out of the room.

~~~

The back door crashed open noisily, as a burning creature covered with a blanket raced through it. The 3 people in the kitchen looked up with raised eyebrows, two of them greeting the panting blonde.

Spike looked at the three people making breakfast around the kitchen. Giles just went back to his work, but the witches both murmured their greetings. Through the doorway he could see Xander, Anya, and Dawn on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons. Only an occasional smile cracked at the antics of Bugs, quite the contrary to their usual bursts of laughter. But that was before.

"So, I take it she's still not up?" He asked Willow. His assuming question was affirmed by the small nod of her head.

"Bugger. It's been 3 days. I thought you said you knocked some sense into that thick skull 'o hers." The vampire said to Giles.

"Well, I-I thought I did. I think it will take a little more that that though."

"I think we should start researching on why she came back a.how she did." Xander said as he joined them in the kitchen.

"Yeah. I m-mean, maybe there's some way to reverse it o-or something." Tara added. Several nods circulated the kitchen, as Anya and Dawn joined the group. Spike looked agitated.

"No. Something needs to be done for her now. Something to get her alive and kickin'" He looked down and added lowly, "Figuratively speaking, that is."

"As much as I hate to, I agree with the undead on this one. We gotta get her up before she kills herself." Xander trailed off. "Again." More heads nodded.

"I'll run over to the Magic Box, get some books, and come back. Meanwhile, you all think about how to get her up." Willow walked towards the door.

She opened it to reveal a tall brunette man with his fist raised, ready to knock. Behind him stood two women and two other men. Willow looked around at them and back to the man directly in front of her. Blinking, she spoke.

"Angel.Hi."

"Willow. Hey, can I come in?" He was in the shadows of the porch, and the sun was rising behind the house. It would be rising to its full height any moment now, making his situation a bit risky. He looked back at the sky nervously.

"Oh! Of course. Come in..A- all of you." She moved from the door as they all came inside. The Scoobies came in from the kitchen.

Spike's loud exclamation of "Oh Bloody Hell!" resounded through the kitchen as he saw who had arrived, but he too walked into the living room, though remaining in the background.

Introductions were made as needed, all of them coming to know Angel's friends 'Gunn' and 'Fred'. Small talk was made, until an awkward silence fell over the large group. Finally a voice rose up.

"Not that I'm not glad to see you, poofter, but why in the bleeding hell are you here?"

Angel looked at his grand childe, choosing to ignore him, as he saw the same question more subtly held on the others' faces.

"Cordy had a vision about Sunnydale. She couldn't exactly remember what it was about, but we thought we'd come check it out. What's going on here?" Angel asked, suddenly suspicious by the looks being thrown around by the Scoobs.

Willow looked around desperately, dreading the question. Finally she asked, "Wait. Cordy had a vision?"

"Yeah, I think we're all saying 'Huh?' here." Xander said, disbelieving.

"Cordelia is half-demon. But that's not the point. What's wrong?" Angel asked, looking chagrined. He had been deeply hurt to hear the news of Buffy's death, and had spent many days locked in his office, drowning in his anguish. At first he had felt guilty. He knew that he could have made some kind of a difference. But slowly, with his gang's help, he had gotten over it enough to get things back to normal, even if he wasn't on the inside. But being back in Sunnydale, seeing her closest friends, brought back all the hurt, and all he wanted to do was help and leave.

Giles swallowed hard. "Buffy." He couldn't go on, and turned away. Angel started at the name and looked around anxiously.

"What about her?"

"She's back." Giles drawled quietly. The faces of the LA group changed. Most had known and, generally, liked Buffy. Gunn and Fred had certainly heard enough about her and her death, that they were noticeably surprised too. Angel looked quite awed.

"W-Well.where is she?"

"There's more, Peaches." Spike again supplied.

"Yes.Somehow, when she.er.returned.something happened to her. She's a..a..Vampire." Angel's jaw dropped, and he blinked rapidly. The expressions on all the other's faces mirrored his, though not as intensely, and the room was silent save the ticking of the clock.

~~~

Buffy lie in bed, distantly hearing the doorbell. Not paying much attention to the subtle tingling running up and down her back, she drifted to sleep.

**

Buffy ran through the thick forest frantically, looking backwards every few steps and limping. It was gaining on her. Finally she fell forward as the beast tackled her from the back. She threw it off her, gathering all her remaining strength. Taking her ax, she swung it. It found its mark across the barely dazed creature and she took off again. If she could only get out of this forest, she'd be fine. So she just ran as fast as her weakened body would allow, weaving in and out of the trees. Finally the trees thinned and she saw a dim light.

Just two minutes later, the forest ended as abruptly as it had started, and she was out in an open, barren field of dead grass. As she ran from the gloom and into the sunlight she looked back. It was catching up again. She looked back forward only to have a hand grasp her throat painfully, stopping her in her tracks. As she looked up, she went limp.

"Sorry, doll, but this is a dead end." The redheaded goddess lifted Buffy up off the ground, and a snarl came from behind her. She was trapped either way. Glory moved her to the side, looking past the woman she held so easily and to the ugly creature she had been running from. "Lets play, shall we?"

**

Angel stepped inside the dark room, staring at the love of his unlife, who was at that moment squirming and twitching on her bed. He walked over to her bed and studied her face, kneeling down. She looked like she was in extreme pain and fear. She must be dreaming. Suddenly she yelled and thrashed wildly. The brunette vampire rose to sit on the bed, and took Buffy halfway into his arms. She quieted, and after a moment opened her eyes. Upon seeing whom it was who held her, she blinked. Finally a small smile graced her face.

"Angel." She murmured, "You came."

Spike stood at Buffy's open door. He had come up to get Dawn for lunch when he heard Buffy's scream, and promptly went to investigate. The scene that met him also froze him. He turned from the brunette and blonde vampires talking quietly in the dark, pain creasing his forehead.