Chapter Seven: Footprints on the Doorstep

"Hey, has anyone seen the bowl of fruit that was on the table last night?" Dawn asked as she searched the kitchen. "How am I supposed to have oatmeal without bananas or apples or something to nullify the numbing taste?"

"I don't know," Buffy said, as she sat down on one of the stools and started filling up on the hot porridge. Ever since she had woken from her little self-induced coma, she had had a ravenous appetite. "Here." She handed Dawn a small, open jar. "Why don't you put some cinnamon on it? Just as good as fruit."

Dawn looked at her sister strangely. "This is paprika. Jeez Buffy, can't you tell the difference?'

Buffy's face fell as she stared down into her bowl of warm cereal. "Oh," she said flatly. "Well, that would explain the strange, peppery taste." Buffy just shrugged and went back to eating.

Dawn rolled her eyes and went to the spice rack to get the cinnamon. Sitting down beside Buffy, she let her bunny-slippered feet beat against the railing on the stool. "Still doesn't explain what happened to the bowl of fruit."

"Maybe Giles took it. Or Willow. Maybe they're doing a spell. Either that, or they're really, really hungry."

"Who's doing a spell?" Willow asked as she entered the kitchen, fully dressed and ready for the day. She moved to the counter to make herself a cup of tea.

"Oh, we just thought maybe you and Giles were trying something. There seems to be some fruit missing," Dawn supplied, looking up from her Quaker Oats.

"Nope. Don't know any spells involving fruit. Hey, maybe Giles does," she said, turning and looking at them over her shoulder. "I don't know, something to do with Andrew, maybe?"

"This coming from our resident lesbian?" Buffy asked, slightly surprised.

"Well, even I have to admit, Andrew is a bit fruitier than most. So," Willow joined them at the table, "what's the plan for today?"

"We haven't decide yet," Dawn said. "Giles wants us to sit down in front of a big pile of books and figure out this whole Slayer thing. He left early this morning to go do research or something. He expects us to have unlocked all the secrets of the universe by the time he gets back."

"Oh what great fun," Buffy said sarcastically as she shook her head and rolled her eyes heavenward. "You know, if I had known the aftermath of the Apocalypse was going to involve so much work, I think I would have stayed catatonic. It was a lot easier."

Buffy pushed the crimson swirl of paprika around in her bowl. The last few days had been difficult, to say the least. She was trying desperately to put up a good front for her friends, but it only seemed to work about half the time. She didn't want to be seen as brooding or morose, those were qualities better associated with Angel. She just wanted to get through her grief without dragging everyone else down.

Giles was seriously concerned about there not being a new Slayer. He was working on several theories as to why no one had been called after Faith's death. He had narrowed it down to two options. Either, they had missed a Potential somewhere along the way, and there was now a very confused girl with superhuman strength living in the heart of deepest Africa, or some other godforsaken place. Or, there was no Slayer. No one had been called. The thought was frightening. Yes there was no Hellmouth anymore, but still, the world needed a Slayer. There were still vamps roaming around out there, even in Sunnydale. The world needed a new champion. Buffy wasn't sure how much longer she could keep it up on her own.

The days were the easy part. Willow, and Dawn and Xander, all crowded around her, and made sure to keep her busy. They had taken her out to The Bronze, the second day she was conscious. They were having a special party to celebrate the high school being burned down. Again. Most people in Sunnydale didn't know what had really happened, or how many lives had been lost.

The nights . . . well the nights were a different story. Buffy found it impossible to fall asleep without first crying herself into a pitiable stupor. Her heart seemed to break all over again, every time she thought about Spike. The pain was becoming unbearable.

There was a part of Buffy that didn't want to go on, with him gone. But being the only Slayer, she had no choice. It was her duty. She had to protect Dawn, protect her friends. Even if it meant that she was, once again, just going through the motions, she had to survive for their sakes. But it was becoming more and more difficult with each passing hour.

Buffy knew she wasn't the only one who was grieving. Willow was having difficulty getting over the loss of Kennedy, and even Giles seemed to be depressed over the demise of so many of the Potentials. Still, there were times when Buffy felt alone in her misery.

They sat there in silence for a few more minutes, and then the back door opened and Xander stepped inside.

"Morning all," he said as he closed the door behind him. He was carrying a big, all-too-familiar box in his arms. "I brought donuts."

"Oh thank God!" Dawn exclaimed, as she pushed her oatmeal aside and ran over to Xander. She opened the box in his arms and pulled out two powdery jelly donuts, one for each hand.

"Hold on there tiger. You sure you can handle that? Your sister'll kill me if you make yourself sick."

"Yeah. No problem," Dawn mumbled through a mouthful of donut, as she pulled away and propped herself back up on her stool.

"Jeez," Xander said, staring at her with amazement, "kids these days."

"Oh yes, as if you've never eaten two fistfuls of donuts at one time," Buffy said, finally looking up at him.

"At least I have the decency to use a napkin. Please Dawn, you look like Ronald McDonald after a hard night out partying."

"I do not," she protested, as she grabbed a napkin with one sticky hand and wiped the white powder off her face.

"So Buff," Xander said, sidling up and taking the seat next to her. "Did you happen to see the huge bare footprints right outside your back door?"

"What?" Willow asked, as she looked up absently at Xander.

"Yeah, there's some footprints out back, leading up to the back door. None of you noticed?"

"No," Buffy said slowly. "No one's been out back this morning."

Buffy got up from the table and went to the door. Opening it, she stepped onto the porch and looked around. There were indeed light, muddy footprints on the back porch.

Xander came up behind her and stared over her shoulder. "I guess it was a little misty last night. The ground was pretty wet this morning when I left for work. Looks like you've got yourself a stalker or something."

"Or a burglar," Dawn said, as she joined them. "Bet he stole the fruit."

"Come on you guys," Willow chimed in. "You're just jumping to conclusions." She knelt down on the porch and examined the footprints. "What are these, size ten? Eleven, maybe? Giles could have made these."

She looked up at the group. They all looked at each other with obvious cynicism.

"Okay, okay. So the chances of Giles going around in bare feet are less than good, but--"

"Less than good?" Xander asked. "There's a better chance of Dawn giving birth to a Pterodactyl, or of Anya giving up sex."

"So? Stalker?" Dawn asked, a slight squeak to her voice.

"I don't know," Buffy said, lowering herself to the ground beside Willow. "But whatever it is, we need to be prepared."