I guess I kinda owe you guys an explanation. Joss is amazing, and he did
such an awesome job bringing Buffy back, I had to use it. I am beginning
to focus more now on the new slayer, but I also want to focus on all the
original characters, as a new slayer in Sunnydale affects everyone. I know
it's kind of moving slowly, but I promise stuff will happen. I'm getting
busyish with a job. Thanks as always to those of you reading, and special
thanks to Kimberly for her awesome feedback and beautiful personality.
* * * * * *
"But you died!" Alexia continued.
"Yes, I did!" Buffy-bot said.
"So how are you here?"
"Modern technology. And Willow. Willow brought me back."
"Willow?"
"She's my best friend. And she's gay."
"Yeah, I caught tha—whoa, she's gay?"
"Yes," Buffy-bot said with her big shiny grin.
"And where is Willow?"
"I can find her with my honing device. It leads me to her when I am broken."
"I thought a slayer would be stronger than a normal girl…"
"Willow is not a normal girl. She is my best friend and she is gay."
"Right…"
Alexia searched the ground for her cell phone.
"Umm, Mr. Darroch, I'm gonna have to call you back...."
* * *
Xander quietly walked down the stairs, so as not to wake any of the women in the house up. Tara was at the foot of the stairs, waiting expectantly for him.
"Is she okay?" Tara asked.
"Willow's gonna be alright…she just needs to rest -- hey why didn't you go up there?"
"I dunno," Tara shrugged. "I figured it was a big Buffy moment…didn't wanna intrude…"
"That's not intruding! You're a part of Buffy's life too, you know."
"Yeah, I guess…"
"Have you seen Anya?"
"As far as I know, she's still out looking for Daw—oh! Do you want me to look for her?"
"Nah, I'll do it. You stay here and hold the fort."
"Aye, aye, soldier boy."
"I'd usually make a witty comment right now, but I've gotta find my woman," Xander said hurriedly before he rushed out the door to search for his fiancé.
* * *
Tara was on the couch, playing with some loose strings on a blanket, when she heard the door open.
"Where's Willow?" the amber-haired girl from earlier demanded.
"She's upstairs," Tara said, shaking from the new slayer's unannounced presence in the house.
Alexia hurried up the stairs.
"Wait! She's sleeping. She needs to rest, especially after tonight…"
Alexia came back down the stairs and grabbed Buffy-bot from outside the door.
"Explain this."
"That's Buffy-bot."
"Buffy-bot? What the hell…?"
"She's a robot…she's pretty strong, but real Buffy's stronger."
"Real Buffy is dead."
"Was dead."
"Wow, I'm really regretting ever coming to Sunnydale…you all seem to be mentally challenged here…If someone dies, they STAY dead."
"Unless…"
"Unless what? They're evil?"
"Well, that…" Tara said, turning her eyes away from the overbearing girl. "And there's a spell…"
"You're a witch?"
"Me and Willow, yeah…"
Alexia dropped her head into her hands. "What the hell is wrong with this universe? Why are you doing voodoo bullshit?"
"We're good witches, y'know…"
"Like the Wizard of Oz? I'm sure…" Alexia sighed and decided that the conversation had to end. "Where's Buffy?"
"She's sleeping too…I think she's still in shock. I don't think it'd be a good idea to talk to her…"
"Fine, fine. I'm calling my watcher; I'll be back tomorrow…"
"No, you can't! If they find out what happened, they might mess things up, get others involved…"
"Others SHOULD be involved!"
Tara put a hand on Alexia's. "Please," she begged.
Alexia sighed as she felt a layer of dust lift from her heart.
"Ok."
* * *
Dawn didn't want to open her eyes. She had dreamed about Buffy and was afraid that if she opened her eyes, she'd never see her again. But the sun was shining over her lids, forcing her to open them.
"Buffy," she whispered, running her hand through her sister's hair. She was so glad she was back. Everything would be so great now…heaven would be nothing compared to how her life was going to be now that Buffy was back…
Buffy shot her eyes open in one moment. She looked scared.
"Buffy, are you okay?" Dawn asked.
Buffy slowly turned her countenance into a grin. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"I love you, Buffy."
"I love you too," Buffy answered automatically. She couldn't think about anything. Nothing made sense anymore.
* * *
Tara crawled into bed with her lover. She was still asleep, looking like a beautiful angel. But it didn't fool Tara…she knew Willow's naughty side.
Willow woke up to find Tara caressing her head and humming. She smiled.
"What are you singing?" Willow asked.
"It's something my mom used to sing to me," Tara said, smiling at the memory. "Before I'd go to sleep every night, she would sing it, and I would know I was safe."
"I think that trait runs in the family…"
"Singing?"
"No, silly! The way you keep me safe…"
"I did a great job last night…" Tara muttered, looking at her fingernails.
"You did do great! You protected me from going insane! If I hadn't done the spell, I don't think I would survive another day…it was important."
"I know…but, still, don't you feel weird? Like we cheated?"
"Evil cheats all the time…the point is, our hearts are in the right place, and THAT is what's important…"
"I guess, " Tara said, trying to convince herself that Willow was right.
* * *
Alexia woke up in a crappy motel bed. Every time she shifted, she could feel the springs almost burst out of the mattress.
She quickly massaged her left shoulder. She hadn't slept well. Hell, she hadn't slept well since she got to Sunnydale. This town was confusing her. Everything was wrong, and not at all like the world she was used to. She so badly wanted to call her watcher, but something about Tara's compassion had stopped her. She didn't care about anybody in that house, but for some reason she didn't feel so bitter towards Tara…
She quickly slipped a white T-shirt on over some dirty jeans and went over to the sink to brush her teeth. She quickly and harshly rubbed the brush against her gums and spit it all out. Then she hurried out the room towards the house of weirdness.
She knocked four times before anybody opened the door. Tara greeted her with a wayward smile.
"Sorry," Tara said sheepishly. "It was a late morning. Come in."
Alexia carefully took a seat on the couch. Much more comfortable than her current bed…
"Can I get you anything?" Tara asked.
"No," Alexia said. "Just information."
Alexia tried to keep up her strong image, but it was getting hard. Tara seemed like a genuinely good person, but no, good people didn't exist. The whole world was after her, and she'd become an ass-kicking bitch. She was sure that as soon as she got to know Tara better, she'd find some evil in her. Besides the witchcraft, of course.
"What do you want to know?"
Alexia shook her head to get out of her spacey state.
"I want to know what the hell you guys are doing saving a vampire. It took me a long time to understand the whole 'Angel' thing, but I bet this will take me even longer…"
"I know," Tara said quickly. "But he's good. He really is. He cares about Buffy. And he cares about Dawn so much. He can't hurt humans, really."
"And that's because of this 'chip'?"
Tara nodded her head.
"Like I said, not understanding…" Alexia looked up at the ceiling for a moment and then looked back at Tara. "So, what do you want from me?"
"Nothing. You can do whatever you want."
"So…why am I even here?"
"You're here to help," Tara said. "Buffy's probably not going to be herself for a while and extra slayers never hurt our demon-killing mission."
"I guess…"
Buffy came down the stairwell.
"Are you robo-Buffy or Buffy-Buffy?" Alexia asked.
Buffy swallowed, a little confused. "Buffy-Buffy…who are you?"
"New slayer," Tara said. "She came after you umm, died…again."
Alexia shook her head. "I swear, you're like a cat…"
"So…you don't really need me anymore? You've got a slayer…"
"Of course we need you!" Tara exclaimed. "You save the world…a lot."
"I guess…" Buffy shrugged and looked towards the kitchen. "I think I need coffee…"
"You want me to make it for you?" Tara asked.
"No," Buffy assured Tara, "I still remember how to do that."
"She seems glad to be back…" Alexia noted sarcastically when Buffy left the room.
"She was in shock." Tara said. "I'm sure it's hard for her to believe that she's here; that she's not in hell anymore…"
* * *
Buffy took out the coffee canister. She took a big scoop of coffee crystals out and stared at it. So bland. And brown. There was nothing bad about blandness, but also nothing good. She dumped the scoop into her black coffee mug. Time to drink coffee, the stuff of life. She took a sip out of the cup and swallowed. It didn't feel like anything. She could have been swallowing sulfuric acid…she probably wouldn't have noticed.
TBC
* * * * * *
"But you died!" Alexia continued.
"Yes, I did!" Buffy-bot said.
"So how are you here?"
"Modern technology. And Willow. Willow brought me back."
"Willow?"
"She's my best friend. And she's gay."
"Yeah, I caught tha—whoa, she's gay?"
"Yes," Buffy-bot said with her big shiny grin.
"And where is Willow?"
"I can find her with my honing device. It leads me to her when I am broken."
"I thought a slayer would be stronger than a normal girl…"
"Willow is not a normal girl. She is my best friend and she is gay."
"Right…"
Alexia searched the ground for her cell phone.
"Umm, Mr. Darroch, I'm gonna have to call you back...."
* * *
Xander quietly walked down the stairs, so as not to wake any of the women in the house up. Tara was at the foot of the stairs, waiting expectantly for him.
"Is she okay?" Tara asked.
"Willow's gonna be alright…she just needs to rest -- hey why didn't you go up there?"
"I dunno," Tara shrugged. "I figured it was a big Buffy moment…didn't wanna intrude…"
"That's not intruding! You're a part of Buffy's life too, you know."
"Yeah, I guess…"
"Have you seen Anya?"
"As far as I know, she's still out looking for Daw—oh! Do you want me to look for her?"
"Nah, I'll do it. You stay here and hold the fort."
"Aye, aye, soldier boy."
"I'd usually make a witty comment right now, but I've gotta find my woman," Xander said hurriedly before he rushed out the door to search for his fiancé.
* * *
Tara was on the couch, playing with some loose strings on a blanket, when she heard the door open.
"Where's Willow?" the amber-haired girl from earlier demanded.
"She's upstairs," Tara said, shaking from the new slayer's unannounced presence in the house.
Alexia hurried up the stairs.
"Wait! She's sleeping. She needs to rest, especially after tonight…"
Alexia came back down the stairs and grabbed Buffy-bot from outside the door.
"Explain this."
"That's Buffy-bot."
"Buffy-bot? What the hell…?"
"She's a robot…she's pretty strong, but real Buffy's stronger."
"Real Buffy is dead."
"Was dead."
"Wow, I'm really regretting ever coming to Sunnydale…you all seem to be mentally challenged here…If someone dies, they STAY dead."
"Unless…"
"Unless what? They're evil?"
"Well, that…" Tara said, turning her eyes away from the overbearing girl. "And there's a spell…"
"You're a witch?"
"Me and Willow, yeah…"
Alexia dropped her head into her hands. "What the hell is wrong with this universe? Why are you doing voodoo bullshit?"
"We're good witches, y'know…"
"Like the Wizard of Oz? I'm sure…" Alexia sighed and decided that the conversation had to end. "Where's Buffy?"
"She's sleeping too…I think she's still in shock. I don't think it'd be a good idea to talk to her…"
"Fine, fine. I'm calling my watcher; I'll be back tomorrow…"
"No, you can't! If they find out what happened, they might mess things up, get others involved…"
"Others SHOULD be involved!"
Tara put a hand on Alexia's. "Please," she begged.
Alexia sighed as she felt a layer of dust lift from her heart.
"Ok."
* * *
Dawn didn't want to open her eyes. She had dreamed about Buffy and was afraid that if she opened her eyes, she'd never see her again. But the sun was shining over her lids, forcing her to open them.
"Buffy," she whispered, running her hand through her sister's hair. She was so glad she was back. Everything would be so great now…heaven would be nothing compared to how her life was going to be now that Buffy was back…
Buffy shot her eyes open in one moment. She looked scared.
"Buffy, are you okay?" Dawn asked.
Buffy slowly turned her countenance into a grin. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"I love you, Buffy."
"I love you too," Buffy answered automatically. She couldn't think about anything. Nothing made sense anymore.
* * *
Tara crawled into bed with her lover. She was still asleep, looking like a beautiful angel. But it didn't fool Tara…she knew Willow's naughty side.
Willow woke up to find Tara caressing her head and humming. She smiled.
"What are you singing?" Willow asked.
"It's something my mom used to sing to me," Tara said, smiling at the memory. "Before I'd go to sleep every night, she would sing it, and I would know I was safe."
"I think that trait runs in the family…"
"Singing?"
"No, silly! The way you keep me safe…"
"I did a great job last night…" Tara muttered, looking at her fingernails.
"You did do great! You protected me from going insane! If I hadn't done the spell, I don't think I would survive another day…it was important."
"I know…but, still, don't you feel weird? Like we cheated?"
"Evil cheats all the time…the point is, our hearts are in the right place, and THAT is what's important…"
"I guess, " Tara said, trying to convince herself that Willow was right.
* * *
Alexia woke up in a crappy motel bed. Every time she shifted, she could feel the springs almost burst out of the mattress.
She quickly massaged her left shoulder. She hadn't slept well. Hell, she hadn't slept well since she got to Sunnydale. This town was confusing her. Everything was wrong, and not at all like the world she was used to. She so badly wanted to call her watcher, but something about Tara's compassion had stopped her. She didn't care about anybody in that house, but for some reason she didn't feel so bitter towards Tara…
She quickly slipped a white T-shirt on over some dirty jeans and went over to the sink to brush her teeth. She quickly and harshly rubbed the brush against her gums and spit it all out. Then she hurried out the room towards the house of weirdness.
She knocked four times before anybody opened the door. Tara greeted her with a wayward smile.
"Sorry," Tara said sheepishly. "It was a late morning. Come in."
Alexia carefully took a seat on the couch. Much more comfortable than her current bed…
"Can I get you anything?" Tara asked.
"No," Alexia said. "Just information."
Alexia tried to keep up her strong image, but it was getting hard. Tara seemed like a genuinely good person, but no, good people didn't exist. The whole world was after her, and she'd become an ass-kicking bitch. She was sure that as soon as she got to know Tara better, she'd find some evil in her. Besides the witchcraft, of course.
"What do you want to know?"
Alexia shook her head to get out of her spacey state.
"I want to know what the hell you guys are doing saving a vampire. It took me a long time to understand the whole 'Angel' thing, but I bet this will take me even longer…"
"I know," Tara said quickly. "But he's good. He really is. He cares about Buffy. And he cares about Dawn so much. He can't hurt humans, really."
"And that's because of this 'chip'?"
Tara nodded her head.
"Like I said, not understanding…" Alexia looked up at the ceiling for a moment and then looked back at Tara. "So, what do you want from me?"
"Nothing. You can do whatever you want."
"So…why am I even here?"
"You're here to help," Tara said. "Buffy's probably not going to be herself for a while and extra slayers never hurt our demon-killing mission."
"I guess…"
Buffy came down the stairwell.
"Are you robo-Buffy or Buffy-Buffy?" Alexia asked.
Buffy swallowed, a little confused. "Buffy-Buffy…who are you?"
"New slayer," Tara said. "She came after you umm, died…again."
Alexia shook her head. "I swear, you're like a cat…"
"So…you don't really need me anymore? You've got a slayer…"
"Of course we need you!" Tara exclaimed. "You save the world…a lot."
"I guess…" Buffy shrugged and looked towards the kitchen. "I think I need coffee…"
"You want me to make it for you?" Tara asked.
"No," Buffy assured Tara, "I still remember how to do that."
"She seems glad to be back…" Alexia noted sarcastically when Buffy left the room.
"She was in shock." Tara said. "I'm sure it's hard for her to believe that she's here; that she's not in hell anymore…"
* * *
Buffy took out the coffee canister. She took a big scoop of coffee crystals out and stared at it. So bland. And brown. There was nothing bad about blandness, but also nothing good. She dumped the scoop into her black coffee mug. Time to drink coffee, the stuff of life. She took a sip out of the cup and swallowed. It didn't feel like anything. She could have been swallowing sulfuric acid…she probably wouldn't have noticed.
TBC