Title: "Alone"
Author: Liz (AKA Will_ow)
Author's Notes: You'll get a surprise at the end and then you can just let your imagination run wild.
Feedback/Reviews: Uh huh! Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing that Joss has created with his screwy mind.
Dedication: To the one word Angel said as he rolled off Cordy in his dream…Now that's what I call good technique by Joss and his crew of writers.
Summary: What if the only friends you've known suddenly die? Where would you be without them?
A story about three friends, two deaths and one trip to the graveyard…
It was chilly, unlike any other night in Southern California. She hugged her coat against her body and shivered. She had been terrified to walk there at night, all by herself. But that was her destiny; she would forever be alone.
As she trudged up toward the iron gates, she felt a sickly feeling churn in her stomach. Ever since they died she was so vulnerable. She was catatonic and would not even bother crying when her friends' cold bodies lay before her, their faces marred with streaks of tears and blood. She couldn't do this without a shoulder to lean on, without a chest to cry into…Without her friends to be there for her.
She took her first step into the graveyard – she smelled death.
Every step she took, she could feel the bond of her friends getting stronger. Even though they passed away, the friendship would always be there. When she reached her destination, she sat on her knees between the two tombs that held her friends beautiful and yet lifeless bodies.
She pulled off her leather gloves and reached out towards the cold stone. It was amazing how in the past few days she could not feel anything except for the two gravestones. It was as if her senses came back to her after she realized that her friends were long gone; she wouldn't be able to bring them back. She was the Slayer, not G-d.
She placed her hand fully on the hard, rough surface and slowly traced, "In Loving Memory." Her hand made its way down to the name…Her eyes shut trying to withhold the tears that threatened to escape.
Willow…
A cold tear trickled down her face as she remembered…Her friend's crimson hair matched the color of the blood that covered her body. Her voice was so innocent; her pleads of mercy like a child's.
"Please," she cried, "Please don't do this to me," the girl pleaded to the face of Buffy, but to the heart of pure evil.
"Well looky, looky, isn't this quite interesting. Miss veins-evil witch is not enjoying her fun. It's uncanny though; pure-evilness like yourself should be enjoying this type of pain," The First whispered while slicing Willow's pale skin with the sharp blade.
"I am not evil," Willow worked out through gritted teeth.
The shape shifter quickly took its place, meeting her eye to eye. "Look at you: all innocent with your red hair, your cutesy smile and your fuzzy sweaters. The people around you see that, but me? I see what's inside – I know what's in you." The cold hand slapped Willow's pale skin.
Willow felt the sting throb through the width of her face. She couldn't be here anymore; she couldn't die when her life was just starting to blossom.
"I know what you want – you know it, too. It's building up inside of you. You try to avoid it, but every time you turn your back, it keeps getting stronger and bigger. Give into it; become one with it and rule with evil forever. I can see it in you; you desire it and it's your air. If you do this correctly, you can take over the world…"
Willow shook her head quickly and shut her eyes.
"Oh, I know what's been bothering you," the figure stated, "You think your friends are going to come and rescue you."
Willow looked up at Xander's face.
"Well, let me tell you something Will, we're not coming for you. You are nothing but a burden to us and we're sick and tired of having to take care of the messes you get us into. You're evil, Will. It's an insult to me to have you known as a friend."
Willow's pleading voice cried hysterically "No, Xander! Please, please don't say that…"
"Shh…" the figure said, crouching over to Willow – placing a hand on her wet cheek and drying an escaping tear. He rocked her gently in his arms until she began to calm down. He whispered into her hair "You don't have to worry about anything, Willow." Willow pulled away and looked into his eyes. "You're nothing to this world; you're the wastes of the Earth. Well, at least you were nothing to me," The First swiftly moved out of Willow's view, revealing the dead body of Xander Harris – her best friend.
The First quickly took its shape as Angelus. "That's right, The Zeppo…is dead. And what a poor creature he was. Tsk, tsk, he was crying until the moment he died. You should have been there for the fun; it was quite entertaining. See, first I shifted into Angelus, mocked him every which way and told him how good it felt to lay the Slayer. Then I started breaking his bones, bit by bit, Angelus style. Gosh, it felt so good. And then…"
The First slapped her face while taking the form of Spike.
"Pay attention girlie, I think you'll like this part… I turned into Spike and made sure he listened to every detail of how Spike attempted to rape Buffy. I even went on from there and proceeded to the 'what if' portion of the conversation where I described what Spike would have done if he got any further. The details slipped off my tongue so slowly and with such pressure, that with every word I said I could see a little part of his heart deteriorate. After I was done, he just continuously heaved. And once his heart was broken I was done with him. It was kind of getting boring anyway."
It shifted into the Master. "And now I'm not so sure about how interesting you are anymore. Look at you, all beaten and useless. You could be so much better. So what'll it be? Will you join me and rule the world for eternity, or join your little friend over there?"
She looked at Xander's lifeless form. Just a few days ago, he was making her laugh. And now she was crying. There was no way she wasn't going to be able to see Xander anymore; there was no way she would spend eternity without hearing his beautiful laugh…
She spit in The First's face, "Fuck off."
*_-_*
She cried so hard and long that night. What did her friends do to deserve that kind of misery that was inflicted upon them? And Xander – having to go through all of that pain because he was just thinking about her welfare…
Her world was falling apart. With out her friends, she would be worthless – the Slayer without friends is a powerless and weak nothing.
As a wise madman once said "Now that's everything, huh? No weapons... No friends... No hope." And when you took all of that away, she wasn't even sure if she had herself to rely on.
And that was her destiny – every slayer's destiny. You fight and you cry until you're beaten and weak. You witness your friends' deaths and you blame it on yourself. And anyone you've ever loved has gone, forced away from you by the damn Powers That Be. And you cry and cry until there are no tears left. And finally, you wake up and you realize that there's no one left. All the people you've loved have been taken away.
You're all alone.
Everyone's gone. No one's there for you.
She laid her head against the stone, weeping softly. And out from the quiet, cool night of Sunnydale's Restfield cemetery, the soothing voice of an old lover pierced the air.
"Except me."
*_-_*
AN: Finis (Yeah, baby!) I have no problem if anyone would like to make a sequel. Just tell me where the sequel has been put so I can enjoy reading it.
