CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: LOSING
Faith ran out of the school, which had given off a mighty explosion, the front entrance collapsing on itself just as she tore madly from the building. She jumped onto the bus and yelled "Go!" to Giles, who pulled away as fast as the large vehicle could move.
Connor and Dawn sat on the back seats of the bus, their faces pressed against the window, searching for their mother and sister to emerge from the building, but they could see nothing. They began panicking, unsure of what was happening. Connor had a slight inkling that his father's amulet had been the cause of the sudden destruction that seemed to be occurring, and with wide fearful eyes, Connor, Dawn, the Scoobies and the Slayers watched in horror as Sunnydale began sinking in on itself.
"Oh god," Dawn whispered quietly.
Connor, though he'd spoken to Dawn for barely five seconds, reached across and took hold of her hand. She squeezed back tightly, and had Connor not been as strong as he was, his bones would have been crushed by the pressure that Dawn was using, her fear beginning to turn into panic. She'd lost Buffy too many times to do so again now.
For Connor though, the heartache was twice as bad. If Buffy didn't emerge from the town that was beginning to sink, he would lose not only the mother that he barely knew, but the father that he'd only just found as well.
Both teens were about ready to give up on Buffy when they heard a sudden and very loud thud on the roof of the bus. The dent was small, but they dared not get their hopes up, even though both of them now had their fingers crossed.
The bus drove out of Sunnydale limits. "Ease off, we're clear," Faith instructed.
Giles slowed the bus down, bringing it to a halt.
Buffy jumped down from the rooftop, swallowing down the pain and anguish that she was feeling. She looked into the crater that was now Sunnydale, and felt tears well in her eyes.
The back doors of the bus burst open, and Connor and Dawn were the first to engulf Buffy into a tight hug, only to pull away when Buffy yelped in pain from the still aching wound on her side. The others began jumping off the bus as well. Buffy spied Spike huddling under one of the seats, his jacket over the top of him, trying to not be fried from the sun.
"I don't understand," Giles said, looking at the ruins of the town. "What did this?"
Buffy pulled away from the group and walked towards the crater, almost as though she wanted to be closer to where Angel had last been.
"Angel," she replied succinctly.
Connor felt tears well in his eyes. He moved forward and laid a gentle hand on Buffy's shoulder.
"He loved you," Connor whispered.
Buffy turned and hugged Connor tightly. She felt as though she was about o break down, but she kept herself together for Connor's sake. Now was not the time for tears.
"He loved you too," she whispered back.
"Looks like the hellmouth's officially closed for business," Faith said, swaggering towards the group now overlooking the crater.
Buffy pulled away from Connor and wrapped her arms around her waist, wishing that it were Angel's arms around her.
"There is another one in Cleveland," Giles said absently. He noticed the incredulous looks of the others. "To spoil the moment."
"We saved the world," Xander said in awe, wrapping an arm around Anya, the two of them not even concerned that they were meant to be over. There was something between them, and they were going to find out what.
"We changed the world," Willow corrected him. "I can feel them Buffy. All over. Slayers are awakening everywhere."
"We'll have to find them," Dawn said.
"We will."
"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Giles said.
The group looked at him once more. Faith shoved the Watcher playfully.
"Can I push him in?" the dark Slayer asked.
"You've got my vote," Willow said.
"I just wanna sleep, yo, for like a week," Faith said.
Buffy was leaning heavily towards that suggestion herself. She'd been frightened of losing this battle, but she'd never really thought of what she would do afterwards. It seemed almost anti-climatic. They'd saved the world, but effectively lost their home.
"I guess we could. If we wanted to," Dawn said.
"Yeah. The First is scrunched so…what do you think we should do Buffy?" Willow asked.
"Yeah, you're not the one and only chosen any more," Faith commented. "Just gotta live like a person, how's that feel?"
"Yeah Buffy…what are we gonna do now?" Dawn asked.
Buffy could hear the words, but they made no real sense. She closed her eyes tiredly, trying to remember the reasons she'd run from the collapsing cavern when the only man she'd ever loved had died down there. Connor. Dawn. Her friends. The Slayers. She had a destiny. She may not have wanted it, but it was hers.
"I think the more relevant question here is, where are we gonna go?" Anya asked. "I don't know about everyone else, but I'm starving."
Anya's question brought forth a burst of noise from the Scoobies. It was a good question. There were thirty of them left that needed somewhere to go. Somewhere big enough to house them all. Somewhere like –
"The Hyperion," Buffy whispered.
"The what?" Xander asked.
Buffy turned to face her friends. "LA. We can go to LA."
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Very short chapter, I know. But…well, there was nothing more to really be written for it. Can I just rant a little:
Was anyone else pissed off by the absolute lack of continuity for the last few episodes of the season. Who remembers ep 10 and 11 when Buffy had the crap kicked out of her by the Turokhans? She had mega troubles beating them after six and a half years of being the Slayer. She was bruised and bloodied and broken, and all of a sudden, she's not getting bruises from Caleb, or from the Turokhans. The Potentials all seem to know how to fight, and can stake the Turokhans. Which, by the way, "would be like driving a wooden stake through solid steel." Ooo, and…after Buffy gets stabbed, she's all on the ground, and then she's suddenly on her feet, and not complaining of being 'mortally wounded' all because she got her second wind. Ooo, AND! (I have major issues with the last episode) WHY didn't Willow do the spell BEFORE they went into the hellmouth? Or did it need to be open? And WHY weren't their newbie Slayers in the hallway with the civilians? Why was Andrew there in the first place? WHY did Faith throw the scythe to Rona when Faith was being attacked by five ubies when Rona had none? WHY was Rona on the front line with a broken wrist? Why were the Turokhans running into the school in fricken DAYLIGHT!! They couldn't have gone anywhere, cos the sewers were blocked off. And WHY is Xander on about Starbucks and Toys'R'Us when I'm fairly certain Sunnydale a) didn't have them and b) wouldn't be the only place to have them. And WHAT was with Buffy's shoes? They were the most impractical shoes she could possibly wear to go into battle. And WHY did Buffy leave the scythe on TOP of the bus after she jumped down? And also, how come the First never appeared to any of the Potentials in Buffy's form? I mean, it's the best way to effectively ruin Buffy's reputation with them…it should have used it. SHEESH!!
Okay. I think I'm done. *grins* Anyone else have complaints about the episode?