Nope, still don't own any characters. It would be cool if I did, though.
Warnings
Silence.
That's all there was. Just silence. No outside noise, no background sounds. Just pure, simply silence.
Then, the chanting started. She knew what she was saying but for some reason, she felt miles away from her body, as if the chanting was merely routine. It was not difficult. No, not now. It was perfectly natural.
Unconsciously she reached across the circle, pulling a spring of lavender from its resting place. Still softly chanting the words, she slowly ground it up beneath her fingers. Ever so slowly she poured it out around her, close to the edges of the circle but never touching it.
She could see the picture forming in her mind, for her eyes were shut lightly. Images slowly started taking shape until they were clear in her mind. People and places went through her mind, slowly at first but slowly became faster. Suddenly, images were pouring at her, so fast she could not keep track of them all.
Her chanting was suddenly unsure, halting. Her breath came in deep gulps as her hands clenched. She tried to sort the pictures out but her inner calm was gone. Suddenly, a scream swept through the air, shattering the silence of the air.
Buffy's eyes shot open as she looked around wildly. Her hands shook slightly as the exhaustion caught up to her. She sighed, disappointed once again.
"I can't do it, Will," Buffy said, turning to look at her friend. Willow sat on the bed of Buffy's room, her flame-red hair swept into a ponytail. "It never works, no matter how hard I try."
Willow stood up and walked over to her friend, putting an encouraging hand on Buffy's shoulder. "You can, Buffy. You just have to find your inner calm. You have to connect the magic with the world around you and with the deepest part of your soul."
Buffy shook her head. "I'm just not good with this stuff. I'm more kill, crush, destroy. I can't do the magic thing. I don't have the brains to do this like you do."
"Buffy, that's not true," Willow protested softly. "You're a very smart girl – school was never your thing, that's all. Besides, learning magic is good for you. It gives you more control over things and it gives you more inner calm and patience. And, it'll even help with your slaying."
"I know Will," Buffy whispered, her throat suddenly closing up. "And I need the help. It's been so hard ever since…"
Her voice trailed away as tears filled her eyes, though she willed them away. It was too painful to think about that right now. She couldn't.
Willow's eyes filled with tears as she looked at her friend. She used to be so strong – now, the strength wasn't there as much. Buffy had worked so hard to get back the will to live, to get back the power and strength that she had once had after her death. Now, she was almost back at the same spot.
"I know it's been hard, Buffy," Willow whispered, her voice tightly controlled. "I can't believe that he's gone, y'know? I mean, it was Giles and Giles would always be there, even when he was in England. Sometimes, after research, I'll think, 'Oh, I should call Giles. He would know what to do.' But I can't. And, it's so hard."
Tears flowed down Willow's cheeks as memories of Giles came back to her. Buffy walked over to her friend and slowly, the two women embraced each other. Finally, for the first time since his death, tears slowly leaked out of Buffy's eyes. They streamed down her cheeks, though she made no move to brush them away. She just embraced her friend, laying her gently against Willow's.
"I miss him so much," Buffy confided in her friend as Willow slowly stroked Buffy's hair.
"Me too," whispered Willow.
Neither of them said anything as they sat there, the sounds of their sobs echoing throughout the room. They grieved for their lost friend, fallen comrade, strong father. They grieved for the lost time, the angry moments. And they grieved because he was gone. He had been swiftly taken away without any warning.
That's what happens when you age, the doctors had told them. His family had a long history of heart problems. He had never said anything. Maybe he didn't know about it. Maybe he didn't want to inconvenience anyone. Whatever the case, death had come for him. In a form that couldn't be slayed, couldn't be killed. Heart attacks kill many good ones much too soon.
"You'll always be here, won't you?" Buffy asked Willow softly. "You're my best friend, Willow. I don't want to lose you too."
Willow nodded, though she didn't pull out of the embrace. "I'll always be here Buffy. We'll face the end of the world together."
*Flash*
The quiet, calm of the room was gone. Now, the sounds were harsh. Screaming of sirens, screams of people. Cars screeching to a halt besides the wreck that had once been the car of a one Xander Harris.
But Buffy heard none of this as she rushed forward, heart caught in her throat as she saw the dark shape before her. Unmoving. Covered in blood.
"Willow," she whispered, hands shaking in pain, exhaustion, and shock. She ran forward and knelt next to the body of her friend, her tears starting anew. How could this happen? How could three of the people she loved the most in the world be taken away from her so suddenly?
Willow shifted slightly, her eyelids fluttering open to see Buffy kneeling above her, a look of grief shining in her eyes as tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Willow tried to sit up, but pain was too great.
Buffy didn't even notice when Willow shifted, for her grief was too great to see that Willow was still alive. It wasn't until she felt the light touch on her wrist and the soft voice calling her name that she came back to the moment and looked at the pain-filled eyes of her friend.
"Oh God Willow, they're dead," Buffy rasped, her voice hoarse. "Xander, Dawn….they're gone. Just like Giles. And I don't remember what happened. It happened so fast…"
"Shhhh," Willow whispered, cutting Buffy off. "Don't worry about that now. There are other things to worry about. Things are coming Buffy. I can feel it in my bones. I can feel it in every fiber of my body. The Hellmouth – "
Willow coughed, her words cut off by it. She turned slightly to the side as drops of blood fell from her open mouth. Her vision dimmed slightly for a moment but she forced herself to stay conscious. She had to stay conscious, if only for a few minutes. "The Hellmouth is opening. I wasn't sure until now. It wants to eat this world whole."
"I'll take care of it Wills," Buffy said quickly, trying to reassure her friend. "You have to rest now. The ambulance is coming and they'll be able to help – "
Willow shook her head, even that small movement sending pain throughout her body. "No, Buffy. Not this time. I'm dying. They can't save me now."
"Yes they can Willow," Buffy whispered, almost pleaded. "They'll be able to save you. They have to."
But Willow didn't answer this time. Instead, with the last ounce of strength she had, she entwined her fingers with Buffy's. A warm, bright light enveloped their hands for a moment before it died away. Strength flowed into Buffy as Willow's hand slowly dropped to the ground.
Tears continued to pour down her cheeks as Buffy saw Willow take her last breath. As she stared at Willow's body, a familiar voice echoed in Buffy's head.
*I love you Buffy. You're one of my best friends. Stay safe. Be cautious. You have a long road ahead of you. We will watch over you*
Buffy barely noticed the medical workers running over to her from the ambulance. She didn't even notice as she was quickly led away, the doctors taking great care with her dislocated shoulder. And she certainly didn't notice the man standing in the small ground, fists clenched as he watched her walk to the ambulance. Completely alive.
Buffy sat upright in her bed, taking great gulps of air. She shook her head, trying to clear her head of the dream, not wanting to be reminded of the pain of her past. As she slowly crawled out of the bed, she noticed in shock that her one hand was glowing.
The same hand that Willow had grasped.
She stared at her hand for a moment, watching as the color faded. It was only remnants of the dream. It wasn't real.
Buffy picked up her watch, swearing softly when she noticed the time. In a flurry of movements, Buffy was dressed, had grabbed a coat, and was running out the door of her room.
As she ran towards the exit of the warehouse, she almost slammed into Blade. Only her Slayer reflexes caught her from doing so. He grabbed her arm as she attempted to run past him.
"Where are you going?" he asked. She glared at him as she snatched her arm away.
"To work. I do have a job, y'know."
"Be careful. You might get some unexpected visitors," Blade warned as she whirled around and rushed towards the door. With her hand barely touching the doorknob, she turned around and rolled her eyes at him.
"It's daytime," she said. "Sunlight kills vamps, remember?"
And with that, she was out the door. Blade watched her go, shaking his head at her hurried departure. "You'll be surprised then, blondie. Frost doesn't let a little sunlight bother him."