Author's Note: This is one of five Buffy fanfics I have written. The sixth and seventh are still being written, works in progress. I hope all of you like my story, as I have never shown them to anyone. The story takes place instead of the seventh season, after the season 6 finale. Please send me feedback and reviews, it would be great and mean a lot. Thanks
*~*~*~* Chapter One
Buffy Summers sighed as she looked around from her seat in the Magic Box. The vampire slayer looked older then her 21 years, as a melancholy frown seemed to be plastered on her face. Even the recent return of many of her friends, could not bring Buffy out of her slump. Willow had returned from England along with Giles and their old friend Michaela Tomasi. Faith had been sent to Sunnydale to be trained by Giles and Michaela. Xander and Anya had gotten back together and it seemed as if they were back to their old selves. Dawn had traveled to Spain to spend the year with her father and stepmother. The most surprising was Oz, who had come all the way from Hong Kong to see Willow.
Over the past three months, the group had evolved a lot, growing confident, strong and happy. The only one who hadn't evolved was Buffy, and no one seemed to have noticed. Even now as she sat in one of the wooden chairs set by the table in the new Magic Box, the others conducting a meeting about a recent attack, she seemed invisible. They seemed only to care about her when she was happy, then they seemed to get suspicious. But if they did notice her, Buffy just wanted to go off alone, away from them. No one came to her to talk; they all went to Giles or Michaela. Buffy bet that if she jumped off a cliff, they wouldn't even notice.
"Right, good idea Willow." Giles leaned up against the counter. "Faith, tonight you should patrol down by the docks."
"With the vamp activity rising, do you think she should go alone?" Xander and Anya stood behind the counter.
"Good point. You and Anya should go with her. Alright Faith?"
"Sure, G."
"Willow, what about you and Oz?"
"I have a gig at the bronze tonight." Oz stood behind Willow.
"And I have my Wicca meeting."
"Good, we all won't be in direct danger. Michaela and I will be at home tonight."
"Right. We'll research the cult and update you guys tomorrow." With the meeting over, the group drifted apart slowly, going on their way. Buffy suddenly felt like someone was watching her. When she looked up, Buffy saw Willow sitting on the stairs up to the dark magic books, watching her. But before Willow could call to her, Buffy got up and walked out of the store, ignoring everyone's stares.
Since they had been ignoring her, she really didn't feel like talking to them. "Probably just want to make sure I didn't dust any of Faith's vampires."
As Buffy stopped walking, she realized that she was standing in front of the hair salon. Suddenly an idea popped into her head. Smiling, Buffy walked into the salon, happier then she had been in a long time.