A Light in the Darkness
Chapter Two: Awakenings Summary: What happens after Chosen...my way. Rating: PG-13
Buffy awoke to Xander standing above her, goofy grin on his face. "Buffster, you were snoring." He said with a smile. Buffy playfully swatted at his hand, before jumping to her feet.
"Wow. I fell back asleep. Didn't think that would happen. What time is it?" she asked, concern on the edge of her voice.
"The clock on the wrist says..." Xander paused, squinting at his watch, "9 a.m." Buffy shoved her disheveled hair out of her eyes and gave a stunned look.
"We need to pack up, get going." Buffy said, looking at all the slumbering slayers. "Need to take those still hurt to the hospital, find us a place of residence. And for the love of all that's holy, I need a shower. Turok Han blood-ewwww." She said, pout on her lips. Xander laughed before pulling a surprised Buffy in for a hug.
"We made it. Can you believe it, Buffy? I thought we lost you again, for a moment I thought we lost everything...but we came out on top...with a few casualties granted..." Xander trailed with much bereavement. She knew he was thinking of Anya, causing her to think of her own loss. Buffy pulled Xander closer, burying her face in his shirt.
"Hey, we'll get through this together, okay?" She assured him, although she knew it'd still be the most difficult thing she'd ever do. Rebuilding their lives would be a trying task. Xander rested his chin on her bent head, sighing, before releasing her.
"I really hope you're right." He said. So did Buffy.
After another hour of rousing the natives and packing the various items salvaged from Sunnydale before the battle, the bus was loaded and the band of travelers was ready to go. Dawn and Buffy sat together, talking about nothing in particular, just trying to keep their worried minds at bay. "Man, we lost all that clothing and...um, the house." Dawn whined, sending Buffy into giggles.
"I know! That wardrobe took me at least seven years to establish! It's hard to find slaying friendly footwear." Buffy joked, Dawn's turn to smile.
"So...where do we go from here? Should we go find Angel?" Dawn asked, the thoughts racing through her mind getting the best of her.
"No. No Angel" Buffy replied quickly and crisply. She couldn't take that just yet. "For now, we've got money. We rent an apartment somewhere, and go from there. All the girls need to go back home. Giles...he'll probably go back to England, with the Watcher's Council all kablooey." Buffy added, trying to mentally piece the answers together. "Other than that, I really don't know. You finish school. I get a job. Something like that." Buffy tried to give Dawn what she wanted to hear.
"So, normal life for you? No slaying, just working?" Dawn asked.
"I don't know, Dawn. It's the day after. I really don't have any answers. I'm still a slayer, I still have to slay...I guess." Buffy muttered, trying to get away from Dawn's prying questions. Luckily, Andrew walked down the isle, offering a nice, long game of Dungeons and Dragons to pass the time. "Go, play...it'll take your mind off things." Buffy urged, pushing Dawn off the seat. Dawn gave Buffy the death stare, but walked to the back of the bus.
Buffy sighed in relief; the questioning was just so intense. She rested her head against the cool glass, wondering what really was the next step. Giles had already begun arranging flights home for the girls, contacting their parents and explaining what had happened. Willow hadn't said too much, she was spending a lot of time with Kennedy. Xander had his own mourning to do. Andrew...well, was being Andrew. Faith and the former Principal Wood had been spending every free second together. Willow had healed Wood as best she could after being so drained from her spell, but he wasn't in the clear yet. Buffy laughed at the thought of Faith playing nursemaid to him, it was more like naughty nurse if Faith was involved...Shoving that graphic image from her mind, Buffy closed her eyes.
She was falling...drifting into a deep, dark sea. The cold water enveloped her, her clothes sticking to her body like a second skin. Buffy thrashed wildly, trying to reach the surface, but it was just so far away. She tried to cry out, but only a stream of bubbles left her lips. The edges of her world grew dim, and Buffy gave up on struggling...so tired...tired of everything...sleep...now. Suddenly two strong hands grabbed her and hauled her to the surface, gagging and choking. The light was blinding, and Buffy had to shield her eyes as the hands held her up, supporting her. She squinted through her fingers, trying to identify the rescuer. No such luck. Turning away, Buffy looked to the shore of the deep sea. Desert. Standing in the desert was Tara, much as she had been when Buffy had met the first slayer long ago. "Tara?" Buffy asked, very confused.
"Yes. I have a message for you. It's quite complicated, but with time everything will be revealed, Buffy" Tara said, kindness pouring from her voice. Buffy reveled in the sound; she had missed Tara just as much as the next person. "He can't stay here, Buffy. He's paid his debt; the slate has been wiped clean. Hell cannot keep him, and neither can Heaven. He must come back. He will be as he once was...and you must protect him, teach him in the ways of the world. But, you will not find him here...not in your dreams. Not now. The time is not right. Keep your eyes open, Buffy. You will know when. The signs will lead you to him. I'm sorry I can't be clearer, but you will find out what my message means soon enough. He will come to you when you need him most Buffy. Your fates are intertwined. I have seen it. Take heart." Tara said, a placid smile on her pink lips. Buffy couldn't help smile despite the confusion. She knew Tara must be speaking about Spike, but she wasn't sure how to find him.
"How will I know?" Buffy asked, calling across the lake.
"Faith. Hope. Love...these three things will lead you." Tara replied, turning and walking away into the sunset. "And Buffy, tell Willow I love her..." Tara said over her shoulder, a sad smile crossing her face. Buffy's heart ached at the look.
"I will, Tara...and thank you." Buffy said, still squinting from the white light. She turned back to the blinding figure. "Reveal yourself." She commanded, voice stern. Nothing. "Reveal him!" Buffy pleaded towards the sky. "I need to know, need to see." She cried, echoing across the lake. The light lifted, and a look of pure confusing passed her face as she stared at Spike as she had never seen him before. His face matched hers, his surprise just as genuine. Buffy reached her hand out to trail it down his face- and suddenly woke up. With a frustrated cry, Buffy threw her hands in the air. So close...
"Stop the bus, Giles. We need a break. Where are we?" Buffy asked, mood turned foul since the dream had passed.
"We're quite near Las Vegas, actually" Giles said, pulling into the gas station. He turned to all those in the back. "Okay, 15 minutes. Meet back here, please!" Giles said to the girls who were already piling off the bus. It was like a field trip gone wrong. Giles looked at Buffy, noting her unhappy disposition. "Buffy, what's wrong?" Giles asked, knowing her well.
"Nothing...everything." Buffy reluctantly admitted. "It's these dreams I keep having. Twice now I've had prophetic dreams...all about Spike. He's not dead. Or at least not for long...Tara wasn't very specific." Buffy mumbled.
"Tara? Whatever are you talking about?" Giles said, concerned a little bit about Buffy.
"Yes, Tara. Don't look at me like I should be in the funny farm. She delivered a message to me from The Powers that Be. Something like Spike can't be contained in Heaven or Hell, so he's coming back here. But, not yet...and faith, hope, and love will lead me to him. Tara said our fates are entwined. I don't understand, but she said I wouldn't...go figure. I'm just really scared, Giles. I know Spike died. I saw him!" Buffy said, upset at the thoughts. Giles put a protective arm around her.
"Buffy. It's okay. I know we're all going to have to adjust...but we'll all make it. Whatever The Powers meant will be revealed in time, I'm sure of it." Giles assured her. Buffy felt that he still didn't understand, but accepted the cold comfort.
"Yeah..." Buffy sighed, walking down the stairs. She needed some caffeine, sleep sounded like the last thing she wanted to do ever again. A/N: These first few chapters are just building up the plot. I know it's a bit confusing so far...but please bear with me. For those who reviewed, I can't get it to show up on lovely ff.net...haha. But, thanks( I'll be writing more soon.
Chapter Two: Awakenings Summary: What happens after Chosen...my way. Rating: PG-13
Buffy awoke to Xander standing above her, goofy grin on his face. "Buffster, you were snoring." He said with a smile. Buffy playfully swatted at his hand, before jumping to her feet.
"Wow. I fell back asleep. Didn't think that would happen. What time is it?" she asked, concern on the edge of her voice.
"The clock on the wrist says..." Xander paused, squinting at his watch, "9 a.m." Buffy shoved her disheveled hair out of her eyes and gave a stunned look.
"We need to pack up, get going." Buffy said, looking at all the slumbering slayers. "Need to take those still hurt to the hospital, find us a place of residence. And for the love of all that's holy, I need a shower. Turok Han blood-ewwww." She said, pout on her lips. Xander laughed before pulling a surprised Buffy in for a hug.
"We made it. Can you believe it, Buffy? I thought we lost you again, for a moment I thought we lost everything...but we came out on top...with a few casualties granted..." Xander trailed with much bereavement. She knew he was thinking of Anya, causing her to think of her own loss. Buffy pulled Xander closer, burying her face in his shirt.
"Hey, we'll get through this together, okay?" She assured him, although she knew it'd still be the most difficult thing she'd ever do. Rebuilding their lives would be a trying task. Xander rested his chin on her bent head, sighing, before releasing her.
"I really hope you're right." He said. So did Buffy.
After another hour of rousing the natives and packing the various items salvaged from Sunnydale before the battle, the bus was loaded and the band of travelers was ready to go. Dawn and Buffy sat together, talking about nothing in particular, just trying to keep their worried minds at bay. "Man, we lost all that clothing and...um, the house." Dawn whined, sending Buffy into giggles.
"I know! That wardrobe took me at least seven years to establish! It's hard to find slaying friendly footwear." Buffy joked, Dawn's turn to smile.
"So...where do we go from here? Should we go find Angel?" Dawn asked, the thoughts racing through her mind getting the best of her.
"No. No Angel" Buffy replied quickly and crisply. She couldn't take that just yet. "For now, we've got money. We rent an apartment somewhere, and go from there. All the girls need to go back home. Giles...he'll probably go back to England, with the Watcher's Council all kablooey." Buffy added, trying to mentally piece the answers together. "Other than that, I really don't know. You finish school. I get a job. Something like that." Buffy tried to give Dawn what she wanted to hear.
"So, normal life for you? No slaying, just working?" Dawn asked.
"I don't know, Dawn. It's the day after. I really don't have any answers. I'm still a slayer, I still have to slay...I guess." Buffy muttered, trying to get away from Dawn's prying questions. Luckily, Andrew walked down the isle, offering a nice, long game of Dungeons and Dragons to pass the time. "Go, play...it'll take your mind off things." Buffy urged, pushing Dawn off the seat. Dawn gave Buffy the death stare, but walked to the back of the bus.
Buffy sighed in relief; the questioning was just so intense. She rested her head against the cool glass, wondering what really was the next step. Giles had already begun arranging flights home for the girls, contacting their parents and explaining what had happened. Willow hadn't said too much, she was spending a lot of time with Kennedy. Xander had his own mourning to do. Andrew...well, was being Andrew. Faith and the former Principal Wood had been spending every free second together. Willow had healed Wood as best she could after being so drained from her spell, but he wasn't in the clear yet. Buffy laughed at the thought of Faith playing nursemaid to him, it was more like naughty nurse if Faith was involved...Shoving that graphic image from her mind, Buffy closed her eyes.
She was falling...drifting into a deep, dark sea. The cold water enveloped her, her clothes sticking to her body like a second skin. Buffy thrashed wildly, trying to reach the surface, but it was just so far away. She tried to cry out, but only a stream of bubbles left her lips. The edges of her world grew dim, and Buffy gave up on struggling...so tired...tired of everything...sleep...now. Suddenly two strong hands grabbed her and hauled her to the surface, gagging and choking. The light was blinding, and Buffy had to shield her eyes as the hands held her up, supporting her. She squinted through her fingers, trying to identify the rescuer. No such luck. Turning away, Buffy looked to the shore of the deep sea. Desert. Standing in the desert was Tara, much as she had been when Buffy had met the first slayer long ago. "Tara?" Buffy asked, very confused.
"Yes. I have a message for you. It's quite complicated, but with time everything will be revealed, Buffy" Tara said, kindness pouring from her voice. Buffy reveled in the sound; she had missed Tara just as much as the next person. "He can't stay here, Buffy. He's paid his debt; the slate has been wiped clean. Hell cannot keep him, and neither can Heaven. He must come back. He will be as he once was...and you must protect him, teach him in the ways of the world. But, you will not find him here...not in your dreams. Not now. The time is not right. Keep your eyes open, Buffy. You will know when. The signs will lead you to him. I'm sorry I can't be clearer, but you will find out what my message means soon enough. He will come to you when you need him most Buffy. Your fates are intertwined. I have seen it. Take heart." Tara said, a placid smile on her pink lips. Buffy couldn't help smile despite the confusion. She knew Tara must be speaking about Spike, but she wasn't sure how to find him.
"How will I know?" Buffy asked, calling across the lake.
"Faith. Hope. Love...these three things will lead you." Tara replied, turning and walking away into the sunset. "And Buffy, tell Willow I love her..." Tara said over her shoulder, a sad smile crossing her face. Buffy's heart ached at the look.
"I will, Tara...and thank you." Buffy said, still squinting from the white light. She turned back to the blinding figure. "Reveal yourself." She commanded, voice stern. Nothing. "Reveal him!" Buffy pleaded towards the sky. "I need to know, need to see." She cried, echoing across the lake. The light lifted, and a look of pure confusing passed her face as she stared at Spike as she had never seen him before. His face matched hers, his surprise just as genuine. Buffy reached her hand out to trail it down his face- and suddenly woke up. With a frustrated cry, Buffy threw her hands in the air. So close...
"Stop the bus, Giles. We need a break. Where are we?" Buffy asked, mood turned foul since the dream had passed.
"We're quite near Las Vegas, actually" Giles said, pulling into the gas station. He turned to all those in the back. "Okay, 15 minutes. Meet back here, please!" Giles said to the girls who were already piling off the bus. It was like a field trip gone wrong. Giles looked at Buffy, noting her unhappy disposition. "Buffy, what's wrong?" Giles asked, knowing her well.
"Nothing...everything." Buffy reluctantly admitted. "It's these dreams I keep having. Twice now I've had prophetic dreams...all about Spike. He's not dead. Or at least not for long...Tara wasn't very specific." Buffy mumbled.
"Tara? Whatever are you talking about?" Giles said, concerned a little bit about Buffy.
"Yes, Tara. Don't look at me like I should be in the funny farm. She delivered a message to me from The Powers that Be. Something like Spike can't be contained in Heaven or Hell, so he's coming back here. But, not yet...and faith, hope, and love will lead me to him. Tara said our fates are entwined. I don't understand, but she said I wouldn't...go figure. I'm just really scared, Giles. I know Spike died. I saw him!" Buffy said, upset at the thoughts. Giles put a protective arm around her.
"Buffy. It's okay. I know we're all going to have to adjust...but we'll all make it. Whatever The Powers meant will be revealed in time, I'm sure of it." Giles assured her. Buffy felt that he still didn't understand, but accepted the cold comfort.
"Yeah..." Buffy sighed, walking down the stairs. She needed some caffeine, sleep sounded like the last thing she wanted to do ever again. A/N: These first few chapters are just building up the plot. I know it's a bit confusing so far...but please bear with me. For those who reviewed, I can't get it to show up on lovely ff.net...haha. But, thanks( I'll be writing more soon.