L.A.
'It's a big office, why does it feel so cramped?' Angel mused as he looked around the room. Everyone had just settled down 15 minutes ago after an overwhelming and teary welcome and then nearly disastrous arrival of 'ghost Spike'. Angel sighed as he tried to forget that and looked around the room again. Everyone was soo damn silent. They were all afraid to be the first to speak. They all had the same thought on their mind...
Willow.
Angel was afraid to speak first as well. He was afraid...no he was terrified to know what was going on. Wesley refused to tell any of them anything...not until Buffy, Dawn, Giles, Xander, Robin, and Faith all arrived from the airport. And now they were all here, all refusing to speak or look one another in the eye. The tension in the room was unbearable. OK Angel steeled himself. I'm gonna talk first, I'll break this silence... I'll...
"I bet your all wondering where Willow is"
Buffy! Buffy had been THE most silent of the group since their arrival, but she was the first to break the silence of the group. Curious...No one answered her and Angel leaned back in his chair and waited for her to continue.
"I know where she is, and I'm going to be completely honest with all of you. I'll tell you everything... a few nights ago I had a prophecy dream...but I didn't tell anyone about it" Buffy paused to look at Wesley before continuing. "I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want anyone to prevent it."
Everyone started yelling at Buffy, asking her why, why, why. But with tears in her eyes she raised her hand and they settled down.
"I – I didn't want anyone to prevent it because it was a good prophecy dream. There was no evil, no violence, and no apocalypses." She took a deep breath and continued. "Willow told me after Kennedy ran off with that other slayer that she had called Willow a goddess after she activated the potentials. Well in the dream I had there were these creepy guys in cloaks trying to suck magic out of the crater that used to be the hellmouth and every one of us was fighting. Then I could see Willow doing a spell to cloak the magic of the hellmouth permanently and get rid of the bad guys. But they also kill her. But because of the spell she does and the fact that she dies she becomes a real life goddess. Who doesn't return to us."
"Buffy.." Giles tried to interject.
"I thought that if I didn't tell anyone, and told her only a half truth then she would be safe and she wouldn't have to die, "Buffy was starting to cry hard now. "I thought that if I sent her now to cloak the hellmouth then we could avoid the creepy guys all together...and I didn't want anyone to die, we've already lost too many...and I'm afraid to go back there...I'm afraid.... I just don't want anyone else to die..." Buffy completely broke down in huge raking sobs.
Dawn and Xander both leaned over to hug Buffy. 'God' Angel thought. 'This wasn't Buffy. The Buffy he knew was stronger then this.' It chilled him to think that someone so strong could be so fragile. He walked over to her, knelt down, and lightly placed his hand under her chin and raised it slowly so that they were looking eye to eye.
"Buffy," he said softly. "I know you're scared, and I know that you did what you thought was right. But I think that we should put everything behind us for now and just concentrate on getting Willow back...OK...She's probably still alright...Cordy's vision was most likely the PTB giving us a residual of your dream. So what do you say? Should we just take a little trip and see if she's still there? She's probably on her way back to Italy right now and will laugh at us once she gets back and finds out what's going on. She'll just laugh at us for over reacting like this."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Buffy said with now dry eyes. We'll wait until tomorrow morning and if she hasn't made it back to Italy and we can't find her we'll go back to the hellmouth."
Angel just gave her a sad smile and hugged her. Meanwhile Giles drifted over to where Lorne and Wesley were standing by themselves.
"I have heard ever prophetic dream that Buffy has ever had but that by far was the most detailed one."
"I agree, the little muffin isn't telling us the truth, but I don't think it's her fault, she simply doesn't realise that these are lies."
"Do you believe that someone has been planting dreams in Buffy's mind Mr.Giles?"
"Perhaps, but if someone has, WHO, why, and what does it have to do with Willow?"
'It's a big office, why does it feel so cramped?' Angel mused as he looked around the room. Everyone had just settled down 15 minutes ago after an overwhelming and teary welcome and then nearly disastrous arrival of 'ghost Spike'. Angel sighed as he tried to forget that and looked around the room again. Everyone was soo damn silent. They were all afraid to be the first to speak. They all had the same thought on their mind...
Willow.
Angel was afraid to speak first as well. He was afraid...no he was terrified to know what was going on. Wesley refused to tell any of them anything...not until Buffy, Dawn, Giles, Xander, Robin, and Faith all arrived from the airport. And now they were all here, all refusing to speak or look one another in the eye. The tension in the room was unbearable. OK Angel steeled himself. I'm gonna talk first, I'll break this silence... I'll...
"I bet your all wondering where Willow is"
Buffy! Buffy had been THE most silent of the group since their arrival, but she was the first to break the silence of the group. Curious...No one answered her and Angel leaned back in his chair and waited for her to continue.
"I know where she is, and I'm going to be completely honest with all of you. I'll tell you everything... a few nights ago I had a prophecy dream...but I didn't tell anyone about it" Buffy paused to look at Wesley before continuing. "I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want anyone to prevent it."
Everyone started yelling at Buffy, asking her why, why, why. But with tears in her eyes she raised her hand and they settled down.
"I – I didn't want anyone to prevent it because it was a good prophecy dream. There was no evil, no violence, and no apocalypses." She took a deep breath and continued. "Willow told me after Kennedy ran off with that other slayer that she had called Willow a goddess after she activated the potentials. Well in the dream I had there were these creepy guys in cloaks trying to suck magic out of the crater that used to be the hellmouth and every one of us was fighting. Then I could see Willow doing a spell to cloak the magic of the hellmouth permanently and get rid of the bad guys. But they also kill her. But because of the spell she does and the fact that she dies she becomes a real life goddess. Who doesn't return to us."
"Buffy.." Giles tried to interject.
"I thought that if I didn't tell anyone, and told her only a half truth then she would be safe and she wouldn't have to die, "Buffy was starting to cry hard now. "I thought that if I sent her now to cloak the hellmouth then we could avoid the creepy guys all together...and I didn't want anyone to die, we've already lost too many...and I'm afraid to go back there...I'm afraid.... I just don't want anyone else to die..." Buffy completely broke down in huge raking sobs.
Dawn and Xander both leaned over to hug Buffy. 'God' Angel thought. 'This wasn't Buffy. The Buffy he knew was stronger then this.' It chilled him to think that someone so strong could be so fragile. He walked over to her, knelt down, and lightly placed his hand under her chin and raised it slowly so that they were looking eye to eye.
"Buffy," he said softly. "I know you're scared, and I know that you did what you thought was right. But I think that we should put everything behind us for now and just concentrate on getting Willow back...OK...She's probably still alright...Cordy's vision was most likely the PTB giving us a residual of your dream. So what do you say? Should we just take a little trip and see if she's still there? She's probably on her way back to Italy right now and will laugh at us once she gets back and finds out what's going on. She'll just laugh at us for over reacting like this."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Buffy said with now dry eyes. We'll wait until tomorrow morning and if she hasn't made it back to Italy and we can't find her we'll go back to the hellmouth."
Angel just gave her a sad smile and hugged her. Meanwhile Giles drifted over to where Lorne and Wesley were standing by themselves.
"I have heard ever prophetic dream that Buffy has ever had but that by far was the most detailed one."
"I agree, the little muffin isn't telling us the truth, but I don't think it's her fault, she simply doesn't realise that these are lies."
"Do you believe that someone has been planting dreams in Buffy's mind Mr.Giles?"
"Perhaps, but if someone has, WHO, why, and what does it have to do with Willow?"