A few months later. . . . .
Faith and a number of the newly activated slayers had moved on to Cleveland. It had been decided that they would be needed as soon as possible.
Surprisingly, the authorities had little interested in re-incarcerating Faith. They had had their hands full and the parole board had met with her and freed her under a few conditions. Wood had gone with them. In his mind, they would need a strong male figure and he was just the guy to fill that post.
Buffy and the Scoobies had chosen to go in search of other potentials. They had all moved together. Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander had set up shop so to speak. They would send the girls on to Cleveland as they found them. Faith and Wood had set up a sort of Slayer training school for girls and they had the room to accommodate the many girls.
Kennedy had decided that the hellmouth was where the action was and she needed to be there. She had been kind of iffy about being in the middle of the close-knit group yet still being on the outside.
The four had grown close again. They had taken a couple of weeks to mourn and get themselves back as close to normal as they had ever been, and then they had ended up in a small town just south of Sunndydale. This town was not so used to demons, magics, and the supernatural. Back to the secret identity. There really was no reason to alarm these people. They weren't staying any one place very long anyway.
"Buffy!" Dawn yelled from downstairs. "Giles called, he said he'd be home in about an hour." God, where did she get those lungs?
"OK, I'll be down in a minute."
Stepping out of the shower, she pulled her robe on. Standing in front of the mirror, wiping away the moisture, she took a long look at herself. She had actually put on a few pounds. The dark circles weren't there any longer. Oh, they were bloodshot every now and then, she could only hold it in so long before the grief overwhelmed her and she had to vent. Giles hadn't said anything, but he had to know. She still hadn't told anyone the details Spike's demise. Dawn had ask once, Buffy had gone all teary eyed and she backed off and left it alone.
Giles had been researching at the local library. There wasn't much to search through, but it was better than sitting in that house with the two of them tearing up every time he said anything remotely British.
His next stop would be England. He wasn't sure how well that would go. He hadn't told Buffy or the others he would be going. He would have to tonight. A friend of his had survived the First's attack on the council and had found an archive that was kept hidden deep underneath the building. It had been discovered when the rubble was cleared to begin construction again. After days of sorting through, he had come upon a section he thought Giles might want to see. No word on what it contained. Buffy and the scoobies would have to go on to Cleveland without him.
"What's for dinner?" Buffy asked as she descended the stairs.
"Chinese, I was getting sick of pizza." Dawn answered as she opened containers.
"Is that even possible?"
"What?"
"A teenager sick of pizza."
"Only on rare occasions."
"Buffy? Dawn? I'm home." Dropping his case on the sofa he headed to the kitchen. He always found those two in there. How could they each so much and stay so thin? There they sat, munching away.
"Hey Giles. Anything exciting at the library?" Buffy looked at him with a smirk. Nothing was ever exciting at the library.
"No, nothing new." He had never understood her need for sarcasm. "Are Willow and Xander back yet?"
"No, they're not back, should be any minute."
" Are you packed yet?"
"Almost finished, have a few things left to rewrap for travel then I'm on the road again girl."
"Chka" Dawn made that gag sound, that was such a lame joke, and it hadn't gotten any better since the last 3 times she used it. She would be so glad to finally get somewhere and stay put for a while. Even if it was on a hellmouth.
The house was quiet, everyone was asleep. Well, almost everyone. Buffy sat Indian style on the sofa. Tissues in one hand, spoon full of ice cream in the other. She had been a Travolta fan for a long time, but had never seen this movie. Urban Cowboy. It had sounded lame, but there wasn't anything else on and she couldn't sleep.
It was the wedding scene; she had always been a sucker for weddings. There they were, twirling around to that song. Could I have this dance, for the rest of your life . . . would you be my partner, e-e-vry night . . . . her thoughts wondered away
Dancing. That's what he said they had been doing. He was right of course. It had been a finely choreographed dance they had done. Almost as if someone somewhere was writing it all out. Like they had spent years working to get it just right. What she wouldn't give to have him know that. He loved to be right.
She drifted to their final moments together. When she closed her eyes she could almost feel his hand, and the warmth of the flame. Warm, not burning hot. The one and only time she had told him the truth, had said it outloud. I told him. I know he knew I meant it. It was just his way of getting the last word in, I hope.
She was standing in the hellmouth again. This had to be a dream, it had been destroyed and there he stood. Only this time he wasn't in pain, no light burning through him. He reached out his hand; she quickly took it in hers. His skin was warm! "Buffy, I love you too."
She awoke with a jerk. What was that? Her skin was all clammy. She got up, turned the TV off. It was just static now. I need a shower, need to clear my head. Upstairs she went. The shower felt good and she fell over on her bed still wrapped in her robe and she was out.
The next morning
Voices coming from downstairs woke her. Xander, Willow, Dawn, and Giles. What were they talking about? Him not going with them? Who not going?
Entering the kitchen to the smell of donuts and coffee she went to get herself something.
"Buffy, Giles is not going with us!"
"Dawn, what are you talking about?"
"Buffy, I was going to tell you all together, but Xander answered the phone this morning and took a message about my flight number."
"Buff, we had discussed this and had planned to tell you first thing this morning, but Dawn overheard us talking and things kind of got out of hand." Xander came around and place a hand on her arm to steady her.
"Giles, what is going on?" Buffy questioned.
"A colleague of mine in London has found an archive deep under the Council's headquarters; he thought they might be helpful to us in our efforts to rebuild the council."
"When are you leaving? How long will you be gone?" Buffy sat down with her coffee.
"First thing in the morning, and I'm not sure, he said all the documents had survived the blast and were in excellent condition, but most needed to be translated."
"Do you want me to come with? I can help research." Willow was in some need of book work.
"No Willow, but I would ask you to show me how to use that flat thing. We need to keep in touch and that seems to be a fast easy way."
"It's called a laptop Giles, and I can show you this afternoon."
"You better come back" Dawn hugged him and headed to her room to finish packing "And don't forget presents" she got in as she ascended the stairs. Giles just smiled.
"Well, if you gotta go. . . guess you gotta go." When had Xander had become the voice of reason?
"Buffy I will return as soon as is feasibly possible."
Buffy walked to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest.
"Be careful."
"I will, and I'll keep in touch as much as possible. Promise."
The rest of the day was spent surrounded by boxes and papers. Xander and Willow had finished their rooms and had started on the kitchen.
Buffy hadn't gotten as good a start. She had started several times only to find something that reminded her of him. The underwear she had recovered from his crypt after he had left last summer. The ashtray he kept in her room that he thought she didn't know about.
She finally finished her room; the last things were pictures of Joyce that couldn't be replaced, and Mr. Gordo of course. Heading down stairs to help she put her last box on the stack in the living room. They would be leaving in the morning. That was going to be a long drive.
Faith and a number of the newly activated slayers had moved on to Cleveland. It had been decided that they would be needed as soon as possible.
Surprisingly, the authorities had little interested in re-incarcerating Faith. They had had their hands full and the parole board had met with her and freed her under a few conditions. Wood had gone with them. In his mind, they would need a strong male figure and he was just the guy to fill that post.
Buffy and the Scoobies had chosen to go in search of other potentials. They had all moved together. Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander had set up shop so to speak. They would send the girls on to Cleveland as they found them. Faith and Wood had set up a sort of Slayer training school for girls and they had the room to accommodate the many girls.
Kennedy had decided that the hellmouth was where the action was and she needed to be there. She had been kind of iffy about being in the middle of the close-knit group yet still being on the outside.
The four had grown close again. They had taken a couple of weeks to mourn and get themselves back as close to normal as they had ever been, and then they had ended up in a small town just south of Sunndydale. This town was not so used to demons, magics, and the supernatural. Back to the secret identity. There really was no reason to alarm these people. They weren't staying any one place very long anyway.
"Buffy!" Dawn yelled from downstairs. "Giles called, he said he'd be home in about an hour." God, where did she get those lungs?
"OK, I'll be down in a minute."
Stepping out of the shower, she pulled her robe on. Standing in front of the mirror, wiping away the moisture, she took a long look at herself. She had actually put on a few pounds. The dark circles weren't there any longer. Oh, they were bloodshot every now and then, she could only hold it in so long before the grief overwhelmed her and she had to vent. Giles hadn't said anything, but he had to know. She still hadn't told anyone the details Spike's demise. Dawn had ask once, Buffy had gone all teary eyed and she backed off and left it alone.
Giles had been researching at the local library. There wasn't much to search through, but it was better than sitting in that house with the two of them tearing up every time he said anything remotely British.
His next stop would be England. He wasn't sure how well that would go. He hadn't told Buffy or the others he would be going. He would have to tonight. A friend of his had survived the First's attack on the council and had found an archive that was kept hidden deep underneath the building. It had been discovered when the rubble was cleared to begin construction again. After days of sorting through, he had come upon a section he thought Giles might want to see. No word on what it contained. Buffy and the scoobies would have to go on to Cleveland without him.
"What's for dinner?" Buffy asked as she descended the stairs.
"Chinese, I was getting sick of pizza." Dawn answered as she opened containers.
"Is that even possible?"
"What?"
"A teenager sick of pizza."
"Only on rare occasions."
"Buffy? Dawn? I'm home." Dropping his case on the sofa he headed to the kitchen. He always found those two in there. How could they each so much and stay so thin? There they sat, munching away.
"Hey Giles. Anything exciting at the library?" Buffy looked at him with a smirk. Nothing was ever exciting at the library.
"No, nothing new." He had never understood her need for sarcasm. "Are Willow and Xander back yet?"
"No, they're not back, should be any minute."
" Are you packed yet?"
"Almost finished, have a few things left to rewrap for travel then I'm on the road again girl."
"Chka" Dawn made that gag sound, that was such a lame joke, and it hadn't gotten any better since the last 3 times she used it. She would be so glad to finally get somewhere and stay put for a while. Even if it was on a hellmouth.
The house was quiet, everyone was asleep. Well, almost everyone. Buffy sat Indian style on the sofa. Tissues in one hand, spoon full of ice cream in the other. She had been a Travolta fan for a long time, but had never seen this movie. Urban Cowboy. It had sounded lame, but there wasn't anything else on and she couldn't sleep.
It was the wedding scene; she had always been a sucker for weddings. There they were, twirling around to that song. Could I have this dance, for the rest of your life . . . would you be my partner, e-e-vry night . . . . her thoughts wondered away
Dancing. That's what he said they had been doing. He was right of course. It had been a finely choreographed dance they had done. Almost as if someone somewhere was writing it all out. Like they had spent years working to get it just right. What she wouldn't give to have him know that. He loved to be right.
She drifted to their final moments together. When she closed her eyes she could almost feel his hand, and the warmth of the flame. Warm, not burning hot. The one and only time she had told him the truth, had said it outloud. I told him. I know he knew I meant it. It was just his way of getting the last word in, I hope.
She was standing in the hellmouth again. This had to be a dream, it had been destroyed and there he stood. Only this time he wasn't in pain, no light burning through him. He reached out his hand; she quickly took it in hers. His skin was warm! "Buffy, I love you too."
She awoke with a jerk. What was that? Her skin was all clammy. She got up, turned the TV off. It was just static now. I need a shower, need to clear my head. Upstairs she went. The shower felt good and she fell over on her bed still wrapped in her robe and she was out.
The next morning
Voices coming from downstairs woke her. Xander, Willow, Dawn, and Giles. What were they talking about? Him not going with them? Who not going?
Entering the kitchen to the smell of donuts and coffee she went to get herself something.
"Buffy, Giles is not going with us!"
"Dawn, what are you talking about?"
"Buffy, I was going to tell you all together, but Xander answered the phone this morning and took a message about my flight number."
"Buff, we had discussed this and had planned to tell you first thing this morning, but Dawn overheard us talking and things kind of got out of hand." Xander came around and place a hand on her arm to steady her.
"Giles, what is going on?" Buffy questioned.
"A colleague of mine in London has found an archive deep under the Council's headquarters; he thought they might be helpful to us in our efforts to rebuild the council."
"When are you leaving? How long will you be gone?" Buffy sat down with her coffee.
"First thing in the morning, and I'm not sure, he said all the documents had survived the blast and were in excellent condition, but most needed to be translated."
"Do you want me to come with? I can help research." Willow was in some need of book work.
"No Willow, but I would ask you to show me how to use that flat thing. We need to keep in touch and that seems to be a fast easy way."
"It's called a laptop Giles, and I can show you this afternoon."
"You better come back" Dawn hugged him and headed to her room to finish packing "And don't forget presents" she got in as she ascended the stairs. Giles just smiled.
"Well, if you gotta go. . . guess you gotta go." When had Xander had become the voice of reason?
"Buffy I will return as soon as is feasibly possible."
Buffy walked to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest.
"Be careful."
"I will, and I'll keep in touch as much as possible. Promise."
The rest of the day was spent surrounded by boxes and papers. Xander and Willow had finished their rooms and had started on the kitchen.
Buffy hadn't gotten as good a start. She had started several times only to find something that reminded her of him. The underwear she had recovered from his crypt after he had left last summer. The ashtray he kept in her room that he thought she didn't know about.
She finally finished her room; the last things were pictures of Joyce that couldn't be replaced, and Mr. Gordo of course. Heading down stairs to help she put her last box on the stack in the living room. They would be leaving in the morning. That was going to be a long drive.