Reunion
Episode 3 (Part I)
Haynesville, Louisiana:
Buffy had gone off by herself tonight. Axel and his friends had gone off looking for vampires. As far as she knew, this was her new life. She wasn't about to start slaying vampires in this town. She wanted to leave her past behind her and now she could do it.
She was wandering around town, looking for stores to shop in. She needed some new clothes. After all, her stuff was gone. She had already bought a few things and was searching for somewhere to eat.
She wandered around until she finally found a small pizza parlor. She was starving and had a craving for pizza. She opened the door and saw something that she'd never thought she'd ever see again.
"Buffy?!?" Willow questioned, getting up for a table, "Oh my god, Buffy, it is you!"
Willow ran over and embraced her in a big hug. Buffy smiled.
"So much for forgetting my past," she said in her head.
Willow let go and Buffy noticed others, Faith, Xander, Kennedy, and Andrew. They all smiled, except for Xander. He seemed out of it.
"Hey B!" Faith exclaimed.
"Buffy, what are you doing here?" Willow questioned.
"It's a long story," she informed.
"Why don't you come on over and have a seat? You can tell us about it," Xander called, breaking out of his trance.
Buffy walked over to her friends, Willow followed. She pulled a chair over and sat down. Willow sat back down in her seat too.
"We thought we lost you back there, B," Faith told her.
"I thought I'd lost you guys forever," Buffy replied, "Where's Giles, Robin, and the others?"
"We'll explain after you tell us you're story," Xander said, fixing his eye patch.
"And start where we last saw you," Faith added.
"Alright," Buffy began, "Well, we all got out of the Hellmouth. Then I heard Spike call my name and realized he wasn't behind us. The amulet had him pinned in place and its power began destroying the cavern. I left him and I'm certain that he died. Well, I got out of the school and began chasing your bus. I jumped from roof to roof, but could catch up. I found a car and began driving after you. Then a building collapsed, blocking the road and I couldn't catch up. I found another way out of Sunnydale and discovered a deserted town somewhere. I was attacked by vampires, but some handsome young guy rescued me. We came here, since it's his hometown and I was wandering around here, buying things."
"You found a guy in the middle of the desert?" Faith questioned.
"Yeah, he's pretty cool," she replied.
"Does he know about you being the slayer?" Willow asked.
"No, although he's goal is to meet the slayer," she replied, "He slays vampires so that hopefully someday he will meet the slayer."
"Why didn't you tell him then?" Xander questioned.
"Well, I figured that I'd lost you guys forever and that I could start over," she said.
"Oh," Willow replied.
"Let's here your story," she said.
"Okay, well to tell you the truth," Xander began, "Something is wrong with Wood and Giles. They've been acting really weird. They purposely left you behind. We think something frightened them. Well when we got here last night, the five of us snuck off the bus and got a motel room."
"Something is wrong with them?" Buffy questioned.
"Yeah," Willow replied.
"Andrew thinks the First appeared before the Hellmouth collapsed and told them that you would kill everyone if they waited for you," Kennedy informed.
"And it's what we've been working off of for now," Faith added, "We have nothing else."
"It sounds like a reasonable explanation," Buffy said, "I should check it out, you know, investigate."
"No!" Xander yelled.
"Buffy, we can't risk them hurting you," Willow said.
"I'm the slayer," Buffy replied, "What's the worst those two could possibly do?"
"I dunno, B," Faith put in, "Wood knocked me out when I tried to get them to wait up for you."
"How'd he do that?" Buffy questioned.
"With a fire extinguisher," she answered.
"Oh," Buffy said, "Look, we have to find out what's wrong and help them. I guess I shouldn't try to avoid my past anymore. I will always be the slayer as long as I'm alive."
The others all nodded in agreement. They were glad that they found their friend.
"So B, what are we gonna meet this handsome vampire-slaying guy?" Faith asked.
"I'm not sure," she replied, "Why don't we all sleep on it?"
"Sounds good," Willow said.
"We'll meet up sometime later," Faith added.
"Alright, see you guys later," Buffy said.
She turned and headed out of the pizza parlor. She was tired, but was glad that she found her friends. She wondered what she was going to do about Axel. Could she tell him who she really was? She didn't know what to do.
Buffy walked down the street, towards Axel's place. She was almost there, when she bumped into some man wearing a leather duster. He fell on his back. Buffy walked over and helped him to his feet.
"Spike?" she questioned, looking at him up and down.
The man panicked and fled from her. Buffy took off after him. She knew that Spike had died, but was this really him? This man looked exactly like him. She was in love with Spike, but was she so in love that she was seeing him in other people.
The man ran into an alleyway and came to a tall wooden fence. He stopped and caught his breath. That woman, she had looked so familiar to him. A vision appeared in his head once again.
"We're not all gonna make it," Buffy said.
"Yeah, hey, always knew I'd go down fightin'," Spike replied.
"I'm counting on you…to protect her," she went on.
"Till the end of the world," he said, "Even if it happens to be tonight."
"I'll be a minute," she told him as she headed up the stairs.
"Yeah," he began, "I know you'll never love me. I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man. And that's…get your stuff, I'll be here."
The man gripped his head as he stared at the large wooden fence. He began to panic again. He knew that the woman was going to find him very soon. He was trying to remember. These visions were driving him crazy. He wondered if they were trying to tell him something.
"Buff...Slayer? Are you okay?" Spike questioned.
"I'm here," she answered, "I'm good."
"Buffy," Spike began, "If you're in…if you're in pain…or if you need anything…or if I can do anything for you…"
"You can't," she replied sternly.
"Well, I haven't been to a hell dimension just of late," he went on, "but I do know a thing or two about torment."
"I was happy," Buffy said, "Wherever I...was...I was happy. At peace. I knew that everyone I cared about was all right. I knew it. Time...didn't mean anything...nothing had form...but I was still me, you know? And I was warm...and I was loved...and I was finished. Complete. I don't understand about theology or dimensions, or...any of it, really...but I think I was in heaven. And now I'm not. I was torn out of there. Pulled out...by my friends. Everything here is...hard, and bright, and violent. Everything I feel, everything I touch...this is Hell. Just getting through the next moment, and the one after that...knowing what I've lost...They can never know. Never."
The man gripped his head and shouted in pain. The memories, they were all flooding back into him all at once. They were confusing him, making him go insane
"I'm sorry," Spike told her, "Not that it matters anymore, but I need you to know that."
"Why?" she questioned.
"Because I care about you," he replied.
"Then you might want to try not sleeping with my friends," she countered.
"I didn't go to Anya for that," he informed, "I was looking for a spell."
"You were going to use a spell on me?" she questioned.
"It wasn't for you. I wanted something," he went on, "Anything to make these feelings stop! You should have let him kill me."
"I couldn't do that," she replied.
"Why?" he asked.
"You know why," she answered.
"Because you love me," he answered his own question.
"No. I don't," she said.
"Why do you keep lying to yourself?" he asked.
"How many times do…I have feelings for you," she told him, "But it's not love. I could never trust you enough for it to be love."
"Trust is for old marrieds, Buffy," he said, "Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes."
"Until there's nothing left," she finished, "Real love like that doesn't last."
Spike came at her. He attempted to attack her.
"I'm gonna make you feel it," he shouted, knocking her against the bathtub, bruising her leg.
She began to cry in fear as she fought back. Finally she gathered up all her strength and kicked him backwards into the wall. She slowly rose to her feet.
"Ask me again why I could never love you!" she shouted, tears rolling down her face.
"Buffy, my god…I didn't," Spike said, trying to put together what had just happened.
"Because I stopped you!" she shouted, "Something I should have done a long time ago!"
The man cried out in horror as this final image flashed through his mind. He was horrified. He couldn't believe that he had done something like that to the woman he loved. Tears began to roll down his face.
"Spike!" Buffy called, turning into the alley.
The man gathered his strength and pulled himself up and over the wooden fence. Buffy watched in surprise as he disappeared over the fence. Now she would never know who that person was.
The Next Day:
"I'm glad to see you awake," Axel said as Buffy walked into the lobby of the store.
"Good morning," she said, brushing her hair away from her face.
"Sorry, we were out late last night," he apologized.
"It's all right," she replied, "I went out shopping, got a bite to eat, and came back here and went to bed."
"Sounded like fun," he said.
"Oh, it was," she said, "So how was the vampire killing last night?"
"It was slow," he answered, "There weren't really any vampires. It's like they're all afraid of something."
"I wonder what could scare them," she lied, thinking of the fact that Faith had probably already slain a vampire or two.
"You know, tonight, you should come with us," he told her, "Just to see what its like."
"I already know," she mumbled under her breath.
"What was that?" Axel questioned.
"Nothing," she lied, "I'll go. I have to go out for a little while."
Hotel Parking Lot:
"I cannot believe that Faith and the others left!" Giles shouted, "We should have suspected something!"
"Calm down, Rupert," Wood said, "We'll find them. It's a small town, shouldn't be hard to locate them."
"You're right," he said, "Although we should get information from the others."
Giles turned and faced the girls and Jake. He did not look very happy at all. The girls all trembled in fear. They didn't want to be hurt.
"Where are they, boy?" Giles demanded.
"You think I have any idea?" Jake questioned, "They never tell me anything."
"That's likely," Wood added, "Quit lying and save yourself from getting hurt."
"Hey! Come on, now!" Jake exclaimed, "I have nothing to do with this and neither do the girls. Don't take it out on us!"
"We'll do what we choose!" Giles snapped.
"Look, I don't know what happened to the two of you," Jake began, "But it's really starting to scare me."
"Nothing is wrong with us!" Wood snapped, "But something may end up being wrong with you if you don't tell us where Faith and the others went."
"I already told you!" Jake shouted, standing up, "I don't know!"
Giles swung his fist, knocking Jake back into the seat. Blood dripped from his nose. Julia screamed and rose to her feet. She grabbed Giles' fist just before he was about to punch Jake again.
"Stop!" she screamed, "Don't hurt him!"
"Oh and why not?" he asked.
"He didn't do anything to you, either of you!" she shouted, "Just leave him alone!"
Jake slowly stood up, rubbing his nose. It hurt a little, but he'd be okay.
"You know, I'm really starting to not like you," Jake commented.
That set Giles off once again. He brought back his fist and swung again. This time, it connected with his jaw. Jake fell into the seat, once again. He stood up and charged Giles. All this time, Wood stood at the front of the bus, watching this fight.
Both men fell to the ground. Jake brought his fist down and pummeled Giles in the face. He soon lost this upper hand and was flipped backwards. Jake skidded along the floor of the bus. Julia screamed in horror as she watched. Giles rose to his feet and walked towards Jake. Wood stepped forward and came up to Jake's other side. He was surrounded.
Giles grabbed him by the neck, tossing him into one of the seats. Julia screamed again. Jake gasped in pain. Now both Giles and Wood were standing in the front, ready to attack Jake again. Giles moved closer.
Just as he was about to punch Jake again, someone came crashing through the windshield. Giles and Wood were brought to the ground. Glass shattered everywhere. The girls, who were sitting in the back, stood up to see what had come through the windshield.
The person stood up. She had shoulder-length blond hair and looked very familiar.
"Just because you're both friends, doesn't mean I won't hurt you," Buffy said.
TO BE CONTINUED