Tonight and the rest of my life
Chapter 16
Heaven stood behind the counter at the Magic Box. It had been an extraordinarily weird day. This morning Heaven had woken up to Dawn, Willow and Tara singing about breakfast and she had heard Xander singing a song about shaving. Now she was helping a customer in the Magic Box.
She went back to the table to eat a granola bar when Buffy came into the shop with a strange look on her face.
"So Giles, any scooby stuff?" Heaven asked taking a bite out of her granola bar.
"I've got something for you." Buffy said after Giles shook his head.
"What?" Xander asked Buffy hoping she would say what she did.
"Well, did you guys burst into song last night? Or this morning?" Buffy asked.
Everyone looked around at each other before they said anything.
"Yeah I did." Heaven said looking down at the table.
"So did I." Giles said nodding.
"I thought it was just us." Willow said pointing to her and Tara.
"Demonic?" Heaven asked looking around.
"Probably." Xander said scowling.
Everyone was talking at once until Giles broke in cutting Xander off in mid sentence.
"I've got a theory. That it's a demon. A dancing demon! No, something isn't right there." Giles sang.
"I've got a theory some kid is dreamin' and were all stuck inside his wacky Broadway nightmare." Willow sang raising her eyebrows.
"I've got a theory we should work this out." Xander sang.
"It's getting eerie what's this cheery singing all about?" Tara, Willow, Anya and Xander joined in together.
"It could be some witches, which is ridiculous because witches." He looked at Heaven, Willow and Tara. "Which is ridiculous, 'cause witches they were persecuted, Wicca good and love the earth and woman power and I'll be over here."
"I've got a theory! It could be Bunnies!" Anya sang expressing her fear of bunnies.
Everyone turned to look at Anya and just stare at her.
"Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes they've got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses! And what's with all the carrots?" Anya shrieked playing the air guitar. What do they need such good eyesight for anyway? Bunnies! Bunnies! It must be bunnies!"
The tune changed back from the rock music with a loud bang of fireworks. The smoke cleared and Anya smiled.
"Or maybe midgets." She sang.
"I've got a theory we should work this fast." Willow and Heaven sang together.
"Because it clearly get serious before it's past." Giles joined in with the two girls.
Giles got up to climb the stairs to the loft.
"I've got a theory, it doesn't matter." Buffy sang everyone looked at Buffy. "What can't we face if we're together? What's in this place that we can't weather? Apocalypse? We've all been there. The same old trips why should we care?"
"What can't we do if we get in it? Well work it through within a minute." The whole of them sang, Heaven stood.
Buffy and Heaven shared a look between the two.
"We have to try. We'll pay the price. It's do or die." They sang together.
"Hey I've died twice." Buffy sang taking Heavens hand.
"What can't face if were together if were together?" They sang.
"What can't we face..." Giles sang in.
"What's in this place that we can't weather?" They sang.
"If were together..." Giles sang.
"There's nothing we can't face." They sang.
"Except for Bunnies." Anya sang sitting.
The room went silent as the song ended.
"This is scary." Xander said looking around.
"Why are we all singing like this Giles?" Heaven asked sitting back down.
"Well are we in some kids warped imagination?" Willow asked the question she had sung.
"Is it just us?" Heaven asked looking around at them.
Buffy answered the question when she opened the door to what could only be a song about dry cleaning.
"Guess its not just us." Heaven said looking at Giles.
Heaven sat on a large headstone her legs cross waiting for a vampire to come along a try to kill her. She had spent the better half of the day listening to people singing everywhere she went. Now she was in complete silence except for the fainting chirping of crickets. Listening to Dawn twirl around the house singing about Lays Chips was enough for her to want to take over for patrolling that night.
It had been nearly three weeks since she had found Kitty. The kid that done it, Vince Cirelli, had been stabbed two days later by a girl who had come for revenge against him for killing her sister. Heaven thought she would be the one that would come kill him but nope, the girl was in jail now too. Heaven was glad she hadn't been the one who had done it.
"Today was the same, the only thing that came..." Heaven sang softly tapping her foot on the side of the headstone. "Was the pain."
She slipped off of the headstone and began to walk through the graveyard.
"I haven't had a day, where I could say. That I haven't felt the pain." Heaven saw the vampire in the distance coming at her.
"I was never normal. Why did I think that would change?" She ducked the vampires jump at her.
"Whenever someone goes. I'm suppose to know how to," She paused to stake the vampire. "move on."
She walked out of the graveyard onto the empty street. She kicked a coke can on the ground.
"But can't you see? It's always me." She sang. "I'm the reason for this treason. One thing that will never change is that I will always bring with me... The pain."
Heaven shook her head and walked down the street.
Buffy sat on curb infront of the Magic Box. She felt compelled to sing but she covered it up with her concern for her friends. Heaven was becoming scary. She patrolled almost every night and she took comfort in the bad days where they had to kill evil things.
"Give her time. She will calm down." Angel said standing behind her.
"Is this her way of grieving?" Buffy asked looking down at the ground.
"I think it is. It's her way of dealing with the loss." Angel replied.
Angel extended his hand pulling her up and with a soft but sweet kiss they went back into the Magic Box. The group was sitting around the big table looking through the tons of books that sat on the large round table. Heaven had come in through the back and was sitting at the table with the rest of them.
The door burst open and Spike came in with some insane looking had to be a demon kind of thing. It was like a very large wooden boy. Heaven laughed for the first time in three weeks.
"This little bugger says his master or whatever has Dawn." Spike said throwing the wooden boy down on the ground.
"What?" Heaven got out of her seat.
"Where?" Tara asked looking alarmed.
"The bronze." Spike said kicking the wooden boy.
"Spike, stop." Heaven said giving him the stop it or else glare.
"What? I'm just having a bit of fun." He said looking down at the minion.
"Well let's go then. To the Bronze." Xander said raising his arm up in the air.
"No, we aren't going to the Bronze. Only Buffy is." Giles said looking at Buffy.
"What?" Heaven asked Giles, hardly believing it.
"No it's okay Heaven. I can handle this alone." Buffy said turning from Giles and the group and walking out the door without a word.
"What are you doing? What if something happens to Dawn?" Heaven asked as the door shut.
Giles looked at Heaven and walked back to the stacks of books. He leaned against the ladder to the loft.
Buffy walked through the street thoughts racing through her head. She ran her hand over a fire in a trash can.
"I touch the fire and it freezes me. I look into it and it's black. Why can't I feel?" Buffy looked at her hand. "My skin should crack and peel I want the fire back!"
"Now through the smoke, she calls to me To make my way across the flame To save the day Or maybe melt away I guess it's all the same So I will walk through the fire 'Cause where else can I turn? I will walk through the fire and let it-" Buffy sang walking down the street.
Giles stood behind the counter. Xander and Anya stood on the other side of the room. Tara and Willow sat at the table not looking at each other. Angel stood next to Heaven and Spike.
"Will this do a thing to change her? I'm I putting Dawn in danger? Is my slayer too far gone to care?" Giles sang, everyone in the room looked up at him.
"What if Buffy can't defeat it?" Xander joined in.
"Beady eyes is right!" Anya sang.
"We're needed!" Heaven sang as well.
Giles came out from behind the counter and the whole gang made for the door.
"We'll see it through that's what we're always here to do." They sang walking down the street. "So we will walk through the fire."
"She came from a grave much graver." Anya sang.
"I have to save her." Angel sang out.
"Everything is turning out so dark." Tara sang sadly.
"I think this lines mostly filler." Willow made a face.
"What's it gonna take to strike a spark?" Giles sang.
"And we are caught in the fire." They all sang. "The point of no return. So we will walk through the fire. And let it burn."
They ran to the Bronze where the door was broken down. Buffy was singing to a harsh rock tune.
"Where there's life." Buffy grabbed a pool cue from a minion and hit him with it. "There's hope."
"Everydays." She elbowed a minion. "A gift."
"Wishes can come true." She kicked him. "Whistle while you work. So hard, all day."
The song went to a ballad like melody.
"To be like other girls. To fit in this glittering world. Don't give me songs."
Heaven, Anya and Tara went to back up Buffy.
"Give me something to sing about. I need something to sing about." Buffy sang with Tara, Heaven and Anya sang in the background.
The four girls danced in sync to a rock beat. The mood changed back to the ballad.
"Life's a song, you don't get to rehearse. And every verse can make it that much worse." Buffy sang. "Still my friends don't know why I ignore the million things or more I should be dancing for."
The tune went back to rock.
"All the joys life sends family and friend. All the twists and bends knowing that it ends. Well that depends on if they let you go. On if they know enough to know. That when you bowed you leave the crowd."
Buffy walked onto the stage looked back at her friends. Then at Sweet, still singing. Buffy walked up to him. The song changed to a new melody.
"There was no pain. No fear no doubt. Till they pulled me out of Heaven." Giles and Xander looked at Buffy surprised and shocked. "So that's my refrain," Willow looked horrified. I live in hell," Xander looked equally horrified. "Cause I've been expelled from Heaven. I think I was in Heaven."
Buffy whirled around to face Sweet.
"So give me something to sing about. Please give me something -"
Buffy jumped off of the stage and began to dance frantically in all different ways. Smoke began to whirl around her. Angel grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Life's not a song. Life isn't bliss. Life is just this. It's living." Angel sang running his hand down her face. "You'll get along."
"The pain that you feel only can heal." Heaven sang, but she stayed back.
"The hardest thing in this world is to live in it." Dawn spoke.
The music ended with the whole room looking at Buffy and Angel. Then they turned to Sweet.
"It's been swell but me and my bride have to run." The red demon said.
"Don't you dare. Ill snap your neck like a twig." Heaven growled.
"Hate and power. But you don't hate me do you? You hate the world." Sweet smiled.
"I hate you." Heaven was losing her edge.
"Well I don't make the rules sweet heart. She summoned me." He said looking at Dawn.
"I so didn't Heaven! Buffy believe me!" Dawn said cowering in fear as Sweet touched the necklace she wore.
"You are wearing my talisman." Sweet said smiling cruelly.
"No, no I found this in the shop." Dawn said scrambling to get it off.
"Then one of us did this?" Anya said looking at all of them.
"I did it. I just wanted to know we would turn out okay. And get some singing and dancing in." Xander said sheepishly.
Heaven left the Bronze. She knew nothing was going to happen now. She walked down the street and off into the middle of the road which led to the graveyard. She made her way to a headstone in the far back of the cemetery. It read Katherine Jane Gordon in large black letters along the top.
She let herself fall to her knees and cover her face with her hands. The river of tears that had been held back since day one came flowing as if they would never end.
"It's about time." Buffy said in the distance.
Chapter 16
Heaven stood behind the counter at the Magic Box. It had been an extraordinarily weird day. This morning Heaven had woken up to Dawn, Willow and Tara singing about breakfast and she had heard Xander singing a song about shaving. Now she was helping a customer in the Magic Box.
She went back to the table to eat a granola bar when Buffy came into the shop with a strange look on her face.
"So Giles, any scooby stuff?" Heaven asked taking a bite out of her granola bar.
"I've got something for you." Buffy said after Giles shook his head.
"What?" Xander asked Buffy hoping she would say what she did.
"Well, did you guys burst into song last night? Or this morning?" Buffy asked.
Everyone looked around at each other before they said anything.
"Yeah I did." Heaven said looking down at the table.
"So did I." Giles said nodding.
"I thought it was just us." Willow said pointing to her and Tara.
"Demonic?" Heaven asked looking around.
"Probably." Xander said scowling.
Everyone was talking at once until Giles broke in cutting Xander off in mid sentence.
"I've got a theory. That it's a demon. A dancing demon! No, something isn't right there." Giles sang.
"I've got a theory some kid is dreamin' and were all stuck inside his wacky Broadway nightmare." Willow sang raising her eyebrows.
"I've got a theory we should work this out." Xander sang.
"It's getting eerie what's this cheery singing all about?" Tara, Willow, Anya and Xander joined in together.
"It could be some witches, which is ridiculous because witches." He looked at Heaven, Willow and Tara. "Which is ridiculous, 'cause witches they were persecuted, Wicca good and love the earth and woman power and I'll be over here."
"I've got a theory! It could be Bunnies!" Anya sang expressing her fear of bunnies.
Everyone turned to look at Anya and just stare at her.
"Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes they've got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses! And what's with all the carrots?" Anya shrieked playing the air guitar. What do they need such good eyesight for anyway? Bunnies! Bunnies! It must be bunnies!"
The tune changed back from the rock music with a loud bang of fireworks. The smoke cleared and Anya smiled.
"Or maybe midgets." She sang.
"I've got a theory we should work this fast." Willow and Heaven sang together.
"Because it clearly get serious before it's past." Giles joined in with the two girls.
Giles got up to climb the stairs to the loft.
"I've got a theory, it doesn't matter." Buffy sang everyone looked at Buffy. "What can't we face if we're together? What's in this place that we can't weather? Apocalypse? We've all been there. The same old trips why should we care?"
"What can't we do if we get in it? Well work it through within a minute." The whole of them sang, Heaven stood.
Buffy and Heaven shared a look between the two.
"We have to try. We'll pay the price. It's do or die." They sang together.
"Hey I've died twice." Buffy sang taking Heavens hand.
"What can't face if were together if were together?" They sang.
"What can't we face..." Giles sang in.
"What's in this place that we can't weather?" They sang.
"If were together..." Giles sang.
"There's nothing we can't face." They sang.
"Except for Bunnies." Anya sang sitting.
The room went silent as the song ended.
"This is scary." Xander said looking around.
"Why are we all singing like this Giles?" Heaven asked sitting back down.
"Well are we in some kids warped imagination?" Willow asked the question she had sung.
"Is it just us?" Heaven asked looking around at them.
Buffy answered the question when she opened the door to what could only be a song about dry cleaning.
"Guess its not just us." Heaven said looking at Giles.
Heaven sat on a large headstone her legs cross waiting for a vampire to come along a try to kill her. She had spent the better half of the day listening to people singing everywhere she went. Now she was in complete silence except for the fainting chirping of crickets. Listening to Dawn twirl around the house singing about Lays Chips was enough for her to want to take over for patrolling that night.
It had been nearly three weeks since she had found Kitty. The kid that done it, Vince Cirelli, had been stabbed two days later by a girl who had come for revenge against him for killing her sister. Heaven thought she would be the one that would come kill him but nope, the girl was in jail now too. Heaven was glad she hadn't been the one who had done it.
"Today was the same, the only thing that came..." Heaven sang softly tapping her foot on the side of the headstone. "Was the pain."
She slipped off of the headstone and began to walk through the graveyard.
"I haven't had a day, where I could say. That I haven't felt the pain." Heaven saw the vampire in the distance coming at her.
"I was never normal. Why did I think that would change?" She ducked the vampires jump at her.
"Whenever someone goes. I'm suppose to know how to," She paused to stake the vampire. "move on."
She walked out of the graveyard onto the empty street. She kicked a coke can on the ground.
"But can't you see? It's always me." She sang. "I'm the reason for this treason. One thing that will never change is that I will always bring with me... The pain."
Heaven shook her head and walked down the street.
Buffy sat on curb infront of the Magic Box. She felt compelled to sing but she covered it up with her concern for her friends. Heaven was becoming scary. She patrolled almost every night and she took comfort in the bad days where they had to kill evil things.
"Give her time. She will calm down." Angel said standing behind her.
"Is this her way of grieving?" Buffy asked looking down at the ground.
"I think it is. It's her way of dealing with the loss." Angel replied.
Angel extended his hand pulling her up and with a soft but sweet kiss they went back into the Magic Box. The group was sitting around the big table looking through the tons of books that sat on the large round table. Heaven had come in through the back and was sitting at the table with the rest of them.
The door burst open and Spike came in with some insane looking had to be a demon kind of thing. It was like a very large wooden boy. Heaven laughed for the first time in three weeks.
"This little bugger says his master or whatever has Dawn." Spike said throwing the wooden boy down on the ground.
"What?" Heaven got out of her seat.
"Where?" Tara asked looking alarmed.
"The bronze." Spike said kicking the wooden boy.
"Spike, stop." Heaven said giving him the stop it or else glare.
"What? I'm just having a bit of fun." He said looking down at the minion.
"Well let's go then. To the Bronze." Xander said raising his arm up in the air.
"No, we aren't going to the Bronze. Only Buffy is." Giles said looking at Buffy.
"What?" Heaven asked Giles, hardly believing it.
"No it's okay Heaven. I can handle this alone." Buffy said turning from Giles and the group and walking out the door without a word.
"What are you doing? What if something happens to Dawn?" Heaven asked as the door shut.
Giles looked at Heaven and walked back to the stacks of books. He leaned against the ladder to the loft.
Buffy walked through the street thoughts racing through her head. She ran her hand over a fire in a trash can.
"I touch the fire and it freezes me. I look into it and it's black. Why can't I feel?" Buffy looked at her hand. "My skin should crack and peel I want the fire back!"
"Now through the smoke, she calls to me To make my way across the flame To save the day Or maybe melt away I guess it's all the same So I will walk through the fire 'Cause where else can I turn? I will walk through the fire and let it-" Buffy sang walking down the street.
Giles stood behind the counter. Xander and Anya stood on the other side of the room. Tara and Willow sat at the table not looking at each other. Angel stood next to Heaven and Spike.
"Will this do a thing to change her? I'm I putting Dawn in danger? Is my slayer too far gone to care?" Giles sang, everyone in the room looked up at him.
"What if Buffy can't defeat it?" Xander joined in.
"Beady eyes is right!" Anya sang.
"We're needed!" Heaven sang as well.
Giles came out from behind the counter and the whole gang made for the door.
"We'll see it through that's what we're always here to do." They sang walking down the street. "So we will walk through the fire."
"She came from a grave much graver." Anya sang.
"I have to save her." Angel sang out.
"Everything is turning out so dark." Tara sang sadly.
"I think this lines mostly filler." Willow made a face.
"What's it gonna take to strike a spark?" Giles sang.
"And we are caught in the fire." They all sang. "The point of no return. So we will walk through the fire. And let it burn."
They ran to the Bronze where the door was broken down. Buffy was singing to a harsh rock tune.
"Where there's life." Buffy grabbed a pool cue from a minion and hit him with it. "There's hope."
"Everydays." She elbowed a minion. "A gift."
"Wishes can come true." She kicked him. "Whistle while you work. So hard, all day."
The song went to a ballad like melody.
"To be like other girls. To fit in this glittering world. Don't give me songs."
Heaven, Anya and Tara went to back up Buffy.
"Give me something to sing about. I need something to sing about." Buffy sang with Tara, Heaven and Anya sang in the background.
The four girls danced in sync to a rock beat. The mood changed back to the ballad.
"Life's a song, you don't get to rehearse. And every verse can make it that much worse." Buffy sang. "Still my friends don't know why I ignore the million things or more I should be dancing for."
The tune went back to rock.
"All the joys life sends family and friend. All the twists and bends knowing that it ends. Well that depends on if they let you go. On if they know enough to know. That when you bowed you leave the crowd."
Buffy walked onto the stage looked back at her friends. Then at Sweet, still singing. Buffy walked up to him. The song changed to a new melody.
"There was no pain. No fear no doubt. Till they pulled me out of Heaven." Giles and Xander looked at Buffy surprised and shocked. "So that's my refrain," Willow looked horrified. I live in hell," Xander looked equally horrified. "Cause I've been expelled from Heaven. I think I was in Heaven."
Buffy whirled around to face Sweet.
"So give me something to sing about. Please give me something -"
Buffy jumped off of the stage and began to dance frantically in all different ways. Smoke began to whirl around her. Angel grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Life's not a song. Life isn't bliss. Life is just this. It's living." Angel sang running his hand down her face. "You'll get along."
"The pain that you feel only can heal." Heaven sang, but she stayed back.
"The hardest thing in this world is to live in it." Dawn spoke.
The music ended with the whole room looking at Buffy and Angel. Then they turned to Sweet.
"It's been swell but me and my bride have to run." The red demon said.
"Don't you dare. Ill snap your neck like a twig." Heaven growled.
"Hate and power. But you don't hate me do you? You hate the world." Sweet smiled.
"I hate you." Heaven was losing her edge.
"Well I don't make the rules sweet heart. She summoned me." He said looking at Dawn.
"I so didn't Heaven! Buffy believe me!" Dawn said cowering in fear as Sweet touched the necklace she wore.
"You are wearing my talisman." Sweet said smiling cruelly.
"No, no I found this in the shop." Dawn said scrambling to get it off.
"Then one of us did this?" Anya said looking at all of them.
"I did it. I just wanted to know we would turn out okay. And get some singing and dancing in." Xander said sheepishly.
Heaven left the Bronze. She knew nothing was going to happen now. She walked down the street and off into the middle of the road which led to the graveyard. She made her way to a headstone in the far back of the cemetery. It read Katherine Jane Gordon in large black letters along the top.
She let herself fall to her knees and cover her face with her hands. The river of tears that had been held back since day one came flowing as if they would never end.
"It's about time." Buffy said in the distance.