And to answer a few reviews:
Allen Pitt - my goodness you are going to keep me on my toes, aren't you? ; But, fortunately for me, I thought about that before hand, and the answer will appear in -drumroll- the next chapter! So no worries my friend! The watcher salaries bothered me too, but I try not to dwell on it, and remind myself that it IS just a TV show
spacecatdet - I'll prolly bring the Scoobies in eventually, and Harry... well, we'll just have to see how he reacts...
Moonbunny77 - she didn't go back in time, she was just turned 17 (though she remembers that she's 22, she is physically and mentally 17). And it was only her because the spell hit only her.
Everyone else: Thanks for the reviews, they keep me going!
and onto the writing! I apologize in advance for any grammatical or spelling errors that I missed!
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Chapter 3 - Not Alone.
Buffy couldn't sleep. Try as she might, she couldn't manage it, and this time, it wasn't from pent-up slayer energies. This time, it was something very different. Try as she might, she couldn't get it out of her head; the vision at Ollivanders.
Buffy walked through the halls, straining her ears. There was something out there. Pain. Screaming. She fell, holding her head. Darkness. Evil. She tried to stand, but couldn't. Something pushed down on her from above. Screaming. Darkness. She tried to fight it, tried to go on, but it was impossible. Fear. Anger. It was too much. She was running now, through hall she didn't know, corridors she'd never seen. She wrenched open a door and saw a flash of red sparks. Nothing. Alone.
Buffy held her head, sitting straight up, trying with all her might to rid herself of the vision. She knew it meant something, but exactly what, she couldn't begin to imagine. Things just didn't make sense for her like that, and she was starting to get that they never would. Not ever.
Sighing angrily to herself, she climbed out of bed and pulled on her clothes. Sirius had ordered some for her a week before, as she only had one pair. She grinned to herself, almost sadly. Her own father didn't even know she was gone, and here was another man, a man who had so much of his own to deal with, worrying about the fact that she only had one real change of clothes. It boggled her mind.
She crept silently through the halls, using her slayer stealth when she neared the painting of Sirius' mother. The inhabitants of the house had accepted that she was out after dark, but the last thing she needed was to wake them all up with a screaming portrait. When she was safely past, she leapt over the edge of the staircase and landed, knees bent, like a cat. She was almost at the door when a figure stepped out of the shadows.
"That was cute," Sirius said. "I was wondering when you'd come out."
Buffy groaned. "Sirius," she whined, careful to keep her voice low. "I don't need a babysitter."
"Hey, I'm just there for the show," Sirius defended, hands up in surrender.
Buffy gave him a look. "Uh huh. And that's why you turned into a dog and tried to tear a vampire's throat out last Tuesday?"
Sirius shrugged a bit sheepishly. "Alright, so I worry about you," he said. "But hey, if you were in my position, you'd be a bit protective too, alright?"
Buffy almost growled, stalking out the door. Sirius, already a dog, followed her out. She stalked for a while through the streets of London, deliberately ignoring him a staking more than her fair-share of vampires, always thinking about the vision. Alone. Eventually, she let out an exasperated sigh, turning sharply down a side-alley and waited.
"I do not need you looking over my shoulder all the time!" Buffy said angrily as he appeared.
"You're seventeen, Buffy," he shot back, in human form again. "You can't do this on your own."
"I've been doing this on my own for a long time now!"
"You don't know what a long time is!"
"Try eight years, genius!"
"Eight years?" Sirius repeated, looking shocked. "But that would mean you were-"
"Fifteen, Sirius. I was fifteen, alright?" Buffy cried, going into near hysterics on the street. "Sending me here wasn't the only effect of that spell. I'm 22 years old, at least, that's what I know. Everything about me is seventeen. Hell, I even feel like a rebellious teenager. But I know that I'm 22. I remember 22 years of my life. Everything. Yea, sure, I look young, and yea, I'm scared. And I know that you worry, and I worry too, but there's nothing you can do. You can't help me, Sirius. Because I'm alone in this one," her voice quieted, and she looked down, not wanting him to see the tear rolling down her cheek. Barely above a whisper, she finished, "In the end, I'm always alone."
"You're not alone," Sirius replied quietly. "Not here, not now. Not ever. Dumbledore told us what you did, Buffy. He told us about the slayers. And if that isn't enough for you, then you have to believe that there are people out there who are behind you. Your friends, the Order. Me."
Buffy let out a short, hollow laugh. "You think it helps? To know that you're putting people in danger? You have no idea how dangerous it is. Dumbledore told you what I did? Did he tell you everything? Did he give you a list of carnage? Tell you how many of those girls died? How many of my friends died? You just don't get it, do you?"
"I get what it is to have people's deaths on your hands," Sirius replied quietly. "And unlike you, it actually was my fault, and not just me feeling sorry for myself."
"Excuse me?"
"That's right, I said it. You've spent the last eight years fighting things like this, and yea, people die, but it was never your fault. Things I did, deliberate choices I made, got people killed. My best friends died because of a dumb decision I made, so don't tell me that I don't get it!"
Buffy was stunned. He had never told her that. In fact, thinking about it, she realized now that he hadn't told her much about his past. She knew a few things, sure, but, in the grande scheme of things, she knew nothing. Nothing at all. And she, in turn, hadn't exactly been forthcoming with the details of her own life either. And here they stood, staring each other in the face, neither one willing to back down. Neither one willing to admit that maybe, just maybe, the other was right.
And that's when it hit. From behind, actually. Buffy stumbled over, shocked that a vampire had slipped past her radar. When she turned to fight, she was caught in the face again, and grabbed from behind. She could hear mad barking behind her, and knew that Sirius was a dog once more. In a flurry of fur, the vampire in front of her was knocked over, every inch of him being torn apart by the huge black beast. Taking that as her cue, Buffy slammed her head back into the vampire holding her. Stunned, the vampire let go, and Buffy got her first real glimpse of her attacker. It meant nothing to her, of course, before she slammed her stake into his chest. Looking back, she saw that a human-once-more Sirius had done the same, using his wand as a stake.
"Take it out!" Buffy commanded, worried for a second that the wand would disintegrate with the vampire. Sirius did as he was told, and the vampire beneath him was dust.
There was silence for a while after that. Finally, Buffy held out a hand to help Sirius up, but her plan backfired. She gave in to all her pent up anger and frustration, letting herself become the seventeen-year-old girl she felt like. She hit the ground, her tears finally coming out. Sirius, unsure of what else to do, just sat there with her, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. Buffy, in turn, allowed herself to sob brokenly on the streets of London, in the arms of a man she barely knew.
---
"You what?" Sirius hissed 40 minutes later. They were back at number 12 Grimmauld place, sipping hot chocolate. Buffy was comfortably settled into her new pyjamas, curled up in an armchair and grinning. They were having a real talk, upon realizing that, as close as they felt, they knew nothing about the other. Buffy wanted to change that.
"Just don't tell Dumbledore," she said slyly.
Sirius laughed. "I don't think you have to worry there. He doesn't strike me as the type to turn into a large snake demon."
"Neither would the mayor," Buffy replied, suppressing a snort of laughter. "He had germ issues. Real wack-job."
Sirius grinned. "I can see you admired him," he joked. "Well, not need to worry, Dumbledore's been watching you right? He knows what you did."
Buffy scrunched up her face. "You have no idea how much of a stalker you made him sound like," she said. "And that's creepy."
Sirius laughed once more. "So that's what it takes to creep out a slayer then, eh? Forget powerful demons and death threats - old stalker men are the way to go."
Buffy threw a pillow at him, nearly spilling his hot chocolate. "Ew," she said decisively, laughing nonetheless. It was rather ironic. "Ok, your turn."
Sirius thought for a moment. "My greatest achievement in school huh? It'd have to be the Marauder's Map."
"The what's map?"
Sirius grinned. "The Marauder's map. Made by me and my best mates at Hogwarts, it's got everything in the castle, and even shows where all the people in the castle are. Dead useful. Harry's got it now I believe."
Buffy grinned, not missing the look he got when he talked about Harry. "Tell me about Harry," she said. "I mean, all I've really got out of anyone is 'the boy who lived' and shit, but no one's told me about Harry."
"He defeated the most powerful dark wizard of our time," Sirius replied, his voice going low once more. "More than once! But I think you'll like him. He's strong, brave, loyal. And he knows how to get in trouble," he added, proud. "And deep down, he's just a kid, just a scared kid. And he tries to be brave, and he tries to do it alone, but in the end, he's just a kid."
"Kinda like someone else," Buffy murmured, taking another sip of her hot chocolate.
"Yea," Sirius replied, smiling slightly. "Just kinda."
There was silence for a moment, neither sure what to say. A beat, and then:
"My sister's an inter-dimensional ball of energy," Buffy said casually.
Sirius grinned. "And the adventure never ends."
---
It was late the next morning when Buffy was awakened by a sharp tapping on the windowsill. She rubbed her eyes gingerly, trying to figure out just what was going on. Finding herself still in the armchair by a now-dead fire, she stood up. Her legs felt odd after being curled up the whole night, but it took her only a second to get over that. What was really bothering her was the taping at the window. She opened it and ducked as an owl flew at her head. It landed on the back of the chair she had just vacated and stuck out a leg. Buffy could see the letter tied there and removed it.
"Who's it for?" asked Sirius, who was waking up from his spot on the couch.
"Me," Buffy replied, opening the envelope.
"Who's it from?" was Sirius' next question.
Buffy's eyes went straight to the end, and she smiled. "Angel," she replied.
"Angel? The guy you named your owl after? What's his story anyways?"
"Yea, that Angel. I might tell you about him later. Now hush, I'm reading."
Dear Buffy,
It's such a relief to hear from you! We thought you were dead, not 17! Willow tried a locator spell as soon as you disappeared, but she couldn't find you. I got an email from her yesterday saying it was because she was looking for 23-year-old you, and not seventeen-year-old you. If you care, anyways. God Buffy, don't do things like that... Sorry this letter took so long, but I had to let the owl rest for a while. And before you start complaining, just remember that you sent him across an entire ocean! Dawn's perfectly fine. She's with Willow and Kennedy in Rome. Giles is actually in England (not sure specifically where), so maybe you'll see him sometime. Xander and Andrew went to Africa, and Faith set up a (you won't believe it) Slayer Training facility in India. Wow, a lot's been going on here too, I guess. I'm the head of Wolfram and Hart, which is - as you would say - 'wiggy'. And you might like to know that Spike is alive, although more like a ghost than he likes. He says hi (a lot more, actually, but I'm only writing down the 'hi' part). I've also let the others know that you're ok. At least, I hope you're still ok. Stay in touch, alright?
Love Always,
Angel
Buffy didn't know exactly what to feel when she folded the letter back up. She was more than relieved to hear that everyone was alright, that went without saying. The news about Spike unnerved her quite a bit, though. And the line; second from the bottom. Part of her heart fluttered; part of it always would. She stared at it for a moment longer before gingerly folding it back up and smiling at Sirius.
"Well, you might like to know that all my friends are fine, and the world is not in any immediate danger," Buffy said.
"I think you like knowing that more than I do," Sirius replied knowingly.
Buffy smiled and nodded. "Yea," she said. "Yea I do."
Before any more could be said, there was a flood of noise from the front: a crowd of people just entered the house. Buffy looked at Sirius, almost in horror, then down at her pyjamas. Whoever was here, she didn't recognize their voices, and she did not want strangers seeing her ready for bed. Definitely not. Sending at final glare at Sirius for not telling her anyone was coming, she rushed out and up to her room, thanking God for her Slayer speed.
"Who was that?" George asked as she disappeared.
"Pretty," Fred added.
"I'd say gorgeous," George replied.
Sirius shot them a look, coming into the front hall. "That was Buffy," he replied. "And I'd be careful if I were you. You might end up with a few more bruises than usual if you try and terrorize her."
The twins put on angelic faces as Ron shared a look with the brunette beside him. Hermione had arrived at the Burrow only a few days ago, with every intention of spending the rest of the summer there. How wrong she was. It was after she arrived that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley informed the children that they would be staying at number 12 Grimmauld place, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. But she had failed to mention the extra guest.
A few minutes later, Buffy descended the stairs, looking what she considered to be far more presentable. Her blonde hair was neatly combed, and she was wearing a pair of leather pants and a deep red top. In retrospect, probably not the best outfit to wear around three teenage boys, but it was too late now. When she thought about it later, she would realize that she really was seventeen again: those Weasley twins weren't so bad. But for now, she just smiled nervously.
"Uh, hi," she managed, waving a small hand. "I'm Buffy."
"And American," Fred said happily to George, earning himself a smack from Mrs. Weasley. Buffy only laughed.
"I'm Hermione," the bushy brunette introduced, shooting glares at the sniggering twins.
"Ron," the smallest male redhead introduced. Buffy fought back a grin at his slightly-red ears. Poor kid was a little bit shy, it seemed.
"Ginny," the youngest girl said, smiling slightly.
"I'm Fred," said one twin, throwing an arm around her shoulder.
"And I'm George," the other said, coming over to her other side.
Buffy laughed at the attention, but didn't have a lot of time to revel in it before Sirius forcibly removed the two boys from her shoulders. She did, however, laugh at the way the man was acting. Like a father, she thought to herself. Only her own father had never done this. He'd never been around to strike fear into the hearts of her boyfriends, or even potential boyfriends. He'd never been there to worry about her, to try and protect her. Buffy's smiled softened, as she zoned out, just staring at Sirius. The closest she had to a father, and she barely knew him.
Sirius was still wrestling with the twins when the door opened again. Everyone stopped as Dumbledore entered the room. He smiled in his typical way upon seeing Sirius with the twins, having a sneaking suspicion on what it was about. Everyone muttered their hellos, and he smiled back at them in greeting.
"Miss Granger," he said, obviously pleased. "So wonderful you could make it. I have a particular favour to ask you..."
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cookies to whoever gets the favour... actually, no, cookIE, as in: the singular. I personally don't think it's that hard to figure out, and thus, it isn't worth the plural. So, a cookie to the figure-outers.
drop a review, please and hannon le! (hannon le is elvish for thank you. I just haven't yet figured out how to say please in Sindarin...)