Chapter One
5 Months later... Cleveland, Ohio
"Hey B, don't sweat it, you know I got your back, besides there's plenty of slayers to do the job now" Faith said with a reassuring smile.
"I really appreciate this Faith" Buffy said hugging her
Faith returned the hug with force "Gonna miss you B" she said tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"I'll miss you too" Buffy replied, ending the embrace to step back and look at all her friends. "All of you" she finished. Her eyes getting watery.
Xander and Willow stepped closer to say their goodbyes. All at once, the force that was their friendship, threw them into a group hug.
"You guys better visit me" Buffy demanded smiling, although her voice cracked with unshed emotion.
Willow let the tears come, and smiled.
Xander held her tighter and joked, "Don't worry; you won't be able to keep us out of your hair too long"
Willow and Buffy half laughed, half sobbed. They finally broke apart and smiled at each other. Not a second went by before they were in each others arms again, laughing.
Dawn finally cut in to say her goodbyes.
Buffy turned to Giles to give Dawn her space with Xander and Willow.
Giles smiled sadly at her before pulling her into a hug. She hugged him back with slayer strength. Giles had hard time breathing, but he wouldn't give up this moment for anything, so he held tighter. Once they parted he smiled proudly down at the woman she'd become. The woman he had a hand in making. Although most of what she was came purely from herself, he liked to believe that he was part of the cause of what she was. He began cleaning his glasses and she laughed. "I'm gonna miss that" she pointed out. He chuckled with her and pulled her in for another hug.
Andrew hung in the background. Xander stepped up to him after saying his goodbyes to Dawn and Buffy. He held out his hand, and Andrew shook it respectively. They nodded at each other. And that was all that was needed. They'd become good friends in the last five months. Still, Xander didn't want to seem unmanly by hugging him. Willow came up and rolled her eyes at the testosterone being thrown around. She stepped up to hug Andrew goodbye. And hey! What do you know? He didn't flinch this time. She eyed his backpack, mentally tallying in her head how large it was, and realizing he could probably fit her gift into his pocket. She stepped aside from the group and leaned in conspiritually towards Andrew. She handed him a small digital video camera and whispered "Don't say it was from me"
He grinned at her and tucked the device into his backpack.
"Hey kid! Get over here" Faith commanded light heartedly.
Both Dawn and Andrew scooted over to her and she laughed. She forgot she called them both 'Kid' but she shrugged it off two birds, one stone she thought. She wrapped her arms around their shoulders, like old pals and leaned in. They leaned in also. Like a football team discussing the next play. "Now I know your sis would hate me for saying this" she began. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two condoms handing one to each of them. They took them before realizing what they were. A chorus of "Ewws" followed by Faith giggling and messing up their hair, parent like, when it finally hit them.
Buffy, Dawn, and Andrew stood by the rental car looking longingly at their friends. They all smiled sadly before, one by one, entering the car. Waves and goodbyes were followed before the car finally took off in the direction of the airport.
"Passengers for flight #62 to Rome, please board now" The overhead voice beamed in the empty airport lounge.
Buffy stood up to face Andrew and Dawn. She picked up her carry-on and announced. "That's us"
Meanwhile...Los Angeles, California
"What do you mean; you don't know who it's from?" Angel asked irritated. He snatched the envelope from Wesley and eyed it suspiciously. "Where did you get it?"
"It came to my office early this morning, I was going to open it, but I thought you should see it first" Wesley offered
"Smells like the senior partners" Angel spat out
"Really? That's fascinating. You can really smell them?" Wesley asked curiously
Angel looked at him, "I mean it seems funny. Like, smells fishy" Angel explained
"Oh" Wesley said embarrassed
"Well are you gonna open it or are we gonna stand around here all day, I got stuff to do" Gunn said expectantly
Angel looked at it. Then tore it open.
"Oh, be careful, it might be something fragile" Fred warned
Angel tore the rest open slowly and dumped the contents into his hand. A necklace fell from it. A very familiar necklace. He looked at it in confusion. "I guess she wants me to wear it after all" he smirked
"Uh, isn't that the necklace you went to give to Buffy, the one with the prophecy?" Wesley asked
"Wait, I thought that whole apocalypse was over? How could she send it back" Gunn asked
"Maybe she didn't need it" Angel said
"Well at least you know she's alive still" Fred offered
"We still have no idea, if this was from Buffy or not. It doesn't make sense, why would she leave it in my office, and how would she know of you working at Wolfram & Hart?" Wesley asked
"Good point" Angel said, frowning a little with the still uncertainty of Buffys status.
"Let me see it" Gunn said reaching for it. Angel went to give it to him but their hands bumped and it landed on the floor
"Did it break?" Fred asked cautiously stepping up to retrieve it from the ground. It started to shake and glow and she jumped back.
"Um, Angel..." Fred said nervously pointing to the still shaking and still glowing necklace on the floor.
They all bent over it to look more closely, before it gave off a powerful surge and they all flew back. Angel flying over his desk, Gunn hitting the end wall, Wesley, landing in the, now open, doorway, and Fred, landing on top of him.
They all shook away their shock and stood up. Looking back to where the necklace once was. Now, however, it was replaced with something else. Angel went over to it and tried to shake the confusion out of his head. Spike was standing their, eyes wide...naked. "What the hell?"