Los Angeles, 2010
Faith tapped her foot impatiently as they finishing shuffling her papers around. Finally, one of the officers turned to her.
"Ok, your papers are all in order. Looks like you can go."
She grinned and turned to step through the door. "Thanks ya'll, this was a blast. But I gotta motor. Hope I never see you again!"
"Same to you." A guard muttered as the Slayer stepped out of the compound and into the parking lot.
Faith looked around for Wesley. Since it was the middle of the day, Angel couldn't exactly come and pick her up, and she and Wes were actually on speaking terms again.
She saw him, leaning against his car, and she went over to him.
"Hello, Faith. How's my favorite inmate?" He asked pleasantly.
" Ex-inmate." She corrected, sliding into the passenger seat.
"Of course, silly me." He got in and started the car.
As they drove back to the Hyperion, they talked on and off. But different members of the team had been routinely visiting her for years, and there wasn't a lot to get caught up on. Even Cordelia had started showing up last year, much to Faith's surprise. They got to the hotel and Wesley grabbed Faith's bag while she checked out the outside of the building.
"This whole thing yours?"
"Angel's. But yes, it is."
"Damn. You guys are really making some serious dough."
"Well, true…but helping the hopeless is more important."
They went inside. Cordy was sitting behind her desk, mumbling. Every once and a while she'd smack the computer.
"If you're nice to it, Cor, it might listen ta you." Faith drawled as she stepped into the lobby.
"Faith! You're back!" She smiled and jumped up from her seat.
At the sound of Cordelia's yell, Angel came running down the steps. He went to Faith and embraced her.
"Hey, Angel. Glad to see me?" She laughed as the vampire sheepishly put her back on the ground.
"It's good to have you back, Faith." Angel smiled.
"Glad to be back. Ok, I'm gonna have parole officers on my ass for the next 50 years, but at least I'm not in the big house."
Fred and Gunn came down the stairs from the second floor of the lobby. "Hey guys. What's all the hubbub?" Fred asked. She saw Faith, and put two and two together.
"You must be Faith." She said, walking up to the Slayer and shaking her hand.
"Yup. Guilty as charged."
Fred looked at her, confused. Then she laughed nervously. "Oh, I get it…prison humor. Funny."
Sunnydale, 2010
"Summers, Dawn."
As the dean of students called her name, Dawn stood up and grinned. She walked across the stage and accepted her diploma. She could hear everyone cheering for her in the seats below, and she just smiled bigger.
After the ceremony was finished, she ran down to meet everyone. She got hugs from all of her extended family: Willow, Xander, Tara, Anya, and Giles. The former librarian kissed the top of her head, his eyes shining.
"I'm so proud of you, Dawn. And I know they are too." His and Dawn's eyes both misted over at the mention of the two deceased Summers.
"I hope…" She said softly. "If you're watching, Mom, look…I kicked ass at something Buffy never even finished." Dawn joked towards the sky.
Xander noticed that Dawn's happy moment was quickly turning sad, so he did what he did best: cheered everyone up.
"Hey, who wants celebratory pizza?" He asked, throwing an affectionate arm over Dawn's shoulders.
They all laughed and started to walk out of the auditorium. Tara, who was in the back of the group with Willow, saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of a bleached blonde head, before the owner of said head was lost in the crowd.
'It couldn't be. Its not.' She thought decisively.
Spike saw Tara look back at him, and he purposefully fell backwards and out of her line of vision. "Bloody hell, that was close." He said to Dru, taking her hand to make sure she wasn't lost in the crowd. "Tell me why we're here again?"
"It's-"
"Humming and singing to you. I know, luv. But a lot of things hum and sing to you. Can't you be a little more specific?"
She pouted, and he instantly felt bad for snapping at her. But coming back to Scooby-central wasn't something he had been keen on in the first place.
"The chest of toys is about to open, spewing lots and lots of goodies for good little boys and girls…"
She had been saying this for a month now, and he had finally figured out what she'd meant. The Hellmouth, under the old high school, was going to be opened…again.
"Dru, you know I'm not one for an apocalypse." He warned her.
He knew why she'd wanted to come back, but he had never fancied ending the world. He'd said it best to the slayer a long time ago…something to do with happy meals with legs. Spike couldn't really remember; he'd been pretty drunk at the time.
"This one will come no matter what. Don't you want to be in on the fun?" She asked, giggling.
"Bloody hell. Do I even have a choice?" He asked, sighing, as they following the crowd out of the auditorium and into the night.
1630 Revello Drive-later that night.
" What do you think?" Tara asked Willow. They were sitting at the kitchen table, discussing Tara's plans for the week ahead.
"It's a great idea, sweetie!" Willow smiled. "You and Anya need to get to know each other better…being the newer Slayerettes and all." She said to Tara and Anya's plan of going to Washington DC for a week of sightseeing. Still, it was kind of odd. But Willow wanted to be a good, supportive girlfriend.
"Yea…we figured, since you and Xander and Mr. Giles are all so close, we would try to be better friends, too." Tara said. "And Anya wants to learn more about our 'system of government'…it'll definitely be an interesting trip."
"It'll be fun! Take lots of pictures for us back here in boring old Sunnydale." Willow stood up form the table and pushed her chair in, moving to the counter to put her mug of tea in the sink. "When are you guys going to leave?"
"On Monday. She's just running the idea past Xander now. We have tomorrow to pack, and then we'll be gone until next Monday."
"Really? You and Tara?" Xander asked Anya, as she told him the same thing Tara and Willow had just discussed.
"Yes. You all have this tiny, tight circle. We want to have friends inside the circle. Close friends, like you all are. So we're going to be friends." Anya stated matter-of-factly.
"Ok, sounds like a plan." Xander said, kind of confused. But that was nothing new for him, especially where his fiancé was concerned. "…But why Washington?"
"Your government confuses me. I've been asking you to take me, but big shot Business Man doesn't have any time for extra trips." She pointed out. "So Tara can explain to me all the things I still don't understand…like why the leader has to live in a white house…why not blue?"
Xander smiled and ruffled her hair. "Whatever you say, honey."
Monday night
It had been a few hours since they had seen Tara and Anya off at the airport. Xander and Willow were at the house, sitting on the couch and watching a movie. The front door opened, and Dawn and Giles walked through.
Willow moved a bowl of popcorn off her lap and went over to them. "Hey guys. How was Restfield?"
Dawn looked shaken, and Giles looked like he wanted to find the nearest book to start research.
"Guys?" Willow asked again. "What's the matter?"