Disclaimer: Don't own either the characters from Buffy, or Angel, and do
not make any money off this story.
Author's notes: This is not a story for Dawn lovers. ""= Dialogue, ''= thoughts C.O.S.= Change of Scenery. First B/A story, so by kind.
Summary: see chapter #1
Reviews: please do.
Chapter #13
"I-I-I- forgot who she was." Buffy repeated, finally meeting Angel's face. Angel reached down, and tenderly replaced a blonde curl behind her ear.
"And I told you, it's going to be okay." Angel told her firmly.
"aghghgh," came the sound from the couch.
"Dawnie honey you're safe, we're here." Willow moved to take one of the girl's hands.
"Is it just me, or is the room spinning. I feel like I'm gonna hurl." Dawn croaked out.
"Dawnie, just take some deep breaths and you'll feel fine." Willow reassured her.
"Buffy." Dawn called. Angel looked down at Buffy's tearstained face.
"Go over to her, spend some time with her, and get to know her again." Angel told her, giving her a push. Buffy walked over, and took up the hand on the opposite side from Willow.
"I'm here." Buffy told Dawn. Dawn squeezed her hand in response. They sat in silence for a while, until Buffy felt the hand go limp, and the lungs were rising and falling in a regular pattern.
"I think it's time to get the li'll nibblet up to her bed." Spike said, coming over to the couch. He picked her up in his arms, and cradling her head against his chest walked upstairs.
C.O.S: Dreamplane:
Darkness surrounded the platform where Dawn stood. She walked around it, and for some reason feared that if she stepped off of it, she'd fall. So she sat down, and dangling her legs over the edge at first, then as time moved on she brought her knees up, and sat with them under her chin. Finally, after it seemed like an hour had gone by, she noticed a door located just to the right of her. She got up from her hiding place, and went over to examine it. It appeared to be an ordinary door, like any other, wood, with a brass doorknob. She touched the knob, as to open it, but immediately brought her had back in shock. The knob felt like it was on fire, so she backed off, and went back to her seat. As she was making herself comfortable again, the door opened, and through the doorway walked a man, neatly dressed in a gray suit, a sliver-coloured tie tied around his neck, and just visible. He had on a hooded overcoat, and the hood was pulled over his face.
"Who are you?" Dawn asked.
"I am the voice that speaks to you in dreams at night, the one that whispers on the wind when you are troubled," he cryptically responded.
"Why are you here?" Dawn questioned.
" I am here to tell you, that you are the Chosen One." The man said.
"The chosen one, for what exactly?" Dawn inquired.
"The one chosen to strike the balance between good, and evil, the one to finish the battle. The Chosen One." He replied.
"How will I finish it? When will it happen?" Dawn questioned.
"All will be revealed in good time, fairest huntress, all will be revealed," The voice replied.
C.O.S. The lobby.
Wesley came out of hibernation from Angel's office, having finished his research.
"Wesley it's so great to see you again. How long have you been in Los Angeles?" Buffy asked, walking over to give her old friend a hug.
"A-A little while. I've been helping Angel with various tasks." Wesley answered her.
"Oh, like what?" Buffy returned, interested.
"Most recently, researching techniques in memory recovery." Wesley responded.
"That sounds interesting, you know, I'm having trouble remembering, parts of my past." Buffy was silent, as she thought for a moment before continuing.
"Am I the reason for it?" Buffy finally asked.
"Yeah, actually, Angel asked me to look into it." Wesley answered truthfully.
"That's good I think. I don't know, I mean it's not like I don't want to remember, I do, it's just that." Buffy left off searching for words.
" You're afraid that your memories will be of things you'd rather forget. Times when you've hurt friends, or family. Or times you wished you would have stayed and fought, for your beliefs, took a stand for something you loved. You think sometimes, it would be better to get a fresh start somewhere else." Wesley completed.
"Exactly." Buffy agreed.
"But at the same time, you know that without the pain you cannot feel the happiness, that the painful memories contributed to who you are today, just as much as the happy ones. And so you fight the urge." Wesley said.
"There's that word again 'fighting.' I don't want to. I don't want to fight anymore; it feels like that's all I have been doing since I can remember, fighting. Fight for Angel, with Angel, fighting with Riley, fighting the demons, fighting with Dawn, fighting, fighting fighting. I want some peace, is that too much to ask? And I nearly had it too. But here I am, and that word just keeps popping into conversations with people, 'fighting.' Buffy exasperatedly replied. And was silent for a few more moments.
"You do have a point though, pain and happiness go hand-in-hand. And I do want to remember Dawn." Buffy admitted.
"We can do it on the couch in Angel's office. Whenever you're ready then." Wesley replied.
"Now. I want to do it, now, before I back out." Buffy firmly told Wesley.
"Fine, let's go then." Wesley led the way back to the office.
Buffy lay down on the leather couch.
"What's involved in this? Will it be painful?" she asked.
"I only want to put you into a deep hypnotic state. When you recover you'll be able to remember everything you said. To come out of it, at any time, all you'll have to do, is open your eyes." Wesley explained. Buffy put her head back against the plush arm of the chair, and closed her eyes.
"Block everything out but the sound of my voice. You're eyes are heavy, and you're very tired." Wes began. Buffy yawned loudly, and began to drift into unconsciousness.
"You remember a time, when Dawn first came." Wesley began.
Flash: Dawn set her suitcases down just inside the door.
"Welcome back Dawn, how was your flight?" Joyce asked her younger daughter.
"It was good, I had a lot of fun with dad." Dawn replied. Buffy stepped forward and gave her sister a hug.
"We missed you." She told Dawn.
"I missed you too." Dawn replied.
She was just there one night, that's sort of odd, Buffy thought.
Flash (One month later)
"Dawn is not of this earth. She is a key to another realm. We sent her here, at this time, so that she would have the protection of the slayer." A knight told her. Buffy took in that information, as she walked home. She walked through the door, and into the living room, where her mother was laying on the sofa.
"Buffy," Her mom called.
"Yeah, mom, it's me." Buffy responded.
"Come sit down, I want to talk to you." Joyce said, patting the seat next to her. Buffy sat down.
"It's about your sister. I'm beginning to sense something odd about her. It's as if she doesn't belong here." Joyce admitted.
"What gave you that idea?" Buffy asked, faintly troubled.
"Just flashes, dreams really, I've been having over the last few days. And the feeling, I've been getting, it's like. She's special somehow." Joyce answered. There was an uneasy silence between the pair. Buffy sighed.
"Yeah, she is special." Buffy confirmed.
"We'll take good care of her then." Joyce replied, gathering Buffy into a hug.
Buffy began to cry, as she felt the depth of love she felt for her mother.
"Do you want to quit?" Wes asked.
"No, I need to remember it all." Buffy replied.
"That's a girl." Wes encouraged.
Flash (Another month later)
Buffy opened the door after coming in from class one day.
"Mom, I'm home." There was no response to her call. She shut the door behind her and stood just inside the door flipping through the mail.
As the house began to register as being too quiet, Buffy looked up and noticed a still form laying on the couch. She must have fallen asleep or something, she often likes coming down here, there's lighter, more sun to experience she always said. Buffy thought to herself, as she moved closer to the sleeping form. She moved to grab the blanket to cover her mom up, and as she pulled it up, she felt the skin as being ice-cold.
"Mom, Mom wake up." Buffy began.
"Wake up mom, I need to know you're still here."
"Mom, come on mom. " She grew more insistent, and began to shake her mother.
"Mommy, come on, I need you. Wake up, please"
"Mommy I need you. Just wake up for me please." Buffy grew pleading.
"I'm going to call an ambulance okay, I'll be right back." Buffy told her mom, as she left. She re-appeared later, with a portable phone. She dialed Giles' number, and asked him to come over.
"Mommy, it's going to be okay. You'll see. You'll be okay." Buffy assured her. She heard a rap on the door.
"In here Giles." Buffy informed the caller. Giles appeared.
"She's asleep, I-I think, I mean I don't know, she's been like this for a while now, and her skin's cold." Buffy told Giles.
"Did you take her pulse?" Giles asked.
"No, I was afraid." Buffy left off. Giles strode towards her mother, and reached down to take a pulse.
"Buffy, th-there's no pulse. In all likelihood, sh-she's dead." Giles told her.
"No, No, No, she has to be okay, she just has to be okay. Giles, I can't live without her. " Buffy replied, collapsing to her knees.
"Paramedics, I need you to open the door." Came a sound from outside. Giles walked over and opened the door."
"In here." Buffy called.
"How long has she been like this?" the paramedic asked Buffy.
"I-I-I don't know she was like this when I got there." Buffy stammered.
"Okay, we need clearance room to work on the patient." The paramedic ordered.
"My mother." Buffy corrected, moving to her head placing both hands to either side. The paddles were brought out.
"Clear." Joyce's body thrashed around.
"Clear." The process was repeated3 more times.
"Time of death recorded as: 2 pm." The Paramedic solemnly informed Giles, and Buffy. He began bagging the body for an autopsy and left soon afterwards.
"No, No, No, she can't be dead. She isn't dead, she's just asleep, that's all. She'll wake up soon, and apologize for scaring us, then I'll give her a big hug, and tell her that she isn't going anywhere." Buffy began rambling.
"Buffy she's dead." Giles said.
"But Giles." Buffy started, tears running down her face. Giles stepped forward and held her or a brief moment.
"We should figure out what to tell Dawn." Giles suggested after a few moments.
"Dawn, yes, Dawn should be informed. I'll do it. I'll go now." Buffy agreed, switching into robot mode. Buffy grabbed the keys and drove over to Dawn's school.
Dawn was trying to pay attention in class, but somehow her mind kept wandering. She kept thinking of her mother, at home. There was something off this morning about her. She was relaxed enough, and had breakfast ready for her daughters, and sat down to the table to eat with them. But just as she was leaving, her mom came forward, and gave each of them a hug good-bye.
"Now, I want you two to always look out for each other, and to love each other. Dawn, I want you to always mind, and do what your sister wants." Joyce gathered her younger daughter into a hug, as she whispered softly: "I love you Dawn. And I will always be with you." Then Dawn went on her way, feeling as if her mother had just said a final good-bye. It was that feeling of finality that haunted Dawn so, and left her unable to concentrate. Her gaze drifted out into the hallway as she heard the clicking of two pairs of shoes on the cement floor. They stopped at the classroom door, just as Dawn registered the fact that the shoes belonged to the principal, and Buffy. Dawn watched her teacher like a hawk, as she went to answer the door, and noticing whom it was, the teacher beckoned for Dawn to come over. She followed the teacher out into the hallway, took one look at Buffy, and her heart sank.
"Dawn honey, it's our mother. She's dead." Buffy told her, taking Dawn into her arms. Dawn wept, as Buffy held her.
A feeling of love, and an overwhelming need to protect Dawn came over Buffy as she remembered that part. A small smile came over her relaxed features.
"Let me know, if you want to stop." Wes mentioned.
"No." Buffy re-affirmed.
Flash (3 months later)
'And she will sacrifice all for her world, and her life, to the one born of her blood', read Willow aloud to the assembled group. All were silent, as they left Buffy's house 15 minutes later, still not knowing what it meant. The meaning came a few days later.
Buffy struggled, as she climbed up the tower. She froze halfway up as she noticed a sudden glint. The ritual was about to begin, so Buffy scrambled the rest of the way up to the platform. The need to protect, and the slayer's instinct took over, as she fought against the goddess Glory. A fight, it seemed that would never end. And all it once it did, and Buffy staggered towards where her sister.
"Buffy, I'm bleeding." Dawn began to panic.
Blood was important to opening the portal to Glory's world. As a drop of Dawn's blood fell, a portal opened. The sky swirled with reds and purples. And amidst all the chaos, the violence of the night, regardless of her many pains, Buffy's mind was clear, as she managed to untie Dawn's bonds, and hand her to Spike, waiting patiently to help her down to the ground.
Buffy slipped a note she had prepared, in case the prophecy might actually come true into Dawn's pocket. At that moment, she realized what it meant: that she would have to die, in order that the world may live. Just before they parted, Buffy leaned in and whispered to Dawn: "I love you Dawn. We will always be blood sisters, and I will watch over you always. Dawn began climbing down then, the realization not hitting her, until her feet touched ground, what Buffy planned to do. Buffy dove off the platform, and through the violently coloured sky.
"Buffy, Buffy, nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" Dawn screamed into the wind.
"It's too late little one, our Buffy's gone." Spike told Dawn. Dawn suddenly collapsed to her knees and gave in to the overwhelming grief. As she collapsed a piece of paper fell out of her pocket. Spike spotted it, and gave it back to Dawn. Tearfully Dawn unrolled it, it read:
'To all my friends: I'm at peace now. I spent the better part of my life fighting the forces of evil. But the one constant in my life was you guys. Your love, and support has gotten me through it all. Your very prescence has reminded me that there is good in the world. And with people like all of you around, Good will win over Evil. I leave Dawn in your care, knowing you will protect her with your lives.
And now, I'm going to tell you some of the things I've learned. I've learned that life is too short to fight, too short to not say I'm sorry, and too short to not take chances. Also, you have to take the good with the bad, because like it or not, if you have not felt pain or sorrow, you will not know what absolute true happiness is. And lastly, you have to love with all of your heart, because only through doing that can you achieve that true happiness. I love you all
Think of me always.
-Buffy.
Buffy awoke then, feeling relaxed, and for the first time at peace.
"Do you want to talk about anything?" Wesley asked. Buffy smiled, while considering her answer.
"No." She replied, as she got up and walked out.
A.N: Okay, this is Joyce's death, as well, as Buffy's 'death' as I saw it. It is also my first time writing flashbacks, so I do not know if they make sense to anyone besides me.
Reviews are always welcome, and are the fruit that bears more chapters.
Peace out,
A.B.
Author's notes: This is not a story for Dawn lovers. ""= Dialogue, ''= thoughts C.O.S.= Change of Scenery. First B/A story, so by kind.
Summary: see chapter #1
Reviews: please do.
Chapter #13
"I-I-I- forgot who she was." Buffy repeated, finally meeting Angel's face. Angel reached down, and tenderly replaced a blonde curl behind her ear.
"And I told you, it's going to be okay." Angel told her firmly.
"aghghgh," came the sound from the couch.
"Dawnie honey you're safe, we're here." Willow moved to take one of the girl's hands.
"Is it just me, or is the room spinning. I feel like I'm gonna hurl." Dawn croaked out.
"Dawnie, just take some deep breaths and you'll feel fine." Willow reassured her.
"Buffy." Dawn called. Angel looked down at Buffy's tearstained face.
"Go over to her, spend some time with her, and get to know her again." Angel told her, giving her a push. Buffy walked over, and took up the hand on the opposite side from Willow.
"I'm here." Buffy told Dawn. Dawn squeezed her hand in response. They sat in silence for a while, until Buffy felt the hand go limp, and the lungs were rising and falling in a regular pattern.
"I think it's time to get the li'll nibblet up to her bed." Spike said, coming over to the couch. He picked her up in his arms, and cradling her head against his chest walked upstairs.
C.O.S: Dreamplane:
Darkness surrounded the platform where Dawn stood. She walked around it, and for some reason feared that if she stepped off of it, she'd fall. So she sat down, and dangling her legs over the edge at first, then as time moved on she brought her knees up, and sat with them under her chin. Finally, after it seemed like an hour had gone by, she noticed a door located just to the right of her. She got up from her hiding place, and went over to examine it. It appeared to be an ordinary door, like any other, wood, with a brass doorknob. She touched the knob, as to open it, but immediately brought her had back in shock. The knob felt like it was on fire, so she backed off, and went back to her seat. As she was making herself comfortable again, the door opened, and through the doorway walked a man, neatly dressed in a gray suit, a sliver-coloured tie tied around his neck, and just visible. He had on a hooded overcoat, and the hood was pulled over his face.
"Who are you?" Dawn asked.
"I am the voice that speaks to you in dreams at night, the one that whispers on the wind when you are troubled," he cryptically responded.
"Why are you here?" Dawn questioned.
" I am here to tell you, that you are the Chosen One." The man said.
"The chosen one, for what exactly?" Dawn inquired.
"The one chosen to strike the balance between good, and evil, the one to finish the battle. The Chosen One." He replied.
"How will I finish it? When will it happen?" Dawn questioned.
"All will be revealed in good time, fairest huntress, all will be revealed," The voice replied.
C.O.S. The lobby.
Wesley came out of hibernation from Angel's office, having finished his research.
"Wesley it's so great to see you again. How long have you been in Los Angeles?" Buffy asked, walking over to give her old friend a hug.
"A-A little while. I've been helping Angel with various tasks." Wesley answered her.
"Oh, like what?" Buffy returned, interested.
"Most recently, researching techniques in memory recovery." Wesley responded.
"That sounds interesting, you know, I'm having trouble remembering, parts of my past." Buffy was silent, as she thought for a moment before continuing.
"Am I the reason for it?" Buffy finally asked.
"Yeah, actually, Angel asked me to look into it." Wesley answered truthfully.
"That's good I think. I don't know, I mean it's not like I don't want to remember, I do, it's just that." Buffy left off searching for words.
" You're afraid that your memories will be of things you'd rather forget. Times when you've hurt friends, or family. Or times you wished you would have stayed and fought, for your beliefs, took a stand for something you loved. You think sometimes, it would be better to get a fresh start somewhere else." Wesley completed.
"Exactly." Buffy agreed.
"But at the same time, you know that without the pain you cannot feel the happiness, that the painful memories contributed to who you are today, just as much as the happy ones. And so you fight the urge." Wesley said.
"There's that word again 'fighting.' I don't want to. I don't want to fight anymore; it feels like that's all I have been doing since I can remember, fighting. Fight for Angel, with Angel, fighting with Riley, fighting the demons, fighting with Dawn, fighting, fighting fighting. I want some peace, is that too much to ask? And I nearly had it too. But here I am, and that word just keeps popping into conversations with people, 'fighting.' Buffy exasperatedly replied. And was silent for a few more moments.
"You do have a point though, pain and happiness go hand-in-hand. And I do want to remember Dawn." Buffy admitted.
"We can do it on the couch in Angel's office. Whenever you're ready then." Wesley replied.
"Now. I want to do it, now, before I back out." Buffy firmly told Wesley.
"Fine, let's go then." Wesley led the way back to the office.
Buffy lay down on the leather couch.
"What's involved in this? Will it be painful?" she asked.
"I only want to put you into a deep hypnotic state. When you recover you'll be able to remember everything you said. To come out of it, at any time, all you'll have to do, is open your eyes." Wesley explained. Buffy put her head back against the plush arm of the chair, and closed her eyes.
"Block everything out but the sound of my voice. You're eyes are heavy, and you're very tired." Wes began. Buffy yawned loudly, and began to drift into unconsciousness.
"You remember a time, when Dawn first came." Wesley began.
Flash: Dawn set her suitcases down just inside the door.
"Welcome back Dawn, how was your flight?" Joyce asked her younger daughter.
"It was good, I had a lot of fun with dad." Dawn replied. Buffy stepped forward and gave her sister a hug.
"We missed you." She told Dawn.
"I missed you too." Dawn replied.
She was just there one night, that's sort of odd, Buffy thought.
Flash (One month later)
"Dawn is not of this earth. She is a key to another realm. We sent her here, at this time, so that she would have the protection of the slayer." A knight told her. Buffy took in that information, as she walked home. She walked through the door, and into the living room, where her mother was laying on the sofa.
"Buffy," Her mom called.
"Yeah, mom, it's me." Buffy responded.
"Come sit down, I want to talk to you." Joyce said, patting the seat next to her. Buffy sat down.
"It's about your sister. I'm beginning to sense something odd about her. It's as if she doesn't belong here." Joyce admitted.
"What gave you that idea?" Buffy asked, faintly troubled.
"Just flashes, dreams really, I've been having over the last few days. And the feeling, I've been getting, it's like. She's special somehow." Joyce answered. There was an uneasy silence between the pair. Buffy sighed.
"Yeah, she is special." Buffy confirmed.
"We'll take good care of her then." Joyce replied, gathering Buffy into a hug.
Buffy began to cry, as she felt the depth of love she felt for her mother.
"Do you want to quit?" Wes asked.
"No, I need to remember it all." Buffy replied.
"That's a girl." Wes encouraged.
Flash (Another month later)
Buffy opened the door after coming in from class one day.
"Mom, I'm home." There was no response to her call. She shut the door behind her and stood just inside the door flipping through the mail.
As the house began to register as being too quiet, Buffy looked up and noticed a still form laying on the couch. She must have fallen asleep or something, she often likes coming down here, there's lighter, more sun to experience she always said. Buffy thought to herself, as she moved closer to the sleeping form. She moved to grab the blanket to cover her mom up, and as she pulled it up, she felt the skin as being ice-cold.
"Mom, Mom wake up." Buffy began.
"Wake up mom, I need to know you're still here."
"Mom, come on mom. " She grew more insistent, and began to shake her mother.
"Mommy, come on, I need you. Wake up, please"
"Mommy I need you. Just wake up for me please." Buffy grew pleading.
"I'm going to call an ambulance okay, I'll be right back." Buffy told her mom, as she left. She re-appeared later, with a portable phone. She dialed Giles' number, and asked him to come over.
"Mommy, it's going to be okay. You'll see. You'll be okay." Buffy assured her. She heard a rap on the door.
"In here Giles." Buffy informed the caller. Giles appeared.
"She's asleep, I-I think, I mean I don't know, she's been like this for a while now, and her skin's cold." Buffy told Giles.
"Did you take her pulse?" Giles asked.
"No, I was afraid." Buffy left off. Giles strode towards her mother, and reached down to take a pulse.
"Buffy, th-there's no pulse. In all likelihood, sh-she's dead." Giles told her.
"No, No, No, she has to be okay, she just has to be okay. Giles, I can't live without her. " Buffy replied, collapsing to her knees.
"Paramedics, I need you to open the door." Came a sound from outside. Giles walked over and opened the door."
"In here." Buffy called.
"How long has she been like this?" the paramedic asked Buffy.
"I-I-I don't know she was like this when I got there." Buffy stammered.
"Okay, we need clearance room to work on the patient." The paramedic ordered.
"My mother." Buffy corrected, moving to her head placing both hands to either side. The paddles were brought out.
"Clear." Joyce's body thrashed around.
"Clear." The process was repeated3 more times.
"Time of death recorded as: 2 pm." The Paramedic solemnly informed Giles, and Buffy. He began bagging the body for an autopsy and left soon afterwards.
"No, No, No, she can't be dead. She isn't dead, she's just asleep, that's all. She'll wake up soon, and apologize for scaring us, then I'll give her a big hug, and tell her that she isn't going anywhere." Buffy began rambling.
"Buffy she's dead." Giles said.
"But Giles." Buffy started, tears running down her face. Giles stepped forward and held her or a brief moment.
"We should figure out what to tell Dawn." Giles suggested after a few moments.
"Dawn, yes, Dawn should be informed. I'll do it. I'll go now." Buffy agreed, switching into robot mode. Buffy grabbed the keys and drove over to Dawn's school.
Dawn was trying to pay attention in class, but somehow her mind kept wandering. She kept thinking of her mother, at home. There was something off this morning about her. She was relaxed enough, and had breakfast ready for her daughters, and sat down to the table to eat with them. But just as she was leaving, her mom came forward, and gave each of them a hug good-bye.
"Now, I want you two to always look out for each other, and to love each other. Dawn, I want you to always mind, and do what your sister wants." Joyce gathered her younger daughter into a hug, as she whispered softly: "I love you Dawn. And I will always be with you." Then Dawn went on her way, feeling as if her mother had just said a final good-bye. It was that feeling of finality that haunted Dawn so, and left her unable to concentrate. Her gaze drifted out into the hallway as she heard the clicking of two pairs of shoes on the cement floor. They stopped at the classroom door, just as Dawn registered the fact that the shoes belonged to the principal, and Buffy. Dawn watched her teacher like a hawk, as she went to answer the door, and noticing whom it was, the teacher beckoned for Dawn to come over. She followed the teacher out into the hallway, took one look at Buffy, and her heart sank.
"Dawn honey, it's our mother. She's dead." Buffy told her, taking Dawn into her arms. Dawn wept, as Buffy held her.
A feeling of love, and an overwhelming need to protect Dawn came over Buffy as she remembered that part. A small smile came over her relaxed features.
"Let me know, if you want to stop." Wes mentioned.
"No." Buffy re-affirmed.
Flash (3 months later)
'And she will sacrifice all for her world, and her life, to the one born of her blood', read Willow aloud to the assembled group. All were silent, as they left Buffy's house 15 minutes later, still not knowing what it meant. The meaning came a few days later.
Buffy struggled, as she climbed up the tower. She froze halfway up as she noticed a sudden glint. The ritual was about to begin, so Buffy scrambled the rest of the way up to the platform. The need to protect, and the slayer's instinct took over, as she fought against the goddess Glory. A fight, it seemed that would never end. And all it once it did, and Buffy staggered towards where her sister.
"Buffy, I'm bleeding." Dawn began to panic.
Blood was important to opening the portal to Glory's world. As a drop of Dawn's blood fell, a portal opened. The sky swirled with reds and purples. And amidst all the chaos, the violence of the night, regardless of her many pains, Buffy's mind was clear, as she managed to untie Dawn's bonds, and hand her to Spike, waiting patiently to help her down to the ground.
Buffy slipped a note she had prepared, in case the prophecy might actually come true into Dawn's pocket. At that moment, she realized what it meant: that she would have to die, in order that the world may live. Just before they parted, Buffy leaned in and whispered to Dawn: "I love you Dawn. We will always be blood sisters, and I will watch over you always. Dawn began climbing down then, the realization not hitting her, until her feet touched ground, what Buffy planned to do. Buffy dove off the platform, and through the violently coloured sky.
"Buffy, Buffy, nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" Dawn screamed into the wind.
"It's too late little one, our Buffy's gone." Spike told Dawn. Dawn suddenly collapsed to her knees and gave in to the overwhelming grief. As she collapsed a piece of paper fell out of her pocket. Spike spotted it, and gave it back to Dawn. Tearfully Dawn unrolled it, it read:
'To all my friends: I'm at peace now. I spent the better part of my life fighting the forces of evil. But the one constant in my life was you guys. Your love, and support has gotten me through it all. Your very prescence has reminded me that there is good in the world. And with people like all of you around, Good will win over Evil. I leave Dawn in your care, knowing you will protect her with your lives.
And now, I'm going to tell you some of the things I've learned. I've learned that life is too short to fight, too short to not say I'm sorry, and too short to not take chances. Also, you have to take the good with the bad, because like it or not, if you have not felt pain or sorrow, you will not know what absolute true happiness is. And lastly, you have to love with all of your heart, because only through doing that can you achieve that true happiness. I love you all
Think of me always.
-Buffy.
Buffy awoke then, feeling relaxed, and for the first time at peace.
"Do you want to talk about anything?" Wesley asked. Buffy smiled, while considering her answer.
"No." She replied, as she got up and walked out.
A.N: Okay, this is Joyce's death, as well, as Buffy's 'death' as I saw it. It is also my first time writing flashbacks, so I do not know if they make sense to anyone besides me.
Reviews are always welcome, and are the fruit that bears more chapters.
Peace out,
A.B.