A Second Chance

Chapter 20 – No Place Like Home.

DISCLAIMER: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon, and Harry Potter to J.K. Rowling. I don't own anything.

TIMELINE: AU. Set ten years before (Around 1988) "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone", during and after Harry Potter book 5, "Order of the Phoenix"(2003). During and after BTVS season 7, "Chosen". Pretend HP book one happened in 1999 during Buffy season three )

SUMMARY: BTVS/HP crossover. After James and Lily reappears, seemingly alive and well, mysterious things start to happen. New allies are made, prophecies revealed...and people keep rising from the dead. What's going on? And what has Voldemort got to do with it? Are the Scoobies and the Potter's second chance at life enough to stop the Dark Lord from spreading darkness across the country? Or is the world in need of more miracles?

PAIRINGS: Too many to count.

Thanks to my beta: Charmed Chick

"…Buffy?" Charlie whispered, not daring to believe the scene in front of him.

"…Charlie…?" Buffy coughed…blood.

"Oh my…" The medi-witch murmured, and hurried over. She was slowly shaking her head. "I simply cannot believe it…you, my young lady, were dead!"

Buffy managed a weak smile.

"What can I say; I can't stay dead. Believe me, I've tried, but somehow, I always end up living anyway…" She coughed again.

"This is nothing to joke about, young lady!" The medi-witch said. "You are a bloody living miracle!"

"That's what they say…"

The medi-witch made a disapproving clucking-sound with her tongue, to show that she wasn't pleased at all with her patient.

"Buffy?" Charlie whispered again, slowly coming closer. Buffy gave him a weak smile.

"Hey…"

"What are you still doing here! OUT! This woman needs rest!"

Charlie gave Buffy a small smile.

"Better do what the witch tells me to. I'll come back later."

He hurried out.

Remus sat beside Faiths bed, slowly stroking her hair. After she broke the news of Buffy's death, she'd been awfully quiet, and had excused herself. Remus had followed her into her bedchamber, were she'd broken down completely. It didn't take long until she'd fallen asleep out of pure exhaustion, and Remus hoped with all his heart that Faith was wrong about Buffy…for all their sakes.

Suddenly, Faith jerked awake.

"Faith…?"

"I need to get to St. Mungos!" She said. Remus shook his head.

"Faith, I don't…"

"Now!"

Faith had already rushed out of the portrait hole, and Remus followed, hurrying to catch up with the Slayer.

"Anya!" Charlie had run down to the entrance, were the ex-vengeance-demon sat and read a copy of "The Quibbler."

Anya looked up, and couldn't hide her disappointment.

"Oh, it's you. I thought it was Xander. He promised to buy me some chocolate. From the shop! He should be back by now…"

"Where is Giles? And Dawn?" Charlie demanded to know.

"Uhh…They said something about…ice. Or was it mice?" Anya frowned."I can't remember…"

"ANYA! This is important."

"Oh. Well, I think they said ice cream. Or Giles did. Dawn was crying, so I'm not - hey! Where are you going?"

Faith and Remus sat on the Underground train, and the werewolf was grateful for the break. Faith sat on her seat, and wasdrumming her fingers against her knee, at the same time as she stomped her footagainst the floor. Some of the passengers looked at her disapprovingly.

"Faith?" Remus asked kindly. The train had stopped to let of some of the passengers.

"What?"

"Do you even know were we're going?" He asked gently.

Faith stopped her stomping, and glared at the werewolf.

"Of course I do!" She exclaimed, annoyed.

Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Then I suppose you know that we're supposed to leave the train now?"

Faith blinked at looked at him dumbly.

"Of course I knew! I'm not stupid!" With that shegot up, and stomped out the doors, Remus following behind. He couldn't help it, he grinned like a maniac.

"What?" Faith glared at him, before she started to smile slightly, and raising her hands in defeat.

"Alight, alright! I admit it. I have no idea where we're going. Lead the way, mister I-know-London-like it-is-my-own-pocket."

Charlie hurried to the fifth floor where the hospital shop was. When he walked out of the lift, he saw Dawn sitting outside the shop looking miserable. Her eyes were puffy, and her face stricken with dried tears.

"Dawn! Is Giles here?"

Dawn nodded.

"Xander too. They're buying stuff."

"No, we're not." Xander came out, followed by Giles. "We're finished. Hey, Charlie…anything on Buffy?"

Xander's eyes were filled with hope, and Charlie grinned.

"You bet there is! She's awake!" He didn't mention the part about her heart stopping - it would only upset them. As he assumed she would, Dawn jumped up, not believing it, and Giles started to polish his glasses. Xander stared at him.

"What?" He whispered, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"I said, she's awake…" This time, it seemed like the shock had worn of, because before he was able to say anything else, they were gone.

"Buffy!" Buffy looked up from her bed. Dawn was running towards her, grinning like a maniac.

"Hey, Dawnie…"

Dawn gave her a hug, almost crushing her ribs.

"Okay, Dawn, I love that your hugging me, but could you do it with less effort? I'm dying here, and dying two times a day is a bit much, even for me…" Buffy said, grinning.

"Oh, sorry!" Dawn smiled, her eyes was filled with held back happy-tears, which threatened to fall. Then, she froze.

"What do you mean; 'dying two times a day?'"

Buffy blinked.

"Charlie didn't tell you?Well, my heart stopped and yadda, yadda, so, technically, I died."

"Oh, dear lord…" Giles murmured.

"Well, what else would we have expected?" Xander said, smiling. "No apocalypse without Buffy dying."

Buffy laughed, but had to stop. She was still in pain - a lot of pain, even if she didn't let it show.

"Xander, please don't make me laugh."

Xander smiled, although he didn't look very apologetic. He was just too happy she was alive to care.

"Sorry, Buff."

The doors burst open, and revealed Charlie, Faith, Remus and Anya. Buffy wasn't able to say hi, since the dark haired Slayer had already given the Slayer an even more bone-crushing hug than Dawn's had been (Slayer strength and all).

"Faith…" Buffy gasped. "I have just returned from the dead, and I'm a little - no, VERY sore, so if you don't mind…"

"Oh, sorry, B." Faith hastily let go.

"You're not surprised she died?" Xander asked, surprised, and Faith gave him a look that clearly said 'duh'.

"I already knew. Sister Slayers and their bonds, y'know?"

Xander frowned.

"Oh."

"Buffy!" Anya said, and took the Slayers and, shaking it."I'm glad you're back."

"Thanks, An. Me too," Buffy said with a grimace, and let out a relieved sigh as Anya let her hand go. She had felt like a muppet.

"How did you die? And how did you come back?"

"Anya!" Xander hissed.

"What?" Anya exclaimed."I just wondered!"

Buffy smiled.

"It's okay, guys. Well…you all know I fought Willow. And that I lost. Big time. Blue power-blast, and alive and kicking Buffy became dying and not so kicking Buffy."

Buffy's eyes seemed to cloud over.

"I saw my mom," she finally said, after what she thought was an eternity.

Dawn gasped.

"She said she'd been sent by the PTB's…and that I had a choice to make."

"A choice?" Giles sounded surprised, and Buffy nodded.

"Yeah…whether I wanted to live, or die"

"What…what do you mean?"

"I could choose…if I wanted to go back…there…you know, the Heavenly place…or the waiting place…were Tara was…and Spike's obviously there…"

"What? Bleach-boy's alive!" Xander couldn't help but say.

Buffy smiled sadly.

"It wasn't his time," she said. "Mom mentioned something about him returning soon…it's all very foggy, I don't remember everything. But, anyway, I could choose. Waiting place, Heaven, or here…back to you guys…"

Dawn's eyes teared up again.

"And you chose us…" she was touched. She would've thought for sure that Buffy would've gone back to Heaven. But she was glad she didn't. Dawn started to hug Buffy again, but before she was able to, Buffy spoke again.

"Well, not exactly…"

Flashback.

'…I've done my duty…and I died while doing it…Isn't my work done already? I've carried the world on my shoulders way too long…isn't it time for someone else to carry that burden? Can't the Slayers manage without me? One more or less, what does it matter? I wasn't even meant to come back!'

Buffy took a deep breath, and started to walk towards the light...her fredoom... The closer to Heaven she came, the easier she felt. Her heart felt light, and everything was like music. Then, she saw a flash before her eyes.

"She what?"

" I told you there was something going on with her."

"And she knew about this prophecy of yours? Aw, man, what do we do?"

"We stay calm, first thing."

"Calm?"

"I think he's right."

"I'm sorry, calm may work for Locutus of the Borg here, but I'm freaked out, and I intend to stay that way."

---

"Buffy, she's gone to fight the Master."

"He'll kill her."

"Rumor has it. Only we're not gonna let it happen."

"Well, what do you propose we do about it?"

"Look, I know you can find this Master guy. He's underground, right? Take me to him."

"You're way outta your league, kid. The Master'll kill you before you can even breathe. If you're lucky."

"How can I say this clearly? I don't like you. At the end of the day, I pretty much think you're a vampire. But Buffy's got this big old yen for you. She thinks you're a real person. And right now I need you to prove her right."

"You're in love with her."

"Aren't you?"

---

"She's dead!"

"No. She's not dead."

"She's not breathing."

"But if she drowned, uh, there's a shot! CPR!"

"You have to do it. I have no breath."

"C'mon. C'mon…C'mon! Breathe! Breathe! C'mon! Buffy! Buffy."

"Xander?"

"Welcome back."

---

"Buffy died, and everything!"

"Wow! Harsh."

"I should have known that wouldn't stop you."

---

"I'm the Slayer, the Chosen One, all mythic and defendery. Evil nasties are supposed to flee from me. Not the other way around."

"You're not fleeing. You're moving at a brisk pace."

"Quaintly referred to in some cultures as the Big Scaredy Run Away."

"It's the most amazing thing anyone's ever done for me."

---

"Don't be so hard on the boy. He just wants to live - most guys'd do the same. 'Sides, he's probably the reason your sis and her little cartoon pals are still alive. That little nagging pinch of humanity that makes me go for the hurt instead of the kill. Lowering myself to trade blows with a Slayer when I shoulda just put my fist through her heart. It's gotta be Ben."

---

"Or maybe you just can't take her."

"Funny thing... you've been here for a few hours now and I haven't seen big sis galloping in to save you. She probably knows what a terrible mistake that'd be."

"She's not afraid of you."

---

"You'll find her, just in the nick of time, that's what you hero types do."

---

"I know you'll never love me. I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man."

---

"You don't come near the girl, Doc."

"I don't smell a soul anywhere on you... why do you even care?"

"I made a promise to a lady."

---

"She could have killed me."

"No she couldn't. Never. And sooner or later, Glory will re-emerge and make Buffy pay for that mercy, and the world with her. Buffy even knows that, and still she couldn't take a human life. She's a hero, you see. She's not like us."

---

"Nothing, it was all for nothing. Buffy's gone. She's really gone."

---

"Buffy...please...listen to me. You told me I had to be strong...and I've tried. But it's been so hard without you. I'm sorry. I promise I'll do better, I will! If you're with me. Stay with me...please. I need you to live."

---

"It was a good place and she was happy there."

"And we took her away from that. We wrecked it for her."

"We didn't wreck. We didn't know."

"We didn't wanna know. We were so selfish. I was so selfish."

"Maybe we were. I just feel weird feeling bad that my friend's not dead. It's ... too mind-boggling. So I've decided to simplify the whole thing. Me like Buffy. Buffy's alive, so, me glad."

"Not to be Miss Psycho Pep Squad, but we have got to stop obsessing about what we did and start trying to make things better for Buffy."

"I'm with Miss Psycho Pep Squad."

"Ah, we need to spend more time with her, just hang out. Maybe have ... weekly dinners over here, or, uh ... a book club. Short books. Videos."

---

"I've been alive a bit longer than you and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine and done things I'd prefer you didn't. I don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker. I follow my blood which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain so I make a lot of mistakes. A lot of wrong bloody calls. A hundred plus years and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of. You. Hey, look at me. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say I love you, it's not because I want you, or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You are a hell of a woman. You're the one, Buffy."

---

"SHE WON'T LEAVE ME!"

"IF SHE HEARS MY VOICE…I KNOW SHE'LL COME BACK!"

"Dawn…"

"SHE PROMISED TO STAY! SHE DOESN'T WANT TO DIE! SHE WANTED TO LIVE! SHE PROMISED SHE WOULD SHOW ME THE WORLD!"

---

"No…I'm…I'm not alright…Buffy's dead…She's gone…"

"You can't know that…"

"I just…I just know. She's gone! GONE!"

End Flashback.

Buffy took a deep breath and started to talk.

"I…I…I saw you…heard you…How much you cared for me…care for me… I never understood that. How much you would miss me…did miss me… how much you loved me…love me. I guess the PTB's decided to give me a second gift to make sure I picked the right thing. And I know I did…the right thing…to come back. Here. To you."

Everyone's eyes were filled with tears after Buffy's speech.

"I guess I should thank you…for helping me. 'Cause you did. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you guys…and I'm grateful."

She smiled a little.

"I mean…where is home if not where your friends are? Where your heart is? I guess I just needed to understand that…"

She smiled again. Everything was so much brighter now.

'Thanks mom…for helping me learn my lesson. It was needed.'

A/N: Ah, sappy ending. -Dries tears- Hope you liked it. I thought it would be a nice change from the usual death and evil cliffhangers, right? Well, I guess I should give you a little teaser…to make sure you don't relax too much.

"Spike?"

"Hey Buffy. I thought I'd drop in."

REVIEW!