Epilogue

The slender redhead moved her way through the graveyard with elegant moves rarely seen in a mortal of her age, totally unaware of the dark eyes that watched her from the dark black shadows. Her path led her straight to a black marble stone with gold gothic engraving.

As she approached it, a game faced vampire rushed out of the shadows at her but a stake emerged from her sleeve into her hand. She turned, hitting him with a roundhouse kick before simply staking him and returning the stake to its hiding place in one fluent move, stunning the silent watcher. It was more the move of an experienced Slayer rather than the witch he knew her to be.

The young woman continued onto the stone where she knelt down and traced the name engraved there. She sat back on her heels and raised her hands to the night sky, murmuring a few words in an unknown tongue. A glowing silver rose appreciated in front of her and she bowed her head in silent thanks. Taking the rose, she placed it in front of the stone, somehow attaching it to the headstone with a slight movement of her hand.

She then rose gracefully to her feet, pulling her long leather jacket around her small frame to ward off the sudden evening breeze. She stepped back and looked down at the headstone.

"Hi Buffy. I'm back again." She began her soft voice clear in the quiet night. "Goddess, it's hard to believe you've been gone a year already. I still turn round to tell you something and you're not there. I think that's when I miss you the most."

She grinned. "But that's not the reason while I am here tonight. Giles and Joyce got shackled, as Spike so elegantly put it, today. That's right, they finally made it official, Buffy and your mother was beautiful."

She sighed deeply. "We're going back to LA in an hour or so. Doyle and Cordelia have already left. You'd think the PTB's would give us one week off but no, the moment Giles had driven away, Doyle had a vision. Some children are in trouble from a clan of vampires."

"Willow!"

"Here Angel." She called back.

The dark haired vampire came out of the shadows and moved to her side. She put her arm around his waist and he rested his around her shoulders. "Ready to go, little one."

"Ready." She looked up at him. "I've renewed the blessing."

"I thought that's what you might be doing when you disappeared." He bent his head and kissed her, then looked at the headstone. "Spike said he'd be by later, Buff, with Laura and Tamara. Keep an eye on them."

He started to draw his slender redhead away and she looked back over her shoulder. "See you later, Buffy." Blowing a kiss at the headstone, she looked back up the vampire. "Let's go home, Angel."

As the couple walked away, the silent watcher moved out of the shadows to take their place. Upon his face was a pained grimace, a grimace that grew more pronounced as his attempt to touch the headstone was prevented.

He laughed bitterly. "I suppose it's only right, especially after the way I left last year. I'm sorry, Buff. I let my fear take over and ran. I shouldn't have done that to either of you but Will looks happy enough. Deadboy's good for something after all."

He started to walk away but stopped, bowing his head. "I'm sorry I never said goodbye, especially now you're gone. You'll never know just how sorry I am now."

He turned round to look at the headstone. "But I'm fighting again, Buffster. Not the way you did or the way Wills does, but I'm definitely fighting in my own way. It will never make up for running away, I know that but it's all I can do to make up."

He sighed deeply. "And maybe one day, I'll find enough courage to face Wills."

With that, Xander Harris once again walked away from Sunnydale.

The End

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