A/N : Love how I have you all trying to guess which world Buffy will end up in! For now I can't answer that question, but I hope you all continue to enjoy reading about the events in both worlds.
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 7

"Buffy?" Joyce called softly as she entered her daughters room to find her out of bed and looking out the window at the view and sun shining brightly in the blue sky.

"Hey Mom" she replied, turning to her "You okay?"

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm perfectly fine" her mother told her, smiling as she came to stand beside her, "I'm just so glad you're back with us, it'd been so hard"

"I'm sorry" Buffy apologised, glancing down at her feet until Joyce put a hand on her shoulder and caused her to look up again.

"Oh sweetheart, it's not your fault" she told her, pulling her into a hug, "We don't blame you. We all care about you so much"

"William said something similar" Buffy smiled as she looked at her mother, "He's going to come visit me Mom, when I go home. That's okay, right?" she checked as they moved to sit down in the edge of the bed together.

"Of course, if you want him to come that's fine" Joyce smiled, "It's good for you to have friends, more connections in the real world" she repeated words that the doctor had said to her before, hoping it were true, that this time Buffy would stay in reality with them and not slip away.

"He's sweet and I think he likes me" the younger blonde continued on about William, "which is a little weird but... he promised to come see me this afternoon, before I leave" she giggled like a teen, finding it was nice to know this guy liked her so much and was being so adorable about it, a guy she was actually allowed to like.

"Do you like him, Buffy?" her mother asked, surpressing a grin.

"I dunno" she shrugged, looking down at her hands as she played with the edge of the sheet on the bed, "I mean, yeah, I guess I like him, it just feels a little weird with him working here and all..." she trailed off, changing the subject completely when she spoke again, "Y'know I can't wait to go home" she told her mother excitedly, "Put on some proper clothes, watch TV, eat ice-cream, go to the mall, spend time with you and Dad, I've missed all that" she admitted.

"Oh sweetheart, it's so wonderful to have you back" Joyce was almost crying as she moved to hug her baby girl once again. It'd been too long, and she was over-whelmed by the concept of having her back and normal at last.

"It's great to be back, Mom" Buffy replied, "especially with you, I missed you most of all"

"I miss her so much, Will" Dawn cried as Willow hugged her, rubbing her back comfortingly and trying to ease her pain.

"I know, Dawnie" the witch sympathised "I do too, it's just, I don't know any other way to bring her back" she admitted, closing another useless book.

"What about going into her mind?" the teen said suddenly sitting up straight, "I mean sure it's gotta be tricky and dangerous and there's the whole totally gross side to it" she said making a face, "but you've done it before and if it would help...?"

"I'm not sure that it would" Willow shook her head sadly, "This is different to last time Dawn, this isn't just Buffy going into her own mind, this is some kind of hallucination" she explained, "it seems so real that she's living it, like another world, maybe even an alternate universe. Going inside of that, trying to bring her out, it could harm her or me, physically, emotionally, even neurologically"

Dawn opened her mouth to say something else but stopped short when Xander came down the stairs and spoke to the two girls on the couch.

"I can't believe how freaked Spike is" he said shaking his head in disbelief, "I mean, I know he said he loved the Buffster and everything but... sitting by her bed all the time, talking to her, saving us for her from that demon, it's just too weird. The guy's a mess because of this" he sighed as he sat down heavily in the armchair. He'd just left the bleached blond vampire upstairs, watching over the comatose Slayer so the gang could go to work and school and carry on the necessary research too. Xander swore he looked as if he'd been crying when he showed up.

"You feel sorry for Spike, Xan?" Willow joked slightly, "Things must be bad"

He smiled at her humour attempt before picking up a book from the table and turning a few pages in the hope he might randomly stumble upon a cure for the Slayer's hallucination-related coma.

"Any luck in getting hold of Giles yet?" he asked suddenly remembering the girls had been trying to do that earlier when it was his turn on Buffy watch.

"No, no luck yet" Willow shook her head, "and even if we can find him and get him here, I don't know that there's anything he could do" she sighed.

"But Buffy will be okay, right?" Dawn asked, looking between the two friends, "She'll come out of this soon?"

Neither Willow nor Xander could give her an answer to that.

"Just sign here, and here" the doctor pointed on the form and Buffy did as she was asked, signing her name on the two dotted lines.

"Okay, that's it" he smiled, "You're free to go, Miss Summers"

"Thankyou, doctor" the young blonde smiled right back at him, though she was a little disappointed to be leaving the hospital without seeing William. The idea of coming back once a month for sessions with the doctor didn't thrill her either, but that she could deal with. She was a little surprised by how disappointed she felt because of William's absence though.

"Buffy!" she heard his distinct English voice behind her and was grinning again when she turned around, "I was so afraid I would have missed you" William said as he arrived at her side.

"Nope, still here" she said pointlessly, "I thought you weren't coming" she admitted.

"I made you a promise, Buffy" he told her trying to meet her eyes as she looked away, "I don't break those if I can help it"

"So, I guess this is a kind of goodbye" she said a little sadly, "At least until you have time to come visit me"

"Is tomorrow too soon?" William ventured, knowing it would be torture to go more than a couple of days without seeing her.

"We'd be glad to see you, William" Joyce told him, finding the situation very sweet but desperate to get her little girl out of the place she'd been trapped in for years now.

The two young people shared one last smile and a wave as Buffy was escorted from the building by the proud parents. They'd spent so long hoping, wishing, and praying for the day when their daughter finally came back to them, and here they were walking out of the hospital with her at long last.

On the drive home Buffy watched out of the window as the scenery flitted past. It was so familiar in some ways and not at all in others. This was LA, this was home, but despite having pushed the delusions away, her memories of Sunnydale remained. Living with her mother at 1630 Revello Drive, and then with just Dawn and Willow and Tara as time passed and things changed. She shook her head and concentrated, looking into the front of the car at her parents. She had them both back now and together and so happy, it seemed.

Buffy smiled to herself, wondering why she'd ever made up the whole delusion of vampires and demons and Hellmouths. She'd got so caught up in it she'd pushed her father out and let her mother die, whilst in the real world they fought to hold onto her. Now she was back, she was loved, and she felt as if she belonged for the first time in such a long time.

"Well, here we are" Hank smiled as he pulled the car onto the drive, "Home sweet home"

The little family got out of the car and Buffy stood for a moment outside her old home, just staring.

"It's exactly how I remember" she whispered as her mother put an arm around her shoulders.

"Welcome Home, sweetheart"

"This is real heaven" Buffy sighed as she lolled on the couch with a tub of ice cream in her hands, a chick flick on the TV and her mother beside her in similar pose. Her father had gone to work this morning as normal, as the young blonde began her first full day of sane, home life.

"Of all the things you could be doing now you're home and you want to watch movies and eat junk" Joyce smiled indulgently, "I think you're going to get terribly bored"

"Are you kidding me?" Buffy almost laughed incredulously, "I can finally relax here! No slaying and..." she stopped when her mother shot her a look, "I'm sorry, Mom, it's just... it was so real"

"It's okay, sweet" Joyce nodded, putting down her ice-cream, not feeling at all able to eat it now, "but you really have to concentrate on pushing thoughts of that place away. It's not real"

"I know" Buffy assured her, stirring the Cookie Dough around as it melted slowly, "I know it wasn't real, but I can't just make the memories go away"

"It takes time, I guess" Joyce nodded in forced understanding, "but it'll get better Buffy, if you try and concentrate on staying here with us"

"That's what I want" her daughter agreed, "Oh, and he is definitely going to help" she gasped as the guy on the TV screen took off his shirt revealing a beautifully toned body.

"If your father catches us watching this..." Joyce began, eyes glued to the screen as she settled back on the couch and picked up her ice-cream once again.

"Uh-huh" Buffy answered absently, putting more Cookie Dough in her mouth. The conversation ended right there as the two women enjoyed their movie, laughing at the jokes and almost crying at the sweet romance.

"Why isn't life like that?" Buffy sighed, and though her question was rhetorical Joyce answered her.

"We can't live in a fairytale, sweetheart" she told her, switching off the TV as the credits rolled over a black screen, "but we can find love and happiness, given time"

"I guess" Buffy shrugged, "I mean, look at you and Dad"

"Exactly" Joyce forced a smile as she took away the ice-cream containers and spoons. Buffy wasn't sure why but she got the distinct feeling she'd upset her mother just then, but what she'd done she had no idea. She did not have time to dwell on it for long as someone knocked on the door.

"William" she smiled, a little awe-struck seeing him standing on the step bathed in the bright sunlight. She'd only ever seen Spike in the day time once and he was trying to kill her then.

"Well, look at you" William grinned, looking her up and down without being too obvious, "Much better in your own clothes I think, than those ghastly hospital clothes"

"Same for you" she returned the compliment, noting his smart pants and shirt in place of the pale green yucky uniform from the institution, "Oh, come in" she said at last, wondering where her manners were and knowing why. He really was kind of gorgeous, she realised almost going red just at the thought of it. Spike was hot in an evil kind of way, she wasn't so stupid she hadn't noticed that, but William was cute and sweet, and still totally kissable. She smiled in spite of herself as she thought how it might be to kiss William, he wondered what the look she gave him was for as they sat down on the couch.

"Something amusing you, Buffy?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"No, not really" she shook her head, trying to hide her embarrassment, "I guess I'm just happy to be back, y'know? My Mom and Dad, I missed them so much and... I'm glad you're here too"

Buffy wasn't entirely sure whether she meant that sentence the way it came out. She was glad to have William at her house to visit her, which is doubtless how he'd taken her words, but deep down a part of her was really glad to have a familiar face from her apparently hallucinated world still with her. It was strange to think that in that world she had used Spike to feel, to keep her feeling alive in a world where she didn't belong. Now she had William here, a human being that cared for her a great deal, acting as a kind of anchor for her to this real world, but she wouldn't be using him any time soon, she'd learnt her lesson there, even if it had all been a figment of her imagination.

"Buffy, I have something to ask you" William's voice pulled the blonde from her thoughts and she looked up at him enquiringly, "I know things are difficult for you right now, it's a little strange for you I'm sure to be back in reality with all these memories that don't fit and... well, I meant what I said about getting to know you better, and not just as a friend"

"What are you saying, William?" she asked thinking she already knew but needing to hear it before she reacted. So much was uncertain, she wasn't going to assume anything right now.

"You're all I think about, Buffy, all I dream about" he began to explain, "I feel almost as if I'm drowning in you"

The blonde reeled back a little at his words, so close to those Spike had spoken just over a year ago now. He'd chained her to the wall of his crypt, told her he loved her and that he needed just a crumb, a shred of hope to cling to that he might feel the same. Now William was almost doing the same thing, the look in his eyes begging her to be kind, to say she felt something too. Just like that day, she did feel something, and on this occasion she chose to do the right thing, to admit it. This was real after all, not some delusion about a monster who would allow his ex to kill her if she didn't confess her true feelings. This was a nice man asking her to give him a chance, and she really wanted to do that.

"I've been thinking about you too" she admitted, "I think I could really like you, Spike, William" she amended fast, feeling terrible about her mistake when he looked away.

"I wish you would remember I am not him" he said sadly, "I don't want you to like me because you dreamt up a man that wore my face, Buffy, I might be a terrible disappointment"

"No, William" Buffy told him, reaching to take his hand in hers and making him look up sharply, "I don't think you will ever disappoint me" she assured him, "and I'm sorry I called you... that name. Everything's still kinda mixed up in my head" she said with a pained expression.

"It's alright, luv" he said softly, eyes meeting hers, full of adoration and sincerity, as he squeezed her hand, "I'm going to help you through this, if you'll let me"

Buffy smiled and nodded at that. He really did mean it, she could see it in his beautiful blue eyes. Life could be so much better here in the real world, she wondered why she'd ever invented Sunnydale at all. Right now, she couldn't think of one reason why she would ever want to go back.

To Be Continued...