Fire and Ice

(Dedicated to Nikki, my beta, Lots of Love to her!)

"Hey Beautiful, how you doing? Me? Pretty good, considering I just burst into flames and destroyed the hellmouth. I hear you're going to LA. Well, good luck with that. And Pet? Be careful." William whispered softly into Buffy's ear as they laid on the grassy ground in the sunshine at the park, both of them cuddling and kissing each other in various places.

"Mmmm, William. I never wanna leave here. I love you, William." Buffy said as she gazed into his blue, soulful eyes.

Before she even expected it, her ex-love-turned-evil, Angelus, ran out of the shadows of the trees surrounding the happy and loving couple. He ran up behind William, "NO!" She saw it all as if in slow motion, and all she saw was dust. Flames and dust-- and the remains of her love, William.

She got up quickly, filled with anger; she started to beat on Angelus' chest with her fists. She screamed at him, "You fucking bastard! What the fuck did you do that for? He never did anyth--no!" Buffy yelped out in pain as Angelus grabbed her wrists with one hand and ripped her heart out viciously.

"Jeez, you never learn do you? It's not about you. It was never about you." Her body fell to the ground with a resounding thud, blood pooling around her, her eyes gazed out as if she was looking at something. Then her mouth opened and an inhuman voice rumbled out, "From Beneath You, It devours."

Buffy was resting her head on Xander's shoulder when she woke up with a startled look on her face. Xander tried comforting her, while Willow looking at her in wonder. "Buff? You okay? You were screaming in your sleep. Did you dream one of your prophecy dreams? Oh, god. Please tell me we're not gonna be devoured by giant, floppy, hoppy bunnies!" Xander tried to get a smile out of her however no smile was forthcoming. "Buffy... It's gonna be okay, whatever comes, I'll be there, by your side, Cause you know, if you die, I'll bring you back. It's what I do." Xander spoke softly to Buffy, squeezing her shoulder, smiling at her about his tribute to Anya. Buffy smiled back lovingly and both of them gave a mutual nod.

She turned to face everyone. They looked at her with questioning glances, some with wonder as she told them her dream. "From beneath you, it devours. Do you know what this means? This means the fight... Never ends. Never." Gasps and groans rippled throughout the bus.

"But... I don't understand, we destroyed the hellmouth, or rather Spike did. With all due respect, the First's army is gone. Scrunched, like Willow said. And, come on. Do you really think the First would go up against a full-fledged Slayer Army? You were there. You saw it. " Kennedy spoke hurriedly.

Dawn and Andrew glared at Kennedy, wishing she had the brains to know when to shut up. Everyone knows you say something to contradict her, Buffy rambles off yet another meant-to-be-rousing-but-is-boring-instead-speech. Andrew mumbled to Dawn, "Great. Miss-Thinks-She's-smarter-than-Buffy-pants doesn't pay attention to when to shut up. Like a while ago. I mean, C'mon. Everyone knows not to oppose anything Buffy says or she's gonna have a rousing-but-boring speech. Dumb Ass." Dawn just nodded and got comfortable, cause this was gonna be a long trip. Andrew looked around and saw many people glaring at the military brat for not knowing when to shut the heck up, so he glared as well.

"No... It wouldn't. But it'd go up against us. Why? Because you're not even full-fledged yet. You barely even know how to fight like Faith and I do." Kennedy began to speak up, but Buffy cut her off before she could even utter a single word, "Shut up, Kennedy. Can't you see I'm talking here? Let me finish. Now... How many of you have gone up against the Master? Evil Spike, Drusilla, Angelus at their fullest strength? The Mayor as a big, ugly snake? An demon cyberoid with an nuclear power core? An Hellgod? Willow at her darkest times? The First, twice? And let's not forget Caleb." She saw Xander wince a little at the mention of Caleb, but she continued, but not before looking at each of the potentials, "How many of you have gone against them all and lived? Only four of us have. Giles, Xander, Willow and I. We fought 7 damn years on a damn hellmouth. Now you're saying just because you were imbued with the power of the Slayer, it makes you a Slayer? Wrong! It takes a damn long time to be like me and Faith. What did you think would happen? You'd be accepted as a Slayer just cause you have the power? No. It makes you a Potential Slayer. Yes, you have the power. But do you have the power to be wiling to die for the world? Hmm? It doesn't matter what you do, but what your heart is willing to do. Make your choice. Are you ready to die? Be honest. I know I am. Death is just another obstacle for me. If I die, Oh well. I'll come back anyway." She smiled at Giles, who was still driving, then at Xander and Willow.

It wouldn't be long before they got to their destination. Andrew and Dawn sighed and shared a glance, sometimes Dawn wished Buffy wasn't her sister, so she wouldn't have to look like she was listening, but things don't turn out the way you want them to. It was definitely gonna be a while before they got there.

Somewhere else... heavenly music was heard.

"Welcome to Heaven, William. Enjoy your temporary stay." The Heavenly Being with the Book of Life said to him.

William nodded and began to ask something but he was cut off before he could say anything. "It is." The Heavenly Being said, (from herein known as THB) "But your death is far from this time. Yes, you will die, but many years from now. Your death is many years into the future. This is your destiny. As it is written, so shall mote it be." William nodded at him and began to ask something else, but again he was cut off. "No more shall be answered, for your time left on earth shall answer all you have. As it is written, so shall mote it be," replied THB.

William growled in frustration and was sent on his way, passing The Pearly Gates, revealing an enormous building made of every jewel, gem, and color possible. "Oh my... Bloody Gorgeous. Just like my Goldilocks." He looked around in amazement, he began to walk, and passing by people he knew, they waving at him and him waving back. Then he saw her stood with another lady he knew well.

His mum, Anne, and Buffy's mum as well. "William! Welcome!" They both called in unison, William walked to them and embraced his mum first, then Joyce as well.

Joyce spoke to William caringly, "How are you feeling? Glorious, I bet. Your mum's a good woman. She welcomed me when I first came, and I immediately knew who she was, from your description. We've been inseparable ever since!" Both women giggled together and ushered William into a store, telling him to change into proper clothes for the party. When William asked, Joyce hushed him, "All in good time, sweet William. All in good time."

He heard someone shouting his name behind him, "William! William! Is it really you? Oh, good! That means it's almost time!" William didn't know who it was until he turned around and embraced with her. "Hello, Anya." They all laughed and told stories of their arrivals and meeting people they knew and loved.

Then the women ushered William into a changing room and gave him clothes that didn't even look like clothes. "But... I haven't changed my clothes' color in years." The women just laughed and pushed him back inside, telling him not to worry and that it was made specifically for him. William gave up and was ushered in, people he didn't even know, pulling him in, taking off his clothes and putting new ones on him.

Outside the changing room where William couldn't hear the women chattering...

"Do you think he knows what's going on? What's expected of him? And what's about to happen?" Anya asked.

"My dear... If he doesn't know. He will eventually. By the end of the party, he'll know. And everything will be good." Joyce replied with William's mother nodding.

"If not. All in good time. All in good time, my dear." Anne said.

Anya nodded and looked at Joyce. "I always knew Buffy did love William, truly. And in the end, that they would be together. Forever, no matter what. It's just so romantic!"

The women nodded in mutual agreement, and ooohed and ahhhed when William came out. "My boy... You're so handsome!" Anne said, embracing him, tears running down her cheek. "Aww, mum. I love you too!" William answered and hugged his mum, then Joyce, then finally Anya . They left the store, not having to pay anything. "I'm starving!" William said to the women. All the women laughed and pulled him towards the eating area and told him to eat. William gobbled down everything he could stuff into his mouth. All the while, he wondered what treasures could be found here.

He thought of Buffy telling him, "I love you," And he just smiled, in the glorious light surrounding him, the women chattering around him, and all the angels singing.

Buffy looked once more at the potentials. "Now... One of you tell me that you wouldn't run from these big bads? If you had the chance, you'd be halfway around the world. You think you can fight them. You're wrong. Dead wrong. The point is, you're all still human teenage girls thinking with your natural human instincts. Yes, I think, but with my heart and my Slayer instincts. Tell me, could you sacrifice the love of your life to save the world? I did, twice. And I killed one. The other wouldn't let me save him. I wanted the world to end if I didn't save, at least, one." Buffy whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, she looked at the ground, then out the bus window.

Driving by sand, plants, sun, and nothingness. A few tears ran down her cheek, then she composed herself and continued, "But in the end... You know what happens? You feel alone. But you're not. I know that now. I'm surrounded by my friends, who went to a high school on the hellmouth for 3 years, and lived on it for a bit more than 7 years. And you, all of you, lived on it, for what? A couple of weeks, please," she scoffed, "It's a big, fucking difference compared to 7 fucking years." Dawn flinched as she heard her big sister cuss. "Even Faith wasn't a Slayer for that long. Not even. No offense, Faith." She glanced at Faith, by Robin's side.

Faith nodded, "None taken, B. Go on with your speech." she waved a hand, both slayers made eye contact, and silently promising each other to talk later, alone. Both nodded in mutual agreement, arms crossed, sisters by role and war. "It takes a fucking lifetime," Buffy continued, " To find out and accept who... you... are... and be at peace with it. The destroying of Sunnydale was not the end of evil. But rather the beginning of it. If you thought that was the end of evil. You were wrong. Tell me, how long have you been a slayer?"

Buffy pointed at Vi. "A couple of hours, I guess." Vi squeaked out.

"Hmm. You?" Buffy pointed at Rona, and she replied, "A coupla hours, yeah. That's about right."

Buffy nodded, "Exactly. But you all have the choice that I didn't have when I began. You can be a Slayer. Or choose to be a human girl-slash-woman. Your choice." she shrugged her shoulders. "Bottom line is, even if you see 'em coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come. You can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are. You'll see what I mean."

Buffy sighed and sat down comfortably, and grabbed a water bottle from the gas station they had stopped at a while back, she drank some water, quenching her thirst. looking out at the front of the bus, she realized they were finally there. At their destination. The bus passed a sign, a sign that said "Welcome to Los Angeles, City of Angels. Enjoy Your Stay." Buffy sighed and scooted over for Willow to sit besides her and help Giles to drive to the new firm Angel owned, something called Wolfram and Hart.

Upcoming Chapter: Heaven and Hell