It was mid-afternoon when Buffy finally arrived in San Francisco, where Willow was temporarily staying. Together, they sat on the bed eating chips in the Sunridge Hotel.
"You knew Spike was alive?" Buffy asked Willow in indignation.
Willow nervously munched on some chips. "Yeah, but he made me promise not to tell you!"
"Did everyone know he was alive but me?
"Well, I don't think Xander knew…"
"How is he by the way?"
"Xander?" Willow said. "Oh, he hates working in Africa for the Giles's new Council. I guess he misses the ol' gang."
Buffy smiled sadly. "Can't say I blame him. It's like, goodbye Hellmouth life, hello to the uncertainty. Everything's so different now. People are different."
"Yeah, it's this little thing we humans like to call growing up," Willow said with sympathy. "Buffy, life's not supposed to stop after Sunnydale. It's supposed to begin."
"Are you telling me to get a life?" Buffy asked wryly.
"No. I'm telling you to start living it."
Buffy picked at the threads of the bedspread. "I've forgotten how."
"Maybe you need someone to remind you." They fell quiet for a moment. "So, how was seeing Spike again?" Willow asked, ready for gossip.
Buffy took a breath and put on a fake smile. "Good. You know, nobody died this time, world wasn't ending, nobody spontaneously bursting into flames. It was good," she finished, trying to convince herself.
Willow looked at her knowingly. "But?"
"But…he said…he moved on. Like, he's over me. Which is fine, you know? That was Sunnydale love. All twisted and…over. And I'm over it too."
Willow smiled. "Good for you Buffy," she said proudly. "Anyway, about why I called you here. The dark, mystical energy I was feeling--"
"How can he say he's over me?" Buffy interrupted. "We had…this huge, life-changing relationship for two years. He got a soul for me."
"Well," Willow said, hesitantly. "Maybe he really is over you. I mean, you guys spent a whole year apart."
"Yeah," Buffy sighed, resigned. "That's all it really takes to get over the love of your life. One year."
"Spike's the love of your life?" Willow asked, surprised.
Buffy furrowed her eyebrows and frowned. "Okay, enough about my lack of love life. So how about that dark energy, huh?"
"Right," Willow said, dropping the Spike subject (for now). "Well, it's been really strong lately, so I was able to track it down to California. I don't know who's behind it yet, or what 'it' is exactly, but I'll have a location by tomorrow, so we should be able to check it out."
Buffy nodded, all business. "Right. I'm gonna call Angel, see if he's okay or needs any help, then patrol tonight. We can go investigate dark magic tomorrow." She turned to leave.
"Buffy?" Willow called out, stopping her. "This thing we're dealing with…it's really bad. Like, end of the world bad. I can feel it."
Buffy's face grew serious. "We'll deal." She walked out. "Always do."
"I can't deal with this!" Spike cried out.
The gang stood around the burned down building.
"Spike," Angel started, annoyed.
Spike paced back and forth. "What the hell are we still doing here? Just sitting here, not doing a bloody thing, like a bunch of wankers."
"We have to clean up this mess!" Angel replied. "We can't just destroy a whole city and skedaddle-on out of here."
"Yeah, I can see a whole lot of cleaning going on, in between all the sitting and the talking…" Spike said sarcastically.
"I have to think!" Angel said, frustrated. "I have to plan how I'm going to fix this."
"No, what you need to do is get Charlie-boy here to the damn hospital."
Angel rolled his eyes. "Well, in case you've forgotten, the hospital here doesn't exist anymore since it got torn down by the big honkin' dragon!"
Illyria spoke up. "I can take the human to the medical facilities just out of town. I do not believe I am greatly needed here. I wish to rest my ears from all this shouting."
Angel nodded. "Ok, great. Thanks. Be careful with him," he warned her as she draped Gunn's unconscious body over her shoulder and walked out.
"Now what, O Captain Forehead? What's the big plan? Stay in L.A. until we hypothetically decompose?"
"Spike," Angel said quietly. "I don't know what I'm still doing here. But I just…have this feeling. I'm needed here."
Spike sighed, and looked around him. "Yeah, I know what you mean big guy. Something's brewing. And it has that familiar smell of Apocalypse surrounding it." He looked at Angel. "Oh, joy," he said half-heartedly.